Black Grapes and Sour Flowers

by feeLexyet

Summary:

After several years held in captivity, being tested on relentlessly, you are gruesomely thrusted back into the real world. What you once knew, no longer exists, only a screwed version of what once was. As you journey along, you discover something is different with you. A significant change had occurred within you. This change was discovered to have the potential to take back humanity from the undead. With that tidbit of information being exposed, a team consisting of very handsome, very strong, very capable men are sent off in search for hope. For you.

This summary is unnecessarily written so dramatically lol. I promise you this is just written nonsense from my head, that maybe should have stayed in there >_>', regardless, enjoy the read!
Disclaimer: I do not own any of these characters besides my original ones~

Notes:

Please be aware: I haven't written in years, like since 2016 or so...
uhhh I'm sorry for whatever inconsistencies you discover. I've edited
and reread this chapter multiple times so the errors shouldn't be abundant.
Either way, I hope it's fun to read. Sorry if it's super long. I've always struggled
with too much detail or not enough to transition into more of the story.
So I genuinely tried this time around. Enjoy peeps :3
Disclaimer: I do not own any of these characters, barely the ones that I created myself lol jk, the originals are mine

Chapter 1: One

Summary:

First and foremost everybody is 18+
Y/N 23yo for now
Yuuji- 24yo
Yuta/Megumi- 25yo
Todo- 26yo
Sukuna- 27yo
Geto/Gojo- 28yo
Nanami- 31yo
Toji- 42yo :3

“Gentlemen! Our services are required.” A deep, rugged voice bellowed in a warehouse that housed special military grade machinery. The room was filled with one of the world’s best (remaining) special ops team. Seven strong men sat all around their lead and second in command to be briefed on their upcoming mission.

“This journey will be harrowing but should be simple enough if things go according to plan. But at the end of the world, expect the unexpected. We leave in two days. The journey should be about four days depending on the level of hordes and blockages along the way. I’m told it should be a simple restoration job, but in the very likely case that it turns to sh*t, we will evacuate and extricate any and all things necessary.”

A hand shot up from a boyish looking man. The youngest in the group, being of 24 years of age.

The second-in-command’s green eyes shot over to the pink haired boy with disinterest. He would have a question. “Yes, Yuuji. The personnel we find at the facility would be considered necessary.” He deadpanned as the hand no longer stood up. Groans and a few snickers chorused through the group as a heavy hand swatted at the back of his head.

“Ow, Sukuna! It was a reasonable question.” Yuuji fussed with his older brother. Sukuna merely responded with a kiss of his teeth.

The lead cleared his throat as he sat up from the desk he was leaning against, running a thick hand through his blonde locks. “That’s enough, gentlemen. Thank you, Toji, for the debrief.” Toji nodded and stood off to the side, leaning up against a truck they’d soon be venturing in. “We might not have the greatest connection out there, so be prepared to do things old school.” There was a brief silence as he collected a few items to then hand out to each member. “Try to remain in teams of at least two, no less. We’ve seen how easily a few undead can overtake someone.”

“Uh. Nanami-san. What is this you’ve handed us?” A white brow perked up looking over the items they were all given.

“A general map, a map of the towns within vicinity of destination and a blueprint of the facility. I suggest you get well acquainted with all of these gentlemen, like Geto and Gojo have with every woman from sector 8.” Nanami shifted his glasses up as Gojo looked on at him in bemusement. Shots fired.

“Sector 8 is the medical wing?” Yuuji pondered on what was said, giving a questionable look to his mate with dark spikey hair.

“Yep, and that would explain the frequent nurse visits you’d both have.” A sweet voice chipped in.

“You even got poor Yuta ganging up on me?!” A fake cry came from the unapologetic womanizer of a man.

“Tch. None of those women could compare to my one and only Takada-chan. You have poor taste.”

“Todo, for the love of -no one cares about your obsessive nonexistent fantasy woman.” Sukuna leaned in towards a scarred scowling face.

The group could not contain their snickers as their lead continued through their shenanigans.

“I want to be thorough and well prepared with this mission. That’ll leave little room for error and that way I will have all my men back here safely. This is a special case. Understood?” Nanami’s eyes glared across the room.

“Yes, Sir!” They stiffened at command.

“Dismissed!”

 

You think you’re a special case. You had deduced that much when you and your last remaining test buddy, Cody, were being swarmed.  And though you both made it out alive, with more than a few scratches and knicks, you healed, but your last remaining “friend” did not.

It had started off with searing pain, obviously because having a sizable chomp out of your body wasn’t ideal. It was not the kind of welcoming you’d expected for your first time back out into the real world. Thankfully you had spent plenty of time within the medical ward that you were apt enough to know how to bandage wounds properly and apply some medications. It was just too bad the lab was being overrun by…zombies before you could take anything from it. Maybe it would have helped your mate with the next set of symptoms.

It was a burning, itching sensation. You experienced it too, but at a lesser degree. In fact, all the symptoms up until the vomiting were on a lesser scale of pain for you. If anything, you were just uncomfortable for a couple of days. Your companion however was writhing and screaming by the end of the third day. You felt so bad, especially when he started begging you to end it for him. You could see the blackened blood worming through his body. Heading for well the head… his brain. You remembered all the scientists, now gone or dead, saying how there was a virus going around infecting others. How it would weaken the host, killing them off and then take control of the brain or something like that.

At the time you were too compassionate to understand a mercy kill would have been reasonable in this case. Necessary even. That way, you wouldn’t have had to see him suffer to the bitter end and gain another wound to bandage when you had to finally put him down. But this new life would teach you lessons. This negligence had worked out for you.

You had figured that you were immune to this vicious virus. Though you had similar symptoms, up until the violent vomiting. Anything passed that, you were in the clear.

You had the searing pain or irritation from the wounds you’d receive, so scratches and bites. Next, the bleeding would turn from crimson red to a deep black, from the infection, and would swell a bit depending on the damage.

Then you’d feel hot and itchy. A bit feverish from adrenaline and your body just naturally trying to fight the infection. The itching was like when you were younger and would want to scratch that scab off. Your elementary school teacher told you it was part of the healing process so, “Don’t scratch it!” You thought that’s what it was for the both of you, but his never stopped. You grimaced at the memory of his nails digging into skin until he was too weak.

He had grown a rash at that stage and was throwing up consistently. While you had managed a mild stomach cramp, and you didn’t consider it to be a rash, but you grew… obsidian sludge sacks. The blackened blood oozed like sludge out of your wounds after a while and then bubbled into little varying sized grape shaped sacks. You’d poked at them, and they’d peel out of the wounds, leaving behind pinkish flesh that you’d get when you accidentally scrape off a layer of skin. Then the indentations from the really bad wounds, such as bites, healed entirely, replacing torn muscle and leaving minimal scarring. Only because being eaten alive is so jarring of an experience, your traumatized brain would remember exactly where you were once missing flesh.

 

Being 3 weeks out of the pen and now journeying alone, you were obviously a bit reckless in the beginning. This was your first time back into the real world, unfortunately, with minimal survival instincts and skills. And an ever-decreasing food source. But due to your circumstances growing up, your body didn’t require much to eat at the moment.

It had been some days since you ran into some undead. You made it out unscathed, save for the wounds you received from Cody and the horde. Those wounds were nearly healed, meaning your wounds had stopped producing those sludge sacks, (black grapes you’ve deemed them), and now you were in the clear mostly. Just needed the meat taken from your arm, to be replaced like the first one was. And this took a while you, you barely noticed as you dealt with the fever that came. It wasn’t as bad as the initial one, though you still don’t like having to move around feeling hazy. In this world, you had to be always alert of your surroundings. That’s what you were taught.

Originally, there were four people to this now tragic one-man band. One was a soldier, and the other was a medic turned soldier overnight. They were the “kindest” to you in your captivity there and helped you escape when the lab was blowing up. Really you were just dragged along as everything was falling apart around you. The medic and you ran out of the facility together and you ran into the soldier and Cody when you hit the brush line leading into the forest right beside the facility. It was your first time being outside again, but you didn’t have time to take in your surroundings. You had to be on the move ever since you stepped foot back into the real world.

Conveniently for you, both the soldier and the medic had passed on some knowledge of surviving in the wilderness. First with getting to safety. A good distance away from the threat. Next security of your surroundings, that way no stranger dead or alive can walk up on you. Then checking yourself for bites and scratches and patching yourself up. But you couldn’t learn too much after that however, because a horde came thru one night and just… took them all away.

The screams, you’d thought you’d been used to after 7 years of torment, as you’ve heard them from plenty of experiments -including yourself, was probably the most gruesome. Maybe it was the groans over their gargled pleas, and probably the tearing of their flesh. Or it was the sound of their organs gushing out and plopping on the soiled floor beneath them.

Your screams matched theirs as you fled out of the claws of the decayed. You had fought to the best of your ability, but you came out with multiple scratches, and one got a good bite out of your forearm. This was the first encounter your body had with the infection, and you would soon deduce that you were probably immune.

But you also realized that to be sure of immunity, you would need to see someone else other than Cody, be infected to make sure of your claim, but you weren’t cruel like those scientists that would force that upon others. It just so happened that the answer would come up naturally. To your dismay.

A group, a family of 4, Mom, Dad and their two daughters, warily welcomed you. You’d be another mouth to feed, but you were so kind in offering the supply you had left to them, that they couldn’t help but to bring you along. Reflecting back, you had really enjoyed their company.

The mom was originally very sweet. She was handy with some thread as she was a seamstress prior to the apocalypse, and you had noticed along your journey with them on the first two days. Naturally intrigued by everything outside the metal walls you were once trapped behind, you wanted to try a hand at it all. She even threw in a neat trick on how to crochet by hand if you ever lost your needles.

Patching up the holes in the garments you scavenged, you were a pro by the end of the fourth day you spent with them. Your adeptness also translated with the dad as you had helped him scavenge for resources. This is where you learned a bit more survival skills on setting up traps and how to prepare meals out of the catch for the day.

You were becoming a natural at all the tasks they had given you midway through the second week with them. And the parents couldn’t help but praise you on your ability to learn so well. You remembered how the teachers would say the same thing about you while growing up in school. You indulged in it. Never having parents speaking positively to you, you didn’t object to assisting them whenever they asked.

Today, the dad requested your help while setting up traps. The conversation started about nature and eventually flowed into what life was like before the fall of humanity and how you ended up alone. This whole exchange would lead to a set of life lessons. Lesson #1: You cannot trust just anyone even at the end of the world, and much later #2: that you and your late experimented friend were special cases when it came to your body fighting off the infection.

You felt a lot more comfortable with them at this point. Being put at ease, you finally shared a bit more of your life. You appreciated the talks you’d had because you realized you had missed out on a lot. This family had helped you piece together what little updates you could gather from the gossip or snippets of shows you’d come across locked up. Back at the lab no one really spoke to you at leisure like this family did.

A floral scent carried through the air as you shared with the dad the abridged version of your life. Telling him how you were sold off to be a lab rat, how said lab was overrun by zombies and that you escaped with others but were ultimately the only survivor after being swarmed and attacked by a random horde.

There was a mixture of sadness and concern on the father’s face. How are you not a twisted individual?

“So this facility bought you and branded you? Is that that four-digit thing on the side of your neck?” He gestured to junction between your neck and shoulder blade, the traps.

“Ah, yeah. We all had this done… E128. The guy I ran out with, his name was Cody. His number was 203… he came my fourth year, I think. The numbers went in order, I had discovered. There were 75 people bought and sold in that time of us meeting.” You said this so matter of fact; the dad couldn’t believe his ears. Even at the end of the world.

“I’m sorry you had a bad hand at life.” He placed a heavy hand on your shoulder. “No good parent would ever sell off their kids.”

“I was adopted by a greedy old hag so…” You quipped while giving him a half-crooked smirk.

 “Ah well there you go. Bitter old lady…, but uh.. at least you came out unscathed.” He patted your shoulder and turned back to the trap he was setting. Glass half full type of man.

 You huffed at his assumption.

“I mean sure, now that I’ve healed up. But I was definitely scathed when those zombies scratched me up AND took a bite out of my forearm!” You chuckled to yourself. You could see from your peripheral his head did a double take to you.

“..A bite?” His face was bewildered and given his tone; the amusement ceased in you. Did you say something wrong? Your heart picked up a bit. So did the wind, carrying out the floral scent that put everyone at ease these past couple of days.

You nodded slowly, unsure of what his reaction was.

“On your arm?” Another nod. His eyes scanned your arms, currently covered by a long sleeve flannel. He remembered you had a bandage wrapped around your arms when you first encountered each other.

“From the undead?” His eyes held back raging fear, his hands bawled into fists. Was he going to hit you? Attack?

“D-did I say something w-wrong?” You stumbled back onto your butt. Just missing the trap that you set.

“Don’t mess with me. Show me the bite. Now.” He demanded of you.

“I didn’t turn out like them! It’s healed mostly now look.” You pulled your sleeves up frantically, showing one even toned arm and the other with small pink sores surely healing back into your normal shade of brown. It had suddenly started healing quicker than the last time you checked it, but you couldn’t acknowledge that now.

He wasn’t sure if he should be relieved or freaked out. The spots were in the shape of a mouth, but you had been healing like you said apparently. And you thanked God that he didn’t see the grape sacks that had already fallen off. He’d have probably shoved you face first into those snares you set. You shivered at the thought as a brush of something sour, like lemons, tinged the air. You wanted him to calm down.

His fingers flittered and flexed about his side, as he scrunched his nose. He was unsure of what to do here. It was foolish that they didn’t check you for bites, but you looked innocent enough, caked in dirt and grime; your eyes still held a lot of humanity in it, unlike others they’ve ran into. And you so willingly shared all of what you had. You couldn’t be malicious.

The lemon scented wind cut through the palpable silence between the two of you as your [E/C] orbs stared back at his in confusion and fear. He took a deep breath and sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. He would have to discuss this with his wife later. For now, he was going off the facts.

‘You’ve been bitten and have not turned.’

“It’s been weeks since this.” You gestured to your lean arms. You felt the need to reassure him as you didn’t know what else to say or even do.

‘You apparently heal!?’

“I..I -what are you?” He questioned more aggressively than he had intended to.

               ‘A freak of nature?!’

“..I’m Hum-…just a lab rat…,” you spoke softly as you curled into your legs, holding yourself.

               ‘…A freak of nature…’

The father huffed at your feeble form. Frustrated at the news because… what? And how true is that? Either way, he’s still wary at the revelation of the stranger him and his family welcomed. But he did feel the tension subsiding, so he let it be and went back to the traps.

“Okay. We have other traps to look at, and given that these are set, let’s move on...” His eyes looked distant as he took in the information. You felt bad for some reason. You couldn’t help but feel like you disappointed someone and for whatever reason you did not like that. You considered for once that maybe you shouldn’t have mentioned it. You bit your lip in anxiousness as another breeze brushed through the trees rustling the leaves and carried the fragrant worries away.

You were all back at the camper now, it was evening, and you couldn’t help but feel a bit shunned at this point. The father kept calling his daughters away for what you considered avoidance purposes. You understood why but it didn’t stop it from hurting, for crying out loud you missed this growing up!

You just busied yourself with finishing the piece you’d been working on for the eldest daughter. It was a daisy patterned green bandana. The youngest had you make one in pink, while the eldest preferred green.

You and the girls had bonded over knitting things for each other. You crocheted little things like flower crowns and miniature creatures for both girls while they made hair ties for you so your braids turned locs could be placed in different styles. You typically wore it in a bun or low ponytail as twisting it without anything to secure it in place would have the style unravelling. You wished for a hairdresser, given you hadn’t had one since the day you were taken. And the lab back then didn’t include black hair care in their budget, so your braids at the age of 16 had stayed put and you just utilized whatever they gave you as it grew out over the years.

But now in retrospect, at the end of the world, who really cares about appearances?

 

“How do I look, fellas?” A chipper deep voice asked rhetorically. Their long digits brushed through their white locks as sky blue eyes scanned over their distorted reflection in the shattered dusty handheld mirror.

“So good that the undead could eat you right up, Satoru.” A sarcastically sweet tone responded back.

He glared from the side at his raven-haired companion who was currently looking at one of the maps as they traversed further from their headquarters. Satoru Gojo, a man of arrogance, glared at the back of his friend’s head. In fact, majority of the team he resided in was arrogant in their own right. His was mostly resided in his looks and strength. Though all the women fawned over their squad regardless. He would say he was not only the best looking but also the strongest.

“Suguru, don’t be jealous of my good looks. It’s not my fault you look like a monkey-,” He snickered as he dodged a swat to his head.

There was a ‘tsk’ coming from the brooding man in the driver’s seat.

“The only monkey here is that brute up front. Sukuna, do you have to drive over all those things? We have to clean them out of the grooves all of the time.” Geto grimaced as he went back to his scanning over the map.

“How did I get into this?” A low gruff voice murmured as he yet again, ran over another group of zombies.

An irritated sigh came from behind the 3 childish men, causing them to straighten up and get back to their duties.

“You three need to focus on the mission at hand. Gojo, stop worrying about what you look like because to those hungry creatures out there, we all look like 5 course meals. Suguru, it’s already been two hours; I need an update on our ETA. And Sukuna, you’ll be helping Yuuji with clean up duty after we arrive and secure our surroundings.”

A chorus of “Yes, Sir!” resounded back to their lead, Nanami. Sukuna cursing under his breath, was irritated that he was dragged into something he didn’t necessarily start.

“ETA is… 5 minutes.”

“Good. We need to get to this lab and figure out why we lost connection and restore it.”

“If there’s anything to restore.” Sukuna muttered as he surveyed the surrounding area. Plenty of dead bodies laid about the neighborhood they drove through, and the number kept increasing as they got closer to their destination.

His statement was rather accurate as they pulled into the lot and surveyed the area. There was a barrier set up by the military, but it had been completely overrun by the undead. Many soldier and civilian bodies laid strewn. The charred marks from a fire long burnt out littered amongst the space.

Nanami sighed heavily, scratching at the middle of his brow. He could have guessed this was the outcome. It was a shame to see the ground riddled with so many fellow comrades, but other matters needed to be addressed. He had hoped this mission would be an easy restoration of communication, like a powerline was knocked down, but this… this whole situation would now need to be investigated. They’d also have to see if there were any survivors. Though it had been at least two weeks in total that they received the order to check things out and reached this place, the facility should have had safety procedures in case of emergencies… but given the state of things, there might only be dead awaiting them.

“D’ya think there’s anything left?” Yuuji asked; His face scrunched up as he kicked away a charred skull.

“I doubt it, boy.” An older gruff voice spoke up behind him. It was Toji, looking disgruntled at the scene ahead of them.

“We have to secure this place first to see if there is anything to recover.” Nanami began ordering. “Toji. Sukuna. Todo. Secure the inside with Gojo and Geto. Once clear Gojo and Geto, you’re with me. We’re going to locate and reestablish communication. You three,” he pointed to Sukuna and Toji, “find any breaches and secure them. We may be staying here a while or at least using this as a point of contact back to headquarters. Yuuji. Yuta and Megumi, fortify this area and clear it of any undead. Make minimal contact and try not to be too loud. Don’t need to attract the mass that probably came through here.”

“YES, SIR!”

Chapter 2: Two

Summary:

“You can’t leave,” His voice sounded very grim... you in fact do leave. And never come back :o

Notes:

If the it is not clear throughout the story, I want it to be known that the days are not present with each focal point. It jumps back and forth, if it's too confusing lmk and I'll add little notes~ c: Be blessed and enjoy~

 

It was time for bed, but you could not go to sleep. The mom picked up that something was wrong with the dad, but he kept brushing her off. Saying he’d tell her later. Your mind questioned what he’d say to her exactly. Would he convey that you’re not a threat? Would he share what was said? Your stomach tingled anxiously at the idea of you talking so much. You should not have said that part about being bit at all. How would she react? Like him or worse? You wondered if they’d kick you out, where would you go? What direction? Anxiety spilled through your body as you tried to calm your thoughts.

“I smell lemons, mommy.” The youngest murmured as she was tucked into the makeshift bed of the camper. The mom giggled and agreed to smelling something sour, like a lime.

“Maybe there’s a tree or orchard nearby, my love. I’ve been smelling flowers all week but today I smelled lemons too. Maybe they bloomed? We should go to sleep and check it out tomorrow.” The mom kissed the youngest goodnight and patted the eldest’s head who was already sleeping; the green bandana had slid down, covering her eyes. The mom smiled warmly at you and wished you a ‘goodnight’, stepping over you carefully as your bed was made on the floor. The father and mother were upfront, sleeping in the reclined seats. You wouldn’t complain. Better than sleeping on soggy foliage or on top of cars without any covers.

You wondered how far this orchard could be. And if there was an orchard or even just a random tree, then that would mean there’s a farm or garden as well, right? No one just plants random fruit trees in the middle of the woods.

Your mind finally focusing on something more comforting, you finally drifted off to sleep.

 

Three days. Three. Long. Blacked out days inside the laboratory without communication. The men finally got electricity set up and working, contacting headquarters and giving them the dreaded news. The President was none too pleased to hear about the turn of events, his face looked rather anxious and annoyed in the glitching screen in front of Nanami.

Not one surviving human remained inside, but there was plenty of dead that they had subdued. They secured the lab and made it suitable to run on the bare minimum, even had the power rerouted to just the area they were holding up in. They were finally able to eat, wash and rest after cleaning out some unwanted pests. It had been days for them on the road to here without that once common luxury. Not bathing, resting for long or even eating more than a once (or less) a day was something they were all accustomed to, given their training, but when the chance arose, they wouldn’t hesitate to take it.

“Sir, we searched all over inside and the vicinity. No survivors were found. My men are currently going through profiles and confirming the deceased with them, but so far-“

“If I may interrupt…” A pleasant voice interjected from behind, causing all parties present to take notice of several files being held up above straight dark locks, combed over to the side.

“Pardoned. Please proceed, Yuta.” Nanami took a step back to allow him access to the table his broad body was blocking.

“Thank you, Sir. My section consisted of medical personnel: 12 in total were assigned to that area, 11 were identified and accounted for. Some military bodies: 9 in total. 8 were accounted for. They were ordered to protect Dr. Haust and all remaining… assets. We have confirmed that Haust is deceased.” Yuta’s eyebrow twitched. Finding out what this facility did, though he’s had plenty of run ins with his occupation, he still hated that places like this existed.

“And what a great job they did!” Sarcastic words boomed through the screen. “I hope you were able to salvage his findings? They could be very crucial for our research on how to eradicate this virus. Of all the disease control facilities around the world, this sponsored lab has the nerve to have an edge on this thing.” Long boney fingers tapped impatiently on the screen.

“Yes, Sir. I have tasked that to Megumi, Yuta, Todo and myself. Please continue, Yuta.” Nanami interceded.

“Right. There were 17 humans assigned to that area and…,” Yuta clicked his tongue as he searched for the correct files. Interest peaked, the president leaned in, more invested in Yuta’s conversation.

“Did you find anything interesting among the experiments?!” The president was too eager and impatient.

“Apologies, President.” His demeanor did not match his words. “Ah! Found it. There were 17 humans that were experimented on and 15 were accounted for. We’re looking into the two that are missing. I have the files here and already memorized their descriptions.”  He paused once again, extracting the two files and placing them on screen. “After confirming with the rest of the team, these two were not amongst the deceased. Cody. Branded E203. This is his file. Mostly fully intact. We have his descriptions down and will be scouting for him as well as the other, but their image as well as physical identifiers has been destroyed by the fire. We have a few traits of theirs listed, but other than that, only the number they were branded with.” He placed the profiles in view for all to see.

“Experiment 203…and AH! I do believe this was a favorable asset from the last communication they sent out. I hope this is promising and not a total lost cause. I do believe they had trackers implanted because who wouldn’t keep track of their assets? They’ve paid too much money to be able to get away with the things they do -did here. Gentlemen, this mission will now be a search and secure, that is if they’re still alive. It’s only been a little over 3 weeks since their fall; I’d say gather a small team and send them out. I need every bit of the data that you’ve collected sent over here for the analysts to go over. Yuta. Good job. Nanami, keep me updated when able.”

“Yes, Sir. I’ll have it sent over soon.” Nanami released a short sigh ending the transmission, and pivoted towards Yuta and gave him a knowing look.

“They are human, Nanami-san. I won’t take that away from them.” Yuta stood firmly in his superior’s reluctant face.

“That’s only if the world hasn’t gotten to them first.” Toji, who was silently seated in a corner came up from behind and patted his young comrade’s shoulder. He snatched the folders placed before them and went over the details of it’s remaining contents.

“Cody seems easy enough, but the other…E128? Can’t even get a hint if they’re male or female. Ethnicity? What are traits going to do?!” Toji kissed his teeth and all but chucked the report at Nanami. “I’ll send the others here. I’m going to go looking for this “tracker” they might have. If they didn’t set it on fire too!” He fussed walking away.

“I’ll go help him look.” Yuta murmured after the raging brute.

“Thanks. And Yuta, good job with discovering this.” Nanami held the files up, waving them overhead as he looked wearily over the remaining files he had to go through.

 

 

The jostling of the camper door being slammed open had your eyes bulging.

“You had her near us ALL NIGHT?!” The mother’s shrill voice sent you into overdrive. The girls, groggy from the abrupt wakeup call made by their mother, were trying to rub the sleep out of their eyes. Her body was over yours quicker than you were able to orient yourself. Grabbing your arms, she shoved your sleeves up. Spotting the mostly healed bite. Her face twisted into confusion and disbelief.

She didn’t want to believe you’d healed, because if that were the case, why did all of her friends and loved ones die in front of her eyes? But you get to be here still? The mother’s breathing turned harsh, and her face grew red with anger, though her eyes held a bit of fear. Just what are you? She started tugging at you. Ripping you from your makeshift bed and out the door of the camper. You fell to the forest floor you were encamped in. The road was a bit too open and hard to hide away from unwanted eyes. Plus, to hunt you’d needed to be in the woods. This was the smartest decision, made by the father.

You yelped in shock and fear. What had happened? You swung your head around to look at her shaking finger in your face. Tears were pooling from her eyes. What was wrong with her?

She just didn’t want to believe it. “How dare you trick us!” Who’s to say you can’t turn later? “You could’ve turned and HURT MY BABIES!” The mother’s fear getting to her. The lemony scent was back and strongly encased the air as the wind picked up between this untimely situation.

“B-but I’m fine!!” You pleaded; you didn’t want to be alone again. You didn’t want to be sent off.

As a mother, she couldn’t chance that, even if it was weeks, you’ve spent together. “YOU’RE A FREAK!” There was no going back. “Leave. Just go! And stay away from us!”

The bag you’d travelled with before meeting them was plopped next to you. Looking up from it, it was the dad with a stern look. The decision was made, thankfully early in the morning so you’d have some light to see wherever the heck you were going to go. Not that you couldn’t see at all times of the day, it’s just night vision was so creepy for you. You never had the chance to use it in the facility much, so the abrupt utilization was jarring. Being able to see relatively clearly on any given night, especially the undead. It was nightmare fuel.

“Mom! Dad? What are you doing? [Y/N], where are you going?” The girls stood behind in the camper door, unsure of the scene before them.

“Go back inside! Don’t argue with me!” The mom flailed at them as she rushed them back inside the camper. The dad stood in front of the closed door; arms crossed.

“You gotta go, kid.” His lips bunched up. Even though you’re 24, it felt like your parents were kicking you out of the nest. And you had none.

You shared your story with him, albeit abridged, but he knew none the less! You were sold off to death and now you’re being kicked out for death. For NOT dying? You weren’t sure, but it was clear you were unwanted and would take off; far from them.

Your lip quivered, but you bit it to help stop yourself from bawling. It was stupid to make connections right? At the end of the world, do we still deal with betrayal?

You could hear the girls crying and yelling for you, fussing with their parents as you trudged deeper into the woods. You went in the direction you assumed where the orchard or garden could be. Anywhere from where you were at now.

During your travels, you stuck closer to the road. Dodging the dead as best as you could. You only sustained a little gash from two. Not a full chunk missing from you this time. You still weren’t that great at combat, never getting the chance to learn as the skilled combatants died… so isn’t that a good thing you didn’t learn from them? Either way, you were made known to aim for the head but given your short stature of 5’3 and a currently feeble body to match, you needing to bring them down to your size or less was a feat all of its own.

Thankfully, you were given a bat and crowbar to work with. But you were growing weaker as you didn’t eat nearly as much as you had and didn’t get a chance to eat before you departed. Before you were suddenly vacated from the lab, your form was full, shapely and towards the muscular side. In this case, it would have been ideal but given how long it’s been, about a month or so from steady meals, your body was withering slowly and surely. It did not help that you had the undead taking chunks out of you.

You grimaced. For once considering that maybe being a lab experiment wasn’t so bad?

Shaking that thought clearly out of your head, you trudged on, stopping at the underpass of the bridge. You decided it would be too hard to cross over top as it was blockaded. There were a number of zombies in the middle of it that you wanted no parts of. So, you headed carefully down the river, making sure you weren’t seen, trying to find another way across without getting soaked or carried away. You wanted to wash yourself in it so bad. Wash away the grime and blood that accumulated. Maybe the water would take the anger, pain, and sadness that kept beating at your chest with every step you took away from the only thing you’ve gotten to know since coming back into the world.

You stopped in your tracks. Was it really that bad back at the facility? You were poked and prodded. Tested to your limits and repaired again and again like some damn robot. But at least you weren’t left alone to defend for yourself. At least you were given meals three times a day. You were feeling anxious as regret and fear crept in.

What are you going to do?

Tears bubbled to the surface. You were pissed. You were confused and lost. You were sad. You wanted to fight. You wanted to scream. But you couldn’t because that would more than likely get you mauled. And honestly how disheveled you were feeling, you didn’t have it in you. Seeing as though your surroundings were clear, you cleaned off your scratches and decided against using a bandage. Saving it for a more severe injury. You’d give it until tomorrow to maybe have some haziness of a fever kick in. You knew you’d need to hurry and find a safe enough environment to rest at. But what would you find out there in the middle of the woods?

 

“Team 1, ready to move, Sir.” Sukuna stood leaned against the truck he and his brother Yuuji cleaned spotless. He was gnawing at his bottom lip out of boredom, waiting for the go ahead with his team: Yuuji, Todo and Toji. He and Toji could probably handle this on their own, but he as much as everyone else in this group knew better to take that chance. Though he was a thrill seeker back in his hay-day. He’s settled for one-V-one fights with his teammates. He flexed his buff, exposed arms, ready to get on the road. The sun was laying low behind some clouds, offering a nice round of shade for everyone. The summer heat here wasn’t as bad as down south. Or in the desert, like the long-forgotten missions they used to go on.

“Team 2, ready to go.” Suguru stood at attention with his group, consisting of Yuta and Gojo. Everyone was dressed in black short sleeve, form fit, shirts. Dark grey, camo pants with black combat boots. They all had their desired weapon of choice, but all required a knife, a grenade and 2 small survival kits per team.

“Thanks to the diligent searching you guys did, we were able to locate the trackers. You get two each. if one dies, obviously use the other.”

“Well at least we’re lucky enough, fellas. One is a short distance away while the other is…” Toji whistled. One dot was at least 1 day’s drive away, if the roads were accessible.

“Spoke to soon, hm? I want both teams to investigate the closest one, 80 kilometers away. Data shows that it hasn’t moved in weeks, so I’m assuming the asse- person may be deceased. In that case, collect the tracking device and send it back via the drone. No point in wasting valuable time to get to the other who is still transmitting updates every hour. Currently 200 Kilometers from here.” Nanami spoke clearly.

“That’s about a 2-hour drive.” Toji said dryly with his face scrunched up from the sun peering through.

“It could be more or less depending on how things go. On the map, I’ve marked where a radio tower can be utilized if you get out that far. That’ll be point C. But I’m sure you’re all prepared for what you may encounter. Megumi and I will remain here sorting through the data and sending the president what he wants… or whoever he’s answering to.” Nanami crossed his thick arms across his broad chest. The wind couldn’t even help itself as it whistled through the air.

“What if we encounter civilians? Tell them to head west to headquarters? To here?” Yuuji posed a valid question.

“The mission comes first, otherwise we’re jeopardizing our plans. We can’t transport them all the way back. We would run out of supplies probably on the first day. Especially if the group is too large. We can’t sustain people here either.” He gestured to the destroyed facility. “What you can do is offer minimal support, and mark where you’ve found anyone alive so we can come back for them. That’s the best advice I can give you.” Nanami stared at his watch. Time was getting away and they needed to get a move on. “Alright, men. I want you to be vigilant out there. Stay in constant contact with each other and if need be, regroup if things get too dicey. Understood?”

“Yes, Sir!”

 

Leaves crunched under heavy footing as ragged breathing puffed out of his chest. A whine came from within his grasp. “Shh, honey. I know, I know.” He cooed as he tried to keep up his pace. He was tired and struggled to keep up his pace amongst the unseeable foliage before him. It was nightfall that had descended, just like the group of zombies earlier upon his family. He made it out with his youngest daughter, but she was bitten too. “S’gonna be alright, baby. Daddy’s got you. We’re gonna get to those lemons you was smelling. Just hold on.” He shushed her whines as he trudged on.

You were toiling away with the remaining thread you had, wishing you didn’t squander it away with the little knick-knacks you’d stitched for fun with the girls. It was stupid and a waste! But there was so much of it at the time. You sighed and rested your head back on a rolled up sleeping bag. You discovered a tent, seemingly abandoned and chose to take residence for the night before continuing to find suitable shelter further along. For now, you needed to savor some energy as you trekked a good distance away, not finding an orchard of any kind. Snacks already gone; you had set 2 traps (the dad did pack two of those for you thankfully) to hopefully fill your stomach for tomorrow. You thought of how you caught your first couple of squirrels. Maybe you’d catch something bigger, like a rabbit! Or maybe it would be a person.

Alert at the groan of someone cursing, you shuffled out of the tent, crowbar at the ready.

Through the haziness of sleep that was settling in, you were able to blink enough to see that it was the dad, and…

“Oh no!” You gasped as you ran to the little girl who lied unconscious at your feet. The moon barely shown tonight but you could already see that something wasn’t right. Helping the dad out of the trap, you helped him stand and lean on a nearby tree. Shooing him away from picking up his daughter.

“I can get her.” You spoke softly as you hooked her legs around your waist and set her head in the crook of your neck. You didn’t notice the blood slowly seeping from her side, but you did realize how warm she was. A fever? Did she suddenly get sick?

“[Y/N]? Wha-how?” His voice was ragged. He was sweaty and stunk of bile.

“What happened to her? Why are you here? Where are the others?” Confusion and concern entangled in your voice.

His voice cracked as he fell to his knees. He was pained. Heavily pained.

“Gone.” He whispered as he wept quietly into the foliage, trying to catch his breath.

“…oh…” You spoke in the same volume. Were you devastated? Not necessarily. This isn’t the first or second time you’ve experienced death. But so soon? Within the same day you were casted away? In the same 24 hours that you had slept relatively soundly in the camper together. It hurt. You knew not nearly as much as the father, but it hurt all the same and you did shed tears of sadness for the loss. Reorienting yourself, you went back to the tent and placed the youngest daughter down, trying to add comfort for her unconscious body, before going back out to help the father.

You saw a large stick, suitable enough to help him walk. It was sharp on one end and flat on the other, that way he could rest on it without discomfort.

There was a log conveniently set up in front of the tent, enough for three seaters. You made him rest there as you got some of your gauze and helped him with his ankle. The silence was loud before he broke it.

“You’re a heckuva wit. I only showed you how to set one of those things up once and there you go catching my achilles.” He huffed. He was deflecting by flattering you. You knew that much, were very familiar with it in fact.

“But how di-“

“We shouldn’t have made you leave the way we did,” he cut you off to continue in apology. “You know you left a huge impression on the kids. Especially my youngest. When you left, she kept saying how she wanted to pick lemons with her mother and sister and you. But um.. um..” He took a deep breath of the lemony floral scented woods. “We couldn’t find the dang lemon trees. It’s like you left and took ‘em with you. But I do now, and I wound up finding you and you’re once again helping us!” He laughed bitterly. “My wife and eldest just wouldn’t stop bickering over you leaving… we shouldn’t have sent you off.” He ran a rough hand over his face. Shielding his eyes. “I shouldn’t have told my wife the way that I did. I mean look at you. Still harmless. Still healthy.” He looked at the tent absentmindedly.

The moonlight broke from behind the clouds and casted through the tree’s leaves, spotting across the forest floor and over you. It made him able to spot the wound you caught earlier on your arm. Surprisingly you didn’t feel any bit of nausea or dizziness this time around.

He could see black inked claw marks, one in particular drawing his attention. That one was bubbled up.

He scrunched his face up, as to figure out what he was looking at. He was weary and tired, and it was dark after all. He wondered how the heck you could maneuver and see so well.

“Is that mark from earlier?” You paused looking at it and returned to bandaging him up, only humming in response. You considered not answering at all given how you were treated but he seems vulnerable and remorseful.

“I don’t know how healthy given this scratch. It will depend on if I catch a fever with this or not. I was attacked only by 2 zombies, prior to crossing the river, and uh so far this is what my… freakish body produces whenever I get scratched or bitten.” You shrugged while poking at the growing black grapes. These types of wounds would heal quicker than a bite, so this was easier to deal with.

“…you weren’t lying when you said you had healed…” His face looked so distressed. “I’m so sorry. I’m so sorry. I’m so…, they would have been alright had you’d stayed. Then they wouldn’t have been arguing. It’s my fault they were eaten alive before me. It’s my fault that my baby is in there hopelessly fighting off a disease. She won’t make it. Not like you.” He blubbered into his hands. His world was crumbling before him and currently there was nothing that could be done. You placed a gentle hand on his shoulder like he once did for you.

“Hey, she could be stronger than you think. Let’s get some rest. It’s been a long day of surviving.” You spoke with conviction. Trying not to be so downtrodden and headed back to the tent.

He blinked through his tears. You were being too optimistic. Stupidly so. It was a death sentence for everyone. You were just an exception due to experimentation.

 

“There’s enough room for all of us in here. Though tight. It’ll be okay. Oh! Hey, she’s up!” You looked back smiling at him triumphantly.

It was like a bed of flowers were before him. His nose was filled with the petals, the scent was that thick. His mind was screaming something was wrong, but his body couldn’t react quick enough. It was too relaxed or too tired. He didn’t know.

His face scrunched as he fought the sudden fatigue. “..[Y/N]..” He tried garnering your attention. He tried to pull you back.

You saw a little hand come across your vision before you could respond to him. You smiled tears full of sadness and joy spilling out as you embraced the youngest daughter. She was a hugger, and you grew accustomed to the hugs with the weeks you’ve spent with them. Naturally that’s what your mind created in this unfortunate scenario when you exposed the crook of your neck, allowing little teeth to bite into flesh.

A strong sourness punched the air. The dad’s nose tingled and suddenly he was able to be alert. Another dose of adrenaline. He leaned and grabbed you by the ponytail as you kicked off your assailant.

You gripped at your shoulder. Or was it your neck? That space in between where your tattoo resided. It hurt like a B-

“[Y/N]!” The father fell to the ground, trying to go to his daughter. His zombie-fied daughter. “My baby. No!”

Your screech got caught in your dry throat. You’d never get used to that pain. Adrenaline kicked in as you searched for something… something to stop her. The stick.

You hurriedly got up and grabbed it, making sure you had the sharpest end pointed at her… it?  You charged and thrusted the makeshift spear through the bloodied mouth, to the point where the bandana you made was lifted on the other side.

“What have you done?! My baby!” He cried into the forest floor. Slamming his fists.

You had to do this before. It’s not new.

Tears mixed into the bloodied shirt you were wearing.

You keep letting your guard down.

You thought you’d had time with her still. “I’m sorry. I thought… Cody lasted for days, but she… it… she?” Your mind struggled with detaching from this moment. You were always a compassionate person. Never liking people to cry in grief. Never wanting to cause harm to others. But you had to learn to defend yourself. Against anything.

You know it must have broken this man to see his family gone before his very eyes. You threw the stick away and picked up his daughter. Placing her gently in front of him.

Of all the things you could see in the dark, you wished you could have seen the slap that came for your face. You fell over towards the tent, bewildered at how close you were to it so suddenly.

“How dare you!” The dad’s voice sounded hoarse and grim. You shrunk back as he leaned forward, he was hovering over his lost child. Whispering her name sweetly and caressing her face. “How could you? HowCouldYou?! You.Killed.her.” He growled out. Rocking back and forth with her in his arms.

Your soul shook as you met his eyes. They looked dangerously far. Confused and calculating towards something lethal.

Your mind suddenly remembered your backpack was inside. You sat up slowly and crawled into the tent. You scrambled to gather your strewn things. Half of the medical supplies was out there with him. Chance grabbing it? Your heart began to race as you heard shuffling. Instinct told you it was him and you needed to go now.

You ran out backpack first, colliding with him. His hands grabbed the bag, tossing it and you along with it. The bag and you both spilled over the log that sat between you and your new enemy.

You quickly sprung to your feet, eyes wide and alert. Tears were threatening to spill from your eyes, but you had to see his next move. You couldn’t let emotions overcloud just yet. “Where do you think you’re going?” His voice was hoarse and grave as he steadied himself. Was he going to pounce at you?

“Please don’t…” Your lip quivered as you stood low to the ground. You were wondering how quickly you could get everything back in the bag and run.

“You can’t leave,” His voice sounded very grim as he continued, “You killed my baby.” His eyes glazed over at his daughter. Taking that time, you calculated what you could swipe into the bag and jumped back with the bag. Just dodging his long reach. “Get back here so I can kill you!” He growled stretched across the ground as he huffed in the pungent air. It was sour and bitter, much like him in this moment. “You can’t leave me alone!” His voice cracked as your back disappeared from his vision, along with the moonlight fading behind the clouds.

Chapter 3: Three

Notes:

Hi! Erm... enjoy :3 lol

 

“Maki…”

“Maki!”

“WHAT?!” A very muscular woman whipped around annoyed, eyes casting a dark glare at the frog looking man before her.

“Don’t look at me like that, sweetheart.” His old voice was gravelly and low. He was trying to be seductive, but it never worked on her because unlike the other women here, she could hold her own. He knew that. They all knew that. It didn’t stop some of them from trying.

“Jogo, what the hell do you want?” She stood up, towering over his short muscular form.

“Is that any way to spe-“

“Spit.It.Out.”

“Fine fine. You’re going to have to pull a double this evening.” He looked at his grungy nails.

“For what?” She gritted out. She had an inkling as to the reason.

“I have business to attend to seeing how the leader made the request for you to do it. Priorities, Maki. You understand.” He placed a hand on her exposed shoulder, lightly running down her arm before she snatched it away.

“You who makes it his business by bedding women so that they can stay “safe” in here and barely lift a finger. Real top priority. Oh yeah, you’re busy. I’m not going to keep putting up with this.” She pushed passed the embarrassed man.

“No need to be jealous-“

“Tuh!” She barely spared him a look. Pausing in the door frame briefly, she warned, “If you touch me again, I’ll cut you like Mahito.” He didn’t need to see her face to know she meant business. He shivered.

“D*mn, B*tch.” Jogo muttered as she left the conference room of the mayor’s hall they utilized as the end of the world came upon them. If she weren’t so capable of beating his ass and many of the men here, he’d have done something about that attitude. Him and Mahito at least. Not like her family would have cared too much given how they treat the women here. He wondered why she couldn’t be feebler and more pliable like the others. Yet, he also knew they couldn’t afford to have someone like her leave. He should probably stop pursuing her so much…

Walking out a few moments behind Maki, Jogo ran into a relaxed young-looking man with his hand slung over a small raven-haired woman. He was being fussed over by two women, one red head and a brunette, many of the men here have had their fair share of nights with.

“Mahito, you haven’t spent any time with me for days~ Why don’t-“

“Days? How about weeks. I’ve been getting more work than normal. Isn’t there something I can do to change that?” The brunette one tried seductively, running a finger up his chest completely ignoring the bewildered look from the woman already in his arms.

The silver haired man smirked down in the brunette’s face, relishing in the attention and authority he loved so much. Made him feel powerful. He clasped her hands and smiled callously in her face, saying, “Maybe you can take that used up c*nt of yours and try it on that baldy Jogo. I’mma bit busy with the new recruits.” He replaced his arm around the black-haired woman and walked away with her giggling in his arms. Cold blooded.

A whistle caught the women’s attention, it was coming from Jogo who was walking the opposite direction. The brunette ran up to him wiping her tears ready to appease him in any sort of way, but he was not interested. He heard it all.

“Just face it. You’re both used up and now you must work like the rest of us. It’s about time you earn your keep. Plus, with all those extra portions you’ve been given, you can afford to work it off.” He pinched the back meat of her arm. The gasp was loud.

“You promised!” She shrieked; a scowl pulled on her face as the other just stared in shock.

“I said you can ‘entertain’ us for less work. You’re no longer entertaining. I honestly find watching paint dry better than what either of you have to offer.” His face was uncaring while he watched her face grow red with tears pouring down her cheeks.

“Wh-what can I do to chang-“

“What you can do is go work like everyone else. You still have to work for your safety here ya’ know?” His look of malice matched many of the men’s here when it came to the women. “Maybe you can work with your husband. Try seeing if you can mend that ‘ship back together. Might be worth it.” He scoffed at her form, now crumpled to the ground in tears and walked off thinking of the towns next move.

‘I don’t have time for this. I gotta look into that herd of dead and make sure they migrated further along; can’t gather any more supplies if we’ll be swarmed in seconds… maybe I’ll get Hanami and Maki and another to scout. Can’t be Ranta. Naoya’s taking him with him on his trip.’ Jogo griped to himself in thought.

“Dagon! Hanami.” Jogo called, garnering the attention of a very tall mammoth of a man and his fraternal sister who was equal in both height and build. “I have an errand for you two to run.”

**In other places and spaces**

The tracker had led them through a neighborhood full of townhomes that had been leveled, abandoned or ransacked from the fall of humanity. Once on foot, the 2 teams came to a halt as the smell of rancid decay entered their noses upon discovering an abandoned shed; overgrown foliage climbed its surface by the wood’s edge. Some of them grimaced once seeing what was awaiting them; they found that Nanami was correct in concluding that Cody was in fact deceased. Yuuji was subjected to extracting the small device implanted in the rotten meaty part of the shoulder where a faint number resided, E203; they hurriedly sent it off to home base where Nanami and Megumi stayed behind.

Investigating the inside and surrounding area, they discovered something of yours that they currently weren’t sure of. Those damn black grapes. Or mini sludge bombs as Yuuji would say, since he stepped on one by accident and it “exploded” under his boot, spraying his brother’s pant leg. Sukuna had him face first in the dirt in less than five seconds.

There were varying sizes littered all around and trailed off into one direction several meters from the shed which Todo, Sukuna and Geto discovered. Yuta and Todo’s keen perception predicted that you may have gone that way after putting down a reanimated E203. They figured that because of the scattered debris with what seemed to be your dried blood prints all over them.

“E128 must have defended themselves unexpectedly. Killed E203 -Cody and then travelled that way.” Todo pointed in the general direction.

“Looking at their handprint, I’d say they’re probably on the smaller side.” Yuta had his hand spread above the bloody print you left behind, engulfing it in size. “They also had to use excess force to bring Cody down, so they must lack strength, weight, or both.” He pinched his chin in thought as they ventured out of the shed and into the field where the rest of the team resided after checking the perimeter.

“I just kept finding these sludge things. Haven’t seen anything like it out here. Pretty gross. Catch, Suguru!” Gojo toyed with his grossed-out teammate.

“You guys,” Yuta called, garnering their attention. “I think we are either looking for a kid, or a young woman. I’d guesstimate no bigger than 5”5. Probably has bandages and scars all over them too.” Adding the last bit as he remembered the dried blood and used bandaged wraps strewn on the ground.

“Hmm, a woman would be more likely to survive than a kid, I’d suspect. Then again, hard to imagine either one being that capable all alone.” Gojo chimed in while holding off Geto’s attempt to get him down to the ground. In their search of the perimeter, they had noticed a lack of extra footsteps with the trail you left behind.

“True. But Yuta, didn’t their file say that they can heal fully? By the time we find them, would they even have a scratch on them?” Geto offered as he finally got Gojo in a headlock.

“Ah… it said that the scientists were seeing a rapid growth of similarities in both subjects. Cody’s healing capability was high, though susceptible to invasive types of toxins via intravenous. Probably why he’s gone now since the virus circulates through the blood. The other person was listed as ‘Inconclusive’ due to their ‘Recovery ability variating excessively over time. Ongoing tests were needed.’” Yuta spoke verbatim of the file they all did not equally study over.

“Someone’s done their homework. Good job, Yuta-kun.” Gojo, finally freed from his mate’s loving embrace, patted Yuta’s shoulder in passing. He was heading for the car as he spotted the drone they sent off earlier, finally coming back.

“Nanami wanted us to gather every detail. Not that it was hard. The file was mostly burnt save for a few traits.” Yuta and the rest of the guys gathered around the truck Gojo was sitting on with the drone sitting right next to him. He had a note unraveled in his hand that he motioned towards Yuta to take.

“What’s this?” His sunken eyes looked skeptically to Gojo.

“More homework.” He grinned in his teammates face.

His eyes scanned over its contents.

‘Subject 128                                                   

Traits:

Adept at mastering new concepts

Adaptable

Superior Sight**

Emits Pheromones**

Healing Capabilities**

Purifies Toxins**

**-Data remains inconclusive as further testing is needed

Superior Sight: Surpasses 20/20 vision; Subject shows possibility of night vision

Healing Capabilities: Variates extremely over time; may be affected by diet; more tests required

Purifies Toxins: Recent discovery due to unknown virus; currently studying bloods antibodies breaking down virus; in one week test will be administered live

Emits Pheromones: Depends on subjects emotional state; may cause an effect in others

• Floral- Rare; subject is calm or calming another
• Sour/Citrus- Often; caused by stress
• Orange- Intermittent; distinct from sour/citrus scent; anger/annoyance
• Berry- Extremely rare; **data may be incorrect; happiness
• Woodsy- Often; extreme sadness or sign of death *note: subjects heart stopped mid test for this discovery. Please do not recreate*
• ???- Described as a sweet, homely, alluring scent that is so rare that only two doctors have smelled it on three rarest of occasions. *Note: subject is warm to the touch, and heart rate increased slightly when around those two doctors; the two doctors are lead males, described scent differently both times. It influenced them to act kinder towards subject*

“Tch! All of that and we still can’t get a picture or description of what they look like?!” Sukuna threw his hands up in defeated annoyance, packing into the car with Team 1.

“It’s better than nothing at all. I feel like we have all we need.” Todo grinned widely into the disgruntled faces of his companions.

“Let’s get a move on. We can probably catch up by tomorrow morning if they don’t migrate further. Given the tracker’s coordinates, they’ve been venturing around one appointed area and coming back. Must be holding up in a safe spot. Best to make contact when they’re comfortable.” Toji had ordered.

“Or vulnerable.” Sukuna muttered before starting the vehicle and made haste towards your last known location.

 

You were the picture definition of the word exhaustion. You had ran essentially all through the night; fractured moonlight creating something like steppingstones amidst the thickness of the trees and foliage, until they thinned out. You huffed bent over, heaving in air. Fear was what propelled you out of the thicket, bringing you to a new neighborhood. It was seemingly quiet in the cul-de-sac you stumbled upon. Or maybe it was your heaving lungs trying to catch all the oxygen in the world, tuning everything out. It could have also been the thrumming of your heart as it pumped hard against your aching chest.

Safety? Safety?! Your mind started off with the basics you were taught. Pivoting your head left and right, you knew you had to get somewhere safe, and you could see a few undead shuffling about. You’d need to avoid them and then assess the damage done to you after.

You blinked hard as your head started to tingle and the rim of your vision began to fog. You blinked multiple times to clear it. You knew the fever that coupled with getting bit was kicking in faster than you expected. But then again, you were attacked twice in one day and you were running. Circulating it through your system a lot quicker than before. You shook your head and refocused on moving forward, you needed to rest very soon. Your poor stomach growled.

‘And maybe find something to eat.’

After your third try, you finally were able to get into a house, not without alerting a few undead. Locking and barricading the door against the gnawing and scratching, you figured if you kept quiet enough, you’d be fine; plus, if they can’t see or smell you, surely, they’d go away? Eventually?

You didn’t stay on the same floor with them to find out. You slid a couch and a chair in front of the door hoping it would hold up. Afterwards you scoped the home quietly and carefully. You had to be swift though, because your vision was growing hazier and by the time you drug yourself up 2 flights of steps, landing you on the third floor, you would have thought you hit a blunt. But thankfully as far as your sleuth skills were, this home was empty, and you had it and the third floor with all of its amenities to yourself. It was a miracle.

“Whoever lived here had monneeeyyy,” you whispered hoarsely as you cracked a smile at your own joke. The bedroom was open and spacious. Too open to be safe for your liking, and same for the walk-in closet. You opted for the connected bathroom instead. Grabbing all the blankets, and cushions from inside of the room, you placed them in the bathtub. They had the nerve to smell clean. Sure, musty from just sitting for a while, but for the most part, a lot of this home was clean.

‘I wonder if someone’s been he-‘ your stomach growled and cramped intensely. Deep breathing always assisted you through pain as that’s what you had to rely on back at the lab. They rarely gave you peace running those tests on you. There were only a few who seemingly cared about you. It seemed false. Forced. They were still monsters… ‘That kept me fed and cleaned, and healed me back up…’

You didn’t want to think about that right now. You needed a distraction. You shuffled out quietly into the room, as if something would pop out to get you. You could see everything in the room. Nothing was in there with you. Nothing could get to you (hopefully) in here. Not only that, but you had also already locked and barricaded the doors and steps with dressers, nightstands, mini-couches and a special makeshift knot you learned once from…

You hoped he had stopped screaming. Even if he did try to kill you. You didn’t want those zombies to get to him. You also wouldn’t blame him if he did let it happen on purpose.

There was a sniffle in the quietness of the room. Your vision was already blurring, why add tears to the mix? You swiped angrily at your eyes and leaking nose. You needed to get back to distracting yourself.

On shaky feet you made it over to the kitchenette. Did you dare open the fridge? Did you really feel like dealing with whatever rancid moving thing might pop out at you while fighting to stand upright? Nope. You checked through the cupboards instead. Halleluiah. Jesus is King.

Yeah, you thought you had to be under the influence. Because how could there be containers of peanuts and snacks you haven’t seen since the day you were kidnapped?! And the cabinets below? There was a case of water! You didn’t know what to grab first. Your throat burned as you tried to swallow dryness.

‘H2O it is’, you thought to yourself as you guzzled the cooling liquid. It was battling against your body’s internal heat from raising. You stretched for a container of peanuts and shoveled a handful into your mouth, spilling many around your kneeling body. You kept doing that until your cheeks puffed. You were trying to stop the onslaught of tears from bubbling outside of your chest.

You had to kill again. And you were alone again. Probably for good this time. Would that have been so bad? Having to kill someone that you just saw alive was tough. Necessary, but tough. So maybe you should be alone…

But you were also incredibly scared of what’s out there. Going against that all by yourself and with nowhere to go. You could end up dying out there. In here. You don’t think you’re that strong or resilient to last long by yourself considering you lack a lot of skills. Combat being a good one for these times. Even with knowing the basics, which you’ve proven to excel at, you were still too weak currently. And temporarily growing weaker by the moment with the infection running its course, you felt exposed. You were vulnerable.

Looking at your blurred hands resting in your lap limply, there were tears and peanuts spilled upon them. You felt defeated. You were truly lost. And truly alone. You knew it’d be too hard to go on without having another by your side. You knew you needed people. What could you do alone in this world that has been so unkind to you?

You sniffled as you wiped your nose into the shirt you’ve worn for days. Finally noticing the smell. Your smell. The grime of the day and night you’ve had was grotesquely pungent all over you. You gagged, spitting out more peanuts. You grabbed another bottle of water and the canister of peanuts and deposited them in the makeshift bed you would rest for the evening. Just as soon as you changed out of those sweaty rags. It’d help if you could bathe, but you would rather do that once you’ve sweated out the virus.

You grabbed literally anything that seemed to fit from the closet and finally hankered down in the bathtub, cuddling your water bottle and canned peanuts as you tossed and turned uncomfortably all through the night.

Chapter 4: Four

Notes:

I pray y'all doin good today/tonight~ :3
As I read others stories and stuff, I see how they format and also how they write and can't help but wonder should I do the same? Should I change some formatting things? But then I'm like, nah. 'You don't want to do that at all. XD'
Anyways have fun reading this chappie!

Though it took you a while, you did finally visit dreamland. It wasn’t a pleasant visit either. It frequently wasn’t. Mostly you would dream about current circumstances and real-life situations that happened. You dreamed in memories…nightmarish memories.

Adopted and shipped around in foster care up until age 10, you were finally placed into a decent caregiver’s home. An old lady named Jennadean, you’d called her JenJen. She had a real bad smoker’s cough, but her fiery spirit didn’t let that stop her from smoking up a pack every two days and splurging on the money she got from keeping you. Nevertheless, she always kept you clean, fed and even gave you a few gifts so long as you did your chores and stayed out of trouble, and you did.

You happily stayed with her for six years, up until the day she sold you off.

You and your best friend, Myera, were departing ways, leaving each other with your special handshake you made up at the age of 11 ½. You said your goodbyes and promised that you’d sleepover that weekend. But that would be the last time you spoke to your best friend.

A storm was brewing outside when you had walked into your home. Before entering you had noticed a black van parked in the driveway of the rancher-styled home. When you travelled into the kitchen to greet and question the old lady, you had seen her exchanging a familiar bag to the man in a black suit. It was your sleepover bag that you’d used often when staying over Myera’s house; if only it had been that night, you’d stayed with her. That was a thought that tormented you many of days while trapped in the lab.

You quirked a thick brow. Head tilting to the side, eyeing your property. Why did he have it? Who even is this ‘Men In Black’ looking goon? Why was there a case full of cash sitting wide open on the table with JenJen hovering over it…smiling creepily at you?

“Kids are so expensive… Ya’ know that, [Y/N]? And having you here has been raising the bills. The government kept chipping at the pay for you. It’s just business, baby. You’ll understand.” Her voice sounded so dark and echoed around the room you were standing in. The skin around her greedy eyes wrinkled and you watched how her black pupils glided from your lost ones to something behind you.

There was suddenly two additional men there as well, but you didn’t notice them until they had grabbed each of your arms tightly. You pulled and fussed in vain. It was like you were moving against water.

“Don’t be too rough with her. We need our subjects at their best.” The man in a black suit spoke flatly.

“GET OFF! WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU?!” Your fruitless shouts of protest went unnoticed to the greed possessed old hag. You were a mere 16-year-old kid trying to fight off two grown men. Then a third, as the black suited man, you’d later find to be named Dr. Jaku, came up to you with a needle. This time the liquid was a dark bubbling black color, a contrast to your genuine memory of it being clear in color.

Your mind put two-and-two together as to what was probably going to happen as you would watch those dark documentaries with Myera every sleepover. It was both of your favorites to past time. You just couldn’t believe it was happening to you.

Before the drug burned its way through your system and knocked you unconscious, you wished for your best friend to be safe. To not fall into the same misfortune you had, and that these people would meet the fate that they deserved and more.

It hurt to relive that one, even through the lens of an obscure dream. So often you’d wake up with your chest burning with anger and betrayal. Or frantically panting as you would realize that you were still breathing despite the nightmarish memory of you dying during one of your tests. You don’t know why or how you survived all those years. Should you be thankful you made it so far? For what purpose did your life serve now outside of those smooth walls? When so many didn’t make it… why did you? All those questions swarmed your awakening brain.

Your eyes peeled open just to shut immediately. The sun was reflecting off the bathroom mirror and the brightness of the mostly white and light gray interior was striking. You felt somewhat energized as you eased yourself out of the porcelain make-shift bed. Your body ached and creaked, especially when you moved your neck, but not nearly as much as you thought it would. You remember you needed to check it over.

Walking to the sink you were surprised that the water still ran. Even more so that your haziness from last night had lifted as well. Things looking brighter already, you chanced a look at yourself in the mirror. Your jaw dropped. Not because of how much you looked like the female version of Tarzan, but the bite you accrued had almost healed.

“How?” You whispered to yourself as you ran your fingers gently over the pink sores left behind. You guessed she didn’t bite that much out of you and maybe that’s why it’s closing up so fast? But where were the black grapes? You spun on your heel and looked over the tub. There were 5 small ones that rolled into the drain, but too big to go down them. It happened so fast this time, even the one on your arm had healed completely. Not even a scratch left. You were astonished.

You grabbed the small black gummy sacks and gently placed them in your bag and making sure they were wrapped inside the last yarn ball you had grabbed in haste. A lot of items had spilled from your altercation with that man and were left behind. You only had one little creature that you managed to salvage.

A small smile graced your grimy face as you held it tenderly, thinking back to the girls and you spending time knitting these for each other. Letting the memories float away, you placed it down on the edge of the sink counter.

Turning your attention to the shower. You wondered if it had running water too. And it did. WITH HEAT. You had already removed and chucked the bedding out of the way so you could enjoy this missed luxury. You took your time to wash away the grime and remaining tears, making sure to get into every nook and cranny. Then you dried off with a folded towel tucked away into the bathroom closet inside. This was probably going to be the most lavish thing you’d have in a while… and maybe the last as you heard a bunch of clattering and banging floors below you.

Crap.

Your heart sunk. Did you get into someone’s stash and they’re coming back for it now? Or was that a horde of zombies getting in? You didn’t think you made that much noise, especially being on the third floor for them to get in like this! Given the noises being made, you were pretty sure they were human and not flesh-eating monsters. But did that make you feel any better?

Damp, startled and naked with nothing but a soggy towel wrapped around you and your hair, you wondered should you fess up and pay the piper, or hide away and act like you’re not there? You were already rushing to the closet, knocking things over in your escape from the bathroom, before you crouched low in an obscured dark corner that housed dirty clothes. You could make out that there were multiple thudding steps rushing closer to you. You hoped they were friendly…

A chill ran down your spine.

What if it was him and another coming to kill you?

The steps were too close for you to do anything else but hide. You would be making too much noise running out and grabbing your choice of weapon. A crowbar, which you foolishly left in the bathroom.

You stifled a squeal with your hand, steeling yourself as to not ruffle the pile of dirty clothes you’ve taken refuge under. Surely, they wouldn’t check through a pile of dirty laundry. Right?

**Some time prior**

What were the odds of you being 2 hours away from the first location you were at on the tracker?

High, after discovering the state of two freshly eaten bodies of flesh. The 2 teams determined you had been chased away by a horde overnight. A slight hiccup. No big deal. This would be simple they thought. It’d be a quick drive and then an hour walk tops to your last known location where they hoped you’d be alive despite not moving for hours.

But now at said destination, what were the odds of the tracker being encased in a bloodied pink knit bandana, held by a disheveled man uselessly defending himself with a large stick from a group of undead and you being nowhere in sight?

…Sigh. So, it was going to be that kind of day.

Sailors had nothing on Team 1 and 2’s level of cursing. Now just where the hell were you?

After taking the small group down, for the moment, they were in the clear. But given the teams’ luck, they’d surely be running into another dilemma.

“Why did you get rid of them?! I’m already bit! You could’ve left me to-“

“Sir, you were fighting them off.” Geto said smoothly, not trying to patronize him. The guy looked fed up and ready to keel over, but the men kept their guard up. People can be more dangerous than the undead, as the undead can be predictable.

He stumbled to a tree for balance, clutching his bloodied arm. They would have offered some help, but the wound was already too far gone. The old guy was too far gone. They could see the veins in his body clearly turning black. It was making its way through his system.

“It’s all gone…. All gone.” The father looked on at the tent only a few feet away from where they stood.

“Uh… what’s all gone, sir?” Yuta coaxed out of him.

“My families gone.” His eyes looked distant as he recalled the very recent incident. The team wondered if he was referring to the camper in the middle of the woods they found. Upon seeing the knit bandana clutched in his hand, they put two-and-two together. There was a similar torn bandana that was green in color at the scene prior.

‘..Oh…’

“And it’s that murdering freak’s fault!” He ground out as he stumbled to the tent. They followed after him. The tracker had shown “you” were nearby.

“What do you mean by freak?” Gojo prodded, as his eyes ran over the bloodied tent they were led to.

The ID tracker showed to be in there just then, but what they did not expect to see was a little body being brought out to them. All their eyes widened in shock. Sure, they knew that tragic stuff like this happened all over the world, but to come across it… it’s still tough.

“She murdered my baby. Right in front of me. After I just apologized for making her leave the camper. She turns around and stabs my little angel; all because of a little bite. It was little. For crying out loud the b*tch can apparently heal!?!” He threw his head back wildly, a bitter laugh accompanying the action.

All ears and eyes were tuned in as he rocked his lost daughter in his arms while placing her back into the tent one last time, placing the bandana over her face gently. He had his time with her. He stumbled back out and collapsed on the log that you had tumbled and spilled over the other night. They noticed some familiar looking knit creatures along with some random items strewn on the forest floor.

“Uh..I’m sorry for your loss, sir. But you know your daughter had turne-“

“I know... I know. I was just -excuse me.” He took a moment to collect himself. “She was so sweet to my girls. To me and my wife. Hell, she even bandaged this ol guy’s ankle up after I got it caught in one of ‘er traps out there. Taught ‘er that myself and the smart summa b*tch learned it like that!” He snapped a finger in the air. “She picked up on things real fast…” He faded off in thought.

Yuta nodded along; the dad’s description was aligning with the person they were looking for.

“She was something else. Ya’ know my youngest in there really liked her. Hugged on her hip all the time. And that’s what that idjit did. Hugged my baby when she uh... turned and then got her neck chomped into.” He winced in pain after he gestured to his own neck absentmindedly.

“So, it was bit out,” Todo rested his chin in his hand as his focus stayed on the grieving man. “Can you tell us anything else about her?” The man gave him a confused look. What could they want to know?

“Like how she grows black bubbles from them bites and then they fall off once healed. She told me that ya’ know. Pretty gross to see.” He scrunched his face up in disgust.

“How about where she went? Is she still alive?” Sukuna was tired of beating around the bush. Finding out it’s a female they’ve been looking for is good enough. They’d need to get a move on to track you by sight before the light went.

The old man sighed and ruffled his balding hair. It was slicking down from sweating and the fever that was kicking in. “Yeah. I suppose.” He chuckled dryly with a very distant look settling in his eyes. Continuing, he said, “Though last night and even now I wished she wasn’t. I told her I was gonna kill ‘er and she left me. All alone in the dark! I told her to comeback, but she just kept running!” His eyes grew wider and wilder as he gestured towards a direction they’d have to investigate after this weird encounter. He was rambling on at this point and getting loud.

They might have to put the man down. Not just out of mercy, but because he might try to endanger them.

Sure enough, the lone father got one on Yuuji, taking his knife and slicing his face. He nipped his lip and left a gnarly scar between his eyes for later when it’s fully healed. Sukuna immediately ended the old man.

“You gotta be a little wearier of others, Yuuji.” Yuta spoke to his youngest teammate and friend as he bandaged him up. They all knew this could be a bit of a setback, especially if it gets infected.

“Yeah, he just snapped out of nowhere. I should’ve been more careful. Sorry, guys.”

There were a lot of ‘don’t worries’ and ‘it happens’. Sukuna, however, already lecturing him, just glared at his younger brother’s head before noticing your steps. The same one’s he spotted back at E203’s location. Following a short distance, he seen how your steps didn’t falter. It was just so strange how one could maneuver in the dark without stumbling into things. Wasn’t his concern though. His younger brother was, not that he’d admit that out loud too often. He just wanted to get you secured and back to headquarters pronto. That’s the mission.

But with odds not so in their favor, there was a curveball. This curveball was the quantity of 30 or so undead, migrating through.

After collecting the tracker from a bloodied bandana, the two teams were debating on what to do with Yuuji. Should he continue on with the group which could risk infection on his face or head back to the cars and only have one team out here?

He was defending himself to stay when Toji decided to walk off to handle his business. Toji already said his input and didn’t care to hear the rest; he thought it was pointless as he was second in command. He should have been listened to.

Where he had wandered off to relieve himself was a small decline, so a dirt wall supported by tree roots that could keep him hidden walking down it. He should’ve just gone behind a tree closer by. 

In this decline, it overlooked a campsite. The whole place was filled with more than a few tents and some cabins. Some small, some big. Camp Henger. It housed several sections of cabins along the manmade lake side. It was on the map. He studied it. And he wandered straight into it.

This place looked like it thrived in it’s hay-day, until it didn’t. There were at least 30 of them things roaming aimlessly around until they spotted Toji overlooking them. As if kicking a bee’s nest, they all were set alight and shuffled towards him.

He cursed. Sure, he’d take them on if he weren’t so exposed in this growing heat. One little scratch and he could be just like them. It’d be reckless and that’s not something he was in the mood for.

“We gotta go. Now!” Toji ordered, causing everyone to be alert. Picking up their gear, they readied for his command. “There’s too many to reasonably take down and not get exposed. Team 2, go back to the vehicles and get to point C and execute what we already planned. Team 1, we’re gonna track down this girl and meet at point C. If it gets dicey, get back to Home Base! Let’s move!”

They didn’t make it far from each other. They were being pincered on both sides as this campground had other entrances. As dangerous as it was, they had to split.

Yuuji and Todo split off unknowingly towards your path.

Sukuna and Toji towards another.

Geto and Suguru towards a long path that would eventually land them at point C.

And Yuta who was making it back to the correct destination, the vehicles.

Suddenly things seemed dicey.

Through all the foliage, Yuuji and Todo made it through the clearing to a development, a few undead still on their trails. They were all grateful that the undead were slow, but boy can they get a jump on someone if unprepared.

Once out in the cul-de-sac, they turned their back towards each other, just like they practiced and executed on the field. They worked in tandem as the small group of undead came upon them. Making quick work of them, the gentlemen were tired, and the sun was setting them ablaze. It was at least noon or a bit later and they were at this for a while. Shoot, Sukuna and Gojo were driving all night essentially; they were probably the most tired. Not that they hadn’t experienced sleep deprivation before.

They just needed a moment to rest. Looking around the neighborhood, it was full of 3 story luxurious homes. They looked newly built, which was confirmed as there were two homes yet to be complete. And they were never going to be finished at this rate. Just like this mission.

How the heck were they going to find this girl? They just got separated and she no longer has a tracking device. This mission was seemingly going downhill.

“Let’s check to see if these places have anything inside.” Todo patted Yuuji on the back before jogging up a bit of steps to a random home before considering a different one. When they initially entered, he did notice two of the undead were wandering around the home with a blue door before spotting them. Intuition told him to go to that home instead.

The door was locked. Nothing he and his team couldn’t handle.

He used his back foot to kick it, but it didn’t budge much. Yuuji checked the large windows, he saw between the curtains that there was something in front of the door.

Nodding to Todo, they both already knew what to do, having worked long enough with one another, the two were mentally connected.

Standing next to each other, they steadied themselves.

“3…2…1.” Todo had counted down and they simultaneously unleashed a thunderous kick, enough to shake the home.

The door swung open; the items blocking it had tumbled out of the way. The door was leaning like the Tower of PIZA before Yuuji set it up right and placed it as best as he could into the broken open frame.

Nothing other than a couch and chair were out of place. It looked mostly untouched. As if no one lived here, as they scoured the first and second floor together. It was getting to the third floor that they had stumbled onto signs of life.

Chapter 5: Five

Notes:

Hi :3 How are ya? As always I pray this week has been kind to ya. Enjoy the read~

‘Steady your breathing. Steady your breathing!’ You chanted over and over to yourself as you tried not to tremble in the pile you hid under. They were in the room. Whoever they were. They already passed through the closet and from the sounds of things were looking through the rest of the room.

You couldn’t hear much of the conversation; your ears were covered. Everything was muffled.

“Whoever was… is… in here probably is a lil’ damp.” Todo gave a knowing look to Yuuji as they stood before the walk-in closet. It was obvious to him as the bathroom was still wet and held some humidity. The person they are looking for might be in here.

You could feel their presence enter the room again. Closer this time. Your heart was beating so hard.

“You smellin’ lemons, Toad?” A young male voice sounded closest to your ear.

A deeper voice hummed in response a bit further back. “I’m pretty sure the doc Nanami sent did say this on her chart. It’s not bad. Just strong.”

“Yeah. It’d be pleasant if it weren’t under…,” the voice closest to you had stopped. He was eyeing the suspiciously tucked away dirty laundry. He continued, “… a dirty pile of clothes.” It shifted. “Hey. We know you’re in there. Can you come out now? I promise you’re safe.”

 “No!” Your muffled voice came from the shadowed pile stuffed into the corner of the closet. The defiance was cute.

Yuuji smiled and chuckled at your response while Toji belted out a laugh. That lightened up their day just a bit.

“Why not?” Yuuji crouched a few feet from where your voice came; his voice was soft and playful.

“…I’m scared…” You had every right to be. Two brutes just busted into your sanctuary you found hours ago. That and…

“I promise we won’t hurt yo-“

“I’m naked!” You squeaked out embarrassed by this whole situation. You’d be more willing to come out of the filthy pile you were in if you could cloth yourself first. You were just in a towel.

You wanted to bury yourself in a hole and be tightly held. In this moment you needed a hug. The only people to ever hug you were that greedy bag, Jennadean which was rare but welcomed at the time, and your best friend Myera. God, you hoped she escaped this hellish world. But if she was alive, would she remember you? You never forgot her kindness towards you. You didn’t want to. And remembering her kindness, you wondered if the men before you were kind too.

“oh… um sorry. We’ll just uh.. let you umm.” His rambling seemed cute and piqued your interest enough to stick your head timidly out of the pile. Catching your face he chanced a little wave, you just blinked wide eyed back at him.

‘Cute.’ You both thought that. But that scar on his face looked very recent and probably painful.

“I know my scar looks scary, but we won’t do this to you. Honestly, we’re not here to hurt you. We won’t let anything harm you.” His brown eyes looked sincere to your concerned ones. He held his hands up in mock surrender. “Look I’ll turn my back. I’ll let you dress in peace.” He was walking towards the other man who was a bit bigger than him.

“…what about him?” You frowned finally eyeing the deeply tanned man with a jarring scar across his face. What were they participating in to receive those? He had an easy-going grin on his face, but it just gave you the creeps.

“He is harmless and will be waiting outside of here with me until you’re ready. Okay?” He smiled brightly arms stretched out ready to close the door.

“With gear and a body like that, I’m pretty sure he puts the ‘harm’ in harmless. Hands up!” A stern voice demanded smoothly outside of your view; you could see the guys whip their heads to the source. “You too, pretty boy.” It was referring to the one with pink hair as he put his hands up last. “And whoever’s in the closet!”

“Mam, we don’t want any trouble,” Todo began as he shifted cautiously trying to guide her away from possibly shooting you, not that you could see that.

“There won’t be any if you’d stop moving. Answer us.” A smooth feminine voice that sounded like a melody hit your ears. You kind of wanted to see what was going on, but if the two in front of you were on guard, you figured you should be too. But you couldn’t help but to creep out a little bit. You could see that the two men before you were tense.

“You boys sure are cute with your matching uniforms and scars. Military?” The other voice sounded very condescending. Spoken from a popular, arrogant cheerleader is what you imagined.

You could see the ponytail of the tan one bob up and down slowly. Timidly leaning forward, you were trying to figure out what the cheerleader looked like.

“I heard you guys were stationed two towns over, turning people away just to be over ran by those things out there. So, tell me, what are you doing out here?”

“I’m sorry to hear that that was done, but we weren’t part of that.” He sounded so sincere. The pink haired one that is.

“Hanami! Maki! The other homes are bare, what did you guys find in here?” A deep burly voice sounded below the steps.

“Two guys hiding in a closet.” Maki had smirked before dropping it immediately. She would visit this home whenever she was trying to get away from the mayor hall they were holding up in. She could already spot her secret stash of snacks were pillaged as nuts were littering the ground. The green haired woman was more than annoyed.

“Huh. And they have matching outfits and scars. Cute. Military?” The burly voice asked to get caught up on the situation. Maki nodded on their behalf.

“And they were just about to tell us why they’re here. Good timing, Dagon.”

With the additional voice entering the chat, you were more than halfway out of the spot you were in, trying to get a peek at the action, but you leaned a bit too close to the sun and caused a few things to come tumbling down. Everyone turned toward the direction of the sound as you let out a little scream. The guys only being visible in your sight, could see you at least had a towel on though it was JUST covering the essentials. Your locs were strewn all over your shoulders, just covering your healing scar.

“What the- HANDS UP! NOW!” An order was barked. You froze as anxiety spiked upwards. That did not sound good.

“Whoa whoa! Don’t shoot.” Todo complied and tried to dissuade the situation.

“What the h*ll was that?! Come out of there!” The not so friendly female voice barked as she got closer to the closet. “Get out of my way.” She aimed at the one blocking the entrance to the closet. The man with the pink hair.

“Yuuji, don’t do anything stupid.” Todo said lightly. He knew he wouldn’t.

“Don’t worry, Todo. Stupidity runs in the family.” Yuuji said confidently…

‘…what?’ Everyone collectively thought that at once.

“Alright you idiot. Get out of my way.” Dagon and Hanami had their guns pointed at the two, so either way they couldn’t make a move against Maki. The men knew they were in a bad position right now.

“I would, but I promised that I wouldn’t let anything, that includes you, to cause any harm to her. I can’t let you pass if you don’t promise that yourself.” As cheerful as he sounded, his face looked very serious.

She glared at him and peeked around partially noticing your cowering form before he blocked her view again.

“Promise you won’t point that thing at her. She’s scared.” That kind of touched your heart. Someone taking up for you? That’s new.

Sighing, the green haired woman nodded and placed her weapon back in it’s holster. Then Yuuji stepped aside, eyeing her jadedly, but when he looked at you, he gave a reassuring smile. It barely helped.

The not so friendly sounding woman looked the part. She had scars riddled all over that were exposed from her shorts and tank top fit. She had well defined muscles that fit well around her curvaceous body. And a nice pixie cut. Your eyes lit up. She looked like a kickass woman. You think you might admire her.

She squatted low in front of you, peering around the closet she never explored as she had ventured here often. She secretly would use the third floor for her (no longer) secret stash of treats. She knew that she would have to come back and hide them again, so they don’t confiscate her treasure.

“What are you guys doing here?” Her eyes glared into you, wondering if it was you who exposed her hiding spot.

“I was running away from… being killed, then stumbled into here.” You shrugged back.

“Us too. Ran away from a horde not too long ago and ended up here.” Yuuji chimed in. She rolled her eyes at him.

“Hmm and you’re not with them?” Her head tilted to the side analyzing your every movement. You briefly thought you were at the lab again where they’d have one of those spectator windows to view your reactions to multiple tests.

“I just met them before you right now.” You blinked in confusion at her.

“…Alright, wanna tell me why you aren’t dressed? Did those perv’s make you strip?” Her judgmental eyes scanned your form causing you to shrink back into yourself.

“No! They didn’t do anything. I just didn’t have time before you all ran in here.” You brought the towel closer to yourself, feeling every bit of embarrassed.

“Hurry and get dressed then.” She got up and closed the door behind her. Standing firm in front of it. “We’re taking you all back with us.” She spoke loudly enough for you to hear inside.

“But we-“ Yuuji prepared to speak but Todo placed a firm hand on his shoulder; he shook his head at his teammate.

“You don’t have a choice.” Maki said sickeningly sweet as she propped the gun she had at the door. You couldn’t see it, but you could have easily had a hole through your body if those guys out there didn’t act right.

 

Back at the Mayor’s Hall, Jogo was trying to figure out what to do with the two men before him. He was standing in for the leader who was attending to other affairs.

Off the bat he could see that they were big, strong and healthy-looking fellas. That could overthrow their community and mess up the flow of things. Then again, they could really use the manpower. But how would they get to use said power for more than a couple of days?

He tapped patiently in thought as his eyes roamed the three new bodies before him. Jogo wondered how Maki got them to come along in the first place. He would have to thank her later though because clearly, they were antsy about getting back out there to their team. Which was understandable. He just wanted to make sure that they wouldn’t pose a threat to this place. They’re not unreasonable in this community, they just wanted to make sure the people that they came across were good samaritans.

‘And if they’re any good, then we’ll figure out how to make them stay.’ Jogo conspired in thought. “I hope you forgive us for any rough handling that may have occurred, but we’re just making sure that our precious community is safe. You gentlemen, understand… so we want to know what you’re doing out here?” Jogo eyed them down. He paid no mind to you. He figured women your stature weren’t good for anything but homely chores and tending to the mens’ needs. To him, you were just another mouth to feed with holes to stuff.

Yuuji and Todo looked at each other and shrugged. They could say how they needed to verify if you were E128 and then secure you and get back to home base. But obviously they couldn’t reveal any of that information. It would more than likely send you running, and these people could hold that against them. Instead, they revealed something else that was true.

“Brothers and childhood friends split apart is tragic. So, I understand your eagerness to go as soon as you can. We’re more than willing to make accommodations for you guys for your short stay. But to be fair there are rules and guidelines we run by.” The frog looking man gave them an easy-going smirk as he leaned back into his office chair. Todo and Yuuji gave a look to each other and then nodded to the man to go on.

“If something is taken or used up, we obviously need to have it replaced by some level of work or restock. You can do runs every now and again -the best way to go about your usage of priceless items. Or you can do work around here like expanding, guarding and refortifying the territory. Hearty men duties. For the girlies, its simple stuff.” He waved a grubby thick hand towards you dismissively.

‘I feel so welcomed…’ You internally roll your eyes and look around the room as the frog man was clearly interested in the macho men, not that you had a problem with that.

You analyzed your surroundings. The room was full of presidential paintings, rewards and certificates -hence the name Mayor Hall. But now it was reduced to just a place of refuge for people trying to survive.

Being guided in here, not really against your will (couldn’t speak for the guys), you noticed the territory was a decent size. You don’t think you saw all the “citizens”, but there were plenty that greeted you guys when you came in.

By greeting, it seemed that the men and women here were more pleased to see the two soldiers than you. Ogling the two but glaring at you as you walked by with Maki by your side. Or maybe they were glaring at her? You couldn’t fathom what you could have possibly done by just walking into here.

Peering around your shoulder, Maki was standing over you like a guard. Not that you cared, you just noticed her presence being consistent ever since she discovered you. You shrugged thinking nothing of it.

Instead, you mulled over the idea of being in a community like this. You were just thinking about it. You were going to be around a larger group of people this time around. A fresh start, where you considered keeping information about yourself to yourself. Nobody has to know about you here this time. A bit of movement caught your attention from the corner of the room. It was the man with the silver hair readjusting himself against the wall. You had heard someone call him Mahito. Your eyes would idly drift off to his gray hair, catching him already looking at you lazily with a soft smirk. You would give a weak smile in return or tune back into the conversation.

“And for your man there, he’ll probably need a few stitches to really help that thing out. Maybe antibiotics to keep out infection. Medicine is a rarity after all. So that’s working some shifts maybe a double to get you outta here quicker. I know you guys said you couldn’t stay for long but do consider it. Our town still has clean, running water and a decent amount of food. We have some good farm hands here.” Jogo tried to convince.

A strong but gentle hand landed on your shoulder causing you to look back up to Maki. You smiled awkwardly at her smirk… at least you think she was smirking. Her eyes were focused on the military men before you. They looked somewhat uneasy but kept their cool.

“It’s considered. We’ll work off this loan and help out wherever you put us.” Todo spoke formally.

“Great! And who knows, maybe your teammates and brother will even show up!” Jogo moved up from his seat, smoothing a hand down his protruding belly and faced towards Mahito, who’s eyes had apparently never left your person. “Since I’m sure Maki has had her hands full, why don’t we give her a break and have you give the grand ol’ tour for our guests.”

“I can-“

“No, Maki. You’ve done enough for today; why don’t you and I talk about some other matter.” Jogo smiled at her begrudge. His stained wide tooth grin gave you the creeps as you looked at how his eyes rested over the woman standing beside you. Maki huffed and shifted away from your seat and went into another room. “If you’d please.” Jogo gestured to Mahito.

“It’d be my pleasure.” His honeyed voice dropped a notch looking at you, as he pushed off the wall he was leaning against. “Come on, boys,” he jested -you thought anyways due to his cheshire-cat-like smile. You didn’t think he was much older than them or even you. “And I can’t forget you, pretty lady.” He extended a hand to you, which you took out of politeness. You were unsure about this man.

Walking out the door with your smaller hand in his, leading the three of you away he asked, “Remind me, beautiful. What is your name again?”

 

Yuta was at a loss. Thankfully he lost the horde of undead, but he also lost his team in the process. He was still great at holding his own, but things go so much more smoothly when you have a well-crafted team.

With things upending so abruptly, Yuta would find himself indecisive a day later after settling down in one of the vehicles from the past evening. He got the car across the river that following morning, but then he found himself at a crossroad. He sighed.

Literally, it was a straight path, a right and a left that he could choose from. He could even go backwards and go back to homebase. But with finding your trail and being so close, did he want to give that up? His friends were out there too. He couldn’t leave them all behind, even if that’s what they were ordered to do. He had one of the trucks so two survival kits were on hand for him if necessary. He could do this, he told himself.

Yuta opted for the left. Guessing and hoping that Yuuji and Todo were this way considering this would have been the general direction the female they were now looking for probably went. As a group they were going towards this direction anyways, so he should check it out first.

Plus, remembering the map, he recalled there being a small town not too far out this way. It crossed his mind that the town might not be too friendly if he gets too close. He’s heard stories of communities that have held against the undead not taking too kindly to soldiers. Understandable when you find out that the military was protecting the rich and VIPs only. Many civilians were left for dead or killed after attacking them. Rightfully so. The military was supposed to bring aid, not gunfire. It was inhumane. Yuta hated the idea of pitting the value of a dollar over another person’s life.

He especially hated this assignment. Calling you an asset or 128 as if you’re some bought cattle. You’re human as far as he knows. He didn’t want you to be used and tested on when they ultimately convince you to go back with them to HQ. That’s what he planned on doing. Convincing you to come back of your own free will, instead of rounding you up and strapping you to the top of the car like you’re a prize. He was just hoping that he or Yuuji and Todo could get to you first.

‘Well, that is if they made it out of the horde…. Nah I’m sure they’re okay. I believe in them.’ He smiled to himself in thought as he slowed down before he could pass by a cul-de-sac. He wanted to trust those easy-going guys could get the job done.

Finger tapping on the wheel as he looked between the map and the area, he was looking at now. ‘This area is not on here.’

But from what he recalls, he knows this is the closest he should probably get to the town nearby anyways. He would walk there once he hides away his car. It would be very inconvenient if they lost half of their supply before having to travel back to HQ.

Entering the area, he noticed a pile of undead that seemingly were taken down recently. They trailed to a home that had a door broken open. It was hanging poorly. Upon closer inspection after parking, he could see how fresh the damage was. And seeing two sizable indents on the door, he smirked to himself. ‘Pretty sure those goofs got into here. But why this one and not the others?’

Searching the place and reaching the top floor, he would figure out why soon.

Chapter 6: Six

Notes:

I just want yall to know that I really do re-read these several times before posting and like... the amount of mistakes I find or just edits I end up doing (o_o'' ) Like I'm doing this literally for fun to get it out of my head and the way I stress myself out over this sometimes XD anyways, God Bless ya life and enjoy the read~ Thanks for stopping by :3

It had only been a few hours into your stay and the vibes were not vibing. You think you might have preferred being naked in a closet with two random guys over whatever was happening in front of you.

Mahito introduced you to two ladies that were supposed to teach you how to cook using the ingredients from the garden.

Instead, these two women were rolling around on the floor going at each other after berating you for five minutes straight and then suddenly switching on each other. You thought you were the problem initially. But you picked up on them saying Mahito’s name a couple of times and deduced the real culprit was in fact him.

How did it get to this? Well, you recalled how he introduced you to them. Calling you beautiful and precious. How his hands clasped over one of yours that he was holding hostage, leading you around and introducing you to a few others. It was odd for you. Like he was showing you off or something. And you figured if this was going to be the outcome of walking around with him, you wanted nothing to do with him at all.

Not knowing what to do with them, you stepped out of that kitchen and back into the town.

Unfamiliar and uncomfortable, you moseyed for a bit, wandering around getting familiar with the area as well as familiar with the awkwardly intimidating stares. You guessed it was going to be like that for a while. Not that you were unaccustomed to being watched. It was just nice for a time not having to deal with that.

“Hey, [Y/N]!” A familiar voice called you out of your melancholy.

“Yu… Yuuji?” You scrunched up your face upon walking closer to him. “Hey, you got stitched up.” You said as you noticed how clean the wound now looked, though the scar was an angry red currently.

“Yeah, Dr. Choso did a good job. Barely hurt.” He spoke giving you a thumbs up and a smile.

“I keep telling you I’m not a doctor. I was still in med school studying before this apocalypse cancelled my exam.” A pale man with severe dark under eye spoke through the screen door of the building you recalled being the doctor’s office. You were told there was always to be a guard keeping watch here. You wondered who it was going to be as you did not see one.

“Well now you’re practicing and that’s what Mahito called you. Sounds pretty much like you’re a doctor now. Dr. Choso.” Yuuji grinned widely. You giggled at his antics; he seemed like a likable menace.

“Whatever. Did you need stitches too or something?” Dr. Choso asked with his arms crossed, suddenly addressing you.

“No. No. I just,” you searched for words, as your hand subconsciously touched where your neck was bitten into. “I don’t have anything to do.” You settled on honesty.

“I thought you were assigned to the kitchen?” Yuuji asked as his eyes stayed to your hand that was gripping your neck. He did recall the man saying 128 being bit around the neck area.

“Ah well… I don’t think they want me working with them…” You looked off with a pout.

Dr. Choso sighed slumping his shoulders looking upwards in the air. “They’re probably fighting again. Jealous brats. We can go find Mahito and ask him to-“

“Naahh, I could help out here?” You interrupt hopefully, because you do not need another fight breaking out over that guy. It’s already bad enough with the stares. And you’ve had enough beratement for the day. Your hopes were dashed immediately.

“No. I don’t have time to teach someone that doesn’t even know the basics.” Dr. Choso spoke sternly. It was a shame because you did in fact know the basics and a little bit more. You would have told him, but another character ran up.

“Hola~ I heard we got fresh meat in town today!  How ya’doin, lil mamacita?” A very jubilant voice caused you all to turn around to see a tall, bald-headed man smiling brightly walking up towards you.

“How ya’doin, soldier?” He also asked to Yuuji as he extended a hand towards him, shaking it firmly. He seemed upbeat, yet cool. “Name’s Miguel. Welcome~”

Exchanging names and briefly scripted stories of how you ended up here, you got to know that Miguel was a jack of all trades so-to-speak. He was a runner, so he gets supplies. He gardened. He cooked. He can guard and fortify the perimeter. And he also did hair.

You glared at his bald head. ‘What he know about doing hair?’

“Oi.” He caught you looking. “I can do your hair too. It looks like it’s in need of my touch anyways.” His bright toothy grin was a contrast to your gaping mouth. Should you be offended? “It’ll cost you though.”

Scrunching up your face, you genuinely said, “I don’t have any money.”

They all chuckled, especially Miguel. “No one does now of days, mamas. And it don’t mean a lick now. I mean services, girl.” He crossed his arms, eyeing you down quizzically. Why would you think money made a difference now of all times? Did you live under a rock for the past couple of months?

You contemplated for a bit before your eyes settled on his clothes. They were full of holes, and rips. You suddenly got the bright idea to patch up his clothes.

“Fix these holey things up?” He pulled at his threads and faked contemplated the idea.

“Yeah! I know how to sew and knit. Even little critters.” You said enthusiastically, gesturing with your fingers how small the creations would be. You frowned at the remembrance of the one you accidentally left behind. Maybe you can go back and get it.

 Yuuji recalled the soiled little knit creations in the camper his team discovered as well as that small camp with that crazy man. He considered you were probably talking about those things. He wondered how common knowledge it was to know how to knit those things specifically. They needed to confirm very soon who you were before you decide that you wanted to stay here.

“Hmm… if you fix up one of my favorite shirts first, then you got yourself a deal, little lady.” He shook your hand enthusiastically.

“Well, if you know how to sew, you can work laundry duties. Why didn’t you say that in the first place?” Dr. Choso inquired.

“Probably because Mahito was trying so hard to seduce her; she couldn’t get a word in edge wise.” A hardened voice spoke up behind you four. You did not disagree with what was said, the man was very hands-on with you.

It was Maki in all her joyous attitude. “I came over to say that dinner will be delayed because apparently [Y/N] used the ingredients on the women that were supposed to teach her how to use them in a dish. Not on them.” She smirked in your confused face.

“No, she didn’t. She’s been here talking with us and if she did, I’m pretty sure she’d be wearing the evidence.” Yuuji defended.

“Will you relax? I’m sure she’s capable of defending herself Mr. Knight-in-shining-armor. I know that those two Mahito set her up with were troublemakers. He’s a sh*t-starter. I would have saved you the trouble and given you the tour and set you up where we actually need you but had to handle some things first.” Maki nodded at Miguel, who bid you all a ‘see ya later’ and told you he’d drop off his shirt to you in a bit. “It’ll save you,” she pointed to you specifically, and continued, “a bunch of trouble by avoiding Mahito. And most of the men here as well.” The last bit of her sentence was low and venomous. You don’t think the guys heard it.

“I’m sorry what was that last bit?” Yuuji inquired, stepping closer, but she pivoted and guided you away from him.

“Seeing as Yuuji will be posted here as guard, you can follow me.” Maki said ignoring his question and his pouting face. You waved back at him with a half-smile, and you would have done the same for Dr. Choso, but he had already disappeared.

Leading you across the town, you both walked into a dark small building. It was only one floor and had a few rooms to it.

“We don’t have a seamstress here, but we can make that a new position for you, depending on how well you do. The men won’t bother you here and the women shouldn’t either.” Maki spoke as she led you through a door to where the soiled and torn laundry was.

“Yeah... they were none too kind.” You grimaced as you walked through the dusty facility. You looked over the pile of clothes that laid strewn in a giant heap. You thought you were going to have your work cut out for you here. With the community, that is. If you decided to stay. They’re already putting you to work, and you didn’t even use up anything!

“They were like that with me in the beginning. Now they just whisper amongst themselves. Too scared of me, I guess. Not like I’d pick on the weak.” You side-eyed her.

‘You definitely picked on me, Yuuji and Todo!’

Maki spent some time going over the list of expectations you were to accomplish in this barely touched launder center. They weren’t unreasonable. It’s not like you weren’t used to in a previous life. You had chores like this growing up, granite at a much lesser degree, but you managed those. So, you’d manage this, you told yourself.

“I don’t expect you to have this stuff done so soon, especially because you haven’t proven yourself, but-“

You had already had a needle and thread moving through the arm of a long sleeve flannel when Maki decided to pay attention to you. One more knot and you were done. You held it up to her face. Not that she knew much about stitching. Shoot, not so long ago neither did you!

She seemed impressed enough that you took the initiative to start.

“When I finish with all of these expectations, what else can I do?” You tilted your head at her as she gave you a pitied look. There were a lot of clothes that needed to be patched or just thrown away. Things to be washed. Folded and divvied up. You were speaking as if you’d finish this in a day. Today even. The sun was setting at this point. Maki assumed you’d maybe put a dent in that pile of clothes you saw earlier by the end of the month and that’s if you get the rest of the list done first.

“So, you stitch up a sleeve real quick and think you’re going to be promoted already?”

“Just trying to stay busy if I’m gonna stay here... Maybe I can be a runner like you guys.” You say hopefully as you looked the pile over. It expanded and towered over you, but you felt that it wouldn’t be enough. You could just tell.

“Ha! A runner?” Her eyes looked so condescending upon you. She knew things about this place and the people who ran it. They were, unfortunately, her kinfolk. She felt bad that this little dream of yours would be squashed indefinitely regardless of you staying or not. There’s no way you could tackle this all alone. Maki thought she might have a heart to change your mind. Maybe even help you.

“Yeah. Like you and Miguel.” You were being serious. You didn’t understand what was funny considering how you’ve managed to survive for as long as you have. Yes, through genetic modification, but with a bit of training and some decent meals to pack on some good strength, you’d be the best suited to go out there. “I want to keep learning new things.” The genuine tone you had taken had made her laughter calm down.

“Tell ya what. You learn how to get this pile fixed up by the end of the month. I’ll train you myself.” She said with a sneer. Aside from Hanami and herself, none of these men here would dare train a woman to fight. It would give room to fight them back and they want their women broken in. Submissive. Like the poor lineage of women in her family. She counted herself lucky that she was so rebellious unlike her mother and sister now deceased. They didn’t know how to defend themselves against this apocalypse and were one of the firsts in her family to go.  

“Bet.” You said with a victorious smirk. Being trained by a bad*ss woman? Absolutely! You’ve seen how she took down numerous zombies and called out commands the entire walk over here. You were looking forward to it. Maki rolled her eyes swiping at her nose of the musty berry smell that formulated.

“There you two are!” Miguel burst into the closed off room that now would be your work room for a short time. “We’re circling up before dinner. Got a bunch of new people this week, so gotta introduce yourselves. Also, here’s the shirt! Make it pretty for me, doll. Thanks!” He winked and then left as quick as he came, but not before tossing the shirt onto the pile.

Maki smirked in your face thinking how you could possibly put a dent in that mountain. You’d finish it the following week, but we’re not there yet.

 

**Venturing to Team 3’s whereabouts**

It was Gojo and Geto who discovered Toji and Sukuna first. They were held up in a run-down cabin along the route they had taken. Barely memorizing the map, the fools had drifted enroute to ‘Point C’ and now they were joined as Team 3.  They had decided it best to regroup, join forces and get in contact with Nanami. Though Sukuna wasn’t all too enthused and was more so anxious to get back to his brother, he knew that the mission was to be put first. This is what they were trained to do, nothing new.

However, they weren’t all that well-trained in dealing with four alpha-types in prolonged proximity. They quarreled a lot on the road with the setting sun beating upon them. Even up to the gates -which to their surprise, were functioning when they entered and proceeded to take out all the undead.

“What the hell is the military doing here?” A young man with a weirdly wrapped ponytail asked to his mate while watching the four men in black get to work. From what he could see they were clearing out the first half of the station. It was overrun by the time the ‘Men in Black’ arrived and the two strangers were stranded. Those two had already utilized the station’s radio to get in touch with their team back at the town they were held up in.

“Lemme see, Ranta. Move.” A rough hand pushed against the boy’s face. Peeking weary green eyes through a crusted glass window, he saw the undead that once trapped them in here, now cleared thanks to those men.

There was no longer any need for back up like he originally radioed for. But he had a sense to warn them that there were three well-trained jacked men with many guns and knives instead. He realized however if he did radio back to town, they’d be discovered from the noise. Not only that, but they were in the wrong side of the building to make a call anyways.

“Well, Naoya? They cleared the way for us. We can leave now.” Ranta said enthusiastically.

“Let’s wait it out. I don’t want to take on unnecessary fights. Not only that, it’ll also be dark by the time we get back.” This man knew his strength and could hold his own very well. And he also knew it’d be foolish to pick a fight with 3 grown men armed to the teeth.

“But backups coming, right? Should we tell them never mind and just hitch it with these guys?” Ranta inquired of his cousin.

“Hold on. We don’t know if they’re friendly or not. Gotta wait it out, runt.” He eyed the men down. All of them looked tired and pissed as they walked out of his sight and into the broadcasting room. ‘Yeah. I wouldn’t say they’re too friendly right now.’ The two were held up in the electrical supply room that had a small high window that overlooked into the connected building until it cut off from the studio.

While waiting for back up, Naoya and Ranta decided to scavenge through some equipment they could take back to the town when Team 3 burst in, halting their actions. Naoya quieted to listen through the vent that separated them.

“This side’s clear. See about getting connected to Nanami and Megumi, you two.” An overly buff man ordered before walking back out. Naoya thought this one could probably be leading the pack.

“Gojo, switch that channel over. Thanks.” A smooth voice called out over the radio. “Alpha 1, Alpha 1, this is Alpha 3, come in. Over.” It only took a minute for a response.

“Alpha 3. This is uh, Alpha 1. Go ahead and switch to uh channel 3.”

“Ah, Suguru. It’s Megumi. Miss the guy. Bet he’s bored with Mr. Stick-in-the-mud.” Another voice had jested.

“I should have let him hear that. Update: Uhhh..big horde came through enroute for asset. Team 1 & 2 split up. It’s Team 3 now. Over.” Suguru ran a tired hand down his face.

There was a brief sigh over the radio. And some clanging in the background that went unnoticed to the two eavesdroppers.

“Is it really worth it? Can you obtain E128 and get back to HB? Over.” This voice sounded more mature than previously. Naoya scrunched his face up wondering what the meaning of E128 and HB. Another clang mildly caught their attention.

“Yes, Nanami. We’ve found her trail. We’ll double back once it’s clear in the morning. Over.”

“…did you say her? Over.” Nanami looked back at Megumi who was just as perplexed as he was. Due to the destruction of the lab, there was little to recover data wise so they weren’t sure if they heard them correctly.

“Ah, right. We ran into someone who made contact –couldn’t save them, however. He was bit. But before he uh went he did confirm one of her traits. It’s promising. Over.”

“Hmm, promising? Do you mean the purification trait? Over.”

 ‘Purification? What are they talking about? An animal? Alien?’ Naoya and Ranta strained to listen more as their interest was piqued.

“Bingo! Nanami-san~”

“Those four must be looking for something or someone, Naoya.” Ranta looked at him seriously, but he was giving him a perplexed look.

“Four?”

Just then the entry to the room had burst open. Light blinded the men as they were ordered to keep their hands up.

“Sh*t!” They both cursed as they did as they were told.

“The h*ll are you two doing in here? State your business!” Pinkish hair peeked into view as the light cleared. Naoya did not see this one enter the facility. Sure, maybe he could have taken on one, but two big burly men? And the one with the scary tattoos looked ready to kill on sight. Not in this predicament would he set his life up like that ever.

“W-we’re just scavenging for a few supplies and got stuck here with all of those zombies outside.” Ranta’s voice wavered as the assumed leader strode into the room. The behemoth’s biceps looked bigger than his own head.

The pink haired man cut his eyes at the younger one. “Don’t sh*t your pants, boy. We’re not gonna shoot unless you give us a reason to. Get up nice and slow. We’re going to check you out and let you get on your way.” His attitude did not match the words.

Begrudgingly, Naoya had to comply. Things would go smoother that way. Not only that, but he also wanted to see if he could get more information. What exactly were they looking for? Did it hold value?

 “Clear. Go on.” The heavily tattooed man nodded to the door they burst through.

“Look, it’ll be too dark to make it back safely. Can’t we just be-“

“Not my problem.”

“Sukuna. We’re supposed to supply aid to any civilians we come across.” The huge man chastised. “You guys can stay in the room we’ve cleared, but you’re going to have to hand over the weapons for the night.” His split lip had quirked upwards at the annoyance that was held on Naoya’s face before it quickly dispersed.

Handing over the weapons, and then being guided to where they could rest, Naoya took his chance to speak up.

“Not to alarm anyone, but we had radioed for back up prior to you guys coming. So, there might be a bit of a welcoming party later. Given how late it is. Might be here in the morning.” The sun had settled behind the trees and hills. Naoya knew they would all have to hunker down for the evening. “As long as you guys aren’t hostile, they won’t be hostile back.” He warned in an easy-going manner.

 The leader sucked his teeth, eyeing the two both down. “Thanks for the heads up. What’s your names?”

“I’m Ranta and this is my older cousin, Naoya.” The smallest gestured between them.

“Toji. That’s Sukuna.” He nodded his head towards an annoyed and tired, red-eyed cretin.

“Thanks for clearing those zombies out there. We came from a little town not too far from here. You guys should visit and stay for a bit!” His eyes were bright contrasting their dark circled ones. He was too chipper for their liking.

“We’re not staying.” Sukuna had barked out. He was exhausted and needed rest before he bit off someone’s head.

“Erm, I meant for helping us and stuff. As thanks. That’s all.” Ranta scratched at the back of his head sheepishly.

“Staying out of our way is thanks enough.” Sukuna muttered as he wandered to a busted snack machine he had seen when they scanned the place. Grabbing a few snacks, he headed back to where Gojo and Geto were. “I’m going to feed the animals,” he called back to Toji, who just rolled his eyes dismissively.

‘I’m retiring when we make it back. I can’t stand these fools.’

“We’ll be keeping these safe and locked away with us for the time being.” Toji heads off after Sukuna, waving their weapons overhead. Lightly taunting them.

“What are we supposed to do if we run into trouble?” Naoya yelled after him annoyed.

“Run away from the trouble.” Toji quipped smartly.

‘These guys are dicks!’ Naoya thought angrily.

“Look, just holler if you need something. In the meantime, don’t do anything stupid that’ll get you killed.” Toji’s eyes pierced the two men before he turned a corner, out of their sight.

“…that wasn’t so bad?” Ranta shrugged innocently.

“Shut up.” Naoya brushed passed his cousin to get cozy in a heap of junk. They’re spending the night so might as well get comfortable.

“What? I mean, it could have gone worse. We should be trying to get them to stay at the town with us. We need more powerhouses like that.” Ranta tried encouraging, but his cousin wasn’t in the mood to really listen.

“I don’t know if they’re reasonable enough to go with the flow of how our community works. Plus, if your ears weren’t clogged, they’re in the middle of a search. I don’t see how we could get them to stay if we can’t figure out what they’re looking for and use that as a bargaining chip or something.” Naoya tapped at his pointed chin.

“Maybe if we play it cool, we can get more information from them tomorrow?” Ranta asked as he settled across from him.

Yawning, Naoya nodded and turned his back on his cousin. No longer interested in the conversation. Tomorrow is a new day and will bring its own headaches with it.

Chapter 7: Seven

Notes:

Comment: It is the same day now, as the previous chapter had jumped between two different days.

This is a comment I left for myself lol. So I type all of this in Microsoft word b/c I don't know what else I would use to keep any of this straight. So yeah, I use the cute little comment feature it has so I can remember my stuff a bit more accurately yet one of these chapters had plot holes, loop holes and just pitfalls lol. This is why rereading is fundamental DER:P. As always I pray yall are doing good~ Enjoy the read :3

 

“Uh, Hi.” A sweet voice entered Maki’s ears, causing her to drop her can of nuts and pull her gun. But before she had a chance to aim, she was disarmed and pinned to the ground face up.

“Sorry to be so rough with you.” Sincere and sunken eyes peered down at her angered and surprised face.

She hasn’t been bested by anyone in a long time, especially by someone so cute as lean as this man in… the same uniform as the other two the day prior.

Glowering, Maki said, “So there were more of you like those two said. Can you get off me now?!” Apologizing he backed off and helped her up to her displeasure.

“What did you mean by that?” The man, somewhat shorter than her, looked at her quizzically.

Rolling her eyes, having already been bested, Maki decided it best to be compliant, especially if she wants to get out of the situation she’s been living with for years. ‘Maybe if I play my cards right, I can use these guys to escape those misogynists.’

“Your friends. We brought them back to the town we’re holding up in. Patched the pink haired one up. The one with the scar across his eye, didn’t have anything wrong with him. What the heck did y’all get into?” She partially inquired.

“Hn? I suppose the same thing that everyone else has.” He smiled forlornly. “Anyways, I’d like to thank you for giving them aid.” He spoke casually while he walked around the open space. He noticed a lot of strewn things. Dropped peanuts. Scattered blankets and clothes. And a small knit critter amongst all the debris.

“It was just those two that showed up here?” He had pocketed the item as he turned toward the green haired woman.

Her eyebrow quirked wondering what he meant by that. She did recall his teammates taking an interest in you. But to Maki who was raised up by the misogynistic community she now resides in, she wasn’t so sure that interest in you was well placed. She figured there must be some type of motive.

Mainly with how things have turned downhill, plenty of unsavory things have happened to the women that traversed through these times. Especially if they were alone. She thought of you and how she could protect you from the same town she grew up in. She didn’t want you to be brainwashed and manipulated like the others.

“I brought back your two friends. I didn’t see or find anyone else with the same attire.” She told the truth. You weren’t wearing the uniform when discovered and you claimed to not know each other.

“We were scattered all around. I’m surprised some of us made it this far. You have my gratitude for taking them in.” He smiled sweetly once again. It threw Maki off as the men in her life never thanked her once. Ever. Here he is doing it twice.

“Whatever. You can stop thanking me.” She rolled her eyes feeling awkward suddenly, dusty pink gracing her cheeks- probably from the heat of the day. “I’ll take you back to them too, I guess. Don’t hold me up!” Her back was in view briefly before it disappeared behind the wall that separated the room. She would have to come back again to hide her food, for now, the closet she hid them in would suffice.

Yuta could already hear her steps descending rapidly down the steps. “Better be careful with her. She’s quick.” Yuta spoke to himself as he descended after her. Patting his pocket with the knit plushie he thought of where you could be.

**Catching up with Team 3**

“Then, who are you guys?” Ranta curiously asked as they walked back to their camp. Team 3 had collectively decided to go along with them after they realized they would be heading in the same direction anyways. “If you guys aren’t with that military squad at that chem facility that was taken over after turning people away, then what are you guys doing out here?”

“My guess is those soldiers weren’t there to save civilians. I think they were privately hired. Maybe that’s why they turned people away. Either way, sorry to hear that that occurred. But we’re glad you’re alive. We’ll help out where we can and be on our way.” The one with a man bun, Geto, had responded kindly to the young man.  “As for who we are… we’re just some lost soldiers, looking to get back in touch with the rest of our squad. That’s all.” Ranta reminded him of Yuuji with how talkative he was. Speaking of Yuuji, Geto wondered how Sukuna was holding up.

Taking a look over at him, his face was set hard. The circles under his eyes didn’t look any better than yesterday… maybe slightly as they did all get some rest and had a snack or two. But exhaustion coupled with worry does creep up on you, no matter how much they were trained in it.

Gojo seemed better off however, with a good night’s rest. Geto could tell because he was able to crack a joke. Ramble on about his good looks. And don’t forget to mention how strong he is. Toji to the self-centered man’s dismay, would interject on how he bested him. Multiple times. But Gojo was always witty with his comebacks to his lead.

Naoya didn’t believe a lick of what they were saying. After overhearing them, he was sure they were up to something. And pressing them didn’t reward him with anything new. Just a “we’re lost and looking for our men.” He would have asked directly, but if they were only repeating themselves, it must be a secret.

It wasn’t long that they passed a new development that they saw two vehicles coming their way. An open Jeep wrangler with two passengers and a Honda CR-V. Given one’s familiar white beret sticking out of the Jeep, Ranta and Naoya already knew it was their teammates.

Toji subtly signaled to be on guard when they pulled up beside them, just in case. All except Sukuna, were subtle with their stances. He did not give a d*mn and got into a clear defensive stance.

“Whoa their tiger. We come in peace.” The one with the white beret placed his hands up in mock surrender. His pearly whites shone in the noon’s sunrays. “We were actually coming to help you two out, but I guess you helped yourselves out instead.” The man looked over team 3.

“Yeah, thanks to these guys, Miguel. They cleared them all out. You should’ve seen ‘em!” Ranta’s eyes sparkled with wonderment, causing some of the men to chuckle.

“Took you long enough. What was the hold up?” Naoya’s face looked very displeased. It was supposed to be first thing in the morning, but here they were with the noon sun beating down on them.

“My bad, my bad. We actually ran into another of your mates on the way out. Maki brought ‘em in. Short lean fella with black hair. Anyways, one of the new people that came this week -a girl, caused a bit of trouble before we left. So, we had to handle that.” Miguel pursed his thick lips with a disgruntled look on his face. He wasn’t a fan of the way this community treated their women, but it was a family matter of tradition. How most of the men there were raised up to be. What could he do other than try and make the women smile a bit after?

“A new girl causing trouble? She just got there. What could she have done?” Geto’s line of thinking was to get them to talk more about this girl. More about you, hopefully.

“Tuh, the women in town are all useless. They’re only good for menial things and they’re barely good at that. If it weren’t so dangerous to raise kids right now, they’d only be good for breeding. They’re not even worth the pleasure.” Naoya’s distaste couldn’t resist showcasing itself.

“…that’s a bit extreme don’t ya think?” Gojo inquired as he looked at his team’s equally perturbed faces.

“Hardly.” He rolled his eyes and hopped in the car. Finished with the conversation. “Let’s get back already. I need to change out of these clothes.” He looked over his dirtied and ripped attire.

“You know we just got someone in yesterday that can patch up those ratty things. Cute little thing, it just seems like she knows little about the world though.” Miguel rubbed at his chin in thought of some of your responses to him or Maki.

“Typical.” Naoya couldn’t help to add.

Ignoring him, Miguel continued, “She came in with two of your buddies, in fact. The pink haired one, we patched up his cut. And the other is working on one of the walls. You guys are in good hands.” Miguel spoke assuredly to Gojo and Geto who were sitting in the back of them, giving each other knowing looks. They were going to have to get out of there as soon as possible.

“I should probably explain how our town works. The women only do things like cook, clean, and whatever else our leader says. They aren’t meant to be on the field like us, men.” Ranta said almost proudly, puffing up his chest. “Well besides our cousin Maki and Hanami. They’re built different. But Naoya would never care to admit that.” Ranta whispered that last part as he went to the other car, out of earshot with Toji and Sukuna in tow. They did not care to hear of the town’s misogynistic ways. There were plenty of women they knew that were more than capable of handling themselves on missions like theirs. It was such a traditional mindset.

Ignoring the ramblings of the young man, Ranta and then the driver, Dagon’s annoyed sighs, they essentially drove up in silence. Not uttering a peep and collecting as much information of the town along the drive.

 

The whole introduction didn’t take long. The four of them were well received at the Mayor Hall, greeted this time by the leader, Ougi, who welcomed his nephew back joyfully. They gave them the run-down on how the usage system works and because Yuuji had utilized some of their supplies they could each work to replace what was used.

They begrudgingly agreed, as they still needed to figure out your whereabouts, hopefully in this town. Then they’d decide their means of escape. After the tour, it became apparent that they might have a hard time leaving with how much emphasis some had tried to put on them staying here.

No matter the case, they had things to do. Like meeting up for dinner later in the evening to introduce themselves to the group. It was stupid and senseless to Toji and Sukuna, who just wanted to get his brother (and his team) out of here. Mission be damned. They weren’t planning on staying long so why bother with the pleasantries?

“And here are your sleeping quarters. Sorry we can’t have you guys all separated, but hey if you find any women you like, you can shack up with them in the meantime.” Their chaperone, a random named Mitch, shrugged while walking off.

“They can’t make it any clearer that they don’t like the women here.” Gojo muttered to his group who were all huddled in front of their new sleeping quarters.

“And it seems that the women just accept it.” Geto frowned looking around the area.

“All but the one with the dark green hair. Her name’s Maki. Seems she doesn’t take anything from the guys here and I don’t think she wants the other women to, but it also seems like they avoid her.” Yuta shared an observation he noticed from this morning’s shenanigans.

“Oh right, what happened this morning? They said a new girl caused a ruckus. Does she fit our target’s description by chance?” Gojo inquired of his smaller teammate.

“Ah right! Something to do with this grey-haired man named Mahito. He seems crafty and easily a womanizer. A woman got jealous of him giving attention to another and confronted the two of them, but then a third came up. It got messy. It was a lot of screaming and hair pulling and no one, but me and Miguel helped out. Maki shared that it happens quite often because of him and sometimes Jogo.” Yuta shook his head at the immaturity people still held onto.

“Mm. So any of those ladies fit the description, Yuta?” Toji asked again.

“Oh uhh. There was one. She had a bandage on her shoulder. Orange in color. May be of Hispanic descent. Small. At least 5”4 and she had straight black hair. It’s just, I’ve seen Mahito with her under his arm all day, so I don’t know when I could get the chance to verify.” Yuta sighed.

“I wonder if we have the wrong one?” Todo murmured to himself as Yuuji was still having to stand guard at the infirmary. “Though we should check into your person, Yuta. Me and Yuuji did come in with someo—” Todo began but was cut off by a commotion.

“I WOULDN’A HAD TO PUT MY HANDS ON YOU IF YOU KEPT YOURS TO YOURSELF!” A familiar voice boomed across the neighborhood, garnering the attention from many.

It was a fuming Maki with Miguel standing between her and her equally pissed cousin, Naoya.

 

What happened?

You, in all your brown skinned beauty, were minding your business up until a certain someone with a terrible dye job wanted to give you hell for doing the job you were assigned to do.

Yep. You did the days laundry; cleaned the area as it was terribly unkempt; folded, hung and put away the items you were shown to do and then started on the pile of clothing you had to finish by the end of the month.

You had opted to stay the night in there —not that anyone objected and forgone a little bit of sleep to work on stitching some of the clothes. You could still see even with the dimming candle you had lit. If you hadn’t had those other tasks to do, you’d been finishing that pile up by the end of the week.

But that was trampled upon when Naoya decided to order you to clean his clothes and stitch them up. Right then and there. That wasn’t feasible nor practical. It’d been a waste of water supply and detergent. You’d just do it the next day as you still had more soiled linen to clean anyways. There was just no room for it to dry anywhere for the day. You told him as much, as politely as you could, you thought. All you said was, “Sure. I’ll do it with tomorrow’s load.”

Why he took that as a ‘No’ is beyond you.

You just knew that his sudden outburst would set you back a couple of days as he ruined your hard work of cleaning up by dumping and ripping up the clothes you just finished stitching. Adding new rips to them.

He was throwing a tantrum in true fashion of a toddler. You wished he’d calm down as you defensively tried to stop him, by blocking him from wasting more needed supplies, but all that did was infuriate him greater.

Naoya felt like the fumes of the floral-citrusy scented cleaning supplies was getting to him and it ticked him off even more with you not adhering to his commands. That’s what he believed was wrong with women like you. The new ones that came in; not listening and just standing in the way of the things that he wanted. Just like before with the others, he was going to kindly teach you his family traditions.

You barely registered his yelling at you as were shoved harshly into a rickety workbench. It was barely holding up with the large box of powder detergent that already sat atop it before you came crashing down. It gave way, rotted wood splintering in two with all of its old, rusted nails jutting out at random. They punctured the powdery substance as well as you, in your oh-so-lucky shoulder. The lemon-scented powder puffed up around you and spilled everywhere as you jolted in alarm and pain.

There was no calming this unhinged beast down. You were in danger. Again.

Notes:

This was one of my shortest ones. Like 2K words versus my typical 3K+ :O

Chapter 8: Eight

Notes:

I can hardly believe how much I've wrote. Not only that, how many segments I broke this up in. It's pretty interesting.
Anyways, thanks for sticking by and hanging around. If no one's told you yet, you're doing better than you think :3 I pray yall have a good week!

 

If only Maki and Miguel came sooner.

They were both bringing in cleaning supplies for you when they walked in on the scene. When they entered a heavy scented mixture of Fresh Linen and something sour burst up their nostrils, causing some alarm and dizziness. But they righted themselves as soon as they saw Naoya towering over your crying form, berating nonsense at you.

Maki held a great dislike for her cousin. Could even say ‘HATED’ him. Therefore, it was easy for her to cross the few short steps and send him back away from you with a solid kick to his stomach.

“WHAT THE HELL, NAOYA!?” She barked in his face. Standing defensively in front of you. You tried your best to keep your whimpers and cries down, but you were lying on a bed of rusty nails. Miguel went to go assist you, but Naoya in his fashion halted him.

“What are you gonna help her because she’s brown like you, Miguel?! She assaulted me!” If you weren’t in pain, you would have questioned if there was still a need to be prejudice when society has up ended.

“You’re outta line for this, Naoya!” Miguel spoke sternly as he helped you sit up. Tears were spilling down your face, but you were trying your best to withhold your sobs. Miguel couldn’t see it, but your blood was starting to seep through your flannel.

“Don’t give me that! She put her hands on me first! It’s not my fault she’s too weak to stand on her own two feet.” Naoya huffed back as he tried to regulate his breath. That kick was solid and strong. Standing upright he trudged out the door, shoving past Maki who immediately swatted at the back of his head. “And you know better than to put your hands on me!” Naoya icily threw over his shoulder as he made his way away from the situation he started.

“I WOULDN’A HAD TO PUT MY HANDS ON YOU IF YOU KEPT YOURS TO YOURSELF!” Maki followed right after him, bursting with anger. She wanted to deck him. Miguel could hear it and knew that Dr. Choso wouldn’t want more unnecessary injuries to clean up, so he excused himself from you and stood between the irate cousins.

The disturbance brought a small crowd, but no one dared to get in between unless they were fools. Aside from a few others, the strongest in the community were those two: Maki and Naoya. No one within the community could best those two. It was a good thing that the new military squad wasn’t a part of that community.

The guys hurriedly made their way over to the commotion and tried to diffuse it and gain an understanding of what happened. It only ticked them off more as neither one would be cooperative enough to discuss what went down, just throw insults and unconnected swings. It was only when they heard your cry of anguish, could they see the outcome of this chaos.

The crimson of your blood, stained your shirt and tinted the white powder you had been doused in. You looked ragged.

“Sh*t! Hold on, mamacita. I got you.” Miguel rushed to you, leaving behind many mixed reactions in the crowd.

“You’re all overreacting! She fell into the table, and it collapsed on her. Not my fault she’s that clumsy.” Naoya still cowardly tried to save face. But they all knew what type of man he was. Even if they didn’t care for the women that much. They wouldn’t go out of their way to be that harmful. They still needed the women alive and well enough to run the community. They knew it deep down. Just weren’t planning on admitting it aloud.

But Miguel had to admit he felt undoubtedly low with you bloodied and cowering in his arm as he hauled you up to take you to Dr. Choso. Had he not suggested to Naoya to come to you for a change of clothes or if he’d at least accompanied the maniac this could have been avoided. Maki felt bad just because he was thoroughly a vile person and about the worst thing you could run into on any given day. She would have laid into him more, but she wanted to make sure you were okay after seeing your blood-soaked clothes.

 

Yuuji was inside the infirmary bugging Dr. Choso about nonsensical things when Miguel and Maki burst in with you completely sobbing in Miguel’s arms. Placing you on the propped table, they give the run down as to what happened. Dr. Choso immediately went to work on you.

Stripping you down into the tank top that you wore underneath the ruined flannel, he looked over the punctures. Maneuvering the wound as gently as possible, one of the nails fell out and rolled away with your blood on it. He noticed the injury was not clean and there were plenty of debris left behind. He was afraid that this could turn septic for you due to the rust of the nails and old rotted debris left inside. If that were the case, you could die and return which no one would want, was his line of thinking. He’d knew he’d have to use crucial supplies for this. Choso was very displeased with Naoya’s incompetence and disregard for others’ lives, especially women’s. ‘He does not think of the repercussions!’ Dr. Choso thought gathering supplies.

“Uh Hey, what can I do?” Yuuji’s voice broke through the rustling of Dr. Choso’s actions. Miguel had already gone back out to help with damage control while Maki stayed because she and Naoya would be both in the infirmary if she stepped foot out there.

“Stay out of the way. Shouldn’t you be guarding the door?” Dr. Choso answered bluntly, while filling up a syringe. Yuuji pouted as he wanted to help you. He always hated seeing people cry; it made him want to take their pain away.

Being quick, Dr. Choso grabbed at your arm ready to inject something into you, but with you already feeling endangered, your mind kind of blurred your memories with reality.

Suddenly thinking you were trapped with those scientists, you launched backwards almost falling off the table. Luckily, Maki was beside you to catch you, which to your dismay made things a lot worse, increasing your anxiety and suddenly the room was smelling like lemons and detergent.

Bewildered by your sudden change in demeanor, Dr. Choso said, “Actually, you know what you can do? Distract her. I need you to get her from moving so much.” His tone holding annoyance; he suddenly felt a bit more stressed than usual.

Maki felt like she could feel your anxiety through you, so she tried comforting you as you hollered and squirmed to get away from the menacing needle inching your way. Trauma clearly triggered, you weren’t going to listen to the people in white jackets restraining you and trying to inject you with that serum that had you being tested on for several years.

Yuuji being great at what he does –distraction and had helped bring you back to reality. Your watery [E/C] eyes refocused on your surroundings, calming your senses down enough to realize you’re not in immediate danger. You were embarrassed to say the least. To have reacted in such a way, you wanted to hide, but that wasn’t possible right now.

You realized you spewed ‘nonsense’ amid that display. Nonsense you wished to keep hidden as you were trying to restart your life here, but clearly unhealed things will fester and showcase itself with no regard. And clearly you were not meant to be here.

“I’ll do this as quick as possible, but I need you to be still, alright?” Dr. Choso spoke softly to your shaking form. You just nodded, giving a meek apology as the adrenaline sank out of you. You were suddenly very tired.

True to his word, he gave you antibiotics, flushed and cleaned your punctures, and then bandaged you up as quickly as he could. He had promptly left out of the office for some unknown reason, leaving Yuuji and Maki on guard until he came back.

 

“So uh, you feeling better?” Yuuji asked awkwardly scratching at the back of his head. The bout of silence was getting to him.

You hummed in response. Not quite sure of yourself to speak.

“I’m not much of a fan of doctors either. Or hospitals, but I think Dr. Choso is a good guy. Right?” He looked over to Maki for confirmation, who was on the opposite side of him as he was by your freshly bandaged shoulder.

“He’s not bad. A little stand offish at first but past that, he’s known to be incredibly loyal and protective.” Maki thought over the man she’s shared some vulnerable moments with. He shared with her that he had brothers but much like herself, his family was lost to the virus.

“It’s not that I think he’s bad. I just didn’t see him in that moment, is all…” you trailed off, suddenly interested in your powder filled locs. You tried focusing on picking out some of the clumps on you.

“Right. You were saying a lot of things. Another doctor’s nam—” Maki began to ask.

“I am really tired.” You croaked over her words. You just didn’t want to revisit those memories. The names. The rooms or the tests. For now, they can just stay buried.

Maki hummed in recognition. When you’re ready to talk, you will. “You should probably get this detergent off you too. A nice bath would help with that. When we get out of here, you can use mine. I’m sure you don’t have one where you’re staying.” Maki insisted, her demeanor being a lot more comforting towards you.

Yuuji agreed with her and patted your head lightly. Powder particles scattered and descended around you, causing you all to cough.

“Sorry, sorry!” He swatted the air, and absentmindedly lifted some of your dusted hair off from enclosing around your face so you wouldn’t breathe more of the substance in. He brought it over your bandaged shoulder, exposing your neck.

“Oh! You have a tattoo?” Yuuji looked over it with confusion. Due to your plight, he forgot momentarily what his mission was, but in this moment, he remembered, and his hope was dashed. It was not what he and his team were looking for sadly. He was hoping for digits. But instead…

 “I < 3? You love?” His smile was crooked, and his eyes held a bit of crushed hope, but he and his team would just look for someone else. You quirked a brow at him because how could he not realize the numbers? But then you recalled what it looked like in the mirror after it healed. If that’s what it looked like, you were not going to change it.

Smiling lightly, you touched the disfigured label gently. Since it healed in that way, you realized you could change the narrative. And that’s what you’re sticking to.

 

You were sitting curled up in a roll of blankets on the floor in Maki’s room. Fresh out of the bath and in cleaner clothing, you were awaiting a meal that she said she’d bring back. Herself and others figured it best for you to stay inside for dinner this time and skip out on the introductions for Yuuji’s squad as to avoid a certain person. He reassured you that you’d be introduced to them later, emphasizing how you were tired from all that excitement and should focus on resting.

Sometime had passed where Maki finally walked in with two small bowls. Beckoning you over to the table she set them down on, you both dined quietly together. You hadn’t done this since your teens. The nostalgia hit you like a truck. You missed your one and only friend. You missed being in school sitting next to each other doing homework. Sitting with her and her family for dinner whenever you’d sleepover. You wished you could go back to those times again.

Sniffles could be heard over the clinking of the utensils. Brown eyes flicked up as they quickly analyzed you.

“What’s wrong? Is the food bad or something? Please don’t expect a five-course meal from here. This is the best we can do.” Maki sighed exasperatedly. She had a heated talk with her father and unfortunately Naoya. She was ordered to go out this week and the next, which normally she’d prefer to do. It made it easier for her to formulate a means to escape this place, but now she did not want to leave you alone with that monster and his lackeys.

Wiping your tears, you shook your head in disagreement. Nothing that silly would cause you tears. You contemplated on sharing a bit of your history with her. It was barely a few days, but she’s done this much for you. You asked, “Can you keep a secret? You can keep quiet right?” Your eyes searched her confused ones, but then they softened. Short green locks floated in the air as she nodded gently to you.

“I haven’t eaten dinner with anyone in a long time especially inside a house. At a table.” You sniffled again, laughing miserably. You had that family at the camper, which was nice, but it was so short lived. You couldn’t enjoy it nearly as much as you could now with the walls and extra protection.

“Well, most of us haven’t for quite some time now. Since everything’s fallen…” She faded off as you shook again in disagreement.

“I mean an extensively long time. Like years. Seven to be exact, if the year is accurate from the last time I recall.” You looked off into your memory of seeing a calendar when you finally escaped. It read 20XX.

Slowly digesting her food, Maki sat up and looked at you intently. Were you homeless? Though this town she grew up in was rather affluent, there was a city not too far away that did acquire a lot of homeless over the years.

“I’m sorry to hear that you were homeless for so long.” She gave you a bewildered look as you started laughing.

“I wasn’t homeless. I mean I guess in a way. I was in foster care for a while.” Maki’s mouth formed an “O” to your explanation. You continued, “Moved from home to home often, so maybe I was homeless…”

“Is that your secret?” She smirked at you, going back to eating her meal.

“No…. me being kidnapped is.” You said, filling your mouth with a big portion of your meal. Your appetite was kicking up.

“Huh!?” Maki’s eyes bulged as she almost choked swallowing. “What do you mean kidnapped?!”

“I was sold off at 16 by one of the foster caretakers I had and was taken against my will to this secret facility that performed a lot of tests. I think it’s not that far from here actually.” You scrunched up your face in thought of how far you’ve travelled before noticing her eyes locked on you. You guys had a stare off.

She wasn’t sure if she should believe you or not. But what reason would you have for making that up? You said you did want to keep that a secret though.

“How did you escape?” She was invested.

“There were explosions and a lot of shooting and yelling. Some guard and nurse got me out of there and helped me. Helped another experiment. I mean person. I’m so used to them calling us that or by our numbers.” You huffed at your ignorance.

“Numbers?” Her empathetic eyes searched your forlorn ones before following your hand that led to your neck.

“Yeah. I was E128 and my buddy Cody, he was E203. We— HE got bit, and he didn’t survive. None of them did. Just me.” Your hand fell from lifting your hair. Detergent and a woodsy scent wafted along in the air as you sat in silence. Food all gone. You didn’t realize how quickly you ate it.

“So that’s what that really is? You didn’t want to share that earlier?” Maki asked lightly. This was a huge reveal and made sense as to why you wanted to hide that information. Also, the type of information those military men would be interested in.

“No. The last person I told about my…. self -they freaked out. Understandably so, but it just sucked being called a freak for something that wasn’t even my fault to begin with.” You pouted, crossing your arms. “For crying out loud, who wants to be tested on for years of their own free will?!”

“That’s weird. Why would they freak out on you? What –could you shape shift?” Maki snorted at the thought, but then stared at you wide eyed because could you??

Laughing once again, mood shifting to be a bit brighter, “No. If I could, I would have been a fly and buzzed my way out of that hell hole! Then a bird so I could fly so far away.” You smiled thinking about that type of power. “Even here… no offense.” You rolled your eyes.

“None taken. Me too. I would fly far far away from here.” She smiled warmly at you for the first time. You guys had something in common. You both wanted to escape.

Overnight it seemed you and Maki formed a great bond. Trauma bond if you will. You discussed a lot of things, save for the intricacies of your tests, and she shared about her past, who she lost in the chaos and how this town came to be and worked. She expressed to you that she didn’t want you to fall victim to the ways of this place. How she didn’t wish to stay here.

She said that the people she truly cared about were long gone. She was just surviving and biding her time to escape. The women’s mindset here were too far gone to save. Even Hanami, who had the brawn but decided to just follow orders.

You both fell asleep that night feeling lighter as you had shared some heavy baggage and a plan. A plan to free yourselves of this burdensome town.

Chapter 9: Nine

Notes:

So these upcoming chapters' word counts average a minimum count of 4K+ (o_O! ) Yah girl brain was braining lol...
I'm sorry...
Yall have a great week. Compliment someone if you feel up to it! Might make their day~ I love doing it b/c putting a smile on someone else's face just feels so much more gratifying than indulging on my own selfish whims. Anyways, thanks for stopping by you beautiful people and reading this nonsense :3

 

What you two talked about nights ago was what encouraged you to continue with your work. Maki discussed how she was already planning on escaping, and you were more than willing to aid her and yourself to get out of there.

Normally, one would find it odd to want to escape a functioning community with family in these times, but this place was basically a cult. You knew this from the documentaries that you and Myera used to watch way back when. It’s just disguised under the need of survival. But you both knew you had to get out of here to really live. Even if you had to live on the run from flesh eating monsters.

You were a bit worried in the beginning, since Maki stated she’d be going out scavenging for the next week and a half. You kind of looked at her for protection given how she has gotten you out of a couple situations thus far. Why she was being sent out and not the other scumbag didn’t make sense to you. However, you weren’t the leader of this community, so your complaints wouldn’t matter here. You just had to be on guard; any time you’d catch a glimpse of a that ugly green mop you’d turn tail.

In the meantime, while Maki scavenged for the day, you’d hide away in your work area, tackling that never ending pile of clothes. You were expecting to come back to a huge mess to clean up, but it was already gone and the table that was broken was replaced to your surprise. It was Miguel and a few of the new men that came the other day that cleaned shop for you; you were told by Mahito, of all people, who paid you a short visit.

He dropped off this short black-haired woman, named Eudora, to help you out with sewing as a way to make up for his ill-tempered friend’s mayhem. She was no good help. You’d rather have been alone, than having to redo faulty work. Not only that, but she also wouldn’t shut up. Constantly talking about how her poor shoulder was in pain so she couldn’t do much. How good Mahito was to her and warning you to stay away from him. Oh, and the new men too. Something about seeing them first. Yet, you recalled seeing Todo and Yuuji first, but you wouldn’t say you were ready to jump their bones on sight. These women seemed feral and truly brainwashed like Maki said. She could have at ‘em for all you cared.

Luckily, she didn’t stay long for the day because Mahito would come whisk her away, not without sending you very heated stares or the occasional hand down your back to your displeasure. He’d come in, claiming he wanted to check on his pretty girl, hugging Eudora all the while staring you down and blowing kisses. If your face didn’t already have disgust on it, you’d roll your eyes and get back to work not paying him any more mind. Too bad Mahito found it as you just playing hard to get. And he loved a good chase.

You’ve seen what being his or Jogo’s ‘pretty girl’ got you. You didn’t need that type of drama for yourself. You knew you shouldn’t have anything to do with the men from here at all…

A short knock was heard and then the door creaking open; Halting you from stitching, you were confused as Mahito had already took Eudora away. You heard a cluster of footsteps before you saw Choso stick his head in. His black hair was down for once, instead of being in a low ponytail. It was shoulder length and you felt this made him more handsome.

“Ah. There you are. Gojo and Sukuna, this is [Y/N].” He called behind him.

Two large bodies entered your sight, and your mouth ran dry. ‘Those men aren’t from here, right?!’ You thought to yourself as your heart fell to a lower place. It had been a while since you’d had that kind of reaction to the opposite sex. But no one could blame you here. About all the women here reacted the same. You were looking at two deliciously loo—

“Hey there! I’m Gojo and this, not nearly as handsome guy, is Sukuna! We’ll try not to bombard you with our stuff.” His chipper tone and radiant smile outshined the sun as he beamed at you. The other rolled his crimson eyes, checking out the space. They would have to come back later for their clothes. None of these looked to be able to fit them both size and style.

“H-hi.” You started to croak, waving meekly, but a familiar face popped in. Brushing past his elders, Yuuji stopped right in front of you with a warm smile. “Yuuji!” Your mouth broke into a beam.

“Why aren’t you at the infirmary?” Dr. Choso sighed. ‘Keeping track of him is like keeping track of a child. He doesn’t listen.’

“I got bored and saw you guys come in here. And I haven’t seen [Y/N] at all. How are you feelin’?” His bright brown eyes turned on to you before scanning the building. He gave an appreciative whistle. “You sure did do a lot since we’ve cleaned up in here.”

You looked around at your work, shyly glancing over the men who stood in silence watching you intently. “I didn’t do that much.” You looked back at him with a small, embarrassed smile. Truly you didn’t do as much as you would have if Eudora would stop doubling your work.

“You have that girl helping you out, right? That’s how you have so much done.” Yuuji’s assumption was far from accurate, but you didn’t have it in you to correct him.

Changing the subject, you sincerely thanked them for cleaning up. You would have done it yourself, but you appreciate their efforts none the less.

Gojo spoke up this time. “You shouldn’t have to clean up the mess of someone else.” He frowned, and you think just about any face this man makes would cause your heart to stop. You had to look away before you got stuck.

“Especially after someone as childish as that.” Sukuna spat out, and walked over to a black garment hanging up, fiddling with the fabric between his fingers. He did look like Yuuji, just more rugged, especially with the tattoos. You wondered if he was affiliated with a gang before this or maybe the tattoos were tribal related.

His intimidating eyes lifted to yours briefly before going back to the shirt he was holding. You were not about to ask him.

“Plus, you were injured.” Yuuji added, lazily pointing at your shoulder. You stiffened. You wished he did not say that.

“Speaking of injury. You’ve been avoiding me.” Dr. Choso spoke up, peering at your covered shoulder. He walked a bit closer to you, arms crossed. “Doesn’t it hurt to move so much?”

You couldn’t look at him, so you just turned your back and went right back to stitching. You were almost done anyways. And you needed to figure out how to get round telling him that the wound closed, and your skin completely healed over it like it never existed.

“I’ve handled worse pain. It’s okay really.” Your hand subconsciously went to your neck before dropping it. A dark thought crossed your mind. “Please don’t test that out.” You swung around with a serious look across your face.

“We wouldn’t!” They said in unison, giving you an odd look.

Tense shoulders released at their reaction; clearly you could lower your guard a bit with them, you continued, “Sorry… and I’m not avoiding you, Dr. Choso. I’ve just been handling it myself is all. I wrapped it this morning.” You showed him a peek of the useless bandage. You didn’t need it, but it was there for show. You had no idea how long you should keep it on.

“That looks like a pretty good job. Where did you learn that?” He tried looking closer, but you backed away.

“I picked it up from the sci- I mean doctors that I was occasionally around.” You barely caught yourself. He gave you a skeptical look.

“Where were you at, a college? Hospital? I remember you saying some things that day…” He trailed off lightly, not trying to provoke you.

“No…. I didn’t make it to college.” You spoke lowly recounting some of the things you said in your heightened state. “I was at a facility that had a medical team. I learned a decent amount from those… people.” ‘Monsters.’

You covered your shoulder up again; and went back to finishing up your stitches. Anymore questions and it might be a bit tough to change the narrative here.

“Hm? Didn’t go to college but learned techniques from medical personnel. Did you secretly study at a hospital or something? What was the name?” Gojo inquired over his shoulder as his back was turned to you, sifting through the clothes strung up. You did work fast getting all these clothes up the way that you did, from the last he seen of the place, but there was also the other girl that was in here assisting you that they’ve yet to see separate from Mahito.

They were hoping to catch her in here without him to question her, but no such luck. Just you. Gojo figured it wouldn’t hurt to cover all bases and rule you out.

You were bunching the clothes in your hands. That man was inquisitive, and you did not want to answer those questions. Not even remember that place or utter a single syllable. A letter.

You scoffed and rolled your eyes. ‘They were the secretive ones.’

“The name slips my mind, but I didn’t have to learn in secret. They were generous enough to teach me a few things before… there demise.” You gave a half-hearted smile, but it faltered as you locked eyes. His striking blues seemingly looked through you. Like he knew you were withholding something. But you weren’t about to give those tapes up.

“Is there lemon scented detergent in here?” Yuuji looked around sniffing.

Choso thankfully interjected here. “Why didn’t you tell me that? You could’ve been working in the infirmary instead of here.” He chastised. Bruh. Not him about to tick you off.

“I/She did!” Yuuji and you said in unison.

You pointed an accusatory finger at Choso. “And you said you ain’t have time for me!” You crossed your arms, Yuuji mimicking you as you both gave him a deadpan look.

Rolling his eyes, he admitted guilt and apologized, something that caught you off guard and put a tight-lipped smile on your face. You hadn’t received apologies, even as little as this in a while. Choso offered to have you in his infirmary, but you said you’d finish what you were doing here first before taking him up on his offer. You still had Eudora to deter in here, so you’d be a little while longer than you’d like.

“Okay, make sure you come to the infirmary so I can look at your shoulder. I’m the professional here. I want to make sure you’re alright.” He patted your head softly, but you winced away.

True to his word, Miguel did your hair. Your retwist looked immaculate, but boy were they sensitive. Held in a low, neat bun, your face was more exposed. Showcasing your lovely features. Miguel did not tell a lie about you being pretty, but with some TLC you were naturally stunning.

“Apologies.” Choso murmured, backing up from you.

“S’all good.” You waved him off. The men took what they needed to change, thanked you and left out to go back to their posts, not without Sukuna and Gojo exchanging a few knowing glances to each other. They would talk things over back in their quarters.

Blowing out a breath you did not realize you were holding; your body relaxed a bit. Temperature lowered. It was randomly hot for you, and you felt tingly all over. You had not felt that way in a while, not since those doctors. Shrugging it off, you got back to work.

 

Yuta had volunteered to go with Maki for her runs. He found the usage system the community had inconsistent, but they could use some down time to gain some knowledge of this place and also to smoke you out. He had a feeling you were here. Just needed to pinpoint the prospects and do process of elimination.

They were at a market that was essentially picked cleaned. It seemed like a dummy mission to be sent all the way out here, but Maki didn’t mind too much. She just hoped you were alright, so she did try to keep these runs on schedule so you wouldn’t be left alone for too long. She was thankful that Yuta was with her too. He kept these scavenger hunts short and on time. Punctual. She liked it. She was starting to like him.

Grabbing all that they could, they headed back out to the road, catching the golden rays before they set into a fiery orange.

In the distance, the city line could be made out by the sun setting behind it was always a beautiful site. It was a treasure trove in there, but all glitter is not gold. That place was more than a death trap. Maki shared with Yuta how the community was a lot bigger, but due to greedy egos and idiocy, many were lost. There was a hospital run that was made. Nine went out. One made it back but was scratched and didn’t tell anyone. Woke up to mayhem and a lot of people had to be put down that day.

It was too dangerous to risk, so they try their best to work with what they have and replace what they take. That’s why the system was created.

“Going into a city with little to no combat skills or knowledge of the vicinity is reckless. And I’m sorry to those who lost their lives prematurely. But with the system in place, the more people you invite in, the more of your resources are being used. It doesn’t really make sense to me.” Yuta found himself deliberating with Maki.

“It’s so you can stay indebted to them.” Maki kicked a rock as she walked backwards, still looking at the backdrop of the city line. “…I’m sorry I forced your friends to come with us. We just lost so many people back then and… we really needed—” Yuta’s warm smile disarmed her, causing Maki to cut her sentence short.

“I get it. And honestly, I’m grateful. Yuuji got treatment for his cut and is doing fine now because of what you did. Thank you.” He said placing a meaningful hand on her shoulder. ‘Plus, you’ve led us closer to finding who we need.’

She flushed. Stuttering about how she’d make it up to him and his team. She brushed his comment off and picked up speed to get closer to home. Before they made it back, they were passing the cul-de-sac where they first met. Maki remembered her new secret stash that she’s been building up and Yuta remembered the car he had hidden there. They both needed to check in on their things.

“Hey, Maki.” She hummed back in acknowledgement. “Aren’t you going to put some of this stuff in that house?” He asked innocently, but it made her stop dead in her tracks. How did he know?

“What are you talking about?” Her eyes were icy glaring at him.

“Oh? Was it a secret that you’ve been taking some of the things and stowing them away in there?” Yuta quirked a brow. Her demeanor said it all. But he continued to play innocent.

She sighed in exasperation. She can’t have anything to herself.

“Look I won’t say a word about it. If anything, I’ll help you out.” He already started to head towards the home. She called after him to wait up. She was very skeptical of this. When she gets the chance, she’ll just move her belongings again.

Meanwhile, he just needed a reason to go check on the car. Toji, already knowing about Yuta placing it there, wanted it ready for when the team was ready to leave out.

Placing the items he carried down, he offered to assist her up the stairs with her things. That way, he’d have a reason to come back down and look over the car without her knowledge.

When he finally came back up, she had already put away some of the things she needed aside from the canister of nuts she snacked on. She shook the can in front of him as an enticing offer. He took it willingly, thanking her with his full-face smile and plopping next to her body strewn across the empty bed.

“So why did you lie about bringing a third person in?” He asked nonchalantly. Brief confusion crossed her face before she remembered what he was referring to.

“Why does it matter? You were just looking for your friends, right? So that’s what I told you about. Unless this third person means something to you?” She had a wry smile on her face as she eyed him.

He huffed a laugh. She found a work around. “Nah, Todo had mentioned her coming in with them and I was wondering why you didn’t say anything before. But uh, I think I see it now as a form of protection, given what happened. You’re amazing, Maki.” His voice full of amazement and sincerity.

Cheeks flushed; she rolled her eyes at his comment. Feeling it to be fake. It was cute how he hid his true motives behind that disarming smile, but he was caught before he knew it. Noticing her stare, he questioned her with a mouthful of peanuts.

“Why did you offer to keep this a secret?" Waving a finger around, suggesting to the survival supply she was stacking up, rerouting the conversation.

“Because I think you’re the most trustworthy out of the bunch in that town.” His voice muffled over the peanuts. She huffed and rolled her eyes. She didn’t know if that was entirely true or not.

“If I’m so trustworthy, tell me what you guys are really out here for?” She inquired smartly.

He gave her a considering look before he huffed out a laugh before stuffing more peanuts in his mouth, causing a fit of chuckles.

“Plead the fifth, eh? Well since you’re keeping my secret, I guess I’ll keep one of yours. Just get me- us outta here when the time comes.” She said, snatching the can back.

“Us? And what secret are-“

“Your guys’ truck hidden in the garage. Don’t think I missed that bad boy sitting pretty under that tarp.” She popped a few more peanuts in her mouth. Smirking triumphantly at Yuta’s defeated demeanor. She got him. Not that he’d truly hide it from her. He sensed she was more good natured than the many she’s lived around.

“Yeah…. When Yuuji’s little session is up and none of us use anything else, we’re gone. I needed to come here to check on it.” He said focusing on something in the distance of his mind. “Seems like you’re planning the same thing.” His eyes refocused and scanned over her form.

“Mhm. Me and the new girl.” She watched him back carefully; she still believed they held some type of interest in you.

He scrunched his face up at the news. This could work in their favor as long as you’re who they are looking for. They just still needed to confirm Eudora isn’t the true asset. It was either Mahito being in the way or poorly timed jobs keeping them away.

Yuta tapped his chin in thought considering his options. Slowly nodding along, he said, “I’ll let you know what my team has in mind.”

“Mhm, don’t mind for too long or you won’t get what you’re looking for.” Maki spoke threateningly as she got up and walked out of the room.

>>> 

“What do you think she means by that? Does she know about who we’re looking for too? D*mnit, Yuta!” Toji ran a hand down his tired face.

“Look I don’t know, but I don’t think she’s someone to worry about. She just wants to get out of here just like us. Is that really so bad?” Yuta tried to reason against his superior.

“But that could put our mission in jeopardy. Especially if the girl isn’t who we are looking for.” Toji admonished. “Did anyone look into who the girl was? Does she even fit the description?” He dragged a hand down his face.

“For starters yes, but let’s talk about today and see where we go from there?” Gojo yawned into the air as he settled against a wall in the small room that housed all seven of the men. They did consider briefly shacking up but that’d be more trouble than it’s worth.

Sighing, Toji dropped the issue and waved him to speak.

“It’s been troubling to get to the Mahito girl. I suggest we maybe get to her while she’s in the laundromat building, but me and Sukuna have our suspicions about the one who runs it. Which would help your case, Yuta.” Gojo pointed towards him with a cheeky smile.

“Ya’ mean [Y/N]?” Yuuji looked over to his brother.

“Yeah. She was acting suspicious and what was up with her saying ‘don’t test that out!’?” Sukuna scoffed.

“She was just attacked by a maniac, so I’d imagine that she’d be acting funny.” Todo shrugged back. Most agreed with him but then Sukuna and Gojo shared more of the conversation that was had. Other than the patch on their neck being the main difference, Mahito’s girl really didn’t fit the profile as much as you were beginning to and all but one of the men in the room were being swayed towards you. Noting how you were found at the home in the cul-de-sac immediately after they had run into that deranged man, and how you were hesitant to have your arm checked out after receiving a pretty bad injury.

“Not to mention that she went back to work really fast.” Geto tapped at his chin in thought. “In like what? A day and a half? Her shoulder should be killing her.”

“BUT [Y/N] didn’t have any injury like that old man said when we discovered her. Eudora, however, does.” Todo countered. He doesn’t want to put his eggs all in one basket. Yuuji hummed in agreement as he was going to back up Todo’s point.

“Actually,” Yuuji began to speak.

“But the report states her healing varies.” Yuta mentioned, remembering those key traits about you were annoying, but necessary.

“Which could still be why she didn’t want her shoulder being looked at and why you didn’t see a marking there, Todo. They could be healed by now and she’s afraid to show it.” Gojo remarked.

“She’s afraid because of that maniac, dude. She’s probably scared of any man at this point.” Geto spoke up. Todo reaffirmed this from when you first met them.

“Um, you guys,” Yuuji tried to interject.

“So, then it’s still 50/50 for either girl.” Sukuna replied, ignoring his brother like the rest of them. They all complained about the probability being too generalized.

“Well, I guess we can just kill two birds with one stone. We just gotta check out their necks real quick.” Gojo said loudly, clasping his hands together, garnering everyone’s attention.

“Well, I’ve seen,” poor Yuuji tried again.

“Yeah, we just need to get in there bright and early, before they send us off to slave away in the sun.” Geto stretched loudly, kicking Gojo out of his way to his sad excuse of a bed, causing a wrestling match right before bedtime.

“You can’t still be mad at me,” Yuuji’s voice once again fell on deaf ears.

“You guys ain’t burn enough energy out there in that heat?” Toji remarked as he yawned and headed for his too small bed. It had to have been a twin the way his frame hung over it.

All of them made for their respective resting areas aside from Yuuji who was borderline offended that no one was paying him attention. Sure, he got them working in here for a while, but it’s not that bad.

“If you guys would listen,” Yuuji began, frustration lining his tone.

“I’m turning the lights off. You can roll around in the dark if you want to. Make out for all I care. Just keep it down.” Toji smirked at the sound of disgust coming from his two members who immediately parted ways and went to lay down.

“you’d know that,” Yuuji continued without missing a beat.

“Goodnight!” Sukuna cheekily switched off the light. As much as he loved seeing his brother alive and well, he was still that annoying little brat that sometimes needed to put a sock in it.

Heaving a huge sigh, Yuuji tried one last time. “[Y/N] doesn’t have 128 on her shoulder. The tattoo doesn’t match what we’re looking for.” The light flicked back on. It was slightly jarring seeing everyone sitting up looking at him.

“What?” Everyone said in unison.

“[Y/N] has ‘I’ and a weird heart shape on her shoulder. Not 128.” Yuuji blinked tiredly. It was exhausting trying to get his point across. Yuta frowned at the odd description.

“Why didn’t you say that sooner?” Sukuna glared at him.

“…. I don’t know. My bad.” Yuuji just huffed not wanting to start a fight and headed to his cot.

“Well, that blows a hole in our debate earlier. Shame, someone as cute as her wasn’t the one.” Gojo pouted at the double loss.

“Can you stop trying to stick your dick in everything?” Geto chastised.

“At least we only have one to investigate now. Cool. G’nite fellas.” Gojo slumped back down, completely ignoring his friend, and turned over to get a little more comfort so he could hurry up to tomorrow.

He thought it kind of sucked that someone as stunning as you wouldn’t be hitching a ride with them back to HQ, but at least while they’re here, he could try and have some fun.

Chapter 10: Ten

Notes:

I’m not a fan of summaries. Writing them anyways. The summary for this book was literally from chat GPT loll. It was so fun to have it create it. That was my first time using it 🤔 Well, Enjoy the read!

From being stressed out practically 24/7, you forgot how that feeling of release would often take the edge off. Just a bit.

You hadn’t done it in a while. Masturbating that is. For one, you were on the run and two, it seemed like your body was just put on standby only to suddenly turn on seemingly out of nowhere. The other night you couldn’t help but to slip a hand between your legs to ease the tension. Opting out of staying with Maki and once again sleep in the laundromat center. You wanted to finish up the clothes, but your nether region kept sending waves of needy heat pulsing through you. It was low, but from it being absent for so long, you couldn’t deny it. Plus, you were in the clear there by yourself. No one could hear you, not that you would have been loud. You’ve trained to be quiet ever since your days at the lab.

Training aside, you did what needed to be done and took yourself over the edge. Calming your reawakened bundle of nerves finally.

Until that tingling sensation came back again, the next morning. It was just like when you were being questioned by those scrumptious looking men. Aside from Todo and Yuuji, who were still nice to look at, but no reaction occurred. It was these men who had you thinking you were still dreaming. Straight dream boats.

It was a new man that entered the scene this time. With his raven hair, that was tucked into a messy bun atop his head and a bang sticking out, he was very handsome, just like his buddies from the day before. Him, Gojo and Sukuna had both your mouths salivating. It was no wonder Eudora said what she said.

Blowing a whistle in admiration of the place, Gojo congratulated you and Eudora on finishing up the clothes. He claimed he was introducing his friend, Geto, to the space as he needed to change his clothes, but it seemed they were more interested in talking to you two, especially Eudora. She ate it right up. Couldn’t blame her, you would have done the same thing.

“Yeah, I helped out a lot here. Sewing is like second nature to me.” She blabbed on with her lies. You were honestly getting a bit ticked off, but you would be done with her and this pile of scrap soon enough and learning better survival skills.

“Right, so how’s your shoulder? I couldn’t help but notice the patch.” Geto flicked a hand towards it. He wanted to get right to the point. Usually, a bit more tact in his approaches towards women, he couldn’t help but feel annoyed towards this one. And something just kept nagging him to look at you, but he had to remember the mission.

Gojo was slowly shuffling towards you, acting like he was going through the clothes. He was half paying attention to Geto’s conversation as his mind was swimming with a honeyed scent that he couldn’t quite put his finger on, but his eyes kept landing on you. Flitting over your thick backside hunched over the worn fabric, neatly stitching the holes together. He just felt his body idly drifting towards you.

A large pale hand placed itself in your field of view, landing on the table that you used to line up the clothes.

Startled at the sudden proximity, though he was an acceptable distance away, you dropped your needle. Suddenly transfixed into place, his gorgeous eyes seemed to bring you close and swallow you up. It made you feel… things. And then the tingling kicked it up a notch.

“Hey.” He said oh-so-smoothly. It was like butter going over your glistening skin. You were beginning to realize it was getting a bit hot under your thin flannel. Your one hand subconsciously fanned your shirt, exposing the top of your cleavage held up by a tight tank top you had changed into.

“…hi..Hi.” You stumbled over your words as your eyes blinked in wonderment of why your brain decided to buffer in that moment. ‘An adonis is in front of me!!! Words please don’t fail me.’ Your internal dialogue did little to cheer you on as your knees wanted to buckle underneath his gaze.

“I wanted to thank you for taking care of our clothes for us,” his smile was appreciative as his eyes raked over you. You were filling back out already with the meals you’ve been getting 3 times a day, and per usual it was going to your lower half and your chest. You could hide your top half a bit more with loose shirts, but those solid thighs, round hips and thick glutes, nothing could hide that. You haven’t even began working out yet with Maki and couldn’t wait to tone up. After today, as long as your knees didn’t give out in front of them, you’d finish with this laundry center and move on to other promising things.

“S’no prollem.” A bit of your accent came out. You brighten up, displaying your pearly whites, it’s nice getting a compliment for your work. Even nicer coming from someone so dang hot!

Aaand he’s suddenly touching you. Stepping ever-so-slightly towards you, he took the liberty to run his thumb along the exposed skin of the arm that was fanning you. Your hand came to a halt, feeling something like a hot fire trailing his touch, sending signals to a pool that was ready to overflow.

“That’s a cute little accent you got. You from around here?” His voice was low and sweet as he noted how you didn’t sound quite like the locals.

You couldn’t speak. If you opened your mouth, you swear you’d moan. You just shook your head. Doe eyes locked on his face. If you looked at where his hand was (resting at your elbow), you’d probably want the thing around your neck. Kinky? …sure.

He hummed lowly, it slightly vibrated through you, continuing, “Where are you from?”

“[Your State].” You managed breathily. You would regret that later but the daze you were in had you singing like a canary. His eyebrows furrowed lightly thinking how you ended up here. That was quite the distance.

“You’re far away from home. How’d you get here of all places?” His mind may have been fogged, but it wasn’t enough to keep him from connecting dots. Realizing what you said, you pulled back a bit, creating space, no matter how enticing his touch was.

“I uh-,” you began to stutter, and looked away briefly to see two sets of eyes on you. One looked very spiteful.

“[Y/N] … remember our little talk the other day?” Eudora spoke pointedly, giving you a smile that did not reach her dark eyes at all. It was a warning of sorts, though you weren’t sure of what the consequences would be. You almost didn’t care, but you’d rather not be shoved into rusty nails or rolling along the floor needlessly.

Pursing your lips, you nodded slowly and went back to finishing the last piece of clothing, not returning an answer to Gojo’s question. Noticing the sudden shift in demeanor, he quirked an eyebrow over to Geto who held a light look of disdain for the woman in front of him. The conversation didn’t bear any results other than a few advances towards him. If she wasn’t so vapid, Geto could have considered taking her up on her offer, but then again, Mahito was all over the girl. He grimaced. On second thought, he didn’t want to touch her at all.

“That didn’t sound too nice. You alright over there?” Geto tried to walk over to you, but Eudora pulled him back, clinging to his arm childishly.

“I didn’t mean it any kind of way. It’s just my shoulder hurts so much these days as well as my hands that I couldn’t do anything, so she must get back to work if we’re going to finish up here. Can’t do much of that, flapping gums.” Her smile was anything but innocent and friendly, and Geto and Gojo noticed it immediately.

“So, you weren’t any help to her these past couple of days in here like you had said previously.” Geto stated as he frowned down at her causing her to stutter.

It amused you that it was in fact her flapping her gums that caused all of this. As annoyed as you were, you were just going to keep quiet.

“I did help. I tried sewing these ugly clothes, but she’s not a good teacher and just kept restitching my work, so I stopped.” She huffed.

“And therefore, you’re a liar, because earlier you claimed to know how to sew and that it was second nature to you.” Gojo crossed his arms, now looking over at Eudora, his back now leaning against the table. You were kind of glad the attention was taken off you, but Eudora was now again the main focus and not in a good way this time. You almost felt bad. Almost.

The poor girl was floundering all on her own and you were just going to mind your business and get back to work~

“You keep pointing out and complaining how your shoulder hurts, but it looks nothing more than a brush burn that you said you sustained last week.” Geto ruined her excuses.

“Let me guess, it was from romping with that pissant of a man. You know whose probably in real pain? [Y/N].” Gojo fired off on your behalf causing you to look at him in confusion and then at Geto. The brief eye contact showed that he was a bit heated, but not with you clearly, but if he ever did look at you like that, you’d probably melt.

Gojo turned back to you, while ignoring Geto trying to pry Eudora off him. “How is your shoulder by the way?” He leant closer to you, trying to look at it. “Does it still hurt?” His large hand brushed your unwrapped shoulder, igniting another trail. It was unprecedented how your body responded to his presence, yet alone his touch. You needed space.

“Mm. Its smells like oranges and something sweet? You girls eating in here?” Mahito popped in, eyes landing on Eudora who was hung up on Geto’s arm. She stepped back immediately, realizing her mistake.

Without missing a beat, his eyes landed on you, “Hope I’m not interrupting anything.” He smiled as he stalked over to you. Placing an arm around your waist, bringing you out of the reach of Gojo.

“Nope, just thanking [Y/N] for all of her hard work that she did in here, despite being attacked by one of your guys.” Gojo’s smile was a bit off. It was somewhat menacing as his sky-blue eyes seemed to turn icy looking into Mahito’s. He was the one who assigned Eudora in here in the first place.

“Shame, wasn’t it? Harming a sweet beauty like this,” he spoke as if you were some hot-rod, running the back of his hand down the side of your cheek. The look of your uneasiness amused him, but clearly not for Gojo or Geto who looked visibly displeased. “And she’s so good with her hands, it was foolish of him.” He tsked while gesturing to the room. So, he was aware that you were the only one working in here.

“I’m good with my hands too, Mahito! I did some work…” Eudora’s pride just had to slip in but quickly faded off. All eyes cut to her, making her shrink back a bit.

“If they’re as good as you say, then finish the job. Don’t think I’ll let laziness slip in, just because a whore’s slept in my bed a couple of times. Oh, and can you please stop using that brush burn of yours as an excuse? You got that from getting f*cked on the forest floor prior to coming here. It isn’t that bad.” Mahito spoke nonchalantly. Your eyes bulged at that wild sentence. This man could turn on you like a switch.

“[Y/N] here, is genuinely injured, so she’ll be taking a trip to Dr. Choso with me. He said he wanted to check you out and you’ve been avoiding him. Let’s go!” His hand slipped around your waist again, pulling you towards the door, you peeked at the men for help. Looking over his shoulder, he continued, “And shouldn’t you two be getting to your posts by now? Don’t want to keep Naoya waiting.” He looked knowingly between the two men.

Rolling their eyes they mumbled under their breaths, annoyed at the circumstance. They couldn’t help you now, but maybe later they could. It would be stupid to stop him from getting you checked out and even more suspicious for the two of them to step in.

They had to get to helping Naoya out with clearing some of the undead to widen their territory. It was grueling work but would be beneficial for the community and even help shorten this oddly lengthy sentence that Yuuji had. It, however, gave them more time to source you out. They believed you were there, just needed to regroup and go over a few things. It probably would have been helpful if they actually paid attention to the traits you had.

And also Yuuji not mentioning your disfigured tattoo prematurely.

 

“I know you didn’t have a choice, but please try your best to stay away from Mahito. He can be just as bad as Naoya.” Dr. Choso warned. He was finishing up going through his supplies, counting the stock so he could give a list of things that would be needed soon. If the hospital wasn’t so dangerous, they’d be set for a long time, but cities were like a hive nest for the undead.

“I could gather.” You say as you thought back to his interaction with Eudora. Pretty heartless.

Turning to you, he began, “Now that I’m done, let me have a look at you.” You tensed; you still didn’t know what you were going to do in this situation. He placed his clipboard on the counter lazily, causing the pen to roll off and underneath the cabinet closest to you.

“I got it.” You offered and quickly knelt to grab it. You swiftly swiped underneath, nicking your fingers against something as the pen and a familiar looking nail shot out from the dark crevice. You grabbed your hand inspecting it. Just a dribble poked out. Nothing serious. But Dr. Choso, ever the pessimist, fretted over you having to lose your finger due to infection. Bending to retrieve the culprit, he realized it was the same rusted nail that had come out of you that day, he must have missed it when cleaning up. He looked at it curiously, as you popped your finger in your mouth, licking at the wound. Not like it’d really needed a wrap or anything.

“What is this on it?” He poked slowly at the orange-like bubbles that flowed around the spiral. Was it some kind of mold? Or a reaction that happened from being wet? If either were the case, and he did a poor job at tending to your injury, then it could be seriously infected and cause you a lot of pain. His eyes shot to you worriedly. “This was in you, right?”

Your eyes focused in on the object, sucking in a quick bout of air in realization. It most certainly was. You’ve come to quickly recognize your secretions.

“uh…” you stammered, unsure of how to respond.

“Let me see your shoulder.” He rushed out. Lightly placing the nail down on a metal table he typically used for his medical instruments.

“But it’s fine.” You hesitated. He swung back around looking panicked.

“It’s infected, isn’t it? I’m a sham! I didn’t clean it out well enough, and now it’s infected; you’re going to die!” He started to spiral, pacing back and forth in front of your eyes.

You were worried and touched at the same time at his concern for you. “I’m fine. It’s healing perfectly well.” You tried to soothe his concerns.

Whipping around, pale face riddled with worry, he said, “Then why won’t you show me then? You’ve been avoiding getting looked at this entire time. I just know I did a terrible job. Why did they make me the doctor here?!” His wallowing was making you feel bad. He seemed like a good guy, especially with how he treated you so gently when he was attending to your wound. And he advised you about some things about the community in concern for your safety… but yet you still questioned if you should trust him.

Guilt eating at you, you sighed as you sat on the exam table. Hoping you wouldn’t regret this too soon, you shrugged down a repurposed flannel that you changed into, showing your wrapped shoulder, causing Dr. Choso to stop midway through his self-deprecation. Walking over to you, his hands stopped short from touching the wrap. His eyes looking at you for permission.

“I won’t stick you with anything if it’s not needed, alright? I’ll try and make this as painless as possible.” His gentle smile did nothing to soothe your anxiety. You hoped he wouldn’t react like the others. You shut your eyes tightly, tensing up as you felt the bandage unravel. You were awaiting a big reaction but all you felt was his hand taking down your other sleeve suddenly. You slowly peered up to him to see his face utterly baffled.

“Did you wrap the wrong shoulder?” He questioned as he looked at the other. He blinked in befuddlement at your unblemished skin. “Am I hallucinating and you’re just a figment of my imagination? There was a wound here, right?” His eyes went back and forth over your body before landing on your face. You wouldn’t meet his eyes. “[Y/N]…?” He gave you a questioning look to explain.

“I told you I was fine.” You mumbled, pulling your sleeves back over your shoulders. There was a beat of silence that lasted too long for your liking.

The sound of a deep inhale, followed by a long exhale came from in front of you.

“Is this the result of those uh… experiments?” Choso questioned softly. Your head shot up. Your [E/C] eyes frantically searched his. They held pity.

“I didn’t tell you…” you trailed off; your brain was sorting through it’s files for the conversations you had with him, in which none that you recounted added up.

“Maki shared that with me when I had asked about your condition a little time after the way you reacted that day. I see now why you’ve been avoiding me.” He backed up, leaning against the counter behind him, arms propping back to hold him up. He looked disturbed. His mind was piecing together this discovery. The medical classes he took, taught him enough that you should have a lot more scarring and sizable gouges where you were penetrated. Scabs at least as it has only been a couple of days, yet it reformed itself completely.

Recalling what you said that day in the laundromat, he asked, “Does that mean that the facility you mentioned…,” he began as he tried to connect the dots.

You sigh, deciding to help him complete his thoughts. ‘He already knows this much.’ “GeneXcell.” You add, finally offering the name of the horror place you survived. To both of your shock, he knew of the facility. His adoptive father had worked there, claiming it was just a small private owned company that studied cells at a molecular level. Nothing about kidnapping people and modifying their genetic makeup. Thankfully the name he gave of the man wasn’t familiar. He would have beaten himself up if his (albeit estranged) father had anything to do with hundreds of tortured lives.

“You’ve must have gone through hell. I’m so sorry.” He, to your surprise, was very sympathetic to your situation, which in turn had you confessing. After discussing some more details of your stay and the tragedy that is your life up until this point, you realized how much you could trust in Choso and Maki. He wasn’t going to treat you poorly, if anything, he seemed on the verge of tears. You had to offer him a hug.

“I still can’t believe you’ve been through all of that.” He sniffled into the top of your head before pulling back and looking you square in the eyes, looking worried and unsure. “You’re really unaffected to what’s out there?”

“I wouldn’t say I’m completely unaffected. It DOES hurt getting chewed on, otherwise I’d prove it to ya.” You huffed in amusement. “But those little bubbles on that nail is what occurs whenever I’m bitten. Just a different color. Black.” You pulled away from his strong embrace and picked up the nail, showcasing your body’s produce. “It seems that my body just rejects the bad stuff —infection and puts it in a bubble. Then they’ll fall off. I typically peel them off and just throw them somewhere.” You shrug as if it’s the most normal thing ever. Well, it’s your normal now.

“…you really are immune.” Choso said stoically. He couldn’t pick between disgust or amazement and settled for a neutral state.

Suddenly, the screen door opened, causing you two to whip around at the intrusion.

“Immune to what?” Ranta’s bright eyes scanned over you with disinterest.

“Nothing, Ranta. I was being sarcastic. Here’s the list.” Choso promptly interceded the space between you guys, as to not make you uncomfortable.

Ranta snatching the list, frowned as he scanned over it. It was long and some of the things he wasn’t sure of. Absentmindedly he asked aloud, “What the h*ll is any of this? Could you write it in English?” He fussed over some of the names, which you, to his disdain, knew somewhat about. Speaking up timidly, you kindly offered up what you knew of the medicines he spoke of.

Eyeing you with contempt, he said, “I bet you know all about these kinds of things, clumsy. You’re why we need more than half of this, I’m sure.” He shook the list in front of you. You eased back a bit while Choso got him to leave.

Finally gone, Choso sighed and looked at you pitifully. “Not only are you smart but you’re stupidly brave. That was kind of you to offer, but don’t speak to that minion again.”

“Minion is right. I’ve done nothing to him.” You chirped back, unease slowly dissipating from you again. “Also, thank you for not telling him. He’d probably tell Naoya, and I honestly feel like he’d use that against me somehow.” You scoffed.

Choso hummed in agreement, grimacing at a dark thought that crossed his mind. Naoya was a crappy guy, and he could only imagine how he’d treat you if he caught wind of this news. “It’ll be dinner before we know it, so let’s see what you’ve learned and get some training underway.”

You grinned with glee, as you followed him along the small office, absorbing the knowledge he was offering to you.

With The Boys

The sun beat upon the men’s backs as they secured more of the surrounding vicinity. A great feat the community could celebrate about later when they establish and fortify its surroundings.

“You guys are heaven sent.” Ronan, a sweet, young Indian man, about Gojo and Geto’s age cheerfully thanked the group.

“You’re tellin’ me!  Without them, we’d had never gotten this far!” Tadashi, a hard-working, yet easy-going man who is well liked by the community, praised with a few others.

Other than Yuta, the whole team was there assisting with this task and really speeding up the towns progress.

They skillfully placed wiring around the newly commandeered homes until they could reinforce it later on. Sukuna definitely complained about that because there was no way he’d stick around long enough for that type of labor.

“We need to find this girl or get medical supplies for this debt bullsh*t because I ain’t doing this long-term. Am I Bob the Builder?” He spat rhetorically while leaned against a tree.

The group had congregated around each other under the shade of the trees to take a break from the sun. They had finished the brunt of the work and were waiting to start finishing up around the rest of the town.

“Gojo, Geto. What about that chick from the laundromat?” Toji asked getting back on task. He’d have to report back to Nanami with something soon. They’ve been at this a bit too long for his liking and there was nothing to show for it.

“Tch. That airhead had a brush burn from being…” Geto couldn’t help but to burst out laughing. This morning was hilarious.

““F*cked on the forest floor.” From what Mahito said.” Gojo finished snickering at the thought before your face flashed before his eyes.

“What are we doing here?!” Sukuna punched the air in a fit while the others shared the same sentiment.

Trying to calm them down, Gojo did mention you again, though the group was quick to rebut with Yuuji’s discovery of your tattoo; he recommended that it was best to be thorough and reevaluate you. With a clearer head, he recounted the interaction you two had. Then, acknowledging the fact that you had still been avoiding Choso.

“We already said [Y/N] could just not like doctor visits too. Plenty of people don’t.” Yuuji defended you. Ranta had passed by looking at them as he overheard your name, murmuring under his breath how you probably had plenty of them given your ‘clumsiness’. They ignored him.

Signaling that they should lower their tone, Todo countered. “…Or [Y/N] was a victim to experimentation, hence why she wouldn’t want to go near a doctor like Choso. I know Yuuji said the tattoo didn’t match, but she aligns more and more.” This brought a frown to Yuuji’s face; he remembered how you reacted that day and you had said some interesting things. He thought you could have just been overwhelmed; you were attacked moments before. The biggest deterrer was the disfigured tattoo. Was he wrong?

“Also the traits. We need Yuta to go back over them, because if I am correct, she has some interesting characteristics. Like releasing pheromones. I don’t remember what they were precisely and how they affected those within range. Gojo, Geto, what do you remember smelling or feeling today? Anything note worthy?”  

Before either could respond, they were all called back to finish up the rest of their work.

“Let’s do this thoroughly and right. Get as much info from her without raising suspicion and we’ll go from there. Gotta give Nanami something at this point.” Toji rattled off before they dispersed. Tadashi greeted them with a half grin and waved them over to the section they’d be taking care of.

The way they worked them that day was grueling, but it wasn’t going to prevent them from getting to you.

Notes:

Whoa, you’re at the end 😲 HIYEEE~ Have a blessed day <3

Chapter 11: Eleven

Notes:

Okay so I’m in the middle of a sisters night with my siblings. I’m a bit tipsy lol. I went a quick MIA bc I just wanted a break lol. I needed to have more stuff to write and review lol.

At dinner time, instead of you waiting for Maki to bring a plate back to your shared quarters, you decide to go with Choso and dine with them both. Catching her up to speed, she was astonished and seemed bewildered, but on board with what you claimed. It helped that Choso was there to back up the things being stated.

‘No wonder they’re looking for her! But what were their plans for you?’ She wondered shortly before Yuuji joined your trio.

He was complaining how he missed working inside the doctor’s office. Now that his face was better, they had put him to work, and he was already a shade darker than previously.

“Make sure you protect that scar with some sunblock… and your skin too.” Choso couldn’t help to add. To his begrudge, he grew a soft spot for Yuuji.

“Ahh, I wish I had some of that. My gorgeous skin is gonna peel.” You heard a groan come up from behind you. It was Gojo followed by who you assumed, the rest of his team. You didn’t recognize two of them though. One was huge. Tall and just pure muscle. An aura of dominating intimidation radiated from him as he walked over towards your group. You felt that tingling sensation gearing up again and thought briefly how you could faint if it got any more intense.

In contrast, there beside him was a smaller in frame man, yet still had plenty of muscle to him. He had a grim kind of look to him until he reached your motley crew and greeted Maki. Then he was all teeth and rosy cheeks. Even his eyes smiled.

You felt Gojo’s long leg brush up against yours as he took a seat beside you, a large portion of food in hand. You were seated around one of many canned bonfires that were randomly dispersed around the outside dining area. There were varying groups huddled and seated around each one. You didn’t notice how many people were here originally, given you had to become a hermit out the gate after the first night here.

“Hope you don’t mind me taking up some of your space.” He spoke lowly by your ear, sending a tingling sensation to bloom by said ear. You could feel yourself heating up and it wasn’t because of the bonfire.

‘Slow. Deep breaths [Y/N]… why he gotta do that in my ear!?’

You shook your head in response as you weren’t sure how words would formulate at that moment. Smirking at you, he nods his head over to Choso and Maki in greeting, followed by the rest of the team as they all picked a seat to settle on to eat their dinners.

“Excuse me. Mind if we join you boys~” An innocently asked questioned smoothly cut in. Eyes finding the source, it was the two women you were first introduced to. You did not care to remember their names. “Surely [Y/N] can’t keep you all entertained.” The blonde said with a seductive smile as she leaned on Sukuna’s shoulder, trying to ever so elegantly showcase her cleavage.

“Yeah, [Y/N], don’t hog ‘em. Men don’t like greedy girls.” The other, brunette chirped behind her friend who had her eyes on Gojo’s leg touching yours. She frowned and immediately reset her sights on Geto. His face couldn’t have been more placid.

‘This blip!’’ You quirked a brow while frowning in disgust and confusion. How did they just invite themselves over here AND give advice that no one asked for?

As the brunette went to grab a seat, Sukuna swiftly dropped his shoulder, causing the one leaning on him to shift abruptly and stumble trying to balance her spilling food. He shifted his foot under the chair the other one tried to sit in and swiped it with his foot. Dragging it closer to himself so he could prop his dusty boots on it. The brunette held an awkward tight lip as she was stunned by the sudden reaction.

“Seats taken.” Sukuna’s voice came out even and distinctly uninterested. He nodded to the other two empty chairs as he spooned some food. “Those as well.”

“Seems like we’ve run out of space. But I’m sure you can keep those guys over there, company.” Geto smiled at them, but it did not reach his eyes. He was referring to Tadashi, Naoya and Ranta. Tadashi was the only one standing with his back turned, clearly talking to Naoya who’s face had held confusion. His eyes were looking around as if trying to find an answer before looking over at the group. He pulled a quick scowl before putting his attention back on his own bowl.

The women stuttered a weak attempt at saving face, but it was too late, and decidedly walked to another group, all while throwing you dirty looks.

You had to shove a spoonful in your mouth to keep from cackling, but you couldn’t help but to snicker around it. It was like a scene out of ‘Mean Girls’ or something.

Unable to stifle your amusement, you blurted out, “Would you look at that. Dinner and a show. It’s not so bad here afterall.” You giggled to yourself. That earned a few good chuckles around the crew, even earned a smirk from Sukuna, who’s eyes looked a little less intimidating with this easy-going air that blossomed around you guys. You smiled appreciatively at him, but all he did was go back to eating.

 

Mood reset, you all talked amongst yourselves, being properly introduced to the two new faces, you mainly listened as it was hard to focus on words to say when one of the Adonis’s leg was touching you.

“Oh, yeah. Since we’re sharing stories. You didn’t get a chance to answer me earlier, [Y/N].” Gojo began. You hummed in response with a confused look. “How’d you get here, since you said you were from [State]?”  

“Oh…um, I was in foster care and moved around a bunch.” You tell a portion of the truth as you shoveled a mouthful of food.

Frowning in thought, Geto was unsure about something. “I didn’t know that foster care let you travel across states?”

“It don’t.” A deep voice interjected across from you. It was Toji, pinning you down with his gaze. “Unless you were adopted and there’s stipulations with that too.”

“…someone paid a hefty fee for me.” You smiled bitterly looking at your meal, suddenly no longer appealing to you.

‘That was an odd way to put it.’ Many of them thought.

“Man, those adoption fees can get pretty expensive. Me and my brothers were adopted so I know how it can be.” Choso chimed in. Clearing his throat from the sad memory, he gestured towards you. “Anyways, I’m done eating. I’ll be heading in early. [Y/N], let me get your bowl. You should plan on heading to bed soon too.” A gentle hand patted your head.

Handing it over, you immediately missed the warmth and comfort it gave. Now your hands were unoccupied, and you couldn’t help but fidget when you noticed there were still several pairs of eyes on you.

“Ah, right. Choso did see you today. How is your shoulder? You get it repatched?” Gojo fluidly fired off as he ran a gentle hand up your back to land at the collar of your flannel. He was slyly trying to peek at your shoulder (or maybe your cleavage), and unbeknownst to even yourself and everyone within immediate vicinity was causing havoc throughout your body. Pheromones subtly releasing, you couldn’t will yourself to move away. Even if you get exposed. Even when someone was calling to you.

Sukuna’s face scrunched at the sudden shift in the air. He wasn’t quite sure of it, but he thought he could smell something sweet between the campfire and the food they were given.

“Hey, [Y/N]? You alright?” Maki came in front of you looking concerned.  “Did you hear what I said?” Breaking you out of the spell, you grasp your collar back from Gojo’s clutches, who in turn put his hands up in mock surrender.

“What’s that sweet smell? Vanilla? Honey?” Geto squinted at his friends lost in thought as he kept inhaling it. They all started sniffing the air.

You shook your head no as embarrassment washed over you. Your focus had slipped to the low heartbeat between your legs. Surely, you’d be handling that tonight. Just as soon as you get alone. “Sorry! I kinda spaced out. What was that?”

Frowning with a quick nasty side eye to Gojo who’s sole attention was on you, completely ignoring his surroundings, Maki suggested you two get some rest, which you were more than thankful for. As much as you enjoyed the enthralling war stories, it was time to go. Your body was feeling like an inferno and Gojo’s subtlety was slipping.

Catching on rather quickly to his comrade’s reactions, Yuta offered his escort services back to Maki’s space. Toji already gave him the run down of their plan, he was going to determine whether you were their target after all.

 

Along the short walk, you talked amongst the two. They shared a bit about their week, and what they encountered. The way Yuta would praise Maki for her diligence and hard work, led you to believe that maybe he might’ve had a thing. You could make out the creeping blush on both their cheeks, causing you to cheekily snicker at them.

Maki turned on you to tell you off, causing Yuta to burst out in laughter which just helped him to incur her wrath. Sending a solid kick his way, he easily blocked it with his leg, pressing a soft lump into his skin.

A lightbulb went off. Reaching into his pocket, Yuta fished out something that had you beaming in the dim light of the streetlamps spotted around. “We kept finding these little things traveling up this way. Finally decided to grab one for myself. This wouldn’t happen to be yours?”

“Where’d you find this?!” You jumped with glee as he handed over the knit critter you’d lost days ago.

“Picked it up in a house I ran into.” He smiled sweetly as he gently patted your head. “I should be thanking you.” This proved a lot of things. You looked at him with a questioning look. “You just made my pockets a little bit lighter, that’s all. Glad I found you.” He redirected.

“Me too.” You sniffled as you thanked him profusely. Clutching it closely to your chest you wished him a goodnight as you all but floated into the now berry scented home. Maki smiled lightly over how jubilant you were. She had no idea what it meant for Yuta to give you that, but she knew it meant a lot to you to have it back in your possession.

“You just made her whole night… thanks.” Her eyes looked at him thoughtfully. Still digesting the big reveal from you earlier, Maki wondered if she should tell you that these men were looking for you and would help you guys’ escape. Or maybe if she could tell Yuta right now that you’re exactly who they’re looking for but… would that be a good idea?

“Yeah.. and uh, we’ll talk more about what we have planned, alright?” She nodded wearily at him. “What’s wrong?” He stepped closer to her.

Frowning, it was hard for her to put into words, especially because she was just suddenly so unsure about things now that you fully revealed yourself. “…I just.. I don’t want anyone getting hurt. Especially her.” She looked into the dimly lit doorway that you went through.

Him thinking that she’s referring to getting caught reassured that it’d be fine. Him and his teammates had done these things plenty of times. They’ve never lost a mate and they wouldn’t lose one here this time around either. He was sure of that. He sent her off with a gentle, reassuring hug; his strong hands ghosting the precipice of her lower back, just wanting to stay a little bit longer. But they had to part. He quickly wished her a goodnight and travelled back to his comrades.

 

Coming back to his friends who were just kicking back, talking about nonsense, he told them that he’s 99% sure you’re their target.

“What’s the 1%?” Todo asked as his teammates looked at him for an answer.

“Other than her outright telling us. It’d help if we had something concrete like seeing her wound,” Yuta gestured to Gojo who sighed dejectedly. “Or if we could see her tattoo…. Yuuji what did you say it looked like again?”

Describing it another time, it still didn’t seem right.

“Why don’t you draw it out.” Todo suggested towards the dirt.

Taking the spoon he was finished using, he drew the symbols how he remembered them.

            I < 3

They all peered at it unimpressed.

“Hmm, let me get that spoon real quick, Yuuji.” Yuta spoke up as his mind started connecting the dots. “So maybe it healed this way since she was apparently bit at the site of the tracker. But before it was this.”

            1 2 8

Standing back up to height, he looked over his team who were all looking at Yuuji with contempt.

A visible ‘O’ formed across Yuuji’s face. “I— “

“Yuuji, I’mma punch your teeth in.” Sukuna threatened lowly.

“That’s fair…sorry.”

>>> 

The following days things were being set in motion. Toji and Geto were going out to the radio station to get back in contact with Nanami as well as get some equipment to bring back to the community. They stuck Miguel with them.

Yuta and Maki were on their last outing as she finally would be finished with her punishment, and she would be debriefed on their exit plan as well as extracting you.

Yuuji and Todo were helping out with the new perimeter added. Sorting through buildings and making sure there were no more undead left.

Gojo and Sukuna had stayed within the community doing perimeter patrols and it was time they swapped with Mahito and Jogo who were currently, nowhere to be found.

They stopped by the infirmary after checking at the Mayor’s Hall. No one had seen them recently and suggested they could be here if they weren’t in their own quarters. It was closed. Their rooms were empty, and now they were in the laundromat because why not. Not even you were there, but Eudora was. And she was none too pleased to see them. A complete 180 from the other day.

Smiling his usual charming smile, which did not fail to bring a blush to his victim’s face, he asked where you were. To which she grimaced and shrugged. She really didn’t know as she was stuck in here after the little show she put on for Mahito.

“What about Mahito and Jogo? Any cl—“

She laughed dryly. “Probably with her. She’s the real whore here. They’ll do her like they did every other female here.” She spoke bitterly, turning her back from them.

They glared at the back of her head briefly before hurrying to the home they saw you and Maki come out of. Hopefully what Eudora said was just coming from her place of hurt.

They knocked briefly before outright walking in. It seemed they came at the perfect time as a rough scent of lemon wafted into their noses putting them slightly on alert.

You were essentially cornered, with Mahito caging you with his body between the kitchen counter and Jogo’s rounded self blocking your would-be exit, which just opened up as Jogo moved out the men’s way.

Quickly assessing your stressed demeanor, Gojo took it upon himself to create space between you and your unwelcome visitor, by wedging his muscular, yet lanky self between you two.

“HOPE I’m not interrupting, but you guys are on duty now.” Sky eyes cut to the side at Mahito who grimaced at the side of Gojo’s face. A long tanned and rough hand held your arm in a reassuring manner. You could have swooned.

‘My knight in shining armor~’

“Tch. You are interrupting. [Y/N] was just about to make us some tea as we were going over her usage here and how much labor she’ll have to do to work that off.” Mahito said smartly. Naoya had brought it up before he left to scavenge the newly regained section and sent Mahito to relay that bit of information.

“We’ll be taking those cups for you.” Sukuna raised a brow as if to challenge them to do something. They did not. However, Mahito’s mischievous smile didn’t quite leave his face.

“Fair. We can talk later, [Y/N], and see about how we can reduce a couple days off.” His eyes held something back from you as he leered at you for a second too long.

“Or you could talk now. How long?” Sukuna shifted enough in their way to escape so that they’d stall. Just a bit longer.

“Mmm… two months.” Mahito smiled cheekily.

“Two months?!” The teammates said in unison. It seemed like bullsh*t. Just how much stuff did you use?!

“It’s not that bad. She shaved off a lot considering she cleaned up the laundromat, which by the way, we’re probably going to need you back in there. Eudora isn’t nearly as efficient as you were.” Jogo waved off handedly.

“How the h*ll does she has to serve two months?” Sukuna defended, because it was sounding like a padded service.

“Well for starters when she worked in the kitchen, she wasted ingredients.”

“I didn’t even cook. Those women used them against each other.” You finally spoke up, albeit timidly.

“Not from what was reported. Then using hair supplies. I know. I know. It was a thing between you and Miguel but items from the community were used. Then let’s not forget that you used special medication that is incredibly hard to come by mind-you and a decent amount of bandage wrap when you broke that table and wasted cleaning product.” Jogo rattled off, counting off his fingers. There was a digit missing on one and there was about to be another.

“That was due to YOUR guy’s anger issues. Why the h*ll does she have to work any of that sh*t off?” Sukuna spat out.

“Not only that, but we already replaced the table in that center anyways. That shouldn’t be counted against her at all.” Gojo stood crossed armed at this point, guarding your body behind his.

“Our guy’s anger issues…” Jogo looked between both men. “Those are the rules. That’s how they were calculated. You can take it up with the old man who runs this place here. I’m just a messenger.” He shrugged while heading for the door. “Oh, and Naoya does send his apologies.” Your face scrunched at the name. You don’t care for it.

“Tch. We’ll work it off for her.” Gojo offered up to their retreating backs. Sukuna rolled his eyes as he headed for a seat at the kitchen table. You just stood there looking at this man’s back, shocked. Why would he do that?

“Ahh~ How commendable. That’s great news, really. Hopefully the rest of your team can agree.” The gray-haired man smiled creepily.

“They will.” The two said in unison.

“Mm. Must be nice to know each other so well. See you later, [Y/N].” His voice got dark at the end, causing a terrible shiver to run through your spine.

“You alright?” Gojo asked once they left, turning to you. His long hand placed itself on your shoulder, squeezing it lightly.

Flustered with what transpired, you nodded absentmindedly as you focused on getting them some tea, leaving his touch.

“Thank you for offering to help me out, but you guys don’t need to do that. I can do the service.” You were determined within yourself to not have to rely on others. You can handle yourself…

“None of that’s service. It’s a sentence, like they’re trying to punish you.” Sukuna huffed as you placed a cup in front of him. He didn’t ask, but he took it willingly, fingers brushing yours, sending brief tingles through them. He barely noticed them falter as he found the taste of the tea to be like the fragrance of the home. Sweet.

You cleared your throat and sighed while handing a cup to Gojo. You watched with perplexity and mild disgust as he added more sugar to it.

“I like my things sweet.” He shrugged at you.

“Diabetically, I see. Anyways, I plan on working to get it reduced. Maki told me about a hospital nearby. I’m sure I can go—”

The abrupt bout of laughter coming from the both of them, though very sexy, was unnerving. You gave them an offended look.

“They’re not letting you outta here, [Y/N].” Gojo patted your head as he took up a seat. Your name shouldn’t sound so good coming from his mouth right now.

“Who’s they?” You sassed.

“Mahito, for starters. And quite frankly, me too. We just found you —IN a compromising position with the guy.” Gojo caught himself. “Imagine with a horde of undead, in a hospital that’s more than likely teeming with them; you’d be picked clean.” He said with finality.

You could see to reason, but you had plot armor on your side —literally. Something you weren’t aware that they knew about too. In your stubbornness, you chose defiance. You absolutely will go, even if you had to sneak out of here on your own to do it. “I can handle zombies.” You pouted.

Taking a deep inhale of the sweetly fragranced tea, Gojo offered something else instead. “How about we go for you, hm? Toji and Sukuna love death defying things like that.” He said winking at Sukuna who scowled at him. “This tea is delicious by the way.” You frowned at his poor attempt to redirect the conversation.

“Stop offering my services so freely.” Sukuna quirked an irritated brow at the man across from him.

“Why are you so against me going outside of these walls?” You eyed him down over your cup. Their beauty could only stupefy you for so long. Your sense was coming back to you.

“Now, now. I’m not against that. I’m against stupid decisions. I in-fact encourage you to go beyond the walls —Just not into a literal dead zone.” He shrugged drinking the rest of his sugar with a splash of tea.

He’s not wrong. But you’re not going to admit he’s right. At least you should get a look at the hospital first. Let you determine that for yourself. Wherever it was. Maybe you’ll ask Maki.

You suddenly noticed them looking at you silently. It was like they were reading you. Hopefully they don’t see right through you and think you’re planning something – which you were. With a tight-lipped smile, you agree with him. You do want to get out of here and you’d like to be fully intact while you’re at it. No chunks missing out of you. Would that be too much to ask?

“We all want to get out of here. Let us help you out, and we can leave here together.” You nodded along. You’ve finally gotten a chance to live outside of a cage just to be bound back in another one… for two months. You don’t think you have much patience left.

“I agree, but why are you guys helping me?” You looked between them skeptically.

“If you want to be abused and harassed by those guys out there, be my guest. Otherwise take the help and don’t do anything stupid.” Sukuna forewarned as he placed the cup in the sink before settling against the counter with his arms folded. Crimson eyes stared you down heatedly. Just daring you. He saw your wheels turning in your head earlier. You weren’t slick.

“What we’re trying to say is that this place isn’t kind to you. Or any of the other women here, but it doesn’t seem like you’re brainwashed to stay here like them. So why not come with us? Back to our headquarters.” He placed you with his enchanting eyes as his hands were folded, covering his mouth. Elbows propped on the table.

You stared back briefly before your eyes glided back over to Sukuna who was silently sizing you up. You quickly averted contact, casting your eyes down at your hands that fiddled with your cup. Brow furrowing in thought. You weren’t entirely sure about going back to this headquarters place with them. Sounded like a set up. The same set up you were in not too long ago. But a decent chance at leaving this community? Sure.

A large hand covered yours, bringing you out of your thoughts. Yet, introducing familiar intrusive ideas. You would have pulled away, but he had a firm grip as he gently rubbed his thumb along your tingling skin. You had been feeling it for a while at this point, it became second nature, until he touched you and sent your nerves off.

“Come with us.” His voice suddenly sounded like silk, travelling down through your ears and pooling to your nether region.

There it goes. The ol’ charm. Sukuna was used to Gojo’s antics. Shoot, he’s done it a couple times himself. Though it depends on what or rather who the female was into. Never mattered to him much. Long as he could get his rocks off, he didn’t care about what his lay for the night felt like. Not like he’d see them again. Typical of a selfish lover.

But Gojo, was a manipulating womanizer. The goal is to get you to come back to HQ. Seeing your hesitance, he had no choice but to use his witty charm. Convince you to go back with them. He would say it was for the sake of the mission.

And he thought you were putty in his hands as you seemingly struggled to respond, but then a delicate smile came across your face.

“I’ll think about it.” This caused him to falter enough to relinquish your hand back to yourself. You slide out of your seat taking both cups and placing them in the sink, ever so lightly brushing against Sukuna’s bulky arm. You brought a scented rush of honey and vanilla burrowing up his nose. It was dizzying for him, as he looked over your full backside lazily. He wasn’t sure if he should just grab you and burrow his face into your neck or get the heck out of there for some fresh air.

The aroma, as pleasantly enticing as it was, was getting to him and if it’s a trait of yours that can affect a person, he didn’t want to stay long and find out what it could do to him. Though in the back of his mind he might already know.

Nodding to Gojo who’s eyes were running over your frame, he gestured to him to leave. Swiping at his nose to signal that you may be releasing pheromones. Gojo smirked at him and waved him off. He could just have you all to himself.

Leave the convincing up to him.

Notes:

I hope y’all enjoyed, but even if you didn’t, I pray yall have a blessed week and be great! Live life and love to the best of your ability. Really thanks for reading. Makes me happy to see that y’all enjoy this <3 The next chapter, I had SO much of a hard time writing looolll It’s a spicy scene in which I haven’t written that kind of stuff before so yeah . Give me some grace (ToT ) for the next chapter lol

Chapter 12: Twelve

Notes:

So uh… here ya go. Take it easy on me it was my first time writing this kind of 👀! The other chapters afterwards I like a lot more looolll 😅 Enjoy the read~

The dishes clattered and clinked as a whimper muffled itself within your throat, quickly passing it off as you just clearing it. Your resistance was waning as his presence was affecting you from cleaning the dishes. You were caged between his hard body and the counter, much like earlier with Mahito. Except your body wanted this. You wanted this; you think. You barely know the guy, yet you couldn’t resist the idea of him getting to know every nook and cranny of your being right now.

Gojo had leaned very close, hovering over you. You were short, yes, but his height had you feeling minuscule.

“Come on now...” His breath fanned across the side of your neck. Your breath was easily stuttering. “What’s there to think about?”

‘What are we talking about? Think about what –how good his sweaty self smelled? Or how much closer I want –no need him to be?’ You were losing to those intrusive thoughts again. Your body slowly but surely leaned back into his chest. Needing his hands to traverse your shape and even deeper, your canal. Your little dainty fingers couldn’t reach nearly as deep as his likely could. Your [E/C] eyes lustfully looked at his hands, thinking about what they could do to you as they slowly perched on your waist. You missed him calling your name.

A doe-eyed deer in headlights. That’s what you looked like when you were suddenly spun around, finally looking up into his sky blues. “Hm?” You squeaked.

He smirked, lowly chuckling at your innocence. “You alright, [Y/N]?” His large hand came up to hold your face. You absentmindedly leaned into it as he thumbed your cheek, a ghost of a touch at the corner of your lips.

You noticed his tongue glide across his surprisingly glossy lips before retreating behind a lecherous grin. Looking back into his heady eyes, you were caught. Cheeks heating up and tinging a bit darker, you cleared your throat, again trying to cover a needy whimper.

“Y-yes. I’m okay.” You stuttered breathlessly. Your body was on fire and burning up every bit of oxygen left in you. You don’t recall feeling like this ever. Dumbstruck.

“You sure? Seem a bit… distracted.” His thumb ran over your bottom lip, flicking it before dipping his head down by your ear. His white locks tickling the side of your face. He could hear and see your breath hitch as you swallowed thickly. He could smell the mix of honey and vanilla emanating from you. “Need me to take care of something, [Y/N]?” His voice shot straight to your core, making you pinch your legs together.

Eyes closing in embarrassment as a whimper finally escaped. He smirked at your waned resistance. Not missing a beat, he shoved his leg in between, pressing right into your core. The tips of your fingers had now buried themselves in his shirt, firmly gripping –or rather hanging on for dear life against his chest. You found it hard to answer him as you tried to not grind yourself on his leg.

‘You’ve held on long enough. Just let go.’ He thought as he pressed himself into you further, coaxing out a bit more than a whimper this time. It had been some time since he was last with someone, and what a perfect opportunity this would be for you both. That is to say, if you were willing.

Clearly your body was, but words of concession are a lot clearer and even sexier to Gojo.

“[Y/N]~” His voice teased in a song like manner. It was dreadful how your name on his tongue made you want to crumble. “Tell me what you want. Might want the same thing.” His breath fanned your cheek, before his lips lightly pecked the junction of your ear and jaw line. Pulling back, his cool eyes full of heat had caught yours timidly, but fiercely looking back into his. You managed a small nod.

“What I want…” you were nervous about sharing what you wanted. You never had to do that with the soldier or Cody. It was always anticlimactic both times for you. Kind of just going with the flow of things as they took the lead. You were still catching up with the world, so you didn’t know that your wants were a thing. They’d finish but you were left still deprived.

“Mhmm~” He smirked wryly; a brow quirked at your cute expression.

“I kinda just went with the flow of things the last times. They never asked me what I wanted… that’s new.” You spoke earnestly as you looked at him with innocence.

His sudden frown made you uneasy. Did you say something wrong again?

“What you want matters. I’m sorry those low lives didn’t give you that.” He gently rubbed at your sides, surprisingly comforting you. Looking you over curiously, he wondered if it was alright to continue. “We can stop right now.” He began to back off.

The sudden cool air replacing the places of contact he had on you was jarring and you immediately pulled him back into you. “I want you...” the heat of your breath and the honey scented pheromones surrounded him as he was surprisingly hung up on every word you said. He liked his women a little hands on. “… to make this feeling go away.” You huffed, as your breath picked up as he pressed back into your heated core, drawing agonizingly slow circles with his thigh.

A wide smile grew across his face as you let out a short groan. “Where do you need me? How can I help you, [Y/N].” The huskiness of his voice took on a playful tone. See now, Gojo was a little sh*t. He had a tendency to play with his food. Seeing your desperation just tickled that part of him and he couldn’t resist toying with you.

Your doe eyes peered into his with need, timidness finally setting itself on the back burner, your small hands contrasting his large, pale hand, gently guided it along your form. Stopping wherever you needed him.

Long fingers trailed over your plump lips, tracing them.
“Here.” You gently kiss the tips of his fingers. A short hum emerged from the back of his throat as he quickly dipped his head down to touch his lips over yours. Making slow movements you could follow along before breaking off. You liked the taste of his sweet lips, smiling into the kiss at the thought of it being from the tea earlier. You wanted more.

“What else?” He asked after breaking off and looked into your heated eyes.

Descending down to your neck, you stretched his hand to expand around your throat. His one finger lightly brushing over your thrumming vein.

“Here.” His hand gently squeezed to your delight before loosening and letting you lead him on a journey across your body.

You sucked in your bottom lip after you’d guided his hand to your breasts. He had immediately taken the liberty of diving behind your tank to play with your nipples, instantly granting him a pleasurable moan.
“H-here.” You stuttered as his other hand joined in the fun, but you guided that one further down, which he willingly obliged.

“Keep going.” His voice was husky and low, as his preying eyes looked into yours, never leaving your face to catch every little reaction you had for him. You were fascinating to him.

As your hands guided his along your body, his hand naturally wrapped behind your waist to get a nice handful of your butt, earning a sweet moan as you buried your face into his neck, before you immediately moved it to the prime area.

“Right here, huh.” He gave your mound two good squeezes, eliciting a squeal from you as you pinched your legs around his hand. Not-so-subtly grinding into it.

“Y-yes.” You muttered into the crook of his neck. You were unbelievably turned on right now.

“Let’s take proper care of you, hm?”

You barely registered his quickened movements as his lips were promptly on yours.  You had melted into him as you mewled and writhed under his burning, electrifying touch.

Sensing you were dropping, Gojo lifted you up, wrapping your legs around his wide waste, instinctually causing your hands to spring to his shoulders. You whimpered and moaned against his mouth as a hard tent pressed repeatedly into your clothed button, sending little waves of pleasure throughout. You don’t recall feeling this level of intensity ever, not with those two doctors and especially not with the soldier and Cody. It was like you wanted to mate with him or something.

He leisurely walked to the couch and sat carefully as to not get your legs caught up behind him. He was able to press up into you more fervently as you ground down on him, earning a few grunts every other thrust.

“M-more… I want more.” You whined in between sloppy kisses. You dug at his shoulders as your face formed into a pout as you focused on the feeling building in your gut.

Looking at your face, he thinks you could get off from this alone with the way you’re moving. “My needy little girl.” He smirked before latching his mouth on your neck, licking, biting, and peppering along the trail to the valley of your breasts. Your tank top shoved up, and blouse unbuttoned, he took a second to admire your plump and perky chest. Bouncing lightly from grinding into each other.

With the absence of his hands from fondling you, you pleaded with him to do something. Anything. He of course obliged, not wanting to keep you waiting any longer. He could honestly say he felt the same. It was your scent in the home that triggered this desire in him he believes –initially anyways. His actioning those feelings were all him. This man’s brain was beginning to understand what this part of your traits was. He would say he was collecting more information, that’s why it’s okay to keep going. It’s for science purposes, he reasoned.

You arched into his heated mouth and hummed a moan as his teeth teased your darkened bud. His one hand came back up and pinched the other. Fondling it, as to not leave it absent without attention.

You were really winding on him as he nipped along your other breasts. Your breaths were coming out in short huffs, and you were really grinding into him now that it was becoming unbearable. You needed him in you.

“Gojo~” You pleaded before hearing a pop and then a rush of cool air circled your wet nipple. You yelped as you were suddenly flung unceremoniously onto your back. Legs splayed open. He immediately hovered over you, eyes raking over your frame underneath him. Your bun had come loose, locs splayed around your collar and face. He chuckled lightly as he brushed them back, gently caressing your heated cheeks. You were a beautiful sight underneath him like this. His teasing bites left darker hues of burgundy and purple along your skin, especially along your chest. His best work. There’d be some bruising left behind for others to see, he was sure. He didn’t know why that thought came to mind or why it excited him. He just knew he liked the way your eyes looked at him. Full of desire and want and only focused on him, yet there was this bit of uncertainty in the midsts.

Sitting between your legs, left one sandwiched between his right side and the back of the couch while the right hung loosely off the edge of his left. “Be patient. It’s been a while for you right? I need to prep you first.” ‘And I don’t think you’ve had anyone as big as me~’ He smirked while bending down swiftly to peck your puffy lips. He thought it’d been nice to have them wrapped around his cock, but he knew the mission. He had to secure you firstly.

Tapping at the waistband of your leggings, he gave you a heated look, eyebrow raised.

Your breath shuttered from how he looked at you. You nodded for consent. But that wasn’t enough for him, as his hands left it alone and caressed your waist instead, earning a frown and whine out of you.

“I need your words, [Y/N]~” He sat back leering at you, with a devious smirk. He liked teasing like this. Ever the playful character, he couldn’t help himself.

“TAKE THEM OFF, Gojo. Please.” You immediately shoved his hands back to where they needed to be as you assisted by lifting up your hips in haste.

“Yes, mam.” He chuckled at your command as he snatched your pants off and threw them without regard. His laughter however died in his chest, as his lungs filled with the source of the aroma that had filled the house. His eyes didn’t dare to leave the treasure that laid before him. You were glistening, and because you were splayed open, your pretty little hole was on display. He could see it fluttering around nothing, just your essence leaking out.

He swallowed thickly as he had to combat the strong urge to shove his pants down and immediately bury himself in you. That’d be too much for you and he didn’t want to outright ravage you like that. Work you up to it at least.

Your body thrusted up lightly on it’s own accord, signaling your need and ‘readiness’. That made his dick twitch and an involuntary thrust to ensue. His eyebrows shot up in minimal surprise. Has it been that long for him? Was that a reaction to you? Your pheromones? Shaking his head loose of the thoughts, he cleared his throat, scooted back and settled between your legs. His eyes wanted to roll back at how tantalizing you smelled up close like this, but he wanted to see the satisfaction of your eyes rolling back at his first ministration, so he kept them trained on your face.

He peppered kisses around your slick valley earning little whimpers and twitches from you, until you once again thrusted up.

“…please…” you whined, shivering in anticipation. It was maybe the cutest and hottest thing to hit his ears. He groaned before stuffing his open mouth on your mound, giving it a long, hot lick. Your head went back into the cushions as you hummed with delight. This was off to a great start.

But Gojo was finding his resilience slipping as each lick kept tasting better and better. He’s never tasted anyone this delicious and sweet before or even smell a third as good as you. He doesn’t know if he should skip pound town and just drink you dry. Though who knows if that’s a thing for you. It was like an endless stream, and he was happily quenching his thirst with your juices dripping down his chin.

His skilled tongue would dip in and out of you before circling back up to your clit, flicking and nibbling on it to hear your squeals and mewls. You squirmed so much that he had smacked and tightly gripped your thick thighs a few good times to set you straight. It served only to fuel the fire increasing inside.

A familiar knot was forming in your abdomen, far sooner than you imagined and a bit more intense at that. You were restless against his ministrations to the point he just had to hold you down with both hands clamped underneath your hips. Dramatically smacking his lips, he paused, chuckling at your frustrated huffs. Because why would he stop?!

“Oh! You were close, huh? Don’t worry, I’ll fill you back up~” He grinned lewdly as he dipped back down attacking your clit and shoving a long digit inside, citing a pitched squeal from you. You were so wet it slid in with little effort. Then the second, had a little resistance. But that third digit, was a snug fit. You let out a heavy moan from the back of your throat. You wanted more of this. That feeling of being stuffed while your little hole had to stretch over the intrusion. He cursed internally fantasizing about how tight your walls would be once he stuffed you. He couldn’t help but palm himself.

He greedily sucked at your clit, as he pumped you. Your ears burned red with how your helpless moans and squelching of your juices filled the room. Egging you on. You told him you were close again, as the feeling of the knot came back rapidly. “Right —there! Kee- keep going please! Mn~” You pleaded as your hips rocked more into his hand. Meeting his thrusts.

Gojo rocked in tempo with you as he felt your walls tighten. Your wetness dripping down his face, hand and the crevice of your cheeks. Picking up speed, he lifted from his position to thumb your clit instead, sending ravenous shocks throughout your body as you crept closer and closer to the edge. He wanted to view you coming undone by his hands. On his hand.

You approached a familiar border that only you’ve managed to cross, up until now. At the rate you were heading to it, you were sure you’d launch off the edge and head straight for the moon. You brokenly whispered his name in huffs, trying to convey that. It was hard to form words, yet alone think of the language you spoke in. You’ve only ever known English!

He smirked at your desperate looking face as you tried to convey something to him. He knew what it was. It was just so fun watching you turn into a puddle (literally soaked the couch) in his hands. He didn’t think he could get enough. But things needed to progress, and he wanted you relaxed and ready to take him. Leaning over you, the heat of his mouth kissed the side of your ear. “Come on, [Y/N]. Let me hear that pretty little moan of yours. Let me feel that tight cunt of yours squeeze and gush—”

Sure enough, with a loud cry of a moan, you arched towards the ceiling, hands digging into the couch as your highest climax to date ensued. Your hole greedily clamped and sucked in Gojo’s fingers as your body shook and shivered underneath of the awestruck man. He kept talking you through your ascension to the stars while still pumping furiously into your sopping heat.  

Finally, descending back down, his rough thrusts slowed to a stop. Sliding his fingers out with a squelching noise that had him groaning from deep within. For whatever reason it was a very hard wait for him, but it was worth it for your complacency for the ultimate goal of this mission. To come… –willingly back to HQ with them.

Hazy [E/C] eyes blinked at the ceiling in a daze before damp white locks and sky blues replaced the view. Refocusing on his flushed face, you gave him a lazy smile, thanking him for making you feel good. You realized those guys before did not have your pleasure in mind and Gojo had showed you what selflessness was.

“Of course. I aim to please.” He leant over you again, this time kissing your forehead sweetly. Your heart was already thumping, but you think it might had faltered there for a second. The affection was nice. He peppered kisses along your face, causing giggles to bubble out of you shortly, before laying a lingering kiss on your lips.

‘That was a bit different.’ You thought to yourself as you suddenly looked into stormy eyes. They looked at you with desire and hunger yet restraint all at once.

“You sure you wanna go further?” His words came out in a sort of mumble, as if he didn’t want to ask, but morally needed to. You wondered if he was feeling how you were feeling earlier? Which, if that were the case, you knew you’d want him to be taken care of too.

Nodding eagerly, you assured him confidently. “Please, I… I want you to feel good too.” Running a hand through his locks as you looked into his eyes. He grinned and gave you a chaste kiss before sitting back and pulling down his pants, including his under garments. You sat up immediately puzzled.

For one it was prettier than you’d seen any other to be. For two, it was huge. For three, where does he think he’s fitting that?

“Can’t take it back now.” He chuckled as he dragged your squirming form to sit atop of his pale, muscular thighs as your legs were still shaking from your release.

You were nervous again, but you’d do it. You pepped yourself as you ran your fingers mindlessly over his abs hidden behind his shirt. He rubbed the sides of your waist as he watched you looking torn over his size.

Most were.

“We’ll go slow. Alright?” He assured you and you gave an affirming hum, still looking at his size. Chuckling at your mannerisms, he took off his shirt and let you take some time to run over his chest only to still look back at his length. Stuck. He smirked at your reaction before going to lift your shirt. “Take this off.”

Slipping the fabric over your head, your brown skin was bare to his eyes to roam over as your loosened locs cascaded all down behind your back. [E/C] eyes locked with the angry pink head of his member. Contemplating on how you were going to take it in either mouth.

“Oh, Sh*t.” You felt him stiffen under you.

Your eyes shot up to his face in worry. His eyes were looking at the side of your body, white brows furrowed. Following the line of sight, he was staring at your shoulder. The one that should have been bandaged but due to the jostling of your body, it had loosed and now your perfectly smooth, unperforated skin was showing. ‘Oh sh*t’ was right.

You quickly tried to cover it to no avail, and Gojo being swift, stopped you from doing so. “Please don’t loo —EEP!” You squealed as you were suddenly brought flesh to flesh with his chiseled body. Sensitive and hard nipples being slightly stimulated against him, causing you to shiver not only from arousal but with an added bonus of embarrassment and anxiety.

“I’m not going to do anything. Let me just…,” he whispered as he soothingly rubbed your back, continuing, “…see something.” His eyes were now focused on your tattoo. You knew by the way his thumb rubbed over that very spot that was bitten by the little girl. Did he know? Did all of them know… about you?

“You know… don’t you?” You accused as your voice shook barely above a whisper. He sighed, settling back into the couch. It took him a second as he poked his cheek with his tongue deciding whether or not to answer you with the entire truth or partly. He nodded.

You deflated into him. Their fascination with you and their 20+ questions suddenly connecting in your mind rapidly. Things started to feel false, and you wanted to pull away.

His hands now rested on both sides of your bare hips as you remained straddling him, he rubbed circles into your skin, sending dull tingles in its wake. They never quite left. It didn’t help that he brought your anxious form closer where if you shifted, even slightly, you could feel IT pressing at you. Right where you still needed him, but your mind was at war, and you couldn’t focus on your body’s selfish wants right now.

“…the whole team?” Another nod. You had a worrying frown upon your face. ‘What if they try to send me away like—’

“I mean this, [Y/N]. We’re not going to hurt you. We’re not going to cast you out.” He grabbed your face to smooth out the unease. He could see the built-up worry, but even more so, smell it. The honey lemon mixture was helping him come back to his senses a bit more. “I’m serious.” He leaned forward and kissed your head softly with reassurance lacing his actions.

“Well, what are you planning to do with me then?” You asked, a little less worried.

‘Have you bouncing up and down while screaming my name, but I just had to ruin it.’ He berated himself internally. “Honestly, we just want to keep you safe and get you out of here.” He toiled with your hair absentmindedly, while he eyed you with earnest. He thought he could still have the upper hand in this if he played it right. He’d just need to find an opening.

“Back to HQ?” You kissed your teeth and settled into a pout, crossing your arms, causing your breasts to perk up. Gojo unable to resist, lightly pecked your plumped up mounds. Which were still riddled with his bruises.

“Come.” He kissed over a love bite. “Back.” Another. “With.” This one was wet. “Us.” The last being a tiny nip, before slowly looking into your lust-filled eyes.

They briefly wavered over his blues before quickly looking away. You ever so lightly shifted.

Bingo.

He brought you closer, whispering up your neck, ghosting kisses along the way. He grounded upwards, lightly grasping at your hips to pull you down into him for much needed friction. Not letting this moment of your naked bodies being so close together go to waste.

Your arms unraveled and slid forward up his biceps, landing on his chest again as a heat wave of want ran over you from head to toe causing you to rock forward involuntarily. “O-okay.” You stumbled over yourself, brain short circuiting from the skin on skin.

Internally he did a victory dance, but externally he peppered you with more chaste kisses, while holding you close. Still rocking into you. “T’wasn’t so hard, right?”

“No…” You offered, barely thinking about what you agreed upon as you looked down between you two. Eyes focused on something far bigger than what you’ve had. Ever. “But you still are.” You licked your lips in want. Just a small taste.

Clearing his throat, a blush running up from his chest to his ears, Gojo smirked and hummed. “You’re right. Wanna continue where we —“

“Bedroom’s over there.” You pointed to a room that you’ve slept in separately from Maki. You were very eager to please and Gojo considering how lucky he was to have you just agree to escaping here, would not waste any more time.

He took you to pound town at least 3 times. Each visit better than the last and leaving you both satiated and insatiable at the same time. A dangerous game to keep up in.

 

>>> 

Whistling caught the ear of a fellow teammate as a very peppy looking white-haired male sauntered into the storage space they called a bedroom. These sleeping quarters were abysmal, but they were thankful none the less for the amount of safety it did provide. They could have been outside of these walls barely catching rest instead. Not to say they couldn’t wait to leave, especially with the news Gojo was going to give them later on.

“I’m guessing you got some.” Sukuna mumbled while he picked leisurely at his nails.

Gojo giving the ‘okay’ sign, dropped and reclined onto his cot with a hefty sigh. “Got some good news~” He smiled to himself briefly before Sukuna like the dark cloud that he is, rained on his parade.

“Better be, ‘cause now we have to do 2 extra months here.” Sukuna huffed as he straightened up on the cot to scowl at Gojo.

“Asset has been obtained.” Gojo clapped and cheered for himself, while Sukuna remained still glaring at the fool. “Oh, come on. I put in a lot of work to get her to agree! Not only that, I discovered some things about [Y/N]’s abilities. This was all for the sake of the mission, Sukuna. We’re almost home free. Be happy.”

“I’ll be happy when we get back from this fake *ss happyville.” Sukuna grunted as he shoved his feet back in his work boots.

“Where you goin’?”

“Out.”

“Aww~ I wanted to tell you about her ability.”

“I don’t really care.”

“For one, I suspect she has little to no idea about her capabilities it seems.” Sukuna sighed, frustrated that he couldn’t lace his boots quick enough. “And for two, which is kinda hot if you ask me—.”

“I didn’t, yet here we are.” He grumbled.

“That delicious little honey smell she emits and what we smelled in her home means she’s just horny. How convenient is that?” Gojo rambled on until the slamming of a door cut him off. He was finally alone.

Giggling to himself, he was pleased with how things went today. Reminiscing about the taste and smell of you. How many rounds you two went and how well you took him. And he definitely couldn’t forget about your moans. He was in a blissful daze with you running around his mind. Couldn’t get enough.

Notes:

When I tell you I reread this chapter the most so far. I forced myself to say that it was fine lol, I was becoming a bit deranged 🥴 after the tenth+ reread 😵‍💫 and nitpicky. Hope y’all not too disappointed. I feel like I slighted Gojo a bit here compared to other chapters under construction, but how I needed things to go, I feel like this was the best I had at the moment I wrote it lol. Anyways have a blessed week y’all <3

Chapter 13: Thirteen

Summary:

Today's episode is "About Me" Where [Y/N] discovers more about herself... Lol

Notes:

That awkward moment when you accidentally posted too early so you had to delete and reload. Oops :/
I'm just excited to get further into this story y'all don't understand~ Like I'm just having so much fun writing this nonsense XP
Anyways, enjoy the read! Oh and there's no smut in this chapter lol

“You’re saying these sacks are filled with the zombie infection?” Choso asked while carefully examining the grape shaped specimen in front of him. He had gloves on while toiling with it, whereas you could handle it barehanded; he wasn’t taking any chances. Rightfully so.

You had brought your yarn ball to him, remembering that you had placed the black grapes inside. He was talking about how he wished he could have seen how your body broke down the virus when it traveled through your blood. Not that he wanted you to be harmed in order to see that, he was just curious. You were happy you could gift him something for his kindness and endless knowledge.

“This is great! I can view it under my microscope. I already have the sample of the rusted one.” He rambled on enthusiastically while placing one of the grapes on a petri dish. He wanted to set it up to see what it was like under a scope. The skin of it as well as the contents inside. He was practically buzzing with excitement. Maybe he could get a head start on a cure? Though he’d more than likely need a laboratory to further any true results; he could at the very least get the basics down manually. Boy did he miss his technology.

“The skin of the membrane is pliable and seems thick.” He voiced his thoughts, jotting down notes about his findings. He toiled away with prodding gently with the sample, careful not to burst it.

You watched him silently. Like a kid enthralled into the tv with his favorite character on screen. His eyes would only leave the dish to write notes, but even then, he was barely watching what he was writing.

A short giggle slipped out of you watching him, it entered his ears, causing him to do a small double take at you before resuming his observations. Then as if a lightbulb went off, he snapped his head back to you.

“Can I have your blood?” His eyes were wide as saucers, beaming with delight, you could see the sun in them. He looked like a mad scientist.

“Uhh… Choso, whet?” You gave him an incredulous look. You weren’t opposed. It was just his expression when he asked that threw you off. And you liked messing with him.

“Oh, right. Apologies. Um, I just thought that you know. If I could see how—”

“How my blood interacts and breaks down the virus. I understand. I’m just messing with you, Choso.” You chuckled as you shrugged off your flannel. This time it was a light blue and white button up you had on with a simple grey tank underneath. No bra. Not that that would deter or remotely fluster the man. He was already prepping to sanitize your arm before you got seated.

“Ah, you think I’d be used to you and Yuuji’s antics by now. Sorry, I get ahead of myself sometimes.” He smiled warmly at you while he swiftly prepared your arm.

“S’alright. I’d be curious too... I am curious actually.”

“Well, we’re gonna find out soon… hopefully.” He paused shortly to stick you with the needle. You didn’t see it, but he frowned slightly at how you didn’t even flinch at the prick. You were too used to it; you had told him when he first asked to draw your blood. You were only apprehensive that first time because you were having vivid flashbacks, but you were good now.

The rolling of his stool chair filled the silence of the room while he went back and forth to the vials he had made, setting up one for control purposes and the other as a test. He was so giddy to get an experiment like this underway.

While grabbing another vial of blood he accidentally dropped them in his quick movements, cracking them on the counter he was prepping the now contaminated petri dish.

He cursed throwing his clenched fists in the air. That was the third and last vial of your blood. He couldn’t ask you for more.

“It’s alright, Choso. I have blood to spare.”

“It’s not that. It’s that I mixed your vial with another vial.” He sighed dejectedly as he cleaned up the mess.

“Another vial? What was it?”

“Oh, it was my blood.”

“…?” You eyed him strangely.

“I was going to see how my blood would be affected by the rust you dealt with, but it could have been even better to test it against the undead excrement. Too bad I just wasted it.” He grimaced as he wiped up the bloodied glass debris and sanitized the countertop. Grabbing the dish of your mixed blood, he walked to the trash to throw it out. But then something clicked. He spun slowly on his heel, oddly stiff towards you. Bloody dish hovering just above the trash-bin.

“What’s your blood type?” His face was impassibly blank. You blinked at him for his odd mannerisms. Though you couldn’t really talk.

“Umm…. It’s –OH! OH!! I know what you’re trying do!” You smiled brightly in his face, before you both spoke in at the same time.

“See if your blood is compatible with humans still!”
“--------my blood can be donated to others –oh.”

His eyes widened as he tried to apologize, feeling like he slighted you in a way, but you just laughed it off. You knew what he meant. Technically you had a bunch of unknowns going on in your DNA. It’s not a bad idea to get that checked out.

“It’s fine, Choso. And I’m type O negative.” You smiled sweetly, countering his frown which smoothed out eventually as he cleaned up the test experiment in his hand. It was kind of crazy to think that you too were once called that. You had far more abilities, one being something with a beating heart and high functioning brain but could be classified under the same thing as a hard plastic disc… you were glad the people at the facility weren’t around you anymore.

Finally having the tests set up, he turned to you with a thankful smile. “If we’re in luck, which I’m not too sure about, you being O Negative means you could be a universal donor to many. But like you’ve said, they did a lot of things to you, so maybe I’m just wasting precious samples now.” He shrugged, rolling his lips up. A habit you noticed he did when he felt awkward.

“Choso, like I’ve said, I’m not going anywhere any time soon. You can take more blood.”

“Let’s see how things are with what we have now, and maybe later, I’ll take you up on your offer. Actually, now that I think about it, I wonder how quick your blood replenishes.” He said tapping at his chin, that crazy scientist look slipping back into his eyes.

This man’s gears were turning.

>>> 

The light blue sky had turned to dusk, and Yuta was trying to convince Maki to agree to host the team for a little dinner. It wasn’t hard, putting his babydoll eyes to use as they could sucker her into just about anything.

The plan was to gather in the living room of her shared home, agreeing that they should at the very least tell you about their plans since you were heavily involved in them. He was banking on the high chance you’d be amiable enough to take them on their offer.  Maki considered it but would only agree on the condition that Choso could join. He did know about you after all, and he was trustworthy in her book.

“Yeah, sure. I trust your judgement.” He smiled his award-winning smile that always managed to put a blush on her face. He thought things were going to run smoothly and work out in his favor.

But he thought wrong.

“How the f*ck did you get 2 months for —Mahito made that crap up!” Maki growled out lowly while stabbing a spork into her meal. This would really put a damper on their plans as they were in the works of leaving by next week. Something they were beginning to relay to you until Gojo rained on their parade.

“Why not just tell them no? It’s not like you told them you wanted to stay here, and plus the medical stuff she used wasn’t her fault. It was that idiot’s.” Yuuji spoke up as he reclined into the small couch beside Choso. You felt so guilty now with everyone present and anxious at the fact that they knew about you. Coming down from cloud nine from your romp session with Gojo had you making connections to what transpired earlier. You had just agreed to go back to wherever these guys came from without ensuring your safety, and just exactly how much did they know about you and why?

“Her telling Naoya ‘No’ is what apparently got her two extra months.” Toji rolled his eyes at this, swiping at his nose. This place smelled sweet and sweaty with a tinge of musk that was familiar, but he couldn’t put his finger on it. Maybe it was the fact that the entirety of his team save for Sukuna were crammed in here after cooking in the sun and have yet to take a decent bath.

“It’s not about saying ‘no’. It’s about keeping you guys all here. Indebted to the community so that if you try to escape, they’ll hunt you down and take whatever from you –probably even your life. I wouldn’t put it past those scumbags to do that.” Maki spat out. Voice laced with derision. Choso agreed, rubbing at his temple, stressed at the thought of what they’ve done to people in the past.

“I’m sorry, but there’s no way I can accept you guys working on my behalf!” You finally speak up. Placing your finished bowl of dinner down at your feet.

“Suck it up, buttercup; we’ve already accepted it. Plus…” Toji hesitated to say any more of their situation. His heavy eyes lazily ran over your curled form seated in an armchair. You had on your button up long sleeve flannel, completed to the top and wore loose thin pants to hide the several hickies Gojo left on you. They were already fading.

You lightly glared at him for his attitude as you pondered what he was going to say.

“PLUS, you already know we can’t leave without you anyways. So, we’re staying… or at least we’re going to make them believe that, then ditch out when they least expect it.” Gojo shrugged. Everyone cut their eyes at him, which he only rolled his eyes to. “She knows we know about her you guys. Relax.” He waved them off unaffected.

Maki whipped her head to your shying demeanor. You matched her bewildered look, albeit at a much lesser degree. “You know they know??!” Choso’s face matched hers. She caught him up to speed earlier, vouching for his ability to keep quiet.

Your mouth flopped open and closed briefly before settling with a pout. You weren’t sure exactly what they knew. “Uhhhh well… actually what ALL do you guys know about me, aside from me being 128 and my… healing… capabilities?” You tried speaking confidently but faltered at having so much attention on you. It was a bit awkward sharing considering the first time you outright blurted your ability.

Looking to Yuta, Toji gestured for him to share that information.

“Well before I say anything, let me ask what you know about yourself. Things that were noticeably different about you, then I will share our findings from the facility.”

Your eyes looked around in thought, landing on Choso who looked interested in this conversation. Kicking himself for not asking you this himself. He was too fascinated by the fact that he’s about to test your blood’s habits and that he can dissect your… black grapes.

You nodded to him, giving him a questioning look which he mirrored.

“Oh! Uh before she starts, I guess since you guys know so much, or little about her, I –er we are conducting a little experiment with her blood. She had a few extra “black grapes” and I’m testing her blood against them, and what not. Think that’s what she wanted to share. I can share my findings with you all later when I’m concluded with it.” He gave a curt nod, head swiveling back to you, who just smile appreciatively.

Impressed by the initiative that you two took, the team, especially Yuta, were quick to give their thanks. Curious as to what the results could be.

Putting the ball back in your court, you had to think. When was the first time you noticed a change?

Starting with your vision, you searched your memory for when you realized you could see clearly in the dark. It was gradual. Day by day, (not that you were able to keep track of days; you weren’t given a calendar in your guinea room.) every time it was lights out, it seemed as though they were gradually turning up the florescent lights. Until you realized everything was in greyscale. It took some time, but you got used to it. It was really advantageous trekking through this world now, though you really didn’t have a desire to still be able to see the zombies so clearly.

“I can see pretty well in the dark.” You started off awkwardly. You were fiddling with your nails as you thought this was a show and tell, but you’re the show and you got to tell the class about yourself. All about yourself. Looking at everyone, they were looking at you so intently.

Yuta hummed, “So how does that look? Is it like our night vision gear?” Yuta tapped at his chin in thought. This was fascinating for him. Not only him, but Choso as well, as you could see he was listening intently. Both of their dark eyes weren’t leaving you.

“M’no. Everything starts to fade to grey. Like a grey filter on a phone…” You can’t remember the last time you interacted with one. “Umm, there’s still a decent amount of light I guess you could say. It’s still a bit of darkness, but not pitch black if that makes sense?” You shrugged looking at him and then Maki for confirmation. She looked just as interested in this confession as Yuta. So, you continued.

“And you already know about me being immune to those things and also healing.” You rub at your covered shoulder shyly as you finish with a crooked smirk and a shrug. You wanted to get this over and done with.

Todo frowned lightly and asked, “That’s it?” You matched his frown, tapping at your chin in thought.

“Uhh, I don’t get my period anymore…Is there more?” You asked genuinely.

A few of them chuckled to themselves; you were so cute all clueless.

“Oookay… interesting. I have little to no knowledge of erm menstrual cycles, but uh –" Yuta shrugged lightly as Choso chimed in.

“That more than likely would mean you can’t reproduce which I imagine you don’t care about given the state of things.” Choso looked at you expectedly and you nodded lightly in agreement.

‘The option would have been nice to have though.’ You couldn’t help but to think sassily.

“Right… back on topic. From what we discovered at the lab, you have several notable traits, and you only named 3. There were 6 in total listed from what I recall…,” Yuta thought shortly before listing them off. “Superior vision, healing and purifying capabilities, emits pheromones, adaptable aaanndd OH! Skillfull learner.” He snapped his fingers in remembrance.

“I emit what?” You caught yourself blurting out.

“We should discuss in detail what your healing and purifying parameters are so we have a better understanding of you, considering everything went up in flames.” Gojo immediately declared. He was hiding a smirk behind his clasped hands as he subtly eyed Geto who raised a brow at him.

“O-okay but what was –”

“Can you elaborate instances where you were infected and the symptoms that occurred?” Gojo promptly followed up.

“Gojo, I think she has a question about –” Toji raised his hand to shut Yuuji up.

“No. Gojo’s right. We should hear about these key abilities in particular. It’s what we were sent out for. We can answer any of her questions afterwards. Little lady, please answer him.” His eyes bore into you as he finally descended slowly into a seat from the kitchen table. He spun it around backwards, so the back was sitting between his thick muscular thighs. Those cargos weren’t hiding how well built he was. ALL of them were well built…

Your throat felt dry, and you felt the top of your head buzz as a feeling of blood was rushing to it. Tearing your gaze from him as you suddenly had the desire to be the back support of that chair, you cleared your throat, settling your hands at the base of your stomach. That tingling was back. And feeling ravenous. As if you didn’t romp around in the sheets earlier. THREE times! Aren’t you tired?

‘…what was the question again?’ Your mind drew a blank as the cracked open window drew in the evening breeze.

It brushed over you, picking up the honeyed scent, then depositing it into each one of their noses. Gojo already sharing what it entails to some of his mates, could barely hold back his laughter.

“[Y/N]. Your healing abilities…?” Geto started you off with a simper, withholding a snicker as he overheard Gojo cover up his chuckle with a cough.

“Ah right!” You shifted to sit up properly and to subtly soothe that growing ache. [E/C] eyes shifted down and ran over your body as you recalled each jarring memory.

You discussed with them in great detail, when and where you were bitten and scratched. Even described the depth of the wounds. Making sure not to leave out the feeling of being eaten alive. You couldn’t help but to snicker at their paled faces.

“Uck! My stomach. You could have spared me those details.” Maki grabbed at her chest as she looked away in disgust. She could vomit.

“Speaking of which, what were the symptoms when you were infected? Were you symptomatic?” Todo inquired as he tilted his head in thought with his hand on his chin. Choso nodded approvingly at the tanned man. He can’t believe he didn’t think to ask you that from the beginning.

Remembering your first encounter, you relayed all of what you could recall from your time with Cody to even the point you got stabbed by those rusted nails. Noting how in the beginning you didn’t get more than a bout of nausea and a bit feverish when infected initially, but overtime your symptoms lessened. You also didn’t leave out how those “slimy ball sacks” Yuuji so elegantly put, were a produce of your body rejecting the virus and infection in general as you stated the color change when you were pierced with rusted nails.

“Fascinating… I’m looking forward to what you find out Choso. Uh could we see your shoulder by chance? Quick peak.”  Yuta asked while looking at you curiously. He was already leaning out of his chair.

You were hesitant because again the hickies, but you could see even in Maki’s eye’s that she was also interested, even though she already saw the same night you and Choso explained to her your capabilities. You nodded lightly, bringing your crinkled locs to the front for extra coverage, you started to slowly unbutton the first couple of notches, lost in thought nervously biting at your lip as a few of the men crept closer. Notably Gojo sat back, though he did have that itch to be near you.

You didn’t even notice how subtly seductive this was towards the men as saliva started to collect in their mouths, swallowing thickly. Many had been deprived of the soft plushy skin of a lover for the night. Quickly taking a look, Todo, Yuta and Yuuji relinquished their spots around you to allow Geto and Toji to spot check. Somewhat entranced by the triple threat that is you, Geto couldn’t help but to reach out a large hand, rough fingers gliding lightly over the smooth curve of your form, before lightly resting on the material of your shirt. You stiffened at the invisible hot trail left behind.

‘Not him too!’ With your head tucked down, your locs thankfully hid your flushed, panicked face.

“…and it wasn’t the other side, right?” A soft and low timbre came from him as he suddenly crouched in front of you, fingers just whispering across the collar of your neck to the other clothed shoulder. His eyes barely registered the faded ‘love marks’ his best friend made. He smirked lightly to himself. If it weren’t for the fact that he knew his friend’s work and Gojo also running his mouth previously, he’d been none the wiser.

You let out a light squeak as you swiftly pulled back leaning into the chair cushion. ‘He’s doing too much! Ain’t nothing there for you, sweetheart!’ You hurriedly cover yourself back up, suddenly embarrassed at this beautiful man’s proximity and knowing smirk.

Looking at him with accosting eyes, because you just know that he knows, you tell him there’s nothing to see, as Maki backs up this claim as she and Choso had the same reaction.

“There’s nothing there. Smooth like silk.” She spoke for you.

“You got that right.” Gojo blurted out as you deadpanned at him. He just gave you a cheeky grin in response, getting up to join his friend Geto.

‘Never again with Gojo, [Y/N]. Never again.’ You thought to yourself before Geto stood to attention with Gojo behind him and their buff leader, Toji, who loomed over the back of the chair you resided in. You were worked up even more as they encircled you and you had a strange thought that if they all touched you at once you’d combust.

You noticed how Gojo’s tactful tongue swiftly ran across his lips as he stood leisurely in front of you. Retasting you in his mind.

‘Okay, so maybe again, [Y/N], but would it be too much with all thr—’

“Alright, well now that we’ve established that, can we talk about the smell because it’s strong intoxicating.” Geto let out an exasperated sigh; he had to cross his arms to prevent himself from reaching out to you again.

“…I thought we were just gonna ignore it, but since we’re on the topic, y’all do smell like earth and must…” Your grimace turned confused as Maki and some members burst into laughter.

“No, baby doll. It’s mostly a sweet smell in here.” Geto chuckled lowly as his dark, sparkling eyes settled on you. Pet names already?

“Has a scent of honey and a note of vanilla, I guess.” Gojo tapped at his nose lightly. His eyes were on you the whole time, just reading you. Right now, you looked clueless. “You don’t smell it?”

Eyebrow cocked, you responded smartly, “You sure you ain’t get no sugar up your nose, Gojo?”

Grin widening lightly, he’s now crouching before you just like Geto was and suddenly you’re having snippets of him beneath you in another manner not that long ago, somewhat forgetting that you have viewers.

“What does it smelling sweet in here have anything to do with her?” Maki asked confused.

“Wait, [Y/N], didn’t you have a question about emitting something? Would this be a part of it?” Choso looked at you before looking to Yuta.

“Well according to the documents we salvaged, and as we said earlier, [Y/N] emits pheromones.” Yuta offered. You nodded slowly, showing you were following along. “It also stated that each scent is triggered by your emotional or even physical state. The fact that you can’t smell it yourself, leads me to believe that you’re not only unaware of it, but also lack control of it’s release.”

Gojo watched you carefully as you nodded slowly along, taking the information in. They all did.

“I guess that would explain the whole lemon thing, huh?” You thought back to all those previous occasions, as a few of the men hummed in response.

You asked about the other scents, which Yuta rattled off as he was assigned to know your chart faithfully. It was just the honey vanilla scent that left them questioning, as that was the only thing that remained inconclusive.

“So how you feeling, little lady?” Toji’s deep voice finally cut in from behind you. His heavy hand weighed on top of your head, sending a shiver down your spine.

Forgetting his presence was behind you, you shot forward out of his electrifying touch, legs caught up beneath you while your arms stretched out to have your hands grasp for anything to hold. But you tripped over yourself and stumbled into Gojo, who was still crouched before you, sending him on his back with you seated over him. Your hand instinctually reached out for balance, by poor Geto’s oddly shaped leg… It was rather on the thin side to be a leg, but still thick…

“Umm… [Y/N]… could you perhaps let go of… me?” Geto’s voice came out broken as his hand immediately rested upon yours. He tried to refrain from… he wasn’t sure. It had been a while since he last been with someone other than his own hand. And if the honey smell was affecting him then he wanted this, but preferably not with an audience. His best friend was debatable. They did do a lot of things together over the years.

Gojo snickered as his hands came to your waist. Pulling himself up to be face to face with you. “This looks familiar.” He whispered for only your ears.

The level of control you had to turn the moan in your throat to a squeal was real, as you quickly snatched from Geto, apologizing profusely. Your body was blooming with heat, caused by a number of things at the moment.

‘How do I feel?! I feel… I feel…’ Your mind was torn. You think at first you wanted this, but maybe it was your body instead. You were definitely a willing participant, but this would clearly be too much for you in one day… right? ‘[Y/N], pull yourself together!’

Shaking your head of the thoughts and ignoring the delicious feeling of Gojo’s hands on your body as well as imprinting Geto’s thick dick in your hand, you shoot up from his muscular lap and put much needed distance between them.

“You alright, [Y/N]?” Maki asks concerned, but she couldn’t help the bites of laughter seeping out of her. That was quite the spectacle.

“That was embarrassing! I feel embarrassed! Please all of you go away!” You shrieked to hide the moan that wanted to escape, and instead you fled to your bedroom. ‘Forget surviving out there! I can barely survive in here with those guys!’

Notes:

This felt like a fun little filler for me ngl. Thanks for reading folks! Have a great week/weekend <3 Be blessed!

Chapter 14: Fourteen

Summary:

Sweet like Honey~ That's it. That's the basis of this chapter.

Notes:

[Y/N] and Geto this chapta ;3
Soooo Geto is not my bias. I will not lie. No shade. Just not my main squeeze. That's all.
HOWEVER, I really-really-really enjoyed writing his part out. It just felt right to me. Idk :3

“You always do such a great job with our clothes, honey. You can’t ever leave here.” Tadashi chuckled while patting your back roughly, turning your laughter into a coughing fit. The older guy was always so sweet to you and fed you compliments all the time; unlike the others living there, full of contempt for you. You didn’t feel comfortable around them, if anything you felt outcasted. The jealous women would often undermine and insult you not so subtly underneath their breaths, trying to place blame on you whenever they could. And the men would leer at you, often speaking inappropriately about your body or what they would do to you given that they saw you as nothing more than a bed-wench.

However, they couldn’t deny that you were amazing working in the laundromat. To their begrudge, they would come by to drop off their belongings, indulging in the sweet and clean aroma of the place; you made sure to keep your designated workspace neat and tidy. You heard one of the women saying it was your one and only redeeming quality, foolishly thinking they could try to replicate what you used to make such a smell. Too bad they didn’t know it’s just a trait of yours, only triggered by those men they wanted so bad.

Those men...

Constantly teasing and coaxing you into random sexcapades through the days, you were constantly releasing sweet, honeyed aroma all around. Which is where you think Tadashi coined the name ‘Honey’ for you. Contributing to the fact that whenever he smelled honey in the air, you’d be in the midst of it.

“Easy now, almost knocked the air outta our lil mamas.” Miguel chuckled as he placed a gentle hand on your head. A low buzz began to float and flutter around your nether region, but you’ve learned to pay it little mind.

“Ah, oops! I guess this ol’ guy’s strength is coming out from all this field work. Sorry ‘bout that, honey.” Tadashi’s wide grin brought a smile to your face as you focused on the conversation and not your growing heat.

“Those greys are from stress, and they don’t take away from ya. Ya look good at –what 38?” Punching his arm lightly and admonishing him for calling himself old. You thought his salt and peppered hair made him that more handsome. He just looked worn out all the time, probably from the hard work they had to do.

“Shucks. You make this heart of mine stutter,” Tadashi ruefully smirked and kissed your hand gently. You pinned him as someone who back in his youthful days, he was a ladies’ man, but with maturity grew a heart of gold.

“Careful now. You might make her suitors jealous if they catch you doing that.” Miguel cackled at Tadashi’s sneer before he straightened up and joined in his laughter. Your cheeks heated at his suggestive comment as you felt the drum of fingers on top of your head. You turn your attention to Miguel as he laughed at the clearly flustered look on your face.

“Hey look, it seems like you’re a hot commodity with them, is all I’m saying.” Miguel shrugs, with his hands folded under his arms.

“And I don’t blame them; she’s stunning and talented. If it always smelled like this around you, it’d be hard to get me away too.” Tadashi agreed as he backed towards the front of the building. He had his eye on something. “Tch… if you ain’t speak ‘em up. Here one comes. Gotta skedaddle now!” Tadashi announced with a light chuckle, clasping his hands together and blew you a kiss in thanks. “Gotta go expand the vicinity of this place, honey. See ya later. Don’t take too long, Miguel.” He said turning to the person who had just walked in. Patting the man’s shoulder in greeting as he passed, he said, “Might piss someone off if you linger.”

“Who’s he talking about?” The raven-haired samurai cocked his head as he came in, looking between your flustered face and a beaming Miguel inquisitively. You noticed his jaw moving on something green. Looked like a mint leaf. The man did say in passing how he missed dental hygiene. Gum and mints were hard to come by now.

“Pretty sure we know who he’s referring to by now.” Miguel greeted Geto with a handshake. “Anyways, gotta get back. We’re almost finished with the perimeter now thanks to you and your team’s hard work. You gonna get a place of your own? Or how about you, mamacita?” Miguel looked at you softly. He’d grown fond of you (and you the same) and was hoping you’d stay despite all the negativity that had occurred. You would grab tea with him while he tended to your hair and taught you what you could do with it as well as shared a bit of his life before the end. You could honestly say you believe you found a friend in him. But not quite enough to share the details of your escape with the guys and Maki.

“If I get my own place, then that would mean I’m staying. Don’t think I’m on board with that, quite yet.” You smirk back at him before turning back to finish stitching up the remaining tattered clothes.

“I can’t say I’m staying either... but it wouldn’t hurt to have a bit of privacy.” It was as if those words were directed to you. Tickled down your spine, making you clench your legs together inconspicuously.

“And on that note, I will take my leave. I’ll be seein ya, mamas, Geto.” You heard Miguel leave out swiftly.

 

Geto’s content sigh ran through you like cool water through the rising heat. “I don’t think I’ll ever get tired of this particular scent of yours.” Geto chuckled at your suddenly tensed form.

‘So embarrassing. I should’ve asked those two to stay!’

Internally you wanted to run away and hide despite your body wanting to jump on him. Any of them. Ever since that night you were brought up to speed as to what you are and though the sound of being able to help humanity seemed cool and all, it was the fact that you now understood, somewhat, what your body does automatically. The whole tingling sensation and being entranced by literally anything they do, like when they’re just standing in a group talking to each other where you could secretly ogle their physiques, or when they’d wipe off the sweat of their brow from a long hot day. Siigghhh yeah… you were forcibly horny every time either of those 4 men came within a 20-foot radius.

It was evident whether you were working in the small office space or laundry room, like today. You’d feel warm, warmer than the sun would have you in this summer heat, surprisingly. Then you’d get that electrifying feeling, abuzz in your lower region before one of them popped into your line of sight and boy did you just want to pounce.

It wasn’t hard avoiding them during the day, they’d be off reclaiming other parts of the town, but some days they’d be switching shifts working the wall. It seemed Geto was doing the latter today. Most likely teamed with Gojo who was currently MIA.

The two undoubtedly took advantage those days. You’ve been back working in the laundry facility after some mishap with poor ol’ Eudora, and many of the community were secretly thankful.

You realized quickly that Gojo and Geto were best friends, prior to them telling you, and they often tagged teamed their visits with you, one following up the other. You thought of them as opposites. One light and one dark. Literally. As cheerful and peppy as Gojo was, Geto was cool and calm. They both were calculating in their own way. Gojo was a lot more forward, especially after already going so far with you, as if he was well acquainted with your body (…he was). But Geto seemed a bit reserved at first. He took his time when he would come visit. Looking around the clothes or office and talking to you. Just getting to know each other.

When you two were alone in the laundromat, he’d be willing to share more about himself. Like how he got into the service he does now and a little bit of what his childhood was like. You would share a bit of your life in return too. A much tamer version as you didn’t feel like sharing those inhumane details quite yet. You didn’t want pity when they visited. You would often want something else.

You had felt that buzzing sensation every time right before he or Gojo would come in. You knew it was one of them lingering around. You almost would anticipate it. But you’ve been wrong before when Sukuna or that giant, Toji would stop by instead. You weren’t sure about those two. But you definitely knew that Geto had a gentler touch than Gojo.

You’d say you enjoyed it, as his tanned, rough hands were currently easing up your clothed arms to come to a rest at your shoulders.

It was dangerously comforting, and to your dismay, proved that you’re going to have little to no resistance around them. At all times, as your body felt incredibly weak under his gentle touch.

“Are you paying attention, [Y/N]?” You could hear his salacious smirk filled with mirth as his voice finally reached you. He was talking the entire time, but your horny self couldn’t even comprehend it.

Softly sighing with a moan intermingled in the midst, you shook your head. “You know I wasn’t.” ‘Who can focus when your hands are on them?!’

Said hands drifted lower, kneading nonstop until he rested his fingers lightly along your hips, drumming against your waistband. “You both know how… hard it is to.. to focus…,” your voice became breathy and light as he peppered feather light kisses along the side of your face to your neck, as he pressed his front into your back.

“M’nah. I don’t actually remember. Care to elaborate? What were you working on in here anyways?” His smooth voice flitted across your ear, melting into your brain.

You were originally drying out the linen prior to Miguel and Tadashi coming in. You switched to stitching to pass time and to keep your hands from being idle. The linens were hung up in a way that created a curtain effect, blocking the back half of the facility from view. A space where this raven-haired man would have you panting and writhing beneath him soon enough.

“Convenient how you can’t remember, but you remember all of my spots —SSS!” You hissed as he nipped at a particular soft spot of yours, chuckling at your shaking form in his hold.

“I’ve visited them so often because we can’t even leave our markings on you for more than a few hours.” Referring to him and Gojo trying to bite and bruise every span of your being over the past few days. They said they were trying to see how much your healing varied (without genuine harm) like the report said.

 “Which means you should just give it up already!” You huff in frustration, continuing, “What were you saying anyways?” You tried to loosen yourself from his iron grip, but considering your body does things apart from what you may want, it may also want you to not resist as much.

Getting back on track, Geto then had shared a bit more information about the team’s means of escape and you offered your two-bits about it as well but like previously, your idea of going to the hospital located in the city was shot down. They considered it for sure, but not with risking you. Even if you could heal. You probably wouldn’t heal quick enough if a swarm got to you and you bled out.

It ticked you off because you believed you wouldn’t be caught up in a situation like that, given how well you’ve survived on your own. But you’re not going to argue when you keep imagining very erotic things happening to you right now. He could tell that you were somewhat irritated from the orange scent wafting around, which you cursed yourself for not being able to control. It was frustrating that others could tell what was up with you before you could.

But he could still smell the heaviness of your arousal. It permeated every nook and cranny of the space you were in, probably because of how many times he and Gojo had taken you in here. Your pheromones didn’t have enough time to dissipate.

“Don’t be upset. We just want you safe, and unharmed.”

You grunted with annoyance embodying your stance. Crossed armed and frowning. He couldn’t help but chuckle at your petulance.

He nuzzled his nose into your neck inhaling to capacity until slowly releasing his warm breath against your skin, causing you to stiffen a little. Smirking he had a thought to help change your demeanor. Claiming to loosen some of your tension, he offered a little massage. Trying to soothe and calm you down with a simple tactic of distraction. He talked about life before the end.

It was lovely. Well, it would have been lovely if you could pay attention.
But the velvet of his voice was too distracting.
His hands were too distracting.
It was all nonsense to you; Unable to listen when your mind visualized where else his hands could be massaging. You were turning into putty, an involuntary moan slipping through your two-toned lips.

 “Ah, now I remember why it’s so hard for you to focus. Why don’t we address the distraction, hm?”

‘NOW you remember! YOU TWO GUYS ARE ALWAYS THE DISTRACTION!’ Your mind screamed as you were turned around to face the Greek marble in front of you. He was more than a head taller than you as he towered your form. You were backed into a wall, and before you knew it, his lips were on yours.

Not unfamiliar with his handy work, as you were well acquainted with it him frequently for the past couple of days, you let him roam your body. Kisses revisited old places and conquered territory that Gojo had claimed the day prior. It seemed they did not mind sharing.

Your soft wanting pants in between soft kisses and little moans whenever he sucked and bit at you, encouraged the raven-haired man more as he grabbed a handful to pull you closer into his erect member. Earning a low approving grunt from him.

“I don’t know how long we have, but let’s be quick about this today, okay?” Looking into your eyes, he couldn’t help but to chuckle to himself. They were always looking so needy and full of desire. He thinks he’ll never get enough as one hand traveled behind your waistband to the front of your panties and started playing gently with your clit.

You purred into his neck, licking and nipping at the salty exposed skin. Geto often had a softer touch. He was heavily hands on, but he wasn’t forceful or pushy with you. You liked this softness in him, as he guided you both further behind the makeshift curtains, to the back of the facility where the unused dryers resided. You were told they would often short circuit the electricity, so you were made sure to never use them.

Quick jerks behind you caught you off guard as you felt a light breeze blow against your back. Breaking the onslaught that was his mouth, you noticed a comforter was laid on the floor. You smiled sweetly at the gesture before he laid you down, making sure you were comfortable.

Once again attacking your lips. They were plump and swollen already from earlier and he loved running his tongue over them as he sucked them between his teeth. Your hands carded into silky long strands, massaging at his scalp as you both tasted feverishly at each other’s mouths. Geto tasted minty, probably from the mint leaf he was chewing on earlier. You’d heard him say often how he liked the combination of you on his tongue. Claiming it was a mixture of honey, vanilla and mint.

You were dessert on his taste buds and much like Gojo, found it really hard to stop driving his tongue in and out of you. But he said this had to be quick, and you reminded him so, as his head was still between your legs 10 minutes later, coaxing another orgasm out of you. You were a moaning mess, and his large hand would come up and shove his fingers in your mouth, drenched in your essence to quiet you down as you’d moan and squeal around them.

Coming back up and looking at you with dangerously heated eyes, you couldn’t help the shiver that slipped over your spine as you made eye contact. Those dark pupils just told you so much, and you, being the quick learner that you are, shifted your legs even wider to make room for his built frame.

With a smirk, he pulled back and shoved his pants further down, show casing his dark happy trail and freeing his leaking thick member. It swayed upward from it’s heaviness. The head of it clearly crying with anger as it was strikingly red and shining precum in the sun rays that shown through the opaque windows.

“I know what I said, but I can’t help myself when I get you on my tongue.” He rasped as his one hand rubbed at his weeping head, while the other hand rested on your pelvis. Pressing the skin up to pull your lips taught and upwards, the sensation made you squirm a bit.

He shuffled closer, lining himself up, making sure to rub himself all through your slick, mixing with his own. You twitched and shivered as he did this teasing manner. His body was flushed, and his veins were protruding as he finally pushed between your sopping folds. His groan sat in his throat until he bottomed out whispering a curse as he bent over your gaping form. Your hands were clasped over your mouth tightly as your very loud moan stayed ready in your gut as you tried to adjust. It was as if you’d never had sex before. And you’ve done this several times now at this point with him and Gojo.

“You’d think… you’d be adjusted b- by now… but uhn, you’re still so –f *ck –tight.” Geto huffed and groaned lowly as he let you have your time to reacquaint with the stretch.

Swallowing the screech you almost emitted, you breathily told him to go, adding a little thrust up for good pleasure measure.

“Always so eager.” He chuckled at you before kissing you sweetly. You liked when his lips peppered against yours. It was so gentle. It was so easy to latch on to. Get lost in the slow languid movements he’d make against your mouth as you tasted each other. It was a diversion.

You think you’d fall for it every time, honestly.

He’d ground into you slow, short pumping you. Applying that pressure and friction against your clit that elicited sparks to fly throughout your body. You were moaning and whimpering already, just so lost in this kiss that you were never going to be prepared for the absolute jack hammering he suddenly switched to.

Gasping for air against his heated mouth, you gritted your teeth as he pulverized your insides. You guessed because it’s supposed to be a quickie, he had decided to switch up the tempo without warning. You’d been able to handle this if he’d gave you fair warning, but his little sneaky self, opted to catch you unawares. Seeing you gasp beneath him, grinding your teeth, only turned him on more. Your hands clasped to him to try and ground yourself enough to take on the brunt force of what was his carnal sex drive. Something not too far off from yours, one could say.

It drove you both wild hearing your skin and the wetness in between, clapping in the air. He thumbed your clit as you began to babble more and more, driving you further to your orgasm.

Your scent, the pheromones, made him feel frenzied almost. Especially when he’s inside and you’re squeezing your release all over him. He had this urge to stay like that always. Buried deep inside, filling your womb up until you leaked out around him. He knew it was him just caught up in the moment, but when he’s with you –in you, he can’t help but to think about a future with you when he’s literally balls deep inside your heated cunt. “You take me so well, [Y/N].” He commented as he kept thrusting into you with fervor. You were barely descending from your fourth climax as he adjusted to hit your sweet spot, sending you right back to a fifth.

Over-sensitive now, you’re twitching and sloppily pleading for him to end his assault. ‘Stop! Do not hit that spot!’ You think. But aloud, due to your f*cked out brain and maybe three too many climaxes, you weakly say, “Don’t… stop hitting that spot~”

And your wish was his command as the fluttering of your soon to come release signals his to finally approach.

“G-eto- OH! I’m—mm! Gonna ahn~” Stumbling over your words as jolts of electricity fired throughout your sore body rapidly, short circuiting your motor skills.

“Me too, babe. Cum with me, will ya? Cum on this dick. Cum on it and I’ll fill you right up. You’d like that huh?” Gentle Geto was gone with his iron grip on your hips as he slammed into you several more times before you gushed around him, squeezing and milking his release as you both rode out your climaxes.

His broad chest collapsed on top of you as his head rested in the crook of your neck. Feeling each other’s heartbeats thumping against each other.

The beep of his watch signaled at least 30 minutes had passed, which in his mind he found to be rather quick with you as he certainly would have liked to spend a lot longer here. But duty called and despite you prancing around in his brain, he also had to work your ‘prison sentence’ off like the rest of his team.

“I gotta—ss –go.” He hissed as he slid out of you. Helping you clean yourself up and redress.

“I know, umm thanks for stopping by.” You speak timidly as you feel a level of haze come over yourself, making you lean into his chiseled chest.

“Mm. Can you walk? Lemme grab you your water, hold on.” He sits you on an abandoned chair and pauses his actions as you both hear the door slam open from the front of the facility.

“Where the hell is she?” You hear Mahito’s frustrated voice as his foot stomps.

“Don’know, but it sure does smell good in here. Wonder what she’s using?” It’s Jogo who responds.

“Tch…. I can’t ever catch her.” The childish man growled out.

“What is your obsession with the girl?” Jogo drawled. “She’s cute and probably a good f*ck if those *sses haven’t run through her by now. Which I highly doubt. I swear that tattooed pr*ck is shacking up with a different woman every night. Today it’s seeming to be the brunette. The whore. Saw him coming out of there the past hour.”

“Mmm. I mean they’re staying a little while longer because of her so I’m just trying to give her my thanks, is all.” Mahito shrugged. “But she’s playing hard to get, and you know I like me a little cat and mouse. Even more so when they fight me back a little.” He licked his cracked lips. “All those others are just too easy f*cks.” He flicks his hand in disinterest.

Geto’s hands balled into fists as he listened on, and though your face is clearly full of worry, you gently grabbed his arm and rested against it in comfort. For the both of you.

“You’re a sick man, just like that man.” Jogo rolled his eyes at the younger man before him. He wouldn’t force himself on anyone, like his counterparts, and he also didn’t care to stop them either when they did. He viewed as nothing that concerned him. What else were those sluts good for?

“Ouch.” Mahito Chuckled. “I’m not that bad. He would beat her up before, during and after dicking her down. And boy does he want to ram into her. Talked about using her blood as lube. Now that’s a sick man.” He cackled at that, sending an icy shiver up your spine. Your fearful self clung harder to Geto, who now had you wrapped in his arms trying to calm you and himself down. If you weren’t clinging onto him, he’d had broken their necks. Jogo would have to go for associating with Mahito as well as being a witness to murder. A stray casualty Geto had no problem committing.

“I’d at least use my spit.” You heard Mahito and Jogo’s laughter die off as the slamming of the front door signaled their leave.

 

>>> 

You were no longer as worried as you were that day, as you promptly started training with Maki before the crack of dawn and sometimes later at night with one or so of the guys, —pheromones be damned.

You thought back to how Geto revealed that terrifying information to the team as Maki comforted you. Declaring how you could not be alone with any one of outside of them. His face along with the others, were filled with disgust and disturbance.

You had full body chills for the remainder of that day, and despite Todo and Yuuji’s efforts in distracting you, the room you were all in was coated in a lemony sour scent for the evening. So, the guys went back and forth on their plans to speed up the process and how to keep you safe. You contemplated running away, but you’d rather not be tailed and have the guys worried about you.

Maki having already offered her combat services was making sure to have you working out throughout the day and was often by your side switching with others. On occasion leaving you when the regulars would come by the laundromat or at home by yourself. Those regulars being Ronan, Miguel and Tadashi. You knew they weren’t necessarily in on the plan or even knew about your predicament, but they kind of just fit into the routine, so there was no harm done.

Tadashi was the first to notice the change in your physique. Your arms toned up and became a little more defined, and your lower body, though he didn’t say that part out loud. You just happened to catch him looking, but you’d play it off for his (and every other eye you’d catch) sake. You know you got a wagon dragging. It can’t be helped.

“With those muscles you’re gonna be out in the field working with us, huh, sweetness?” Tadashi shoulder checked you playfully while you tended to his ripped shirt. He said it was his favorite and the last bit of home he had, so he was desperate to have it repaired by someone like you.

Chuckling at his foolishness, you shook your head. “I’d sooner be making the food before… Mahito or Naoya put me anywhere outside these walls.” He chuckled at the memory of seeing those two women covered in food. They really had the audacity to blame you.

“Those little girls were just jealous of a sweet beauty like yourself. Ain’t that right, Rone?” He called over his shoulder to the younger man silently taking inventory of the place. Ronan barely acknowledging what he said, blindly agreed.

“AAAAnd I can’t blame those fellas for wanting to keep a delicate flower like you locked away. I hate when innocent blood is wasted. Can’t have that happening to you, honey. I’d be beside myself!” His heavy hand came down on your shoulder.

Barely acknowledging more than his first sentence, you couldn’t help the eyeroll that ensued. ‘As if they cared about spilling my blood!’

“With how heavy-handed you are, I don’t think I’m too too delicate, Tadashi.” You jested as he let out a snicker when you elbowed him. “All done!” You pivoted quickly with his shirt outstretched between the both of you. His bright hazel eyes beamed at you with the sun reflected from them. For a moment, you think you saw his younger self come out. He really wasn’t a half bad looking guy.

Snatching it out of your hands, he immediately wrapped you in a tight hug, resting his chin atop your head. You hugged him back as much as you could, given the firm embrace. This guy didn’t know how to let up sometimes. He pulled back a little to kiss your temple a few times before Ronan cleared his throat.

“Do I need to excuse myself from your little…” He flickered his fingers at you two.

You gently pushed out of the embrace and stuttered over your words in embarrassment, causing you all to laugh the moment off. Their company was so enjoyable, you wished that you could share your plans with them, but loose lips sink ships and you were pretty sure Tadashi was staying here for good. Moments like these, you wished you didn’t have to depart.

But you’re always reminded why you needed to leave. Not even a minute later, Naoya walked in looking annoyed, something that you think is just his natural state at this point, but on the rarest of occasions, you’ve actually seen him smile. Tadashi’s jaw tightened as he placed a heated glare to Naoya’s head who didn’t care to make eye contact with the older man.

“Choso isn’t in the office, and I need to get in there.” He clicked his tongue and raised his eyebrow at you, as if to say, ‘You’re already moving too slow.’ No pleasantries. Just straight to it.

You naturally tensed up and bid your two companions a low wave, noting how Ronan looked concerned between Naoya and Tadashi as you left out. The thought of having Tadashi come along crossed your mind, but Naoya was right behind your heels so there was no backtracking. Walking briskly to the office with the spare keys you were given, you let him in, and shyly asked if you could help him with whatever he was looking for once you both entered.

His reply took a beat as he searched through the cupboards, finding the peroxide. He set it down on the counter before he took his shirt off, showcasing his well-defined muscles. He wasn’t bad looking either, it was just his attitude and demeanor towards women that made him the scumbag of the earth.

Looking over to you tiredly with disinterest, which caused you to look away uncomfortably, he sighed and turned his back to you. “Disinfect my back.” It was actually soft, the way he demanded you to help him.

‘The softness of his tone doesn’t excuse what he wants to do to you [Y/N]!’

Especially when his piss poor apology had little to no effect when he had sent his lackey to do it not too long ago. You were sure this was a ploy.

Guard up, you hummed lightly as you got to work. He had a little bit of blood coming out of the scratches, but other than that it wasn’t bad. Looked like he even tried to wipe it clean. There was more where that came from though. On his arms and a bit on his stomach. If it weren’t for his constant hissing and fussing at you from the sting of the product, you’d be blushing at his physique but instead you were just heated from his little tantrums. You rolled your eyes while you continued on ignoring him. Tuning him out. He eventually quieted down.

Taking notice of his silence and stillness, you dared to take a look up at him from where you were knelt, attending to the scratches to the front of his waist. You couldn’t help the immediate frown that came across your face. Caught off guard by the dust of his cheeks and the frustration in his expression, you asked what was wrong.

He wouldn’t dare say that for a brief moment you looked real cute and tempting stooped low at his abdomen, tending to his scratches (from a wild squirrel), gently rubbing ointment on them. No; he wouldn’t dare.

“What’s wrong is that you’re taking too long.” He sneered.

There’s the same ol’ Naoya you know and love.

Notes:

Thanks for reading ^v^! So far I've got like a few chapters that I enjoyed so much and this was one of them~

Chapter 15: Fifteen

Summary:

[Y/N] gets a bit cocky
Gets humbled
and then cocky again? Siiighh

Notes:

I needed to get the ball moving and this is what came about. Anyways, have fun dear readers.
Oh and the chapter jumps a bit in the timeline.

“You were alone with him?!” Maki bulged her eyes at your confession the following morning at sparring practice, and you used that opening to take her down.

“I made it back in one piece and he was a lot less mean than when I first met him.” You huffed as you straightened yourself quickly to receive one of her kicks.

“Still dangerous, little girl. You heard firsthand what he apparently wants to do to you.” Toji chided as he helped you off the ground. It didn’t matter how much you readied yourself, Maki’s kicks packed too much power. But due to your adaptability, you’re combative and defensive skills were coming along very quickly.

Yuta, Todo and Yuuji would sometimes go over defensive skills with you and Maki. Maki joined considering how Yuta took her down so easily when they first met. She couldn’t let that happen again.

Toji and Sukuna would go over wielding and disarming weapons with you as they were considerably the most knowledgeable about them. They were strict and stern, but that didn’t stop your hormones from going in a frenzy whenever either one would come up behind you and adjust your grip or your aim. Siiighh, those sessions were a long battle.

Gojo and Geto would train you in other ways. It was an experiment of sorts, to test your control over your emotions. Surprisingly they kept it to themselves about your little honey trap, other than Sukuna letting it slip to Toji who didn’t pay it any mind. Those two grumps didn’t bother mentioning it to you. Though Sukuna liked to secretly play dirty and get in your space a bit more frequently.

“I know I know. But you guys are teaching me well and I’d like to say that I could give him a run for his money.” You puffed your chest, dusting some dirt off. You found a reclusive area that was rarely frequented by the community, so you had it basically to yourselves.

“If you could do that, then you would’na been knocked on your *ss just now.” Sukuna quipped while swatting at your butt as he passed by. You’re not sure when or even how, but he’s gotten a bit more handsy with you. You didn’t know how to feel about it… well you DO, but not really. Anyways… >_>’

He threw a long pole to Maki. It was a long red and purple fighting stick; a favorite new toy of hers. Skills already top notch, she mastered it in no time.

You on the other hand were given the beginners friendly guide of what wielding a weapon means. As if you weren’t initially shooting at the beginning of this and setting up traps as well as taking zombies down with your (now confiscated) knife.

You frowned as your body heated up in both want and embarrassment.

Calling your name, Toji waved you over to go over the firearms he had. He favored them because they could get the job done sooner if your aim is on par. Not wanting to waste precious ammo, he made sure to run drills that targeted precision and reflex. This was your next training lesson.

You typically start these sessions off with a warmup with a few laps around the neighborhood early in the morning, next stretching and sparring with someone, then train with Toji and or Sukuna. Today it was supposed to be both.

After Toji’s drills were finished, it was Sukuna’s turn to teach you.

You picked his character originally to be mean and stern, but in all honesty, the guy was a wild card. You quickly learned his niche was anything that pierces and cuts as you seen him markup Yuuji and Yuta with the soft colored side of his blade. You thought this was great because you thought you knew a thing or two about blades, naively showing him the knife you would use against attacks. Displaying how you would use it; he had immediately taken it away.  Saying that you were too green and needed in depth training to get it back, you felt very defeated as that was something you were planning on using soon.

He said for you to come find him to train, but you never had to as he’d always find you instead.

The wild part was how he’d train you. Using the blunt, dull side of the blades against your skin, standing pressed up against you in some form. It was unnerving but thrilling in a way you couldn’t describe as he would easily guide your opposing-colored hands to his vulnerable points with the blade’s hilt. The glint in his crimson eyes coupled with his infamous smirk would catch you unawares always because ‘who the heck gets a kick out of slicing someone up?!’ But you’d be entranced none the less as he’d sneakily cop a feel at your exposed areas. Groping when no one was around or watching. You couldn’t bear to scold him much as you secretly wanted it done.

You rolled your shoulders, smiling proudly to yourself as you felt your previous lesson went great. “I think I’m coming along pretty well. Enough to take down what really counts which are those zombies! So I should be able to go out w—”

“You already know the answer to that is no. And you need to be able to fight off all sorts of threats.” Sukuna interjected while he threw a few fake jabs at Toji as he easily dodged the random duo. Maki and the tattooed hunk.

You turned around kicking up some dirt in your frustration, annoyed at being told no again. It really was unfair that you had to stay back while they explored around. You were locked up once and it was like the same thing all over again, but worse. Or a different kind of worse, at least at the facility there was no talk about sexually harming someone. Not to your knowledge anyways.

“I know you want to get out of here, but you know as well as the rest of us why you can’t. Trust me, I want to be out of here just as much as the next. But give it a little bit of time. Wait until they’re distracted, then we go in for the kill.” Sukuna suddenly had you in a light chokehold, cold metal resting against your collar, you couldn’t help the shiver that coursed through you. He was so stealthy, it creeped you out and turned you on.

‘Something about when this guy gets behind me!´ You internally shrieked as he pressed more into you.

“We haven’t come to a decision on what to do (with you) and once that happens, we’ll execute it on a designated day. So until then…” Toji calmly spoke as he held up against Maki’s powerful blows.

“Why don’t you be a little bit more patient like the rest of us,” Your assailant, Sukuna, spoke into your ear before flipping you to the ground, pinning you under his body once again. You believed this to be his favorite move as it was at least the 15^th time he’s done this. You were looking into deadly crimson eyes while he continued, “And don’t you dare do anything stupid.” His words somehow jolted into you.

You frowned. What was he referring to? Perhaps he was referring to you constantly trying to go on a run with them.

Huffing in frustration, you pressed up into him with all of your might and swept your legs from under him; utilizing that moment of interruption to pivot and twist yourself over him, landing in a position that you’ve dreamt about occasionally. But now is no time to daydream.

You’re annoyed and he can smell as such. “I get that you’re mad, but we can’t have you f*cking up our escape plans.” He growled out as he pulled you close. So close your lips were a breath away.

“Which will be when? I’m tired of being stuck here with those creeps lurking around tryna corner me.” You struggled against him futilely as his eyes just pierced into you, there was a glint in them, but you were too stubborn to notice it.

You were suddenly released, only to be airlifted by the waist by an undoubtedly bulky arm.

“Give us some time to figure it out, little lady. You have no patience.” A burly voice chuckled.

You rolled your eyes before they did a double take over the green-haired woman. She was sprawled, chest bobbing rapidly. Toji had bested her once again.

“I –want –a –rematch!” Maki declared in between breaths.

The three of you shook your heads. She didn’t know when to quit. But you did, for now anyways.

Sighing with a pout, you had finally conceded, causing Toji to place you upright. You watched as he walked over to Maki, cracking his knuckles and stretching his neck. They were going to go at it again. Shaking your head in disbelief, you turn and go to give Sukuna the sheathed knife, only for a flicker of an ill-mannered thought to cross your mind.

Looking up at him with false innocence, you dragged the tip down his arm, starting at his thick bicep, while the tips of your fingers on your other hand pressed lightly into his abs. His eyes locked onto you carefully. You were setting up a honey trap unbeknownst to him.

Allowing yourself to feel as aroused as you could be in his presence (without folding), you batted your lashes at him, withholding the salacious smirk that almost broke across your face as you could see him already becoming effected.

“When can I get my knife back?” You tilted your head cutely, having your collar on display as his heated breath blew over it, enticing him to bite it. He didn’t even realize that his breath had slightly picked up as soon as he caught a whiff of you.

The big brutish man’s steps stuttered once your scent had hit him, mere meters away, allowing Maki’s incoming attack to land.

He rubbed at his side; a deep grumble was in his chest as he paused Maki’s next attack. Slightly side eyeing you two he called out, “Knock it off, lil lady!”

You jumped, dropping the weapon, and clung to Sukuna’s vibrating chest. He was laughing at your meekness as you ducked your head into his chest out of embarrassment.

“Nice try, doll.” Sukuna lifted your chin to look at him, as he smirked in your face. Bending to your height he whispered, “Ask me that again later, without an audience.” You stiffened at his suggestion, while he chuckled walking away from your shocked form.

‘This is what I get for tryna be sneaky!’ You frowned at his backside as he walked to the assorted knife set and placed your weapon away.

 

Quick Switch to Nanami and Megumi

Dark circles clung to the under-eye of Nanami as he rubbed at his temple tiredly. Body riddled with fatigue, exhaustion and loneliness; he almost missed the call on the screen.

“President Yoshinobu, apologies. No further updates other than the teams taking an additional two months than scheduled. We— ”

“So, the two months is true.” A stern feminine voice came through, causing the blonde male’s head to shoot up in surprise.

His once dull eyes started to shine again. Her tanned skin was like a breath of fresh air. “My, Love. What are y–“

“Don’t.” Thick dark brown coils stiffly shook as the woman on the screen shifted to get more comfortable. “Two. Additional. months, Kento? Seriously?” It was rhetorical.

He deflated right back into his chair, body slack and vulnerable. He grumbled into his hand as he felt the weight of his beloved’s worry dig into him.

“…I was just as furious. You know how much I hate going over the timeline set out.” He grounded his fingers into his palm. He really disliked overtime.

“I know… but how did it turn from one month to now three?” Compassion coming over her, her voice came out softer than before. “Actually, knowing who went with you, let me guess who extended it. Geto and Gojo?”

He huffed a light chuckle stumbled out of him. “You’re only half correct. Gojo and Sukuna.”

“Awkward duo, but I can see it.” A smirk graced both of their faces.

“I’ve missed you, My, love.”

“I had to sneak to get on here while Yoshinobu is away, I’m happy I caught you.” Amber brown eyes settled easily over the blonde man.

The man’s chest filled with warmth and longing. He wanted to be back in her arms. This mission was proving to be more difficult the longer they stayed out there. The likely threat that his team would be pursued and attacked if they just up and left prior to their designated date of departure, wasn’t much of a concern given the capability of the team. The problem would be if you were lost in the process.

“They’re stuck in an encampment abiding by their rules. They already confirmed that 128 is safe after the altercation she had with one of the community members. They’re working on a plan to escape, but I’m not sure if I want them to risk it.”

“Risk losing her you mean? What’s her name anyways? We’re still decoding what was sent.” Dark brown coils swished to the side as the young woman pondered for a moment.

“…I’m not sure. I was never told her name, but yes. If they could escape, I’m certain they’d be fine, but they’re bringing along two additional people. The one in particular seems to be aiding them in their escape so it seems they’re necessary. Until then, I’m stuck here sifting through old chard files full of horrific tales of monstrosities committed against man in this hellish place.”

“How you have a way with words...” His eyes followed her well-manicured fingers as they trailed along the desk she sat at. His memory briefly recalled them trailing along his skin many weeks ago. “With gaining this person’s data and knowledge of their abilities… would we be any different? I mean after decoding Cody’s transcript, I can only imagine what was done to the other. Thankfully we won’t need to nearly perform a quarter of what they did to them.”

He hummed in thought, mind sluggish and buffering to respond, but the screen flickered, signaling the near end of these transmissions.

Clearing his throat, he rushed to say parting words. “The power is minimal here, so I don’t think I have much time My, dear. I love you. Both of you.” His voice lowered as his eyes watched how his woman leaned back into the chair, lab coat unbuttoned showing off the top of her rounding belly.

“Oh…okay. W… we love you too. Kento, please come back to me. To us.” She rubbed at her stomach self-soothingly. Her lip quivered as her eyes became glassy and his heart nearly sunk. He hated seeing her cry. Mostly because she rarely cried, but this baby seems to have been bringing out her emotions often. Even before he left, she was a blubbering mess.

“Don’t get yourself worked up. I’ll be back before you know it. Just focus on extracting the data from the last tracker we sent. I’m sure you’ll have your work cut out for you with whatever comes of it.” He tried shifting her thoughts.

Nodding along with what he said, they parted on a somber note.

After a beat of silence, Megumi finally spoke up in the darkness of the room.

“You didn’t mention to her that we were heading out on the field?” The younger man noted.

“JEE—Megumi, can you announce yourself next time? No. No, I did not. I’m already beat and the last thing either of us needs is for her to get worked up by badgering me.” Megumi grimaced at the idea. Once that lady gets on a roll, there’s no stopping her from reading you for filth. “We need to get rest anyways and start packing for the road.”

>>> 

At his command Nanami and Megumi saddled up as much as they could for the upcoming days for when they needed to depart.

It was just bad timing when they were finally decided to leave that not only was a heavy storm pummeling them, but a messenger of Toji’s, essentially upended their mission.

“WHAT DO YOU MEAN SHE ESCAPED!?......—OVER!” He basically seethed over the faulty radio. The storm was hitting against their towers bad, but it would pale in comparison once he got his hands on whoever altered his plans. He just told the president that he and Megumi were about to meet up with the team and ETA shouldn’t be more than a week given the fact that the guys confirmed they would have a path cleared to get around the barricaded bridge that stood between them by the time Nanami arrived.

“Mamas… she was attacked by one of the guys from the community and we’re thinking she made a run for it overnight, but there’s already a small party sent for her. Your men are on it and went ahead. Sent me in their place, but maaan, I need to get back ‘cause there is a lot of sh*t happening right now. Uh over.” Miguel rushed.

There was a clattering in the background. Nanami had kicked a chair clear across the room in anger. This was beyond overtime. If you want things done right, sometimes you have to do it yourself.

“Fine. But before you go. Tell Toji, Alpha has joined the pack. Over.”

“Will do.” Miguel ended the transmission before bolting out of the station only to come to a semi-defeated halt. Tadashi had taken their car and drove off without him and there was a storm brewing in the background. Sh*t just got real.

“What the f—”

<<< 

**Let’s back track a bit**

A celebration was being had that night. Low cheering, as to not attract the wrong crowd, was heard within the small town’s streets. Congratulations and thanks were given to those who helped to expand the vicinity. This was happening right before a proper decision was made for the teams’ escape. Your escape.

You thought tonight of all nights would have been the perfect cover for you all to escape, and so did the team, but then they were all requested to receive special recognition for their hard work. And then you can’t forget how great of eye-candy they were because immediately they were swarmed by the women right after their “special” ceremony. As if dodging them for the night wasn’t a task in itself, the group were promptly assigned to guard the wall. Separately. Just couldn’t catch a break.

Which then meant you had a break from your bodyguards.

And your backup bodyguards? Well Maki, Tadashi, Miguel and even Ronan, were getting drunk off their tails. Suckered into a drinking competition, they went three rounds, while you sat them all out. You couldn’t hang unfortunately because well, your body purified toxins far rapidly than your counterparts at this point. You just ended up excusing yourself. Wasn’t hard. Not like they were sober enough to pay you any attention.

But someone else did~

A silver haired fox.

Hazy heterochrome eyes stalked your frame across the area, slipping into the doctor’s office.

‘It’s rather late to be paying the doc a visit…’ He thought as he drunkenly slinked off to pay you a visit.

 

You found yourself cornered, after taking stock of what Choso needed and adding it to your list of things to grab if, or when they go to the hospital. They hadn’t made mention of leaving yet, so in the event they planned on gambling a run at the hospital before you left, then at least your usage would be covered and then some for Choso. 

“Lookit I caught~” A slurred voice sang, catching your attention. Great, it was the man that wanted to do appalling things to you. He stumbled towards you, face looking scarily predatory, but you would not be shaken. You’ll put your training to the test tonight if need be.

“Y/N with her hand in the cookie jar.” His liquored breath wisped passed your nostrils, causing you to cringe away in disgust.

He leaned back on the counter behind him, trying to balance his swaying self. He asked you a question while he fiddled with one of the drawers. “Whatcha doin~” Spotting a red ball of fuzz, he snatched it out and began tossing it in the air.  

“I’m not doing anything wrong, Mahito. Don’t play around in here. Put that back!” Voice unwavering, as you tried catching the ball from him. You were nervous about what could fall out.

“Ah-ah~ I’ll give it back if you tell me what you’re doing!” He taunted while still keeping it out of reach. It seemed stupid to fuss over something like a yarn ball, he thought dizzily as he watched you turn back to your bag that sat atop of the patient table.

He tossed it again while you rummaged in it briefly. Head tilting back, mouth lazily fallen open. He threw it in line with the florescent light buzzing above his head, blinding him. It bounced off his mouth, and onto the floor.

The young man cleared his throat, something small catching in it. But his mouth was numb from the alcohol, so he cleared it once more and swallowed. Probably just a piece of food that finally dislodged from between his teeth. Right?

“I’m just trying to help out and get the inventory list done sooner.” You said after finally spinning around holding a booklet up for show before he abruptly snatched it away. Giving it a once over with mock interest. You tried snatching it out of his hand, but again your stature failed against his.

A bright smile crossed his face, yet it seemed so menacing after he carelessly tossed your notes behind him. It landed near the only exit to this situation —the front door.

Now he was towering over your shorter form, backed into the table where you’d have a patient sit.

“You didn’t have to thr—”

“Aww~ Sorry my little diligent worker bee~” He smoothed down your locs, brushing them back gently before roughly grabbing them. “But d’ya think that’s gonna reduce anything, huh~” Your head snapped back as your body bent backwards with the violent pull. “Or better yet –you think we’re gonna let you leave? Nope! We’ll just finds ways to keep tacking on time~ Work those guys like slaves! And there’s nothing you can do~” He had a frenzied smile, drool slipping out like he was some rabid being. And you thought as much of the crazed man.

Your heartbeat against your chest as you were bent in half the wrong way and your feet could no longer touch the ground, wildly kicking in the air as neither foot could get an edge. Terrifyingly trapped beneath his menacing body as he rambled on above you. You yelped in pain as your hands instinctually scratched at the hand that balled your hair too tightly. But he immediately gripped your small wrists together, forcibly pinning them over head. Practically rendering you defenseless.

You forgot what to do in this moment. All of that training out the window when your mind chose flight instead of fight.

Too intoxicated off the thrill of you fighting against him, he bent over your form, pressing his hardening member into you.

“Mmm…but guess what, Y/N!? I know what you can do~” He chuckled maniacally before abruptly pressing your foreheads together as if you were lovers. Breath wreaking of liquor, he said, “Me~” His enjoyment was too much for him that his eyes practically rolled to the back of his head as he manhandled you to spread your legs so he could fit between them better. Unbuttoning your pants, you really started to squirm, unfortunately to his delight. “Mmmn~ I love it when you filthy sluts fight back. Mnph, keep it up.” He thrusted into you roughly once, shifting you back just enough. You think your dreams will be haunted by the image of this guy getting off on your despair.

Your foot finally landed on the edge of the table, signaling your mind to switch to fight. You thrusted up, slid your leg underneath and kicked him backwards; a maneuver you were grateful that was drilled into you these past couple of days. He slammed into the cabinets, bouncing off the counter and stumbled to regain his balance. But he stepped on that yarn ball causing black fluids to seep out and slipped cartoon style to the floor. Legs up and all. You rolled off the table onto the opposite side, landing on your toppled bag before you quickly clambered to the door with it hooked on your arm.

Hand slamming down on the chucked booklet as you went, you mindlessly grabbed it while you continued to crawl for the exit; too overcome with fear, you missed the familiar voice on the other side of it.

 

“Why are these lights on?” Choso questioned when he walked up to the door before having a bundle of nerves suddenly collide into his chest. His face held so much confusion looking over you before Mahito stumbled drunkenly out of the door moments later. He couldn’t even begin to ask what happened as you rushed out of his arms, ignoring his calls for you, running back to the bedroom you took shelter in.

Yes, you were learning self-defense and were doing well at it. You proved so by being able to get him off of you tonight….

But your mind also thought of how you almost didn’t. How if your feet didn’t catch the edge of the table, or if you slipped midway through your defensive maneuver, or if maybe he was sober so his movements would have been more precise…

If.

If.

If… only you didn’t have to go through this anymore.

The possibilities plagued your mind as you locked your door, nestling into your covers to block out your anger. Your grief. Your fear.

To block out everything and after a while everyone that knocked at your door.

‘Choso must have said something to them.’ You thought sourly. Them being Maki and Ronan checking on you, but you did not respond. Sure of the fact that the home wreaked of lemons or whatever, you rolled your eyes at yourself. ‘Y’all know what my scents mean. Figure it out and take a hint!’ You think irritatedly. You chose to keep ignoring them.

Ignoring the tingles that told you your “manipulators” were just on the other side. Ignoring the coaxes to try and share your sudden ailment and trying to get you out for dinner at least.

The only way you were going to get out of this room was if they told you when you were escaping, but they couldn’t. It was too soon to say, especially not knowing what happened to you.

‘There’s no way I’m letting them or myself stay here any longer against our will!’ You gathered your emotions together enough to instill courage within you. Grabbing your notebook, you did a once over of it, ensuring you’d grab everything you possibly could to get you scotch-free from this place as well as your friends.

‘Friends… yeah. I’m doing this because they’re my friends.” Warmth spread in your chest as you smiled appreciatively at an idea forming. It was of them being ecstatic when you made it back from the hospital by yourself with a treasure trove of supplies. ‘Mmhm~ They’ll be floored and wished that they brought me on their outings sooner!’ You buzzed with glee as you gathered necessities around your room.

You had it all planned out.

Early morning, just before the sun rose, you’d escape under the stealth of darkness and drunken stupor. You’d do some minor chores prior, just to temporarily throw them off your tail. Banking on them being too hungover to immediately notice your absence. Snickering to yourself at how clever you were, you grabbed at a map roughly drawn up to scale of the hospital. You had managed to overhear some conversations about it as well as eyeballing the physical map the team had. You patted yourself on the back that you created such a masterpiece.

Yes, you had it all planned out.

You were going and there was nothing stopping you.

 

Notes:

(Plot armor and the power of friendship were on your side!) Jk (<_<“ )

Mannnn I'll say one of the toughest things with writing imo is remembering the timeline ESPESH if you've got ADD. But look I did my best ight XD Be blessed and have a great week/end

Chapter 16: Sixteen

Notes:

Other than life piecing me up left and right, what REALLLLYYY held me back from posting was trying to figure out how to post an image to this story. SMH. I feel childish AND defeated cuz I still ain’t figure it out
(~_~’)

Naoya was stooped low looking over Mahito’s bruised body that rested on a stained bed sheet sloppily thrown on the floor. He was recovering from a fight he clearly did not win as well as a terrible hangover given the several vomit stains.

“What happened?” The green-haired man yawned, foot catching onto the incapacitated man as he tripped over him to groggily sit with Dagon. He was the one who brought him in.

“Please don’t jostle him too much; he’s been vomiting and I’m tired of cleaning it up. And Choso beat his sh*t in.” Dagon, a burly man who many would say is very loyal, crossed his arms looking pathetically over his comrade.

He quirked an eyebrow and turned to look at Mahito again in slight disgust. “Then you better make sure Ranta and Jogo put him up somewhere else. I don’t want vomit in my home.” He sneered at the stains beneath the man before turning his attention back to his drink. “And he must have deserved it, if he got Choso of all people to do that to him.” Naoya said as he grabbed the cup of coffee poured for him.

“He attacked [Y/N].” Dagon gave a knowing look to Naoya. He had been saying to get rid of you and that team that keeps you surrounded practically 24/7, a while ago. He could tell you were nothing but trouble especially after your first encounter with Naoya himself.

He rolled his eyes. ‘Of course, he’d do some stupid sh*t.’

“Probably just kicked a hornet's nest with that. He’s going to regret this. Who else knows?” His glare turned on to his unconscious comrade.

“For right now, maybe a handful I’d say.”

“Still bright and early, maybe we can avoid a blow up, hopefully.” He took a leisure sip of his bitter drink. It was too early to have to deal with this crap.

There were plans he set that were going to take place today, hopefully nothing derailed. He needed full cooperation. And you being injured or traumatized by one of his guys could make things difficult seeing as you pretty much have the military wrapped around your fingers. Tactical manpower that he needed. So, if he could somehow get into your good graces after a blunder like this, things could be better for him. Thinking back on his ailing uncle, if they could get what they needed from the hospital, he’d be willing to forgive your sentence. Maybe even let you guys leave ahead of schedule if everything worked out the way it should. He really didn’t want either of you leaving at all, but it would probably be in everyone’s best interest if you did.

‘Shoot, probably would have spared a life if we sent them off sooner.’ Naoya kissed his teeth in annoyance. Dagon was right. He had to think of how to spin things back into his favor quick. Figuring he should start off with the root of the problem. You.

He would set out to find you throughout the day, but unbeknownst to him, you already had an 8 hour start ahead. Unfortunately, by the time he would figure out that you’re gone; the day is well passed.

>>> 

“She’s not coming out of her room or answering. It’s still locked.” Maki spoke dejectedly with Yuta walking beside her. They were on their way to Choso’s office. “The food I left for her was gone however, so I’m guessing she ate overnight.”

Yuta hummed in acknowledgement, pondering all what transpired. Judging from the sourness that lingered in the home, you were highly stressed and agitated. He didn’t catch everything that occurred, he just knew he, Dagon and a few others were pulling Choso off a bloody Mahito. Nothing more was said as they made Yuta go back to his position which was the closest to the office. He obviously relayed the information later to the group, but with them showing up late, it did nothing to change the fact that they were all unwelcome visitors to you.

Yuta and Maki wanted to get to the bottom of things before it was time to head out for the day, and they figured they could start with Choso. And upon entering, aside from Toji and Sukuna, the whole team had the same idea.

“Great! Now that you’re all here, I only have to repeat myself a little less today! I do not know what Mahito did to her. She ran into me, and she just looked terrified… and…” He was becoming enraged all over again. He took a deep breath before continuing, “She was shaking so bad. Her clothes were disheveled... and her pants were open. Then Mahito stumbled out drunk and she ran away before I could say anything.” He shook his head in disbelief as he continued to clean up in the small space. Things were knocked over and pushed around. Test subjects were destroyed. Clearly there was a struggle. And there was a lingering rancid scent in the air that nobody wanted to mention. It was from the destroyed black grapes.

“Do you think he…?” Yuuji tensed, worry written over his face. Everyone’s face looked torn. Full of unreleased anger and concern.

Choso just shrugged and shook his head. “I’m not entirely sure. At least I don’t think it got that far. He was rambling some bullsh*t when he came out and went to walk after her. And then… I don’t know what came over me, but I just couldn’t stop punching him. Yuta and Dagon had to stop me.” He blinked in confusion while he checked over his bandaged hands. They were bruised and scabbed from how many times his fists connected to Mahito’s face. He did not feel an ounce of concern for the guy, especially when he started throwing up everywhere, but the level of outrage he had was foreign to him.

Choso knew he was probably going to be reprimanded though, for his level of violence, but he truly did not care. He could say it was warranted given how his office space is in shambles and the samples you had were destroyed. Not that you weren’t worth protecting to that degree, it just wouldn’t stand much in the eyes of the people that run this place, unfortunately. “Anyways I must finish cleaning up in here. Let me know how [Y/N]’s doing and, you all have a good day.” He shooed them away.

With nothing more to discuss they figured you’d come out of the room eventually and made their way for their posts.

Maki and Yuuji were the first to part ways from the group as they were assigned with Hanami and Dagon to go further past the new expansion. Maki didn’t show it, but she was slightly put off today. First not being able to speak to you today and now she’s being separated from her partner in crime. Yuta. They always assigned them together, so today was just odd.

But he was allotted reconstruction for the newly taken homes along with Geto, Gojo and Todo for the day.

Sukuna and Toji had departed earlier with Miguel claiming to head to the radio station again, but really it was to get everything squared away so they could escape. Though they initially seen Miguel as a “chaperone” of sorts, he was secretly a mole for them. He would let the guys know what was happening around the neighborhood and even encouraged them to escape. So, they offered him a chance to go with them, but he hadn’t fully decided yet. However, he did still help wherever he could, like watching over you, or clearing a pathway around the barricaded bridge. Just helping prepare for the inevitable escape.

The day seemed oddly slow. Like they could feel every second of a minute go by. A quick trip to the bridge no more than a 30-minute drive, felt at least like an hour. Not even small talk abated the oddness of the day. Things just seemed off.

And after clearing a bigger path to get over the river, it was well passed noon. It seemed time had evaded their senses. Like someone pressed fast forward and then resume abruptly as they arrived back to the gated community.

Walking inside, it wasn’t that the town was somewhat bustling, it was something else. It was on the tips of their tongues. Right under their noses even. But couldn’t quite grasp it yet. What was it?

It wasn’t the frown on Naoya’s face that caught their attention because that was normal. It was more so Tadashi’s face, a shade that rivaled a tomato, standing aggressively close in Naoya’s face. They never seen such a typically easy-going man so hostile before.

Walking up to them, Miguel, the one that was on better terms with both men, asked what was wrong.

Cue Tadashi berating Naoya for his lack of leadership and handling when it came to you being harmed. Something unbeknownst to them that was promised to never happen again. But it did and Tadashi wanted someone to come correct.

“I can’t have my eyes on everyone’s location all the time! Mahito is his own person and whatever he did, he will be punished for, but until then he’s quarantined. Back down, Tadashi!” Naoya gritted. He wasn’t happy about the situation either. He’d could’ve killed Mahito himself if all the puking he had going on, didn’t take him out first.

“Quarantined, my *ss. You’re just protecting him because he’s good at sucking your dick still. Just admit it already!” Tadashi’s grin was wildly crooked as he stood face to face with Naoya, who did not back down.

“That’s rich coming from someone who was begging ME—”

“You better be careful with those next words.” Tadashi gritted out.

Miguel sensing that tensions were too high, moved Tadashi away from the situation. “Let’s take a walk and you calm down. We can go check on [Y/N] later. Can’t have you scaring her when you look like a tomato.” Miguel lightheartedly joked.

 

Ruffling his hair as he recollected himself, Naoya turned to the two men standing before him. Clearing his throat awkwardly, Naoya began, “…we need to hold a conference with your team members and [Y/N].” Straight to it per usual.

Toji and Sukuna cocked a brow at him as to say, ‘for what?’.

Rolling his eyes, he went on to say, “I want to propose a deal. But I’ll wait until everyone is here and we can all meet in the conference room.” He was frustrated with what Tadashi said as well as the fact that he couldn’t find you all day.

The gates at the front started to open, showing that the other half of the team had returned from their travels.

“Looks like some of them arrived just in time for you to debrief them, captain.” Sukuna quipped smartly.

Naoya kissed his teeth before walking off. Things were moving too fast before he could wrap his head around it. Where the h*ll were you?

Toji did a once over of the guy walking past him, before laying his eyes on his team. They looked disturbed.

“Have a nice trip?”

“A waste of time. The road had a bunch of downed trees, we had to turn back.” Maki huffed in frustration.

“We’ll go again tomorrow with better daylight and more gear to move them.” Hanami said in passing. She was such a straightforward person, that’s what Maki enjoyed about her.

“Good ol’ Hanami. You can rely on her to get the job done. That’s for sure.” Maki frowned with a half smirk. “I’m gonna miss her. As awkward as she is, she wasn’t a half bad friend.” ‘Friend. [Y/N] is in need of a friend, and I’ve been out here—‘

“Listen, Naoya wants to meet up with all of us to make some sort of deal.” Toji began, interrupting the sentimentality.

“I’d say it’s about being here for 2 months. Which in that case, we need to come up with a counteroffer beforehand.” He continued as they all walked towards their usual spot in front of their cramped sleeping quarters. Bouncing off ideas and formulating plans even though they’d be leaving soon.

“Speaking of plans, shouldn’t we tell [Y/N] what’s happening in the next 24 hours. She deserves at least that after last night.” Maki interjected, knowing that they were keeping some things from you for safety reasons. They didn’t want you to slip up and say something.

Toji gave her the go-ahead while the rest remained to still debrief. Miguel walked over with a crease in his brow mid conversation.

“Did you guys see lil mamas by chance? She wasn’t with Dr. Choso or at the laundry center, but some of her tasks were done it seems. I figured maybe she’d be with her favorite bodyguards.” He chuckled at the last bit trying to relieve the tension.

“No, but Maki went back to their place a bit ago, so she might be there.” Yuuji offered while waving over Yuta and the rest of the gang. They were sluggish walking over. Pieces of debris littered their dirtied bodies.

“You guys worked hard today, huh?” Sukuna smirked as Gojo and Geto gave him the middle finger. He meant it when he said he was not going to work on those homes anymore. “Thanks for you service to the community ~.” He cackled as they plopped down into the chairs they used to sit around when they had dinner. Those two did work hard. They were blowing off some steam from what they think was done to you. When they visited you last night, they could’ve broken down the door to get to you, but they knew better. So they left you alone. Then hearing Choso’s POV was no better. Mahito was lucky they couldn’t find him. It would have been his blood littering their bodies instead.

Toji took that time to go over plans, keeping Miguel in the loop as he was helping them.

“That sounds reasonable to me. Anything else?” Miguel asked as he looked around the community, contemplating if he truly should stay. He was tired of seeing and hearing of the women getting mistreated here. Would you be the last straw for him to take up that offer?

“Anyone getting a weird feeling today? Just feeling… off?” Todo said after a beat of silence. Looking over everyone’s face they nodded, slowly agreeing. They couldn’t quite put their noses on it. Before more could be said, they were being called to the conference room. Yuta and Sukuna went to go grab you and Maki.

Upon entering the home, they saw Maki with a deep frown set across her face standing in front of your door.

“What’s wrong?” Yuta matched her expression.

“She hasn’t been answering. And it’s still locked. I guess she’s still pretty shaken up and is ignoring us.” Maki said dejectedly as she felt annoyance hurt from you ignoring her since last night. You even stepped out to clean the dishes, as they were sitting neatly in the drying rack. As well as tidied up the home. Something you often did as she hated washing dishes. But you wouldn’t step out to speak to your friends?

Sukuna quirked a brow. That would be incredibly childish of you, which he didn’t peg you for.

“How long has it been?” Yuta asked as he walked closer towards your door, the odd feeling was back and increasing.

Shrugging that she really didn’t have a clue because she had been gone since this morning where you also did not answer her…

“You’re saying since about six or seven this morning, no response from her?” Yuta said worriedly, spinning on his heals to face her before immediately pivoting to look at Sukuna.

Sukuna’s face went straight. He couldn’t smell you.

“I mean I guess that is a long ti –“ Maki began to say before Sukuna moved her out of the way to then body slam your door wide open.

A swift breeze carried through your room from the door being thrusted open, causing a neatly folded paper to teeter off the edge of the bed. Catching dark sunken eyes attention, Yuta looked it over quickly before handing it to Sukuna; the shorter man broke into a full sprint to the conference room.

“What’s it say?” Maki mumbled as she towered over the discarded paper. Sukuna grunted before peeking out your window, already in search of little details you could have left behind.

~ Gone fishing. BRB ;P ~

                       -Y/N

 

>>> 

Bursting into the conference room, all eyes were looking at the heaving man.

Toji scowled at the sudden intruder. Yuta rarely looked worried, yet alone as anxious as he did now.

“What’s going on?”

“She left!”

The floors were scratched with how quickly everyone leaped out of their chairs. Immediately interrogating him, they raced to your home, even with Naoya in pursuit.

They checked all over the town, even the new development. But there were no traces of you.

Joining back together, Gojo was in Naoya’s face berating him.

“This is your fault! If you could control your men, she’d still be here! But let’s face it, since you can’t even handle your infantile tantrums, it would be hard to keep your people in line.” That struck a chord.

Egos took shots, blows were thrown and there was no winner in this… –Gojo won.

“How about you and your lackeys –” Toji began before Dagon stepped up, releasing his hold on Naoya.

“Watch what you say.” He growled out.

“Do something ‘bout it.” He shrugged nonchalantly, in which Dagon did not in fact do anything about it. “You and your lackeys go suck your thumbs and we’ll handle the search from here.”

“She has a part in our deal, someone’s going from my side!” Naoya demanded while he held his shirt to his bloodied nose.

“No! And quite frankly, we don’t have time to go back and forth with you. You’re lucky we don’t call this deal off. Men, get to base, we’ll –” Toji began conducting his team.

“You don’t run this place! I DO!” Naoya shouted at the back of Toji’s head. He spun on him.

“And how’s that turning out?” It was rhetorical.

“Someone’s going. Ranta.” He declared. They all pulled a face.

“No.”

“I’ll go.” Tadashi offered, icily staring Naoya down.

“…No.” Naoya hesitated.

“Fine. There’s your someone.” Toji agreed.

“I’ll come along, I guess.” Ronan said shakily. He had witnessed everything and caught wind of what happened. He was concerned about what would happen if he didn’t come along with Tadashi.

“You already know I’m in.” Miguel patted Ronan’s shoulder for reassurance, causing his nerves to loosen a bit.

“Even better! There you go.” Toji smirked at Naoya’s scorned face.

“You’ll regret this!” A warning that did not go missed by the leader or his comrades. Several pairs of eyes landed on the prideful man. If looks could kill, he’d been buried ten times over at least.

“Don’t threaten me, boy.” Toji did not even bother to look back as he walked back with his team in tow.

 

>>> 

Now that you thought about it, you should’ve taken the car dumped on the side of the road, but then again you didn’t know how to drive, and you’d probably been in a ditch right after you figured out the gas pedal situation, yet alone how to start it.

Gutter plan.

But the bicycle you found on said car was ridable, so you enjoyed the breeze through your locs, the beautiful scenery of open lands with overgrown flowers and the weight of walking for so long lifted off of your legs and feet for the time being. The enticing feeling of being free to roam the world once again encompassed you… temporarily.

You caught a flat tire.

Conveniently it was right before the city barricade. There were a few small homes outside of it, overrun by ivy and time. You obviously chose the one easiest to get into.

After taking down some stragglers around the way, you settled in early for the evening. You guessed that they would have noticed you were gone by now and you figured they’d be debating on coming after you now, or tomorrow. But with your sight, you could get ahead of them. They’d probably be smart enough to wait until daybreak again, but you’d still be further ahead. You felt bad for being deceptive and impulsive, but a line was crossed yet again, and you weren’t going to take it lying down. Your point will be made when you came back with everything you used plus some.

You huffed arrogantly as you nestled in for a little cat nap. You needed it after barely getting any rest the other night.

 

>>> 

You were kicking yourself.

You woke up late. Late-Late.

The sun was already rising. You could tell by the birds chirping and not only that, but the sun yesterday was on your right. This was on your left. You should have been seeing the moon and stars.

‘So much for a head start.’ You rolled your eyes as a yawn pushed itself out.

But hey, you were grateful that you were well rested considering your sleep was broken the other night, courtesy of that molester.

With the time gap smaller than you would have liked, you hurriedly got back on the road. More so trail as you recalled the map showing a field that you could cut through that would lead you directly to the hospital on the outskirts of the city, rather than through the city itself. Since you’re doing this on foot, it’s better to be safe than sorry.

You could spot the hospital between the thinning line of trees. You were making great head way. You were so proud of yourself. You could do this. Cross this open field and get behind that gate that fenced you off, and you’d be inside. You were so excited that you could feel tingles all over. Your gut felt ravenous with butterflies abuzz inside as you stepped out on the edge of the wilderness. At first glance, it was a pretty sight. Breathtaking as you took it all in, yet incredibly sad once you descended into it. You could only imagine the downfall of such a massive place.

Maybe you should have thought this through a bit more…

‘Too late!’ You shrugged off the thought as you trekked your way through the barren open field. The grass grew in patches, it was mostly dirt with picked over bones jutting out randomly in the dried mud from long ago.

Heat was rushing through you with each step closer to the unknown. You didn’t notice your body instinctually slowed down, as you took in more of the devastation before you. Charred military cars turned over, multiple craters with even more bones scattered within them.

“There must have been a war here between the living and the dead until it was overrun.” You mumbled to yourself, passing through the destruction and decay. Saddening sight.

What was sadder was seeing a hollowed undead, barely able to move. Crushed under the weight of stone, dirt and a random large tire. You quirked a brow, suddenly inquisitive of how this ended up on top of the zombie. You crouched low, examining it in the budding light. It’s feeble groans and weak attempts at grabbing you made you take pity. This was a human being once, full of vibrant life and light, and due to some twisted plight, their body was reduced to this.

‘Skin and bones.’

A piece of it’s remaining flesh pulled off as it tried to crawl towards you, somehow causing the tire to slip down, landing with a soft thud.

‘Decaying skin and bones. Gross.’

You drove the kitchen knife you had into it’s head, causing it to drop into complete lifelessness. It was dizzying when it hit your senses. You nearly puked at the sound and smell of the rancid juices that oozed out, much like the black grapes you once popped. You don’t think you’ll ever get used to it, but dealing with these things, it was unavoidable.

You stood up slowly, trying to regain your composure, taking a deep breath to calm those tingles of anxiousness down. They seemed stronger. You thought maybe it was because you were stalling out here.

‘Nah, I’m ready to get this over with.’ You reassured yourself while fanning your shirt. Even though it was the summer, you were feeling weirdly toasty for it to be the early morning.

Then you thought about it.

‘Butterflies and tingles. Dizziness and temp.’

You halted.

Suddenly feeling like prey…

…right before the predator’s hunt.

Unaware. Exposed and vulnerable.

Swallowing thickly, you turned for what felt too slow, back to the tree line you came out of.

There, hastily trudging passed it was a man you did not expect to see so soon. Alone and pissed off.

You were frozen under the fierceness in his eyes, though far away, knew you had contact. Even his gate carried an aura of ‘Do Not F*ck With Me!’

Which is exactly what you do because you’re hard-headed.

“YOU STAY RIGHT THE F*CK THERE!” A command that made your whole-body jolt with pleasure and terror.

You…took… off.

Notes:

This was soooo much fun to write 😂 I hope y’all liked it. Have a blessed week and be safe!

Chapter 17: Seventeen

Notes:

Howdy~ I hope yall week/end was good and pray that it gets better :3 Enjoy the read~

The pink-haired man growled in anger and withheld pleasure as the thrill of the chase closed in. Sure, he was pissed that you don’t listen, but he hasn’t had this level of excitement in a while, so he stalled. Finding your trail immediately and heading for the one place you mentioned so often, he didn’t bother staying to see what his leader would have to say.

He went out to look for you on his own, ahead of everyone, knowing they’d catch up eventually.

And when he finally caught sight of you going through the trees that morning, he decided to tail you instead of tackling you and dragging you back by your ankles. Taking his time and seeing how far you could get without you being none-the-wiser of his presence.

But then he caught wind of your honey scent trickling in. He knew your body was reacting to his close range, especially when you stopped to turn around. He was going to have to cut his little game short and get back to business.

“YOU STAY RIGHT THE F*CK THERE!” A command that made your whole-body jolt with pleasure and fear.

A squeak squeezed in the back of your throat as you took off –right over the tire that had dropped moments ago, rendering you discombobulated too long for your liking.

He would have laughed, but you were quick to recover, and he needed to get to you before you could cross the barrier that kept the dead from attacking you both.

You chanced a look over your shoulder, gaging the distance between you two.

You were fast.

But Sukuna was faster.

This big, bodied athlete was rapidly crossing the field at lightning speed. Closing the distance you barely had, and you mentally reprimanded yourself for taking a lovely stroll earlier.

You wished you could scream, but that could alert other dangers hidden around you. Sukuna was enough.

‘Hurry!Hurry!Hurry!’ You pumped through your shorter stride to arrive quickly at the towering chain-link fence. You could only think about quickly putting the thin metal between you and the threatening quarterback behind you.

You leapt onto the fence, thin rusted wires scraping against your sweaty skin as you clambered upwards. The chains chimed and jingled fiercely under your movement.

And even more so when Sukuna climbed (barely) and hooked an arm around you, before dropping from the fence, using his weight to snatch you off. He made sure to catch you safely, before immediately depositing you onto the dirt.

Tears silently spilled over your cheeks. The fence was too tall. He was too tall. And suddenly being tossed to the ground hurt.

“For someone with abilities, you have sh*tty hearing. Because I said not to run.” He grumbled as he caught his breath. He was standing over you menacingly, almost daring you to stand up. He had the right mind to push you back down if you tried. “Then look what you did! Better yet, I think it’s your lack of comprehension. It must be affected.” Crimson eyes bared into you as he continued his beratement.

“I TOLD YOU NOT TO DO ANYTHING STUPID!” Sukuna growled into your tear-streaked face. “This would classify as idiotic, genius! You know we were planning on leaving tonight? We almost told you last night, but I heard you were too busy being a brat to answer anyone. But your crazy *ss was busy plotting your own escape. But guess what? This little stunt you pulled –ain’t no way there won’t be eyes on you now! I bet as we speak the whole calvary is on their way.” He continued.

“Ya’ know what, screw you!” You cursed to his face, finally jumping up from the ground, having heard enough.

Who cares about you almost leaving. ‘Almost’ wasn’t now. OR Last night.

“Honestly, it’s a lot easier being out here on my own with these zombies than being anywhere else with you monstrous humans! At least I know what to expect from them because they go off whatever instinct that’s driving them. That’s not their fault. That’s not their true choice from being forcibly turned. But them,” you pointed back generally towards where you left the town behind, continuing, “all that crap they’re putting me through, is a choice! They’re ACTIVELY CHOOSING to be that cruel to me, Sukuna! I was finally free, until I was tricked into that h*llhole and I’m trying to get us ALL FREE now because they’re not trying to let any one of us go! Mahito said so himself when he tried to—” You couldn’t finish. The flashes of him on top of you were too fresh still and choked you up. You wished your mind’s scars could heal like your body did.

He softened a bit, hearing somewhat of what happened but wasn’t sure. Now it made sense. He was still seething, just not necessarily with you. “Did he hurt you?” He asked calmly while you collected yourself.

You shuttered at the memory. “Not enough to leave a mark.” Rolling your eyes as you remembered your body would have healed itself anyways. Continuing with a sigh, you say, “Just scared me. I can’t be there anymore, Sukuna. I just want to leave. Get this crap from the hospital and have them release you guys from working you like dogs.”

“Will you stop trying —“ He rubbed his temple in frustration, as you continued your tirade.

 “NO! I will NOT stop trying to help you guys, but you *ssholes won’t let me LIVE! And now I’m not entirely sure if I really want to go back with any of you, if what I gotta help restore is THOSE PIECES OF SH*T back there ‘cause EFF ‘em!”  You stamped, finalizing the end of your rant as you crouched to pick up some of your spilled items.

The tired man looked down on your smaller form, taking you all in. You clearly had this planned out well before hand, looking over your protective outfit. All black long sleeve top, cargo pants and boots. You looked like a wannabe burglar –a cute burglar. He glared at that comment that crossed his mind.

“You done now? How the h*ll do you claim you want to live when you’re literally soloing a suicidal mission?!” He snatched your makeshift map from your hands, shaking it in your face. “With this flimsy thing that I’m sure won’t get you far!” He didn’t even look at it that well. It was in fact well drawn from your memory of their map and had key notes from conversations they had, but he wasn’t focused on that.

You looked truly offended; you thought you did a good job.

“You didn’t even look at it.” You childishly (from his perspective) glared at him.

“Doesn’t matter. Get your sh*t. We’re going back.” He demanded. You stood firm against him. He could tell you’d be difficult and as much as he could just instantly hog tie you and carry you the rest of the way, it would be best to have you come willingly given your earlier statement.

Using the knowledge of what you recalled from being in the medical side of the facility so often, and from what Choso would offhandedly mention to you in passing, you circled areas that would likely have what you needed.

He lifted his eyes from the paper drawn map, settling on your proud looking face as if you could tell that he thought it looked decent. He wanted to rip it up in your face, but that would only prove your point even more about how monstrous they all are, and just make you irater.

And he did want to leave before something worse happened to you. Chances of Naoya coming up with another bullsh*t excuse to punish you would be even higher, especially if they all came back empty handed.

He grimaced. This was the opportune time to get this done. For your safety and his team’s. No way they wouldn’t catch flack for this.

“Don’t –stop smiling, I’m being serious.” He scolded you as you broke out into a grin once you realized he was considering your plan.

Nodding along you listened, giddy at the fact that he was letting you have your way.

“We are only scouting until the rest get here. If there are even 2 –no 1 undead coming near you—”

“Sukuna. Now you know that’s unreasonable.”

He gave you a look.

You gave it right back, holding up 2 fingers.

“Make it 2.” You eyed him with defiance.

Huffing in surprise at your arrogance, he conceded. “2. Any more than that and I’ll hog-tie you up by your own hair and sling you over my shoulder.”

*Pikachu face*

“Cry about it.” He sassed back as he quickly scanned the area. There were about 8 undead, beyond the fence. It seemed only one had noticed your two’s little lover’s quarrel. Nothing he couldn’t handle. He eyed you again, rolling his eyes at the kitchen knife you brought with you. Muttering under his breath, he fished out the second knife he always carried. Your eyes lit up as you recognized it as something he had you practice with often. Ditching the kitchen knife, you placed it on your belt, happy to have a better weapon of choice in your repertoire.

Looking over your giddy demeanor one more time, he told you to carefully follow his lead. No going ahead until he cleared it.

He was over the fence and downed the closest zombie immediately, quickly coming back to you as you descended the fence. Cradling the cusp of your butt and inner thigh, while the other hand had one of your breasts, causing you to stiffen in his hold. The tingles were here to stay.

“Do you always have to be such a perv?” You lightly chastised as he placed you down gently (this time).

“Coming from the person who’s scent literally screams ‘F*ck m---”

“ENOUGH.” You rushed out in embarrassment. ‘Touche, motherf*cker. Touche.’

 

>>>  

 

Everyone struggled with Toji’s decision to wait to look for you at first light.

It would have been reckless to go out blindly without proper preparation, as you had several hours ahead of them, he thought. He was sure the sun would set by the time either one of them got to the halfway point of wherever you ran off to. What if someone got stuck in the middle of nowhere? At night?! It was already bad enough that Sukuna went off on his own authority. He didn’t need anyone else.

That’s why he ignored the sourpuss’s side-eyes and snippy tones when he ordered them to finish packing the car.

Gojo and Geto resisted the urge to tell their superior to ‘f*ck off’ and go AWOL. To those two, it took too long for Toji to relay the details to the team. It took too long to gather everything into the cars they’d needed for the trip. Too long to depart once the gates opened for them.

And too long for the sudden torrential downpour to pass so they could continue to look for you.

Gojo punched the dashboard. He was hot.

Geto white knuckled the steering wheel. He was ready to tear it off.

Both of their eyes were bloodshot. Unable to even sleep a wink thinking of what trouble you could’ve gotten into. They hoped Sukuna found you… alive. They were pissed they couldn’t have gone with him at the same time. Pissed that they couldn’t protect you.

They had pulled over when they saw fresh tire tracks on side of the road. That’s when they saw dark grey clouds rapidly devouring the blue behind them. As if it’s cover was blown, the wind picked up blowing dust and debris everywhere. It was going to be a rough storm given the low rumbling and flashes along the blackening clouds. They tried to hurry, but ultimately had to pull over and wait it out. They couldn’t see the road before them, and the trees looked like they were going to crash down. Better to be safe than sorry.

Cursing, Geto had rested his seat back. He just felt wound up. Any tighter and he could snap. The both of them. They had a left mind to walk the rest of the way. The right is what kept them seated inside and stationary.

“…we could walk.” One said.

“It is close enough.” The other responded.

“…”

“…”

As if to antagonize them, the wind slammed roughly against their cars, jostling them. The rain heavily slapped at all sides; it almost sounded like rocks were being pelted at them. Then the shrill and rumbling laughter of both lightning and thunder resounding in the sky. The storm was toying with the men for sure.

They sighed dejectedly.

There was a knock at their window. Unlocking the doors, it was Todo. He slipped into the back seat, soaking the leather, making himself squeak against it. It was quiet between them, save for their breathing, but Todo had to suggest something.

“Why don’t you two shut your eyes for a bit.” He finally broke the silence.

Gojo gave him a look as if he were stupid while Geto didn’t even bother to respond.

“You both need to be in top form when we go to retrieve [Y/N] and procure whatever we can from the hospital. We don’t need either of you slipping up in a dead zone.” He continued to press.

They rolled their eyes. He wasn’t wrong, but it was hard to focus with you on their mind and with what happened to you the other night.

“I’ll keep watch and wake you guys up when it’s clear.” He tried again.

The silence was loud and rude.

“…don’t make me put you guys to sleep again.” His voice got dark suddenly, causing them to stiffen. Todo wasn’t necessarily a scary guy. Not to them. For the most part he was a big jubilant man, that moved swift and accurately like a viper. One time he versed the two of them, and they think he got lucky and hit a sweet spot, because the next thing they knew they woke up off the ground ten minutes later disoriented.

Not a moment later they silently reclined their seats back and ignored the low chuckle coming from behind them.

They were just going to let their eyes rest for a moment.

 

Yuta and Maki were cooped up in the home they first met each other also waiting out the storm. You weren’t there as they already scouted the area for any traces of you. There were none to be found. Expected.

What was unexpected was their breaths intermingling as their bodies twisted around along the sheets. They were originally talking about her ailing father and how she didn’t care anymore for him than she did Mahito. He was more of a father figure to Naoya than her, probably why Naoya wanted them to go to the hospital now. The sperm donor would belittle her every chance he got, and even more when her sister and mother passed. At that point, she grew a thick skin against him and the rest of the community, save for a few others.

But then the topic turned onto you. More so how worried Maki was with your disappearance and how if she didn’t get so drunk, she could’ve been there for you. Yuta did his best to distract her from the negative talk, but it only did so much. A sudden crack of lightning made them both jump; Maki being a bit more anxious clung to Yuta out of reflex. He got sucked into her eyes and before either one knew it, their lips were glued together and then they were doing the horizontal tango.

But what was even MORE unexpected, was seeing a sopping wet Miguel, bewildered and smirking at the entrance of the room at the end of their fifth romp session.

“What are you doing here?” Maki said sternly, hiding her embarrassment behind anger and a bed sheet.

“Yeah, shouldn’t you guys be backing up my team?” Yuta said while quickly putting on his clothes.

Miguel cut to the chase in what happened, still unclear about what to think of Tadashi and his irrational decision.

Tapping at his chin, Yuta knew it’d still be too dangerous to drive in these conditions, yet alone walk. He was curious and concerned at how Miguel made it there. The storm was still shaking the home, at this rate, there’d probably be a bunch of downed trees.

As crucial as time was, they’d have to wait out the storm.

“I’ll wait downstairs for you guys to get decent. We can talk more.”

 

“I get that Tadashi cares for her, but to leave you stranded like that? So what, we go after him or [Y/N] first? I mean we could just look for Toji, I guess?” Maki was seated on the stairs, elbows resting on her knees as her face scrunched up in confusion. Her mind was too foggy to think clearly.

“Let’s go over what was discussed first and then determine where we should go from here.” Yuta pointed out. “Tadashi did seem agitated when Toji directed you three to go to comms before following up behind them. Though all of us were a bit on edge.” He countered himself.

Miguel expanded on what was said. Telling Yuta that Nanami was coming, and notated how Tadashi grew incredibly antsy when he mentioned that you were planning on leaving with the team.

“Tadashi wasn’t told about any of our plans to leave, Miguel.” Yuta interjected, causing the man to purse his lips.

“…Oops. That might explain Ronan’s reaction when I said it. The guy looked like he seen a ghost. Maybe he knows something about Tadashi that we don’t. Maybe he isn’t who we think he is.”

“Which would mean [Y/N] could be in even more trouble.” Maki shook her head in her hands worriedly.

Just who did they put their trust into?

<<< 

Back to the hospital

Sukuna took down majority of the undead; you would pick up the stragglers. Oddly you two made a good duo.

And before you knew it the rotunda was quiet. You were glad you had someone with you. Tackling this alone would have been tricky and scary. This level of quietness was unnerving.

You walked over to a map of the building; it was somewhat distorted, but you figured out where you needed to be. The map you had drawn up was in fact useful and you two were able to get to one of the areas with no trouble. Seriously there were no undead in that section of the hospital. Where were they?

Taking the map from Sukuna, you crossed off areas that had nothing of value. You were on your second room in section three labeled on your map as area one had nothing, while area two had little to nothing. It was clearly picked clean over, but the third section was somewhat promising. You even found a few vials that would be helpful to Choso you were sure, as you grabbed a fresh pack of syringes and an IV line. You had no idea if it would be necessary, but why not?

Your bag was pretty full at this point and weighty. Given the quietness and ease of things, would it be a good idea to keep looking?

You side eyed Sukuna, wondering if he’d take going in deeper for consideration. He already wanted to leave after the first two areas came up empty; it was like pulling teeth to get him to where you were now. Thankfully this area bore fruit. Irritation was written on his face when you finally looked at him. You didn’t bother to ask he was more than likely going to decide to leave out while there was still a chance.

He marked the walls and doors on any obvious surface with some form of letters and numbers. Symbols even as you two headed out. Curiosity peaked; you asked what it all meant.

He began to break it down, stating that the symbol was for his teammates to know he was there, and it was cleared. The number of dead spotted and downed, and if the area was cleared of the object of interest. He was going to share more, but then there was a loud rumbling and sudden clash.

You jumped at the sudden intrusive noise, eyes widely staring at the man’s scowling face.

“Let’s go.”

 

Rounding the corner to the rotunda, you both came to a sudden halt. There were a few more zombies that trickled out, seemingly from the other side that you had barely checked. They were all headed toward the outside. From behind the corner, you two hid behind, you could see a bunch of strewn papers flying about. The gust of wind from outside must have been strong to send the papers flying, and from what you could hear, the incoming storm was boisterous.

From one of the open rooms’ dirtied windows, you two could see the blackened clouds outside, just ready to pour all of it’s contents down. It was just an hour ago that the sun reflected off your tears when Sukuna was scolding you. What a stark contrast.

Sukuna cursed under his breath. There was no way that either of you could make it out that front door now with them trickling out.

He signaled for you two to close the double doors and slipped a random crutch through the handles. Didn’t need any undead coming your way while you two looked over how to escape.

There was an exit further down the hall that led passed the cafeteria and gift shop. As if on cue, your stomach growled loudly causing Sukuna to pivot on you.

You poked your lip out and did your doe eyes.

“We don’t have time for this, you brat.” Another rumble vibrated the building.

Your stomach growled back at it in defiance. You couldn’t help but grimace; clearly you were starving, and you were going to stand your ground. “It’ll be quick. Just grab something that isn’t expired and then go. Please?” You begged.

His eye twitched. Begging was secretly his weakness.

Frustrated with himself, he scouted the area out with you scurrying behind him.

There were a few already dead individuals strewn about the toppled tables and counter. You didn’t have time to think about what their life was like as you heard a bunch of crinkling, pulling your attention away. Three bags of variety chips. And two twinkies were held in the air. You brightened. Twinkies for breakfast? Absolutely.

You went to snatch them, before Sukuna pulled them out of your reach, signaling for you to turn around.

“You can eat when we get out of here.” He grumbled as he hurriedly shoved them in your already full bag.

He snatched your bag off of you and placed it on himself. He didn’t need you slowed down one bit. You two needed to hurry back to where he left the car before he spotted you.

“Come on.” He ushered you to the exit by your butt. He just couldn’t help himself. The two of you were somewhat lucky as the exit you entered out of put you two on the outskirts of the fence, meaning no need to interact with the crowd that was forming behind it. However, the unlucky part was the jarring number of dead bodies that were stacked semi neatly to the left of you.

A sea of soiled and bloodstained linen almost became your undoing. You brought a shaky hand to your mouth as you tried to quell your stomach from flipping and to plug your nose, ultimately dry heaving at the putrid smell.

‘So many people are gone because of whatever this disease is.’ You were shell shocked, stuck looking at the insurmountable mass of them. Until Sukuna realized where your attention had gone and refocused your sight on his face.

“Hey. I need you to snap out of it and move. Got it? Eyes on me. We need to get back to the car before we get caught in this mess. Understood?” His huge, dirtied hands encased your sweaty face. You tried to steady your breathing, but you couldn’t get the scene behind you from imprinting itself in your mind. You hesitantly nodded as tears silently rolled down your cheeks. He sighed and shook his head. “This is why we didn’t want you to come.” He muttered under his breath as he quickly led you back through the forest line.

As if the wind wasn’t enough, whipping the dirt and debris at the both of you, the rain started to tumble down.

“Hurry it up!” Sukuna yelled over the accosting air. The leaves rustled and chattered over your heads as the trees groaned under the pressure of the wind. It hadn’t even begun to pour and you two were struggling to see.

But then it did. Sure, you had the coverage of the trees helping a bit, but the tall bushes and low branches kept lashing at your faces and body. You were being jumped by mother nature. Suddenly, you tripped over a jutted-out tree root, grasp slipping from Sukuna’s. You landed roughly amongst the soggy foliage.

He cursed while bending to help you back up, crucially missing a zombie that was descending upon him.

With no time to think, you pushed the side of the man’s head out of the way, his body following as he collapsed to the ground. Your freehand balled and simultaneously punched the zombies displaced mouth, perfectly lodging your fist in it. With the amount of force you had, you both toppled over.

It was slimy, oddly warm, and cold around your fist. You squealed at the grotesqueness of it all as well as the pain when it gnawed on you. You fished out the knife Sukuna gave you and ended the creature before it could dig it’s teeth into you further.

“What the h*ll did you do that for?!” Sukuna could only manage as he helped you out of it’s jaws to inspect your bloody hand. The rain was already helping to clean it, but with being whipped by the air, it was too hard to see it clearly.

“I… I just reacted, but I’m okay.” You winced as a branch swatted at the back of your head.

He cursed again. ‘I’m supposed to keep you protected, but you…’

Wrapping an arm around you, Sukuna held you close as you two trudged a little bit longer through the trees until you ended back in the neighborhood you spent the night in. He was beginning to lead you passed it, but you pulled him in the other direction. To the house you made sure was safe. He hesitated, but the crack of the lightning made it a lot easier to choose.

Stumbling into the temporary safety of the building, Sukuna hurriedly secured all the areas, despite you telling him you already did, and then allowed himself to finally worry over you. He quickly placed the bags down and searched through his bag for gauze, antiseptic, etc…

A crinkling caught the man’s attention. Crimson eyes snapped to your form as you fiddled with the wrapper of a twinkie. Not only was your hand injured, but it was also wet, making it quite the task to open.

“Are you serious right now?” His eyes pinned you down pensively.

You cocked a brow. “You grabbed two packets. There’s another one in there to eat, don’t worry.” You say with a bratty tone before trying to tear it open with your teeth. He snatched it from you.

“I’m trying to fix your hand, which was just bit into, and you’re worried about eating.” He looked at you with disbelief and slight irritation, he was choosing to ignore your attitude again.

It was your turn to frown. But then you remembered he wasn’t there when you told everyone the gory details of your encounters. You smirked and rolled your eyes. “This is not my first, second or third time being eaten alive, Sukuna. Remember? I can heal.” You slowly blinked at him.

He was apprehensive. He’s seen people become infected from less, but you freely threw yourself at danger’s jaws. Literally. Then you took it down as if you did this often. As if it were nothing to you.

‘As if you didn’t just save my life in the process...’ He looked at your hand with disdain. He wanted to help heal it. Help you in some way. He felt like it was the least he could do.

He ripped the package open, not letting you hold it. He decided to feed you instead.

“I can do it myself.”

“Your one hand is injured, and both are shaking. Let me do this at least.” As demanding as he was, he had his soft moments.

He was also right. You were shaking from adrenaline, the pain slowly seeping in making every twitch uncomfortable for you. Your clothes were sticking to you uncomfortably and you didn’t think to pack an extra pair unfortunately. You thought maybe this building might have something upstairs. You didn’t even check. You just looked for hidden zombies and then caught some “Z’s”.

Accepting his offer, you savored the sweet artificial taste, reminiscing of the time your best friend introduced you to the best treat in the world. You giggled to yourself at the memory of how you ate an entire 12 count box. It came with two in each package. Ever since then, you were banned from your friend’s pantry. Only allowed to enter with supervision provided.

Coming out of memory lane, you noticed crimson eyes looked you over oddly, ever-so-often burning a hole in your marred hand. You decided to share a bit of your past. Specifically, that story. As you were telling it, you were slowly starting to see the man calm down. At least you thought so. Once you finished your short story, your teeth started to chatter, and he was back to looking around frantically for something to help you dry off.

“I need you to take off those clothes.” He was serious. He was serious because he was taking his off too. They landed on the floor with a solid plop. They were thoroughly soaked and so were you in more than one way.

Your eyes fixated over his glistening muscles on display and then following his tattoos that descended past his boxer briefs that held a defined bulge. [E/C] eyes bulged. You wondered briefly if all of the men were huge?! The print was PRINTING.

You were suddenly called back to reality as his hands were on you. Trying to take your clothes off in such a gentle way. Fussing, you swatted at him, before hissing and retracting your sore hand. You forgot it was supposed to be in pain.

He grabbed it gently, looking it over. Seeing that your blood had stopped gushing out, it had slowed at an incredible rate as well as thickened. He could also see some black liquid formed in it as well. He was sure that was the infection. He seen it multiple times. But you were apparently different. He hoped your healing was quick and didn’t choose now to deviate. He’ll be the first to see it happen, or he’ll be the first to put you down.

He hated the thought of it being the latter.

“Be careful. Come on, let me put a wrap on it.” He spoke gently as he gathered the gauze, he took out earlier.

You gave in, letting his big hand pull you closer to him while he tended to the wound. It was uncomfortable, wincing every now and then, but before you knew it, the marred appendage was covered neatly. His hands leaving your body to put away the materials, left chills running over you.

He sighed, rolling his eyes. It’s always something with you. “I already told you. You need to get out of those clothes.” He pierced you with his gaze. “I’m not gonna try anything.” (LIES!)

‘Yeaaah, but I might!’ Your thoughts screamed as you cleared your throat uncomfortably. You knew your body was already betraying you, given how warm you felt from his gentle touch. Your mind couldn’t help but send invasive images of his hands all over your form. For your sanity, those clothes should not come off.

But he wasn’t wrong. They were uncomfortable, sticking to you in the worse way, so you listened and turned away from him to start peeling them off. At least you tried to anyways. It wasn’t easy with one hand and sticky materials. Your shoulders drooped in defeat.

Turning meekly towards him, his eyes were already on you. Lazily going over your soggy form.

He raised a cocky brow, smirk already planted on his face. He knew. He knew you knew he knew, but he wanted to hear you ask. To plead even… maybe not that far.

“I need help.”

He nodded at your statement, ripping open a bag of chips he retrieved from your bag effortlessly. You thought he was mocking you. “Sure looks like it.” He was.

Huffing through your nose, you turn towards him fully, somewhat pouting with an attitude, something he’s been wanting to fix for a while, but chose to ignore. Especially the way you fix your plump lips into a little sneer sometimes and mock what he says. Yeah, he wants to straighten you out.

“Can you help me?”

“I could.” He made a face as if to consider helping you, while helping himself to the contents of the bag.

“Please, can you help me take my clothes off now, Sukuna…. Please.” You added for good measure.

He smirked. That was a good start.

Notes:

I feel like I'm almost done with writing this story :C But I'm happy I even made it as far as I did omg. There are a bunch of unfinished works lemme tell ya lol but I'm very content with this one thus far >:3 As always thank you for reading ^v^~ I appreciate all the comments and kudos <3

Chapter 18: Eighteen

Summary:

No. No summary, just Sukuna smut ;3

Notes:

So like, shout out to the Sukuna fans out there.... ME! XD Fairly bias here lol.. oh well~ You can totally skip down to the bolded part that talks about an essay >_>".
This chapter was long. So long, my bad. Anyways enjoy the read! >:3

You was a little salty.

Why?

Because Sukuna was true to his word. He helped you out of your clothes save for your undies and bra and he did not try anything. Not even cop a feel or linger somewhere risqué.

That’s what you were mad about. The entire time he was gently unravelling the sopping clothes from your skin, his fingers would brush against you in someway, firing off bouts of electricity and making your already uncomfortably wet panties, slimy and soaked.

So now you were topless brewing by yourself in a room that seemed to once have a woman dwelling in it to your fortune. You were bent over, butt in air contemplating on the panties you were holding.

‘It’d still be gross if I put these on, right?’ Your mind just rejected the idea, doesn’t matter that the materials probably weren’t worn in who knows how long. It was the fact that they were worn, and you did not care if they were clean. ‘I am not wearing them.’ You declared as you dropped them back into the bottom drawer you were looking through.

You felt big rough hands grip your waist. Fingers playing with your still damp waistband. Bare feet came into view standing behind you, your eyes scanning over the prominent designs on their leg.

Blushing, you snap up, covering your chest with a shirt you were holding as a barrier from his eyes. You cursed at the fright you had, lightly elbowing his bare chest that barely kissed your back. “You’re unreasonably good at sneaking up on people.” You grunted.

Cocking his head, he took a deep breath, inhaling your orange and honey scent.

“Whatchu mad about?” His hands pushed at your waist so you could face him. You ducked your head to the side as you held the shirt even tighter.

“I’m not m—”

“Might I add that I can smell you. Try again.” He demanded trying to get you to look at him, but you kept pulling your head away. He got fed up with you dodging him quickly, so he lifted you up on the dresser and caged you in between his muscular arms.

His heavily tattooed, muscular arms. Tattoos that ran across the entirety of his body. Down by his waistband. You wondered if it was tattooed.

You shook your head of the thought.

“What are you shaking your head for? What’s wrong? Don’t make me ask you again.” His voice got threateningly dark.

Surprisingly that turned you on even more. It was frustrating you that you couldn’t tell him what was on your mind. You couldn’t imagine telling him that you actually wanted him to touch you more when he took off your clothes earlier. How you wanted his rough, calloused hands to knead those sparks of pleasure into your body and to dip inside of your already soaked hole.

You just felt so needy again and it was irritating you. It was embarrassing for you because you knew he could smell you. You could hear and see how he took deep, slow breaths while his eyes ran over your form. You just closed your eyes, still unable to speak.

“…ya’ know what…” Kissing his teeth, he decided that now he was fed up with your attitude. He leaned by your ear, voice dangerously low and scathing, “I’ve been patient.... I’ve been patient with you and put up with your stank-*ss attitude all day. Yet, you don’t know how to listen, you insolent brat. And quite frankly I’ve run short on my f*cks to give at this point. I’m tired of repeating myself.” Blood red eyes shadowed by dark undereye glided into your vision. [E/C] eyes wide with fear and blooming with regret, a shiver ran down your spine at his next set of words. “Get on the bed.”

“Huh?” You barely breathed out. Petrification came over you as your fearful mind couldn’t connect the command to move your body to do as he said.

A dark chuckle hits your burning ears as his fingers suddenly dug into your *ss, picking you up swiftly before roughly depositing you on the once neatly made bed.

“No! No! Sukuna, I –“ You tried to sit back up, but you’re down one hand so the odds weren’t in your favor, and he grabbed your legs lifting and then turning them, so you were on your stomach. The bed dipped, jostling you slightly as you kicked and clawed against the comforter, trying to get away from the irate man.

“Aht! Don’t think so.” You yelped as a strong hand clamped behind your knees and pulled you down swiftly.

Shirt now lost to the blanket; you were one piece of fabric away from being completely naked to this man. You were shaking in anticipation as to what he was about to do. You KNEW exactly what he was about to do. You’re not completely unaware of this compromising position.

Trapped over his legs; soaked panty clad *ss available to his whims; you meekly looked back up at him, his face gave away nothing, if anything, those crimson eyes held irritation and lust. He pushed your head forward; he didn’t want you to see the lustful grin that spread across his face.

A calloused hand rubbed distractedly up your thighs, while the other rubbed circles into your lower back.

“Pick a number between five and ten, [Y/N].” You clenched at your name sounding sickeningly delicious from his mouth.

“Hm?” You automatically answered. Most people say one through ten, you figured.

“It would be in your best interest to not piss me off and have me repeat myself.”

‘Are you not already pissed off?!’ “Okay! Seven!” You immediately rush, not understanding where this was going.

“Now, it took me several hours to find you. Walking overnight even, hence the bags under my eyes and my short temper.” He lightly patted your back at that. “Thankfully I found a usable car which cut that time immensely. Let’s add that to the 8 hours you were missing until we discovered your reckless escape… about 15 hours. So, 15 multiplied by seven iiiisss… 105.” His hands started to squeeze at your backside before you felt him shift over you, bearing his weight on your lower back. Securing you into him.

“……” Long locs cascaded down and shrouded your face as you let it drop into the bed. ‘I should’ve picked five!’

“Count. Out loud. And don’t mess up or we’ll start over.” You could hear the mirth in his voice.

A swift smack came across your skin, it didn’t help that there was double the electricity coursing throughout your body.

“Count!”

“O-onE!” You clenched and squeaked.

.

Every so often, he would shift so your legs would be splayed open for a moment before you instinctually closed them, exposing your covered c*nt and landing a swift slap to your mound. The wetness from the rain as well as your own self lubrication changed the sound to a sickening wet ‘plap’ of a noise instead of a ‘clap’.

.

They were not light smacks either. They stung about the same as the first one he landed and then gradually increased in pain around the twentieth slap.

.

But despite yourself, you were leaking everywhere. From your eyes, salty tears spilled over heated cheeks. From your mouth, saliva slipped around the corners of your lips that spoke ignored pleas. And your nether region, dripping sweet nectar (according to Gojo and Geto) that soaked your drying panties.

“What number are we at now, [Y/N]?” Sukuna falsely inquired. He already knew, he just wanted to show you that he was ignoring your cries. He believed them to be false considering your little moans that slipped in between your sobs. Your pheromones were on blast basically giving him a hard-on at the thought of this turning you on so much.

“Mm—thir—nm… ahn—Thirty-EIGHT!” You choked on a moan as you clenched around nothing again. You needed him inside. His every touch, though painful was equally mixed with electrifying sensual want. A horrible combination.

“You getting off on this?” He asked rhetorically. He could not only see the obviously darker wet spot on your panties, but his fingers felt a bit sticky. Re-examining them, there was a thin coating of your essence on his fingers. Pausing his assault on your stinging cheeks, he pats at your mound. Lightly rubbing it to your pleasure and dismay. You couldn’t help the involuntary shiver and groan that came about.

“Little slut.” His low velvety voice was menacing behind you as his fingers pulled teasingly at the band. Your legs involuntarily clenched at both the excitement and nerves from his actions. “Guess you gotta come outta these if you want them to dry given how wet you are. S’really counterproductive.”

Your breathing came out in huffs as you tried to recover and bask in the brief intermission, but you also were incredibly turned on at the same time. Your mind ignoring the danger of being 100% bare to this man, you nodded in agreement mindlessly. Even managing to poke your butt up to signal to him how willing you were.

He hummed in delight. You were being so submissive now. He thought he’d try his question again.

“Seeing as you’ve done well keeping count, and that you’re listening better… how about you answer my question now.” He eased up his hold on you as he focused on taking your sticky panties off, grunting in satisfaction as he got an unencumbered look and whiff of your drooling canyon. You were leaking worse than a broken faucet.

Discarding the material across the room, his eyes locked in on your quivering cave, clenching and releasing around nothing. He wanted to stuff it. You wanted him to.

“What was wrong with you earlier?” He squinted as your hole clenched up and your body stiffened.

“…”

Rolling his eyes, he quickly prodded for your bud, finding it quickly, he pinched it between his thumb and pointer finger.

Jolts. Firing off at random as you violently tried to wrench from his torture and wailed in uncomfortable ecstasy. You buried your face in the sheets to quiet yourself over the storm rumbling outside.

“S-Su-KUNA! Suk-una! Sukuna!Sukuna! I was just—“ you stumbled over your muffled words as you pleaded with his name for him to listen to you.

“I was just~” He mocked. “Hope you remember what number you’re at.” A salacious grin made its way back over his handsome face.

“No!” You yelped as your hands shot back to cover your sore rear, pain reigniting.

His brows shot up in distaste, because you clearly forgot who had the upper hand here. He easily wrestled your hands together (careful of your injured hand) and pinned them uncomfortably behind your back. “You don’t remember? Guess we startin’ over then.”

“Thirty…. Thirty-nine. It’s Thirty-nine.” You whimpered. Full body tensing when you felt his hand raise again. “WAIT! PLEASE! I’ll answer. I really was going to answer.” You cried out.

“Then say it,” he commanded. You flinched when his towering hand dropped onto your legs leisurely.

“I wasn’t mad. I was frustrated…” You began, voice high pitched and shaky. Your body heating up from the rough scrape of his hands that started massaging around your muscles. Breath getting heavier.

Sighing, he rolled his eyes. “Are they not the same thing?”

You shyly shook your head into the sheets, before bringing it up, hair obscuring most of your face. Red tinged eyes hesitantly focused on their assailant above.

 

“I was frustrated because…” You felt like your heart was going to burst at this stupid confession. It had the nerve to stutter when a large hand slid your locs from your face, caressing the skin of your cheek. Man were you a sucker for any type of tender touch.

Sukuna thought he could bust a nut looking at your tearful face. Those swollen pouty lips; you must have been biting into, he wanted to suck and nibble on them. Even more so, see them wrapped around his dick with your reddened eyes and tear-streaked darkened cheeks from his rough ministrations.

“I wanted you to tou—touch me, but you held ba—back and it l—left me frustrated because I wanted yo—you to. Sukuna, I want you. Please.” You hiccuped through your confession, [E/C] never leaving the pool of crimson that stared wildly back at her.

You were so forthcoming with him; how could he deny such a thing from a confession like that? While you looked like that!

“I’m sorry. I’m really sorry.” You muttered through your pouty lips.

“You know you could’ve avoided all of this if you just answered the first time?” He smirked at your pouting face that now rested comfortably on the sheets. He patted your head lightly. Eyes closed; brow slightly pinched as he massaged at your sore thick *ss. Had the nerve to be somewhat soothing.

“Since you’re so sorry, get on your knees and make it up to me.” He picked you up by your forearms he had originally pinned behind you with one hand, and got you settled on the floor in front of him.

You kneeled uncomfortably in between his legs. Your throat felt like it was full as you tried to get in air around the saliva that collected. You suddenly wanted to taste him so bad. Thinking about it, you didn’t get to do this often, as Gojo and Geto preferred dining on your sweet nectar most of the time.

But Sukuna didn’t get a taste yet. And boy did he want to. But first he needed to stuff himself between those puffy lips of yours. It was your mouth that got you into trouble in the first place.

A finely pinkish brown brow lifted up. Cueing you to start.

On shaky knees, you shuffled closer, arms protectively shielding your exposed chest and dripping c*nt. He smelled of dampness, much like outside and a light must. It wasn’t unappealing or nauseating; it seemed like a natural scent that further turned you on.

Tired, yet hungry eyes watched you carefully as you eyed his clothed member warily. It looked painfully restricted as you would see it twitch underneath the fabric. You gulped again when you made brief eye contact with him.

His body towered over yours, making you feel like prey being offered up. You could see, in his dark eyes that he had enough energy to put you in your place still if you didn’t fall in line. You shivered and looked back down into your lap, trying to steel your nerves.

Hearing an impatient sigh, the man reached towards your shying form, swatting your arms away from covering yourself. You had just offered your bare backside to him and now you want to cover up? Make it make sense m’am.

“Come now. You really have the nerve to be shy as if you didn’t just say you wanted me.” He pinched at your nipple, roughly tugging it, causing you to move forward uncomfortably.

You pinched your lips together, stifling a moan as you recalled your lust filled confession that was forced out of you. You were under duress, much like now at the roughness of his hands exploring your chest.

But once again you wanted it. Your body sent signals claiming as much, since your now exposed sex had leaked passed your lips and along the insides of your thighs. You were clenching them together, rubbing slightly before Sukuna’s rough hand dipped down and pinched at your inner thigh.

“Nah. None of that. On a list of things I need to teach you, patience is one of them. Disobedience being another. Now you keep them spread and if I see you touch yourself, you’ll be back over my knee. Got it?” His eyes bore into your widened ones. His tone was so demanding you couldn’t help but nod obediently. Taking that as a step in the right direction, he leaned back on his elbows. “Good. Now get to it.”

A quick hiss of air slipped through the male's lips as your hands left from your sides and tugged at his waistband, freeing his angry member that bobbed due to it’s heaviness. You sighed dejectedly inside. You were going to have to take that in. Pleasure this monstrous thing?!

Taking a few tentative licks at him, eventually tasting his precum that sat atop his hole, it had the nerve to taste good on your buzzing tongue.

“Surely, you can do better than that, pet? Those kitten licks will only get you so far.” He taunted above you, sending a heat of annoyance and want over you.

Your eyes sparkling with newly lit fire against his dark conniving ones, you couldn’t help but to think…

‘Challenge Accepted.’

 

Tattooed hands gripped the sheets beneath as he had to control his breathing suddenly. The heat of your mouth abruptly surrounding him took him by surprise. The grin you had over the small victory you claimed was short lived though. After a few bobs, he had regained his composure, feeling one hand quickly tangled in your locs. It pressured you further down his length, while the other gripped at his thigh. He wanted to be careful not to give into his urges of f*cking your throat raw. Roughly.

Though the increasingly heady scent of you burrowing up his nose, followed by the wet sounds slipping out of your stuffed mouth was not making it easy. By no means. For crying out loud, do you think he missed the way your spread legs were shaking while knelt before him? Or the fact that your juices were running down your thighs and onto the wooden floor below? Or even how you were low-key humping the air?

No. Not even in his tired and blissed state could he miss that. He has eyes like a hawk. Which is exactly how he caught your bandaged hand traveling dangerously close to your leaking lady.

You were snatched off of his member with a resounding pop, by your hair no less. This time, turning you on. You liked his roughness.

His left hand gripped your cheeks harshly, puffing them up so your lips popped out. “I think you don’t listen on purpose.” His teeth gleamed at you as he all too happily chastised you for being sneaky. You shook your head in denial, you would have pleaded your case, but it fell on deaf ears. He was hoping you would go against him anyways. It’s more fun that way. He finds this thrilling. You thrilling.

Like he promised you were back over his knee, this time your legs were pinched between his legs as you were forcibly lain on your stomach across the bed. His body was propped on his side as he rested a good amount of his body weight on your back so you couldn’t get away. Not a push or a lift was going to get him off of you.

Not that you were trying at this point, especially as he manipulated your cheeks, pushing and tugging at your needy hole, making you gasp and moan. All without directly touching it. He was toying with you, fingers digging and dancing around your nether region, but never dipping into the canyon you noticed. Or pressing your hidden button.

“S-Sukuna… please t-touch me.” You whimpered into the air, slightly muffled as your face laid in the crook of your arms.

“I am touching you.” He mocked. Your stomach did a flip out of anger and want.

“Nooo!” You whined, shaking your head adamantly. “Inside. Please I need to feel you inside.”

A quick swipe through your crevice and Sukuna’s hand was lined with your juices. A groan came from the back of his throat as he examined his fingers in the dull light. Your sticky essence twinkled over his skin. Bringing it up to his nose, he took in a deep breath, a satisfied sigh followed after. You smelled even better close up, from the source itself. He just wondered how’d you taste. His mouth slowly opened as he was getting ready to clean his fingers off, mouth already salivating from the scent alone, but you just had to say something that tore him away from being ensnared by your honey trap.

You grunted in frustration. You never had to go through this kind of torture with Gojo or Geto. Words left your mouth before you had time to think them through. “Ugh! I said inside, not across, dummy!”

Stiffening, you instantly felt eyes boring into the back of your head. “I’m sorry. I’m sorry, I’—“

He chuckled lowly as he shifted his eyes back to where your sore bottom laid, propped in the air.

“You’re gonna be sorry alright. I got your ‘dummy’.” His voice was unnervingly low and flat. Sounded murderous even. Chills ran up your spine as you felt him lay more of his weight onto you. You went to apologize again but it was immediately replaced with a light ‘Oh’. A mixture of surprise and pleasure.

He finally sunk a finger in, testing the waters. Dick twitching at how you tightened and clamped on his one finger immediately. Just one. Not even two yet.

‘So responsive. Greedy thing.’ He thought as he added a second one. The squelch sent tingles over his body as he worked his thick fingers into you. He could feel your hole sucking him in. He couldn’t wait to be buried in your juicy, gummy walls. Writhing and sobbing from pleasure as he punished you for your misbehavior.

Oh, he couldn’t wait. He shoved a third in without warning, and seeing you take it in without missing a beat had him biting his lips.

‘Gojo wasn’t kidding when he said you get wet like an ocean.’ He keenly listened to you moan, enjoying the music of your turned-on body. His dick jumped sporadically against the side of your *ss, smearing precum as it dribbled out, every now and again he’d thrust into you a bit. It didn’t do much for him.

What did was the sound of your pants, and little high-pitched whines as you got closer to your climax. He could feel you attempting to grind back onto his fingers, but he had you pinned, and he knew that if he touched your clit, you’d probably get off sooner rather than later.

“You about to cum?” He asked gently, though his fingers pumping into you were far from gentle. Which you liked, considering you were drooling on the sheets from both your mouths.

“Mm. Y-yes. S’kuna, I’m close. So close.” You were panting into the air, eyes beginning to glaze as the sky lit up in front of you. There was a storm out there, but you couldn’t make the rumbling noises out over the storm building up inside of you.

You couldn’t see it, but he nodded silently, turning his attention back to your nether region. Readjusting to get even deeper inside of you, as well as fishing for something. “Let me know when you’re close.” He kissed your lower back lightly. Littering it with open mouthed kisses and nibbles as he continued to pump his fingers into you.

“K-Kay! Oh!” You jolted in his hold.

“What?” He asked lightly, not slowing down. The way you clamped on his fingers, he’s sure he hit the jackpot.

“There! Right there, Kuna! Yes!” You threw your head back shouting his name and yeses as you failed at rocking back into his thrusts.

He chuckled at your cuteness. No denying how adorable you were in this moment as you struggled against him, trying to f*ck back on his fingers. “You gonna cum?” He asked again. The tell-tale signs were there. You were fluttering and squeezing around him. Struggling fruitlessly against him so much that you almost slipped out of his grasp. Couldn’t have that.

You hummed again, words caught in your throat as your body tightened and focused on your impending release. You were there tilting over the edge. Right before you fell you remembered to tell him. Tell him that you were close.

“Ku-na. Cu—“

“Huh?” The pink-haired b*st— man questioned as he quickly snatched his fingers out of you, as well as his body heat from your back.

Whole body chills. You were left in the cold it seemed as the lightning that chased across the sky reflected back into your reawakened eyes. They could’ve filled with tears.

“Why?” You whispered. You asked it to yourself. With the abrupt cold splashing over you like water, your previous actions came back to mind quickly. It seems your consequences had arrived.

The bed shifted and dipped as his heat hovered over your chilled backside. The hand that was knuckles deep in you dripped onto your back, slowly sliding into the dip of your spine. His other hand pressed right beside your head, and his legs were straddling your behind. This was quite the position.

“Why did I stop?” He said menacingly to the back of your cowering head.

You didn’t dare face him. Yet alone respond.

“Because I’m f*cking dumb, remember?” He spat hotly in your ear, causing your stomach to flip uncomfortably.

You sniffled trying to apologize, but he was done with you. You didn’t mean it.

“I’m gonna f*ck you so dumb, your stupid cute *ss will only know my name when I’m done with you.” He threatened as he picked your head up by your locs and shoved his soaked fingers into your gaping mouth. “Now suck.”

 

Sukuna made good on his threats. A man that was self-pleasing majority of the time. He rarely cared for the pleasure of others in the bed.

A harsh smack came across your bottom as he slammed continuously into you. The assaulting hand repurchasing itself on your hip as he drilled a sensitive spot. Nails dug into your fleshy hips and *ss. Surely to leave a mark for your body to inevitably heal.

“Had me tracking you all through the night and morning… no sleep.” He growled, listing off his complaints to you. About you. “Then you ran away right —mn— after I said not to… f*ck… Oh, and let’s not forget your —mn— stank attitude and talking back.” His deep voice chastising you while deep stroking your insides just added more fuel to the fire.

You were holding on for dear life on the edge of the bed (injured hand be d*mned) as he had quite literally f*cked you hard across the sheets. His thrusts were incredibly powerful, like the rumbling thunder outside shaking the home sometimes. This had been the roughest romp session you’ve had to date and if you’re being honest with yourself, you liked it. You really liked it.

You knew you liked it because of how you screamed in pleasure every time he hit that one spot inside and clenched incredibly tight around him. He’d curse and his pumps would stutter before quickly regaining composure and assault your weak spot all over again. It was like he had 100% accuracy or something.

“If you’d listened in the first place, I wouldn’t have to put you in your place like this.” Another resounding smack came across your tortured bum, a faint red hue blossomed across your abused cheeks. You yelped and moaned all at the same time. Pleasure and pain blurred together in your bleary eyes as you were once again snatched back from the edge of the cliff. Your climax. Something he’s been starving you of.

You whimpered as you felt your body tense, hole tightening and you just sloppily throwing it back on him, signaling your readiness to dive off the edge. You hated this. A dark mocking chuckle overhead told you what was next.

“Uh-uh. If you’d listened, I would have let you cum by now.” You could hear the mirth in his voice as he taunted your actions.

‘So close.’ You shut your eyes in anguish.

Pulling out slowly he groaned at the mess between the two of you. A white ring wrapped around his member while yours dripped over your frothing hole.

Flipping you over, you whimpered at that once bright flame, now turned back to kindles. Jerking and twitching as he tapped your button with his dick, even massaging it with his bulbous head. You thought to curse him, but you didn’t need any more consequences. Plus, when he pushed back into your sensitivity, you were able to shout then.

It was too much, it felt. You hadn’t even came, but it all felt too much. Especially when he picked his pace back up, hooking his arms under your knee pits. Pressing your legs into your shaking chest.

Tears pooled over again at his unrelenting strokes.

“Mnph…look at you.” Crimson eyes sparkled nearly bright red as they danced over your salty and sweet face. Your mouth and a bit of your cheek had some of your juices crusted around it from when you had sucked his fingers earlier. He licked his lips. He didn’t get a chance to taste you, but maybe you were still on your tongue.

Warm hot breath fanned over your face, followed by a wet tongue. He licked the salty streaks of your tears before gliding over your panting mouth. He barely dipped in it.

The sweetness immediately took over his pallet as his brain told him to go back for more. His mouth slanted over yours, groaning into you as he tasted what Gojo and Geto had spoken about. They didn’t do it justice. He could get lost in it. In you. Which he was as he subconsciously ground into you, finally giving you that stimulation against your abandoned clit.

You were back on that cliff in no time, being much more vocal since you were no longer muffled by the bed sheets but now his mouth. Breaking off from the kiss, you briefly saw his lustful hazy eyes before he buried his face into the crook of your neck. He quickly unhooked one arm to grip harshly at your chin and neck.

“You gonna listen to me from now on?” He asked while sucking and biting along your jawline and neck. Still keeping an even pace with you, your brain overwhelmed at this point, fearful of you being snatched away again, you nodded.

“Words.” He demanded as his hand slipped between your sweaty bodies, making sure to squeeze your breasts harshly along the way before playing with your button.

 “Ahn! Yes!” You cried on a moan.

“You promise~” He couldn’t help but toy with you.

“YES! Sukuna, I’ll listen! I’ll listen! Just please… please let me cum.” You pleaded which sounded like music to his ears.

“Since you asked so nicely. Hold up.” He grunted as he unhooked his other arm from under your leg, you instinctually wrapped and hooked them behind his back. Muscular tattooed arms swiftly grasped under your back, holding on to your ribs and waist while he repositioned his knees. “You better hold on.” His only warning.

You immediately linked your arms behind his neck, careful not to harm your hand, though you long forgot about the pain.

He raised his hips, almost sliding out of you entirely before ramming back into you. With renewed speed he was rutting into you ferociously. Painfully hitting that delicious spot that sent you arching upwards into his chest. Closing around him tighter as you finally plummeted into your long-awaited climax.

Your head flew back as you saw stars and white light behind your eyes, another perfectly timed crack of lightning flashed. A series of yeses along with his name, painted the air as you released around him. That’s all you could think about. You really did sing his name in the end.

Judging from his frenzied rutting, he was close to his finish line too. With a slew of curses and a grip that would surely bruise, he groaned into the side of your face while coating your walls with his seed finally. On shaky arms, Sukuna pushed up from crushing your body. Looking you over with a fatigued, yet cocky smirk.

Dark locs were strewn around you as your mouth hung open, panting in air, drool slipping out the side of your swollen two-toned lips. Then seeing his and your mixed juices slowly dripping out of you, he was thoroughly satisfied.

You were a beautifully messy sight to behold under the dark rumbling sky light.

 

(X To sum up this 11 page essay of smut you got your attitude fixed and now y’all cuddling. The end X)

“What is it?” He asked into the top of your head as your floral honeyed scent coaxed him to rest. This was rare of him to do, but he really was tired, and you were just so comfortable nestled into him.

“…What I said earlier. I changed my mind. I will go back with you guys.” You leaned up to look at him earnestly.

“D*mn. I know I was trying to fix your attitude, but I did a real good job.” His low chuckle vibrated through you as you lightly swatted at his chest that you were resting on.

“Sir, bye. For your information, it was… those bodies.” You sighed resting back down on him. He grunted in response. “Did you guys know that that would be there?”

A heavy sigh left Sukuna’s lips before he thought to respond. “A lot of places did that. Not just hospitals. Refugee camps too when they became overpopulated. But all it takes is for one infected person to poison the whole city. A continent. Then the whole world.”

You gave him a puzzling look as if asking, ‘How did this all start?’

“A random adventurer from Italy went to an island and got lost inside an unexplored cave. Surviving off some glowing plant he found inside for about a week, which surprisingly didn’t kill him. He was rescued a week later. Save for some malnutrition, he was fine and sent back out into the world.” His hand moved flippantly in front of your face as he continued his story telling. “Two weeks later they discovered him, or what was formerly him. He had died from falling down the steps at home, of all the ways to go. Neck snapped. Reanimated and attacked everyone within the vicinity before they put him down. Then those people got sick and boom. Apocalypse.” Sukuna finished as he snuggled into your warmth more, signaling he was finished talking. Who knew he was such a cuddle-bug?

“………..”

It was as though he could feel your bubbling thoughts pressing against him.

“What?” He lightly growled with irritation tainting his exhausted tone.

“Nothing~ You’re just really cuddly.” You giggle, letting your questions go for now.

“Shut up and let me close my eyes for a minute.” He murmured into your head.

“Sorry~” You whispered, withholding the giggles trying to bubble out of your chest.

 

The hammering of the rain became lighter, turning into softer patterns against the home, while the rumblings of the sky crept further away. It lulled you into a false state of relaxation as things felt calm with Sukuna’s even breath behind you and his strong arm caging you in.

There was a whirring noise, something like an engine mixed in the air that caught your dulled attention. Interest peaked, you tried sneaking out of Sukuna’s grasp on your bare titties since your back was pressed to him, but he was trained to lightly sleep and immediately woke up when you shifted too far from his reach. About an inch.

Checking the windows, you spotted two vehicles pulling up. A gasp left your frame once you saw a familiar mop of white and then a dark top bun come out of one of the vehicles. “It’s Gojo and Geto!” You said with glee and hurried to place your now dried clothes on, save for your crusted panties, wincing when you pulled up your pants. The skin of your butt was still sensitive. Let’s not forget to mention your hand. You were just too excited.

Sukuna rolled his eyes. It was like you turned into a golden retriever sometimes.

 

“You guys!” You beamed under the porch roof; voice barely being carried through the spittle of rain. You waved wildly at them from the porch of the home you were in, trying to garner their attention from down the street. Sukuna made sure to mention not going past the front step. He stilled you with a knowing look before you even hit the steps when you left out the bedroom.

Their heads snapped to you from the abandoned car they were looking over and raced towards you. Relief washed over them as they took in your smiling face when they hit the threshold of the stairs. You still did not dare go down them.

Big arms encased you, front to back as you were all but crushed between their muscly pecs. Two unbelievably handsome frowns graced your vision once they pulled back. They were not happy. You immediately threw on the puppy dog face. You KNEW you were in for it. Hopefully not as bad as Sukuna’s punishment. You don’t think you could handle that more than once a day.

“Why the h*ll would you run off like that?!” Gojo grabbed at your shoulders, jostling you lightly.

“You had us worried sick! Everyone’s looking for you!” Geto chastised.

You bowed your head in shame and embarrassment. This was really reckless, but you weren’t going to take back something that was helpful for everyone. “I’m sorry I worried you guys, honestly. But I was okay. ‘Kuna found me and— worked me things out...” You hesitated which did not miss their perception.

“What do you mean by that?” Gojo squeezed at your shoulders.

Placing your hands gently over his, you gave a reassuring smile, missing the way his eyes pinpointed to your wrapped hand. “Oh, he ju—“

“What did you do to her?” Gojo’s eyes began to fill with anger as he grabbed your bandaged hand gently.

“Nothing neither of you haven’t done.” He quipped while downing another bag of chips. He was standing leaned on the doorway, watching the three of you.

They quirked a brow, sharing similar confused expressions.

“No, Sukuna. Her hand!” Geto scoffed while Gojo waved it around in the air. You couldn’t take it out of his iron grip.

“Oh, that…” He trailed off, waiting for the others to make their way onto the porch.

 “Well? What happened?” Gojo waved his hand in a rushed manner, barely waiting for Toji to put his size 14 boot on the first step. You would have spoken up, but you felt a sensation of impending doom.

He rolled his eyes. Not entirely out of annoyance, but more so for the fact that he knew he was going to get chewed out. “Right… she punched a zombie in the mouth and got bit.” Sukuna finally said once everyone made it.

“You let her get bit?!” The two irate men fussed in unison.

He deadpanned at them, completely unbothered. He thought it to be a fairly stupid accusation.

“It wasn’t on purpose...” The pink-haired man murmured while he watched his lead trail passed him without sparing him a glance. Sukuna was somewhat surprised as he was expecting some form of reprimanding.

“Yeah, you guys listen! We were…erm.” Your jaw clenched tightly shut as your eyes finally connected with the biggest predator of the pack. Your heart thumped to the beat of his steps as he stalked to you. Each of his steps groaned against the old wooden floors and they carried a certain level of authority and intimidation that ran over you like ice. You would have cowered behind Gojo or Geto, but they had retreated out of reach by then. They knew better.

There was a certain look on his face once he towered over your form. You couldn’t stare at it for too long, it felt as if he was killing you ten times over. You think you’d rather take your chances with Sukuna again.

“Little. Girl.”

Dark locs immediately curtained over your face as you bowed your head in instant regret.

‘Wheew! Yeah. I’d like to run it back with Sukuna again!’ Your mind screamed at the terror those two words he uttered caused you.

“You-have-some-nerve, I’ll tell ya’ that much.” Each tap of his foot punctuated each word. His hands rested on his hips, while he tried to channel his anger and not lose it. “And you. Don’t think you’re getting off scotch free.” He barely turned his head to Sukuna who crumpled his chips in irritation. “We’re just gonna undermine my leadership huh?” He sucked on his teeth and put his full attention back on you.

He squatted low beneath the black curtain you cowered behind, briefly seeing your fearful eyes. You immediately squinched them shut.

“Men, get inside.” It was a command that sent dread over you and apologetic looks your way, though you couldn’t see them.

In the dark you heard a bunch of heavy feet clunk against the ground to cross the threshold of the door. Then the creak of it, closing shut. A shaky exhale left you. In your mind, you were just shut outside with something worse than a zombie. Disappointment.

“[Y/N]. Look at me.” Your eyes shot open at ‘look’ and were positioned just beneath his eyes on ‘at’.

“Did you have fun when you snuck the f*ck off?” Clearly rhetorical. These guys were full of sarcasm.

You didn’t dare respond.

“Let me make something very clear. We’re on a mission. That means there is an end goal and plans to reach said end goal. My lead who designated me to be in charge, hates when plans get disrupted. I also hate that, but even more so when people don’t listen. I do not tolerate insubordination. Sukuna went out on no one’s authority and I had to reign in ‘yin and yang’ from doing the same thing. Why? Because of you. The subject matter of our goal.”

Your eye twitched. You don’t know why but that kind of hurt.

“You alter our goal. You alter our plans. You effect a lot more than you realize and I just need you to be a little more aware of that –Of your actions, because they have consequences.” He punctuated harshly as each word felt like a gut punch to you. Cue tears and sniffles.

“Sukuna could have died on his own out here searching for you. Tweedledee and Tweedledum had a death wish because they were trying to bite my head off every chance they got after I ordered for us to wait to look for your sneaky *ss. And let’s not forget that you could have gotten yourself killed too. I don’t care if you’re more skilled now that you got a few lessons under your belt. I don’t care that you can heal and that you’re immune to those things out here. You still bleed like the rest of us. Which means with enough damage you can die all the same. Something we all don’t want, right?” He bit out the last part as he stood back to his full height.

You sniffled and nodded. You hummed, crushing your lips together to not sob like you wanted to.

Oddly warm and rough hands captured your face, shifting it up to look at the towering figure. But you couldn’t momentarily because he was thumbing the tears from your eyes away.

“Don’t be reckless like that ever again.” It was the softest his voice has been in a while.

A small, dejected confirmation slipped past your quivering lips in response before he decided to let you go, finally walking into the house.

 

Gojo’s cheeks were puffed as he hurriedly ate something.

“Don’t eat those.” Sukuna sighed in exasperation.

“Ah meed da fool. (I need the fuel).” He tried to speak around the sweet cake.

“[Y/N] likes them.”

His throat bobbed as he downed the treat. There were only two packs that Sukuna grabbed, and you ate the first one.

“Can’t even protect her favorite food yet alone her.” Gojo retorted. He was projecting because he was upset that he wasn’t there to guard you from Mahito... and that he took your last snack.

“All of you shut up.” Toji ordered before closing the door behind you as you trudged in, making your way to the middle of the room.

The leader raised an eyebrow confused at what you were doing as you looked meekly at everyone.

Making sure you had their attention, you apologized profusely, chalking your pride as tears kept running over your face and snot began to drip down your nose. Though you didn’t feel it was a pretty sight, the men found the act cute and endearing enough and accepted your apology.

“Geez, Toji. Did you threaten her?” Geto joked while he hugged you to him. You lightly punched him, only to feel an immovable wall of flesh at his abdomen.

Toji grunted. “If that’s what you want to call it.” Casually he walked over to a relaxed Sukuna. Hunched over in a seat leaning on his elbows. Unexpectedly, Toji gripped the front of his shirt and snatched him out of the seat and onto his feet. They scowled at each other.

Sukuna knew it was too good to be true. Wasn’t any way he was getting out of this.

“You knew better. You’re lucky things worked out like they did.” He gave him one good punch to his gut before shoving him out of the way and sat in the previously occupied chair.

Sukuna hissed through his teeth in annoyance and pain. He did get off lucky. Any other time Toji would have been far harsher.

It might have been your scent in the home, calming the man down. All of them down. Vanilla and honey, with a tinge of something floral like jasmine or lavender. The vanilla and honey scent for Geto and Gojo however, merely confirmed what you two did in here. They were that familiar with your fragrances.

A heavy sigh exited Toji. “Now that we’re reacquainted, [Y/N], do I wanna know what happened?” Getting straight to the point.

You stiffened briefly before relaxing again. You were safe now, in the arms of someone strong. In a room full of capable men. Nothing would get you here.

“He.. came in drunk. Umm...and tried. He..He tried. But he was too drunk. So, I was able to escape.” You kept your eyes on your twiddling fingers, picking at your nails. Clearing your throat, you continued, “but, before I did, he said that we would never leave that town because they’d just keep finding reasons for us to stay. I was upset and thought that if I could grab some things from the hospital that maybe it could’ve helped… it was stupid.” You bent your head dolefully.

“Yeah, it was stupid of him to think we wouldn’t just leave at some point.” Gojo rolled his eyes while petting your head gently.

“Speaking of which, if Miguel did as I said, hopefully he was able to get in touch with Nanami and we can head straight to him after this. We’re gonna drop their sh*t off and leave. Naoya can fight all he wants.” Toji waved offhandedly while in deep thought. Since they were still going to scavenge the hospital, where would that leave you?

He wouldn’t let you stay in the home by yourself. ‘D*mn sure not about to send you back to the community. Or risk you come along with us… how far did you make it actually?’ He thought before asking you that very question.

“We made it inside. It was surprisingly clear on the right-hand side. Though, I’m not sure about it now after we left.” You perked up a little bit, grabbing your damp black bag and fished out your map and notebook. They weren’t completely ruined, but they had seen better days. Thankfully everything was still legible as you gave it to Toji to look over, wanting to be back in his good graces, you hoped your rendition of the building was helpful.

You and Sukuna went over what you managed to scavenge and compared the areas you had drawn up to the blueprints they had. It was weird that the side you two were on, had few zombies in comparison, but they could worry about that later. You mentioned that those specific areas you gathered some easy things like gauze, wraps, band-aids. Even managed to snag a few peroxides and some antibiotics. But you needed medicines and those were deeper within. On the side where the undead swarmed out of.

“We’ll see about that… how’s your hand?” Toji inquired after inwardly approving your two’s good work. He eyed the clean wrapping you had kept scratching at during the conversation.

“Uh, fine. It just itches like crazy, which is normal.” You shrugged as you looked it over. You wanted to gnaw at it. It irritated you that bad.

He looked at you in silence. You looked back as well, though awkwardly.

“…let me see it.” He stated as if you should have been clued in.

‘Oh, my bad!’ You quickly picked apart the dressing and were somewhat stunned at how flat the grape sacks were underneath.

Sukuna grunted in astonishment. Earlier, he had seen white bone when he was tending to you and now it’s covered in raw pink flesh.

Everyone took their turn analyzing your hand in fascination, even watching the sacks starting to inflate a bit. It reminded you of the lab you had escaped. Looking over you intently, studying your every move. Their eyes were ruled by greed and power. They looked so hungry, yet dull and void of anything when you would connect with their eyes.

But this was different, as you looked at the men surrounding you. They looked hopeful and amazed; it was foreign to you.

“Can y’all please stop starin’ at me like this?” You rubbed at your arms shyly. Yuuji’s bright chuckle broke through the air, settling you down as you joined along.

Notes:

Siiighh, Sukuna <3 just yeah.... I def prefer his original form compared to Yuuji's, tho Sukuna possessed Yuuji is still fine too lol. I may have another story or two with Sukuna's original form in the works >v< Don't know Don't know~ We'll see lol

Thanks for reading thus far~ Have a blessed week/end!

Chapter 19: Nineteen

Notes:

TW: Abuse, mention of blood

There is a section that may be uncomfortable for some of you readers so I made an underlined note for you to skip ahead and gave a brief summary of what happened.

Be well and have a blessed week <3

Though the storm had passed, another was starting up within the community.

Green hair was messily slicked back due to the rain and many times he ran his hands through it in frustration. He was antsy.

Several arguments had broken out around the community about your assault and sudden absence. It was so stupid and meaningless to Naoya that his people were coming to him with these complaints.

“She left because she didn’t want to work. The lazy b*tch! All she does is lie around with everyone in this town.” A familiar red head gossiped.

“Yeah, I bet Mahito didn’t even want her, and she attacked him instead. Poor insecure thing. And now he’s unwell. Better stay away from that girl.” Another warned, sticking up their nose.

“She better stay away from us! Good riddance she’s gone. Better stay gone too! As our leader, you shouldn’t let her back in, Naoya.” An older man waved off in ignorance agreeing with the crowd. Chanting about how they hoped you met your demise outside of these walls and if you were brought back that you shouldn’t be allowed around the town.

He was going to rip his hair out. All because of you, things were becoming unstable. On the other hand, they got so much done because of your presence. What was he going to do? Lock you up?

If he did that, regardless of a few people having his back, the fight wouldn’t end in his favor. He was a sore loser.

‘What exactly should I do here?’ His mind was being weighed down as his leadership was being called into question.

“Naoya.” Jogo laid a grubby hand on his leader’s shoulder, bringing him out of his thoughts.

Quickly pivoting at the sudden foreign presence, Naoya frowned at the crowd. He could barely hear Jogo yet alone his own thoughts at their racket.

“Everyone! Shut the h*ll up!” Naoya exploded over the crowd. “If any of you noticed, if she goes, the whole military goes! Let ME figure out what to do with her. And you all remember your place and get back to work.” He spat angrily, eyes turning into slits as he eyed some of the women there. A few grumblings were heard as the crowd shrunk back and dispersed; they were easily reminded how much of a demeaning tyrant he could be.

After a beat, Jogo spoke up when him, Ranta and Naoya were finally alone. “We left Mahito to Eudora’s care. What do you want us to do about… that?” Bulbous eyes looked around the town, suggesting to “quiet” them down.

“Yeah, we can teach ‘em—” Ranta began but Naoya held his fist up to quiet him.

“No…no. What I think we do is handle her first, then we can have those guys in our pockets.” The conniving man broke into an eerie grin.

“What do you mean?” The two questioned.

“…get [Y/N] back here by any means necessary.” He gritted out through his teeth at the two idiots before him. ‘Do I need to spell it out for you?’ He nearly said before telling himself that he needed to calm down; hence why he stormed off to pay his bedridden uncle a visit.

Looking at each other, Jogo gave a concerned Ranta, a knowing look, before pushing him to get to one of the cars. This type of plan would have been 100% bullet proof if Mahito wasn’t out of commission. Jogo would have to make do with the runt of the bunch instead of his ol’ trusty silver haired fox.

 

However, that same silver haired fox unfortunately would be at 0% as he was left convulsing on the tile, nestled between the porcelain tub and toilet. He was finally succumbing to the poison he unknowingly swallowed the previous night. Completely unaware and mostly uncaring of the man’s well-being, Eudora was sound asleep in his red silken sheets while he had wrenched out a bit more than just his stomachs contents. The storm had lulled her into a deep sound sleep after she had gotten Mahito to the bathroom and promptly left him there alone. No way was she letting him ruin this luxurious bed with his black spotted vomit.

A constant banging along the door that led outside aroused two unconscious beings.

“Oh shoot!” Eudora quickly sprung up from the bed to answer the door.

As the door opened, brown flirty eyes turned a jealous green. “And here I’m thinking he’s sick but instead find you…” A red-haired woman looked Eudora up and down judgmentally. “Half-asleep.”

“Oh Louise, please get over yourself.” Rolling her dark eyes with a rueful smirk across her face, Eudora invited the woman in to simply explain the situation over something to drink.

“To be honest, I’m glad he’s this sick. Serves him right for how he treated me.” Eudora and Louise gave each other a knowing look. “The wimp can’t even hold his own liquor. He’s just been in the bathroom this entire time after Jogo and Ranta left. Haven’t heard a peep from him since I took my nap~” Eudora smiled with contentment as she sipped on her cup of coffee while chatting with the woman. Throughout the conversation there was a small scratching noise.

“Haven’t heard a peep from him? Must have passed out.” The other cackled over her freshly poured cup of joe before quieting down. There was a small bang, followed by more scratching noises.

“…mhm…” The incessant noise finally caught their attention. Rolling her eyes, Eudora motioned towards the door with a sneered lip. “I guess the fool is finally up. Guess I should check on ‘em…” She shuffled over with her steaming cup.  The other woman right behind her as she too found pleasure in the idea of Mahito’s sudden illness.

The noise grew into light banging, causing irritation in Eudora to have her push into the bathroom door a little harder than usual, spilling some of the coffee’s hot contents on herself, taking her and red’s attention away from what was in front of them.

“Ah! Ow—F*ck! Look what you made me do, you idiot!” Eudora yelled, turning her attention back to the creature in front of her, while the other woman tried to cater to the burned hand, paying what she thought was Mahito no mind.

Dark eyes widened in realization and fear as ghostly pale, blood shot eyes, riddled with blackened veins stared back at her. She didn’t have time to react as he lunged on her, causing her body to fall back, automatically throwing the hot liquid into the face of the oblivious red-haired woman.

He bit viciously into Eudora’s neck, creating a gurgled scream before it ultimately went silent when he made it to her vocal cords.

Eudora latched onto Louise who was behind her, mouth wide open from unheard wailing, eyes pleading for help. But the woman was now blinded and screaming for the both of them as she could no longer see from the searing pain all over her face. She could not see that Mahito was now a part of the undead. She could not see the life slipping from Eudora’s fearful eyes as she choked on her own blood. Louise crawled around helplessly looking for the exit, kicking away at the hands that once clawed at her for help, leaving red streaked marks against her exposed legs.

She kept screaming as she heard the chewy sound of torn flesh being eaten as well as unnerving groans. Whether it was from Eudora’s gurgled screams or a reanimated Mahito, she couldn’t be sure. But Louise finally made it to what seemed to be the door that she walked through earlier.

Sweaty hands grappled and twisted with the doorknob before it finally burst open. The only thing she was able to make out was a shadowed figure outlined by the dim brightness of outside.

“What’s wrong? I heard screaming?!” Some man grabbed Louise by the shoulders. Seeing the harsh red marks along her face, he realized she was burned. She was a blubbering mess, and he couldn’t understand her garbled words.

“Shh! Calm down, calm down. Shh—shh**tt!!” He cursed as he seen the approaching figure covered in fresh blood and bits of flesh heading towards them. “Oh f*ck no!” He breathed shallowly, fear running over him at the sight before him. The man never had to deal with the undead. In truth he was too afraid, like so many others. So, in his fearful state he shoved the woman back into what once was Mahito to get away, but she rolled into it’s legs, tripping it up to land on the cowering man anyways. Its claws out to reach for it’s next meal, the man sustained some scratches before finally kicking away from the zombie's clutches and running away for his life.

Back inside the home, a blinded Louise could not see the newly reanimated figure above her clearly enough to know that it was no longer a friend. She reached out towards the blurred silhouette in an attempt for help.

“Please… help… me.” Her last plea in the world.

 

 

Jogo and Ranta made it onto the road first, while another trio were slow to the cause. They raced towards the hospital, figuring you would be there as that’s what Hanami relayed to them before they departed. They dodged around numerous fallen trees and debris, careful not to fall into a ditch like the overturned truck they drove by. Not too soon after they passed it, they spotted a lone figure trekking along.

Squinting his eyes, Jogo grunted in distaste once he recognized who it was. “Don’t pull over.” He ordered, but Ranta was already slowing down for the suddenly limping figure.

Jogo cursed under his breath. ‘The kid don’t listen!’ Rolling down the window, the salt and pepper haired man gave a forced smile. His once bright hazel eyes held a far-off look, something that always creeped Jogo out.

“Heey! Funny seeing you guys. Well clearly, I lost the others. Ran into some trouble and uhh had to leave but I got hurt… uh anyways, glad you guys drove by.” He patted a heavy hand on both of their shoulders. Ranta beamed at the guy in the rearview mirror, still unaware of his true nature.

“Yeah, dude. No problem! The more the merrier from our side, am I right?” Ranta grinned cockily, only knowing half of the story. He didn’t know Tadashi chewed out Naoya, yet alone wasn’t on either side. This poor innocent fool had no idea who he just let in.

“Uhah heh. Yeah…” Tadashi’s uneven response was unnerving to the frog looking man as he secretly eyed him from the side view mirror. “And what exactly is “our” side doing again?”

“We’re just gonna—”

“Supply extra help. Take some things off their hands. Bring ‘em back to the community.” Jogo interjected, trying to play off Ranta almost spilling the beans. The questioning look Ranta gave him did not go missed from those eerie hazel eyes.

 

“I think I get it.” Yuuji chimed into the quiet as you two looked out into the distant city. The road was bare; void of life, save for you two at the moment. Abandoned cars, downed trees and strewn debris were the remnants that lasted through the times. It was eerily beautiful in your eyes and Yuuji thought he understood your perspective for a moment. Having grown up in a bustling city himself, it was originally unnerving to suddenly live in silence. But he thinks he might understand your view of it’s beauty. Because you said how you were rarely left alone. How you were always being watched and documented. To you, as the world was now, it was technically the safest you had ever felt.

“There’s practically no one alive or around to make you do anything. You’re your own free person. Free to explore by yourself…. I just would find it lonely.” Yuuji said after giving it a thought.

Nodding along in agreement, you had a random question. “If you could, who would you have by your side to explore with you?” You smiled brightly as his eyes lit up with enthusiasm.

You and Yuuji were outside on the porch talking about literally anything. He was a great conversationalist, really good at distracting others as well as himself. As you two were discussing his reasoning for choosing Meg Thee Stallion to accompany him, you noticed an approaching vehicle.

Confusion on both of your faces, Yuuji made you go inside before facing the car. There was an abnormal feeling in his gut that was telling him to be alert as the car parked itself right before the home. You watched from the obscured window, seeing Jogo and Ranta stepping out of the car. From what Yuuji could tell, it was only those two as he walked down the few steps to meet them, hands loose at his sides, just in case he suddenly needed to defend himself.

“What are you guys doin’ here?”

Jogo took his time to respond, surveying the area. He figured given that it was only Yuuji who stood before him and none of the others, that he was left behind to guard you.

“Let’s make this simple, we bring you and [Y/N] back to the community or just [Y/N]. Don’t make this harder than it needs to be, boy.” Jogo said, stepping up to Yuuji who did not even blink, but smirked in his froggy looking face.

“I promised no harm would come to her. She’s not going back with either of you.” He said with finality. Electricity sparked through the air, signaling for him to ready himself for a fight.

“How noble. Stupid. But noble. Ranta, get the girl. I’ll handle this buffoon.” Jogo cracked his knuckles with a wide grin spreading across his face. He’s been wanting to fight these military guys since day one. Especially that white haired one, but he’d settle for the pup of the pack. “I’ll send you back with your tail between your legs kid!” He charged him.

Unable to hear, you could only imagine what was said as you seen Jogo barely keep Yuuji back from Ranta who was trying hard to burst through the door you thankfully locked. But the place was old and battered. By the fourth kick, he had it open, but you had grabbed hold of a wooden chair by then. Readying it as he barged in, you swung hard enough for him to flip on to his back.

You went to slam it down on him, but he swiftly rolled and swept you off your feet, allowing the chair to awkwardly land on you. The way too excited young man snatched it from your grasp, tossing it behind him as he leapt for you, but you kicked your legs up to launch him back over you, sending him further into the home. Springing up, you hear Yuuji yelling your name and some grunting, garnering your attention momentarily. You hoped it was that potbelly frog getting his butt whooped.

“Pay attention you b*tch!”

Awareness split, your side took a hit, sending you passed the threshold of the door and on to the porch where the rickety floorboards laid lopsided and jutting up. You stumbled over them, taking too long to regain composure from the nauseating impact, Ranta kicked you over the railing, landing you in the overgrown bushes just below.

Yuuji had put up a good fight against Jogo despite his face and body being bloodied and bruised. Jogo was breathing heavily through his busted lip and his one eye was getting ready to close shut. He needed back up. “Ranta, hurry up and knock the b*tch out and help me kill this guy.”

Adrenaline pumping fear and anger through your veins you quickly maneuver out of the shrubbery, and onto the back of Ranta who was heading over to aid Jogo. Your dizzy self, had him in a headlock which he easily counteracted by flipping you over him this time. Making sure to slam you down extra hard so you didn’t get up too quickly. For your smaller stature, you were pretty resilient, Ranta had to give that to you.

 

Was the world spinning or was it you? You were trying to get up from the ground, mind focused on helping the three Yuuji’s getting jumped. You spotted another figure running up to them but couldn’t make them out before your stomach forcibly punched it’s contents up your throat. Tears blurred your vision from the fight in front of you as you hunched over to spill liquid across the cracked ground.

Jogo finally had Yuuji stuck in a headlock, arms locked in the air, with his knees planted firmly on the ground.

“Come to get your hits in finally, Tadashi?” Ranta spoke while punching Yuuji a few more times. “Once we’re done with him. We’re gonna take care of her, like Naoya told us.” Through swollen and bloodied eyes, Yuuji watched the older man storm closer to him, heart slowly sinking from the thought of betrayal as he stood directly in front of him.

“Hm…. You should take better care of yourself!” An uncannily wide smile ran over the towering man’s face while Yuuji readied for another punch that never came.

Instead, Tadashi had pivoted and started delivering blow after blow on Ranta.

“What the h*ll are you doing?!” Jogo cursed as his hands were tied trying to keep Yuuji from breaking free with the distraction. He couldn’t help Ranta.

If only the kid had listened to Jogo when he said to keep driving. Ranta would not have been crying out for help against the brutal man. He wouldn’t have felt so helpless against the man standing behind him as he was essentially in the same position Yuuji was struggling to get out of. The man’s tough arms were locked around his head snuggly; one tucked under the chin, while the other followed the curvature of the top of Ranta’s head. It was slowly shifting to the side.

“Naoya promised. He promised that my honey flower wouldn’t get hurt.” He growled out through gritted teeth. He was practically frothing at the mouth as his body was flushed a scary shade of red from being incensed. “But of course, HEATHENS LIKE YOU wouldn’t know how to treat such delicate things!” He yelled those parting words into a limp body, discarding it to the ground like it was trash. And that’s how he viewed anyone or thing that mishandled what was deemed rightfully his.

Yuuji’s eyebrows shot up in shock, alarmed at the viciousness of the man. He just hoped he wasn’t on the receiving end of that as well.

“Tad-tadashi.” He croaked trying to reach out to him for help, but his hand was slapped away with disinterest and disgust.

“None of you could keep her protected. The only reason why I let her be around you guys, despite your little friends touching and tasting her. Some guards you were.” He sneered at the weakened man before him.

 

Blinking away the tears and the double vision slowly clearing up, you slowly turned to see the figure standing before a kneeling Yuuji with a fearful looking Jogo behind him, finally loosing the pink haired boy. He looked like he was about to make a run.

You struggled to get up, eyes clenching through the dull pain sinking in from trying to stand up. You missed the figure knocking Yuuji unconscious.

Standing up, you stumble trying to walk towards them. Foolishly thinking you could still fight in your state, but thankfully, Jogo was the one to run away as you limped closer.

“Stay away from me, psycho!” Jogo huffed as he hurriedly made it back to the car. He was in no shape to take that man on and did not want to. Retrieving you was no longer a viable option or worth it. Not with him around.

“Yuuji!” You croaked out as you could make out his unconscious body on the ground. But you paused once you realized who was standing above him. “Ta…dashi?” Your lip quivered as you looked at the man you thought came to the rescue.

“Honey.” Tadashi growled out over the screeching of tires as Jogo peeled down the road.

*** Hey, This Part May Be Uncomfortable; Feel Free To Skip Ahead To The Next Notice***

 

As quickly as you could manage through the pain, you quickly limped to him, arms extended. Grateful for a friendly familiar face…

It seemed you did not notice the tone in which he took, or the aggressive gate he held as you two approached each other. Or even the very unfriendly look that replaced the once handsome face you started to care for.

Your head smacked the pavement before your brain had time to register how you ended up there in the first place. Instinctually, your hand went to your face, touching along your cheek, you pulled back your hand to see a tinge of blood, but it wasn’t nearly as fresh as the stuff dripping from your nose.

You shakily looked up at the mass towering over you, trying to figure out if they were friend or foe.

“…Honey…” His voice came out sickeningly sweet as he bent over, hands on knees grinning victoriously over you. “I said you couldn’t leave, yet here you were planning to leave me this entire time. I have a problem with that.” His whole face was one big smile. Even the wrinkles around his eyes smiled back at you. “Just so you know, you deserve this… aaaand everything else to come for letting your blood be spilled so easily by those scumbags.”

‘Hu-huh?’ Your brow creased in confusion, as you shakily tried to grab onto your friend’s assailant’s pantleg. “Tada-shi, w-wait!” You leaned towards him, but he snatched out of your grasp as he wound up to kick you.

Your eyes bulged as you involuntarily heaved a mixture of air and spit. You sputtered trying to catch your breath, but he gave you no breaks.

They were strong, fast and heavy. His kicks and stomps were relentless as you tried to curl in and protect your stomach, his main aim. It burned. Your throat from throwing up. Your stomach from taking on such blows and your lower abdomen as he landed a few good hits there. You felt something warm pooling between your thighs. You think you pissed yourself.

Curled into a ball, you cried for him to stop, only for him to cackle over your form before dragging you by the throat while you clawed and screamed into the home that was no longer safe and secure.

He had really done a number on you. It was so hard to keep fighting when there were black splotches dotting your vision. You couldn’t black out now though. Not when he was leading you up the flight of stairs and to the bedroom you and Sukuna once occupied.

‘I’m scared! I’m scared!’ Your mind screamed as your body released a pungent sour and woodsy scent that tingled Tadashi’s brain in the worse way.

He had thrown you roughly onto the bed, relishing in your bloodied weeping form, meekly begging him to stop as you were slowly starting to drift away from the world.

You could barely hear his muffled words above you; your hearing had begun to fade out. You could feel him jostle your body roughly as he felt along your cloth covered skin before finally yanking you downwards by your pant legs. You barely let out a squeak as your mind slowly lost its will to control your limbs. Brown bare legs flopped down against the bed, too heavy to burden yourself with trying to shut them closed. The coolness of the air hit the wetness in between your legs causing goosebumps to litter across your skin, despite feeling mostly numb to your environment.

A baffled Tadashi stood above you. He wasn’t sure if he should be excited or pissed off at the sight beneath him. You were already lubricated when he yanked off your pants, and he didn’t even get a chance to split you open yet.

“Tch. That’s a bummer. You took the fun out of things. But on the other hand, this just proves that you had a thing for me, honey~” He hummed in arrogance as he admired the mess you made. It just flowed out of you, like you were waiting for him. “If you’re gonna be this wet for me, I guess I can’t keep you waiting any longer.” He snickered as he fiddled with unbuckling his pants while he rubbed his face into your soaked pants, enjoying the pungent iron smell you had.

You were trying so hard to fend off the creeping sleep though you wouldn’t have minded not seeing this freak get off in such a way. But you held on long enough to see Tadashi’s head spin quickly to what you assumed was the window, as he disappeared from your sight briefly before coming back over your form. He hovered over your face mumbling something unclear, only making out the words ‘unwanted soldiers’, before kissing your forehead roughly and leaving out the door.

As if taking a sigh of relief, you finally let go and welcomed slumber.

 

***Y/N has passed out after Tadashi’s plans to do terrible things were thwarted***

“Hey, that’s the truck Tadashi and Ronan took off in.” Miguel pointed out the overturned car, crushed under a tree. Pulling over, they quickly investigated if either man were in there. It was just Ronan, breathing raggedly while stuck behind his seatbelt.

Getting him out moments later, Miguel shook him down asking for Tadashi’s whereabouts and why they left him behind.

“I was trying to get him to stop, I swear. But the guy… he has a bad obsession with [Y/N]. And I couldn’t… I couldn’t stop him, so I left with him to try and warn her, but the storm made us crash and next thing I know I’m being rescued by you guys.” He sputtered out, brain trying to reorient itself from being upside down for so long.

“We better hurry. Quick! Get him in the truck!” Yuta rushed to the driver’s seat, as Miguel helped Ronan into the tank, before seating himself.

Not long after, they spotted a small sedan barreling passed them, barely recognizing Jogo behind the wheel as he sped down the road. Yuta stepped on the gas, trying to hurry faster. The large tank of a truck skidded to a halt as they drove upon the grisly scene. Yuta barely put it in park when he jumped out of the vehicle. Yuta’s eyes widened in fear and shock looking at both young men splayed out on the ground. Ranta’s freshly beaten face still dripped blood while facing the wrong way. And Yuuji was slowly dragging himself across the ground, towards the house you were dragged into.

Ronan grimaced at the sight and knew it was Tadashi’s handy work.

“Yuuji! Come on… GET UP!” His teammate checked over his bloodied body, making sure there were no life-threatening injuries.

He was barely conscious, feebly pointing towards the house. “Help…. [Y/N].” Yuuji spoke incoherently as blood continued to spill from his mouth before he finally dropped into unconsciousness. His friends were there. He trusted that they could take over.

“I’ll take him to the car. You guys get to the house and be on guard! I’ll back you up.” Miguel ordered, slipping back into old habits of when he used to serve back home.

Before they even crossed the short lawn, Tadashi was at the front door with his hands at his waistband. Fixing them up as his stained fingers slipped across the button a few times. He had a disgusted grim look across his blood smeared face, as he eyed the three before him. One he did not expect to see. “Funny seeing you, Ronan. What a pleasant surprise! I’m happy you made it out of that mess.” His teeth contrasted against his dirtied skin as he grinned warmly at the young man before him, before it dipped back into a scowl. “You couldn’t hold these guys off a little bit longer? I was just about to get started with my honey.” He had a wide wild look in his eyes as he eyed the three, now four as Miguel joined them.

“Don’t tell me you hurt her?” Ronan spoke up, scowling at what he hoped wasn’t your blood over the crazed man before him. He was regretting not speaking up about Tadashi’s odd fixation of cute innocent things and bloodplay. He had witnessed it once already by accident. It involved a puppy and rabbit on two separate occasions. He had hoped it stopped there with the animals, but he should have said something when he picked up on the signs way back then with you. The young man was just too scared of Tadashi at the time, something he had regretted now.

“Nooo...nooo—Corrected! She needed some correction, and I was JUST getting started so if you four don’t mind.” He shooed them off with a wave of his hand, continuing, “I’d really like to get back to it.” His bright smile came across his face briefly before shutting down into a serious look. “Unless you want me to handle you like I did Ranta and Yuuji first?”

Immediately incensed, Yuta charged Tadashi, followed up by Miguel. They toiled with him while Maki and Ronan went ahead in search for you upstairs.

Following the blood-streaked stains littered along the way, they came upon the room you were lying in. Unconscious and semi-naked, you had blood smeared all over you and pooling underneath of you and onto the sheets.

“Maki! What do I do?!” Ronan started to panic. He didn’t want to believe his eyes.

“G-get a bunch of towels, Ronan. Quick!” Maki ordered while wiping away her tears. She could cry after she cleaned you up and got you back into the tank safely.

 

It was one of the hardest decisions Yuta had to make. Leaving Miguel and Ronan to handle Tadashi while he drove you and Yuuji back to the community. He was the only one who knew how to drive the tank, and given the horrid state you were in, plus Yuuji, he didn’t have any other option. Your health came first. He hoped that those two could stop that monster in time before he messed up the plan for his team and got them killed. He was like a slippery snake the way he got away from them. Yuta’s grip tightened around the wheel as the speed of the tank increased.

Pulling up to the community, Yuta sighed heavily. He wasn’t in the mood to have to explain their military grade vehicle. He would have liked to avoid this instance but given the need to have Choso tend to the two heavily injured people, he couldn’t care less about the stupid questions that he was sure he was going to be bombarded with as soon as those doors opened…

“Why the h*ll aren’t they opening the doors?” Maki frowned as they didn’t see anyone manning the gates. That was the first alarm. Stepping outside of the vehicle she could finally make out the faint screaming of others, but it was hard to hear over the tank’s engine. That was the second alarm.

Shutting the vehicle off, Yuta went to check with Maki to figure out what was going on. Hearing the commotion much clearer, they ran up to the gate which was left slightly ajar upon closer inspection. It was a rule that they had to always have the gates manned, as well as locked.

Something was clearly wrong. Peeking around the length of the fence, they could see that the townspeople, mainly women and older folks were being herded into the town hall while some of the brave men faced their undead friends and family.

Stunned, the two briefly wondered how this began before a frantic member ran towards them screaming wildly, bursting the gates open and running into the woods behind them. Some peoples’ minds couldn’t handle seeing their loved ones lost. Especially when they’re standing right in front of them.

Maki gave a look to Yuta as if debating on whether to help out or find Choso first.

But the answer came from Choso himself. He had spotted them from across the way, confused at their presence, but thankful none the less. He had the muscles to take down the undead, but the mental strength was taxing. He wanted to help heal people, but instead he was killing the community members he had just seen alive earlier in the day.

Running over to Yuta and Maki, he asked for their aide, but before they decided to aid anyone, they quickly updated him on what happened. His pale face grew even paler with the news of what Tadashi did to you and Yuuji and an impossible shade of green once he seen you two in person.

“What do we do here, Choso?” Maki looked frantically between the sparse motley crew of men that were defending against the onslaught of undead and her two friends.

“Honestly, I’m a better healer than a fighter.” The doctor looked down at his shaking hands. His feelings were all over the place and it’s much easier to deal with diagnoses because there’s a logical procedure and process that can be followed. There really isn’t one for processing and handling a reanimated neighbor… or friend.

“I’ll take care of these two. You guys go help them please.”

Taking off to assist the town, Choso was left to assess you both. Steeling his emotions as he heard the gunshots and screams of his townspeople while he looked you over after judging Yuuji’s injuries a little less severe to you. Keeping the towel wrapped around you, he quickly carried you to his office after securing Yuuji inside of the truck. He would check on him once he dealt with you.

He gently laid you down on the table, lowering it flat so he could check you over accurately. He tuned out the sounds of gunshots and screaming outside as he placed ointment on some gashes and gauze on another. With a shaky breath he finally lifted the soiled towel, revealing what he initially thought was going to be gruesome, but upon closer inspection, he was quite perplexed.

Not dwelling on the thought for now, he cleaned you up and placed a fresher towel around you, just in time for a stressed Naoya to storm in.

 

“Choso! Where have you been?! Why the h*ll aren’t y –what is she doing here? What are you doing?” A bunch of questions fired out of the frantic man. “This was her fault!” He was ready to pounce on you, but Choso stood in his way with a scalpel and his fists at the ready.

“Don’t touch her! She’s been through enough!”

“I’m sick of this special treatment! Why is everyone up her *ss!?” Naoya’s fingers dug into his palms as his anger boiled inside him.

“She’s immune, Naoya! That sh*t out there –doesn’t affect her!” Choso yelled into his face.

He looked baffled that Choso raised his voice at him for one, and two, because what was said didn’t make sense.

Clearly seeing the confusion on the man’s face, Choso sighed heavily contemplating on whether he should share the news.

“That’s impossible…” Though Naoya didn’t say it, his tone clearly indicated that he needed more information.

“It isn’t for her...” He groaned in frustration as he decidedly chose to divulge into your story a bit.

Naoya was breathing heavily when everything was said and done. It clearly explained how the military found their way to his town as well as why they guarded you so immensely.

“So those *ssholes were gonna take her to their headquarters and not share this with us!?” This is what his brain decided to nitpick with.

“They would have extended the invitation if they could, but you weren’t so welcoming, Naoya! Remember what you did when she had JUST got here?! Why would they bring someone who is a literal threat to the well-being of humanity?!” Choso countered easily.

Naoya scoffed. He didn’t want to hold himself accountable right now under this revelation. “How the h*ll was I supposed to know she was “special”? Why should I believe that she’s really immune?”

“I’d prove it to you but given the fact that somebody destroyed my cultures—”

“That somebody is dead and I’m pretty sure she had something to do with it.” Naoya spoke through gritted teeth as he looked at you with hatred and confusion. ‘Maybe Dagon was right. I should have sent you away as soon as possible.’ He finally confessed to himself. He shouldn’t have sent Jogo and Ranta out there after you. He should have corrected Mahito sooner. This was all your his fault.

“She did nothing. He brought it on himself, Naoya. Don’t put that on her!” Choso defended.

“I don’t want to hear it. Just.. just get her out of here.” You were no longer worth it to him anymore.

 

That was the plan, just as soon as the town could get the infestation under control. By the time they did, you were seated comfortably in the vehicle beside a patched up Yuuji who’s breathing finally regulated. You both were still unconscious but were doing better than when you were brought in.

In the community, there was a small group ready to leave as they saw Yuta and Maki heading out the gates with some baggage once things settled down; not knowing it was just towels and clothes for you.

Except, Naoya trying to preserve the numbers, connivingly convinced them to stay. Lying about your hand in this chaos, he said that you purposefully poisoned Mahito in hopes to destroy the community. And they took that as the truth, as they wanted to find you to tear you apart, but Naoya was a bit gracious to you, saying that when Jogo came back, he shared that you were as good as dead. Surely that could appease the irate crowd.

And just like that, you were officially made an outcast.

 

It was unfair that you were not awake to defend yourself, but this outcome was inevitable. With a target on your back from basically day one, you were not going to fit in with these folks. Your hopes of starting a new life were swiftly taken when those soldiers discovered who you were.

You didn’t bother placing the blame on them. In all honesty, you were glad they discovered you. If they hadn’t, you probably would have been fated to be brainwashed and manipulated like the many women in that community. In that, you were grateful for their intervention.

‘I miss them.’ You thought while floating in the sweet dark abyss of unconsciousness. Happy memories cycled by when you thought of the laughter and joy you shared with those men and Maki. Your favorite times being dinner time around the fire pit where amazing stories unfolded. Or the random antics that Yuuji and Todo were typically up to.

And of course, those other times where things got heated. Whether it was in your bedroom or the laundry room, those particularly spicy memories always carried two opposing figures. As the memories flitted by, one decidedly conjured itself. Darkness gave way to light as you were immersed in the time where you were testing your capabilities in controlling your pheromones with Gojo and Geto.

“[Y/N], try letting go now.” Geto huskily whispered in your ear from behind before reattaching his lips to your neck. His hands were once again on you, kneading your breasts, dizzying your mind. You managed an ‘Okay’ around an airy moan as your hole clenched around Gojo’s thick fingers. He was at your front, your head cradled in one hand as his lips fervently danced with yours. His other hand was dipped between your quaking legs, courtesy of your rapidly approaching climax.

The two were trying to see if you could control your scents, a.k.a. your emotions. They didn’t really work on the others for too long, too excited to try out that intoxicating honeyed scent. So far, you’d say you managed a bit of control over your feelings, not that it was easy to tell given you couldn’t smell anything yourself. And the fact that your body naturally triggered the scents, you weren’t sure what you had under control; you were just at the mercy of these two who claimed that they wanted to be thorough with this specific pheromone trait given the data was inconclusive after all.

You think that was the explanation as to why you were now on all fours being stuffed from both ends not that long after being told to “let go”.

Would you say this was a bad idea from the start?

With your teary eyes rolled back, highly doubtful. You liked them after all. Especially when they were feeding you compliments even with your f*cked out state making you a little less sensible. To them, you were a beautiful sight to behold.

“Mmf, [Y/N]. You look so good taking us both like this.” Gojo huffed while he pushed into your throat, before roughly dragging out again. He couldn’t help himself, your eyes looking up at him so sweetly and the sounds you were making from both of your mouths. Everything about you just excited him. “Sh*t! Don’t look at me like that!” Gojo groaned while he picked up the pace. His hands tightened in your dark locs and along your jaw, roughly pumping your throat.

“Ah, Satoru. You losing it already?” Geto snickered at his flushed friend, who was using abusing your mouth like a flesh light.

“F*ck off. You’d be the same way if our lil’ kitten looked at you like this. Mnf –and it’s not like this is new to her.” You would have noticed the wink he gave you if you weren’t losing it yourself. Gojo groaned in the back of his throat as your cloudy lust-filled eyes made contact with him again. His stormy and bright sky blues looked over you endearingly as your body tensed around Geto’s member.

“Oohh? I wanna see the faces our pretty girl’s makin’.” You could hear the smirk in his voice alone. His large hands were gripped into the fat of your cheeks and hips, sending sparks all throughout, particularly when he’d hit that special spot deep within you. This duo was unprecedented, and you loved it.

You jerked and your throat tightened as Gojo went back a bit too far, earning a short apology from him.

“Don’t be so rough, Satoru.” Geto chuckled as he heard you gag again as Gojo slammed into your throat one more time… right after apologizing.

You knew it’d be raw and sore with how rough he was being, but you couldn’t care less as you gladly took them both into you further. Your body just craved this it seemed.

The two men didn’t peg you initially to be into this kind of tag teaming. But you were full of surprises as you relaxed and angled just a little to have them both completely buried in you to the hilt. The groans the three of you made in that room was unhinged. The whole space was full of you. Your sweat. Your scent. Your panting. Your moaning and whimpers. The heat of your body as well as the depth they had sunken to, fogged their brains as their minds’ pathways all led to you. For your pleasure and satisfaction, they were willingly caught in your honey trap.

 

“Oh, f*ck.” Geto cursed as he grunted slowly, trying not to lose himself as you began to release around him. ‘It’s like a vice grip!’ He was coming undone right behind you.

Your garbled chokes around Gojo’s thick c*ck splurged him on as he tumbled right into his own climax too, filling your mouth with his sticky and warm DNA.

The three of you hissed and groaned as the two pulled out of you, panting heavily, they were still at half mass to your delight. Your body was far from finished with the two of them.

‘Not enough… I need more!’ Reignited, your gut clenched, practically making you dizzy all over again from desire. Just when you thought the clouds were clearing up, they swarmed again. You moaned, pinching your legs together in want. It was kind of almost painful the way your nether region constricted around nothing.

“We know, baby girl. You need more. You always need more.” His grin didn’t match his worried looking eyes. It looked forced, something abnormal from what you think you remembered from this memory.

“We’ll take care of you like always,” Geto spoke softly over your head, guiding a stray loc back behind your ear.  He was being so gentle, just how you liked, causing a round of ravenous butterflies to spin around in your belly. You whined in need or was it displeasure?

‘Why aren’t they in me by now?! Can’t they smell how much I want them? It basically hurts!’

“Since your eagerness is always so tempting for me, I’ll feed into your greedy appetite.” Gojo’s low voice promising you what you needed sent waves of pleasure over you, causing you to let out a moan. He was already positioned behind you pressing against your entrance, while Geto took advantage of your gaping mouth. You nearly gagged at the unexpected yet welcomed intrusion.

“But just so you know, there’s no take backs when I start~”
‘But just so you know, you’re gonna have to wake up soon’

You frowned at the echoed noise you heard. You almost questioned it, but you were being deliciously stuffed yet again, citing another muffled moan from you.

“D*mn--------------------------------. Her face is seemingly healing…”
“D*mn you’re right, Satoru. The faces she’s making are cute~” Geto gushed, caressing the side of your face bringing your attention back to him. His thumb ran along your slick chin, smearing some of your drool and sticky essence along your heated and puffed cheeks. You were a sight to behold.

It was hard keeping up this time with Gojo as he liked to be fast and rough. Barely sparing you enough time to steady yourself, he was immediately slamming in and out of you. He couldn’t help but to groan your name from seeing all the juices flowing from that tight little hole of yours as it was stretched from his fat c*ck. If you were anymore lucid your ears would have burned right off from the symphony of sounds you all created.

Pieces of raven hair stuck to the glistening skin of the man before you. He was cursing under his breath at how fast you were swallowing him, courtesy of his counterpart. Geto’s hands were helping you brace yourself at being relentlessly hammered into from behind, and he would have spoke up about it, but you just looked and sounded so cute with your f*cked out expression. Secretly he enjoyed seeing you pounded into like this while you choked along his length. It just fueled him closer to the edge again, somewhere you were near.

Bobbing up and down his length from Gojo’s effort and effect alone, you soon tasted something salty yet sweet along your taste buds before the cool air suddenly hit your gaping mouth.

“Aht! You better swallow it.” Geto tutted at some of his cum that dripped passed your lips.

“Can’t be wasteful.” Gojo chuckled before cursing lightly at your form. With Geto out of the mix, you were able to situate yourself a little lower, head tilted to the side to get a better view of those electric sky blues. The whole scene would be his undoing. Seeing dried spittle and cum across your face, with your *ss bared wide open to him from arching, set his mind into overdrive as his brain commanded him to unload an unfathomable amount of his genes inside your greedy tunnel.

The air was heavy with all three of your scents. The warmth of the sweet air you brought after you climaxed was potent enough to coax them into laziness. They were slow and lethargic as they leisurely cleaned themselves off, before settling on either side of you, covering you with a sheet for decency’s sake.

 

In the quietness, you listened to the birds chirp outside the open window that sprayed the sunlight around the room. You would watch how the rays of light disappeared briefly before reappearing again over your covered belly, spreading warmth over it. There was a distant dull ache ebbing it’s way into your abdomen as you absentmindedly placed your hand there in thought, drawing light soothing circles.

“What ya thinking about?” Gojo had asked you as he placed his larger hand on top of yours following along the path you were drawing on yourself.

“Just thinking what I wanted for my life growing up, and how I don’t think that’s plausible now.”

“What did you want, or expect for yourself?” Geto followed up.

Scrunching your face up in thought and unease, you said, “When I was younger, me and my best friend wanted to be a part of that show, “The first 48” or “Forensic Files”… though I guess I beat her to it in a way.” You chuckled darkly as the two lightly joined you. “But we did want to work alongside those agents. Ya’ know, bring bad guys to justice if any were involved… and help families gain closure.” Your eyes locked onto your stomach, still covered by your and Gojo’s hands, before your mouth formed a little pout. Even as miniscule as the movement was, it was still perceived by those perceptive eyes. Gojo pressed a little further, shifting up onto his elbow to really look at you.

“Is that all you wanted?” Again, he looked down at you sadly.

You frowned a little at the blooming headache you were suddenly aware of. You remembered how you did not like this part of the memory.

“…well, I wanted… a family. The both of us. We wanted to live as close as possible to each other so that our kids could grow up together to hopefully be best friends like we once were. But once I realized the world went to crap and the fact that I couldn’t even reproduce…” You faded off once you felt the bed shift on your other side. Geto had sat up, turning his back towards you, his face also held sadness as he looked at you over his shoulder. “What’s wrong?” You went to reach out to rub his arm, but he clasped your hand between his larger ones, gently placing a kiss on your bruised knuckles. You quirked a brow. You do not remember your hands being so beaten up, or feeling as crappy as you were starting to feel.

‘Why does this part feel all unfamiliar…’ You frowned in confusion and discomfort.

A heavy sigh escaped his lips as his dark eyes looked at your stomach regretfully. “I wanted a family too. A lot of us did.” He kissed your hand sweetly again, before gently laying it overtop of Gojo’s.

“A lot of us still do. Just not right now.” Gojo responded lowly.

“…I’m sorry…”

You clenched your eyes shut at the distant echo once again, opening them back up to the fading light. The room was disintegrating before your eyes.

You looked worriedly between the two men who had taken on shadowed looks. Their faces looked worn and ragged. Like they hadn’t slept in years, and you couldn’t help but to notice their bloodshot eyes leaking tears.

You went to sit up, but the clenching of your abdomen stirred the pain worse down there causing you to cry out in pain.

“Shh, lay back. It’s about time for us to go anyways. I told you; you’d have to wake up soon, baby girl.” Gojo spoke over you gently as you fought against the black spots from inking into your fading memory.

“I’m sorry you have to keep losing the things that you want…” Geto’s mouth spoke as the top of his head began to fade away. You felt his hand press lightly over yours before he completely dispersed.

“I’m sorry that you had to lose out on having a family again.” Gojo’s final response before he leaned the rest of his upper body on you before he placed a gentle kiss on the side of your temple, signaling his farewell.

With the final light fading, you felt yourself somehow seep further into the obsidian. Somewhere in which you didn’t want to be.

“Honey~” Something sickeningly sweet echoed across the air. It felt false.

Your head spun around looking for the source. Even in the inky blackness surrounding you, you could still make out the creeping figure heading your way. A cold chill ran up your body before you made a feeble attempt at crawling away.

“HOneEEyyy!!!”

You whimpered at the closing proximity. You knew it would be looming over you soon if you didn’t escape. But where could you go?

‘I have to wake up, right? That’s what Gojo said!’ Your mind raced too slowly as the icy finger like splinters enclosed around you. ‘NO!’

“HONEY!” The roar it let out over you vibrated around your body.

You cried out in agony as another sharp pang coursed it’s way through your abdomen again. Gritting your teeth through the pain, you tried to focus on rising out of where you had fallen.

“I WANNA WAKE UP! YOU’RE JUST A NIGHTMARE! YOU’RE NOT REAL! WAKE UP!” Your voice howled into the air. Suddenly, as if realizing you weren’t where you needed to be, your brain decidedly took you off standby.

Signals fluttered about your body to help coax you out of the depths of your mind, and back into the realm of the conscious. ‘…it hurts. It hurts…everywhere. Where am I?’ Your physical state started to connect you back into a jarring reality as the jostling of the car helped arouse you from your slumber.

A sad and soft voice was murmuring repeatedly above you. “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry, [Y/N]. I’m sorry.” You realized the apologies were coming from Yuuji who held your head in his lap. You were looking at the underside of his wet chin, as his head was rested back against the seat. He had yet to notice you were finally awake. But you noticed his steady tears cascading around his jaw line to collect at the base before dripping onto your face.

Groggily you tried to sit up, whimpering at the pain you felt all over, especially at your abdomen as you had to crunch to get up. You felt something stuffed down between your thighs as you shifted around uncomfortably.

Snapping his head up, Yuuji tried to get you to lay back down. You almost choked on your own spit at all the colors he bore on his face. Mostly dark hues of blue and purple with the occasional red, Yuuji’s face looked like the worse part of a rainbow sprinkled vanilla ice cream on a hot day. You started crying with him for a whole separate reason.

“Whoa, hey! You two don’t get yourselves worked up. Especially you.” A familiar voice chided. Through your teary vision you made out a green blob. “How are you feelin’?” It was Maki being uncannily gentle with you as she looked you over with deep remorse.

“Like. Crap.” Your voice croaked over your hoarse cry.

“I’m sorry. Don’t move so much, just try to relax back, okay?” Maki smiled forlornly at you with reddened pitiful eyes. “We’re finally leaving, okay?” She sniffled. “You don’t have to worry about anyone else at the community anymore.” Tears were bubbling in her eyes, but she refused to let them overflow.

Eyebrows pinched in confusion and concern, you listened and gently rested back into Yuuji’s welcoming embrace. You two consoled each other, apologizing profusely though neither were truly at fault.

“None of what happened was foreseen… I’m so sorry we couldn’t stop him, [Y/N].” Yuta spoke up through the cacophony of sniffles.

More tears poured over your cheeks at the betrayal you felt in your chest, but there was a sense of relief sitting there as well.
“I don’t blame you guys. Who could have guessed he’d flip the switch on us, but at least he was exposed of sooner rather than later when it really counted, huh?” You chuckled dryly despite the hurt of treachery and cramping.

“Don’t you think your wellbeing counts, [Y/N]?” Yuuji’s slightly less swollen eyes looked into yours fiercely. “Just because you can heal, doesn’t mean you should just take any kind of beating. He may have kicked my *ss but what he did to you…” You watched how he pressed his lips together in frustration over the turn of events. He was really beating himself up and you couldn’t help the genuine chuckle that escaped you.

“Thank you for your concern. All of you really. I haven’t had people truly care about me like this in a long time so it’s foreign for me. But I mean… it’s really not that bad, Yuuji. His kicks weren’t nearly as bad as Maki’s. It’s just shocking that of all times for my period to grace me, it would be him to literally kick start it. I can only imagine how much blood you guys saw.” You said so matter of fact-like that everyone turned to you. Even Yuta, before quickly turning his attention back to the road before he could crash into a tree.

 

There was an obvious elephant in the room and everyone besides yourself surely wanted to question it but were unsure of how to approach it.

“Okaaay…, but you said you didn’t have periods… for years.” Yuuji rebutted with ease. He was completely serious, something you weren’t used to seeing.

“Right! But I cannot deny these very familiar claws of death,” You grunted as another wave of cramps tore at your insides. “I guess some things never change.”  You shifted uncomfortably. From what you could feel, you knew you were pantless and hoped there were spare under garments for you.

“Is it supposed to cause you this much pain?” Yuuji followed up.

A hum came from your lips as you breathed through the pain before you continued after it passed, saying, “I mean ever since my childhood I had medicine for the pain and had to be seen occasionally for the extensive amount of blood loss I had. Surprisingly, I was never classified as anemic. And thinking back, the symptoms leading up to this aligned.” You referred to the dizzy spells and nausea you recalled having earlier. You always did have terrible periods when you were younger. It was just strange to you all that it occurred now especially when you hadn’t had one in years.

 

With some of the doubt seemingly squashed, the conversation moved onto other topics, like where you were headed to.

“Miguel said that our leader was on his way; I figured we might as well meet him halfway before going too far.” Yuta answered.

“Speaking of which, what happened to Miguel? Where is he?” You pouted. You hoped he was still alive and didn’t run into any trouble.

There was a brief silence that you caught, as you could feel it’s weight hanging in the air.

“He and Ronan went after Tadashi. Sorry I couldn’t stop him.” Yuta said remorsefully.

You couldn’t help but tense at the name, figuring that the reason you were in their care was because they had ended him, but that was a false assumption from you. “…oh. In that case, I hope they feed him to some zombies.” You grumbled with everyone muttering in agreement.

Prior to their departure, Yuta had sent his best wishes off to the two, though he wasn’t sure about Ronan’s affiliation, he was more than sure that Miguel would still manage to get the job done.

Notes:

Thanks for reading as always~ Take care of yourselves :3

Chapter 20: Twenty

Notes:

Well Howdy y'all :3
I can't believe it's September already. Started this thing in April and I plan on finishing hopefully before the end of October.
I would like for this month to be done, BUT I ain't got it! XD However, I am close (=_= ) and I don't want to rush lol
Enjoy the read <3

A tall, hulking black man stomping around the ruins of a once prestigious refuge was the last thing any of the soldiers expected to come across as they hurriedly made their way back from the inner labyrinth of the hospital.

“Miguel?! What the h*ll are you doin’ in here alone?” Toji asked after they literally bumped into him when rounding a corner.

“My bad. I got split up from Ronan chasing after Tadashi.” Miguel huffed exasperated from the hunt. They gave him a questioning look before he divulged in the short tale of how he came to be in their exact location. The men wasted no time lingering. They knew that Nanami coming out meant things needed to be wrapped up asap and the fact that you were in a dire state, the mission couldn’t be any more at stake.

“We can’t search this whole place for them. As much as I hate to say it, we need to leave. [Y/N] is our top priority.” Todo reasoned firmly amongst his teammates, plus Miguel.

There was a distant clap that reverberated through the rotunda, catching their attention, putting them all on guard.

“Funny how you say [Y/N] is priority when I was the only one to save her.” Like a villain, Tadashi stepped out of the shadows, skin tinted a grimy red from dried blood that settled into his skin. Something shiny aimed their way in his possession.

All their hairs stood on end as they looked onto the unsettling figure before them. They really hoped that wasn’t your blood.

“You knoooww…. Ranta and Jogo were sent out to take [Y/N], but thankfully I was there to stop them. AND since she lied about leaving, I just had to put her in her place. She deserved it. I didn’t even get started before those idiots came along. Rone! You were supposed to keep them busy, what gives?” Tadashi shoved the wavering man, tipping him off balance and sending him to the ground.

“She didn’t deserve any of that! You went too far, Tadashi!” Miguel’s authoritative voice was steady, even with a pistol aimed at him. At all of them.

“I didn’t go far enough, my friend. You foolishly stopped that from happening.” His wild smile would have unnerved the group had they not been comprised of 6 wild men themselves. “Oh, and don’t make any funny movements. I’ve got great aim, ya know.” As if to prove a point, two zombies came out of the door closest to the team. He cleared them both between the eyes, too fast for Toji to even draw his weapon.

“What do you want?” Sukuna cut right to the chase, none of that phased him one bit. They were already running from a horde which he was sure was going to be on them soon and their hands were full of everything but a gun. They didn’t have much time to dawdle.

“For you to drop dead of course. Not only did you try to take my honey from me, but you also couldn’t even keep her safe! What good are you? Please tell them, Rone.” His honey brown eyes looked to the young man briefly who still laid cowered on the floor before looking back at his targets of interest. Or disinterest.

Before anyone could get a word in a sudden symphony of groans could be heard down the hall behind them, making the situation a bit grimmer.

“And looks like the calvary is here. I should let them do the dirty work for me.” His teeth gleamed as he showed off his pearly whites.

“Don’t. Don’t do this. Tadashi!” Miguel yelled to keep him distracted while simultaneously warning the cowering man on the ground who had grabbed something sharp in the midst of their back and forth.

“I think I’ll keep those zombies at bay with live bait, right Ro—ghk.” He suddenly choked on the flood of ruby colored liquid that raced down the back of his throat and the front of his shirt. His hands reflexively clenched as Ronan kept shoving the broken glass shard further through his trachea. Several rounds were fired into the air at random causing everyone to curse as they leapt for the ground in cover until the shots quieted and they spotted his collapsed body with Ronan laying across him.

“Ronan!” Miguel went to go pick him up once he seen the previous threat on the ground. Turning him over to only see two fatal wounds to his chest, he knew Ronan wouldn’t make it out to the field.

“I’m sorry. Tell [Y/N] that I’m so sorry.” His wet bulging eyes went lifeless as he too quickly succumbed to his wounds. Miguel barely shut his eyes before being called with urgency.

“MIGUEL!” A shout from Gojo and Geto simultaneously sent him on high alert.

Decidedly leaving Ronan’s body, he hurriedly came up to them crowded around a groaning Toji. “What happened?”

“He’s hit!” Sukuna yelled as he laid down a few zombies that crept in alongside Todo.

“We don’t have time to patch him up here!” Miguel assessed as he helped apply pressure to the wound before Geto stuffed it quickly with some gauze.

“That’ll have to hold for right now.” Geto spoke frantically.

Fear, panic, and worry was evident in all the men as they tried to sort out how they’d get out of the situation, but they managed to make it back to the newly wrecked “safe” house where Toji had grown more wearier by that time.

“Patch him up real quick and I’ll get the car.” Todo ordered.

The floorboards couldn’t keep up with how fast their feet moved in tandem working around each other. They were a well-oiled machine, allowing Miguel to fall in line with them.

There was a bit of a trail of blood that caught the attention of the white-haired male. He felt his breathing suddenly become shallow as his eyes focused ahead of him, looking up the stairs he was abruptly in front of.

“Oi, Gojo!” Miguel’s curt voice cut into the man’s trance-like state. “There’s nothing of importance up there, man.” He settled him with a look which Gojo took with a nod.

“…you’ve said you were once in the military. You gonna join our ranks when we get back? Might as well take my spot, this’ll take me out of field work for a minute.” Toji gave him a half smirk, before grunting from the pain at his side.

“Nah, ya slacker! You’ll be on your feet in no time. Would barely have time to get ma feet wet.” He chuckled before hearing the tires roll up.

They packed up the main car and road back along with the other car Sukuna brought along on the road.

On the drive back, the street had few zombies on it to maneuver through. One in particular looked familiar with it’s wrapped ponytail. Miguel grimaced as they drove slowly by it, visibly seeing the semi-eaten insides hanging out of it’s waist.

“...is that…?” Sukuna squinted at the disfigured creature before him.

“Ranta. That was Tadashi’s handiwork. He was on the wrong side that boy. Shame he got caught up in this.” Miguel grumbled at the needless loss of life.

Sukuna rolled his eyes in distaste. He truly couldn’t care less. “If what Tadashi said was true, then he brought that upon himself.” The engine revved full of the men’s indignation as they sped off to the community where the team would find themselves in yet another bind.

 

They found out you were long gone, and rightfully so. From what Choso explained to them, you were no longer welcomed there. And to an extent, this transferred to them as well. The people were wracked with fear from what happened, choosing to blame you because you were the best scapegoat somehow. And with your “guardians” some thought that they should stay and help rebuild since this was your fault and that they needed to take responsibility. While others disagreed and believed the soldiers should disappear entirely like you had.

“A deal is a deal. We owe them nothing and they should count themselves lucky we don’t string Naoya to the front of a car and set the alarm off in the middle of nowhere. He’s the reason all of this happened to begin with!” Toji hissed once Choso finished stitching up his side. “We need to hurry and catch up to Yuta.”

“As much as I agree with you, I don’t think it’s smart to leave right now. You’re lucky it was a clean shot and that your teams’ adept enough to patch a wound on the fly.” Choso heavily suggested.

“We’re not staying here.” Sukuna all but growled. He wanted to get to his brother and not so secretly you.

“I’m saying rest.” Choso easily rebutted as if he were speaking with unruly children.

“We need to meet up with—“ One said without giving Choso an ear.

 “Then why not some of us—” Another started to devise with the group.

“We’re not splitting—“ Toji began to bark, yet a rushed knock came to the door, breaking into their back and forth, and shutting them down into silence.

It was an older woman and young man that were originally a family of five. Choso knew them to be mother and son, having lost the father, and the two sons earlier in the day.

Being the gentleman that he was, he greeted them with a gentle smile. “Hey, uh what brings you two here?”

The older woman broke down into tears before she could even try to speak. The son held her and himself together enough to speak on her behalf. “We want to leave. There are a few of us...” He began. They noticed his eyes were tinged red and dark from exhaustion, yet he held a fire that showed he would not give up.

“There’s no room in our cars for two, yet alone a few more. Tch! You can forget about supplies lasting at that.” Sukuna scoffed, waving them off as he made his way out of the door.

“We can provide for ourselves. Walk, if need be, just point us in the right direction. We’ll make it.” The young man was ignorantly determined.

“If you let us come, we promise not to bother the girl. We just can’t keep burning any more of our own.” The woman wept into her hands bitterly, trying to plead with the men.

A white brow twitched in annoyance. ‘The girl has a name!’

Gojo was ready to tell them ‘No’ since they never once tried to consider you as their own despite you being of help to them. But Miguel had spoken up instead. He couldn’t stand by in silence as if he wasn’t hitching a ride himself.

“I’ll stay behind and help lead the few. Just make sure to tell me where I’m headed before ya go.” The brave former soldier put on his signature bright smile.

The newly widowed and suddenly only child thanked Miguel profusely and left to tell the others secretly so they could gather themselves together.

>>> 

Once nightfall had come, the men and their stubborn leader were weighing the pros and cons of having people from this community tagging along. Worried that their presence would disturb you, your three suitors were opposed to the idea. And despite knowing the baseless hostility towards you, Todo and Toji still had Nanami’s commands in mind. They’re trying to restore humanity. How could they not provide some sort of aide.

“Quite frankly I’m tired of going back and forth with soldiers that don’t listen to their lead while he’s on his deathbed might I add.” Toji sassed half-heartedly at the frowning men before him. “Miguel said he’d take them along, so we’ll do as he asked and point him in the right direction. By the time they make it back to HQ, [Y/N] will more than likely be in a whole different section than them to begin with. They wouldn’t even cross paths. Now shut the f*ck up so I can get some rest.” Toji grumbled as fatigue had finally caught up to him. He had a serious dark undereye, more than likely because of the loss of blood, but also sleep deprivation was catching up to him.

Conceding quietly the men settled down for a moments rest, eager to get to you.

 

Across the way, Naoya was seated restless next to his uncle who’s breathing had evened considerably with the new medication that Choso was able to administer. Naoya had high hopes that he would make it through the night so that he could stop bearing the weight of leadership. It was becoming too much for him.

But Choso had said exactly the opposite of what he was hoping for.

“I’m not trying to give you false hope here. This disease was hard to fight even while the world was still functioning, Naoya. Just being realistic.” Choso murmured as he finished packing his belongings.

A frown came across his face as he chewed his lip in frustration. “I’m asking for results. Not opinions, Choso. He better pull through, or you can expect to be following the tracks they leave behind once they’re gone.” He threatened through gritted teeth.

‘Maybe I will!’ Choso thought bitterly as he left quickly to return to his quarters.

 

It was the early hours of the morning, where the sun was creeping up that a restless Naoya sat awake watching over his uncle. He was mulling over the plans moving forward from the previous day’s events. Knowing that his leadership was under fire since he not only requested Jogo and Ranta to go out after you, but the plan backfired and ultimately made him look like a jack*ss for even suggesting it. Dagon laid into him once Jogo relayed what happened. Losing Ranta for nothing had his mates seeing Naoya in a distasteful light. And now Jogo had to lay low and hide for the time being since the soldiers got back. Luckily for him no one paid Jogo any mind as he hid with the survivors of the first attack.

‘It’s like I can feel the reigns slipping through the tips of my fingers.’ Naoya’s fists shook and twitched at the pestering thought of his imaginary crown starting to slip.

But a chilled shaky hand landed itself on his bawled fist, causing him to look at it’s origin.

In the dimly lit room, he could see the small twinkle left in the ailing older male’s wrinkly eyes.

“Where is that girl?” His weak voice croaked.

A growl of disgust left the young man’s chest knowing who his uncle was referring to. He spat out, “Hopefully dead! She ran away like a coward.” Yet deep down he knew he was a coward too, wanting to run away from holding himself accountable and take responsibility for Ranta’s untimely death. Even more so with how he ran things in his uncle’s absence.

A short huff left the man in disbelief. Even with his illness, his own flesh and blood had left him to be alone. ‘Just like her mother and sister.’ He thought bitterly through the haze of the fever that overtook him. In truth, he was truly heartbroken with this, a deeply seated feeling of loneliness and longing finally stirred within him. He realized a bit too late in the end unfortunately; that it was his doing by pushing his own blood away.

“But I’m still here, Uncle. I won’t let this place go to shambles. I promise.” Naoya interrupted the man’s thoughts while patting his hand for good measure. ‘Please get better soon. I can’t keep this up.’ He ignored his own thoughts.

A knock made it’s way to Naoya’s ears and answering it, he noticed it was Hanami and Dagon looking stoic as usual.

“What is it?” He sighed tiredly, he barely got rest as he waited on his uncle through the night as well as trying to plan ahead for the community.

“We got word that a few members are leaving…” Dagon said with a stern look, while Hanami stayed neutral, continuing, “with you know who.”

His fists couldn’t grow any tighter. ‘I said that they could leave. No one else! D*mn poachers!’ Steam could have come from the man’s head; he was so livid.

“We just thought you should know.” Hanami told with an even tone.

He gritted his teeth in frustration, that shiny crown once again feeling a bit too heavy of a burden to bear. He casted one look at his sleeping uncle, before turning his back on him.

“Go ahead and rest uncle. I’ll handle this and check on you later.”  He left hurriedly to confront the men.

 

However, later would come a lot sooner and not in the way Naoya would have ever anticipated.

Jealous eyes caught movement in the dwindling shade of the night. Making out who the dark silhouettes were, Naoya kissed his teeth, thinking about how he should confront those traitors. But before he could, shots echoed through the crispy air.

The soldiers were in the middle of telling Miguel and Choso the coordinates of their home base and headquarters when it happened, drawing their attention towards the sanctuary everyone was held up in for the night recovering.

Both groups raced towards the noise, only halting when several civilians ran out screaming, covered in blood that may have been another’s.

“What the h*ll is going on?!” Naoya yelled out to no one in particular. No one was listening at the moment, too concerned at the familiar sight before them.

The young man that they had spoken to hours ago, had staggered outside in a daze, covered in blood they hoped was not his. His eyes were widened in shock, looking at his blood-soaked hands in suppressed horror. He was standing in the middle of all that chaos, unmoving.

“HEY!” Sukuna tried to grab his attention, but it was too late. An undead had quickly covered him, biting into the side of his head, and ripping off his ear. Sukuna cursed as he took it down, along with the boy. He knew there was no way that kid would have survived that. A long guttural sob broke through the tumult of the scene, sending a chill over all who were around, spurring them into the fight.

Readying their weapons, they all went to fight together. Even Toji, despite his wound being very fresh, he still could aim his pistol well, all he would have to do is keep his distance and not make any rash moves.

Yet somehow in the midst of fighting, his pistol suddenly jammed. It caused a slight delay in his fight, as he worked to fix it. But when a zombie got a bit too close, he threw all caution to the wind and attacked it brutally with the butt of his weapon, completely unfazed by the innards that splashed over him.

It was an unconventional group effort to get the zombies under control and then the hysterical civilians, but Hanami, Dagon and Naoya tasked themselves to handle the townspeople. After all, Naoya believed they were his people to look over.

“How did another one get in?” A fearful looking young woman asked as they grouped up, trying to comfort each other.

“Nothing came in. It seems someone else was infected among the group.” Hanami told, peering at the individuals that remained. Her eyebrows lifted briefly before settling back into their usual placid demeanor. Her eyes rescanned the vicinity looking for something.

“It was Cliff! Cliff was infected and din’t say nothin’ to us!” A man shouted.

“He said he was too scared to eat last night and went to bed throwing up a bit. I just thought he was shaken up like the rest of us.” Another spoke while holding themselves, shaking from what just occurred. “He must have gotten infected yesterday and didn’t tell us.”

“Dagon. Hanami. Check his body specifically and look over the others lying around. I have some people to talk to.” Naoya ordered before stalking over to the soldiers.

Walking up to the group who surrounded Toji, he could overhear them trying to convince him to stay under Choso’s care with Miguel while he obviously refused their suggestion.

“No. You’re all leaving. The only people staying here are the ORIGINAL townspeople.” Naoya stated with finality, trying to hold some authority over the sullied crown that had fallen off earlier that day. He was not aware that it was on the ground.

Why he argued with several capable men was beyond any sensible person. A sensible person would have left them alone and tended to the townspeople’s increasing concerns. But Naoya did not.

 

“Hey, I found his place of infection.” Dagon said walking up to his sister who was checking over the other bodies lying around outside. “Unlike Mahito who was infected internally, Cliff was scratched on his leg and hid it from us this entire time. Tch. Look at what he created.” Dagon spoke with disgust to Hanami who had finished looking over the bodies for the third time. Yet, she kept looking around the area.

“What do you mean Mahito was infected internally?” A young man spoke up when he overheard their conversation.

“Uhh… that he was just sick from something he ingested.” Dagon thought back to how they didn’t find any external signs of a zombie mark on Mahito. He looked over to Hanami as she was quietly re-walking the same path she had, four times now.

“Hanami.” Knowing his sister well, he went to ask what was wrong with her, but someone else spoke up.

Someone scoffed at the simplistic answer. “Well, Mahito ate the same things we all did, wouldn’t that mean we’re infected too?!”

Dagon frowned at them, annoyed at how early it was to be dealing with this. “No, because then—”

“That’s how the sickness spreads though! Laura, you hung by Cliff, and he was coughing around you! You could be sick right now for all we know!” Someone accused the scared and confused woman.

“No, you guys—" The frustrated man tried.

“Look, she has those same dark circles under her eyes!”
“And she has a scratch on her arm! She’s been infected twice as much.”

“That’s not how this—" Dagon tried again.

“You have several scratches on your arm! You’re infected too!” Someone tried to come to her defense but made it worse.

“It’s like the witch trials. Hanami, can you stop what you’re –what are you doing?” Dagon stormed over to her to grab her attention. She looked semi-worried despite usually being stoic. “What’s wrong?”

“I can’t find Jogo.” She spoke over the increasing hysteria behind the two of them.

“Well, you know he’s hiding from them.” Dagon nodded towards the men who they could no longer hear over the ruckus before them, which they tuned out.

“But considering how badly things were out here, I don’t think he would have left us like this?” Hanami tried to believe. Sure, the apocalypse made him a bit rough around the edges, but she still held out hope for the part of him that was good.

Dagon sighed in annoyance but gave in none the less. “We can look around, but don’t forget that he left Ranta, his teammate, to die out there.” Brother and sister left the scene in search of Jogo’s whereabouts.

But with the front gate creaking open, they stopped short to see who would be coming in.

 

Short, surprisingly neat, blonde hair that was parted to the side and combed to perfection peaked through the gate looking around curiously at all the commotion.

“Nanami-San.” Gojo perked up, straightening himself as well as the team following along, only for Nanami to wave them off. Though usually stoic, he looked mildly annoyed.

His eyes landed on Toji, specifically his wound and teetering stance. “Toji, wha—”

“Now just who the h*ll are you?!” Naoya instigated as if he wasn’t ignored during the first confrontation. “And who do you think you—"

“I take it that this is Naoya?” He tilted his head towards the shorter man before him, while looking at his mates. They all nodded.

“Who’s asking?” Naoya gritted through his teeth as he stormed towards the calm man. His world was upside down in the two steps he took towards Nanami.

A strong hand had a death grip on his hair, lifting him just enough to see the severity of his error reflected in those gleaming glasses of his.

“I’m the man who is here to retrieve his comrades. It is very rude to interrupt me while I’m in the middle of counseling my men. Especially when one is bleeding out as we speak. I do not like my time being wasted as much as it has during this over drawn mission. I will address you and the deplorable acts you’ve committed, just wait your turn.” His voice was smooth and leveled throughout his threat. Naoya could tell that he was not to play with.

“Toji needs medical immediately. Get him to the truck and get me up to speed quickly so we can transfer him to the medical van I have stationed at the bridge.” Nanami ordered his team as they got to work. “Count it as a blessing that I drove that thing as far as I did.” He walked briskly alongside Todo with their bags to the car that awaited them.

 

It damaged Naoya’s pride seeing such capable men work cooperatively while his had fell apart. With his town dwindling and converging on itself and then being manhandled so easily in front of his peers, he considered throwing in the towel. But with his last remaining stance on keeping the town running for his uncle stood, he would not back down.

In almost slow motion, he looked up with reddened eyes to see a sight he wasn’t expecting.

It was his uncle finally standing up right walking about the community Naoya had worked so hard to keep afloat. A small smile of disbelief was about to crack across his face. But then it faltered.

His uncle still had his robe on, and one slipper on. Dragging his feet along the ground unevenly. He wasn’t walking or standing upright at all. And underneath of his robe which was open, was his white tank doused in red. Actually, everything below his chin was covered in red.

And not that far behind his uncle was a bloodied, potbelly of a man, who’s face was torn, and stomach gouged.

His heart sank as he finally stood slowly making his way to his uncle. The man he had admired and wanted to succeed. ‘Just not in this way!’

Even through the screams of terror as the crowd spotted them, Naoya couldn’t make out a single sound over the loud popping noise to his near left. His eyes shot over to it’s trace. Seeing Dagon and Hanami taking aim. Too slow to react he couldn’t get the word ‘No’ out soon enough.

Hanami had tears in her eyes for once. As she aimed carelessly at Jogo. She missed several times.

Dagon cursed as he was forced to take aim for her instead. “Im sorry. Hanami.” A pop echoed and Jogo went down.

Hanami despite missing her actual target still fired off a few more rounds and hit something else. Something that shattered the leader’s sanity.

 

The insane man had stormed up on the two fraternal twins, eyes wildly unsettled while Dagon trudged to meet him, looking forlorn.

“We couldn’t find Jogo and went look—” He was sent spiraling to the ground as Naoya sent a fly by punch to his face. Dizzying him on impact.

Startled, Hanami went to go help her brother but was immediately stopped by the cocking of a pistol. Looking at the source she seen that it was pointed at her. Specifically, between her creased brows.

“What are—” Her head went back, followed by her body as she collapsed to the ground in a heap.

Miguel’s stomach dropped as he watched the scene unfold. He never could have imagined a fallout like this. Everyone that watched had the same reaction.

Naoya practically emptied the clip into her lifeless body as he stood over her body menacingly, face contorted into something of hate and rage.

Rushing back, Nanami had caught a glimpse of what happened. “I can handle him.” He began to jog past Miguel, but a strong hand had stopped him.

“No. I’ll sort this out myself.” Miguel’s face looked like stone as he marched over to the bloody scene.

Dagon had tackled Naoya, causing the pistol to drop away. They struggled against each other, wrestling for the gun. In Dagon’s mind, he was still trying to protect his sister, though a part of him knew she was gone. As for Naoya, his mind had shattered away. What remained was something not quite intact.

Swiftly Naoya was able to grab the gun, ripped from his grasp before setting it to aim. Dagon’s eyes widened as his mouth formed to say ‘No’, but it never made it out.

One. Just one bullet was left in the chamber, and Naoya blew a hole through the man’s head. He would not stop clicking it. His mind still replaying the sound it would make if there were any ammunition.

“Naoya…” A stern voice called his name to the shell he was wearing. Naoya wasn’t there anymore. Miguel could tell as much when he finally made eye contact with it. The shell of a broken man that was selfish and greedy in a world that needed people to collaborate in harmony.

It didn’t even flinch once the pistol cocked, and Miguel made his aim. Not even a peep or blink once it rang off into the air.

 

“I’m going with them now. Toji’s critical and… I can’t be here anymore.” Choso said uncomfortably looking around the space. He figured there was no point for him to stay at a place like this. And with the remaining members of the town, it’d be in their best interest to pack up and head out too.

“You holding up alright?” Nanami asked as he walked up to Miguel.

“Yeah… unfortunately, this wasn’t even my first time with something like this. With someone like that. Seen it often when I was active.” Miguel shrugged indifferently, as if it were nothing.

“So I’ve heard… ya know, from what I’m told, you’re highly recommended to be on the team.” Nanami brought up while they walked back towards the vehicle he drove. “What are your thoughts about that?” Nanami lightly asked.

“Ahaa you guys stay recruiting even after all of this.” Miguel chuckled lightly before he looked off to the remaining members of the community. Many were too shaken by the days events to leave at that moment. “But uhh, once we make it to this HQ,” Miguel lifted the map they used to get to all of their locations, continuing, “I might think about it.” His bright smile even through the grimness of the day was a delight to see. Nanami could assess that he was indeed a good man.

“Sir, we’re ready to go.” Geto yelled from the van.

Nanami nodded and looked at the defeated people before him. He hoped that the change of environment for them sounded enticing and could fill them with hope for the semi-long journey ahead. “Nice meeting you, Miguel.” He regarded the man and beckoned Choso as he took to the passenger side of the vehicle. He drove all the way here; he was not driving all the way back.

“I’ll be seeing you soon, don’t worry, boi!” Miguel patted Choso on his back roughly, sending him off with a bright smile. “Tell mamas her hairdresser is taking a little detour~” He waved them off, sighing forlornly once they were out of sight. There was work to do.

 

Head Quarters

“Hey, hey~ Don’t worry yourself, mama.” A pale and polished hand soothed the back of her adviser. “Kento-kun will be back soon enough. Don’t worry yourself and have that kid now. At least wait until your husband comes back, please!” Ruby red lips turned down as their brown eyes glared lightly at the round belly before them.

“Meiiii! He doesn’t like working long. It’s overtime and he can’t even get paid for it anymore!” The doctor cried. “There’s no merit in—“ She cut her sniveling off to listen to the commotion outside the room they resided in.

There was a fast rap at the door, before it opened with a young blue haired woman, whose face was blotchy red. Her chest rose rapidly as her mouth moved quicker than her sense of awareness.

“We’ve finally broke the encryption, Dr. Nanami!” Her deep blue eyes were shining with triumph as she stared between the two frowning women. “Oh! Sorry, did I come at a bad time?” She was finally able to see passed her excitement.

“No-No, Miwa-san. It’s welcomed~ That’s great news!” The doctor spoke through sniffles, while quickly wiping her face with her sleeve before allowing Mei-Mei to assist her to the conference room that Miwa led them to.

 

“Thank you for retrieving Dr. Nanami, Miwa.” President Yoshinobu spoke as he waited for her and other associates to settle into their seats. “Before we get started, I just wanted to thank you all for your diligent work in trying to decipher the heavily encrypted data that our field team retrieved. I have news that they will be coming back soon with the subject in matter that has now been decoded. I hope that what is revealed today will be helpful in your efforts of combatting this disease.” With wrinkled hands clasped together, he rested them on top of the large, rounded table they were seated around, signaling the end of his speech.

“Thank you, President. Yes, it was a lot to break down considering how long it’s been documented that she was at the facility. The entire file is still uploading, but at least we have visibility of her traits. Shall we begin?” A lanky man with dark, spiked hair looked over to the president for confirmation.

“Yes, Muta. Please begin.”

Nodding along, he tapped along the screen of the tablet he was using that controlled the holographic projector. A hologram showed of Cody’s profile picture, alongside of it were a few notable traits. “I would like to say that though the first subject, 203, otherwise known as Cody, had failed to fight off the virus, there were still desirable traits that we wanted to extract and replicate so that is under way. And as soon as we are able, we would also like to attempt the same thing with the latest subject, 128. Considering theirs is more promising, we think it’d be beneficial to see where Cody’s failed and 128’s succeeded.” Your DNA traits were showing on the screen next to Cody’s. “Though similar in some ways, 128’s clearly differs here and here…”

Dr. Nanami sighed heavily as she felt a strong push against her insides. Adjusting in her seat, she realized that the attention was now on her.

“Uh sorry, Doctor. Is there something wrong?” Muta stopped himself from presenting.

Cheeks tinging a bit darker from slight embarrassment, the woman waved Muta off, simply saying that the baby was just moving around a lot.

“It’s almost time for her to come out, right? Do you have a name picked out yet?” President Yoshinobu asked.

“Oh yes, President. It’s almost time. As for her name, we’re stuck between Kuatana or [Y/N].” A soft smile graced Dr. Nanami’s flushed face as she soothed her belly absentmindedly.

“Huh… it seems the profile part is complete and... what a coincidence! The subject as the same name! I’ll put the profile up now.” Muta said excitedly as he clicked around on the tablet.

Another soft smile formed across the woman’s face as she looked somewhat eager to the presentation before her as it loaded your image up. ‘What are the odds that you would share the same name? Kuatana is a lovely place to visit in Malaysia. Maybe this subject’s parents did the same when they named her.’ She thought foolishly to herself and the baby.

“We’re still waiting for the in-depth details of the tests ran on her to upload, but at the very least we can get a preview.”

It was as if everything slowed down as her amber eyes ran over the profile before her. Transported briefly back in time where those familiar [E/C] eyes that haunted her for years after your sudden disappearance, stared back at her —void of joy. Your skin looked pale and dull. In the image, you still had your braids in, though they were fuzzy. Clearly, they were worn.

“This is the subject, or rather [Y/N] over the years. This image was taken when she was 16. The last being when she was 22. Given the data of her birthday, she’s 23 now.” Muta provided as he displayed several images of you through your stay. Each picture you looked a bit older, but each year you looked more broken.

 “She’s a year younger than you, Doctor Nanami… Doctor? Are you alright?”

Tears were running uninhibited down flushed cheeks. She thinks she was going to be sick. She always wondered where her best friend had gone and to see you before her like this, having already known what they did to Cody, she had in mind what was done to you. She thinks her stomach plunged for the floor as she let out a wail of anguish.

The baby was coming.

 

On the road again

As new life was beginning to make its form into the world, an older life was starting to wane.

Toji groaned in his discomfort as his eyes dragged themselves around the van they had transferred to until they landed on a frowning Nanami.

They were seated together in the back with Choso as Sukuna drove, following after Geto, Gojo and Todo.

“How are you feeling, Toji?” Nanami questioned as he looked his teammate over with concern. Toji’s skin was a sickly pale color, even in the dim light. Beads of sweat had formed on his body at this point, yet he couldn’t help but feel a bit of a chill. The man typically ran hot.

“Ugh. Tell the driver that he’s gonna be seeing the contents of my stomach pretty soon if he don’t straighten that wheel out.” The sick man managed to grumble out as he placed his hand on his dizzying head. He nearly hurled when they coincidentally hit a pothole.

“Accident!” Sukuna yelled over his shoulder while he focused on maneuvering through the abandoned cars.

Toji cursed, grunting, and hissing in pain as he grabbed at his wounded side.

Choso frowned at his reaction. He was given what he assumed was a decent dosage of morphine to help with the pain, but then he considered how quickly his body could have metabolized it. “I don’t think I can keep dosing you up. Let me take a look first.” Choso muttered absentmindedly as he snapped gloves on his hands.

His frown deepened as he asked Nanami to shine a flashlight on the area.

“What is it?” Toji questioned, he would have sat up, but his side was on fire.

“You… you didn’t come in contact with any undead, did you?” Choso’s eyes were stuck staring at the pale skin beneath the man’s shirt.

“Other than being in the middle of an apocalypse –Nah… except for the one when my gun jammed… why?” Toji’s voice came out hoarsely. His throat felt dry suddenly. He took notice how Nanami closed his eyes in defeat, facing the back window of the van. “I asked why?” He croaked with a little more irritation as the beat of silence antagonized him.

“It’s infected.” Choso murmured in sadness and disbelief. ‘How could this have happened?’

“Like sepsis?” He whispered in hope, mind not trying to believe what he knew it to be.

“No, by the dead, Toji! What the f--…” Nanami had to cut himself off from exploding. This was exactly what he wanted to avoid. He worried about how he would tell the rest of the group, especially Megumi.

“Well…. Sh*t.” Toji sighed, breath shaky and labored as he rested back down on the too small bedding in the medic van. Another long beat of silence passed by as they were all in their thoughts, save for Sukuna who couldn’t hear them due to the wall separation as well as their low voices.

Nanami slammed his hand against the wall three times, signaling to Sukuna to stop the vehicle. He flashed the high beams for the others ahead to pull over.

The back of the doors opened wide as four anxious faces looked over their superiors. They could tell something was wrong and when the news was shared, it was confusing for everyone. They could not see how their leader could have possibly become infected.

They didn’t want to believe that. Not when they were all finally going home. Not when they were close to finding a cure to this disease.

They were speechless for a while.

“What happens now?” Choso asked through the silence. His mind was clouded by the amount of loss that happened all within the past 24 hours. He kind of felt pointless in being a “doctor” when he couldn’t even take care of his last patient.

“I turn in my tags.” Toji croaked again. Taking notice, Nanami gave him some water. Toji in his stubbornness took it from him and drank it himself, rather than letting his lead help him. Another deep sigh left his already dry lips before he spoke again. “…You guys should let me off here.” He grumbled, unable to look at his team. His friends.

“You’re coming with us.” Sukuna countered, regardless of Toji being his superior, he was the best teammate he could have. He couldn’t just leave him on the side of the road.

“No. I’m going to be dead weight soon. Things’ll be light without hauling my big *ss around. Plus, I don’t want my son seeing his old man like this…” He grimaced in pain again, before your face flashed across his mind. “Tell that little girl not to cry so much.” A small thoughtful smirk tugged at his lips as he thought of you. Your bright intrigued expression during dinner whenever they shared stories. Your bouts of laughter at his teams’ shenanigans. The way you’d fidget whenever he was close in proximity to you. He acted as if your scents didn’t affect him, but it did. He couldn’t count how many times he fisted himself to the thought of you secretly. And man could he have kissed you when you were crying that day while being scolded by him.

He bit his lip sourly, thinking about how he’s missed his chance with you now.

“She’s going to be crying the whole way back to HQ,” Sukuna grumbled angrily, kicking a random piece of litter across the road. He wasn’t sure what to do with his emotions. They were taught to keep them under control, but he never really learned that lesson well. Toji would always keep him in check. ‘Who’s gonna do that now?’

Geto and Gojo watched him, each just as upset, but tabling their bitterness for later. They had a mission to still complete.

“Megumi and [Y/N] are gonna be devastated.” Gojo sighed heavily as he ran a hand through his tousled hair.

“It’s too bad your tests with her blood didn’t come up with anything, huh, Choso?” Todo asked with his back turned to the group. It was hard looking at them. “Not that it’d matter because it’d be too late to get to her.” His fists tightened in frustration. He felt useless in the moment.

“WAIT! I… I have it! I have her blood!” Choso’s sudden outburst shocked the quietly brooding men. But his demeanor quickly became shrouded in doubt as he was concerned that it could cause an even more negative effect in Toji. He never had the opportunity to test it live, up until now. He was rightfully apprehensive.

“It’s extremely risky, but it’s the only chance we’ve got.” Nanami looked with uncertainty at his second in command.

“I’m already marked for death.” The dying man said flatly, as he looked at the ceiling. He did not want to get his hopes up, but that sliver of a chance at life again was so tempting in a dire moment like this.

With a little motivation, Choso dug into his bags, searching for the vials as well as the pint you gave him. Who knew if it’d be enough, but it was better than nothing.

With a shaky breath, Choso set up the IV with your blood as the source. He was excited and nervous all at once. He was excited that he could be the first to test your blood against the virus on a live subject. But he was nervous because this was a one-shot type of situation. There would be no do-overs.

“Just get it over and done with, Doc. I really don’t have all day.” Toji settled a look onto him. Something between ‘I trust you’ and ‘I’m just as nervous as you are’.

Nanami put a reassuring hand on Choso’s shoulder, encouraging him. The lead was just as unsure, but he was just as hopeful. There really was no other option here.

Taking a deep breath, he attached the line to the bag and watched with bated breath as crimson liquid descended down the once clear tube and into the arm of the infected man.

They waited and waited for any sign that showed things were looking up.

They waited through Toji’s fever kicking up.

“How do you feel?” Choso asked after a minute that felt like several had gone by.

“Hot and itchy.” He groaned and shifted uncomfortably.

They waited as they seen black veins creep over his stomach and behind his back.

“H-how about now?” Choso stuttered as he checked over the wound. It was larger than the last time he checked it. He worriedly looked at Nanami who just watched his teammate deteriorate before him.

He only managed a short grunt in response. His eyelids were too heavy to open at this point, only seeing his eyes slowly moving behind them.

They waited until they could not wait anymore.

The tire was slashed by sharp debris littered on the road, sending them veering into several stationary cars before coming to a screeching halt.

Sukuna cursed in frustration before checking on the others in the back of the van.

“A little shaken up but we’ll live.” Nanami huffed a sigh of relief once Choso gave him a thumbs up on Toji’s status.

“The blood bag is secured, and it doesn’t seem like he’s having any adverse effects from the transfusion.” Choso told Nanami before the blonde departed the van to check the damage done. As he did that, Choso continued checking over the unconscious male. ‘What concerns me is his lack of reaction to that.’ Brows creased in worry as he hurriedly checked for his pulse.

Outside, some of the damaged cars’ horns blared across the area. They knew they’d have to hurry since they were sitting ducks with dinner bells sounding off around them.

“Sukuna, how bad is it?” Nanami yelled over the alarms while walking up to a ball of fury with pink hair.

He was crouched in front of the tire, burning a hole through it with his boiling crimson eyes. “We’re gonna have to switch cars.” He gritted.

Geto and Gojo had made it over by then, assessing things as well. A piece of the rim had cracked off and the remaining bits of tire was shredded. There was nothing that could salvage that thing.

Todo was already scoping the area, looking around when they tried to find a car suitable, but it was a small sedan. It wouldn’t suffice for four grown, beefy men with one of them incapacitated. They wondered how they’d move Toji given he was hooked up to his blood supply currently. As the trio went back and forth Nanami went to refer to Choso about their plans, wanting his expertise on the situation. He wasn’t expecting to see Choso sweating bullets, hovering over his second-in-command’s unresponsive body.

“What happened?!” A sense of dread came over the usually stoic man as he watched Choso perform CPR. He garnered his teammates attention, sending them on alert. They were at the back of the van staring perplexed at someone they thought they’d never see in this sort of scenario.

Sukuna’s partner in crime. Todo’s best teacher. Gojo and Geto’s greatest sparring partner, was now laying motionless before them. Unresponsive to the attempts at resuscitating him.

With their attention solely on their fallen comrade they missed the approaching danger beginning to surround them. It wasn’t until one walked away to in dismay of the terrible news. It was three coming on his right. Geto took down two before he realized there were five more to replace them. Kicking the last one away he quickly realized what kind of predicament they were in.

Before he could even say anything, Gojo and Sukuna helped take them down as more came out of the woodworks to the sounds of the car alarms. They were kicking themselves for not shutting them off sooner. Now they had to debate whether they should leave Toji’s body or not.

“We don’t have a lot of time before they close us in!” Gojo remarked as he viciously took down two. He was for leaving him.

“We can’t leave him behind!” Sukuna barked as he sliced through the top of an undead’s head. He knows he may often come off as careless and uncaring in most situations, but this was different. That man. That friend. That father. That teammate was someone that bailed him out of many situations and saved his life. It was hard for him to fathom leaving his body out here with these creatures.

“Though I’m with Sukuna.” Todo surprisingly added while backing up closer to the van with his two mates, “I don’t think it’s feasible to get him out of here unscathed ourselves. We have to run.” He sent a look to a pissed off Sukuna and waited for Nanami’s exact orders.

As much as it hurt to have to leave someone behind, something he said from the beginning of this mission that he did not wish to do, he had to concede to the circumstances. Toji was big and heavy. It would take at least three of them to move him and only having two people available to this random horde would not cut it.

Swallowing his hurt, he ordered his men to make a B-line for their cars and told Choso to grab what he needed and to follow him. He made sure to snag Toji’s tags before hopping out of the van and shutting the doors to it.

They wanted to at least bring him back to Megumi for a decent burial. But there were too many zombies, and they still had a mission to complete. It shouldn’t have been new to them. They’ve lost comrades plenty of times.

‘Why did it have to be him?’ They all thought as they battled their way to their vehicles and sped through the sea of monsters.

 

“Sh*tSh*tSh*t!” Megumi jumped for the wheel you recklessly let go of when the tire slid from the wet ground. In retrospect, he shouldn’t have let you convince him to have you drive albeit on an empty road, but you were adamantly refusing to go into the shelter of the facility and were so miserable that he couldn’t help but try to cheer you up with a short drive. You were so animated and interesting to talk to after spending so much time with Nanami, he foolishly didn’t even think twice about handing you the keys.

You veered into a ditch not even five minutes into you spontaneously learning (on the fly) how to drive. Thankfully you didn’t crash into anything important like the cars that could help everyone make the journey back to HQ smoother. Just a bit stuck in the mud.

“Don’t tell anyone that I let you drive.” Megumi finally spoke up after a while of trying to get the car back on the road. “I can’t handle my dad’s punches as well as others.” His eyes held a long-off fearful look, as if he remembered something haunting.

You gave him a reassuring pat, agreeing to act like it didn’t even happen. As if you weren’t the mastermind behind it all.

“Have a nice joy ride?” Maki asked, smirking at the two of you with her arms crossed. The evidence of your tribulation was clearly caked across the side of the vehicle.

You didn’t bother responding, opting to just wave her question off with an impish pout.

“You guys, we should be prepared to leave soon.” Yuta called out while he loaded up more supplies to the truck. “If they don’t make it in the next few hours, we’re gonna go ahead.”

You went to grab a few things, but Maki stopped you, suggesting you relax with Yuuji. “I’m fine, ya know. Just minimal cramping now.” You muttered as you held a hand to your abdomen. A light chill ran over you at the memory of him looming over your curled form.

A gentle hand was placed on your shoulder with a reassuring squeeze. “I know, but you should still relax. Your body still needs to heal. Keep Yuuji company.” She suggested.

Taking the advice, you seated yourself next to Yuuji who was just looking around the fenced off area of the lot with a far-off look. Or maybe present. There was a lot happening with his face at the moment.  

“What you got going on in that head of yours?” You smiled gently, peaking at the side of his face.

“Ooh.. just life back at HQ. This mission was long drawn, but it was worth it.” He winced, taking a thoughtful glance at you. You smiled appreciatively at him, grasping what wasn’t said out loud.

“I hope that they won’t separate me from y’all when we get back. I think after being around you guys… around people that care about me, I’ve grown too accustomed to y’all’s presence that I can’t be alone now.” You giggled lightly, seeing a softer smile crack on the man. “I’d hate to be separated from any of y’all for too long.” Worry was evident in your tone.

“We’ll be there with you. All of us. Don’t stress about it. I rather like the flower berry scent you have.” Yuuji snickered at your fake gasp.

The sun was beginning to settle before Megumi caught sight of two fast approaching vehicles. He tapped the top of the car that he was seated on, signaling to Yuta.

They ran to open the gate for their team. It was a wash of relief for everyone that waited for them when they drove in.

You and Yuuji were both nodded in the back seat when Maki woke you both up.

Groggily, you two sat up. You were smiling wistfully unaware of what happened. None of you were aware that the community fell a second time after what Maki and Yuta shared. None of you could have predicted what was to come from this reunion. Yuuji had made it out first to the group, as he was well trained in snapping awake and going right to work.

Still groggy and a bit lightheaded, you lagged behind. Maki beside you as you stepped out of the truck, hanging onto the door for leverage. You leaned against it, watching the men reunite. An excited smile crossed your face, but faltered soon after.

None of them returned with an ounce of a smile.

You frowned as you continued to watch. Everyone was crowded around Megumi as his head hung low. His hands were cupped, as if he was holding something that you could not see from that distance.

You saw Choso, making his way to you. His face too, looked like theirs. Remorseful.

You looked back at the group again. ‘Geto…Gojo…Su..Sukuna…To…do—oh no. Where’s—’

Your eyes lit up in the worse way, tears already threatening to sprint down your cheeks. They made contact with Maki before she gave you a saddened look.

She engulfed you into a hug immediately, breaking the dam.

You felt another weight encase you, knowing it was Choso. You looked at him sadly, only uttering a name to him for confirmation. “Toji?” It came out in a broken whisper.

“I’m sorry.”

Notes:

So this chapter was long. 9k+ words wheww chile, BUT as always Thanks For Reading & have a Blessed week/end!

Chapter 21: Twentyone

Summary:

So it has been brought to my attention that the ages weren’t really established. Quite frankly author forgot.. my bad~

First and foremost everybody is 18+
Y/N 23yo for now
Yuuji- 24yo (had to double back to the first chapter for this (“>_>) The ages aren’t anywhere else (>x<)
Yuta/Megumi- 25yo
Todo- 26yo
Sukuna- 27yo
Geto/Gojo- 28yo
Nanami- 31yo
Toji- 42yo :3

Notes:

Howdy folks ^-^ I’d sum this up as missed/mixed signals lol. Or just misunderstandings.

‘It didn’t work… I couldn’t save him.’ You berated yourself with those thoughts for days after Choso let it slip that he tried using your blood on Toji. He said it was a last-ditch effort that failed as he couldn’t find his pulse after the virus took over most of his body.

Four days of this growing tension inside yourself. Four days of walking on eggshells around men that were once very jubilant, but now, it was the quietest you’ve heard them around you. They still spoke to you, just not as much as before Toji was gone. You couldn’t help but to think that they held a grudge against you. Despite the fact that they checked on your wellbeing multiple times throughout the following days, your mind only concocted the reason for their checkups were because it’s a part of their mission. You weren’t feeling so ‘worth it’ anymore.

In those days, you tried to distance yourself from the members, those intrusive thoughts influencing you. However, it was foolish to attempt as you were stuck in tanks with them. Stuck in camp with them. Stuck on the road with them. Yet, wherever you could, you’d seek space as you tried to give them theirs.

It was needed as their stages of grief cycled through them. It astounded you a bit as you never saw several ranges of emotion in such a short frame of time.

Anger, being the most notorious as the rowdiest of the bunch wrestled or bickered with each other at every turn. Nanami would send whoever it was for that hour apart. Then, sadness quickly followed right after the anger. There were strained looks and red, puffy eyes for a while. And you would find yourself crying alone in your self-loathing too, wishing that you didn’t have to burden others anymore considering you were a failure.

But despite your lowly thoughts and feelings, grief still had other emotions to it.

The rare feelings of horniness did not quite leave you or the others, no matter the forlornness, you all still had fleshy needs.

It was the third night that you tried being alone again. But like a blood hound, you were sniffed out easily by your white-haired prince charming, a self-proclaimed title. As silly as he could be, he also was very perceptive.

“You finished dinner rather quickly.” He came up behind you before you could lock yourself away into the truck. “Again.” You tensed lightly from how pointed his wording was.

“I… just want to lay down, Gojo. That’s all.” You shrugged lightly, not sparing him a look. You were fearful that those curious eyes would search you and find what’s been plaguing your mind.

“Yeah, I would believe that, but you have a tendency to do that when you’re lying.” The white-haired male emphasized vaguely.

You frowned and turned to question him, spinning you into his trap as he knew you would. His arms crowded around you immediately whisking you behind the large vehicle, out of certain people’s sights.

“Gojo, what are you doing?” You gritted while trying to break free. He pinned you up against the hood. Your eyes finally looked into his searching ones to tell him off, but your words were caught. Why?

His eyes looked fiery with as much need as the day you first tore up your room together. (And every time since.) You did not believe you had the strength to battle against a storm like that.

“Feel like you’ve been tryna avoid me or something. You haven’t looked at me once. I’m starting to think I’m hideous to you.” He huffed in arrogance. He may not have been able to get a decent shave going, but he knew he still looked good regardless.

Your scoff in response was what gave him pause with a moment of doubt that actually made him question, “D-do you think I’m ugly?”

Now that brought out a defeated chuckle. You gave into him. Shaking your head no, a gentle hand caressed his cheek as you smiled sadly at the suddenly self-conscious man.

“Then what’s goin’ on with you?” His warmed cheek pressed into your palm; it finally dawned on him that he missed the intimacy between you two. He didn’t recall feeling that way with anyone before you.

You frowned; your throat bobbed with the thickness of the words that weighed in your mind, wondering if you could free them and help the load lighten. The pad of his thumb then ran across your plump lips, eliciting a pout from you, which always enticed him to bite and nibble on them. Much like right now.

He leaned in closer to you, barely resisting the desire to taste your mouth again; he urged you. “Come on. Tell me.” The warmth of his mouth brushed across your lips. You almost groaned at that teasing nature of his; almost pressed up to close that hairline of a gap between you two.

“Mhm. Thought so. Could you at least not do this on the front of the tank?” Geto chastised.

Bright blues contrasted the deep black abyss that was Geto’s scrutinizing stare. He couldn’t blame Gojo. He wanted to do the same thing, finally catching a whiff of that honey scent you’ve had on reserve. You saturated the tank and camp with a mixed woodsy scent for so long, the hint of a change —no matter how light, made him come running.

“I was just asking her a question.” Gojo tried to say innocently; whole time he was between your legs, pressing firmly against your hood.

“With your mouth on hers? How was she gonna answer, Gojo?” There was a scrutiny in his stare.

Taken out of the moment, you rolled your eyes. Geto had a point, but he interrupted you two anyways, so what was the argument here? ‘Why does everything lead to a fight with you two?’ You sighed defeatedly as you firmly pushed Gojo off you, allowing you room to escape.

“[Y/N] I—“

“Please, you two, let me rest.” You say holding yourself as you trudged to the tank doors, responding with a slam for dramatic effect.

There was bickering outside, probably concerning you, but Nanami shut it down real quick.

 

Another encounter happened the following morning. Geto caught you this time, alone in the woods after you cleaned yourself up a bit. There was a stream nearby that you all had stopped by to wash in, clean sullied items or sit by. You did all the above. Wallowing in your own self-pity, you felt dirty and once you dried off and replaced your clothing, you took a seat on a rock nearby. The coolness of the stone was a stark contrast to the heated glare you gave your distorted reflection.

You were swarmed in your thoughts again, lost in your distorted reflection when suddenly, large hands enveloped your eyes in surprise. Normally you would have reacted with shock or a fit of giggles, but you barely even moved from the action. If anything, you welcomed the abrupt darkness.

The trees and the stream slid back into your vision as those same hands slid down gingerly to wrap gently around your waist.

“…I guess he was right.” The smooth, timbre of Geto’s voice swam into your ears, heating them slightly.

You raised a brow in question as to who was right, and about what.

“Haven’t been like yourself.” He shrugged nonchalantly. You felt his large hands pushing against your waist, spinning you to face him. Hair disheveled, dark bags under his eyes and didn’t properly wash in at least 3 days despite a quick dip in the stream, yet you could honestly say you’d still smash.

“What’s wrong, baby girl?” His hands idly rubbed against you, coaxing sparks to flutter over your bronze skin.

“Just sad.” A short and harsh whisper, with a subtle hint of attitude exited you and you felt bad, but you felt as though if you tried to speak anymore that everything would come out. Unable to look him in the face, you looked between the space of both your feet. He crossed that bit of space and leant closer to you. Swaying you both slightly in his embrace while he rested his chin against your temple, his chest rose and fell slowly with a heavy sigh against you.

“Is that all?” Shifting, warm lips tenderly brushed the side of your face. Peppering lightly against your cheek until they reached the corner of your lips. They did not linger long enough for your liking. He pulled back to see you finally spare him a look. Your eyes held so much in them, yet only a few things you shared in common with him. Including the desire for one another in that moment.

Probably how you ended up with your legs hitched around his waist while he slowly ground you into the tree bark you were pressed up against. Words were meaningless here. You just needed him. And he needed you.

The need to release what was pent up those past couple of days was powerful in you two. However, restraint was necessary as well. Your tongues moved languidly together as both pairs of hands traversed each other’s shape, both enjoying the feeling of pliable skin. However short lived it would be.

Not long after, in walked yet another sabotager. Sukuna this time, stormed into the scene. He declared that if he wasn’t getting any for the time being, neither would the rest of you, causing yet another absurd argument that nearly had you suggesting a threesome, but Sukuna was adamant about not being into no “freaky” sh*t at the start of the conversation, so that idea was dead from the beginning. The tension on the trek back to the cars was incredibly awkward but having a goofball or two was a life saver when it came to distraction.

Which is where you were thankful for Yuuji and Todo. Their efforts in trying to keep the spirits up were not missed on you or the others. Maki was grateful as she battled with her feelings, finding out that the whole community was lost. Her family members and friends she had chosen to leave behind were gone. It was jarring because at least when she left, they were alive. It was a struggle to determine whether she truly had the right to mourn.

But Yuta was there for her none the less. Picking up on her demeanor despite the brief time they had spent together, he stuck beside her whenever he noticed and helped her sort her feelings. Often opting to take little walks during pit stops or through the trees for some solace.

 

Choso rolled his eyes while you were doubled over in laughter. Yuuji and Megumi had told the tale of how they were complete opposites in high school. Yuuji who you had always considered the innocent troublemaker was just a sweet cinnamon roll while Megumi was deemed the rowdiest “bad boy” in school. You were sincerely shocked to know that random fact about this reserved black-haired man.

“Looks can be very deceiving. This guy used to terrorize all the students!” Yuuji snickered while Megumi shoved at him.

“They were bullies. None of them were innocent.” He scoffed, rolling his dark eyes.

“Who were you protecting?” Choso questioned, finding a similarity between him and the younger man. He did the same for his brothers growing up.

“…just my older sister. I didn’t care about anyone else.” His expression softened as he looked into the lamp light you three had circled around for dinner.

“She must have felt at ease knowing you had her back.” He nodded, still looking at the lamp with consideration.

Before you could ask, he answered the question you were leading to. “She was, but funnily enough, she always scolded me about it.” You saw a smirk come across his face as he reminisced. “She took over in the parenting department since our mom passed away once we were in high school and…” He gave a disgruntled look and stopped his sentence. “Anyways, I think you two would have gotten along well if she were still living.” You had to steel your face from falling. “Thankfully for the both of them they didn’t have to experience this.” He waved his hand around in the air, huffing lightly to himself.

“Sorry to hear that, Megumi.” Choso said gently as he related to his situation.

“Me too. I’m sorry for your –” You had begun to say in the quietness of your group, but you started to overhear a bit of the conversation next to you. “Loss.”

It seemed like they were discussing plans for when they got back. Planning for the future you weren’t sure you were involved in anymore.

“Man, I can’t wait to settle down in my bed when we get back.” Sukuna huffed exhausted after he stretched midway through his statement.

“Second that! Speaking of settling down, what you guys gonna do about Sector 8 when you’re back?” Todo’s voice was full of mirth as he looked at his 3 teammates freeze in place of their seats. He was met with glares and a beat of silence that made you a bit anxious as you couldn’t help but ease drop. Taking it all as good fun, he let out a belly laugh that covered part of their answers.

“I planned to end things with them.”
“I told them to move on before I left.”
“I’m sure they’ll cut ties with me.”

You swallowed your feelings with the thickness of the soup you were having for dinner. You were expecting some kind of separation once you made it to the facility because it would make sense as you had an understanding that you would be studied for your abilities anyways. It was just perceiving that you would be dropped like a sack of potatoes was not something you expected, especially after being fussed over not that long ago by those three. ‘Can’t even be mad. This is what I wanted anyways.’ For once you steeled your feelings regardless of the ache in your chest and the blooming headache that came with rejecting your tears.

“Where’s Yuta? Did he head off to bed?” Todo interjected, peering over to the vehicles for any signs of his mate. The sun was down, and they didn’t need to start losing folks when they were so close to home. “Where’s Maki?” He turned to the three of you who were eating silently. Well, you were eating silently; you tuned them out when you heard the womanizer’s talking.

“I’ll go see. Gotta check the radio anyways.” Nanami offered, heading in the opposite direction of where you could make Yuta and Maki out in the tree line.

“Uh, Nanami? He’s over there.” You pointed over to the haunted looking woods.

The blonde swiveled looking over to the trees with a bewildered look before side eyeing his subordinates. They nodded with a smirk awaiting his reaction when the man in question came walking out moments later with a lethargic Maki in tow. She was still trying to brush debris from her hair from how Yuta cheered her up.

You pursed your lips, trying not to crack a smile her way, instead you focused back on Nanami who was giving you an impressed look. He knew what your file stated, but coming from the side of the non-experimented, you were fascinating to see firsthand.

“Color me impressed, [Y/N].” Nodding to you in thanks.

“Your color’s very much gray sooo I don’t know if that color really shows impressive...” You wittily say, garnering a few snickers in which Nanami gave another perplexed look.

 “What did I miss?” Yuta says walking up.

“According to [Y/N], I am gray?” Nanami questioned, causing Yuta to tilt his head in confusion.

“Wonder how your wife’s gonna handle the news~” Gojo quipped, earning a scowl from Nanami over the abrupt laughter that ensued. However, you withheld, by stuffing more food into your mouth.

The log you were sitting on shifted as Maki sat down next to you gently, rejoining the more jubilant crew. You caught her up on what was missed. And you shared more laughter between you two. Especially when you pointed out her not-so-subtle hickies.

“Hey at least you’re getting some.” You murmured, in a light tone to keep the air pleasant.

“Whoa, I’m sure once we get back, and settled, you’ll be on bed rest for multiple reasons.” She chuckled while you huffed through your nose.

Taking one last sip of your food you brushed her off, lightly saying, “Yeah… settled.” Considerate eyes looked you over after your response.

“You alright?” Maki couldn’t help but question your dispassion.

Nodding, you excused yourself for the night. “I have a headache, and I think I’m gonna head in early.” You wished everyone a goodnight, reassuring the worried inquiries that you were alright.

But you were anything but that; your feelings were all over the place.

Looming overhead was the concrete and metallic grey walls that reminded you of something you were once kept contained in. It looked like something straight out of a sci-fi movie that you vaguely recalled.

‘Didn’t the main character end up being an experiment where they made a bunch of clones? I don’t want them doing that to me!’ Your unsound thoughts were creating a lot of turmoil inside of you. The car was doused in a lemony citrus scent as the doorway to a tunnel creaked open. Maki instinctively consoled you as Yuuji and Choso reassured you that you’d be fine. You wondered how they could be so sure. ‘It’s not like they were kidnapped and tested on for years!’

Earlier Nanami had promised you that a guard would be with you, whether it was security, one of his men, or himself, you would not be left alone until you stated otherwise.

 

 

While you struggled to be brought into the new space you would hopefully call home soon, others struggled to say goodbye to theirs.

Only a day between the military’s departure and the townspeople realized that they needed a bit more time to say goodbye. Struggling to gather the courage to leave, this was all they knew and even in the town’s decrepit state, they wanted to salvage what was left of the tarnished memory.

So, Miguel and the able moved their departed and placed them in a large fire pit that was created from the first round of zombies. There wasn’t nearly enough lighter fluid to cover the entirety of their loss that day.

Through the dissipating smoke, a broken woman could be seen staring blankly into the charcoal pit they created.

“Eileen lost a lot. Not that none of us haven’t, but her whole family in front of her within 24 hours of each other, man.” A tall balding older man named Gary, shook his head in shame for her. “I wish I could help her. She just keeps pushing us away.” She was a wreck in everyone’s eyes. Her wails during the day were haunting and her weeping through the night met them in their dreams. They offered her comfort, but she just wanted her space.

Miguel hummed in agreement, still studying the map he was given. He wanted to have it memorized just to avoid anymore delays; he figured all should have been back on track once they got their rest and hit the road bright and early tomorrow. “It is a shame but give her the space she needs. We all have our own way of handling things, Gary. Why don’t you help the others out so we can leave on time. We’re already a day behind.” Closing the map, Miguel patted the old man on the back and moved to help the others while they still had light.

When daylight came, the cars were packed and ready for the road. Three cars were closely in tow of Miguel who was leading the pack as they maneuvered around the debris and some stragglers that wandered onto the road.

Occasionally, they’d see a small group wandering around aimlessly before their rattly cars caught their attention. The man named Gary, nearly grabbed the wheel from Eileen when one thumped along the windows speeding past it. He wasn’t one who could handle fighting against the dead. It was too terrifying for him. Gary knew that he would easily turn tail and leave anyone in the dust if it came down to it.

Coincidently that exact scenario occurred right after Miguel’s impromptu pit stop. Taking notice of a medical van leaned on the side of the road, he had signaled to the others to pull over, and they did, waiting uneasily in the open for his next instruction.

Seeing the bodies riddled along the ground with relatively ‘fresh’ looking blood splatter, Miguel figured there was a horde that must have appeared the day prior. But now there were only a handful of them that he and a few others took care of, even the little widow managed to knock one down; taking her grief out in that form was therapeutic for her.

“What is it, Miguel? Why did we pull over?” A young woman that went by Ren, asked while looking over the van with confusion.

“I just ‘member the guys heading for a med van. Wonderin’ if this was it… and if so… where did they go?”
‘And are they alright?’ He scanned the inside, seeing an empty drip bag that had dried blood on it. There were odd, shaped droplets that were left behind, puffed up in nature as they led up to a large smearing on the door. It bubbled around to the other side where he saw that the tire had blew. It looked recent and he said as much to the group, but because of the time of day, and with what little provisions they had left, they could not afford to search around any longer.

Plus, there were a few stragglers slowly following them a ways down the road. It wasn’t a bother to them, as much as it was for Gary; if he had the keys at that time –they were in Eileen’s possession, he would of drove off. So he made sure to drive moving forward.

With no clues given, Miguel decided to continue along the route on the map. The sun was still glowing into the evening when a small horde had something surrounded. From what he could tell, it was a car. But with the racket his car and the following parade behind him, they soon turned towards the approaching vehicles. He easily dodged them, but by the fourth car, there were at least 10 in front of it.

As said previously, Gary was not partial to situations that involved the undead. Somewhere in his mind, he seen them ripping him apart, though he was safe and secure inside of the car. He could have waited for backup. Why he chose to veer sporadically to then crash the vehicle and at once, run out into the open, was not the brightest of moves.

He found a metal pole, pushing the few that came his way as the others went for the other live bait –the little widow.

In his fear, not paying attention, he tripped; his weapon thrown out of his grasp. His only perceived defense now gone just a few feet out of his reach. He would have been okay if he grabbed it. Yet the man chose to cower, shrieking in fear and crying for help.

A warrior’s howl broke through the group of flesh eaters, managing to knock a few down and even break some legs. It was the little ol’ widow coming to his aid. She quickly picked him up, before turning her back to him, telling him to stay behind her until he could make a grab for his weapon.

Gary nodded absentmindedly, murmuring a feeble ‘okay’. Cold sweat poured from his head from his panicked state of mind. He wasn’t paying attention to her command. Not one bit. He was looking for his means of escape. In his eyes the few that were in front of them were quadrupled in his mind and the person bait was right in front of him.

“Gary! Eileen! We’re coming!” They heard someone shout at a distance as neither could see who said what. It was too crowded around them and the groans from the dead filled their ears.

“Gary, hurry and grab it so we can fight out of this!” She grunted, bending her metal bat from the force of her swings. “Shoot! Gary, I need you to—“ Eileen felt a small pressure behind her knee, and with just enough force behind the pressure, she buckled. She quickly looked back in disbelief, unconvinced that the same man who had tried to console her, had just crippled her in this way.

Too concerned with his well-being he didn’t register the range of emotions she held as the creatures quickly descended on her. Fear to betrayal, to anger and then acceptance. The human brain can process so much in such little time. Her screams only urged him into the direction of where he heard the other voices. ‘If I can get behind them, then the zombies won’t need to eat me!’ He thought selfishly.

 A series of gunshots started to sound off. One even nicked his cheek, causing him to shriek as he stumbled to where he last heard the others yelling for him. They had stared in horror as they recognized the sound of Eileen’s tortured screams from being torn apart.

Gary ran for his life. Spotting Miguel as soon as he rounded the few zombies that barely grasped for him. He subconsciously dubbed that huge man a superhero, figuring that Miguel would save him from the trouble he had caused. ‘Surely, his big stout body would be the perfect bait to get outta here.’ He thought in the midst of sprinting to him.

Another series of gunshots sounded off, grazing him once again. This time on the side of his thigh. He had to limp, but he made it to his destination. Finally, behind him and the others that were shooting, Gary found himself fussing at his shields. He even berated them for their aim as they missed a few as well as grazing him on his way back.

“Gary, shut ya mouth! Everyone, start heading back for the cars!” Miguel ordered as he backed away slowly. Gary started to turn tail but was caught by his collar and slammed to a seated position on the ground.

“What are you doing, Miguel?!” He asked desperately trying to get out of his grip.

“A coward like you can wait. You think I didn’t see what you did? You’re lucky I missed both those times.” Miguel spat angrily.

“W-what are you talking about? Eileen did that to herself! Her legs gave out! She was too old and depressed! She sacrificed herself!” In Gary’s fictitious defense, his claims were true.

“Bull! She went to help you, and you sacrificed her! If you weren’t such a coward, she’d be alive right now!” Miguel letting a bit of his anger slip, reared back and kicked the man, only for his foot to be arm locked, and twisted the wrong way. Dropping the pistol, Miguel and Gary wrestled for the weapon, arms outstretched, scraping against the asphalt as they punched and clawed at one another.

It was a life-or-death situation.

Another shot rang out clipping the ground right next to them. It caused Miguel to flinch just long enough for Gary to grab for his well-fought reward. Cocking it, he readied it at the man’s head.

Miguel could feel that his battle was over. He felt that he didn’t fight nearly hard enough. ‘Sorry lil mamas. I couldn’t make it back to you.’  He sighed dejectedly and rested his forehead on the ground as the cold metal pressed against his shiny head.

“You’d been better off believing me, Miguel.” The man huffed victoriously as he finally pulled the trigger.

The air echoed with that one lone shot.

 

You didn’t realize you were breathing so heavy until Choso placed a hand on your shoulder.

“Hey, you alright?” He asked while looking you over with concern.

“Mmm…” You managed to respond as you looked out the truck’s windows warily. You watched the other soldiers, you had labeled them due to their uniforms, scurry about placing weapons away and moving large equipment around. It was an overwhelming yet familiar sight, and then it was triggering when you spotted in the distance 3 people with lab coats. They were standing by a door you assumed you’d have to go through since you saw Yuuji being led through it earlier for treatment. You hoped they’d keep their distance.

Choso, Maki and you were made to stay put while the team sorted things out. They had to unpack and figure out your arrangements as well as prep for the future stragglers to come.

“If they come.” Is what Sukuna had said in passing, but you ignored him. Too wrapped up in your own anxieties.

You wanted to be optimistic. Losing Toji hurt enough, you didn’t want to lose Miguel too. His words were that he would be late, so you wanted to believe that.

You wanted all your protectors there. Especially since one was killed in action. You did not understand how they were holding themselves together so well, while you were ready to fall apart. Seeing so many people again bustling about, you were nervous that they would shun you like the others.

And then your eyes focused back on those lab coats. Noticing how their numbers grew, the excitement to greet you was unfortunately lost on you. Body temp raising quickly, your thoughts took a dive for the worst and your drumming heart did not help your case.

‘These ones are real!’ Your fearful mind contemplated if it was actually a good choice to have come here after-all. ‘Maybe I should have stayed on the run instead!’ The air became saturated with sourness that Maki nearly choked in the truck. She held you as you started to shake.

“[Y/N], what’s wrong? Is it the scientists?” Maki asked as she rocked you in her arms. She had taken notice of them as they spoke amongst themselves, and judging from their demeanor, they looked friendly enough, but she knew there would be more convincing to do.

Tears were threatening to fall. You did not want to be back in a lab tested on again. Not like last time.

“Mm!” You managed to hum again as you felt like you were about to spiral.

“Hold on, I’ll ask Nanami. I’ll see if I can get them to go, alright?” Choso said, trying to be proactive.

Thoughts raced far too fast for them to be rational. To even comprehend what he said. All you heard was Nanami and you were contemplating ways on jacking him for the keys to the vehicle. Your wild mind didn’t know how far you’d get, but it could only think in the now. Not the future.

 

“Hey, uhhh… whoa!” Choso nearly fell out at the security that surrounded him with very lethal weaponry as he tried to get to Nanami. The blond man frowned as he and Geto told the men to stand down. They then waved him over to introduce him to the president of the facility.

Choso nearly blanched at Nanami’s words. “Ah the president. Hence the welcoming party.” He croaked while trying to utter an apology but was stopped short.

“No need for apologies, young man.” President Yoshinobu spoke jubilantly as they shook hands. “Mistakes happen. I’m glad you’ve made it all this way in one piece. I’ve heard of the lengths you took to save one of our own as well as tend to subject 128. You have my greatest of gratitude.” His wrinkled smile was met with a forced one.

‘Did he even bother to know your name?’ He had to control his eyes from turning into daggers.

“She’s no longer a ‘subject’. Her name is [Y/N].” Geto emphasized with an obvious tone of irritation. “With all due respect.” He added dryly.

Immediately clearing his throat, Nanami abruptly interjected turning the conversation on Choso. “What was it that you say you needed?”

“Well [Y/N] is currently in a sour mood because of the lab coats. Can we get rid of ‘em?” Choso’s smile did not quite reach his eyes.

“Oh um… right. [Y/N] would be naturally unsettled by the sight of them. I will be sure to notify them all about this matter seeing as we will need to have her meet them eventually. Your wife in particular… —For now, we will postpone the matter.”

“I’ll get rid of them now.” Geto huffed as he stormed over to them ordering them to leave the premises.

“Excuse me, President, while I go assist Geto. Choso, please inform Miss [Y/N] that it is taken care of.” Nanami offered a polite smile to both of the men before locking his eyes on the back of Geto’s head, who didn’t realize there was a hole burning through it.

 

A loud banging on the side of the tank startled you as your head shot up to see a concerned looking Todo and Yuta.

“Hey, we came to tell you guys that you can come out now, but then we smelled… anyways what’s wrong?” Todo asked, looking between you and Maki then Choso.

“Are they gone?” Your voice came out in a quiver.

“Who?” A thick black brow raised in confusion.

“The scientists. I requested for them to leave for her comfort.” Choso spoke softly as he brushed the top of your head soothingly.

“Yeah, they’re gone. Geto and Nanami got rid of them. It’s safe to come out now.” Yuta’s gentle voice coaxed you out of your mental torture room.

Lifting your head up meekly and peeking through the windows, you saw that the space was in fact clear. Spotting that majority of the soldiers had left out too, your muscles relaxed a little as you unfurled from your stress ball.

Taking their extended hands, you warily stepped out onto concrete slab beneath you. Todo closed the car door behind you, making you jolt. In the open space it echoed heavily, all the clanging and creaking of metal. You meekly looked back at him in an apologetic manner, only for him to offer you an apology instead. You felt bad for being so easily frightened now when in comparison being eaten alive was no better. You figured that being tortured by humans for so long created this uneasiness within you.

You took careful steps towards the edge of the vehicle, as if the boogeyman would pop out. Thankfully your friends let you, not trying to push you more than you were pushing yourself. Peeking around again, you let out a relieved sigh once you double checked that the coast was clear. Looking around there were so many vehicles, including helicopters and boats. The place was larger than you expected, and you felt incredibly small.

“Ready to meet the president?” Todo asked once he perceived you were more relaxed. You nodded and grasped his extended hand, allowing him to escort you to the others who crowded around the door.

A mop of coils bounced and swayed trying to get around the brick wall that was their husband and his soldiers. “Kento, I’m happy you’re back but I—”

“What are you doing down here? Why aren’t you in the clinic?” Nanami was both equally concerned and frustrated. He was tempted to sweep her off her feet, if it weren’t for the fact that he taught her self defense.

“Kento, Move!” She stopped short to stare him down sternly and pressed a hand against his chest.

“I cannot. ALL personnel need to vacate the area. Plus, you just had our child. You need to rest.” He tried to say sternly but her amber brown eyes were beginning to fill with tears as her face descended into a frown.

She started pushing against his chest with both hands, a peculiar bag now pressed in between them that he now noticed was in her grasp.

“Why do you have this?!” He was exasperated and exhausted. Kento wanted to see her and his child and relay the bad news about Toji while wrapped in her arms after a shower, but that wasn’t happening right now. And he grew frustrated and letting a bit of his restraint slip, he snatched the bag from her, holding it overhead while he pressed their bodies together.

It didn’t faze her as she only adjusted to try to reach for it. “Kento, please!”

“Should we… do something?” Gojo looked between the two, barely registering Sukuna and Geto’s disapproving noes.

“Myera, enough!” He chastised. “What has gotten into you?”

“I need to give that to her, please.” Her voice croaked, a telltale sign that she was ready to cry, but she had already been doing that leading up to your arrival. Her voice was hoarse.

The men all gave her a questioning look before looking up at the bag Nanami still held in the air.

You were looking at it too. Having tuned out the president and his ramblings, you saw Nanami lift something right above the man’s head. You had no idea who he was dealing with, but it seemed like he was struggling as he shifted back and forth.

It seemed familiar, like something you had only seen in your dreams where the colors were vibrant at the time. However, here in reality the palette was pale, yet still none the less the same make. For a moment you wondered if it had your initials marked in it, but you dropped that thought, letting your curiosity slip from you. ‘That’s impossible.’

A last-ditch effort was thrown to convey her desperation to finally reach you. Taking a deep breath, she strained her voice further, disregarding Nanami’s failed attempt to shut her down. “[Nickname]!” The cry echoed, flying around the air multiple times until it registered itself in you.

Stiffening to attention, your head quirked to the side, wondering where that old name came from. It was long forgotten, as it was buried deep into your memory up to this moment. Everything you left behind when you disappeared was dead to you, is what you thought, but it seemed some things had survived much to your surprise.

A small, browned hand was loosed from the encasement of the jubilant president who was finally quiet after a long spiel. Curiously cautious, you moved toward the source that declared your childhood name with such familiarity.

Your lips quivered when you could finally make out those continuously warm amber brown eyes you never thought you would see again.

The two of you stopped short, processing the grown version of each other. Your memory of her was when she was 16, just like you.

 You only came to just above her shoulder. You used to be the same height, but it seemed she had flourished over the years, filling out, especially in the breast department. Subconsciously, you frowned. ‘Why are they so big?!’  If you weren’t already struggling with the fact that your childhood friend was standing right in front of you, you would have definitely spoke on it.

Neither of you said anything, just looked at each other. If no one knew any better, it would seem that you two were having a stare off competition. But that wasn’t quite it. Emotions were being conveyed through your eyes. Every emotion under the sun; the only sound that could be heard were both of your sniveling.

“Aren’t you going to say anything to each other?” You couldn’t see it, but Todo had a huge grin on his face at the unexpected reunion.

You broke out into giggles before embracing one another. Finally speaking, you couldn’t help but to ask, “Well… best friend… did I make it onto the ‘First 48’ ?”

 

 

The night was cooler than the blistering day time, which everyone was thankful for. The sound of the fire crackling and the crickets chirping had helped ease their tension against what they were trying to comprehend before them.

“How did you survive that? No one survives that.” A woman asked with her lip upturned in disgust as she eyed the mutated skin that one of the community members was tending to. Out of the nine that the group originally was, it was now dwindled to seven, including the man that had saved Miguel.

A heavy sigh left the wounded’s lips before he grunted uncomfortably while adjusting himself into a relaxed position, pulling down his shirt. “For the last time, I don’t know.” His voice came out curtly. Truthfully, he didn’t. All he knew was that for several hours he had to lie motionless in a terribly ventilated, hot box of a van listening to mostly nothing but his own thoughts and the occasional groans of a few straggling undead. He wasn’t ready to admit aloud, yet alone to himself how unnerving the whole ordeal was, but as soon as he could move, he bolted out of that slow cooker, cracked ribs be d*mned.

“I mean, it had to be her blood, right? That’s the only evidence we have from what you’ve already said.” The man who applied medical care responded. His name was Rogan.

“Let’s leave ‘em be for now. He’s clearly still recoverin’.” Miguel emphasized as he settled everyone with a look. Their night under the stars was going to be cut short. Wanting to be safe behind secure walls again, they were more than eager to get some rest so they could get to tomorrow sooner.

 

The following morning the old cars were swapped out for the sturdier military jeeps and were cruising down the road for a five-day long journey.

There was another thunderous/tumultuous storm that lasted for the latter part of their fourth day, causing them to pull over and wait it out. Nothing could be seen out there, especially when the sun had settled. So they sat there in the silence of the night until the constant thumping of the man’s size 14 custom boot irritated Miguel.

“Alright alright! What is it, Toji?” Miguel’s accent was thick from irritation and tiredness.

“Hm? Nothin’. Don’t worry about it.” The man brushed him off.

 “Tch—whatchu mean when your big ol’ foot rockn’ this thing like we on the sea.” Miguel fussed from crankiness. It was frustrating that they had to stop when they were apparently super close. Right before the thunderstorm rolled in, there were periodic radio dispatches, but their responses weren’t heard in time because the storm jumbled the frequencies.

He knew that by the time it would pass, his motley crew plus one would start to whine… again.

Toji’s foot slid down slowly from it’s propped position. Clearing his throat, he muttered a quick apology.

“Mm… now do you want to say or be prideful and keep it to yourself, soldier?” Miguel inquired, raising a brow at the man as if he could see it in the darkness.

Blowing out a long-awaited sigh, Toji opened up just a bit, something he hadn’t done since his wife passed.

“I thought I was dead.” He grunted finally getting it off his chest.

“Most do feel that way at near death exper—“

“Nah…Miguel. I couldn’t do anything. At all. I couldn’t tell those idiots that I could hear them. That I could feel every d*mn compression cracking my ribs. Hearing them deliberate on towing me along or killing me so I don’t reanimate. Only for them to leave me to roast in a slow cooker for hours!” He was getting worked up in his rant as he burst with a colorful array of choice words. “I can’t wait to tear their sorry *sses a new one when I get back.” He was already contemplating ways to cause them equal torment like how he suffered.

“Aye man don’t be too hard on ‘em. Ya know it was a tough decision.” Miguel lightly chuckled at the fuming man. “But aye, I’m glad that they left you alive. Real grateful you showed up, man.”

Calming down, Toji relaxed into the seat a little better after his brief venting session. Only grunting in response to Miguel’s gratitude. “As soon as this crap lightens up, wake me up. I’m driving.”

“A’int ya ribs broken?”

“I didn’t know my chest was capable of driving.” Toji quipped.

Miguel quick to fire back, snickered with his response. “They’re big enough to be ya own airbag. Probably turn the blinkers on with a cough.”

“If I ain’t know no better, I’d say you’ve been checking me out, soldier.” Toji couldn’t help but to smirk, but the pain had immediately wiped it off with the next set of words Miguel said.

“Tuh! Your muscles are bigger than that d*mn head of yours, I’m sure they have their own postal codes.”

He was holding his sides trying to regulate his breaths before responding in irritation. “Don’t make me laugh.”

“Don’t say stupid stuff.” Miguel said easily, reclining in his seat comfortably to catch a wink of rest as well. “I’m driving.” He said with finality.

 

Waking up, you felt refreshed. Crying uncontrollably for the better part of the night with your best friend and being able to wash away basically everything you had been through was rejuvenating. The only downside was that your eyes were swelled, making you look like a bug first thing in the morning. Despite that, you were looking yourself over, admiring your new outfit. Well, it was a hand-me-down from Myera, because she had outgrown her wears over the months, but it was new to you all the same.

A dark blue dress flowed in the air as you twisted back and forth in giddiness. You were feeling warm and fuzzy inside, a stark contrast to your anxiety attack the previous day. Loving the colorful fish accented on it, this was easily the nicest thing you had ever worn since you stepped foot out of the facility.

A soft knock on your door caused you to straighten up briefly, bashful at the idea of someone catching you in your excitement.

It was a disgruntled looking Gojo accompanied by the gentleman, Nanami. He looked far from gentle with his cut physique, but watching how tender he was with his wife and newborn, as well as you, he was just the sweetest in your eyes.

The blonde man was there to simply escort you to visit his wife and child, as well as thwart Gojo’s fourth attempt at bedding you within the last twelve hours. It was by chance he spotted him along the way to retrieve you and knew that it was not Gojo’s turn to watch over you. If he had any say in who guarded you, he’d select the white-haired male last every time because he believed Gojo had nefarious things in mind.

“Good morning, [Y/N]. I’m here to take you to see my wife.” He spoke formerly with a warm smile crossing his clean-shaven face. Without the constant grimace he wore towards his team, you thought he was a good-looking guy.

“I think she’s still getting ready. You can go ahead to your duties, and I’ll escort her capt—“

“My wife gave me a direct order to bring [Y/N] myself. You are welcome to assist, tend to other duties or pay a visit to sector 8 like you constantly used to. I’m sure plenty of th—“

“What’s sector 8?” You interjected innocently.

“Nothing of importance.” The flustered man said quickly.

“I wouldn’t say that. It’s the medical wing. A place that you’ll be familiar with in your own time, of course.” Nanami directed to you. You remembered he made mention of it last night, but there was a lot going on once you arrived.

You turned abruptly to Gojo, looking over his flushed body with concern. Regardless of you still being semi-hurt from their words not too long ago, feelings had developed, and you knew it’d be hard to separate yourself like you knew you should. “Oh no, are you not feeling well? Hurt somewhere?” You even held a hand to his forehead...

‘This is gonna be a hard break up.’

“Perhaps his pride.” Nanami stated flatly.

“Alright. Alright. I’m fine, [Y/N].” Gojo conceded as he clasped your hands together. “Let’s just go.” He sighed dejectedly while signaling for you to follow after Nanami.

“Any sign of Miguel?” You asked to the blonde's backside as you followed behind him slowly. You realized the where the warm fuzzies were originating from as you walked between them. You could almost feel Gojo’s eyes burning a hole through your dress and if you put a little more thought into it, you could probably feel his hands roaming you too… ‘Man I wish we had some alone time one last time. Be strong [Y/N]! ’

“No. Nothing yet. But once we do, I’ll be sure to let you know as soon as possible.” Nanami casted over his shoulder, catching you with a gentle look.

Deflating a bit, you sighed gloomily. Gojo noticing, put a comforting hand on your shoulder for reassurance, only really managing to send sparks over you instead.

You looked up at the snowy-haired man with a mixture of sadness and need. You knew you were wrong for feeling as needy as you were, but you couldn’t help yourself. It had been a while. You hadn’t had any since the hospital trip and not that you were a sex fiend, but… going from almost every day to far less than that was honestly stressing you out. It was becoming a bit hard to keep those pheromones in check. They were all over the place. Excitement. Sadness. Depression. Joy. Happiness. Grief. You were experiencing it all. You kind of just wanted to forego your thoughts and be senseless for a little bit.

A sweet aroma permeated the air catching everyone’s attention, but your own. Like usual, your body heated up and you were feeling a bit weak in the knees. To your dismay, you weren’t paying attention as you were being held captive in those dangerously beautiful blues that tried to search you.

Nanami had stopped short curiously sniffing the air, whispering to himself about the sudden change in smell. “Do you smell th—“ He began to ask while turning to you two, only for you to walk straight into him.

“Ah sor—umn.” You stiffened under the sudden increase in sparks.

“You alright, [Y/N]? Gojo?” Nanami quirked a brow as he looked over you two quizzically.

Gojo cleared his throat, coming back to reality a bit, trying to save face. “Maybe she’s not feeling well. Do you want to go back to your room?” His large hand slid lightly down your back. You had to swallow the moan that was ready to slip from your lips.

Shaking your head emphatically, you motioned for Nanami to go ahead. “I’m fine! Was lost in thought. Sorry!” Your voice pitching from your nerves.

You heard Gojo snicker a bit as Nanami continued along the route deciding not to touch on your odd behavior. In retaliation, you secretly grabbed at Gojo’s crotch, easily awakening his member prematurely before dodging his grasp. You stick your tongue out at him as you dodge his hands again, giggling aloud this time.

“Do I need to separate you two?” Nanami asked lightly. Knowing how Gojo was, he probably should have sent him off to do a menial task, but they had a conference meeting coming up so there would not have been a point.

“No, sir.” Gojo straightened with a stoic face.

You blushed and shook your head in response again, continuing your walk with the lead. You would sneak glances at Gojo who would catch you and wink every time. It would always cause butterflies. ‘Too bad you guys wanna leave me.’

 

Once you arrived, there was a tired voice on the other side of the door telling you to enter a short time after Nanami had knocked. Upon walking in, you could see your friend’s excitement despite her sleep deprived state. Claiming that the new mom jitters kept her up all night, you empathized and at once went to your friend’s aide. You fluffed her pillow how she always liked as a kid; pinned her hair out of her face as she hated it touching her forehead; and you even rocked her baby, your self-proclaimed niece to sleep when she grew fussy.

Nanami and Gojo watched in awe as you worked your magic.

“It’s like you’re a natural. Whenever I tried that she’d just scream.” Nanami huffed in amusement.

“I reckon it’s the pheromones.” Gojo looked at you absentmindedly smiling to himself as he watched you rock back and forth with the small bundle bunched in your arms. He was recalling the conversation he had with you and Geto that one time. He wondered briefly what it’d be like with you, but quickly let that thought go. He felt disappointment in the lofty dream.

“Oh, right. That’s probably it. It does smell like flowers and berries in here suddenly.” Myera spoke in realization looking at you fondly.

You smiled back brightly, happy to be in your friend’s presence, yet alone hold a tiny little sunshine. Her skin was fair, but you figured over time she would tan a bit. Something in between her parents. You wondered who’s eyes she’d have and what her personality would be like. Her little tuffs of hair were dark brown, so you wondered if her locks would darken or lighten up over time. ‘Would it be too much to ask if I could have this too?’ You thought as you looked back at Gojo who was smiling at you thoughtfully.

Clearing your throat from the creeping blush you ask, “What’s on the agenda for today, guys?”

“As you know we have the conference meeting soon, so we will be heading out. However, after that…” Nanami’s eyes briefly looked at his wife before landing back onto you, continuing, “you’ll be properly introduced to a few individuals.” He said cryptically.

Your brows furrowed as you looked back at Myera who held her arms out for her child. “They are a small team that I chose myself to work with you and report directly to me. I would have been a part of it, but Mother Nature called.” She explained briefly as her amber brown eyes looked at you as if you would react poorly, which you had every right if you so choose. “Is that okay?”

“Can..can Choso be a part of it too?” You looked innocently between them, fiddling with your nails. A nervous habit you picked up when losing something comforting in your hands.

“Of course, if he makes it that more comfortable for you. [Y/N], if anything bothers you, you don’t have to hesitate to tell us. We’ve made sure that there won't be any lab coats worn around you, okay?” Myera said reaching a comforting hand over yours.

“Okay.” You murmured bashfully.

“Then it is settled. I’ll have the President have this instated and have Choso’s badge ready when the time comes.” Nanami said already heading for the door. “We will be back, ladies.”

You two waved goodbye to the men. Gojo, unable to resist sent a wink in his leave, causing Myera to question things between you two when it was silent.

“We..wel…well, we haven’t necessarily established anything. And I’m not sure we will…” You looked off awkwardly, thinking how odd this situation was. If you thought about it, he was giving you mixed signals.

“To be established, that means there is something to build from, right?” A wry smile came across the tired woman’s face.

“I mean… It’s j..just…—wehadcopiousamountsofsexoverthelastcoupleofweeks…. Andthensome….” You blurt out under her piercing eyes. They were always so hard to dodge growing up too.

“…you…what?” Her jaw was a little bit more than tight as she eyed you down.

“…we had sex, okay… a couple of times.” You looked to the side briefly.

A finely black brow pitched up as your friend continued to watch you silently. Her answer was pending.

“More than a couple of times.” You still couldn’t look at her.

Her head cocked to the side. ‘Crap.’

“Okay Geto and Sukuna too. Sheesh.” You huffed as you threw your arms in the air from defeat.

“Excuse me??” Myera had to catch herself before she woke babygirl up.

“I literally couldn’t help myself. They can be very convincing ya know.” You scratched idly behind your ear as you thought of the times in the laundry room and bedroom. You definitely couldn’t forget that one time with Sukuna. Your cheeks heated.

“Get your head out of the gutter, [Y/N].” She looked you up and down incredulously.

Rolling your eyes, you just shrugged at her. “It wasn’t my intentions… just my pheromones apparently made me very enticing to them.” You say carefully, but then explained briefly what you, Gojo and Geto had deduced from your one inconclusive scent. “Please stop judging me…” You whine defeatedly.

Her lips were pinched by the end of the conversation, not quite expecting half of what was said. All she knew was that you had quite the experience. “It’s not that I’m trying to control you from sleeping with whoever you want, because trust me, that’s been going on around here. It’s just those three though?? No one else?” She sighed, getting up from the bed and placing the baby in her bassinet. She trudged over to the couch located on the other side of the room, seating herself gently on it waving you over in the process. The space wasn’t huge as you quickly crossed over the floor to her, but it was enough. It was a makeshift studio apartment, something you were staying in at the moment. You surely would not complain as it was far more comfortable than the iron box GeneXcell had placed you in.

“No. I… my body just chose them. And I li…like them too.” You give her puppy eyes.

You heard a sigh escape from her lips as she gently tucked her legs underneath of her. You asked what was wrong.

“I just want you to be careful with them, that’s all. If that’s your power’s effect, then so be it. If that’s who you want to be with, so be it. It can’t be helped. I just don’t want no baby daddy issues for you. There’s already plenty of that as is.” Myera said indignantly. “Those med wing girls are something else.” Dark lips pursed in distaste as you cocked your head in confusion.

“What happened in the med wing?”

“Oh, just Sector 8 has a baby boom fast approaching. Can’t wait to see who the daddies are is all.” Myera smirked at your expression. You were still confused as to how everything connected.

“Well, no need to worry about babies over here. I can’t have any.” You chuckle lightly as your eyes automatically look over to the bassinet. ‘Probably a reason why they don’t want to be with me.’

Dark brows furrowed while bright eyes studied over you. “What do you mean?” Even though she was sent into early delivery, she still read over your file. It was what kept her semi grounded as she labored. ‘I don’t recall seeing anything about reproduction being affected.’

“According to Choso, since I didn’t get my period since I was eighteen at the facility, which side bar I randomly bled this week —that I probably wouldn’t be able to reproduce.” You spoke too easily that Myera could only blink at you. You blinked right back.

“Ummmm… you randomly bled after years of not having a cycle?” She questioned as she made a mental note to have that looked into.

“Mhm.” You hummed, before deflating a bit, circling your arms around yourself for comfort. “It was kinda… kickstarted.” You felt yourself shift uncomfortably.

“By what?” Myera asked genuinely confused.

“… someone I —we all thought… he was a friend, ya know?” Unease laced your voice as you started to tell the story, but you were cut off; wrapped in a warm embrace. A motherly embrace, something you never had and oddly enough it was coming from a friend who was a sister to you growing up. Go figure.

“I’m sorry you had to suffer and face all of those scary things by yourself, but right now, just know that you’re safe here.” Her words were muffled into your head lovingly as she rocked you both gently.

That’s all that needed to be said between you two as you both settled into quiet sniffles. The water works were starting up again.

Notes:

My fave part this chapter is the banter between Miguel and Toji. I love reading comical banter or scenes just as much as I like writing crazy, traumatizing events, but also I like to try to capture cozy, sweet moments too… anyways thanks for reading!!!! Have a blessed week/end <3

Chapter 22: Twentytwo

Summary:

This is long… like dumb long.

Notes:

I was gonna upload this last week right, but then someone inspired me and I had to go backand revise, delete and improvise since I essentially had everything already done 😅😋 gotta love when inspo strikes 🤯! Enjoy the read folks~

It was unclear to the groggy man how long he was out for, but the sunlight was breaking through his crusted eyelids, causing him to wince them shut.

“He lives!” A bright cheerful voice irritated his eardrums.

“Why are you so jolly—”

“It’s a beautiful morning that we woke up to and—“

“Cut the crap, Miguel.” Toji’s deep voice grumbled out of his dry throat.

“The radio had a brief connection. Didn’t have a chance to respond before it cut out again, but like you said, we are close.”

“Storm probably interrupted something again. The craps basically archaic but it’s the best we got until we can secure new material.” Toji grumbled as he readjusted himself in the seat. His ribs still hurt, but he thinks he’s adjusted to the pain at that point. Checking the time and looking at the very familiar view they were driving past, unprompted he said, “We probably have about an hour until we reach HQ territory.” That jittery leg started up again.

“…I’m excited too, Toji.” Miguel said with ease, a wide grin formed on his face. Toji didn’t have to admit his eagerness aloud; it showed. Miguel could hear it in his tone, see it in the way he sat up and moved around in his seat. He was restless, but why wouldn’t he be? What he’s been through, it would solidify that you were worth it. That their troubles were not in vain. He’s the living proof of it. “They’re gonna be a bunch of crybabies when they see you, eh?”

“Heh… I only know one crybaby for sure.” Toji smirked as he looked off into the distance thinking of a certain woman.

 

Tears were pouring down your face as you were trying to withhold your laughter. It was right after you finished being introduced to your assigned scientists, Miwa, Muta and MeiMei and the meeting of what was to come for you as you stayed in their care. When you all were heading out to leave, the power tripped from that evening’s storm, causing quite the sight when the lights flickered back on.

Like a domino effect, the sudden on-set blindness caused Todo to trip into Miwa who fell into Muta, which caused him to overcompensate and topple MeiMei causing her to fall onto the president. By the end of it, he was flat on the ground with his face firmly suffocated between her breasts.

You had to grab onto someone from laughing too hard.

Once everyone recollected themselves, Nanami motioned you towards him. “Now that that’s done, have any issues with what’s been decided?”

“Nope. Scheduled to tour the lab and take some blood tomorrow with Mei. Choso and Todo are supervising.” You summarized easily, giddy that you had a say in what you wanted.

“Good, we’ll have Yuta escort you for the rest of today.” Nanami stated before dismissing himself to deal with the three brooding men.

There was a disagreement amongst the soldiers, irritated that they had to help fix the electrical systems even though they just got back. They were immediately put back to work despite their exhausting mission. And by the time they would finish, you’d be cuddled up in your bed, snoozing the night away.

 

The next day you were up bright and early, partially from nerves and partly because Choso was so excited to be on tour in the labs, that he came to get you himself.

The hour of your exams was beginning. Jittery fingers twiddled around each other as you nervously followed after Miwa. She was ecstatic to start the process. All of them were, MeiMei and Muta. Choso too, but he was focused on keeping you comfortable. You did not know what to do with yourself as you sat in one of the metal chairs after being led to a bland colored room. There were only three doors. One you entered through, and the others were on the opposite end, at separate sides of the wall. There were two large TV’s that hung against a wall that were turned off. You wondered what would even be playing now —if anything could play. A lot of things were shut down; you doubted that PBS still stood.

“Now, before we go any further, we just want to discuss a little of what we’ll be doing in this room and the next two rooms over.” MeiMei had spoke standing up in front of the rounded table you were all seated around.

Stiffened in your seat, your hands were clasped together between your thighs as you tried to listen to the female version of Gojo. You kind of wished he were with you. All of them. You were feeling antsy as you heard her talk about two surveillance rooms, the one you were in, and the other that looked over the third room, the operation room.

If you weren’t stiff enough, you froze on just the thought of the word ‘operation’.

‘Haven’t I been operated on enough?!’ A terrorizing thought came to mind, causing you to squeeze your hands between your thighs.

You wanted to run. Hide. Fight, though it wasn’t deemed necessary as you felt protected knowing Todo and Choso were on either side of you. Both of them placed a hand on your shoulders, trying to garner your attention.

“It’s alright.” Choso gently whispered, trying to get you from locking your limbs any tighter. You only managed a hum as you fought to relax your body.

Seeing Mei’s face scrunch, you curled into yourself a bit from embarrassment, resting your head on the table. Eyes closed, you took deep calming breaths to refocus and gain control of yourself.

“Is… she okay?” You heard Muta ask.

“Sorry…I’m sorry.” You muttered against the table before taking a shuttered breath. You peaked up, looking at Muta, murmuring, “I’m okay.” Feeling an ugly wave of relief finally wash over you. You’re still uneasy but will yourself to continue.

“Like Dr. Nanami said, you can request us to stop at any point.” Miwa emphasized with a sympathetic expression.

Muta couldn’t help but to mumble something to the effect of the president throwing a fit if you did.

“He can’t make us do anything he wants either.” Mei scoffed, rolling her eyes. “Anyways, if you’d like, we can head over to the other rooms?” She questioned lightly.

You dragged yourself from the table, giving an unsure smile, that was more of a grimace towards your two comfort blankets. “I want to go.” You declared timidly.

Going into the observation chamber, you see you’re in a glass cube essentially. A long desk with hundreds of buttons and switches, lined the walls except for a portion where another door resided. It read ‘Authorized Personnel Only’ in bright red paint.

“This room controls everything in the next area over,” Muta began to explain as you slightly tuned him out. Instead, you were peeking out the glass, curiously looking down into the lab you figured you’d have to start getting accustomed to.

“BUT who really cares about the mechanics of all this.” Mei interrupted an enthused Muta, knowing how enthralled he could get when given the chance to explain mechanic functioning’s. “We can just continue on.”

Choosing to remain silent, you followed along, between Todo and Choso as you descended onto the lowered floor. You squinted your eyes at the brightness of the overhanging fluorescent lights and tucked your head meekly for some shade. There was no natural lighting down here. From what you were told, this part of the building was built into a mountain, so no windows could have been placed. Yet you don’t recall seeing said mountain when you came in.

‘Then again, all I was looking at was the massive wall they had constructed. If we are in a mountain, it would explain why it’s so cold in here too. Where’s the heat people!?’ You mulled over in your head while running your hands over your exposed arms.

Todo in is good natured self, took his jacket and put it on you. The outfit of the day was a short sleeve dark green top, with thin black leggings. The outfit was fine, it was that the air was freezing. You welcomed the sudden warmth and umbrella of darkness once you threw the hood over your head. You didn’t realize how on edge you were until you released a breath you didn’t know you were holding. Grateful for the consideration, you smiled gratefully at him.

“Oh, we can turn the temperature up when you’re in here, it just has to be cold, so the subjects don’t mutate or die.” Muta offered before diving back into what he was saying about the operating room. Yet again, you weren’t paying attention; your eyes had locked onto one of the three lab chairs. Spending so much time on one, you naturally walked to it, looking it over. In a messed-up type of way, it was both a comfort and a torturous object for you. Expecting it to be just the bare bones of a lounge type of chair, made of scratched and indented rusted metal with worn, blood-stained leather straps all around, but were pleasantly surprised to see something closer to a salon spa chair.

“It’s cushioned…” You muttered to yourself as you stuck a finger out of your comfort cloak to poke at the material, feeling it give a little under your light pressure. You smiled to yourself, thinking of how much more inviting this place was, and then you remembered that you weren’t alone and peered back at the group who were silently watching you.

Cheeks warming, you sheepishly scurried back beside Choso, offering an apology in which they all waved off.

“We want you comfortable in here. We would rather you explore and get to know your surroundings as you work with us.” Miwa’s sweet voice warmed your soul, and you finally had a genuine smile blossom across your face as you felt the tension finally leave you.

 

According to Mei, you were supposed to get your vitals taken as well as “donate” some blood for further analysis in their labs. It was a light day for you in comparison to what you had experienced several months ago.

“Aaaannd with these last two, we’ll be done.” Mei said soothingly. “You did great. Thank you for working with us.” The gorgeous woman commented genuinely noticing your uneasiness had returned. She was sure you were ready to get out of here. Out of twenty vial slots, you noticed they only took 12.

‘What an odd number.’ You thought while observing them switch to the last remaining tube. You were glad that it was almost over.

“You’re not going to use all 20 tubes?” Todo spoke your random thought aloud.

“12 is plenty for comparison purposes. We’re just trying to see if the data we received is still accurate. Other than that, we don’t want to push for these things too soon, right?” She eyed him before continuing with you.

Todo slowly nodded in understanding while Choso looked at your clipboard with the freshly printed sheet of your vitals. He wanted to be a part of this so bad, but he never graduated. Never got his degree. He just knew he couldn’t be of use.

“That’s right, you said you did some blood test with [Y/N], correct? Mind sharing your report with us?” Miwa asked with a certain twinkle in her eyes.

Choso scratched sheepishly at his head, placing the clipboard down gently. Biting nervously at his lip with the spotlight on him, he stuttered out a reply.

“Ah… I didn’t get too far, really. Some foolish brute unfortunately destroyed it.” He grunted while crossing his arms.

“Mm, that’s a shame. We were told you also administered her blood on Toji too.” Your heart clenched at the name as Miwa continued, “We would also like to hear about your findings with that.”

“Miwa!” The older woman lightly scolded. Sometimes the girl couldn’t read a room to save her life. “We could have asked that later.” The blue-haired girl apologized profusely, earning a small chuckle from you. You were told that there would be a gathering for him to commemorate his serve. You just weren’t told when. That was still pending.

“It’s alright. He was unresponsive and I just couldn’t find a pulse in the end. Even tried to do CPR —If I could say one thing is that he went quietly and maybe even peacefully. He didn’t react negatively to the transfusion the entire time me and Nanami watched over him.” Choso said thoughtfully.

You fiddled with the gauze placed on your arm thinking of what Choso spoke; it gave you some kind of peace for you to hear that.

“I do have some samples of her blood that weren’t destroyed from back then, if you’d like? You just reminded me.”

“Mmm… sure, if they’re still viable. Thanks.” You noticed how Mei’s ruby lips pursed before pulling to the side as she looked away in what you picked up to be disappointment.

‘It’s because my blood is useless. He couldn’t be saved and those samples won’t do a dag on thing.’ Your mind taunted you, causing you to frown.

“If we’re all done here, I think it’s time to bring [Y/N] back to the surface.” Todo interjected, noticing your demeanor.

“Oh, right. Thank you again for assisting us.” The science squad gave their thanks to you which you offered a polite nod to. “Would you mind staying for a second, Choso?” Mei inquired; she had more questions about his findings.

He looked to you unsure if you wanted him by your side still, but you gave him a little thumbs up signaling that you were okay. Patting your head gently, he stayed behind, telling you he’d meet with you later.

They discussed in more detail what he discovered with your traits, especially regarding your blood. They were envious, but more so astounded that he made that much progress with little to no high-grade equipment. The non-graduate felt almost at home, being able to discuss with terminology that he wasn’t able to use prior.

“It’s a terrible misfortune that Toji couldn’t make it through. But at least knowing he didn’t have any immediate effects from the transfusion was a plus.” Mei stated as she finished writing her observation of the conversation. “He was a tough man. Thick in the head as he was in body.” Mei chuckled lightly at a funny memory before divulging in the tale. “One time his son wasn’t paying attention when he was driving a tank back into the warehouse. Megumi had spun the launcher around while his dad was standing to close. Knocked him right out.” Her chest vibrated from the bout of giggles bubbling about. “They couldn’t find a pulse on his chest, neck or his wrists because his muscles were too big! Almost defibrillated him if Dr. Myera wasn’t present. Though Nanami wasn’t too happy with his woman getting close and personal with another man’s inner thigh.”

The pale man’s laughter died down as a scary thought came across his mind. ‘What if I missed his pulse?!’ His mind tried to ambush him, but remembering how unresponsive Toji was, he felt the alarm bells quiet in him.

 

Not even ten minutes after Todo’s departure you were a blubbering mess along with your curly haired friend and niece.

The trip down memory lane was too harsh first thing in the morning and in her new mom state as well as you still getting your bearings, reminiscing would have to be put on the back burner for now, deeming it a touchy subject for the time being.

“Soooo…. How’d you two meet?” You sniffled lightly having calmed down from the waterworks. Nestled in a round cushioned chair, you switched to a topic that you thought was going to be lighthearted.

You noticed Myera’s eyebrows creased. “Remember the old neighbors I had?” You nodded. “We met when he was visiting his aunt who’s husband had passed. I had comeback from college on break at that time. Being the gentleman that he still is, he helped me bring my stuff in. My parents couldn’t resist and just had to invite him over. You know how they were…” A brief smile crossed over her face as she reminisced.

“So welcoming. Give the clothes off their back if they could. You follow right after them clearly.” You stated, gesturing to your dress, trying to brighten the mood.

A grateful look passed over her face before she continued, “Mom and Dad offered them dinner platters for the time that he stayed, to the point that they just came over for dinner after a while. Learned a lot about each other in that time. Told me that this place would need people from my field and that we should keep in touch. Exchanged numbers and parted ways shortly after. He left for this.” She gestured around the room. “I went back to school and forgot all about him and his offer until he showed up at the university a couple months later for some demonstration that was being had. Always recruitin’.” Myera shrugged coolly. “Eventually I took him up on his offer and here we are. But now that I think about it, I feel like he recruited me.”

You giggled at the memory of when Toji mentioned in passing that Miguel would be a great soldier. ‘Definitely stay recruiting. I hope he comes back soon.’ You pouted as doubt started eating at you. ‘He should have been a day behind but he’s still not here.”

“Look don’t worry about that, let’s worry about the sexcapades you were on, lady!” Myera quickly redirected noticing your demeanor.

“Weeee ain’t gotta talk ‘bout it…” You flushed at once, opting to bury your face into her pillows.

“I think we should [Y/N]… I want to make sure you’re okay with… well everything —I guess?”

You sat up, looking at her quizzically. “What do you mean?”

“For starters, you said last time nothing was established. Seemed like things were in the air. Did you guys get to talk about anything?”

“No… I didn’t mention it, but before we got here, I overheard them saying that they were going to move on. So, I don’t think there will be anything established.” Your lips pulled to the side.

“They said that they were going to move on from you specifically?” Myera inquired further as she overheard conflicting gossip.

Nodding dejectedly, you mumbled out a response. “I’m pretty sure. It’s not that I don’t feel some type of way about it, it just hasn’t been brought up. The mixed signals are throwing me off…” You shrugged in thought. ‘For people that want to leave me, they keep trying to be around me.’

“You all have been busy, so I’d say it could be that, or maybe... I don’t know —do you think they’d even say anything to you if they were going to move on?” Myera pressed, trying to figure out what the truth was and also leave you with something to think about.

You pondered for a second, unsure of your answer here. “I think so… I’d hope at least.” It would hurt if they suddenly abandoned you.

“But do you know them well enough to say that for sure?” Your mouth fixed itself shut. Did you know them that well? Sure, a rapport was built during your time back at the community, but the more intimate details were few and far in between as you tried to recall anything. Only coming up with snippets of themselves they’d shared after copulation.

You squeezed the pillow you had against yourself, suddenly feeling insecure. You shook your head defeatedly, locs crowding around your face.

“Look [Y/N], I’m not trying to make you feel bad or like you did anything wrong. I want you to be safe regardless of what you choose. Or who you choose.” You peeked up, thinking about the implication there. “I know your body “chose” the three of them, but you still have a choice in what you want for yourself.”

A motherly hand rested against your head, soothingly smoothing down your locs, as you sat contemplating on what you should do.

“Think about it. If they didn’t move on and wanted to be with you —three boyfriends?! Best friend I wouldn’t judge, but I’d judge you.” She snickered, causing you to crack up a bit.

“I don’t think Sukuna would be interested in sharing so much as Geto and Gojo are, now that you got me thinking about it.”

“..sharing..” The word slipped out of the woman’s lips unexpectedly.

“Stop judging!”

“I’m not. Caught me off guard.” She looked off, playing with the fabric of the couch to occupy her.

You hummed glaring at her before she looked back at you innocently…

A series of giggles ensued for the remaining time you had together until security escorted you away for lunch.

 

Lunch was different this time around. The other night you were eating together with Myera, and now you were awkwardly standing alone in a cafeteria with several pairs of eyes on you. Best friend was currently still on bed rest, so her food was being delivered to her and you figured Nanami would want some quality time with his family, so you let them be.

Originally, you were supposed to be meeting up with Maki at the gym and then go to the cafeteria together to grab lunch. However, the message received through the earpiece your guard had seemed urgent enough for him to drop his duty of guarding you and just gave you simple directions to the café. So now you were biting your lip figuring where you could sit amongst a sea of strangers seeing as Maki was nowhere in sight.

‘I wonder if her guard bothered to tell her directions?’ You looked around aimlessly for a sign of dark green pixie hair before giving up. You were growing self conscious from the sea of people watching you.

It was as though you were back at the community minus the glares. You could see a few people whispering to each other and some threw a smile or wave at you, which you shyly returned. ‘This isn’t nerve-wracking at all.’ You continued to look over the crowd uncomfortably, stuttering over emerald-green eyes before breaking away quickly, noticing the person they were attached to was approaching. ‘Crap!’

“Looking for a place to sit?” A charming voice entered your ears. Looking just a few inches above you, you were met with those same emerald eyes. They were attached to a distinctly freckled man, you thought it was a birthmark trait of his, with strikingly beautiful orange hair. It looked rather luscious with the bit of light that came through the sky light of the cafeteria. He was thick and muscular in shape as you noticed his fitted shirt, not quite hugging him as say, Toji or even Todo, but still firm none the less.

“Uh..mhm.” Your dark brows peaked up in humorous worry as the man took the pleasure of wrapping an arm around your shoulder and then guiding you over towards a rowdy bunch.

“Come sit with me and my crew, why don’t ya?” He said easily. Slipping his arm away, he took your food tray and placed it down on the table and seated himself, patting the empty space next to him.

‘I guess I don’t have much of a choice seeing as you have my food as hostage!’ You followed suit, squeezing between him and another man who was a bit on the rounder side. It was uncomfortable as you had to brush closer to… ‘Wait… what’s his name?’

“Hey! You must be new. You came in with Nanami’s crew, right? What’s your name? I’m Penny. How was the ride here?” A bright-eyed young-looking woman fired off as soon as you were ready to voice your own question.

You went unheard as you stammered out a response over their boisterous laughter at their proclaimed firecracker of the group. They introduced themselves after quieting down, going around the table before you could attempt to form a response.

‘Sheesh! I feel like I can’t get a word in edge wise.’ You thought as you waited for an opportune time to say your name… or anything at all.

“Sorry, we get carried away.” Cory, the red head that brought you over to the table, smirked to you, continuing, “But what were you saying? You didn’t answer us.” His warm and soft hand laid on your shoulder gently.

‘More like I couldn’t answer you.’ You stiffened and straightened up as you tried to sway a little out of his grasp. His touch was foreign and unfortunately, your efforts did not work. ‘Boy, you are touchy!’

“What we really want to know is what it was like on the road with those dreamboats.” A rough feminine voice came to your ears. You think you remember her introducing herself as Michelle?

“Raquel!” Penny giggled.
‘Oops.’

You heard Cory kiss his teeth, before calling his friends a bunch of perverts.

“Can’t blame us. They’re hot!” The crew cackled at this. “Don’t be jealous, ‘cause you don’t get play!” Raquel sassed.

Through the ‘Ooh’s’ and jeers of his peers, his hand slipped from your shoulder thankfully and he was suddenly interested in defending his ego and listed his many conquests for added measure.

“You only managed that because those guys weren’t around! And mind you, those girls are all easy! Not much to brag about!” Raquel quipped back.

“Anyways, how was the journey with that experiment on board?” Roman, the big man that you were seated next to, circled back. The question jarred you. You weren’t called an experiment in a long time.

Confused at the reaction, he raised a brow at you. “I mean, that’s what we heard through the grapevine. They had to grab some top-secret specimen from some run-down lab, and it took them months to get back. We wanted to know what it was about. Do you know?”

“Yeah! Was it grotesque and slimy?” Penny chimed in; attention now stuck on you.

“Idiots! It must be something big if they even made the scientists leave when they came in.” Cory rolled his eyes and nudged you for agreement. You just blinked at him, not liking how his personality was unfolding.

“Oh, right! I heard that they even had to change uniforms. Something about their lab coats?” Another spoke up while scrunching up their nose. “Who got lemons?” The whole table started to look around for the sour fruit.

 

“[Y/N]!” A familiar and friendly voice cut through the noise as you eagerly looked for the source.

“Making new friends already?” Choso chuckled lowly as he came up behind you. You had a grateful look as he took your outstretched hand, helping you out the seat you were squeezed into. “You okay?” He asked peering at you before looking around for someone. “Where’s security? Who was guarding you?” He whispered as his face descended into a frown. You weren’t supposed to be by yourself so soon.

“Who are you?” Cory interrupted while looking at Choso’s arm wrapped securely around your back.

“Someone that’s my type.” An assertive, and flirty voice defended suddenly. Your neck nearly snapped when your head swiveled to look at the man holding your hand with a funny look. Choso’s face crumbled into something new. Face a vibrant hue of pink and red, you’d easily say this man was not only blushing, but truly embarrassed.

Looking away uncomfortably, he quickly introduced you two.

“So this is [Y/N]. Come sit with us instead.” The blond bombshell named Yuki leasurely invited.

“We were just getting to know her. She’s eating with us.” Cory ice grilled her, but she easily deflected it with a flip of her hair.

Your lips pulled to the side as you looked pointedly at your untouched meal.

“And now she’s eating with us. Mleh.” The long blond-haired woman stuck her tongue out before snatching your food from the table. She hooked her arm with yours and led you and Choso to another table with a few unfamiliar faces.

 

Now seated at another rectangular table, you were able to enjoy yourself and actually eat while they introduced themselves. Having already been told your name by Yuki, you were grateful for your knight in shining armor. In this case, a gorgeous bombshell with a fierce attitude.

“Thanks for getting me outta there you two.” You smiled warmly at Yuki while nudging Choso.

“I don’t know how he found you in this crowd; But I’m glad he did. He looked a bit odd sniffing the air for a second.” Yuki laughed at the man’s sudden sulky demeanor.

“Thanks for sniffing me out, super sleuth.” You smiled affectionately at him.

“Thanks for having a distinct distress signal,” He easily joked back.

“I take it you guys know each other well. Is he your type, too?” Yuki’s forwardness caught you off guard while Choso patted his chest to clear the food that went the wrong way.

“No! I mean he’s a good guy and all but uhh—“ You were nervous here. You didn’t want to say the wrong thing and have feelings misconstrued.

“Oh, so what’s your type?” Yuki’s eyes pierced you where you sat as she leaned forward, eager to hear your answer.

“Yuki, please give it a rest. At least until later.” Nobara, your peer in age, chastised before waving her objection off. “Anyways, that welcoming committee has a bunch of nosey gossipers. Please don’t pay them much mind.” She rolled her eyes.

“Considering I don’t have money; nothing was being paid.” You wittily joked, earning a few chuckles.

“Clever.”
“I like her.”

Hearing the woman share compliments in tandem, a bright smile formed across your face as you considered a thought that randomly crossed your mind.

‘Maybe this won’t be as bad as last time.’

 

A radio screech that typically drove Toji nuts, had him gripping the mouthpiece with renewed perspective. It was like music to his ears that he finally was able to contact his people. They were going back and forth, repeating themselves over the shotty static that interrupted their conversation multiple times.

‘On second thought, I still hate these things!’ Toji cursed while angrily slamming a hand against the dashboard.

“Please r—eat. State y—our —iness.” The voice crackled over the air.

“Yeah, I got your business!” Toji huffed.

“Aye, man. Just make sure they don’t blow us up when we try to get in there.” Miguel wondered if the storm knocked something awry, or if Toji wasn’t on the correct channel… ‘Maybe a combination of both.’ “Why don’t you try—“

“They better hope I don’t blow up on them!” Toji growled as they reiterated their previous request… for the fourteenth time.

“Ag—in repe—at.” Miguel, fed up with the crackle himself, fiddled with the switches and returned his gaze back to the road, steering around fallen tree limbs and other foliage that was blown onto the road.

“Gates will remain closed until further notice.” The voice came through clear this time, unbeknownst to them in their frustration.

Despite his physical ailments, no gates or crappy connection was going to prevent Toji from entering. He shot up, slamming his hand against the dash again, gripping the microphone with the strength of a toddler that has something they should not, he proceeded to give a thorough tongue lashing over the line.

“I’ll close my [expletive] foot up your [expletive expletive] if you don’t [expletive] open the [expletive] door the [expletive] up, you [deplorable name calling].” Veins were stressed over the man’s neck as he heaved air after he got that off. After everything he’s been through, he was a bit pent up.

“…whoa… Feel betta?” Miguel’s eyebrows were arched to the sky in awe. He may not have been a decorated soldier, but he had to admit that was quite the decorated threat he’s ever heard.

“W—we’ll have someone down there to meet you, sir!” A shaky voice cried through the radio. This time, they noticed how clear it was.

Miguel’s boisterous laughter helped wash away the annoyance that settled into the man’s bones.

 

“How did you—“
“We were told—“
“Reports said you were dead!”
Many soldiers bombarded the man at the car door, barely letting him out.

“Get outta my way!” Toji flicked his hand, shooing at them as if they were pests.

They knew it was him over the radio as he was the only person to speak so brazenly that there was no doubt that it was their beloved Second-In-Command.

He groaned as one punched his side lightly, creating an atmosphere of unease over the abrupt quietness. They never seen this man in a weakened state before, yet alone watched him wince in pain. It was unheard of, and they thought he must have been in a dire state if that were the case.

“He needs medic! WE NEED MEDIC!” Someone shouted, trying to rush him to the infirmary, but he would not budge.

“Where’s my team? I can get checked out later.” He clamped his hand over the man’s mouth.

Just then the doors burst open and the grimace on his face turned into a smirk. Pinching his eyes shut from the sudden sting, he didn’t care to admit what he was feeling in that moment. He was too prideful. Instead, he played it off of the pain he was still in.

“Just the people I wanted to see.”

 

“Hoohohoo! This is wonderful news!” President Yoshinobu’s wrinkles were all smiles with his cheerful outburst. His shaky hand patted at both Toji and Miguel’s shoulders, while the giants stood at attention with the team. “The next report to those higher ups is going to be more than exceptional!” His face flushed at the thought of all the recognition his headquarters would receive. He would receive. His ego and pride were nearly bursting at the seams.

Practically seeing stars in the egotistical man’s eyes, Nanami intercepted. “Uh sir, we should continue this after Toji receives treatment for his brok-“

“Right! We need the staff here, Nanami. Call for them at once in the conference room and we’ll be brief as we need to get to testing as soon as possible! And get that man in a uniform stat!” As old as he was, he was quick in his haste to his office, leaving the men behind puzzled and exasperated. They could hear his faint cheers of how humanity was saved and something about a super soldier... they weren’t sure.

Toji kissed his teeth and huffed before turning to Nanami who was delegating tasks to the crew, aside from him, Miguel, Yuuji and Megumi.

“While you have no affiliation, I would like for you to get accustomed to this sanctuary. I’m sorry you were dragged into this.” Nanami gave a warm grin to a glaring Miguel. His eyes were on the scarred lip fellow who was still pouting.

“Ahem. I came cuz this liar said mamas would be around yall and I’ve only seen ya sorry faces!” Miguel quipped before belting out a laugh at Nanami’s twisted face. “It’s alright! She’s good though, yeah?”

Nanami nodded. “Haven’t seen her since earlier this morning and then we got a call that we had some arrivals. However, I’d say she was alright when I saw her last. Todo, how was she today?” He deferred to the male that was blocking the door from Geto and Gojo. They were trying to go with Yuuji and Yuta to retrieve you as it was lunch time still. Sukuna, knowing it would be a waste to do the same, went for another place before he would then head to the conference room as Nanami instructed. “And will you two knock it off! Do your tasks and then get her if you’re really that eager.” The blonde man pinched his brow in annoyance, catching a glimpse of their backsides dashing off to complete their tasks.

“She did alright today. A little nervous, but she pushed through, sir.” Todo sighed exasperated from those two.

Nodding to him in dismissal, he turned to face the remaining two. “I’m sure the journey was long, so you can head to the conference room with Toji and I, or you can get acquainted with the area with one of the men he—”

“I’ll go see how mama’s doin’.” Miguel lightly saluted, turning to smirk at a scowling Toji. He knew the man was eager to see you and he wanted to rub it in. It was payback for being roped into putting on a uniform again. He was sure that old man wouldn’t take ‘No’ for an answer.

“Right then. Megumi, I’m sure you’d like to spend time with your father before the meeting.” Nanami began as he settled a hand on the young man’s shoulder. He was going to suggest that they all sit in the conference room, but Megumi spoke up quickly.

“Nah.” It was delivered in such a monotone way that Miguel and Toji couldn’t help, but to snicker.
“I’d rather guide Miguel, sir.” This time a small smile graced his usually grumpy demeanor. His face was a little flushed from unshed tears. Like father, like son, he too felt the sting of his father’s return prick at his typical stoic demeanor.

Nodding to the shorter man, he wished them well. Turning back to a scowling Toji, he couldn’t help but surmise that he wanted to see you too. “You will see [Y/N] soon enough. You should take it easy right now.”

Tired of being read so easily, he rolled his eyes, playing it off, saying, “I just want to get this meeting over with and lay down in a proper bed.” He grumbled, redirecting the conversation easily.

“Me too. Unfortunately, I feel like more meetings will be produced from this.” Nanami sighed dejectedly.

 

“I wonder who he’s looking for?” Nobara munched on a fry, eyes watching someone behind you. Turning around, you noticed the security guard that escorted you here and then promptly left you, had returned and was walking around furiously in search of… you figured yourself.

You felt Choso brush past you, watching him storm over towards the bodyguard in question. You’re not sure what was said, but it looked like they argued for a moment before Choso won. The poor guy looked deflated and trudged out of the cafeteria.

“What was that about?”

“Nothing. Just had to settle a matter.” He said, giving you a reassuring smile before it faltered.

“Ooh, I like a man in charge.” Yuki once again let her thoughts be known.

Choso let out a strangled noise in response as he was suddenly pressed forward into the table. Pink, freshly trimmed hair caught your vision before you recognized it was Yuuji. He looked so much brighter and cheerful today, though his eyes seemed a bit reddened.

“Yuuji! Get off –HEY! Don’t steal my food!” Choso fussed while trying to defend his tray.

“Hey, I’m still injured here. What happened to feeding the needy, Doc?” The boy whined before gobbling up his prize.

“Sure, but you’re being greedy!” Choso gritted out while he swatted at quick hands that stole delicious goldened fries.

The laughter was infectious as you all cracked up at the comical scene.

“It smells so good in here now.” You overheard Nobara say to the small blond known as Momo. She joined your table a little late, so you all were waiting for her to finish up. You took notice of her high pigtails bobbing as she nodded in agreement. She had a quieter nature compared to her counterparts, Yuki and Nobara.

“Just like berries. I didn’t know we had any fruit in.” Momo’s head peaked around searching for the source.

Blushing you looked back to Yuuji who was now cheesing at you, accompanied with a warm smile from Choso.

“I think it’s gonna be smelling like berries for a while.” You tilted your head at Yuuji with a thoughtful look, wondering what he meant by that.

“We have an “emergency” meeting, and we were sent to come get you.” He responded. It didn’t answer your questioning look.

“We?” The table said in unison.

“Yuta. He went to grab Maki; he’ll be here shortly…” He pondered on the chances of Yuta actually taking his time instead and looked towards one of the entrances to the café.

“Emergency? Meeting?” You asked separately, looking at Yuuji’s profile as his eyes scanned for something. You and Choso gave each other odd looks before returning it back to him. The boy was practically vibrating.

Seeing a bright grin break across his face moments later, Yuuji turned to you and quickly snatched you into a hug, lifting you easily from the lunch table.

“There’s a surprise with this meeting, okay?” His voice was soft and warm, just like his embrace. “I’m really happy we found you.” He whispered to you before placing you down gently. You frowned in skepticism as you looked at him, questioning the sudden gratitude.

You were calling yourself a worthless failure not that long ago, so this was new and pretty hard to believe at the moment.

“What’s up with you?” You asked looking up to him as you sincerely looked upon his face. His eyes were tinged red and slightly puffed, as if he had cried… “…Yuuji…” The only thing you were able to address before your attention was brought somewhere else.

A familiar accent, carrying a special name meant only for you, echoed across the wide expanse of the room, even breaking over the raucous that was the crowded cafeteria. Recognizing it immediately, Yuuji watched as your eyes brightened searching out the source. Head on a swivel until locking on your approaching target. You would have thought the air was sucked out the room the way you gasped.

Big, muscular arms were outstretched wide as you ran into them. You were crushed into a wall of muscle, but you welcomed it all the same.

“You made it!” Tears pricked at your eyes from the relief that you felt.

“I told them to tell you I’d be a little late.” His vibrant voice buzzed through your body before you pulled away to see his equally vibrant smile.

You noticed a small crew behind him; It was Maki being comforted by Yuta and Megumi. She was smiling and sniffling with tears still escaping down her cheeks, hurriedly trying to wipe them away. ‘Aww she must have missed him too.’ You think with a warm smile before spinning on Yuuji who was a few steps behind you. “Well, that was a pleasant surprise!” You go up to him giddily, now watching Choso embrace his friend, exchanging a few words.

“Just wait. There’s more.” You turned your head to him again in question before noticing the curious eyes on your group. You shied from the stares.

“Speaking of which, we need to head back now. Let’s go.” Yuta interjected, ushering you all through the exit.

“Don’t shy away now. I may be getting honored, but you’re the real hero here, mamas.” Miguel spoke as he slung an arm around you.

‘Huh??’ You now had questions for him. “Honored?” You asked, but you went unanswered again. Instead, you were being squished between his side and Maki. Her head leaned on yours, snuggling against it.

“I’m so happy you made it out alive.” You don’t think that she said that to you, but it felt like it was meant for you.

‘What is going on?’ You felt the need to be on guard as it seemed everyone was acting out of character for you.

“Uhh… me too!” You unsurely agreed before a chuckle caught your attention. Drawing your head back, you saw Megumi with the most inviting smile you’ve seen on him to date. He was gloom and doom with a side of crazy when you first met him and then after his father passing, you thought he was the word “Emo” incarnate.

You squinted your eyes and pulled from between the two, halting the journey back. You looked at the three soldiers behind you, eyeing their features down, particularly their faces. They all had slightly flushed cheeks and red tinged eyes that puffed slightly. Yuuji sniffled looking at you quizzically before motioning his hand for you to spin around and continue walking. Hand on hip, you pursed your lips.

“Y’all been cryin’?” You eyed them down for even a twitch to show that they could be lying.

They burst out into laughter, brushing your question off as they guided you to continue walking.

You were listening to how Miguel made it out of the community with company as you all trekked to the conference room. It sounded like quite the tale and even though you didn’t necessarily have amicable feelings towards those who made it out, you still felt bad at their tragic end. Even Naoya’s.

“Wow, that story led us all the way here.” Yuuji spoke. Bright brown eyes gave a knowing look to his comrades before opening the door to let everyone in.

“Uh, [Y/N] can I speak to you for a second.” Megumi asked, pulling at your elbow lightly.

Still giddy off the surprise of Miguel, you nodded enthusiastically, sauntering up to your peer. “Go ahead guys. I’ll scream if he puts me in a headlock or something.” You lamely joked. You all knew he wasn’t that type of person… ‘Right?’

You missed the outburst Choso had when the door slammed shut. You had no idea what was on the other side awaiting you.

“What’s up?” You smiled brightly in his face and noticed his eyes looking thoughtful on you. ‘Why do they keep looking at me like that?’ You wondered at the sight of a faint blush that peeked through on Megumi’s cheeks.

“I know we basically just met, and we haven’t known each other long at all, but…” Rosey cheeks were on display as the man before you confessed his inner thoughts and feelings in that moment.

‘He is NOT about to confess his undying love for me!?’ [E/C] eyes widened with surprise, while unease mixed in at this misinterpreted love confession. ‘I’m not taken per say, but I have enough suitors as is!’

“But I really am grateful to you. Thank you.”

You deflated in his arms at his unexpected embrace. ‘Did not predict that well at all.’ Feeling embarrassed at your self, you easily hugged him back to hide your shooketh demeanor.

“Let’s get inside. Have one last thing for you.”

“It’s gonna be pretty hard to top Miguel, ya know.” Your infectious laughter quieted at once upon entering the semi-quiet room. The president was speaking enthusiastically when you had walked in. “Sorry~” You whispered bashfully, eyes quickly searching for a seat.

“Took long enough. I thought we were gonna have to go searchin’ for you again, little girl.”

Your whole being stiffened, at the same time your brain strained to understand what it just heard. A very deep and relaxing tone washed over your body with familiarity. It made all the more sense now as to why your pheromones were pestering you more than usual as soon as you made it to that floor.

It was him.

Your face descended into a pout. Brows pinching as you heard the scraping of a chair’s feet against the tiled floor. With clouding eyes, you looked back at Megumi; he gave you that same bright smile before he motioned you to turn back around. Tears poured once you heard those heavy stomps stop in front of you. When you finally willed yourself to look up, you barely made out that wide grin across his face before you buried your face into his stomach. You wept into his shirt.

“I knew you’d start bawlin’.” He had to clear his throat as he strained to keep back the stinging of his eyes. Megumi was still behind you two, watching the scene fondly. Everyone in the room did and not an eye was dry, save for the president’s.

“Yes, Yes. A lovely reunion… however, If I may proceed?” A bushy, grey brow perked as you feebly nodded into the man’s stomach, still not letting him go. You only managed a hiccup in response, squeezing Toji a little tighter. He tensed under your grip with a low grunt.

Pulling back, you looked at him worriedly in which he mouthed ‘Nothing’ before pulling you away and ushering you to a seat. You stole Megumi’s seat to stay beside him, senses be d*mned. Knowing full well that being just a few yards in vicinity of these men would have your body going off. Now, seated even closer, you gave no regard to those around, flooding the entire room with your alluring scent regardless.

‘So much for controlling it.’ In your peripheral you could see your men giving you some knowing looks as well as shifting in their seats. At least you were not the only one affected there.

The meeting was brief as the ventilated room did not aerate well enough and your pheromones, though a lovely scent, was rather suffocating. In short, there were more nurses and scientists to be added, though you’d still only have Mei, Muta, Miwa and Myera assigned to you.

“Way to smoke out the room.” Sukuna called out, snickering at your expense. Everyone gathered to you and Toji who was moving rather stiff like.

You reached out, touching his arm to grab his attention. “What’s wrong Toji?”

“Nothing, doll.” He falsely reassured, but Choso in his dismay confessed that he broke his ribs and that they were still hurting him, causing Choso to have a mini spiral before being calmed down by his friends.

“As much as we enjoy that everyone is now under the same roof, Toji needs medical.” Myera stated on his and Nanami’s behalf.

“It can wait.” Toji tried again.

“It cannot!” A chorus from his loved ones unanimously denied him.

MeiMei, the only other scientist left, aside from Myera, had easily slipped right back into her job. Watching your interactions with everyone, she would call this scientific observation. ‘As lovely as that scent is, what triggered it to the degree that it was?’

She watched the banter between the four of you. Not surprised at all about Gojo and Geto surrounding you –yet intrigued by Sukuna’s proximity. ‘His personality is completely opposite of theirs’, more so leaning towards Toji in that regard. This smell was not present with Todo and Choso in the lab.’ Being sure to make note, she tapped at her chin in thought as she continued to analyze.

 

After forcing Toji to the infirmary, amber brown eyes scanned the room to land on her trusted assistant, working diligently, scribbling quickly across a small booklet. “What exactly are you writing about, Mei?” Myera leaned over her associate and friend’s shoulder.

“I’m just observing those four over there.” Nonchalantly pointing her pen in your direction before jotting down more observations. From what she could see, they had a hard time keeping their hands from you. Either playing with your hair or rubbing your shoulder —sensually. Hand sliding down your back —also sensually. Whispering something in your ear —probably sensual. “It all just seems like an attempt to ‘woo’ [Y/N]. Right, Doc…” She turned up from her notes, looking over her shoulder to see empty space beside her. Dr. Nanami had stormed off.

 

Rivaling the sun, you were beaming and practically purring as those three kept around you –kept their hands on you in some form. You were bombarded by everyone at the end of the meeting with a bunch of hugs and compliments that eventually, those three stepped in and (bullied) walled them off. They were feeding you congratulations and compliments, boosting your mood all the while you were being examined several feet away.

As enjoyable as the attention was, you couldn’t help but to recall the conversation you had earlier with Myera, dulling this wonderful interaction you were having.

Sliding out of their touch, you were going to address what you’ve been thinking, but Myera had grabbed onto you, taking your attention.

“Sorry, fellas, we need [Y/N] for more studies. Bye.” Myera’s hands had quickly guided you from those towering wolves to MeiMei who was scribbling fiercely in a small book that you noticed her slamming shut before you made it beside her.

“Uhh.. hello again, [Y/N].” A forced smile, unknown to you, appeared across the assistant’s face as she looked between Myera and you.

“Hey… so what are these other studies?” Your brows furrowed in curiosity.

“Other studi —OH! They’re back in the lab…?” You think she was asking but weren’t sure.

You pursed your lips, forming a pout. “I thought I was done for today?” Getting through testing earlier was fine only because you had your friends there, but mentally, it was pushing it for you if you had to go down there again.

“You are! Nothing but follow up questions –that can be answered later on.” Myera improvised as she sensed Mei didn’t really have the means to help her get you away from those guys, who were eyeing you down from across the room. It seemed like they were going to wait patiently for you to Myera’s dismay.

Even after the conversation you two had earlier with you ultimately deciding to address your concerns with the three of them, Myera still felt that you shouldn’t be involved with any of them. At least until their matters were settled. She’d hate to see you caught up in their drama or even have your heartbroken after knowing everything you’ve been through.

Figuring out what to do with you now that they seemingly had free time and she wanted to put a plan into effect soon, Myera had to think on the fly.

 

You were in Sector 8. Why?

Just sharing dinner with Toji, Myera and Nanami. Is what your best friend suggested at the time. However, it was because 3 people in particular were banned and it was the only for sure way to keep them at bay in the meantime.

You thankfully weren’t opposed to it. It was quite comical to see him a bit under the influence.

“Toji, I’m sorry we couldn’t bring—“ Nanami began, but Toji groaned rolling his eyes.

“Save it already. I don’t need any of that sad, depressing crap hovering around my hot meal. Do you know how sh*tty is was to have expired canned corn for several days? I’m never complaining about the endless potatoes they serve here ever again.” He grumbled before directing his attention to you while you recovered from choking on your drink. He thought it was the drugs’ influence, but he wished you were his dinner as he looked at you. ‘An ol’ geezer like myself shouldn’t push it.’ He huffed, reaching over to pat you on the back.

You looked at him with tears pricking your eyes, giggling between raspy breaths, thanking him for the assistance. And suddenly he could see you as dessert.

“Why are you guys here? Don’t you have anything better to do? You have a baby!” Toji quipped, spooning the instant mash into his mouth.

Just then, a beep sounded off Myera’s watch. “And that’s my cue to go feed my baby. Thank you Toji for indulging us.”

He hummed in response, watching Nanami see her off. The man was a dutiful husband.

Green eyes cast a look your way, hearing you hum cheerfully beside him. His eyes scanned your frame, rolling over the dips and curves of your form, appreciative of the muscle relaxer he received. Quickly his eyes shot back to your unsuspecting face when he perceived you were about to look at him.

Staring each other down, you looked at him quizzically, letting your body language speak your unasked question.

His head shook lightly, a lazy smile —courtesy of the drugs, crossed his face. “Just glad we made it back here.” He said softly. It was the most relaxed you’d seen the man. He was usually stoic, but you thought, maybe because of his near-death experience, he was grateful.

Again, your stomach flipped when his eyes looked into yours. You’re sure it’s your hormones playing tricks on you, because you think within that contact that you received a telepathic message from him that he ‘wanted’ you. Yet you let that thought go before it returned as you watched his tongue peek out to lick his lips. ‘He’s licking them because they’re dry. OR or because he just ate. Yup!’

“Apologies for the delay. Had a directive given.” Nanami easily strode back into the room, stopping briefly to see your flustered look compared to Toji’s typical grumpy look. “Did I miss anything?”

“Nope.”
“Nah.”

“Right. Are you finished eating, [Y/N]?” Noticing your spoon had been left absently on the tray. “I’ll clear it for you.”

“No! No need. I can do it.” You hastily got up, thankful for the opportunity to recollect yourself. ‘I can’t believe I still get that way with them!’

Two sets of eyes watched you scurry from the room. Nanami gave Toji a perplexed look as the man just shrugged nonchalantly.

 

You travelled a little way down the hall, passing multiple doors to get to the reception desk where the trash can resided. You could have easily dumped it in the bin that was in the room, but you opted for the bigger one. Also wanting to stretch your legs, you jumped on this idea.

You smiled at the receptionist warmly, which she returned briefly before breaking into a yawn. Stretching out, her rounded belly came into view.

“Aww, when are you due?” You asked softly.

You noticed something shiny, a wedding band you presumed, on her hand while it smoothed over her belly, circling it in thought. “Soon. Less than two months, I believe.” Her voice was laced with fatigue and a maturity that came with being older. You’d guess early thirties if not mid.

“Congratulations to you and the dad.” Your face faltered as you noticed her demeanor turn into disgust. ‘Oop. Maybe not.’

“All I’m saying is, be careful who you choose to be with.” The woman waved her hand dismissively. “I mean they act like they’re gonna help and take care of ya, but then they’re nowhere in sight for days. ‘I was on a mission, dear~’ My FOOT!” She kissed her teeth.

‘This feels oddly specific.’ You apologetically looked at her, wishing you didn’t even say anything in the first place. You began to say something lighthearted but caught something familiar looking in the corner of your eye.

Three pictures, all showing ‘BANNED’ in caps, taped to the front of the desk that sat across center of the entry way to the infirmary. How you missed it originally when you walked in, you were not sure.

“… Excuse me… not to cut you off,” You began, wanting —needing to understand why you’re looking at 3 profile pictures. “Why are these three banned?” Eyes squinted in wonder at what could possibly have transpired to have been barred from a whole sector.

“Those three?” The woman questioned, standing up a bit before quickly settling back down and huffing. “I may have complaints, but not nearly as bad as the others!” Her chortle sounded unkind and made you lowly glare at her in your mind as you kept your eyes on the worn sheets. They were crinkled, covered in stains and somewhat faded, clearly the pictures had been hanging for quite some time.

‘And when I asked about this, no one gave me a clear answer.’

“What do you mean by that? How does one get banned from the infirmary?” Your eyes scanned the sheets. Burning into your mind the supposed delinquents that stared blankly at you. They looked the same age as now, just seeing them in black and white made it seem like they were far younger in the photos.

“I’ll tell you what those two timing, good for nothing, dead beats did!” You pivoted at the sudden intrusion of another irate voice.

“Oh, my relief is here~” The one behind the desk said gleefully.

“Sorry, I’m late. I was consoling Rachel from whatever that deadbeat Geto said to her that made her cry while she had her newborn in her arms mind you, and then Susanna slapped him good for her and every other girl he messed with. Though I’m sure Rachel was shocked that the baby is clearly not his, he didn’t have to be so cold with her.” The woman blabbed on as she waddled back and forth to set herself up for her shift.

“If you ask me, she knew. However, they all deserve to be slapped. Take responsibility if you’re gonna lay with all these women!”

You squinted in confusion. ‘But Rachel slept with someone else!?…Y’all all need to take accountability!’

“Is that why they’re banned? Because they apparently slept and impregnated,” your eyes drifted to the women’s bellies without a thought before snapping to the pictures with a distasteful look across your face. “… a bunch of women?” It wasn’t really making sense to you. From the sound of it, the women did the same thing and had to suffer the consequences of their own actions. 9 months of it.

“Oh no. Though that should be reason enough.” The one huffed, finally sitting down while the other made to pick up her bags to leave. “Our head of this sector, Utahime had them banned because they caused us —I mean a few others to fight because well… look at them. Who wouldn’t fight over them? Well other than Sukuna. You heard how he is in bed? Selfish prick.” You weren’t sure if your jaw should’ve dropped or clenched. Not that Sukuna was your man to be sticking up for, you definitely were not keen with the name calling.

“I’ve heard nothing. Speak for yourself. I’m married with kids and too old for that mess. And Rachel’s lucky she dodged a bullet by not having his kid.” Her nose was so high she could see everything behind her.

The younger woman sighed. “The crappy part about this is that they come back and act like they don’t want to deal with them.  Talking about moving on –a bunch of dead beats, I tell ya! At least me and your babies’ fathers aren’t like that.” They smiled snootily.

You looked at the older woman heading to leave, too stuck on the earlier conversation that you had with her complaining about said baby father that you missed what the other had just said about them moving on from those women.

Lips pulled tight; you weren’t sure how to judge this situation. ‘Maybe I’ll ask them directly... then again, they said they wanted to move on from me... maybe I shouldn’t.’

“All I’m saying is, they’re trouble. F*ckable trouble. But trouble none the less.” The older woman said as she sauntered off the scene.

 You heard your name called down the hall, Nanami beckoning to you from Toji’s room. Visiting hours were about done.

“Have a good night. Thanks for visiting!” The new receptionist smiled and waved goodbye to you. Forcing a smile that did not reach your eyes, you waved to the woman, departing from the desk a lot less chipper than when you came.

 

Once you left Toji with a smile he would think about for a while, you were quiet for the rest of the trip back, which Nanami took note of. Granite his wife not being around may have had an effect, he was sure you would have had something to say despite him not being the greatest conversationalist.

“How are you feeling [Y/N]?” He decidedly asked.

Sighing softly, you responded with how tired you were. You had quite the long day.

“I would agree that you did in fact exert a decent amount of energy today. Including the fact that you had bloodwork done. I’d say you’re well deserved of a good night’s rest.” The way he spoke was rather fatherly and warm. You liked that for your friend.

Humming dully in agreement, Nanami took that as a sign to let you be. In the silence that felt odd to the usually reserved man, you two walked together until you reached your room.

From the frown that dug further into your face from previously, he knew something was wrong and asked as such. Your mouth parted and closed momentarily while you tried to sort out what you had to say.

“Are those three really trouble?” Your hand was gently clasping the door handle as you looked at Nanami earnestly. “They really got banned from a whole section?”

His shoulders relaxed, huffing out air in realization. Chuckling a bit, he gave a neutral answer. “As I see it, they were banned as a result of other individuals lack of professionalism.” You nodded slowly in understanding as he continued. “However, those three are not without their faults like many of us. I believe accountability is key and can go a long way in this case.”

“I see…” You spoke, absently looking towards the door. Mind too busy trying to settle its differences with your heart, you almost squawked from the sudden sparks that lit around your shoulder and down your arm. You sent all your strength into your hand that would have easily disfigured the door handle had you been given a trait of super strength.

“Take that as you will, [Y/N]. And get some rest. I’m sure these upcoming days will be far too interesting than simple-minded gossip.” He patted your shoulder, signaling his departure.

You bid him a quick farewell and slipped into your room. Groaning against the now closed door. ‘Body please! Not best friend’s man!’

You trudged to your new closet slowly checking out mentally. You pick off your clothing, standing over your hamper, balling it up to drop it in, but you paused noticing that your drawers from previously weren’t there. ‘…did I miss the hamper —I don’t care.’ Hitting capacity for the day, you dropped your clothes in and went to shower.

The warmth of the water enveloped you like a hug, and you took your time washing away the suds, running your hands over yourself. You tried to let your pestering feelings drain away, but you were so pent up. ‘I can’t believe I’m about to do this.’ You groaned to yourself. It had been a while since you got off by your own hands. Having been stuffed by three distinct types of fingers for a while now, you were struggling to even reach that spot only long fingers have touched.

‘Man, I wish I had you guys right now, but y’all wanna throw me away!’ You whimpered with displeasure from your third digit sliding in and out of you. It still wasn’t enough. Hands much too small for what you were used to, your occasional moans sounded desperate and needy. Almost like you were wounded. But it was just disappointment awaiting you as the tingles persisted even after getting off that edge.

Shutting the water off, you dried those loose droplets off your smoothed skin, wrapped it around yourself and walked into your room.

“You look as disappointed as you sounded.” Your heart dropped to your feet, fight or flight battling at each other as you danced between screeching or getting into a fighting stance. You settled for clutching your towel, but you did that poorly and hiked it up a bit too much. “Ooh, already showing me the goods.”

You glowered at the tattooed man, wanting to wipe that handsomely stupid smirk off his face. He was at your closet, specifically, hovering over your hamper. “What are you doing in here!?” You whisper yelled, heating up despite the chills that ran over you from the fright.

Sukuna’s crimson eyes were still low on you. His tongue slipped out to wet his lips, causing you to heat up further. ‘So it wasn’t that the water was hot. It was you.’ You shrunk back, fixing your towel in place, which only enticed the starved man. He had you in his clutches in three quick strides. You couldn’t escape, even if you wanted to –which you did not. ‘I should know better though.’

“Is it a crime to check on you?” The tension in your body melted away when his deep voice eased over you. Feeling you relax more into his hands, he bent down to your ear, lips just a breadth away and whispered, “Also sounded like you needed some help in there.”

A heavy wave of desire washed over you, letting go of your inner turmoil for the moment, you merely nodded in answer. Opting to lean into his mouth that immediately attached itself to your jaw, you couldn’t help the mewl that slipped out. Those warm sparks fueling that need. Your body pressed into his, as he ground back into you with equal want. ‘Just for tonight.’

“Lose this.” The man did not ask, tugging at the material you barely had a grip on, letting it crumple at your feet. He pulled back from you, equally running his hands over you as much as his eyes. He had on a grey tank that defined every muscle on him and showed off his tattoos. Black sweats hung loosely on his waist and you briefly wondered when he would strip. “Get on the bed.” This time, his demand was much softer, kinder even. You weren’t going to put it to the test either.

Your skin was alight from his touch, feeling his hands roughly roam your curves. He left a fire trail everywhere he landed, and you left your own with your nails desperately digging into his back and arms. He kissed, sucked, nipped and bit on his descension to between your legs.

By the time he made it down below, there were several lovely shades of purple, maroon, deep red and vibrant browns. And then if you could, your face would have been a tomato red when Sukuna decidedly took a long whiff and sighed with content, breath fanning over your heat.

You looked in anticipation, gulping when you seen his eyes open slowly, locking you into place. You could feel his hot breath against your mound. It was as if he was tempting you to move, but something in his eyes said if you did, you’d regret it. The stare down felt like forever but was merely a cute 30 seconds.

With a sly smirk, he took one long, hot lick between your folds, citing a surprised moan from you. He travelled up, right to your button, sucking it harshly before popping off. You jolted from the roughness, but your moan was so pretty to his ears.

The vibrations of his own pleased groans as he hungrily lapped and sucked at you had you gripping the sheets and the tufts of his hair. Like Yuuji, Sukuna had gotten it cut shorter, so it wasn’t long enough to curl your fingers into, like those black and white locks you’ve enjoyed. But he liked that feeling of your hands gripping desperately at him pulling him in for more, even more so when your legs would twitch, and you’d clamp your thighs around his head whenever he’d tease your button, overstimulating you.

Chest rising and falling rapidly, you both could tell how close you were, if you grinding into his face wasn’t notice enough, it was definitely how wet you were. Then he paused to adjust, positioning himself on the ground and dragging you to the edge of the bed. You were relieved because for a moment you had a flashback to the amount of orgasm denials, he made you go through.

Sukuna wanted to be in you, but he just had to taste your sweet release on his tongue first. It didn’t happen the first time you were together, too busy receiving punishment. This time around was different. Having heard Gojo and Geto rave about it, he only knew of a diluted taste, but now as you clenched around his tongue, grinding your climax out, Sukuna sank completely into your honey trap. His intentions earlier were wiped clean as he tried to drink you empty. Swallowing and lapping your juices up, he wished your addicting taste could be bottled up. He’d sell it for sure, if he wouldn’t use up his own supply. Vanilla, honey and something floral. The concoction had him hooked. ‘I’d keep it for myself.’ He thought hungrily.

You were pushing at his head, trying to get away from the overstimulation that was the heat of his rough tongue. He was strong though, and you were too drained to fight back with much vigor as he split your legs over his shoulders and tongued you down further. His nose was pressing fervently against your button and your head was spinning from the waves of shocks that dispersed itself hazardously across your body.

Feebly pleading with him to stop and that you’ve had enough, he stole one more climax out of you. Your mouth fell open as you shook almost violently against him, had he not strong armed your lower half to his face. Tears spilling over, they slipped into the bushes of your hair as you faced the ceiling, wondering if you could really give this up.

In your haze, you tried to catch your breath, but the starved man was trying to steal that too, as his mouth latched onto your clit and shoved two fingers into your tight hole.

The moan that ripped out of you was loud, but not as loud as the banging on your door. You fell back into the sheets with a huff as Sukuna grunted, slipping from you with irritation on his face. He threw the corner of your blanket over you for decency’s sake and a part of you thought to say thank you, but all that came out was a mumbled moan.

“Of course you’re here.”

“The h*ll y’all want, c*ckblockers?” Sukuna grumbled with a hand on his hip while blocking the door. His light grey tank had an obvious damp V stain on the front. It didn’t take rocket science for the guys to figure what it was.

“From the looks of it, the same thing. Tastes amazing, right?” Gojo spoke enthusiastically as if discussing actual food. You smacked your head in frustration realizing who Sukuna was talking to. You should not have given into his whims. Really, they were yours too.

You sighed hearing the argument revving up and briefly wondered if this is what Utahime had experienced with her staff in Sector 8. Sensual vibes out, you sprang up, snatched the strewn towel wrapping it flimsily around you and stormed up behind Sukuna. Shoving your head under the space of his arm, you glowered at the two menaces. One winked while the other blew a kiss before attempting to walk into your room. Thankfully, Sukuna stood his ground… and so did you.

“What do you mean you want us to leave?” The white-haired male looked flabbergasted. He was so sure you’d be happy to see him, and he supposed Geto.

A smug grin spread across the tattooed man’s face. “You heard her. Get out.” You wiped it off expeditiously.

“You too.” You pushed at Sukuna, who was covering your body from their eyes, but now that he was on the other side of the threshold, they had a nice view. The towel was not secure and barely hid a thing in your haste.

You would have thought you’d been bashful, and maybe a small part of you was, but they’ve had you in your birthday suit every which way possible, so this shouldn’t really matter.

Mumbling a few curses, their eyes roamed your love bitten figure that had been hidden from their sight far too long for their liking. Surprisingly, seeing another man’s marks on you turned the two on while the other took pride in his work being shown off.

“Take a good look, because no one’s getting any of this until we have a good talk.” You say, ready to close the door in their faces, but Geto held it open.

His deep dark eyes looked heatedly into yours and you wanted to whimper as you seen him bite his lip in want. “So let’s talk.” He tried entering again, but you pushed back.

“No –not tonight. I..I’m tired –no thanks to you,” looking pointedly at a brooding Sukuna, continuing, “And I want to sleep, and I know for a fact that none of you would listen to me tonight anyways.”

“I’m listening.” Gojo smirked also licking his lips as he tried to lean into the doorframe. They were trying to smolder you. You knew the tactic well. “Listened to that pretty moan of yours behind this door. I haven’t heard it in a while.” His height towered over you as you frowned in his face. Your lip was poking out and you seen how his eyes darted to it. You remembered how he liked to suck and bite on it and at once tucked it between your teeth. “We’re finally not busy and then here you are kicking us out?”

‘I don’t want to get attached to something temporary.’ You didn’t want to say it, but your body per usual betrayed you. Your eyes looked guilty and sad. How could you say that you knew about the other women and their potential children? That despite you knowing that they were going to move on, that they could at least give those women the time of day if the kids are theirs. That they could stop pretending to focus on you now and be family guys like they claimed they wanted to be. Here was their chance and they seemingly chose to stay away and use you. You knew what it was like to not have a mother and a father to choose you and you don’t want innocent babies coming into this world having to face the same thing. And you definitely didn’t want to be strung along in the midst of them figuring things out.

“[Y/N]?” Geto tried this time to coax out an answer, reaching gently to your face, to which you allowed. “What’s wrong, baby girl?”

“…you said you wanted kids, right? A family?” You looked at him sadly and then at Gojo. Sukuna just stood behind watching things unfold. He knew he didn’t want any kids with the way the world was currently, but his perspective was up to change.

They nodded, not understanding where things were going at first.

“Then why have you been ignoring those women in Sector 8? They can give you what you want –I can’t.” You broke away from his grasp, silently allowing them into the room. You crossed over to your closet, depositing the towel into the hamper, landing on the underwear you did not see earlier. You put on a long T-shirt that just covered your butt. Spinning back around the men looked a bit deflated as two sat on the couch at the end of your mattress. Geto chose to sit on the bed and patted the space beside him for you to sit.

“I take it you heard why we are banned from Sector 8.” Drawing circles on his thigh as he didn’t know how mad you would be. None of them knew how you’d react so they had hoped to avoid this topic seeing as it was rocky terrain for them as well. “Who told you?” His eyes turned into slits, thinking who could have blabbed.

Thinking about it, you didn’t know those two women’s names. “From a few sources actually. And apparently you were slapped today.” You tried to withhold a smirk that formed as you leaned in to see if a mark was there. Given the time, your vision had greyed, but you could still make out fading hues. To your relief, there wasn’t any discoloration to his handsome face.

Geto’s head drooped a little in defeat. A few strands of hair escaped the low bun he had, creating a cute bang that framed his face. It flittered from his dry chuckle, amused at his misfortune. All of you found this somewhat amusing. “Not that I believe it was really fair that I got hit, it’s rather that I didn’t deserve it.” You quirked a brow at him. “…from her… her friend. Either of them honestly.” He scratched at his chin in consideration.

Now you glared.

“Look the brat wasn’t his and the girl felt stupid that he didn’t want to stick around.” Sukuna waved a hand flippantly.

Nodding in awkwardness, Geto sighed dragging a hand over his weary face. “Her friend slapped me in her place since she was holding the baby.” He rolled his eyes, grumbling about someone named Tory or something. You weren’t sure what you heard.

“How do you know it’s not yours?” You asked curiously.

“Tch. The baby has a distinct birth mark and orange hair, at that. We both have black.” His lips pulled taught as he figured who the father could be. Your lips formed a small ‘O’, wondering briefly what male had orange hair, but lost track as Geto stole a quick kiss from you. He couldn’t resist.

“Hey!” You felt yourself heat up and covered your mouth quickly. “None of that, continue with whatever you were saying.” You sassed, wagging a finger at him to which he swatted playfully at.

“What do you want him to say? The baby’s not his.” Gojo shrugged indignantly. He was wondering where you were going with this conversation, because you were starting to sound like everyone else in Sector 8 and the way the conversation could go, he felt like you could break things off with them. ‘Not that we’ve established a relationship…’ He paused at that thought, wondering if that was something you wanted to talk about.

You sighed in frustration, mostly with yourself. “I don’t know… you guys said you wanted a family and were going to move on from me so I figured here’s your chance—“

Gojo suddenly shifted forward, his eyes piercing into you caught you off guard. “When did we say we were moving on from you?” He looked at you genuinely puzzled. They all did.

“Back at the camp… Todo asked…” Voice wavering, you stopped your explanation as you looked over the men who were failing to withhold their snickers and wry smiles. “W-what?”

“Is that what this is about?” Sukuna cocked his head quizzically and it was the cutest thing you ever saw. With his signature smirk, and his muscular arms crossed over that semi-damp v stain on his shirt, you had to look away before you rode him for real this time.

‘What is wrong with me?!’ You combed and played through your locs to soothe the irrational feelings you felt were out of order.

“We never said we were trying to move on from you. He asked us about the women in Sector 8.” Gojo chuckled at your expression. Your mouth kept opening and closing, unsure of how to respond. All this time you kept thinking they were going to leave you and hearing that they weren’t made you both relieved and flustered. “If anything, sounds like you’re trying to move on from us.” He teased, but he settled you with a look, trying to perceive whether or not that was something you were considering.

You looked almost offended at the accusation. “No-no! That’s not true; don’t play like that...” The thought made you sad, but thinking about it, what did you want with the lot of them.

“You wanna be our girlfriend? Is that it, baby girl?” Geto joined in, a lecherous grin formed across his face as he teased you.

You turned away bashfully, unable to look at them. The pet name and label combo did numbers on you. You never had a boyfriend before and in your flustered state you babbled as much. Overwhelmed, you hid behind your hands in embarrassment. ‘We’ve done too many intimate things with them to be actin’ shy now, [Y/N]!’ Muffled squeals could be heard as you shook back and forth.

‘So cute.’ They thought in unison.

“Any more questions and concerns?” Sukuna interjected, feeling like some things were still left in the air.

Back to normal, you pursed your lips, drawing circles into your bedding awkwardly. One thing still bothered you most. “Y’all didn’t really say much about the family part. I mean what if they are all y’all’s kids?!” Floundering, you were still trying to recover from what was said, feeling foolish for letting your imaginations get ahead of you. Trying to look “professional” now would be pointless.

“First, I didn’t impregnate the whole ward. To be clear there are like 24 women in there, and I only slept with 3 and every time a condom was used. I already knew that they got around, just not as much as we are currently learning.” Gojo sighed, scratching at his brow tiredly. They all were in agreement with his statement, having similar experiences, however Sukuna had five partners and Geto had four. “And if any of them are mine, I’ll figure that out when they get here.”

You pulled a look. That final response wasn’t an answer you were looking for. It sounded too unsure.

“You look unsatisfied.” Gojo noted, sighing again in exasperation. “Why do you keep pushing this family thing? I know we said what we wanted, but why is it important to you?” Gojo inquired; he felt like this issue was the last hurdle for you to finally stop pushing them away.

The answer came to you quickly. And seeing your demeanor shift, changed the once comical atmosphere.

“Ya know I never knew anything about my parents. What family I might have had out there. No one came looking for me. Dumped me at a fire station as an infant and then growing up in multiple unstable foster homes. And not a one picked me to be apart of their family. No one wanted me as their kid.” You pursed your lips sourly, pinching the fabric of the shirt you had between your fingers. Tears pricked at your fiery eyes as you recalled all the stinging rejections over the years. Clearing your throat, you continued. “And as much as it sucks being a barren orphan, to think that the men I like could possibly abandon the mothers’ of their children, yet alone the actual child is …just disappointing. I know y’all were just joking about me being y’all girlfriend, but I don’t wanna be in any drama and looked at like a homewrecker now if y’all ain’t providing closure for these girls.”

“Who said we were joking?” Geto quipped, again catching you off guard.

“Alright. Alright.” The white-haired male intercepted with an air of authority. “I understand where you’re coming from, but it’s unfair to us to assume that we wouldn’t be a part of our kids lives, [Y/N]. We can’t say for sure that any of them are ours.” Gojo’s voice was terse, a tone he rarely took up, especially towards you. A small part of you thought you’d like him to use it on you more often. “AND I cannot stress this enough. There would have had to be a home for you to wreck in the first place. We were being sent off left and right at that time, so there was no way for us to have a relationship with anyone, yet alone a smart choice to reproduce.” Long fingers combed through short white locks roughly, showcasing his frustration.

“Of all the men here, we couldn’t have possibly been the only ones knocking someone up. We ain’t saints, but those women did their dirt too and are likely lying against us.” With his arms crossed, Geto leaned back against the wall your bed was pushed against, looking you over in thought. He was irritated too that your opinion of them was formed so carelessly by others, but in turn their own careless actions led up to this. An exasperated sigh left him as he pinched at his brow, groaning in regret.

You would have groaned too from frustration as his crossed arms emphasized his muscles. You would have thought that you didn’t get off several times moments ago with one of them. ‘Brain please get out of the gutter! I’m over here fightin’ for my life!’

“Fine. We’ll fix it.” Gojo spoke up, again his tone was curt and in his seated posture, he looked tense. Jaw tight and finger tapping aggressively at the top of the couch he was sprawled over, he didn’t even look at you when he spoke. Just looked off into the distance. It made you a bit uneasy and you wanted to take back what you said, but you couldn’t and wouldn’t. They asked and there was your answer.

“Fix what, Gojo?” Sukuna asked annoyed and confused. He didn’t want to be roped into fixing something that he didn’t feel like he had a part in. He had always made sure to wear protection and pulled out back then. With you, that wasn’t an option and for reasons he didn’t dwell on, he did not care.

Ignoring him, the white-haired male got up and crossed the short steps to you and held your face gently. To say you weren’t nervous would have been a lie while being stared at so intensely by those sky blues that had electricity going through them.

A meek sorry was on the tip of your tongue, but you were met with a soft kiss to the temple, allowing you to swallow the unneeded apology and a moan from the sensation.

“We’ll fix it, okay.” He whispered against your temple before heading out your room. Your eyes trailed back to Geto and Sukuna with a concerned look in them. What was that man up to?

“Don’t worry about it. Get some rest.” Geto had gotten up too, affectionately rubbing your head before nodding to a sulking Sukuna to head out of your room.

The pink top made a fuss getting up to leave, grumbling the whole way out. “How did I get added into this?”

There was no bickering this time on the other side of the door, just silence after hearing the click of your door sliding shut.

‘What’s getting fixed?’ Genuinely stumped and a little nervous of what was to come of this conversation, you got in bed trying to not let your worries get to you. An uneasy sigh left your lips, shifting around to get cozy and comfortable all the while still feeling those flutter effects those guys constantly left you with. You groaned in frustration from the feeling still pestering you until the door burst open, causing you to sit up in your bed.

A dark silhouette your vision was starting to make out flicked on the lights causing instant blindness for you. You squealed at the abrupt contrast and questioned the intruder, peeking through your fingers for just a glimpse.

“It’s just me. Lay back down.” The grumpy man was back and in search of something.

You squinted at his direction by your closet. “What are you doing back here, ‘Kuna?”

“I left something behind. Mind your business.”

“In my hamper?” Face twisted in confusion; you deadpanned once you spotted a small familiar shaped material he tried to conspicuously place in his pants pocket. “Are you taking my underwear?” He spun on you with an annoyed look.

“How else am I supposed to get off, [Y/N]? You’re not the only one left unsatisfied. Sometimes you can be pretty selfish. Now mind your business and lay down.” And just like that, he was gone.

Once again you were left in the dark, literally, confused at what just transpired.

Notes:

Hope yall enjoyed and even if ya don’t, thanks for getting as far as ya did :3 I hope yall have a blessed week/weekend!

Chapter 23: Twentythree

Summary:

Shenanigans. It's just a bunch of nonsense lol

So like sidebar, I've been rewatching TWD and can totally see where I got some of the scenes I've written out lol and then I've been watching this show called Sex Lives of College Girls and the one hypersexual chick, Bella, is my all-time fave and inspo lol she's so cringe sometimes I love it >:3

Notes:

Y'all having a good day? A good evening? I hope so, it's about that seasonal depression time for many and I pray for your spirits to be uplifted please :3 It might not be okay, but it WILL be okay. That's my motto <3

Anyways enjoy the read~

Amused eyes blinked slowly at the three figures standing before them. A finely manicured nail tapped at the wrinkled and worn papers that were taped to the top of the desk. Overly bright pink lipstick spread wide across her face as she delighted way too much in tormenting the gentleman before her.

“Hello, Clairissa.” The white-haired male greeted the woman kindly.

“It’s Claire.” She emphasized.

“Okay. Hello, Claire. Where’s—”

“Gojo.” She interjected, greeting him back with a stoic expression, though on the inside she was basking in disrupting whatever plans those three had.

Sighing, he continued, “…right. Can you tell us where Dr. Utahime is?” He gave one of his dazzling smiles.

Smiling back with glee, she nodded. “Yeah, I could tell you.” She turned her back on them and waddled to the filing cabinet found behind a wall that was a small storage room. Having been in there a few times themselves, they figured she would be out in a jiffy and tell them what they needed to know.

Several minutes had passed where they started tapping their boots against the floor.

“Uh Claire?” Gojo called out.

A messy bun popped out around the corner before they spotted her smiling face. “Hm? How can I help you?” Her voice was overly chipper and somewhat snooty.

“Dr. Utahime?” Gojo was leaned on the desk, elbow propped on it. His hand waved around flippantly to signal for her to answer them finally.

“What about her?” She tilted her head in fake confusion. Mocking them.

“Where.is.she?” The man gritted through his teeth with a forced smile. He was trying to keep his tone light, but it was slipping.

“Oh. Right! I was supposed to tell you that, wasn’t I! Pregnant brain strikes again~” She waddled to her seat this time, making an extra effort to seat herself slowly and get comfy before typing away on her computer.

Both white and pink brows twitched in annoyance. Fed up, Sukuna marched to the desk and hovered over the smaller woman menacingly, to which she batted not a single lash.

“Stop wasting our time and tell us where she is, Larissa!”

“It’s Claire.” She said pointedly.

“It’s I don’t give a d*mn! Where is she?” He hissed, tired of the games.

Claire’s eye twitched before her face smoothed into a calm smile. “I’ll tell you where she is. She’s in an area restricted to people who are banned, like these three individuals here.” Her voice took on the tone of a teacher talking to children, again her manicured nail rapped happily against the papers taped to the desk. “I will be calling security if you don’t leave.” A walkie was already in hand, ready to be pressed.

“There’s no need for that.” Geto had walked up finally trying to interject but had gone unheard.

“That’s why you got lipstick on your teeth!” Sukuna fumed as Gojo and Geto dragged him away.

Right after they left out of sight, the woman placed a sign saying she’d be back in five. Waddling to the bathroom, head down in embarrassment to see if she had been talking to them that entire time with lipstick on her teeth. She in fact did, and she in fact hated those three even more because, ‘Why did he have to be right!?’

That was their third failed attempt for the day, and the tenth time that week they tried to get into contact with the person who had them banned.

 

“Get off me!” Sukuna shrugged both men off as he stalked down the hall a short distance away before hearing a familiar voice. Blowing the whistle to signal his two comrades together, he locked eyes on their target of interest.

He could see their long black hair swaying back and forth while having an animated conversation with his brother and Choso.

“Utahime!” Sukuna’s deep voice growled in irritation, causing a chill to run up the woman’s spine. She spun with a sneer of her lip present, instantly recognizing who it was. Then when she seen how quickly he was storming up to her with two people she held disdain for, her face fell into a scowl.

“Uh, hey bro!” Yuuji looked at the taller man with a confused smile.

“Scram, brat.” A very short order was made while those crimson eyes never left the doctor’s face.

“Excuse me! I’m having a conversation with my patient—“

“And he can be patient. You’re excused. We need to talk.” Sukuna mushed his brother out of the way, ignoring his whining. “Take care of him, Choso.”

Realizing he has been dismissed, Choso guided the younger brother away from the situation at hand. “Let’s not be witnesses to this, Yuuji.” Yuuji nodded along, sparing a quick glance to see the angered woman surrounded.

 

“What do you think you’re doing in this area?” A finger pointed accusingly at the three menaces.

“We need to talk to you.” Sukuna gritted through his teeth.

“So I’ve heard.” Her dark eyes rolled as she crossed her arms. “What do you want?” She inquired in an exasperated tone.

Trying to keep their composure, Geto spoke up for them. “We’d like for you to unban us.” He even added a smile at the end.

“And I would have liked for my staff to not all be knocked up at the same dang time and not fight each other over idiotic men that want nothing to do with them.” Her voice dripped with distaste as she eyed them, specifically Sukuna.

“Oh, don’t act like all that’s on me —like they didn’t know what they were getting into with me. Yet alone, as if they haven’t been sleeping with just us here. There are other men here too, Utahime.” He challenged her; His deep voice grated against her ears, and she couldn’t help herself when she kissed her teeth in irritation.

He had a point, and she wasn’t ignorant of it. Knowing that they could not possibly be fathering all 24+ of her staff, Utahime truthfully just held a grudge against them for their looks being one of the main causes of her staff’s infighting, the other being who’s pregnant by who.

“What do you guys even want? What’s the purpose behind being unbanned? Don’t think I’ll let you do whatever you want with my staff again.” A finger waved back and forth between the three of them.

“The purpose…? Isn’t it obvious?” Gojo stalled. He didn’t want to say it was for someone. That it was for you. To change your opinion of them… and also step up as fathers if it be the case. But he couldn’t mention you to her. It could give way to Utahime using that information against them. “We want to support the future mothers, even if they’re not ours.” He came up with that on the spot.

Sighing out his nose, Sukuna’s eyes closed in exasperation while Geto rubbed at his chin to refrain from gripping Gojo up.

A neat black brow perked up as the petite woman gave them all a once over. An idea began to form in her head after spotting Nanami walking down the hall with some baby supplies.

 

“Dr. Utahime, I hope these three aren’t causing any more trouble?” Nanami frowned walking up to the group after being waved over.

“Actually, they were requesting for me to lift the ban.” She gave their lead a look as to say, ‘I think they’re up to something.’

“Why the sudden request now?” The blonde’s brow quirked as he looked over his team before returning his attention to the woman.

“I had the same question, but apparently they wish to assist all the mother to be’s.” Dr. Utahime’s smile looked fake if anything it seemed hostile.

“A good cause, but where’s it coming from?” His eyes scrutinized his men, wondering what they were up to.

“A change of perspective.” Gojo quipped, putting on his award-winning smile.

‘I’m not buying it.’ Nanami gave him a skeptical look before turning to Utahime. “How can I put them to work?”

 

‘I don’t like this. I don’t like this. I don’t like this.’ You were staring unblinkingly at the perforated ceiling, uncomfortable in the position you were in. On your back, knees bent and spread apart, all in a patient gown that opened to the front. You hated this.

You flinched at the feeling of the cold metal speculum sliding out of your cavern, instant relief coming over you from the uncomfortable stretch. And you’ve been stretched before, but this was an entirely different case.

“See, that wasn’t so bad. Right?” Dr. Utahime asked at the end of your pelvic exam.

You blinked at her. “That thing was cold and uncomfortable… and very intrusive.” A bit disturbed from your first checkup ever; you sat up straight, pinching your legs shut. You were going to make a complaint to Myera since it would have been a bit overkill to hit your doctor upside the head with said speculum.

“I know, but that’s a normal complaint with everyone. I promise. You never had a pelvic exam done before?” Dr. Utahime was still playing catch up with your extensive file that she was given a few days ago. This was a priority checkup courtesy of Myera after your two’s talk the other week about your random period and overall sexual health that she did not disclose to you what this check up was for specifically.

‘Considering Gojo, Geto and Sukuna didn’t use that instrument down there, I’d say never.’ You opted to shake your head in denial.

“Alright so these exams are typically done once a year. They’re to check for any abnormalities in the uterus. I didn’t find anything weird. Everything’s functioning just fine.” Her polite smile fell when she saw your frown. “Is there something wrong?”

“I just haven’t had my period in a long time.” Your finger traced the edge of the chair you were seated on. “I was kind of wondering what’s up with that…” You shrugged unsure of how to form your question.

‘In the beginning you did answer that you were sexually active, so that could be a factor.’ Utahime’s mouth pulled tight at the thought of another person being pregnant. The thought of food and baby supplies dwindling was a daunting thought, but she had some plans in mind that she and a few others were working on to replenish the shortage. “Okay, when’s the last time you remember having your period?” Bringing out her pen, she started scribbling against the sheet pinned against her clipboard.

Looking away in thought, you hummed trying to do the mental math. “Well, I think I’m 23 now so about five years ago —I was 18.” Your eyes whipped to the sound of torn paper.

‘Holy crap! I need to finish her file! What did they do to her??’ Her eyes bulged at the rip she just caused from pressing too hard against the sheet. “Um. Uh what?” Professionalism has left the building.

 “I was 18 when I noticed it stopped. ACTUALLY, I lied. I had it not that long ago —VERY random. I was in a fight and got kicked really good in the gut. It only lasted for like two days though. I was so heavy. The clots were nasty big.” You scrunched your face in disgust as you rambled. You caught sight of her looking at you worriedly. “Oh, I’m fine now!” You tried to doctor the situation, but it’s too weird that you were brushing off what happened to you.

“I… could you show me where you were kicked specifically?” Dr. Utahime felt alarmed with this information, but played it natural, still performing as any doctor should; she placed the destroyed sheet down and gave you her undivided attention.

Placing a shaky hand on your abdomen, you brushed over the area, swallowing thickly at the memory. Remembering the stinging heat that you felt after the first couple of kicks, your fingers twitched at the thought. The way that same heat pooled at your nether region, thinking that you had peed yourself initially when you were instead bleeding.

“May I?” A soft and gentle question brought you back to reality. Nodding lightly, you laid back as asked as her cool hands pressed along your lower abdomen. “No pain?”

Again, you were silent but answered with a shake of your head.

“How many times were you… hit?” Sensing you were uncomfortable with this topic, she tried being a bit more delicate with you asking these questions.

You simply shrugged, a forlorn look across your face. “A lot.” You mumbled, while bunching up the front of the gown, feeling too exposed. “I was really dizzy and sick at the time because I had fought someone else prior and… before I knew it, I was… getting… kicked and s-stomped.” It was still hard to talk about even after Miguel shared Ronan’s actions. Even after having “therapy sessions” with Myera. Unlicensed as she was, she kind of became your therapist for everything that had happened to you and for things to come. Not just because she’s your best friend and looking out for your best interest, but she helped you realize that you had heavy baggage to work through.

“I’m sorry you went through that.” A gentle tone tended to you as Utahime helped you sit back up. “Was there anything else that happened that I should be aware of?”

The image of him standing over you covered in your blood flashed across your mind and you shivered. You quickly denied her question, wishing you didn’t bring it up.

“Are you alright?” Your lemony scent spiked and unbeknownst to Utahime, it was causing her to feel a bit anxious as well. In your unwillingness to be more forthcoming, you hummed, nodding along just to move past the memory. Stepping away from you, Utahime went to grab her clipboard to jot down some notes on a fresh piece of paper.

“Right, moving on. Do you maybe know why you stopped having your period at 18?” Clearing her throat to regain her composure, she awaited your answer as stoically as possible. To think that you had monsters to deal with even before the undead showed up was heart-breaking.

You tried to think back to what could have been the main cause. Having been there for so long, your memories kind of blurred together or were just blank spots. You settled with a shrug. “Honestly, I can’t remember the order of things from being there so long. After they started injecting me with—uuhh stuff, I can’t pinpoint anything specific. It’s just one big ol’ fever dream with a bunch of holes.”

Turning her back to you, she wrote more things down, which took a while. You wondered what she could have written as you sat in silence, listening to the scratches on the paper and the occasional sniffle. Pivoting back around to you again when she was done, you were caught off guard at her splotchy face.

“I’m sorry. It’s just… from your file’s information —I just think you’ve suffered a great deal and… ya know what? Thank you. Thank you for being so cooperative with us. Can… I hug you?” Her eyes looked wide and on the verge of tears as she waited in front of you for permission.

“Uh... sure?” You smiled awkwardly and embraced her just as equally. You for one were naked under the thin fabric that opened to the front and for two, you were still getting used to being thanked by others. It was still new to you weeks later.

“Really unprofessional. Please don’t report me!” Dr. Utahime fondly looked over you giggling at her joke. “Was there anything else you wanted to share before you go?” The woman straightened her clothes, and retook her “professional” stance again, clipboard in hand and pencil at the ready.

“Umm… can I really not have kids? Since I don’t have a period and all.” You asked shyly. You know Choso was a doctor in his own right, but a second opinion from someone with more experience wouldn’t hurt.

“There can be many reasons why that can be true for some and false for others. I would like to schedule an ultrasound and do some blood work to look further into this. Unfortunately, it won’t be for some time. Not only is there a wait list for priority cases, but the one functioning machine finally broke. But as soon as it’s up and running, we’ll check things out!” Her smile was so bright and optimistic that you couldn’t help but take on a bit of her demeanor. She seemed determined to help you, and this reassured you for the time being.

 

“Wasn’t so bad, right?” Myera approached you from her chair in the waiting room. Baby girl was kanga wrapped to her chest soundly asleep, per usual. With dark curls pulled back, Myera’s face looked brighter. A refreshed looking complexion faced your dull and irritated one.

“It was bad. It was cold, Myera! You set me up!” You scowled at your friend who chuckled lightly across from you.

“It’s standard procedures for us. The guys have to get a finger up the butt from time to time.” She shrugged as if that compared to a clamp that widened. You just stared at her in silence as she broke into a fit of giggles, stirring up baby girl. “Dang, now I’mma have to put her back to sleep.”

‘That’s what you get!’ Trying to cover a snicker, you cooed at little Kuatana until you heard a door click open.

“Oh, I thought I heard you from in here.” Dr. Utahime said after opening the same door you came out of. “I was just about to hunt you down.” A small yellow packet of papers was rolled in her hand and the clipboard from earlier was stuffed between her arm and side. You wondered what she wrote on it. “Notes are done. Just need to drop this stack off to Nanami for the banned and we can breakdown our findings in my office.”

Brows’ furrowing, you didn’t catch what she meant initially. ‘Band? There’s a band?’

Myera brightened, happy that Utahime, Nanami and secretly herself were able to formulate a plan to work those men to the bone for having all the females (you) in a chokehold. For those three guys, it was really to make amends, but for many it was sweet justice. Though Kento was on neutral ground, he’d do anything for his wife.

And to be clear, Myera didn’t want you separated from them entirely, just at a bearable distance. You all seemingly liked each other, but your reactions to them being too close could be pungent at times where the room wouldn’t aerate enough. Though she did take into consideration that it could also have been her sensitivity to smells still. “Sounds good. Thank you, Doctor. But could you bring your notes to the lab instead to add to the presentation? That’s also why I came here. We can find Kento on our way there. Sorry [Y/N], as much as I would love to stay, we’re trying to wrap up this presentation, but I can have security escort—“

“No chaperone.” You quickly interjected, burning your eyes into hers.

“Right, right. Sorry —forgot.” Amber brown eyes rolled, smirking at your independence or maybe stubbornness.

“Thank you. I will be heading off… somewhere. Goodbye, ladies~” You kissed your niece on the head and waved to the others, walking away with a bit more pep to your step-in search of more information about a band.

One thing those talk sessions did was help you voice your opinion a bit more. Wanting to blend into the community slowly, or at least not draw unnecessary attention to yourself, you got rid of the security details. It had only been a week, and they were already caught slacking off –i.e. not escorting you on time to your lab appointments and leaving you unattended around the compound whenever they heard an alert come through over their earpieces. Ultimately you found them to be terrible guards and guides, and if it wasn’t any of Nanami’s team escorting you around, you didn’t want it. At least you were friends with them, versus security who treated you exactly like those back at GeneXcell, like an asset.

 

You walked around the hallways trying to get familiarized with them. The place was huge and as good of a memory you had now, you still managed to misplace yourself. But luckily you ended up in front of the library.

‘This place has everything.’ You looked around in awe at the collection. It wasn’t a lot, but some shelves were full to the brim, especially the fantasy section. Walking around some more, you seen the children’s book section. A wide smile parted your lips as you sauntered up to it, looking over the selection. Your eyes landed on a classic. One of your favorite movies at that time. Sliding it out, a warmth spread over you at the nostalgia. It was your favorite blue alien with his Hawaiian human kid alongside him. The cover was a bit worn, but it was legible enough that you were going to check it out along with a few other baby books.

“Ah, hello.” You called out to the woman at the desk. Her back was turned to you as she was reading a book, so you couldn’t see who it was. “I’d like to check this out, please. Can’t wait to read it to my niece~” The excitement bubbled out and over to the woman, creating a pleasant atmosphere in the moment.

“Sorry! Trying to learn about this new mom stuff. Got a bun in the oven!” Your enthusiasm had caused hers to bubble out too, facing you with a bright smile. “What you checking ou—it’s you!?” Her gasp drew attention from other bookworms, and you looked around uncomfortably before the librarian apologized to everyone for her outburst.

From what you recalled of those from the community, her name was Ren. When you stayed there, you remembered that she didn’t give you trouble personally, but the woman definitely gave you glares, and you were sure she gossiped about you amongst Eudora and the others, creating an intimidating and ostracizing environment. You both had less than enthused reactions to each other’s presence. Her’s more-so from guilt.

You started pulling the books you had placed on the counter towards you, mumbling that you were going to put them back, but Ren had pounced on them. She had a frantic and remorseful look to her. You couldn’t discern, ready to just leave her presence.

Clearing her throat, she stuttered out an apology as she straightened herself up more. “I mean uh… let me get these for you.” Releasing them to her, you stood in silence as she notated the books you were taking out. The air was awkward for you two as you both stood on different spectrums of opinions.

Not wanting anything to do with her, you just wanted out of the situation. That community wasn’t the toughest subject for you, but it definitely wasn’t the best. Recalling that a few had made it back to this refuge, you were thankful that lives were saved, you just didn’t necessarily want to cross paths with them. Especially if history was going to repeat itself.

For Ren, the air felt heavy and thunderous. Regretting her actions and thoughts towards you, she wanted to apologize for everything that she did and didn’t do. But she didn’t. She couldn’t. Intimidation and shame sat on her throat. The guilt gnawed at her, as she went through the motions of recording your books and handing them to you. You didn’t utter a single word the entire transaction. Through shaky lips, Ren stuttered out a bye as you made a B-line for the door. Not even sparing her a peace sign or middle finger in return. She felt she was deserving of the latter at least.

 

“What the h*ll is this?” A deep voice suddenly rumbled beside you. And your hands felt at once lighter as the book you carried was snatched by a tattooed arm.

“Sukuna! Give that back! It’s for my niece.” You fussed, reaching for your favorite book but ultimately failing as he held it out of your reach. His hand slipped over your waist, wrapping around your back to pull you close.

“Make me.” His deep voice teased as he analyzed the cover. “Tch. She can barely hold her head up. What is she going to learn from this ugly blue animal?” Releasing you, he gave the book right back.

You kissed your teeth back at him. “Don’t insult my favorite movie, yet alone blue alien. He’s cute. Crazy, but cute.” You glared at him which he easily met with a look of indifference before casting a glance to some soldiers. They exchanged head nods and gave you a quick glance. You gave a small nod, closer to a mock bow and felt a short burst of shyness from the wry smiles they pulled. Looking away bashfully, you missed the sneer that Sukuna sent their way, making them scurry out of sight quickly.

 

Making it to your room eventually, you placed the books on your nightstand, and you saw Sukuna making his way over to your hamper.

“Will you knock it off, panty thief!” You chastised only for him to quip back at you.

“Not a thief if I’m givin’em back.” He tossed another petrified pair into your hamper, looking for a replacement.

“Yeah, used and abused, you borrowing bandit. Get out!” You pushed at him, sticking yourself between your soiled clothes. He didn’t move anywhere by your effort. You yelped as he lifted you easily, tossing you on the bed before hovering over you.

“What is it?” You questioned as he looked at you from above. He looked contemplative and you felt a knuckle brush against your waist, running over your hip and back again. He was drawing a line of fire in both directions, causing your breath to get heavier. You were doing just fine without his touch.

His hand had stopped at your waist, thumbing circles into the protruding bone. “We ain’t finish what was started the last time I was here.” He mumbled, the trail of fire stopped in one space, dangerously close to your arousal point –and you were already aroused.

But once again, your stomach did a low warning growl. Eyes shutting in defeat, you tried to withhold your laughter as the man pushed up from you grumbling.

“And we’re never gonna finish with that appetite of yours.” He side-eyed from his stance over you as you cackled at him.

“It’s because we had no business doin’ that, Sukuna. Y’all made an agreement, remember?” You smiled coyly at him as he lifted his lip up in annoyance.

“SNOW WHITE and his best friend made that agreement, not me! I still don’t know why I’m in it. I wanted nothing to do with what they have us doing.” He shrugged with disgust, knowing full well why he was roped in. You couldn’t help but to snicker at his demeanor. The man was honest.

“Speaking of which, got any idea what it’s gonna take to achieve that goal of yours?” Offering a sweet smile to the grouch. All you knew was that those three were doing menial tasks around the infirmary until a sure plan was formulated. It would take up most of their time, but in their down time, they each would try to spend personal time with you. Having decided it amongst themselves that it’d best to get to know each other more and to (barely) stave off the carnal desires that came about often. Gojo vaguely introduced the idea to you amongst other things and to say the least, you were happy so far with the three of them and the steps that they were trying to take towards this vague goal of theirs.

The goal in question was to become unbanned and have at least a cordial relationship with everyone again. Or at least with the mothers that possibly bore their children. So far, 3 babies had proven not to be theirs and many delusions were shattered that day.

Your lips upturned when he shook his head, still unsure of what their future held. Feeling your stomach grumble again, this time in sync with Sukuna’s watch, you pursed your lips. No answers or fun time today. “Let’s go eat; it’s lunch time.”

“I was trying to.” He quipped, which you easily swatted at him for. With an extended hand, the man offered his escorting services.

 

Not even two steps passed the doors of your sector did a voice call out to you two. It was Nanami with Gojo and Geto in tow. They had accusatory glares but calmed down once they got into better range. No visible marks were seen on you, so there was no need to be envious.

“Hello, you two. [Y/N], I need to borrow this man if you don’t mind?” Nanami asked pointing a rolled yellow packet at Sukuna. “If you were heading some where, we can escort yo—“

“Nope! He’s all yours!” You shook your head immediately feeling the effects of being around the four of them. It was already bad enough with the three of them, but Nanami being in the mix, best friend’s baby daddy, you hated the very thought and tried to make a quick getaway.

“I mean, I would like to take a walk by myself. I can manage my way to the cafeteria at this point. Thank you, gentlemen. I’m sure y’all have plenty to do other than chaperone me.” You forced a stiff smile as those three gave you a lustful stare behind Nanami’s back. Even with you at a reasonable distance away, it was like you could feel their hands on you. They loved toying with you.

“It’s really no problem.”

‘It is for me!’ Again, that stiff smile stayed on your face as you denied sweet-hearted Nanami to his face, not daring to look a few inches to the left or right. It was nothing but menaces surrounding you. “No, thank you.” This man was persistent, just like Myera said when she described how they started dating. Despite the age gap between the two, he found her brain and her drive very attractive and would have been remiss if he did not pursue her.

“My wife did say you were enjoying solo exploring today. We will leave you to it.” He finally conceded.

Smiling genuinely this time, you waved them goodbye, and solo explored your way to the cafeteria.

 

You bumped into Maki and Yuki heading from the food court saying that they were going to the gym. You were bummed they had finished before you could make it down as you had yet to make other acquaintances here.

Not wanting to face the cafeteria alone yet, you walked with them to the gym despite their protests. “How’s training so far?” The last time you spoke with them they were talking about taking a shot at being a part of the supply runners. Maki already knew she wanted to from the jump, and Yuki didn’t want to do it alone. Now that the two had bonded over the brief time, they decided to get in shape for it. You wished you could have joined —at least their workouts, but you weren’t cleared for it yet. And you knew for a fact that no one would let you step foot outside the walls again. Not without a hazmat suit wrapped in bubble wrap, inside a tank. This coming from Myera.

You were free to roam the compound which was large and still mysterious in plenty of areas. It was just the fact that as much as they said it was for your best interest, which for obvious reasons it was, it still had the underlying tone of ‘protecting the asset’ at all costs. It was like being in a cage again, yet a lot larger. A part of you wished you didn’t have to have your options stifled behind these walls.

“Once your physical is done, you’ll be cleared to workout with us, right? Don’t sweat it.” Maki jabbed you lightly with her elbow. You guys came up with that line because you were waiting for test results just to make sure you wouldn’t run the risk of hurting yourself despite training with the top 10 body builders in the facility weeks ago. Again, they were just looking out for your best interest.

“Mhm. Hopefully, the labs come back soon.” You mumbled to yourself with a roll of your eyes.

“What you got some type of disease?” Yuki asked somewhat alarmed thinking that you were the sickly type in which she was definitely going to bar you from working out as well.

“Oh, hey we’re at the gym already. Thanks for walking us [Y/N]! We’ll see you later. Enjoy lunch!” Maki interjected waving you off to go eat. She easily covered for you, knowing that you slipped up.

You almost forgot that Yuki didn’t know about you yet. Just those who had clearance for your file and those closely associated to you in general. Even Miguel and those who came in with him had to be briefed, drilled and sworn to secrecy. It was too high of a risk to your safety and the well-being of HQ if word got out about you to the general pop.

 

“I gotta watch what I say.” You murmured to yourself as you walked along the corridor back to where you thought the cafeteria was. You weren’t paying attention to your surroundings, otherwise you would have noticed your little stalker.

“Hey, [Y/N]~ How’ve ya been?” A freckled arm slung itself over your shoulders familiarly, bearing it’s weight on you.

“Oh.. uhm..  Hi.” You say with a tight-lipped smile. You forgot his name, but you remembered his inability to keep his hands to himself. “I’ve been… good.”

“I’ve been great too! I see you’re heading to lunch; lets go eat together —got interrupted last time.” He guided you along, waving to soldiers and civilians you two passed by. The entire time he would not let his arm up from around your neck. The discomfort in your face was evident that some people who snuck a glance gave you a pitied look while others unable to read the situation just smirked or scoffed.

“Hey, Cory, man! Back at it again, I see.” A Latino man said in passing.
‘CORY! That’s his name!’

The orange haired man ran a quick hand through his tresses, slyly smirking at the guy. “What can I say? They stay on me.”

‘Who? So they can take my place.’

The walk took a bit longer than it did with Maki and Yuki, but then again when you’re having fun with people you like, time goes by fast.

“Your arm’s kinda heavy, could you—“

“You can handle it~” He jostled you a bit like a pinball between his side and his arm. “Just like you’ve handled those guys.” He mumbled lowly.

“Huh?” You were struggling to regain your balance, and your ears were ringing from being squished on both sides. Stumbling over your feet, you had to let him help steady you or you would have sought help from the floor.

“Careful, sweetheart. Can’t have ya fallin’ for me too soon. Might make’em jealous.” Green eyes winked at you before opening the door to outside.

“This isn’t the cafeteria.” You noted sourly.

“Nope! We’ll go right after this.”

You were subsequently led outside to a pavilion with rounded tables. One in particular housed a rowdy bunch. His rowdy bunch. As scarce as the tables were, they were laid out nice enough to fill the area, and the spaces in between had flowerpots or statues to fill the space.

 

“New girl! Haven’t seen you since you ditched us last time!” You think Rachel had called out. You waved but then stopped, registering her words as a bit of a reach.

“You mean her bodyguards stole her away, but since they’re outta sight —I’d say the coast is clear!” Penny, the only name you could have remembered cheered in her seat. “Welcome back~” You gave a small ‘Hello’ to the table.

“This the one that be surrounded by all of them sexy men and that hot chick with the green pixie? Girl, I clocked it all.” A new person you did not recognize snapped his fingers at you. “Miss hot girl, who do you think you are?” He quirked his head comically enough that you snorted.

‘Cause who do y’all think y’all are??!’

“I think I’m starving. That’s who I am.” You chuckled dryly, side-eyeing the man who kept you grounded to your spot.

“Raquel, didju hear her? She got spice.”

“Yes, Damian. We have ears.” Raquel answered him with a dry chuckle. “Why don’t you grab a tray—“

“She’s joking. They don’t starve in sector S.” Cory’s laughter boomed across the space drawing everyone’s attention. Jarring you with his outburst, you didn’t have a chance to refute his statement. And he was good for diverting the conversation anyway. “Let’s catch up really quick and then we’ll go.” Embarrassed from the attention he brought; you sat down automatically wanting out of the spotlight.

Once again you were seated between Roman and Cory, and like last time, you could not get a word in edge wise.

“How’ve you been since we saw you last?” Roman asked you awkwardly. Due to his stature, it was hard for him to look at you properly.

“She said she was great earlier when I ran into her. Though she was talking to herself.” You looked at him confused and disgusted. Why was he answering for you? “What? You were. Saying how you gotta watch what you say.” He looked around giving everyone a look. “Soooo, what is it that you gotta watch?” A wry smirk highlighted his perfect teeth, and you hated it.

“Is it because you don’t have your guards anymore? They swore you to secrecy —it’s totally about the experiment!” Penny rambled on with her conspiracy theory. You just sat with an uninterested look while she asked you 1000 questions to which you could not answer.

You sighed; a headache triggered by irritation and hunger was beginning to blossom. They were still talking about this experiment —you, and you think this is what this whole “catch up” was about. ‘Wasting my time! What’s the point of knowing!?’

“Ooh it smells like oranges~” Penny stopped briefly to smell the air and then looked around curiously.

“Those guards were nothing but guides and chaperones.” You deadpanned. “I can figure my way around now, that’s why they’re gone.”

“That’s what they want you to say! Someone said they saw you with the scientist Nanami and her assistants from sector S! But you don’t seem like –as bright as them.” Penny pointed a fork at you before stabbing it into her food. “No offense.” Coming from someone like her, it was all offense.

“That’s my childhood best friend; I bet they would see me with her.” You said with a scarily fake smile and too chipper of a tone to be considered genuine. But were any of the people at the table honest? Nope. That’s why they completely missed your sarcasm.

“No wonder you’re in sector S.” Green eyes leered at you before dropping into a facade once you looked into them. Annoyance and confusion written all over your face, he secretly took pleasure in it. “Anyone of importance stays there.” Cory wanted in. He wanted that status too.

“We’re still on this?” You whispered aloud, not that anyone was paying attention.

“Yeah, they get first dibs on everything. I heard they even have their own mini cafeteria.” Penny rattled out; mouth full of unchewed food. You glowered at her, still insulted that she had the audacity to call you dim.

You scoffed in annoyance and disbelief. Penny seemed like the type who would be great on faux news with reporting everything she’s heard. Fed up, you erupted. “If that were the case, I wouldn’t be here right now, would I?!” The question was rhetorical and the silence it brought was palpable. Turning to your captor, you settled him with a stern look. “I’m hungry.”

“We’ll catch you guys.” He gave them a tight-lipped smile and brief wave before escorting you a short distance to the cafeteria.

‘WE ain’t catchin’ nothin’, ya bum!’ If it weren’t for the fact that you didn’t know where you currently were, you would have stormed off.

 

Finally inside the food court, you made a B-line for the buffet. “Tryna get away from them, already? Guess my friends aren’t your cup of tea. That hurts, but its understandable.” That smooth voice was gritting against your ears. The guy couldn’t take a hint. And he was testing your patience.

“Or wait, did you just want to be alone with me?” You heard the delight and could feel that irritating smile of his etching itself across that freckled face. You wanted to etch the tray you were gripping into his face. “I don’t blame you. I have this effect on many. Good news for you, I know a niiiice spot we can get to know each other better.” The orange haired hunk smiled alluringly in your stoic face. It seemed false and he came off so arrogant. Overall, Cory was pissing you off at this point. He was already trying to guide you somewhere else, when you stopped, pushing back from his embrace.

“What’s up?” He smirked, racking his eyes over you. It gave you a slight chill as you shivered in disgust. “You still nervous? Aww, I didn’t think my friends were that scary! Don’t worry we can be alone this time around.”

You looked at him in wonderment, thinking where he got these wild scenarios, because boy was he reaching and you were not going to stand for it any longer.

Cory thought you were checking him out; he winked at you, making sure to bite his lip all while trying to seduce you with is eyes. “I know I look good, but you don’t have to stare at me so openly. If you’d like, we can head to my room a little later.” He whispered close to your ear.

“First of all, back up. Second, ew.” Lip upturned into a sneer, you finally shut him down. You pushed his arm from you. “Third of all, I’m sick of you. Stop touching me like you know me because you don’t. You don’t know anything you pig headed Neanderthal!” You stood firm with your hands gripping your tray, ready to smack him with it, if need be. ‘Of course, when I get rid of those useless guards is when one would have come in handy!’ You thought in irritation and embarrassment. For one, it sucked to have to depend on something you wanted independence from and two, you were trying to blend in and not bring attention to yourself, but today it seemed attracted to you with this little spat you were having.

Ego jabbed and bruised; Cory’s façade started to slip. Once again, he placed an unwelcome hand on your shoulder slightly heavier than usual, and it took everything in you not to bite it. It burned in the non-sensual way as your body did with the others. Speaking of which, you had neglected the fact that you did feel tingly and those warm fuzzies were fluttering around your stomach currently.

“Lower your tone; you’re drawing attention.” The type of attention that would paint Cory in a bad light. “There’s no need for name calling, bab—“

Having processed the pet name too quickly in your mind, you cut him off. Gritting through your teeth. “I’m not your baby. I’m not your friend. Get your hand—“

“Look at this d*mn dog looking for sloppy seconds.” A not so friendly voice rumbled behind you. It sent chills and warmth pooling through you at the same time while simultaneously making the offending hand remove itself. Turning around you saw Geto and Sukuna storming up behind you menacingly staring the man down. They weren’t sure what was going on, but the citrusy like scent was enough to know you weren’t feeling the situation you were in. “It’d be best for you to go sniffin’ up someone else’s skirt, mutt.” Sukuna spat.

“Sloppy seconds?” Thick orange brows rose in mock surprise before settling into a smug look. ‘This just confirms she is one of theirs.’ He had a thing for taking other men’s women and any “new meat” that came into the facility. Luckily for you, you met both criteria.

“She’s all yours, fellas.” He lifted a hand mockingly in surrender while the other held his tray, taking a step away from you as to concede for the mean time. He walked up to the two behind you, leaning over towards Geto to “console” the man. “Heard you’re not the father for those kids. Sorry about that and ya’ know the whole Rachel thing. Don’t be too mad. You know how those nurses are.”

“M’not mad. Not even a little. Happy for you and all to come. Congratulations even.” Geto’s look of indifference was both comical and sexy to you at the same time yet infuriating for carrot top. “However, if we catch you f*cking with her again, you’ll be taking up residence with those nurses permanently and you can have your fill if you can still feel.” Geto brushed past the man, focusing his attention on you. Throwing an arm over your shoulder, he looked at you with sincerity. “You alright?”

As if you weren’t already hot and bothered by their presence, his words instantly set you on fire. You blinked in awe at the man, wondering if you looked starstruck. ‘That was hot!!’ You felt your face heat up as a fawning smile blossomed across your face.

He smirked at your lack of response, understanding your nonverbal cues just as well. A sweet scent rapidly filled the air, causing him to speak lowly into your ear. “Let’s get outta here before we give them something to look at.”

“I’ll take that.” Sukuna, unbeknownst to you, snatched something from the disgruntled man. Geto led you out of the cafeteria with the pink haired thief in tow who was giving the middle finger to an irate red head after stealing his food.

“Cry about it!”

 

After meeting up with Gojo, the three took you to one of the highest places of the compound. You were seated outside on the roof of the building you all slept in. Adjacent to it was a taller tower, it held the conference room, storage rooms and the labs. Your ‘personal’ lab was located in the basement of that building. And now that you were outside at that height, you noticed the “mountain.” It looked more like a large hill with some rocks at the top. None the less it was a beautiful sight.

From the tower you were on, you could see over the wall where you had entered. The colorful array of trees was beautiful, and the skyline looked as though it ran forever. You could tell that Autumn was soon approaching.

The wind whistled, swaying your thick braided locs, courtesy of Miguel; it caused you to turn your back towards it as you giggled when it tickled over your skin.

Opening your eyes, three pairs were on you looking thoughtfully at your joyful self, indulging in something so simple as a high view.

“What is it?” Skin heated up from shyness, you couldn’t help but to look away from the blatant stares, opting for the large tiles beneath you fiddling back and forth on your feet.

“Nothing. Let’s eat.” Gojo spoke coolly, extending his hand to you. He intertwined your fingers, really engulfed yours by how large his hands were, and brought you behind a wall that separated the vantage point the second tower had of you four.

In this space, you could see the rest of the facility. You could see past it and noticed the body of water you were near.

Your face lit up in time with Gojo’s words. Already figuring you’d be interested, he had told you, “Before the heat leaves us, we’ll take you down by the water.”

You squealed in excitement but deflated promptly remembering how you didn’t know how to swim.

“The water’s shallow, you don’t need the skill.” Sukuna reassured while waving you over to his seated position. Squatting low in front of him, you tilted your head in confusion as he initially stared almost expectantly at you until he started to scowl.

“What?!” You asked slightly alarmed from his change in demeanor. You had no idea what was going on.

“I think grumpy wants a kiss.” Gojo snickered as he received the infamous middle from the tattooed man.

“Use your words~” Geto teased.

“Tch —here.” Sukuna had played off his embarrassment by handing you a fruit cup of pears. You gave a questioning look at it and then him. “You said you hadn’t eaten one in a long time. That’s why I took it from that idiot.” He explained, referring to the time you two hung out.

“Noble cause in this case, but stealing is not the answer.” You smiled warmly at him in which he flicked his hand for you to leave his presence.

“Go eat.” He mumbled out the command, and to you, he looked like a pouty child.

“Thank you, Sukuna.” Voice full of affection and appreciation, you dared to give him a kiss. It was something he silently wished for but wouldn’t dare say in front of the audience you had now, only sharing intimate things when you two were alone. In their own preferred way, they each shared the little details of themselves with you.

Quickly scurrying to seat yourself beside Gojo who advantageously took your food tray for his benefit of having you next to him, you sat giddily enjoying the view and the banter that flowed out.

“I mean who didn’t like me back then, Geto? Look at me.” Gojo shrugged arrogantly, popping a sweet in his mouth. “Second best ain’t bad for you though.” You hoped your face didn’t show the amount of judgement you were thinking of. “Hey, fix your face.” The conceited male mockingly glared at you.

Turning from him, you faced down to the other man resting against your lap, giving him a look of disbelief.

“Now you see what I’ve had to deal with my entire life. It’s a wonder I don’t have any greys.” Geto grumbled before sighing contentedly on your thigh. You were playing in his hair while closely sitting beside Gojo who was just rambling about his wonder years, but mainly his good looks and successes in the bustle of life.

“But where did that success land you now? Your good looks?” Sukuna wittily interjected causing you to snap to look at the contemplative man. He had a point. “With a bunch of babies on the way.” And it was sharp.

Your mouth dropped into an “O” before you looked at the pink accuser perplexed. “You in the same boat, ain’tchu’?”

“None of them are mine.” Sukuna declared matter of fact like that you almost believed him.

“Ya know it’s pretty hot when you defend me.” Warm breath tickled the side of your face hearing the mirth dripping throughout it. You rolled your eyes before you cut them.

“I’m just leveling the field, now back up.” You giggled dodging his incoming kiss, making it land on your cheek. “So I know I asked Sukuna earlier about y’all ‘fixing’ things…” You started to say, grabbing their attention. Days had passed since that talk and though you know Sukuna had no answer, perhaps Geto or Gojo knew otherwise. “But do you guys have any idea what it’s gonna take to ‘fix’ things?” The only change you’ve noticed was of them being busier than usual.

His sky blues looked away in thought, thinking carefully to explain to you some breaking news they received some moments ago, but someone with a bone to pick had offered their two cents.

“I’ll tell you what this motherf*cker did. Got us as errand boys for some d*mn diapers and baby formula all week, just to figure out that we won’t have enough of either pretty soon. So guess who now has to schedule multiple scavenger hunts as if we weren’t just on a mission for months!?” Fiery crimson eyes contrasted easily against those icy blues. He looked so cool not paying the irate man any mind.

“Yoikes… sorry I brought it up.”  You figured that the talk with Nanami brought about the requirements for them to become unbanned and it was not to the pink fire ball’s liking.

 

“Yeah, how was today for you… meeting Dr. Utahime and all? Everything alright for you?” Gojo probed, redirecting the conversation. Working on communication skills, you had told them about your check ups and this one in particular interested them. Unbeknownst to you, two of them were secretly wondering if you really couldn’t have kids, but all worried about your health. A lot had happened on the road at the time that they couldn’t address, but they were working towards it now. You all were.

 Starting off with the most prevalent thing, that being the cold, intrusive stretcher, it made for a good ice breaker and got a fun reaction out of everyone.

“I’ll sooner break their hand before I let some doctor finger my a—“

You burst out in laughter having already known their reactions would be like that. Calming down you were able to enjoy the funny atmosphere for a time.

“So… was there anything else?” Gojo fooled with a loc of yours absently, trying to gently sift for more details.

“Mm —I have to wait for the machine to work again to get an ultrasound.” You shrugged nonchalantly.

Interest peaked they all had their attention on you.

“What for?” Geto had gotten off of your lap to look you in your face.

“It’s just for a thorough look. She said everything was fine, but when I told her about when... I had… fought —you know and had my period right after; she said she wanted a better look.” Fidgety bronze hands started to play with your outfit as you looked away from the stares.

Even the whistling air had quieted. It was silent for a moment. You didn’t look at anyone as you tried to keep from thinking about him.

“I’m sorry we didn’t protect you and left you behind with that b*stard.” Geto petted your hair, this time comforting you.

“No-No. It’s not y’all fault.” Unaccepting of their apologies, you tried to brush them off. Sweep the situation under the rug and forget that it happened. Your body did. You figured your mind would too, eventually.

“It was [Y/N]. We should have had two people on you at least. You shouldn’t have had to fight in the first place. It was negligent of us, and you got hurt for it.” Gojo tried making eye contact with you as his soft, yet stern voice strained to reason with you.

You couldn’t look at him, or any of them, self-conscious about the baggage they would see. You tried to make up an excuse. “I was fine by the time—“

“Just because you healed, doesn’t take away the pain and suffering you had to deal with.” You pinched your lips together. Not only was Myera saying this to you, but so were they.

“Sh*t, seeing what happened to Yuuji and Ranta, I can only imagine what you looked like before you healed… I wanted to rip him apart worse than those flesh eaters after what Miguel said. What Ronan did wasn’t nearly enough.” Sukuna had a vengeful streak to him. For one Tadashi touched his brother and you. For two, he spilled innocent blood and wore it proudly while antagonizing him. ‘I would have hung him by his toes and let the undead pick him apart.’ He angrily picked at the seam of his cargo pants, somewhat lost in thought.

You were clutching your abdomen subconsciously, an uneasy scowl on your face. Geto easily noticing your discomfort consoled you. Wrapping you in his arms. “I’m sorry we weren’t there, but he’s gone now, and you won’t have to worry about him ever again.”

You sniffled in his embrace as he and Gojo catered to you, trying to console you and cheer you up. Sukuna was left awkwardly on the side. He didn’t handle emotions well. Especially sympathetic ones. He understood the trauma it caused, but he knew he’d come off too blunt saying something along the lines of ‘stop crying and get over it.’ He knew he’d have to be gentle with you, but didn’t know how to at the moment.

 

The door to the roof you were on, creaked open, putting a pause on the conversation.

You all looked at each other while silently listening to the slow steps that crossed over the tiles. Quickly wiping away your tears, you straightened yourself out before you peeked around the jutted-out wall; those three following suit behind you, made for a comical sight.

“Ah, there you all are.” It was Nanami, looking polished as usual in his fitted button up and tan trousers. He looked like a businessman.

“Sir. We were just finishing up lunch.” The soldiers straightened up before their lead, and you in your awkwardness followed suit, albeit poorly.

The blonde closed his eyes in amusement, a bemused smirk tugging at his lips. “At ease. I came to retrieve [Y/N]. They have finally finished the presentation.” According to Myera, every result that came back they were adding it to this presentation the president wanted. He told them to spare no detail of your capabilities. It was tirelessly worked on by the scientists with plenty of help from Myera, her assistants and even Utahime.

Your previously dimmed mood had spontaneously brightened. You were excited to know what they found; bouncing towards him a random thought occurred. “How’d you find us?” You looked up to him curiously.

Noticing his head shift up towards the larger tower you would be heading to shortly, you quirked a brow staring at it in wonder.

“The president informed me. His office does face this direction.” Glancing up, you thought you spotted a figure in one of the large windows but weren’t all that sure.

“Peeping Tom.” Someone had covered up with a cough behind you.

“Seeing as lunch is over, don’t you three have some work to do for Utahime?” Nanami, not missing a beat side eyed them almost with a threat. “It’s for a good cause, gentlemen. I’m proud that you three want to take responsibility.”

Despite how sunny it was, the dark cloud of despair could be felt raining down on their parade.

 

You saved them for the day. Figuring out that Utahime was in the meeting as well, the men’s duties were postponed and would go into effect immediately starting tomorrow. For the time being they were invited to join the meeting. Your legs were swinging happily in your seat while seated next to your best friend and sleeping niece. The tattooed hunk won a seat next to you while Gojo and Geto sat behind you.

“I haven’t been able to look through the whole presentation, but I already know what was in your file. Everything matched up with what was conclusive. The inconclusive parts she,” Myera cut herself off for you to both look down at the small bundle in her lap, snoozing away. “Didn’t give me any breaks. So, I’m sure that there are plenty of interesting things that will be discovered today. Excited?” Myera asked, looking at you with her bright eyes.

Humming absentmindedly in agreement, you were looking over a small crowd as they chattered amongst themselves, sometimes sparing you a glance or two. Made aware at the last second that more scientists would be sitting in on this conference, you were wary of them regardless of their pleasant smiles and perceived enthusiasm.

And despite the little curveball, you chose to be comforted by the fact that you had so much protection surrounding you. Yuuji, seated in front of you between Toji and Choso, was invited by Utahime. Having used his X-rays as an example in this presentation, she claimed that he should be included. You had no objections there. The more the merrier in your opinion. You were just excited to get to know what’s going on with you and were more than happy to share this discovery with those who helped you along your journey.

 

“Ahem. I hope lunch was enjoyable, Miss [Y/N]? Soldiers?” President Yoshinobu garnered your attention, gaining a short nod from you four. Your face heated at the attention, not that you should have been embarrassed. It was just lunch. “Due to the wonderful efforts of our staff, the first round of results was received quickly. I’m sure we are all eager to hear the findings that were uncovered. If you’d please.” The old man had sat down and signaled for the specialists to start. Mei and Dr. Utahime had gotten to the front and started their speech.

Working well off each other and at times deferring to Myera for her added insights or the other scientists there, they broke down the first part of the report that coincided with what the facility GeneXcell had stored in your file. Then they proceeded to divulge in the many attributes your DNA held.

Starting off with your ability to see in the dark, they mentioned how this was a separate trait that had little relation to your healing abilities. Figuring it had developed over time from multiple operations, they made plans to see what triggered the “grey scale” effect for you as you did have difficulty with the bright lights their facility had at night. For now, they recommended sunglasses after hours for you.

“But moving on, it was unfortunately unclear to us in the file, if this was animal related or due to the nature of their types of operations on human subjects. As [Y/N] has stated, her memory at the facility is very vague and can only give us a few insights...” Mei swallowed heavily recounting the number of disturbing things she had read of GeneXcell’s findings.

Her solemn eyes looked over to you briefly, having noticed your head shifted slightly. You were only wondering what she meant by ‘animal related’ as you had little to no knowledge of such a thing being inside of you. Clearing her throat, she continued saying, “Um… regardless of this, there were an extensive number of species that would have needed to be looked into, which is not at the top of our priority currently.” Clicking another button, the screen changed, sorting a large number of animals into common classes like: Mammal, Fish, Reptile, Etc.

Your jaw dropped at the number of species they listed that you had spliced into your system. Choso’s form looked stressed as he was hunched over his notebook writing furiously across the sheet. He hoped he could later ask for a printout of the presentation; it was a lot to take in.

Several images of jellyfish, scorpions and snakes showed on the screen. “We’ve related these 3 species to have one common attribute associated within [Y/N]’s blood. A toxin that has many effects, but mainly causes paralysis.” A long word you couldn’t dare pronounce came across the screen in bold lettering and you looked upon Choso to see he had stopped writing.

His whole body was still. An invisible force pressed upon him almost at every side, but he refused to look in the direction of the daggers that were aimed at him. Noticing this, you looked around and saw several pairs of eyes were on the nervous man. Namely the soldiers, and even blatantly Toji who had turned most of his body towards him. You couldn’t see it, but Choso mouthed a feeble ‘sorry’ to the man causing him to slowly turn back to the presenters.

“It’s potency, given the details from Toji’s experience, seems rather high. We are working to lower, if not separate, that element to have a better result when it comes time to test it live.” MeiMei had explained mostly to the president in which he had nodded in understanding.

He responded with a simple one-worded answer. “Reasonable.”

Even he had jotted down a few notes so far. According from Myera, President Yoshinobu had communication with others across the globe where they were still having discussions of ways to combat the disease. Though in truth they just didn’t want to think they were the last ones’ fighting on the planet. This facility is the only one that has great promise currently because of you and he has reported such. Obviously, with groundbreaking news like that, those still holding on to hope and fighting for each other’s lives were putting on the pressure. “You haven’t tested the blood against the virus yet, have you? Can you tell me when these tests will start?”

“Not yet, sir. That would be at a later stage as we were just comparing and matching things to what was already documented. But we will inform you when there is a concrete time frame.” MeiMei had looked awkwardly to Myera and then to Utahime. They would need to secure an infected or parts of an infected. As simple as that should sound, many were fearful of the risks. A possible outbreak being one of them. They’d have to quarantine the entire building essentially.

A dejected sigh left his lips. He was looking for some type of “tangible” hope to send to the others across the world. They just added Africa to the ‘Blacked Out’ list with the sudden loss of communications with Egypt. With that new loss, South America and Canada had began offering their aid to join his HQ’s efforts. Not that he didn’t want that, but a lot needed to be considered. Extra provision for the added people, lodging, potential trading deals etc. He wanted something that could temper the other countries’ eagerness in the meantime when there was still so much to work through. Needing to move on, a wrinkly hand motioned for them to continue.

 

Nodding to Muta who was manning the projector, Mei Mei signaled for him to jump to the other presentation. There was a part two of the power point, discussing the potential that your blood had. This was what everyone was waiting to divulge in.

“[Y/N]’s regenerative capabilities are astounding. Typically, when taking a certain amount of blood from the average man, the blood counts drop and will replenish over weeks’ time. For her, it’s seemingly overnight. Also considering the lack of scars, it seems her body restores it back to it’s original state prior to injury. For example, she should still have a scar from us pulling blood two days ago, yet it was healed within 24hours.” A before and after picture of your arms showed on the screen, creating a small bout of murmurs to erupt. “Not even a sign of bruising.” Mei Mei smiled in amazement as Utahime started speaking.

“With our live subject, Toji, thanks to Choso’s quick decision, we have seen a positive effect of [Y/N]’s blood in the body.” Muta had brought up an X-ray of Toji’s ribs on the screen as well as Yuuji’s. “As you can see, these are Toji’s ribs on the left. These stress lines are from the CPR performed in his paralyzed state. Chest compressions typically break and fracture the ribs, so this is not uncommon. What is uncommon is the stage of healing it is in.” Explaining the stages of healing bone, many were amazed that just a small pint was able to assist with that much. She compared it to Yuuji’s fractured bones and despite his youth, he was still far behind Toji.

“We believe her blood was the cause of this. However, Toji’s blood has now tested clear of [Y/N]’s DNA. We predict progress has slowed down since. So, unless we give you more of her blood, you’re still off of heavy lifting.” MeiMei waved dismissively continuing, “And his wound from his fight against the virus has new tissue formed as well.” She missed Toji’s short shake of his head. He did not want to experience that again. To him, it was worse than sleep paralysis.

“If just a pint of blood does that, how about her bone marrow?” Muta had cut in, a thought he couldn’t keep locked up burst through.

“Excuse me. That’s a far more intrusive procedure which requires anesthesia. Something we can’t just use willy nilly.” Myera had to pull herself back from biting off his head. She’s happy that these results are bearing decent fruit, but not too much on her friend.

“Right, Dr. Myera. Yet this is for the greater good here. With the best samples taken we can provide and hopefully produce better results for humanity.” President Yoshinobu responded with ease.

“And let’s not lose our humanity by taking more than necessary.” Fiery amber eyes cut sharply to the wrinkly man across the room, shifting the atmosphere which disturbed the baby.

Tension thick enough to cut it, you decidedly met the anger with a light touch. A gentle hand full of love, warmth and appreciation rested on Myera’s shoulder, with it came a flow of freshly picked flowers dancing through the room, eating away at the hostility, and softening the cries of your niece.

Feeling her muscles relax under your touch, you smiled reassuringly at her. “It’s alright, Myera. I’ll be okay. Thanks for always having my back. Now gimme my baby so she can go back to sleep.” You were met with an apologetic pout as Myera relinquished her child to you. You just had that magic touch to keep her quiet every time.

“Apologies for the disruption, let’s please move on.” Myera conceded, turning her professionalism back on.

“I too would like to issue an apology. I did not mean to offend anyone with my earlier statement.” The bald man stood addressing the room, and to you he nodded as well as to Myera with regard. Sitting back down, he waved for the presentation to move on.

Clearing her throat, MeiMei had gone to the next section of your traits.

“As we have said earlier, this stage was merely comparing notes made previously on [Y/N]’s abilities. The next notable trait is her pheromones.” The screen showed pictures relating to your scents. Each one listing off what was most present. “I think we can all agree that what we’re experiencing right now is the flora pheromone.”

Looking around you seen a few sniffing the air or swiping their nose, mumbling a comment or two about the sweet and calming notes it had. And you couldn’t help the rising blush of heat that swept over you, at their words.

“Noted for its floral scents. It’s stated here that [Y/N] is in a calm state. I suspect there to be a calming agent as well. I read in here that some are affected by her scents, while others are not. I’m not sure about you guys, but I feel at ease, honestly.” A series of nods and sounds of agreement occurred causing you to look down at the calmed baby.

‘Maybe that’s what happens when I have you, huh, baby girl?’ You gently tapped at her scrunched hand, and it reflexively latched onto your finger. Sukuna who was seated next to you reached out to play with her feet. He did not truly have a care for what was being said for the most part. He was only here to put off doing forced labor for Utahime. At least that’s what he was telling himself as he stared into your warm and caring eyes…

“The honey trait,” Your head snapped forward at this, hoping nothing scandalous would be revealed. “Having notes of vanilla, seems to be an enticing feature. We are still currently deciphering what contributed to this effect, but for now we figure that it’s a type of “mating call” or scent that’s released to ideal mating prospects.” Your lips were bawled as your eyes bulged at the rest of the words on the screen.

                “AROUSAL AGENT”
                “MATING PURPOSES”
                “APHRODISIACAL SECRETIONS”

“I’ll just… take her… now.” Myera whispered to you awkwardly taking Kuatana back. She patted your hunched back lightly as you rested your head against the long table you were seated at silently crying in embarrassment. This was the inconclusive part of the presentation she didn’t check. She would apologize to you later about this. Because best friend would have barred this from being presented so publicly.

You could hear snickering around you. Sukuna on your right. Geto and Gojo behind you. Even Myera to your left. You were mortified and no longer had excitement for this ‘show and tell all’.

“This has been a great presentation so far, but I don’t think this really pertains to what I—erm we are looking for. If this is all, I think we can wrap things up and formulate a means to start producing results from what you have gathered today.” President Yoshinobu interrupted looking at his watch. You were incredibly grateful for his interference, albeit late, but at least you didn’t have to sit here longer with your ‘prospected mates’ that you’ve been essentially drugging every time they kissed you, amongst other oral things.

 

 

“I don’t know why you’re so ashamed.” Myera said as your feet were thumping against her bed in embarrassment. You were lying in the sheets squealing into one of the pillows. “I mean it’s human nature. We do leak pheromones too!” She tried to console you. Your head shot up to glare at her.

“Except that MY pheromones aren’t your average human-like scents because they’ve been drugging all of your systems from day one!” You face-planted back into the pillow.

“It’s harmless~ Our free will is still intact. It’s fine.” She patted at your head gently. “Right now, it smells good, like an air freshener. Or a bakery.”

A knocked thudded at the door, causing a brief pause before realizing it was just Nanami with Kuatana fast asleep. He had taken her out for some fresh air and to give you and Myera time together after you all but bolted out of the conference room, not before telling her that you needed an emergency talk session.

“Sorry to interrupt. I’m just laying her down and will be out of the way.” The tall blond moved quickly around the room, dropping by to kiss his woman on the forehead before giving you a gentle nod leaving the room. All in under 3 minutes. The guy was efficient.

It was silent for a bit and you looked at your friend to see her staring at you in thought.

“What?” You mumbled forlornly into the pillow.

“…you don’t have control over your pheromones, right?” She side-eyed you with a knowing look on her face.

“You should know… not that I’m really good at it. I mean I’ve tried it out… unsuccessfully? Why?” You quickly changed your thoughts of Geto and Gojo “training” sessions to the present.

“..oh nothing…” Myera looked off, fiddling with her blouse. She mumbled. “You can’t help it.”

“What can’t I help?” You sat up a little taller this time.

“It’s just… it smelled a lot like vanilla and honey just now –is all.” She shrugged nonchalantly, a smirk tugging at her lips. She was playing with you, already knowing you weren’t genuinely interested in her man. She knew you couldn’t help yourself in that regard and just had to tease a bit. That’s what friends do.

You were back to squealing into the pillows, quietly this time around.

 

Notes:

Ya know, I wish when you have those inspiring moments, they stick and carry on. :/ The other night I had an hour of writing out a thorough timeline for the next few chapters and even a bit for the ending(s) and now im just slacking with typing it out lol. And don't get me started on revising lol EVERYTIME I try to reread, I either get interrupted or fall asleep SMH.

Thanks for reading so far!

Chapter 24: Twentyfour

Summary:

Don't get your hopes up >:D

Notes:

Hey yall happy holidays~ Enjoy the read :3

“I still can’t believe they exposed you like that.” Maki snickered as you two walked together to the gym room. You were still discussing the meeting you had with those scientists two weeks later.

“Right?! I mean y’all might as well called me a sex fiend —oop.” You stopped abruptly, making eye contact with a stranger who happened to catch the tail end of your conversation as they had just turned the corner. He waved at the two of you with a crooked smile breaking across his face, showing off his snaggled tooth. “You didn’t hear that.” You grimaced, not bothering to wave back.

Walking inside the gym, there were so many machines to use, you weren’t sure where to start. You only knew routines that didn’t require the use of them, recalling your training back at the community. You needed a guide.

“Oi! Mamacita, Maki!” Miguel yelled across the room garnering others’ attention to split over you three. He was at the mats accompanied by Todo, Yuta and to your surprise, a shirtless Choso.

“Choso, what are you doing over here?” You were confused that he was one, cut as much as he was; his muscles were so defined under his shirt; you never would have guessed. And two, why was he not on the other side of the compound where they were performing tests?

“We brought him! Toji said he was gonna whip us into shape for leaving him in a hot box so we’re getting in gear now for the future. Choso’s included in the threat too.” Todo explained cheerfully in which you laughed at, finding his joyful demeanor comical considering the situation. “You could get back in shape. You lost all your gains!” That laughter of yours cut short at the jab.

“Yeah, come on. Join us!” Yuta’s sweet, jubilant voice was so inviting, you forgot that their types of workouts were not for the weak.

Legs of jello, you were hunched over in the corner, trying not to pass out.  ‘They’re trying to kill me!’ Your mind alerted you as you recovered. You were bent, hands on knees, chest heaving for more oxygen. You felt so out of shape and wondered how you were able to keep up the last time. Looking around the room, you spotted that same stranger you had seen in the hallway earlier. You felt his eyes run over your form, and immediately got the chills, feeling insecure that the person was probably judging you for looking so run down. You could not even complete the entire training.

“Same time tomorrow?” Miguel, who didn’t even break a sweat, blocked your view, offering a hand to you.

Your face dropped into a scowl, having forgotten the stranger, you gave an easy excuse. “I have exams.”

“We’ll schedule around them.” He countered; his joyous enthusiasm wasn’t as infectious at the moment. If anything, it was dizzying.

‘We’ll see.’ You grunted in response as you rejoined the others who completed the exercise.

 

Afterwards, you dragged yourself to grab dinner with them, joining the rest of your blossoming friend group. You were surprised to see Toji there as well, joining you all for dinner. He had been busy much like you were with lab studies and infirmary visits. You only really saw him in passing as he was apparently still in recovery.

You greeted him to which he replied with a pat to an empty space beside him. You plopped down with your double portioned food tray, arms quaking from the extensive use you put them through and the weight of the tray. He gave you a strange look to which you were going to reply to, but you overheard Yuuji’s absurd question, stopping all thoughts.  

“Was being paralyzed for so long really bad? I’m tired of laying on my one side when I sleep.” He whispered. That innocent boyish face looked earnestly at his leader. It was an honest but ignorant question. Yuuji was thinking about being another live subject, just to see if it’d help with the pain. You both deadpanned at him.

“Yuuji, just shut up and eat your food.” The man sighed exasperated, running a hand down his face tiredly.

“You alright?” Placing a gentle hand on the giant, you tried rubbing his arm in concern, but your arms, much like your legs were noodles and you ended up just swiping his bicep in defeat.

Mouth full of food, he nodded slowly, mumbling that he was fine, despite the dark under eye he sported. Used to it on all the men’s faces, you didn’t even register the discoloration. His leg started rocking again, knocking into yours since you were seated next to him, you didn’t take notice of it as your legs were still recovering their senses.

“The question is, are you okay?” He sucked in his lips to lick them, and your eyes lazily drew to the gesture before facing your food with a sneer.

“Did their stupid training for your bootcamp.” You grumbled, ignoring the heat pooling in your gut. You think you were getting used to the sensations by now, happy that you felt a bit more under control.

Toji looked over the gym rats and smirked. They did look worn, but you especially. “What workout did you do?”

“I don’t know, I was just following after Miguel and Todo.” You groaned again, trying to bring your food to your mouth. It was a simple potato soup, but the coordination to bring it to your mouth was the struggle.

“Tuh! You’re that outta shape, little lady? Guess I gotta recover quickly to get you back in order.” His hand squeezed at your arm lightly, before dropping it. You dropped the food on yourself. You couldn’t help it. The shocks from his touch made you lose what strength you had.

Okay so maybe you weren’t used to it.

“Speaking of recovering, I heard that you’ve been dodging your appointments.” You side eyed him while you wiped at the spilled food. Thankful you were in all black, a T-shirt and shorts combo, your thighs were in perfect view of green leering eyes. Your hand dragged across your skin slowly from how tired you were, and lowkey because a certain someone kept rubbing their leg against yours, ultimately turning you on further so this was your petty get back.

“According to last week’s checkup, I’m better. Better off than the youngin’ anyways.” A thick finger pointed at a disgruntled looking Yuuji.

You gave him a look. “Better doesn’t mean fully healed, Toji.”

“So what? You gonna hand cuff me and take me down there, officer?” You rolled your eyes in slight irritation with his stubbornness. You would have considered it if you weren’t so worn, and the fact that you’ve been having some odd interactions with a few of the nurses.

“I can take ya! There’s a cutie I’d like to talk to that ain’t got a jail sentence.” Miguel’s feint eyebrows wiggled in eagerness as he got up to dump his trash. “Be my wingman.” He patted against the man’s burly back in excitement.

Kissing his teeth, Toji got up to fuss with his second partner in crime. “Ya know that’s how those 3 idiots got banned.” He muttered, giving a short wave to everyone at the table, singling you out. “See ya later, sheriff.” You stuck your tongue out at him, giggling at the name.

 

The black-haired male had wished it was you walking with him instead of Miguel. He still hadn’t thanked you properly for saving his life, despite paralyzing him at first. He knew it wasn’t your fault, but he would remember that dark and hot void he was trapped in and would find himself anxious thinking about bringing it up to you.

Hence why he initially avoided the subject at first, but as time went by Toji found himself needing to say it. Feeling cowardly after witnessing you conquer your fears almost every day in the labs; he figured that he could give a simple ‘Thank You’.  If only he could find the time.

The hot commodity that you were, Toji was considered one too. It thankfully wasn’t explained to others in detail of his death, but simply that he didn’t make it. So they assumed that he wasn’t infected when he came back but instead, rationalized that some terrible accident happened where he had to be left behind. Regardless everyone was happy he made it back alive.

Yet the truth weighed heavily on him. He was infected. He was dying. And by some miracle he was cured all thanks to you. You saved his life. And knowing some of the h*ll you’ve been through, he found himself admiring you. Admiring how you could turn the other cheek when someone wronged you rather than retaliate like so many others would. He could say you earned his respect and gratitude. You deserved every thank you to come. It was just a matter of when he could say that to you.

It was a series of obstacles that kept him at bay.

Exams. You had multiple tests lined up. Finding yourself overwhelmed from time to time you would either push them off or extend the hours trying to push through your fears; those days were long and always left a sour taste in everyone’s palette at the end.

Meetings. The world’s surviving leaders wanted updates, documents and samples sent over to help secure a cure faster. The pressure to deliver better news, if not just the samples of your DNA was increasing. Plenty of negotiations and pre-planning were being formulated in the background to only a fews knowledge. The few being Toji and Nanami.

Your girlfriends. You would spend time with the ladies and be completely out of reach. This was enforced by Nanami and backed by you due to Geto, Gojo and Sukuna trying to bulldoze their way into more of your time whenever you were with Myera, or Maki and Yuki.

Geto. Gojo. Sukuna. If they were free from the hands of Utahime and Nanami’s extra work, they’d whisk you away on a stupid date or whatever those three schemed. Toji didn’t want any part of it. He knew he wasn’t looking for another relationship after his last one. The very thought would always take him back to his late wife and he didn’t want to revisit those memories too much. But at times he couldn’t help but be drawn to you in the same way she had drawn him in. He would brush the feeling off as admiration, though it was beginning to twist itself with longing for what once was.

And this cycle went on for a while. On occasion finding solace in those small moments where he could get closer to you. The man just found it hard to convey his feelings with so little a frame to work with.

 

Toji sighed heavily, leaning against the metal frame of a squat rack. He was finally cleared to exercise “lightly.” Lightly for him was 250-pound deadlifts minimum. His bones felt a lot better by the end of the month and he couldn’t wait to put back on the muscle he had lost from being idle. It being his first day back into the gym, he planned on taking it easy. Truly he did, but when you came bounding in, his blood started pumping and Toji found himself getting a decent adrenaline boost from you.

Looking as delicious as you smelled in your fitted work out gear, Toji’s eyes trailed over your form. Clad in a matching multi-green sports bra and shorts set, it beautifully contrasted your bronzer tone. You didn’t notice him yet as you chattered away with Maki and Yuki. Yuki wore essentially the same thing as you but in black and blue. She was clinging to a bashful Choso, feeling his muscly arms up. Toji noted how he was not trying to pull away from her antics like usual.

He watched you a moment more in your oblivious state, astonished at how unaware you were with the amount of eyes on you. Attractive in so many ways, Toji would find himself thinking about you in those suggestive ways he used to but would try to dial it back and just be thankful for you. Teetering between carnal feelings and admiration, Toji couldn’t decide what to do with you. So he chose to finish his set and greet you afterwards.

It was his last one, naturally when you’re at the finish line, you’re tired. But you had made eye contact with him mid set and walked over. Giving him just the right amount of push to make it look like he forgot to struggle as he snatched the bar into the air before dropping it down with a wink as you bounced over to him.

“They finally cleared you to do this?” No pleasantries, just straight into conversation. He smirked down at you as you looked at him with those excited eyes. You looked so cheerful today.

Humming in affirmation, he noticed a shiny little button you had pinned to the strap of your bra. It had an odd-looking blue creature on it with hearts surrounding it. “Where did that come from?” A hand reached out and tugged at your strap before letting it snap back to your skin. The quick brush of his fingers sent a shot of tingles across the space, reminding you to keep a distance between you two. He didn’t seem like he was interested in you.

Your hands immediately covered the spot, trying to soothe the blooming heat from just the graze of his knuckles. You had not had sex in over a month. The only sexual encounter was with Sukuna and that was weeks ago when you had a talk with the three of them.

You thought you were holding up well, but on occasion you would have bouts of desire rampaging inside you, sometimes causing quite the inner turmoil. Had you known the outcome of what Gojo stated when he said that they’d “fix” things, you would have refused. As shallow as that sounded, those lonely nights with your hands brought you to tears sometimes. But when you were of sound mind and body, you enjoyed getting to know them on a personal level. Even Sukuna had conceded to the request, finding it tedious, but reasonable. Still, how fixing things and barring sex with you all together correlated in any way made no sense and frustrated you in more ways than one; But their efforts did not go missed by you or others.

“Hey! Sukuna got it for me from one of their trips. It’s my favorite little alien dog from Disney. Mind your business.” You cutely frowned while he looked over you in amusement. “Shouldn’t you be taking it easy?” You quickly changed the subject, as you looked down at the weights, gob smacked.

“This is easy.” He emphasized by snatching it up again effortlessly while you looked on in amazement.

“If that’s easy, I wonder what hard looks like…” You shook your head in wonderment before you looked back to him innocently. His eyes held a certain look that made your smile falter.

“You should know, little lady.” A smirk played at his lips as he stepped closer to you. Bending down to your height, he whispered, “It’s hard to get you alone.”

It was the way he said it that made your brain buffer. The heat that ran itself from head to toe did about ten laps in your body. Your attire seemed suffocating to you as you tried to figure out what exactly you should do in this situation. You don’t think he’s given you this type of attention before and it confused you, especially when you didn’t consider he was an open option.

“Huh?” The only thing that your stalled mind could forge as you stared deer-eyed up to the giant.

“Ya know you’re real cute when you do that. It’s no wonder you got all this attention.”

‘Where is this coming from?? Where is this coming from!?’ The thought of Toji being suddenly interested in you made no sense. But every sense in you told you to strip and jump the man’s bones. Thankfully, the right sense, which was him guiding you back to the group you walked in with, directed you to work out.

“I’ll catch you later, little lady.” He had said, walking away with a classic smirk.

From then on, all that week, this man had tormented you. Whispering innocent things in your ear —suggestively. Catching his eyes roaming your figure –also suggestively. And he just had to touch you. During workouts, trying to guide and perfect your form. You could deem it appropriate, but it would linger. His grip would tighten in plushy spaces or glide just at the cusp of certain areas. Always igniting that pool of want inside for you and it was brutal. But for him, it was like buttering up his prey before he went for the kill.

 

 

Now in the labs, you were roused from your induced slumber, surprised at the sight of Choso and Myera hovering over you in dulled shades of sepia. Given the time of day, it was the beginning of evening time where your vision would transition. The thing was you went to sleep earlier in view of full color so waking up to those yellowing grayish tones threw you off.

“How are you feeling? Take it easy.” Myera helped you sit up and you shook her off to block the brightness coming from the lights. Helping to shade your eyes, she placed her hands over yours for better coverage.

“Here, I have these for you.” Choso placed rounded sunshades on your pinched eyes. Opening them, you were able to see more clearly. “Better?”

You nodded eagerly, happily humming that for one the procedure was finished and for two, you were wearing Gojo’s gift. You complained that the scientists kept forgetting to bring you shades, and he immediately found a solution, giving you his old pair. He was a man of action, and you found that endearing.

Acknowledging the berry scented air, they concluded that you were fine and helped you to walk out of the lab with Megumi, suggesting you take it easy and get to bed sooner rather than later. Getting marrow taken was as intrusive as Myera had said and was known to cause drowsiness in most donors.

Having this in mind, they scheduled the operation after dinner, closer to bedtime hours so you could be well rested. Regardless of that fact and the slight irritation in your hip, you still wanted to hang out. It was still early to you, and you weren’t going to let this get in the way of having fun.

Feeling completely fine, you opted to join your group of friends, enjoying the company of the typically cool, calm and collected Megumi as you two traversed the halls to find them.

The boy was someone you realized was a great conversationalist when he was in the mood to chat. Otherwise, he was an amazing listener. You were so happy to call him your friend. The two of you always had light banter, joyful convos, and some deep ones too. You learned a lot about him in the brief time you’ve shared, as you did with many of your growing friendships.

Megumi had told you about his strained relationship with Toji. How his father was inconsistent in his life and when Toji did come back around it was when Megumi had grown old enough to form his own opinion about him. He knew that his mom loved his father dearly, not once speaking ill of Toji, even ‘til her dying breath, but he still struggled to see him as his parent.

Having been raised mostly by his mother and sister, it was hard to accept him as his father when it came time for Toji to step up. Even after following in his footsteps and joining the military, Megumi remained closed off to the man. So he wasn’t extremely sad when he thought Toji had died. If anything, he had hoped that his dad was going to be with his mom and sister from then on, but when the man made it back, the boy was surprised that he felt so relieved and thankful that his dad had survived instead. That he was no longer alone. It made him reflect that he did want to have a better bond with him. He was thankful to you for helping him realize that.

As you two walked, the chatter was light for a moment, mostly coming from you. You couldn’t help but to gush about your new specs.

“He can be so sweet and thoughtful.” Still giddy about your gift, you couldn’t help but to blabber about each of the men’s quirks you were uncovering.

“Uhhm… [Y/N]?” Megumi interjected hesitantly. He looked a bit uneasy, as his eyes shifted away from you.

“Mhm?” You smiled brightly, encouraging him to continue with what he was going to say. You even placed a hand of support on his arm for an added boost.

“…do you… plan on dating my dad, too?” You spit out air in place of the water you wished you had to emphasize how much you did not expect that question. Your hand snatched from his body, needing to support yourself as you thought of a reply to the question. “I mean I’ve seen you two sometimes… and well that one scent you have which Yuuji told me about in great detail–”

Any response was no longer formulating. Mouth left ajar; your eyes descended into little slits at the sound of Yuuji’s name. ‘Boy goin’ round gossipin’!’ Your nose flared as your mouth pulled tight in annoyance. In reality, you were really embarrassed but anger took precedence.

Megumi shrugged unsurely, still blabbering on. “I’m not judging you! He hasn’t shown interest in anyone as far as I know. I was just wondering is all...” He faded off, his face scrunched up in disgust. “Actually, now that I’ve said it out loud —it’s weird. This is weird. Forget I asked! Do what you want.” He waved off quickly and started to speed walk away from you. His ears were the brightest of pinks you had ever witnessed. So much for cool, calm, and collected.

For the rest of the walk, you two didn’t speak a word. Head down in embarrassment and anger all you could think about was a pink haired boy.

‘Yuuji! When I catch you, Yuuji!’

 

Now in the Rec room, you were beating the pink haired brat with a plastic bat. You had a few cheers from the girls: Yuki, Nobara, Momo, plus Megumi while the other guys: Todo, Yuta and Yuuji’s friend, Junpei, failed to defend their beloved friend. They instead joined in on the laughter, eventually rallying behind you too. Everyone agreed that the boy needed to learn when to shut his mouth.

You huffed, energy depleted. Figuring that he had had enough, you threatened him saying, “Next time I hear you flappin’ at the gums, this bat is going up your—”

“You’ve really been hanging out with my brother too much.” Yuuji popped up looking disheveled with his hair upturned, however he was completely unfazed.

You rolled your eyes. ‘In all honesty, not enough!’ As Sukuna had ranted about previously, they’ve been tasked to search for more supplies for the infirmary and that left you with little time to spend with them as supply runs would take hours or days at a time. Then when the team would get back, those three would be drained and often had to run off to do more tasks. You were wondering if they weren’t just being punished at this point.

Oddly feeling the presence of eyes on you, you searched around and noticed a small group quickly looking away from you. They were whispering something, and you were almost curious about it, but Yuuji grabbed your attention again, talking about versing him in foosball. You wound up beating his butt in that too.

 

 

Stretching across your bed in one of Geto’s long shirts, exhaustion rested upon you. You thought that drowsy part of the procedure from earlier had finally caught up and settled you down. But something was restless inside of you.

‘Aahh~ I’m still hungry.’ You grumbled to yourself as your stomach squealed to you. Pursing your lips, you wondered if the cafeteria had any food left out. ‘Mnaah, probably not.’ Dismissing the thought as you figured headquarters wouldn’t be so reckless with rations, you tried to sleep it off…

But your stomach had other prerogatives like getting lippy with you. Having been cursed out in another language, you decided to get up and put on some shorts and go for a midnight stroll in search of a midnight snack.

Navigating through the dark with your sight, you made it easily to the cafeteria without a hitch. You were nearly jumping for joy to see that the doors to the space were unlocked. However, after entering the kitchen, you found it bare, save for the things that were ingredients like flour, a jug of vinegar and salt. Searching further, you noticed the pantry door and tried it but whimpered in anguish when you realized it was locked.

‘FIGURES!’ Your teeth ground against each other as you crumbled to the floor in defeat. Wallowing in your thoughts, you missed the reflection off the metal appliances overhead.

“Who’s there?” A familiar boyish voice sounded behind you. Shocked and embarrassed that you would look like a thief caught with their hand in a cookie jar, you kept quiet. Not making a sound as you crept below the counter that split you two apart. You were trying to get to the door on the opposite side of where you were.

Being “clever”, you took a small item, a random spoon you found, and tossed it so the man could investigate it like the games taught you. Surprisingly, it worked, yet not enough for you to get away scotch free. Catching the tail end of your figure in their flashlight, your enemy realized who you were and called after you.

In your haste, you didn’t realize they called you by name. Just the thrill of being caught licked at your nerves, igniting them with a short burst of adrenaline. You also didn’t pay attention to where you were going. Heading in any direction, you found yourself at a dead end. The gym.

You didn’t take notice of the lights being on, yet alone someone being inside at that hour. To reserve power, HQ made sure to shut down lights of all nonessential areas. Yet for whatever reason the lights were on, and you bolted into the room without a second thought once you heard your pursuer’s footsteps near.

Big mistake. The sudden brightness stung your eyes upon entering. Tears sprung to your eyes, before they raced down your cheeks. Adjusted for the dark, you weren’t acclimated properly to the light yet, so it hurt, stunning you as you paused a few steps into the space.

Eyes winched shut, your hands went to cover them as you curled into yourself defensively, whining in frustration for forgetting your glasses.

You heard the door open, and quickly slam shut behind you. You yelped when a hand clasped at your wrist to turn you around to face the obscured figure above your crouched form.

“Why did you run, [Y/N]?!” Your former security guard fussed at you. By now you were sniffling and wiping at your tears. It honestly looked like the male was harassing you.

“Wallie?” You mumbled the nickname in confusion, covering your eyes again. Finding a sliver of solace between your fingers, it was the only choice you had to vaguely see your surroundings.

“Yeah! I called aft—!” His rant was cut short by the slamming of weights. The abrupt disturbance caused you to jump, letting out a pitched squeal. An oddly large form was charging at you, but you were too defenseless to tell who it was until they stormed up and slammed poor ol’ Wallie to the wall by his collar, his grasp on you was snatched off at once.

“And just what the h*ll do you think you’re doing?” A deep voice growled at the shaken man.

“T-T-TOJI! I swea—” Wallie stuttered over a jumbled response in which Toji just lifted him by his neck at that point.

“You have three seconds to tell me why she’s crying!” He demanded of the petrified man. “ONE!”

“Toji let Walter down, please!” Your hands patted awkwardly over the man as you tried to navigate the space in your momentary blindness.

Being set down, and regulating his heartbeat, Wallie shakily explained what occurred.

“Th-that’s not all true!” You tried to save face when he said you were trying to steal food from the pantry. You looked ridiculous refuting his words while peeking through your hands. And what made it worse was that your stomach made it loud and clear how true it all was. “…okay I’m starving. My stomach won’t shut up.” You murmured bashfully, apologizing to both for the trouble.

Sighing in relief and annoyance, Toji unfurled his crossed arms and snatched Wallie’s sunglasses from his pocket and placed them on you to which you ducked your head in apology and gratitude.

“Hey!” Wallie dared to lift a finger for his glasses to which Toji easily swatted.

“Zip it and take us back to the kitchen.” A scarred lip lifted in a snarl like manner, causing the man to straighten up and do as he was ordered.

“But it's locked up.” A whimper came from the man as he still led the way.

“And you’re going to unlock it.” Toji glared through the back of Wallie’s head.

 

Happy feet kicked while you bit into your third PB&J sandwich.

“...you must have been starving. You ate decently at dinner.” Toji recalled your full plate. “You even had double portions today because you had blood drawn.”

Shaking your head in denial, you held your hand up to give him pause while you swallowed your food.

“That would usually tide me over when blood is drawn. They took bone marrow today, and I think that’s what’s up with me.” You shrugged, sucking your fingers clean of the sticky substance that was left behind from your meal.

Toji’s eyes watched you like a hawk. Your cheeks hallowed as you sucked quickly, those thick lips of yours popping off your small digits. ‘Mine are at least twice the size…’ He thought as his tongue traced his lips at the same time yours did. Raking over your body, he took in your form. You were a bit thicker. Solid, having grown a little in size from those work outs you joined in on. Absently, he grabbed your triceps to trace the silhouette of the muscle, appreciating the bulkiness of it. “You’ve gotten bigger.” He muttered lowly. Voice like gravel, it sounded so sexy.

Hunger now sated; you froze at the touch. It was dulled before, but now with that obstacle out of the way, you noticed how much you felt like fattened prey in this moment. You shuttered at the vision of his massive frame hovering over you, devouring your vulnerable body. You could have melted where you sat.

“I-I’ve only gained anything because y’all’s workouts ain’t no joke.” You chuckled shyly, embarrassed at yourself for stammering in the first place. You didn’t feel this way with him before, but with this scenario, things seemed different.

Seeing your reaction, he cleared his throat and retracted his hand to run it through his tousled hair. If he kept his hands on you any longer, you’d be his midnight snack. He decided to change the subject.

“If they figure that food is a source for your regeneration and healing, then when they draw blood —in this case marrow, it could be the cause of your increased appetite.” The man chose to continue the conversation, saying, “Working out burns through calories as well and you worked out heavily today too.” His eyes landed on your exposed legs, having missed the hem of your shorts under the long garment. Remembering the way, they swelled and stretched when he watched you work out earlier in the day, it made him want to bite and tease along the expanse of your thighs as they widened over the barstool you sat upon.

‘That would be a nice place to rest my head.’ An intrusive thought occurred as he yawned.

Now that you had glasses on, you could see Toji clearly. His messy hair. The crease in his brow. How his tongue slowly glided over his lips as his eyes ate you up. Then he yawned again, and all of that tiredness appeared. Slouched position, heavy eyes, slower movements than normal. You reached your hand out in concern, touching his shoulder gently.

“Toji, what are you doing up this late?” It finally struck you that he was in the gym at this hour, too far from dawn, but well after dusk.

“Couldn’t sleep, doll.” He smirked seeing the silhouette of your eyes blinking at him with the crease of your brow just present over the rim of the glasses. There was a cough in the background, creating space between you two as you retracted your hand, and he shifted out of your comforting touch. “It’s nothing. If you’re done, I’ll take this.” He snatched your plate, taking it to the kitchen where Wallie and another security guard, were murmuring to each other before scurrying apart when Toji entered.

He cocked a brow at their jittery actions, too tired to question it.

“We uh— I wasn’t sure if this should be put on the report for stock purposes, but Leon convinced me to.” Wallie looked worriedly at Toji’s broad backside as the man continued to the sink, gently placing the dish in the bin.

“I don’t care. I’ll take the heat if anything comes of it.” Toji shrugged indifferently, heading for the exit. “Oh, and you can lock up now... thanks.”

 

Walking back, you noticed a lack of words from the man. Particularly the ones he had said to you all throughout the week. And the entire time he kept his hands to himself to your surprise when you two made it back to the area where you all slept. You weren’t privy to the design of this place yet, but you knew that there were several boarding rooms that were made for each sector going from S to D.

Classified under the V.I.P. status, you were made to sleep closest with the other V.I.P.’s in section S, where the security was stationed down a connecting hall, section A. They were originally a separate building all together but overtime the facility had renovated and connected them.

The general population of refugees were on the opposite side with the soldiers, sections B and C. The soldiers were by the warehouses which were stocked full of ammunition. It just made sense that in case of a threat occurring, they would have immediate access and would be able to protect the civilians while security would work on escape routes and defensive measures. However, you were not in the know of this setup. Only the higher ups, such as Toji, Nanami, the President and a few others had this knowledge.

And knowing this, Nanami made it a point to have his team members closest to him in section S, labeled A1. Another bout of renovations was made and they accommodated for his request given his and his wife’s status.

You were staring down the double doors creeping closer to you as Toji escorted you back to your room. You were biting at your lip, fiddling with your fingers.

“What is it?”

“You’re quiet is all. More quiet than usual.” Voice coming out meekly in concern for him. He didn’t even take the time to flirt with you like he was earlier in the week.

He hummed, acknowledging you with that much of a response until he noticed your pout. “Ya know you can take those glasses off now. The lights aren’t nearly as bright as where we were.” His deep voice rumbled lowly over your body, making you want to swoon.

“Oh, yeah. I know. But even just a little light still doesn’t allow me to see you as clearly.”

“…so what I’m understanding is that you’ve been checking me out this whole time? Pervert.” Toji decided to joke.

‘Ahh, there it is.’ Stopping, you stamped your foot. You swatted at him before huffing and looked to the side bashfully. “…you’ve been doing the same thing to me too. All week.” His feet pivoted to you, blocking the view of the double doors. Backing up to the wall, you were trapped between two hard places.

“I’m a man who’s been off the market for a while –can you blame me? Have you seen yourself? And don’t get me started on your scent, little girl.” A strong flick to your forehead caused you to bump your head out of reflex back onto the wall, knocking your glasses off. “You’ve wanted a piece of me from the very beginning.”

The mortification that came over you was quickly washed away by his next words.

“Yet, I’d be a liar here if…,” Toji’s hand slid from the wall, and pulled your chin from looking at the fallen shades. “If I didn’t admit that I haven’t wanted the same.” His lips crashed onto yours unexpectedly, catching you off guard. Your mouth fell open from shock. You were not expecting this from him.

Finally, he was able to taste you. Slipping his tongue in without a second thought, he quickly overpowered your tongue, sucking, biting, and outright trying to touch your heart with how deep his tongue was diving.

He pulled back with a resounding smack of his lips. Licking the spittle from his mouth, while simultaneously wiping your mouth with the pad of his rough thumb. He sighed with what you believed was relief. But more than that, it was him resigning to himself that he was about to relinquish his control over to the longing for intimacy.

His deep voice coupled with those suggestive words settled into you, coaxing a fire inside of you. “I’ve been wanting to talk to you privately for a while but couldn’t quite catch you at the right time.”

You were panting beneath him, still in shock, full of confusion and need. He triggered it in you, and he could tell by the haze in your eyes as you both looked at each other in the dim light.

“I wanted to give you my thanks… show you, my appreciation.” He pulled away but his hands remained on you, sliding down your arms to wrap around your hands. He was trying to lead you away to his den and feeling an insatiable amount of desire burning in you, you followed.

At the end of the hall, where you should have gone through those double doors up ahead that led to section S, you went left to section A1.

Notes:

It's short, 6K words but it goes right into the next chapter which is 11K+... I really did try to break this up, but it just wasn't happening._.'

Anyways, enjoy yourselves over these upcoming days and take it easy. Be blessed and have a great week/end! <3

Chapter 25: Twentyfive

Summary:

This chapter is rough for you Toji lovers ngl, and overall just rough... Author apologizes >:3

Notes:

Since the last chapter was short, I wanted to double update so here's a gift :3... though I don't know how much you, dear reader, will like this XD

As always enjoy the read <3

For someone that essentially worked out twice and hadn’t slept well in the past 24 hours, Toji’s stamina was relentless.

“TO—ji, plea..se.” Your voice broke while you pushed at his head stuck between your cheeks with one hand while the other was trying to pry the death grip he had on your breast. You squealed when he pushed even further against you, nose nudging at your puckered hole. You were so glad you bathed before you snuck down to the kitchen. You would have been mortified had you not.

Being eaten from the back was quite the experience. His tongue muscled its way through your folds expertly, even latched and pressed against your clit with a strength you hadn’t known before. If you thought about it, the tongue was a muscle and Toji probably exercised it too. You weren’t mad. You were just over stimulated as you neared your third climax. He could not stop eating you until he drank every last drop…. you quickly recalled how those three named you a never-ending stream. And for a brief moment, you remembered that you were dating three others and weren’t sure how you felt about a fourth.

“Enough.” You whined; voice muffled as your damp face laid against the pillows. He finally detached from you, leaving the cooler air to wisp over your heated and soaked region. It sent chills trailing over you and the man enjoyed the effect as he watched you shiver and twitch beneath him.

Flipping you over to your relief, your chest stuttered at the sight before you. His entire face was wet. Dripping with a mixture of your juices and his sweat, he licked around his lips while drinking you in as well. His hair was sticking every type of way from you tugging at it when you rode out the first orgasm on his tongue where he was introduced to the tastiest thing he’s had since…

He kissed his teeth in disapproval, avoiding the thought. “I’ll let you know when it’s been enough.” A large hand smacked your breasts before sliding up around your throat. His other was stroking his member through his boxers in anticipation. Unfriendly eyes pierced you as he, the predator, had you, the prey, exactly as he wanted. “I’m not done thanking you, Doll. So be patient.” The rumbling of his voice sent signals spiraling down between your legs, producing more of your sweet nectar.

You did not recall many words being exchanged, yet alone gratitude. He had said he wanted to talk privately but all that he’s managed to do was tongue you down in so many ways. And you got lost in it.

A yelp leapt from you after receiving another slap to the titties, but this time he tugged and twisted them while you squirmed. You were not expecting this type of rough treatment.

Your nipples were so sensitive from his roughness. But you reacted in pleasure to it regardless. Instinctually lifting your pelvis up against his bulge, he pressed back into you, groaning in equal desire. It was about time he gave in. He figured it had been long enough, dipping down to swarm your mouth with your own taste. You felt the bed dip, as he lifted up enough to pull down his bottoms.

And there it was. His third leg, in all it’s towering mass. You should have known junior would be as big and bulking as his father. ‘I wonder if he worked it out like the rest of his body?’ Your once creased brows shot up, taking you out of your thoughts as his weeping head beat at your button, sliding it through your slick to repeat the process a few more times. He really enjoyed your whimpers there.

The man thought he was about to lose it, seeing you squirming and hearing your yelps and squeals made him too excited. The friction and heat between the two of you could have drove him right over the edge, but he craved to be wrapped in your warmth the most. His head was already pressing at your entrance before an image of his past flashed across his mind. He stuttered, fingers digging a bit too harshly into flesh as if he was trying to push and pull you away simultaneously.

“What’s wrong?” You winced, trying to adjust to the grip, both of you forgetting you had marrow taken. The pain really added to the pleasure.

He couldn’t tell you that his past and reality were fighting each other. Didn’t want to lose the mood.

A short apology left his lips instead, running his hands over the indentations to sooth them a little. His member glided through your lips slowly, trying to chase away those intrusive thoughts with that electrifying ecstasy. “It’s been a while for me, that’s all.” Toji leaned down to peck you on your forehead, sliding down to your cheek before giving you a paper light kiss on your lips. He decided then, that it would be his last time kissing you like that.

Sliding from you, he patted your thigh, easing off the king-sized bed. He shimmied the rest of the way out of his boxers, and you were able to see his stiff butt jiggle just a bit, citing a small chuckle out of you.

“What’s so funny, little lady?” His tired voice dragged like his feet over the carpet. You hummed in return, still giggling to yourself until you heard a drawer scrape open. Your head stretched to see, curious as to what he was fishing for; the rustle of something like plastic caught your interest and you tried eye-balling it in the dark. That’s where you saw it. A metal frame with an image of a small-framed woman with spiky dark hair holding a toddler with equally spiky dark hair. There was also a little girl next to her smiling just as hard as the woman was. However, the toddler held a disinterested look to which you smiled fondly at in thought.

‘Must be Megumi and his mother and sister.’ You noted how the boy had that same expression even to now, taking a little after his father.

You caught Toji running the pad of his thumb over the picture briefly, and you couldn’t tell if he was second-guessing. You almost voiced your concerns, but then he placed it face down once his other hand found what he was rummaging for.

Seeing the moonlight reflect off the foil from the small windows in the room, your face scrunched at the object. Noticing your expression, a deep sigh rumbled in his chest, as he sat on the edge of the bed crinkling the foil in his hand idly.

“I.. need this… for myself. It’s not that I think you have something or that I have anything but I—“ He cut himself off at your gentle touch, feeling the heat of your body pressing into his bare back, skin to skin.

“If you’re having second thoughts, we don’t have to…” You trailed off wanting him to come to that conclusion for himself as you slightly pulled away. ‘Sh-should I stop too?’ You began to question, but he didn’t want to lose the heat of you against his skin, so he pressed back into your fleeting form. Halting that thought and firing up your body instead.

“I can do this much.” He reassured though his chest tightened at his own words; he rubbed it in a soothing manner, and in your mind, you thought he may have had lingering pain even though he had healed completely at this point.

You kissed along his shoulder and neck lightly, dragging your hands over his tough muscles tenderly, feeling those huge pecs under your small hands before sliding over his rippling abs, even feeling the healed over bullet wound. You placed a warm hand over the scar and rested your head into the crook of his neck. It was an intimate type of embrace that he didn’t want to relish in. It was consoling and healing in a way. He didn’t want or need to get used to it, but for the moment he would permit it.

“If this is what you want... you don’t have to explain.” His head rested against yours in pleasure as your one hand snuck down to play with the thick, shiny rod, working your hand over the head, smearing more of his dribble down his shaft. He grunted, huffing through his nose in contentment while he let you tease him.

Leaving the foil to the side, large hands easily lifted you and gently deposited you on the floor. You sat between his thighs like a deer in headlights as he loomed over you. This massive beast had you trapped between his muscly thighs that could crush you, which you may have secretly been into, but then his absolute massive cock stood straight up past your head, even while erect on your knees. Then to top it off, his physique towering over you, in his tiredness, he still looked starved. Like he could not rest until his appetite was sated. Much like how you ended up here in the first place.

He guided your hands around his member, the tips of your nails barely able to scrape your thumbs. You were nervous at how you were going to fit this in either mouth!

After pumping him for a time, his hands smoothed down your arms, over your shoulders and cradled your head. Catching his drift, you let him pull you closer, lips brushing against your working hands.

Taking an encouraging breath, you started with long slow licks, working yourself up to taking it into your mouth. The taste of you still lingered, but mostly you enjoyed the heavy scent of him. Though he worked out, he didn’t taste like sweat to you. He still smelled fresh and tasted better than you expected.

Excited at this, you licked, kissed, and dared to nibble just a bit along his protruding veins. An excited squeal left you when he fisted your hair tighter.

“Behave.” A command rumbled from his chest while those eyes watched you lazily. They were anything but sluggish. Behind those heavy eyes, he saw the many ways he was going to take you. “Start sucking.”

Listening to his demand, you stretched your mouth over his head, finally engulfing it in the wet heat. You groaned however at how much your jaw had to encompass. It wasn’t painful at first. But after sucking and choking for five minutes, you could feel the ache seeping in as well as between your legs.

Hearing your whimpers and groans, he snatched you off him, face looking disapprovingly at you. “Tch. It’s been a few minutes and you’re already complaining?”

Your face was between his large hands, cheeks squished so your lips were puffed out. Despite your more solid physique, you still looked so little before him, and feeble as your face filled with a mixture of concern and confusion. You only managed to shake your head in disagreement, unable to form a word from his hold, but all he did was smirk at you.

“No need to lie, [Y/N].” He brought the condom back in front of your eyes, obscuring your vision a bit. “Put this on me, and then you’ll really have something to complain about.”

Another snivel slipped out of you as you did what you were told.

It was tough to slip it over. Fumbling it in your slick covered hands, you were struggling and growing worried at the time slipping by. And he let you feel that time for the first couple of tries until he decided that he was fed up. An impatient tsk left the man as he swatted your hands away, grumbling to himself as he worked the condom down flawlessly.

You sat there dejected, slightly ashamed that you couldn’t do it yourself. You never put one on anyone before and they never used one with you in the first place. You weren’t sure if it was worth mentioning now to those three considering, but that was a thought for another time.

You were once again airlifted effortlessly and tossed on the bed.

“Here, take this pillow. You’re gonna need it.” There was a smug smirk across his face as you took the pillow from his hand.

Tense from feeling his head once again at your entrance, your fingers clung to the pillow. He had stretched you with his fingers earlier, but you could tell it wasn’t nearly enough. Not even being as aroused as you were was helping the pressure that was stretching you wider than you’ve been in over a month.

Reaching a certain point, you gasped loudly. “Gah—Toji!” You clenched at the intrusion to which he hissed and dug his fingers into your hips.

“I said use the pillow. And stop squeezing me. You’re making this harder than it needs to be.” This was so hot —you were so hot. His head was barely inside, and yet you were already whining and twitching before him. This was easily a wet dream for him prior to the nightmares. How he imagined this scenario so many times, it was almost too good to be true with you so prettily spread wide beneath him.

He did short, shallow thrusts, taking it slow as to make it comfortable for you while simultaneously creating a better glide for himself. You were far from dry; it was that his thickness created a lot of friction and resistance.

You bared your teeth into the pillow squealing as he buried himself more and more with every other thrust.

“That’s it, doll. Taking so much of me in.” He grunted above you.

Finally at the hilt, he ground against you slowly, stimulating your clit from the friction. Not even taking himself out just yet, he wanted to let you get acclimated before cautioning you. “Brace yourself.”

That was barely fair warning as he pulled out slowly and slammed into you. You couldn’t even scream. It was stuck in your gut where he kept demolishing every sound that wanted to escape you. Just air pushed out of you from each slam. The only mouth that spoke was the one getting pulverized between pinned legs. You don’t know when your legs were placed over your head, you just knew you were seeing stars, or maybe the back of your eyelids. Toji was hitting something right because the moan you made, spoke to a feral part of him and you think he growled in return —you weren’t sure. It didn’t matter one bit; it was pure ecstasy firing through every nerve.

Head between your feet, Toji bared his weight down, reaching deep inside, surely touching your cervix… or f*cking it. The pit of your stomach was tightening again. It was like a coil preparing itself to spring. You knew the feeling well and judging how you were sucking and clenching around him, he guessed as much.

He slowed down abruptly, making long languid strokes instead. That coil gradually unwinding again. A whine formed from the back of your throat from the descent, and he smiled down smugly at you.

“Patience, little one.” He stopped, dropping your legs to the side, with him still inside, putting him at a new angle. He straightened your bottom leg out between his legs, while the other was still in his grasp, hugged to his chest.

His big heavy balls dragged against your inner thigh as he made deeper thrusts.

You moaned his name from the new position, leaking more and more as you heard the sloshing between your linked bodies.

“Mm you’re so wet.” He grunted, content with watching the sticky mess you both made as he pressed and wound his hips. He couldn’t believe he missed out on this. He couldn’t believe he waited this long. But then that face he longed for over the years flashed in his mind again, causing him to stutter.

You moaned at the sensation, trying to rock back on him, but his grip was firm keeping you at bay. “Let me do the work. You’ve done enough for me as is.” His voice dipped into a softer tone that you barely registered.

Short black strands clung to the top of his head, drenched in his sweat, it dripped down past his chin and over the rippling sinews of his body which your eyes hazily tracked. Mindlessly, your hand lifted to trace the trail, and he watched you entranced with his figure. Hands sliding down his bulky arm to his own veined hand that had your butt cheek in a vice grip, all you could do was hold onto him for the ride.

He wasn’t playing when he contemplated all the ways he wanted you. The following position was on top which didn’t last long, and after that you were pressed up against the wall. Then he commanded you to get on all fours… it was a long night.

“Toji, please!” You sobbed. “Aren’t you tired?” You looked wrecked under him, 2 delayed climaxes later. He truly was relentless.

“I am.” He huffed, still holding back from coming undone. He was exhausted, but he didn’t want to go to sleep. “Just one more for me, doll.” A whine left your lips, knowing a devious grin had spread across his face. You didn’t have to see it. You just knew.

Your hiccups and glistening eyes pulled at his more sadistic side, pushing Toji closer to his breaking point. Back in missionary, you were easily crowded by his massive body, sloppily driving into you with renewed strength, he was finally meeting his orgasm after battling against it for so long and he made sure to slam into your sensitive spot before finally coming undone. You were sure it was bruised at this point yet still functioning to your displeasure as you arched into him, electricity firing one last time as you gushed around his thick rod.

Burying himself into your neck, he let out a deep and satisfied groan as he filled the condom full of his seed. Sitting back on his haunches to not crush you, he looked over your slick form. You were spent as your chest huffed heavily. You were too done with life to get up to clean yourself at that moment. And Toji could tell, he was feeling that way too. Even a bit lightheaded from emptying the tank.

“M’tired.” You groaned, laying sprawled on the sheets, glistening under the strips of moonlight that casted across the room and along your body.

“Me too…” He would have smirked to your complaint, but another flashback intruded, creating a grimace of a smile to form as he decided in himself to not relish in what was done. To not take even an ounce of pride in leaving your body riddled with his markings. Taking a deep breath, he got up to get away from what he had just done in that bed. “Let’s get you back to your room.”

 

You sighed with content. In fresher clothing along with clean sheets, you snuggled comfortably in your bed. Toji had carried you back to your room, where you had nodded off a few times on the short trip back. It reminded him of those golden days he had with his special someone. Always nodding off at some point whenever they were spending time with each other. Chest tightening at another memory, the man thought he was starting to regret what just happened.

Ready to escape his thoughts, Toji tried to leave, but you held him back. Tugging lightly on his pants pocket. You couldn’t bother to reach anything else. He just as easily could have gotten out of your grasp, but he stayed put, the scent of you holding him captive.

“Are you going to bed?” Your voice croaked from exhaustion.

He shrugged. He still didn’t want to sleep, and he also didn’t think he could. But after draining the tank, he knew he was running on fumes. “Gym, I guess?” He offered lazily, not wanting to waste too much energy on talking.

“You askin’ me or tellin’ me?” You chuckled, before tugging him closer. His legs buckled and he crashed heavily on the bed. “You need to go to bed.” Your eyes investigated his worriedly. “Why won’t you sleep?” Your fingers brushed his cheek, lightly ghosting under his dark eyes.

“‘I’m having nightmares and regrets.’” He accidentally thought aloud.

“About what?” You glided a gentle hand through his hair. His head shot up in surprise at the question, before drooping down in defeat from his slip-up.

You didn’t give him a chance to leave. You shifted and drew back the blankets, patting the bed for him to lay down. The temptation to push away from his battles was strong. But Toji didn’t put up much of a fight to keep them at bay. Releasing not only your honey scent, but the floral scent as well swam up his nose, hugging his overworked brain, and coaxing the man into finally admitting the truth.

“Scooch over, doll.” He hummed, getting comfy next to you. After a moment of silence, he spoke up. “Where should I start?”

“Whatever comes up first.” You responded softly through a yawn. Dreams were calling you, but someone you cared about was in need so you would fight to stay present.

He let out a long sigh, a pregnant pause following right after. You noticed his hand had crept up over his stomach before it circled to his side. You remembered the disfigured texture you traced moments earlier, registering that it was where Tadashi had wounded him.

“A bullet wound burns in one specific area, ya know? But the way the virus feels when it works through your body, is worse.” He started off, letting whatever words fall out of him. It was as if he was staring past you while he recounted his experience, even having the thought that Toji wasn’t really talking to you specifically here.

“And when they told me I was infected, I kind of just accepted my fate. Preparing to die, I told them leave me out there on the side of the road and let whatever happen rather than them killing me. But then Choso gave me hope. Gave me your blood… and still—uh the symptoms got worse. Then side effects kicked in. Being paralyzed but still conscious of everything was admittedly terrifying for me. Especially when that idiot –Choso, started giving me CPR. That sh*t hurts when you’re awake.” A pained dry chuckle slipped out of the man’s lips as he closed his eyes remembering the cracking of his ribs. The whole time his hand absently ran over his chest.

“But uh… surprisingly even more terrifying than that, was being left behind. Hearing their fading gunshots and the tires peeling off…” His adam’s apple bobbed as he tried to contain his anxiety at the thought. “I never wished for a miracle so hard in my life —aside for my late wife when she got sick.” You thought to the picture frame you caught in the dark. He didn’t realize you could see it before he faced it down on the dresser he had and you wondered if she was connected in all of this somehow.

Sighing, Toji continued, “And throughout that entire ordeal, I kept seeing her. And it brought me back to a time where she was deathly ill raising our two kids. At the time I was in and out of their lives for a while, until she told me to stay out. So I stayed away, doing what I knew best which was this, though this,” his hand waved wildly signaling the apocalypse, continuing, “is by far the second wildest thing I experienced and way above my pay grade.”

“What’s the first?” A sleepy giggle bubbled out of you, bringing about a lopsided grin from the man.

“You.” In the greyness, his eyes could be seen finally regarding you, the other person in the room.

Mouth formed into an ‘O’ at his admittance, you couldn’t help the brief chuckle as you nodded in agreement. “Fair.” You looked at him with a matching smirk. “So, what’s your nightmares about?” Brows creasing in confusion, you felt sidetracked with this conversation.

His eyes left you again as he went back into his thoughts, revisiting old feelings he wished had died out. “I wish I stayed, but I left them behind. And I guess my karma was being left behind in the same manner. I keep dreaming of being in that stupid van and instead of my teammates leaving, it’s my family. Or sometimes just her. And I’m paralyzed again, and I can’t talk to her. I can’t reach out and apologize for being a crappy husband or father. And I can’t protect them from what’s outside the van when they leave, so I just hear their screams.” A large hand dragged over his tired face. The man was being tormented by the dead in every way.

Feeling sorry for him, you caressed his face, his dark lidded eyes came back regarding you once more.

“I didn’t express it how I should have earlier. Be it my pride and I guess a part of me felt undeserving after the things I’ve done and didn’t do, but I’m really thankful that you brought me back from the dead, [Y/N].” He mustered a grimace of a smile upon his tired face as you looked at him with the same look she used to. Sympathy. “Don’t gimme that look, sweetheart. I don’t deserve it.” He groaned.

“Hey, you don’t deserve to beat yourself up either, Toji. We’ve all fallen short in life, I am sure. And you know you loved her, and she loved you. Megumi’s here because of it.” Eyes growing heavier by the second, you snuggled up to him in an awkward hug, hoping you could pass on some positive vibes. His chest felt exponentially heavy at your words and affection that he had to pull away, making you peek your eyes open again. “What is it?” You asked sleepily.

“I can’t…” He groaned into his hands, rubbing his face in exhaustion and frustration.

“Can’t what?” Your gentleness with him was driving him crazy, reminding him once again of someone long since passed.

He sat up this time, moving even further from you. “Do this. I shouldn’t be doing this. I’m sorry, [Y/N].” You blinked up at him in surprise and hurt, more awake at the sudden switch up.

‘Did I misinterpret things? Did I overstep?’ You weren’t sure if you wanted to hear him out, but you wanted to know for clarity purposes. “Um.. Toji… what are you saying?” You sat up pulling the covers closer to you as you bunched them up in your fists. Your body burned and tingled in embarrassment, anger and hurt. “Where is this sudden change coming from?”

“I’m sorry, [Y/N]. I can’t stop seeing her image flash in my mind. And after tonight, I realized that I wouldn’t want to let that go. I can’t let her go. She was… the love of my life and you deserve to be with someone that won’t leave you behind to pick up the pieces and raise your kids all alone.” Too late did he realize how insensitive he sounded, and he tried to apologize, but you put a firm hand against him.

“No-no. Don’t apologize. Please don’t. It only makes it worse.” You sniffled, swiping at the forming tears. You weren’t heartbroken per say. Disappointed? Disgusted? Annoyed? Sure. His words were heartfelt from one perspective. A broken man confessing he was still in love with his late wife and couldn’t move on. Touching… and yet still, from the perspective of the person who he just had sex with, it was a slap to the face.

“I’m so sorry, doll.” His face broke into a worried scowl, a rare sight for you, and all you wanted to do was punch it and coddle it at the same time. He didn’t know what to do, never being good with the emotional creatures that were mainly the women in his life, he struggled to amend things with you. The broken man that he was, he still wished he could do things over with his whole life. Wished that he could treat the ones he cared about better. He wanted to make it up to you.

The rough padding of his thumb swiped at your tears and in your hurt, you snatched away obviously. But he did it again apologizing to you in that gentle tone he had briefly used earlier with you. This was so confusing for you, but you leaned into it. You wanted to figure it out.

“I mean it, [Y/N]. I’m sorry, but I’m not looking for more. I can’t.” He looked so torn in the dim light in front of you. Which did not help as you couldn’t decide what emotion you wanted to focus on.

“I just wish… you could’ve made that clear before we had sex. I mean I suggested that we could have stopped... Ya know, I wasn’t expecting anything of this.” You bitterly flickered between you two, continuing, “But over the week, YOU initiated a lot of what led up to what we just did, and yes I went along with it foolishly for not questioning it when it came up. So I take responsibility here too, but I feel... a little confused and kind of used right now.”

He cursed, feeling crappier by the second. “I know it’s my fault. I get it if you hate me ju—”

“I don’t hate you, Toji. You just really suck right now with your piss poor timing.” You straightened up and set your wet eyes on him. He thumbed again at your wet cheeks, a bittersweet smile gracing the man’s tired face. His wife used to complain about his piss poor timing too.

“Yeah… I know…. Look, doll. I don’t want you confused or feeling used. I’m sorry for what I said and what we did because you deserve a lot. You saved my life. You deserve so much. A lot more than some shifty dead beat like me’s got to offer.” His large body shifted off the edge of the bed signaling his departure. A part of you wanted to pull him back –to choke him, but you resisted the urge.

“If you change your mind about hating me, I’ll understand.” His eye’s looked sincere as he looked back to you. He really wanted the best for you. You’d been through so much and he couldn’t let his past weigh you both down. Stalling at your door for a moment thinking of everything he couldn’t say without probably making things worse, he wished you a goodnight.

“Hey!” You blurted out to catch his attention. “I… I’m mad at you.” He gave you a small nod. “Kind of.” His lip twitched into a smirk before dropping. And as if he could tell there was more to say, he waited patiently at the door. “And um… for what it’s worth, you’re not a dead beat. Megumi said he was thankful that you were alive so that must stand for something, right?” Despite your feelings, you wanted to leave him with some kind of hope.

Slightly long Black strands curtained his eyes from your vision as he looked down in gratitude. “Thank you, [Y/N].” You were truly admirable.

“Get some rest, Toji. It’s been a long night.” You sniffled shooing him lightly to which he murmured a similar sentiment. You fell back into your crumpled sheets with an exhausted huff after hearing the gentle click of the door signaling the end of your one-night stand.

 

 

“So now I gotta put a muzzle on him, too.” Myera scoffed, cracking her knuckles at what you confessed to her about the following morning.

“He basically put one on himself—whoa whoa ‘too’? Who else got a muzzle, mam?” You gave her a dubious look, before bursting into laughter at the thought of Nanami with a muzzle on. You had no idea that she was referring to Gojo, Geto and Sukuna.

“Are you planning on mentioning this toooo…?” Changing the subject, she was curious about how this news would go over with those three. You were as well.

Deflating into yourself, you started picking at your nails. “I feel like I should. I mean I would if he had wanted more, but he didn’t. Especially after the fact… and I don’t know if whatever I say to them would affect them negatively.” It was barely discussed between the four of you, but you were given the choice to date all three of them.

Whether or not you were going to choose anyone in particular, was up to you, so said Gojo. And —Sukuna laughed at the foolish suggestion because you ‘Already have the best options out of the entire world’, but you were given the choice to date others outside of them as well. So being exclusive was not factored to them, but they for sure marked their territory at every chance.

Kissing your teeth, you accepted that you were going to have to let them know whenever they got back from their trip. It was only right.

Your best friend watched you mull it over in your head and come to the acceptance of what needed to be done. “You really like them, huh?”

Turning your head to her with an ‘obviously’ look, you admitted your feelings for the three. Gushing a little about your likes of each of them, it was starting to contradict how your friend viewed them and you.

“Well don’t you sound love struck...” Myera chuckled awkwardly. “Do you really see yourself settling with any one? I mean out of those three, unless there’s someone else?” She had a sliver of a hope that there was someone else, but the way you sounded and looked a mere moment ago gave her a bit of pause for her selfishness.

“Not sure I’ve reached that step yet. All of them are great, and all of them have their faults. Like me. Like Toji.” You deflated again thinking about him. Amber eyes rolled at this. “I don’t know how they’ll receive the news. If they’ll want to stay or go. It’s not just up to me to decide even if they declared I do; they have a decision too.”

‘I choose for them to all leave you alone.’ Light pink lips pursed in irritation, miffed at the circumstances that have befallen you.

“I hope they don’t reject me for sleeping with Toji.” You confessed your regret. Last night in your restlessness you realized that though you two were in agreement in the beginning, at the end of the rendezvous, you both shouldn’t have gone as far. However, you did, and even with him apologizing up front about his part, it didn’t take the act away and it did not negate the turmoil of regret.

“If they did, it’d be their loss!” Immediately in defense for you, Myera declared your innocence which brought a smile to your face quickly. “Anyways, how did this even happen to begin with?” She asked as you two continued to walk around outside in the courtyard. It was adjacent to the cafeteria; past the lunch tables you were at the other day with Cory. Having eaten breakfast already, you two were just moseying about the area, having a small venting session.

Scratching at your head sheepishly you gave a questionable answer. “Late night hunger attack?” You kicked at a rock, watching it scuttle across the ground.

“Huh… interesting.” She was pondering the cause of it. Making a mental note to study this sudden change in you. “But you ate prior. Extra portions.” Amber eyes turned serious on you, hanging on every word that you could begin to say.

“Ya’ know Toji said the same thing. May I add that he made a really good observation yesterday about it?” You winced thinking how unkind her response was going to be.

“You may not.” A sneer settled on your best friend’s face which you met with a wry smile, shouldering her lightly. “But go ‘head, I guess.”

“Hey, I told him I was still upset with him despite how apologetic he was. Even still, Myera, he didn’t do anything to you, so don’t be mean to him on my account.” Amber eyes rolled at your request. You may have been a grown woman, but best friend still found herself being protective of you.

“As I was saying, he suggested that because my regeneration/healing is likely affected by what I eat, then to replenish what’s been taken, I need to eat more. Truthfully, thinking back over the weeks, I did get extra hungry whenever I loss blood —whether that’s from it being drawn or bitten out of me.” You giggled at your friend’s grimace. “But, this time they took marrow. Girl, last night I thought my stomach was touchin’ my spine!” You exclaimed, rubbing at that gnawing feeling you had remembered. “Had the nerve to cuss me out and snitch on me when Wallie and Toji caught me.”

She nodded taking in the information, even acknowledging Toji’s good observation. It didn’t take him off her blacklist, but she’s willing to give credit where it’s due. “We can add food to your room an—.” She began with her quick resolutions. She figured this could work out best for the both of you. You’d stay out of trouble with security and wouldn’t have late night run ins with certain individuals. That way she wouldn’t have to find creative ways to keep people from breaking your heart and hurting your feelings.

“No! As tempting as that is, I don’t want special treatment like that. I want to blend in. It was already hard enough when those three were around me! The looks I get now when I barely get to see them myself, girl?! Especially from the baby mamas –which by the way I can’t believe some of them are still mad when the kid ain’t theirs. All of ‘em are WEIRD!” You rolled your eyes, thinking to when the one nurse, Rachel, who claimed to have Suguru’s child, caught him kissing you and she gave you the coldest shoulder ever since. You scoffed at the audacity. SHE slept with someone else, had their baby and still had the nerve to drag his name through the mud and think you were the enemy. A lot of them did and you weren’t too upset about not being on speaking terms with any of them. You do not do delusional.

“Aaand it begins. This is what I wanted to avoid! Now I have to get Utahime to get her staff in shape—“ Myera started to go off. Curls whipping back and forth from her getting revved up.

“Get ‘em all into shape! These nosey boogers keep pestering me and hittin’ o—“

“Who’s been hitting you?”

Startled you whipped around, both surprised to see Geto standing curiously a few feet away from the two of you.

Excited to see that he was back, you quickly dove into his chest, happy to be wrapped in his arms. It’d been only two days, but you deeply missed the guys and the little time you got to spend with each other.

“I’m happy you’re safe!” An affectionate smile graced Geto’s face; it had made him feel like what they were doing for others was worth it. “You’re okay, right?” You asked pulling away, eyeing his frame to see if any more scarring came about this trip. He stopped you however to have you look into his eyes. They held a look of fondness for you, and you couldn’t help the giddy smile that spread across your face. It really touched Geto how you worried about him.

“Yeah, but the question is, are you? Who’s been messing with you?” His large hand swept over your locs, finding one to toil with while he held you captive. Myera too was held captive by the sight. It was sweet and reminiscent of her relationship, creating in the woman a moment of doubt in her opinion of those three.

“Oh n-no one’s did anything crazy. I meant that some people flirt too much and pester. No big deal—”

“I’ll talk to them. Gimme a name.” There was a glint in his eyes that contrasted his smile, tipping you off that more than words would be flying if names were named. Thankfully you knew none, just faces. “Point ‘em out to me.” He slung his arm around you and started dragging you away.

“Hey! I’m not doing that and I’m with Myera right now.” You giggled, pushing unsuccessfully away from him, his hand slipped down to your waist, still holding on to you. It was clear he missed you. To amber eyes, your whole demeanor did a 180, seeing you had brightened just from his presence.

“Don’t mind me. I’m just the third wheel.” Myera gave a lopsided smile to you.

“Don’t be like that—” You began, but a tanned hand, held itself up to stop you.

“It’s okay. I can’t keep hogging you.” Those amber eyes looked at you with fondness and guilt, but with your attention split, from the sensation and overall joy you felt with him being back, you didn’t perceive it. “So you two have a great day, and I’ll see you later, mkay?” She started trekking off, waving goodbye to you. “Oh and welcome back, Geto. Glad you all made it back safely.”

Giving her a quick nod, his attention went back to you, the ray of sunshine he didn’t want to give up.

“Speaking of which, where are those two?” You cocked your head to the side, your long dark locs following suit, framing your face.

“Dropping off the supplies or cleaning up.” He looked off in thought, using that to distract himself from getting stuck on your beauty. Waking up to see zombies or his comrades’ ugly mugs wasn’t ideal, but coming back to such a bright and sweet person like you made it all disappear.

 And this is where you caught sight of some feint bruising. It was from the last trip they had, and they ran into some trouble, getting a bit banged up from it.

Personally, you weren’t sure if getting on those nurses’ good sides was worth all of that, but those sturdy men assured you they were fine and that the supplies was for the future kids to come. It was worth it. “I could clean up myself honestly.” He mumbled looking over his grimy attire as he took a step back from you; thankfully whatever that stuff was dried and didn’t transfer.

You looked at him. He had zombie juice stained on him, tears in his clothes. His hair looked duller and was sloppily placed in a bun –you didn’t think it was on purpose either. Then you noticed the dullness of his skin, the subtle bruises and finally the dark circles under his eyes.

Those rosey glasses you had on moments ago slipped off with your smile. He looked worn… like a certain somebody last night. That muscled giant’s image graced your memory, and you found yourself scowling. You were going to have to tell them. When was the problem.

“What is it? Am I that gross?” Geto quirked a brow, smelling himself for any body odor. Shaking your head in amusement, you waved the thought and his question off as nothing. “Mhm, liar.” He accused you as he slung an arm around you again, while you did the same; You two enjoyed the slow walk back to his quarters so he could freshen up. “And back to what was said earlier, who’s been messing with you? I just wanna talk to ‘em. I just wanna talk.”

 

 

In the weapons room several men bantered back and forth while they tended to their duties, making sure everything was accounted for and functioning properly. It was the big man Roman; he was one of the weapon’s specialists; a foot soldier named Liam; he typically cleaned up the warehouse and aided in training sessions; and then Cory, he used to be a runner, but he managed to get out of that type of manual work, preferring to be on base… trying to sneakily climb the ranks by getting to second base.

“Not even you get to eat that much!” Liam’s freckled hand tapped at Roman’s side playfully to which he squared up to the smaller man. The giant easily towered many and if trained properly, he would have been contending with Toji; the only thing that separated him was that he was a softie.

“I’ll have you know I’m big boned.” Roman chuckled victoriously while he had the lean man in a headlock. They were gossiping about your meals on occasions where they saw how full your tray was. Liam’s cousin who worked in the kitchen saw that your name was on the list multiple times when he had entered to take stock the following morning of your midnight snack attack; he was surprised to say the least given the time. The cousin just happened to share how much you eat in passing conversation. It wasn’t maliciously done, but with people like Liam, they can make a mountain out of a mole hill with just about anything.

“On occasion, you say? I wonder what she’s up to on those days…” Trying to leak more information from Liam, Cory tried the art of suggestion. Wasn’t that hard with Liam, the tweety bird that he was loved to chirp.

“Right? All that food, and she does what exactly? Them chicks with those big racks do more and they just signed up to be runners.” Twirling the weapon in his hand as he inspected it, Liam continued, “Though I will say she would be a great addition if she could join. Filling out in all the right places…I love me a lil’ thick muscle mami.”

“Pretty sure she’s taken by those guys so you should hang that dream up, buddy and stop talking about her.” Roman interjected with a light shake of his head. Once something or someone was claimed, he thought it best to back off and so he was dismissive of that type of talk.

“What? We talk about tail any other time regardless of it bein’ taken. Rome, you can’t tell me you haven’t seen that thang in those shorts? Maann, on second thought keep feeding her!” Liam’s obnoxious cackle cracked them all up.

“And let’s not act like these tails don’t get shared around these parts.” Cory gave a smug look to the both of them. “Hardly any one these days remains faithful for long.” He had a cocky grin spread across his face just thinking about all his conquests and future conquests. He’s struck out with you, but he was persistent and thought to wear you down.

Not wanting to add to the conversation, Roman remained quiet. He preferred talking to “tail” that didn’t wag in everyone’s face or take from just anyone’s hand for a profit which is what many of the women and men did here. Part of the reason why the baby boom started.

“Speaking of faithful, a little birdy told me that the little minx was prancing around in nothing but a T-shirt with that big brolic man, ya know the one –Toji.” Liam’s snaggle-tooth came on full display as he looked between the men. “Said they overheard Victor from security talking about her. Something like she’s special or whatever –gotta be if she was able to order them to get her food that late. Well anyways, I’m betting those two were up all night if you catch my drift.” Bushy unkempt brows wiggled to the chagrin of the stoic big man. “I even heard her calling herself a sex-fiend!” He elbowed a grimacing Roman obnoxiously. “So much for being taken!”

Like a tinkle of a bell, Cory clung to the word ‘special’ as it rang through his head, disregarding the rest of the conversation. To him, there had to be some kind of deeper meaning behind it. “I’m surprised you heard even that much, honestly. People’s lips been sealed tight ‘bout that girl. About their journey.” You and everything that surrounded the topic about the experiment was kept under lock and key. And he was going to dig for that secret treasure. Especially if that treasure would put him on top.

Roman rolled his eyes seeing right through Cory’s deceit, but curiosity licked at him too. He’d like to know some things as well. That is if knowing the truth would allow him to live the next day. “Probably best to not kick the hive if that’s the case.” Knowing how Cory liked to jump into rabbit holes, he was trying to guide the man down the beaten path of minding one’s own business.

“Naaah--that’s not all true! My cousin’s girlfriend’s friend, the one that got a crush on you, Cory –is a part of the science team. She tells my cousin stuff all the time, though he don’t tell me much. Apparently, I run my mouth which would cause them trouble.” He shrugged nonchalantly and continued on with his work. “Hey, you think she’d be into me?” He was referring to you.

 

Today you were introduced to more lab assistants that were not in the meeting prior. You even recognized a few, some from the gym and cafeteria. Others from around the compound. They were the groups that you noticed staring at you and whispering. Other than them, the rest of the science crew blended right in with the other civilians. You were none the wiser of this, yet to them, you stuck out like a sore thumb. Remembering that they had your profile from the beginning, it made sense. You were grateful that they didn’t approach you all those times, though if the ones’ who clearly were in groups talking about you had made themselves known, you think that you would have been fine talking to them all the same.

But then again, if you were fretted over in public like right now, you would have definitely panicked.

A curious hand was fooling with your loose locs, pinching the hair between their fingers and rubbing it between their hands, wondering about it’s growth rate. Another was trying to figure out your shifting sight having glossed over the topic after the initial meeting, they wanted to know what was the determining factor that made it change in you. Someone else wanted to discuss the toxic components of your blood, and then wanted to discuss more about your pheromones and why they were so distinct. It was overwhelming to say the least, and as they crowded you, you scent your distress signal.

Loud claps broke through the group. It was Todo in his bulky glory, smiling wide as usual. He really was a pleasant face to see right then. Noticing your face and even more so the smell, he was able to disperse the lab rats from you. You knew they meant well, but it was still tough for you to deal with. The three you had now (Mei, Muta & Miwa), plus Myera and Choso occasionally was great. Then they added two into the rotation. It made the process quicker, so you had more time to be free after they joined. Apparently, a team of ten was ideal, but for your sake initially, they stretched it to 3. It was tough, but Choso coming along in the beginning, aided them just that more.

The two newbies added to the mix already, were named Tina and Cesco. They were an older duo, and you got along great with them. They were pleasant and chill to be around. Non-invasive compared to the others who would be reprimanded by Myera and MeiMei later for their actions. You shivered, shaking off those handsy scientists. You knew that they meant no harm, but being ganged up on and cornered like that was not good for you consistently.

“What’s worse: Them or the Undead?” Todo joked easily, walking up to you with a friendly smile. “Ready to go?” He extended an arm for you to hold onto as he led you out. “How did you fair? You were anxious?”

“Just when they crowd around like that and bombard me.” A dry chuckle left past your lips as you clung to his arm anxiously.

“Well here’s a pick me up. Dinner. There’s gonna be a bonfire outside tonight. Probably karaoke. Can’t wait to gift everyone’s ears with these velvety vocals.” You let out a snort to which he gave you a questioning look. “What’s funny?”

He was serious and you turned stoic, disguising your laughter for something else.

 

It was a hit. HE was a hit. Todo and his velvety vocals. Surprisingly, the man could sing his shirt off. He literally took it off for added effect when he got to the chorus of ‘Sweet Lady’- by Tyrese. Some guys got him off the stage pretty quickly before he made them look bad. Then others did their acts as well. It was a very fun experience for you and all that knew you well, took enjoyment of seeing you in such a joyous mood. Even through the smokey bonfire air, they could still smell that berry scent you had throughout the night.

And almost anywhere you were, you would capture eyes with those solemn green ones. You’d give a tight-lipped smile every time, still feeling the small pangs of bitterness and regret. But you would get pulled right back into the festivities and forget what happened all over again. With so much going on, why not let yourself forget for a time.

Having finished running around the bonfire with your friends and some kids, you settled down, having felt woozy from either the food or Yuuji twirling you around. You were not sure, but either way there was an added bonus to the dizzy spell. A headache.

Sitting back, you looked around, taking in the scene before you. Everything was fully grey, and you wished you could have held onto the colors a little bit longer. Lip pulling to the side in dejection, you kept looking over the crowd, eyes landing on the four alpha types drinking and talking to each other. Your chest tightened thinking about what could have been said. You weren’t hiding what you and Toji did, but you weren’t sure how to broach it. Toji was an outlier to what you four had set up… five?

‘Well he said he didn’t want anything like a relationship in so many ways, so it is just those three.’ You thought with a pull of your lip. And now that you thought about it, what did those three want? What did they want with you? What did you want? You were fooling with the tinsel skirt of a small decoration, lost in thought with those questions. None of this was discussed properly, at least not with you involved. ‘Uuugh! I need to talk to them.’

“Sukuna just got back yet already you both have a matching scowl.” That familiar smooth tone brought you out of your dark fog, back into the varying shades of gray. Looking up, it was a polished Geto, a contrast to what you saw this morning. He was wearing a semi-light button-up with a few left open and dark jeans. He had his hair in a half-up half down style that you had suggested earlier when you were together. Overall, he looked so handsome. “What’s on your mind?” His eyes peered into yours, even with the glasses you had on, you could feel them staring into your soul.

You hummed, tilting your head back and forth slowly, mulling over what you wanted to say and could say, what hasn’t been said... –needs to be said. You chose a simple truth.

“I have a headache.” A small smile graced your face as you looked up to him. He noted how the smile wasn’t nearly as grand as it was for him in the morning.

“From what?” His hand twitched, cracking a few knuckles before it gently caressed the corner of your temple. His jaw was taught, and he looked contemplative as you did. You shrugged, trying to play it off being tired from horsing around, but that wasn’t it and you both knew it. “Let’s stop beating around the bush.”

Biting your lip in anxiousness, you nodded and were led over to the group who gave short greetings before ultimately deciding to take the conversation somewhere else. Somewhere private.

 

The rustling of the leaves as the night breeze blew through felt warmer than the atmosphere with the five of you. You weren’t sure what to expect with the conversation ahead —if there was going to be one. You guys were just trudging through the dimly lit garden path, and it was excruciatingly quiet.

“Okay I’ll start. They all know, [Y/N]. I just told them.” Toji took a long sip of his beer, and you pursed your lips. You had to hand it to him. Toji had impeccable timing.

You nodded slowly and started to fidget with your hands. It was hot and you were getting tingly. But it did not feel good this time with them around. Instead, it was suffocating and nerve-wracking to figure out what you could say here. Your throat felt dry and sticky at the same time despite you knocking back your water.

Then you exhaled your burdens, finally deciding to speak up. “…I’m sorry.”

“Why?” Gojo asked curtly. He looked annoyed and stoic at the same time. And it felt like it was towards you causing you to shift on your feet uncomfortably.

“I feel… like I messed up here somehow and that I owe you all an apology.” Uncomfortable, you grabbed at your arms, holding yourself.

Several brows creased and Geto was ready to do damage control, but you jumped ahead of him, dodging his grasp. You created space for yourself before them, not wanting that type of intimacy.

“I feel like I’ve made things difficult for all of you and myself. Adding Toji into the mix was no better –though I think we both have regrets about last night.” He wanted to interject there, but he couldn’t backpedal with what was already said, so he kept quiet. “Honestly, I’m just mad at myself for giving into my desires so easily. Holding out for so long is not for the weak.” You joked miserably to which they all had varying agreeable reactions. “So I’m sorry. Sorry that I’ve been selfish. I’m sorry that I can’t control myself better and that my pheromones have basically been drugging y’all into liking me.”

“Hold up, that’s a stretch, [Y/N].”

“Yeah, really and you know it.”

You gave a look to the two best friends. “Mm, but is it? Can y’all really say you’re cool with the dynamic here? Be foreal. When I’m out of range for y’all, do you even act the same--”

“That just pissed me off –do you think we’re some type of mindless robots that do your bidding? Or that I—ANY of us would be back outside these walls getting that stupid baby sh*t, since we would technically be out of your range. Did you forget that you wanted us to be on better terms with those whores who don’t give a f*ck about you and disrespect you?” You shrunk back at his outburst as he stepped to you. His tone was riddled with annoyance as he continued with his rant, “And okay sure, I’m not a fan of sharing you all the time, okay? There I said it! But I’ve dealt with it because it’s you. If you’re having second thoughts about all of us, just say that.” He scoffed and murmured that he was going to turn in early. You shakily watched him storming off down the dirt path you all followed to the garden you four now stood.

You stood there on the verge of tears because you didn’t mean to be offensive. Sometimes you have the wrong impression of others and clearly of yourself. You did not have mind control powers and for insinuating that you could manipulate them into being infatuated with you led Sukuna to feel some kind of way.

“I’ll uh… go check on ‘em.” Toji sighed, having finished his beer moments ago, he was just standing around for this ‘show’. He did not think he should be a part of this discussion given what he had said to you and the guys, but he felt a bit at fault none the less. Looking over your saddened face hurt too. He fumbled with some sort of reply to convey that he was still very sorry, but he just closed his mouth instead and walked off into the dark.

“[Y/N].” Gojo finally spoke up. You swallowed the sob in your throat, trying to keep the tears at bay. A hand placed itself on your shoulder, slowly coaxing you to look into those luminescent eyes. Even in the dark, Gojo’s eyes still shone brightly, and you wondered if a little bit of the sun was hidden in them. “Hey…I don’t agree with how things were said just now, but I don’t disagree with what was said.”

Your breath stuttered as you casted a glance at the ground, only for Gojo to bring your attention back to him.

“I don’t know where the whole, drugging thing came from, but you don’t have mind controlling powers. Influencing is more like it.” That easy going smirk crossed his face and you felt yourself relax a little in his grasp. “We still are capable of acting on our own. And sure, when I’m away from you I feel like I’m going through withdrawal a bit the way I miss you, but that sounds like –I don’t know, what liking someone is about! I like you for you. Not because of some stupid stinking pheromones. I’m sure of that.” The white-haired male admitted to you. “But as far as sharing goes, I’m okay with it. I don’t want to make you choose.” Failing to mention that he hated the idea of ‘the very slim chance’ of you choosing someone that was not him.

You sniffled again, touched by his words, but you were hung up on something. “My pheromones stink?” You asked childishly.

“Not gonna lie, right now it’s lemons and a bunch of other stuff—I can’t tell. I just don’t like it –or lemons.” Geto snickered, standing off to the side. And you burst into more laughter and tears, while Gojo wiped away at the streaks on your cheeks.

Sobering up, you still felt something weighing you down, but thankfully with the air being lighter it was easier to talk freely.

“When we were together earlier, why didn’t you tell me?” Geto asked softly. He teetered back and forth on his legs slowly, swishing his drink around with disinterest.

“I wanted to tell all of you guys… I just didn’t know when. You just got back and seemed so tired. I was afraid of how you’d all react, and I was still trying to sort out how I felt too. I wasn’t trying to hide it. I’m sorry.” You had stepped out of Gojo’s bubble and faced Geto, looking at him earnestly.

He nodded in understanding, appreciating your honesty. If he were being honest, after what Toji shared, Geto wasn’t a fan of his second-in-command at the moment. Having taken the blame, Toji admitted that you felt used and it just made Geto want to punch the man in the face, which is why he made a quick exit to approach you earlier to talk. Geto wanted to check on you and ask you about it right then and there but knew better.

“So how do you feel?”

“Confused. Regretful...Used.” The last word slipped out in a whisper.

“He said that…” Bawling his fist tightly. He was getting pissed off all over again.

“Wh-what exactly was said?” You asked hesitantly, unsure if you wanted to revisit those words so soon.

“He told us that he started the whole thing. That you two had sex last night, even though he was second guessing the entire time with you, but when you suggested to stop, he still went ahead with things, only to say that he didn’t initially intend to go that far.” Geto gritted through his teeth.

“Bullsh*t! B*st*rd didn’t have any intentions with you from the start.” Gojo had spat with his arms crossed. You thought you understood where the anger was directed all this time all along.

“Hey, please don’t be mad with him.” You fretted between the two heated men. “It wasn’t just a one-way street.” You still tried to take some of the blame. You wanted to hold yourself accountable.

“It is when he said he didn’t want a relationship. But he didn’t tell you that at any point when he was messing with you, huh?” Geto clicked his tongue in annoyance; Toji really disgusted him, even if he could understand where he was coming from, it didn’t give him a pass when it came to you.

You bowed your head. You didn’t want to share in this kind of anger and hurt. They had a point and even though you said you were mad at him; it was for you to decide what to do with your feelings. If you were willing to forgive him overall, then that was your choice. You didn’t want this kind of influence.

Their rant started to kick up. Fussing about having better intentions for you. Ranting about their stupid second-in-command and how they were fed up with those supply runs. Their stress was finally leaking out in an ugly turn of events.

They were tired.

And you suddenly became tired.

“S-stop yelling….” You hoarsely whispered; Your stomach was tight from what you were feeling, and it took them a second to realize you said anything at all until your scent registered to them. Distress. “Could we not do this…” You tried again.

“What’s wrong?” Geto asked swarming you, looking you over in concern and the booze on his breath overwhelmed your senses to irritation and nausea.

“Can we stop doing this?” Pressing a hand against him to give you space while the other massaged at your head. He stepped back into Gojo with a hurt expression, while his white-haired friend’s face grew a bit concerned by your sudden demeanor.

“Okay, we’ll shut up. We can go back and sit by the fire and sing kumbiyah—” Gojo foolishly offered, trying to pacify you. Every time he smelled that particular odor, it brought him back to that “safe” house with your pungent scent riddled all over it, and all he could see was that trail of blood going up the steps.

“No…no. I mean this.” You pointed between yourselves. “I’m not feeling good right now. This doesn’t feel good. I just think I need a… a break…” You grumbled feeling anxious about the sudden decision you were making.

“We’ve had nothing but breaks between us every.day. [Y/N], why… alright.” Gojo had conceded, backing off. He couldn’t push you to do something you didn’t want. He was a man of action. You said jump, and he’d ask how high while already jumping. He wasn’t going to force you to explain yourself.

“Are you sure that’s what you want?” Geto had asked solemnly and Gojo could feel him deflate beside him. You looked away, fingers fiddling with each other. Your nervous tick.

Black hair flowed in the wind as he took short steps to you. He asked again. It was just above a whisper as he placed a hand on your shoulder. It slid to your neck, holding you captive under his relentless touch. The sparks still burst about your skin excitedly despite your wanting to burst into tears. You just felt so overwhelmed. Sick to your stomach, full of regret and annoyance with everyone –including yourself. You managed a small nod, trying to alleviate the blossoming headache with little movement, but the withheld tears were filling your head to capacity.

A tender kiss was left at your temple before the cool air replaced his warmth. You already missed the affectionate touch.

“I’m sorry.” Words regurgitated out from your twisted gut. “I’m not used to —I’ve never had a boyfri—I’m not making sense! I don’t know what or who I want!” Frustration taking over you stamped, huffing in defeat.

“You don’t need to explain yourself. We can be a bit much. We’ll ease off of you. We all know who you’ll want in the end anyways.” The rarest sight you had seen crossed your vision. Gojo with the dimmest smile you had ever seen. You wanted to make it better but withheld yourself.

Geto scoffed, in disbelief. For once it wasn’t time for jokes, but he hoped you were joking. “If this is what you want, [Y/N]. There’s no need to apologize.”

With a sniffle and another small nod in confirmation, it solidified the pause you were putting in place for your protection. Seeing as you were no longer in the mood to celebrate anything, the two soldiers walked you passed the party, back to the boarding rooms, parting ways at the intersection of Section S and A1. They would have walked you back to your room, but this is where you had to draw the line.

That’s what you wanted. And if that’s what you wanted, they would listen… to an extent. Geto wanted nothing more than for you to take it back, while Gojo remained semi-chipper because he was in denial. Never truly facing rejection, he wanted to think you’d come around after getting your space for a little while. Though, if you didn’t come back around, he’d for sure invade your space.

 

Notes:

(-_-") It had to be done this way alright! It did, I sorry~ Just... Toji couldn't make it into end game in my mind (T_T)

For clarity though, there are 3 separate options at the end of this story. Unless I change my mind XD.

Anyways, thanks for reading thus far!! Enjoy yourselves! Much love and be blessed and safe <3!

Chapter 26: Twentysix

Summary:

Conveniently odd encounters and not-so-slippery snakes :3

Notes:

I truly think I've trained myself to fall asleep with this as a "bedtime story" (-_-" ) Took so long to edit. ANYWAYS enjoy the read~

Bronze, small and claw-like hands traversed through those notoriously orange luscious tresses. Gripping them joyously as you finally got your hands on them –on him.

It was something you wanted to do from the moment his smooth voice hit your ears. Threatening to push you over the edge, your legs had wrapped around him in a vice grip. You weren’t going to be pushed off the edge by yourself. A thick head snuggly set between your muscly thighs, locked in place while you essentially rode it in his struggle for release.

You now held this man captive in the same manner he had you earlier. It was what led him into this sticky situation, leaving him breathless and flabbergasted as his eyes started to roll.

You squeezed tighter, constricting every muscle in your body to perform one task alone. Ending him.

Incensed to the point you could only hear that thought; you didn’t take notice of the thundering footsteps coming towards you or hear the chorus of your name bounding down the hall in worry.

You felt yourself hoisted up, dragging the man with you momentarily, before he was ripped away, slapping the ground with a thwap of a noise. Air finally graced his lungs, sending fiery reds and vibrant pinks over his pale skin.

Head whipping to you in bewilderment, rage and embarrassment, a freckled finger pointed to you accusingly. “YOU B—” Throat sore from the thrashing received earlier, he started coughing, cutting himself off. Something he should have done far sooner.

Stepping in front of you in a guarded manner, you realized it was Maki, Yuta and Yuuji.

“What happened, [Y/N]?!” Every emotion was in their eyes as they waited for an explanation of the situation.

 

Going back a week in time, it was the night you had put a pause on your relationship that things started to unravel. Many eyes had seen Sukuna storm off a short time after seeing you walk away with him and the group. Followed by Toji not long after that, looking drained as he travelled the same way Sukuna had went. Then eventually it was you, Geto and Gojo trudging out of the garden. You had your glasses on, and your head held down, so no one even saw your face truly, but judging by the demeanor of you three, the rumor mill forged a tale with their own imaginations.

Making a squabble into treachery and lies. Saying that your whorish ways turned best friends against each other. And this was all because you cheated… somehow? They weren’t sure of the details, truthfully making it up as they went as it was more fun that way. They obviously didn’t understand the dynamic of the relationships you had and quite frankly neither did you in the meantime.

The next day Geto found Sukuna training with his knives in the warehouse. He had chopped and sliced the dummies to pieces, getting his frustrations out first thing in the morning. The guy had woken up frustrated with himself. He knew he shouldn’t have blown up at you in the way that he did, and he wasn’t sure how to address it with you.

A short and lean guy was cleaning up the area, replacing the broken targets and keeping the area as neat and tidy as possible. With the way Sukuna was letting his aggression fly about, he was constantly coming back to his area, so he stood out of the way, and out of sight, but close enough to hear Sukuna call him for a clean switch.

While he waited for his cue, he overheard Geto telling Sukuna what you had said after he left, and that snaggletoothed grin could not have been wider. To him, it meant you were free game now.

Tense broad shoulders slacked, a twinge of anxiety and hurt passing over his body before letting the news roll off. He smoothly said it was fine, deciding not to question your sudden choice. Even going far as to reiterate what he’s said from the beginning with others. “I’ve said it plenty of times before, I’m not planning on settling down.” He wasn’t. He planned on destroying every target they had in stock.

“You don’t mean that.” Geto chided, sighing in exhaustion.

The pink-haired man kissed his teeth, too annoyed, and angered to form words. He chose to channel that energy into immediately shredding the newly placed mannequin.

“LIAM!” He had roared, voice echoing throughout the building, and not a second later did the pipsqueak come in with a new dummy already in hand and a broom in the other.

The tyrant almost pondered his speed, but dismissed it, choosing to focus on hitting his target from a distance. Every mark was missed that practice. It was not all ‘fine’ for the man.

 

From that day forward you had minimal to no contact with him, yet alone scarce interaction with the other two. You wished to see Sukuna to talk to him, but a lot got in the way.

Your indecision. You were regretful about what you said, missing them so much, you found yourself often over-thinking. Going back and forth with whether you should amend things. Spiraling, you then found yourself holed up in your room, and oddly enough –the labs and even the library.

You were still warming up to the space since discovering Ren was working the counter. It was hard to find peace and quiet there as she would often ramble to you about nonsense, in hopes of getting rid of the guilt that still ate at her.

Over the past weeks you visited, she had managed to be on speaking terms with you, having worn you down. Coaxing out short replies from you, you were now able to offer simple greetings to her. Small, fixed conversations that didn’t amount to much as Ren just had a bunch to say. About Naoya. About Mahito. The community as a whole. The mystery man that fathered her child. The girl was a chatter box by nature.

“I can’t believe I had a crush on those two of all people. I really have poor taste in men.” She sighed, shaking her head in shame. You would have responded had your face not spoke volumes. “Yeah, I know, you don’t even have to say anything. I think the father was just as bad. I was super drunk and just remember a nasty attitude with tattoos.” Her hands ran over her belly, hoping the attitude didn’t transfer. “I sure know how to pick ‘em.” A small smile faltered seeing you seemingly uninterested, staring off into space. It was really the fact that you were running in your mind through the men that had tattoos back then and only two came to mind. “Sorry, I know I ramble. Probably boring you.”

A cute snort slipped from you, recalling the conversation you overheard between Jogo and Mahito. ‘Watch it be his!’ You chuckled to yourself.

A timid smile crept over the woman’s face, it was unclear if you were laughing at her or something else; she’d accept either if it meant you two were becoming closer. “W-what?”

You shook your head, holding a familiar book up to divert the conversation; you didn’t want to address the possibility yet. “Just wishing I had a wardrobe to escape into.” You gave a small smile back to Ren, causing her to brighten at the new topic.

“Oh same! That was one of my favorite movies to watch growing up.” Ren enthused, sharing a similar interest in, ‘The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe’. A beloved childhood classic for the both of you.

Your love for the fantasy world was a bit bitter now; life stained by the world, if you could utilize that wardrobe, you thought you would head straight for the ice witch to make a deal to freeze your broken heart.

Having made the choice abruptly, you felt that you were now reaping the repercussions of missing them even worse than when you were dating them. Yet your excessive thinking wouldn’t let you go back on what you had done so soon.

Figuring you needed more time for the pangs to run their course, you ‘accepted’ things as they were. Only looking for quick glances of them whenever you roamed about —in areas they would frequent. Then if you did catch them, your chest would stutter, and you would often flee the scene, finding some type of excuse to leave wherever you were. Yes, letting the pangs run their course, instead of facing your problems.

The entire time, unbeknownst to you, the rumor mill was still spinning its web of lies as others formed their own opinion around you. Those ignorant jealous women tore you apart behind your back, especially when it came to those three men. Rachel in particular couldn’t wait to run her mouth about you in front of Geto, which backfired incredibly to her dismay because then it battled against the rumors she added to. Embarrassing her and all the others trying to slander your name. The men had found themselves coming to your defense more often that week, and it sucked all that more that they couldn’t speak to you properly.

With all the turmoil, it left room for a slippery snake to slide in, a snake like Cory. Hopping easily into the mess of things, he loved nothing more than to redirect a narrative, especially when it benefitted him.

And he wanted to reap those benefits with you. With Liam sharing that news with him, he easily thought of being a rebound. He did not mind being a convenient choice in this case. If it meant being a comforting shoulder to cry on for you, he’d do it, all to show you that he’s trustworthy. But he is sure he blew that from the last encounter, so before he gave that much thought, he needed to do his research first; have something sturdier to stand on in case that plan fell through.

Being on friendly terms with the cooks, having worked in the kitchen himself throughout his years on duty, he was able to infiltrate the space without a hitch. Finding the log that held all special made orders, he found your name. It showed the days, times and gave the details of what you ate.

“What you doin’ in here, carrot top? They got you on punishment?” Raquel had asked while sidling up to the kitchen window.

“Nah, just helping out.” He smiled with contentment. Piece by piece, things were coming together. He loved that for himself.

She hummed, eyeing him wearily. “You’re up to something. You don’t just ‘help’ out’, ya know.”

He smiled, chuckling at her, waving her off, saying she’s thinking too much into his act of kindness.

“Mhm… if you see Liam, tell him Penny has something’s to tell him.” Parting ways, Raquel thought it was odd and made mention of it to her friends when she sat at the table with them.

Roman huffed, shaking his head. “As long as it ain’t some ploy to get closer to [Y/N], then I wouldn’t worry ‘bout it.”

“Ugh, he’s been up her butt too! Desperate men aren’t cute. But like what does she have to do with the kitchen?” Penny asked, munching away on her crackers. “Wait!” She gasped, almost inhaling the crumbs. “Do you think she’s banging the cooks too? Is that why her plates are loaded?”

“Don’t think that’s the case.” Roman looked at the airhead before him with his brows pinched in disgust. Some things that came out of her mouth was ridiculous. “I’m sure Liam would have made mention of that considering his cousin works in there.” They all hummed, nodding in agreement.

“Speaking of which, where is Liam? Haven’t seen him all day.” Penny pouted. Her and that guy got along great because they both could drone on and on about any topic. Even if it was about dirt.

“Yeah, right? I wanna hear more about [Y/N]. I’m living vicariously through these stories, man.” Raquel cackled with her table, aside from Roman. He wasn’t sure where this new obsession came about for you, but if he was honest with himself, it was a bit unnerving to hear people pick someone apart so carelessly.

‘Maybe I should take a break from these guys.’

 

The days leading up to the encounter, Cory would spend watching you, on the hunt for what made you special. Trying to find a crack in your defense which came easily that week since those men weren’t around once you apparently broke up with them. He “found” you in the library a few times having scoured your regimen which was very easy to predict.

The snoop caught you and Ren talking or rather her rattling your ear off awkwardly most of the time when you were there. And oddly enough, he could tell you weren’t a big fan of the girl. You would either have a look of disinterest or irritation around her normally. And this day, he finally caught you leaving her with a terse farewell. Small shoulders drooped and small lips pursed as he found Ren looking rather dejected with that exchange. It just gave him easy ammunition to work with. Implication.

“She can be pretty rude, huh? What makes her special to think she can treat people like that?” Cory tried to instigate while walking up to the woman. She was squatted low trying to pick up the books she had just dropped, so he decided to help her.

Grabbing the books and getting her back on her feet, her belly wasn’t huge quite yet, but it was there, and she often found herself easily breathless doing the most mundane of things.

“Thank you.” She smiled softly while taking some of the books from his hand. “And you have it all wrong. I’m lucky she even puts up with me sometimes yet alone speaks to me. Sometimes I wish I could’ve been better from the jump. I wouldn’t be suffering the consequences of my hasty mistakes.” Ren’s eyes cast down to her belly, mixed feelings swirling around her for what was to come. She wondered briefly if the ‘thing’ inside her would drive a wedge between you and her but dismissed it as Cory offered his aid.

“What do you mean by that? Did you know her before all of this?” He inquired of her, holding a book captive, trying to stall and keep her around.

“No... not at all.” She answered and thanked him, then guided him to one of the bookcases, since she was unable to reach the top shelf alone. “None of us did and in our ignorance, we mistreated her. We’re honestly lucky we’re allowed in here after everything that happened. I’m sure if she wanted to, she could get us thrown out.” She semi-joked. As alarming as that admission was, he only registered the power that it encompassed. That you held. “We would deserve it after everything she’s been through—“

“Wow… sounds heavy. What happened to make you say that?” There was a glint in his eye, one full of greed and Ren with her renewed perspective outside of that brainwashed community, noticed it and what she was revealing. Too bad it was a bit late when a certain security guard walked up on them.

A throat cleared behind the two, causing the greedy-driven man to bring his attention to the sound. “Ren. I hope those extra portions we’re struggling to keep you and your unborn child well-fed are to your liking?” He was hinting to a threat that would be detrimental to her well-being if she didn’t shut up… soon.

“Y-yes, Victor. The food is to my liking.”
“Good. You should finish checking in those books at the front of the library.” The older gentleman gave no care for what else she had to say. Victor, who was stuck in his ways at fifty plus years of age, preferred clear, concise answers. Simple yeses and noes.

Waiting until the woman turned the corner, Victor halted Cory in his place before he could escape.

“Do you think I’m stupid, Cory?” Tone dark and serious like his whole demeanor. Victor didn’t like to play around. That type of luxury could cost lives. He had seen it too many times over the years when he served which was only five years ago before he retired. When things fell, he thankfully made it back to this base. He thought due to his history of being enlisted from years ago could come in handy and he could be of use on the field but found that the new age set of soldiers did things quite differently and was forced to take on a simple security position.

But ever since you arrived things had been far from simple.

“What do you mean?” Trying to play dumb, Cory really played the innocent man, acting as if he was picking up books and placing them back.

“We caught your lil friend —who likes to run his mouth. Mentioned you a few times without us even having to do anything to the guy. You should get new friends and a hobby.” Victor added.

As if it finally dawned on him, he realized that Liam wasn’t missing, but was probably hiding, and Cory had to remain stoic if he was going to get through this confrontation to catch the rat.

Victor narrowed his cold and unwavering eyes seeing the twitch in those shifty green eyes. He didn’t need verbal confirmation from a fraud like him; Victor had seen many like Cory’s kind. Shifty. Playboyish. Manipulative. All types of bad and self-seeking. They don’t make it long out there and can only make it so long on the inside too, before they start putting others at risk. “Not sure why your sudden interest in a girl that has nothing to do with you —yet alone asking about classified details.” He took a deep breath, stepping closer to the man with a menacing air around him, his voice crept low. “But let me advise you young folks now, so you can’t say I didn’t warn ya…”

A thick bushy umber brow quirked upwards as Cory faced the bookcase, stock still. Fists clenched. No book in hand.

“This is high risk with no reward. The only “reward” is that at least if you cross the line and I get a hold of you, you’ll be beaten to an inch of your life. Remember ‘If’. Cannot say the same for anyone else when it comes to that girl. Be smart and let whatever this is go.” With a pat on the tense man’s back, weighty footsteps faded away. Irritation at the threat bloomed inside the man’s chest as his fiery eyes burned his sight. Blinded by his own doing, he did not see feeble ‘ol Ren peering just behind the bookshelf she hid behind earlier once he stormed off.

 

Now Cory was back to the drawing board, as that did not work out nearly as well as he thought it would. None the less, the positive aspect from that forewarning for the hard-headed man, was that there was something special between you and this classified information. He needed to understand the connection and how he could use it for his selfish gain.

But with Liam, his best informant thus far, completely avoiding him and seemingly everyone at the moment, Cory didn’t have much to work with unless he approached you directly but that was a hard pass. He needed more dots to connect before an attempt like that and as his luck would have it, he spotted you talking to one of the lab geeks, or rather the lab geek talking your ear off. He was roaming the halls avoiding his work of the day when he spotted you two.

When Penny had mentioned how you didn’t seem bright enough to work in the lab, he had to agree. To him, you could have been a skittish dolt. But maybe you didn’t necessarily work as a scientist, but perhaps with them. He surely was about to find out.

The encounter was short, with a quick exchange of words you were already backing away from the enthusiastic girl, waving a quick goodbye before disappearing around a corner to escape her handsy ways. It was one of the lab assistants you had met a short time ago, Kathleen. She also happened to have a crush on Cory, something that Liam let slip in passing.

She looked deflated as she missed an opportunity with you, wishing that she could hold your attention for a bit longer. There were so many things she wanted to ask you and discuss about you. She truly wished there was someone trustworthy out there to share her interests, but not even the other assistants wanted to speak so endlessly about you yet alone pester you after the reprimanding they all received from Myera and MeiMei from the last meeting they had. It didn’t faze her enthusiasm one bit, if anything it made her kind of obsess over the idea of you even more.

Lost in thought, she walked straight into a fleshy wall.

And using that golden opportunity of distraction, he used his stature against the smaller woman, pressing her closer to him eliciting a gasp from the girl.

“You alright there, Kathleen?” Green eyes sparkled down into those rose-colored ones. Her cheeks were flushed in her shock and embarrassment.

“C-co-Cory! I’m uh sooo sorry! I didn’t—you know my name?!” Her brain faltered from it’s stance in power, making room for her heart to take control.

“Of course I know the name of the most beautiful girl in here.” He smiled widely as her face grew to rival a tomato at the exposure.

“Me!??” Kathleen blustered, struggling to understand why her crush was calling her beautiful.

He chuckled before turning on some more charm. “There’s nobody else around is there?” His voice dipped lower as he settled his eyes into hers. The poor girl was becoming ensnared as she looked at him awestruck with want. She wanted him so badly. To run her hands through his gorgeous locks and kiss every freckle on his body. To hold an emerald to his eyes because they reminded her of her favorite gem.

Breaking into a full-on grin, he was easily amused at how simple the girl seemed. Having realized late that she didn’t respond to him, he brushed her apology off, along with a lock of her that obstructed her face, gently grazing her ear.

“It’s okay, it seems as though you have a lot on your mind.” He began, his finger twirled with her lock, before gently laying a firm hand on her shoulder. “If you wanna talk about anything, I don’t mind listening.” He offered and seeing her brow crease in worry suddenly, he switched up his approach. “Ahh~ Who am I kidding. A beauty with a brain like yours doesn’t want anything to do with me huh?”  He tried to bait her, pulling back from her bubble. And like a guppy, she got hooked.

“N-no!” She reached out to him, hands shakily latched onto his forearms. He had the nerve to act surprised, trying to keep the smirk at bay as she confessed to him. “I want to do you!” His face was actually shocked this time, just as much as her’s as she stumbled over her words. “I mean, I’d do anything with you!” Her grip tightened in her embarrassment, and he quickly snatched out of her grasp to then grab her hands instead.

‘B*tch that hurts~’ He smiled innocently to her, while brushing over her knuckles soothingly.

“Okay, Okay. How about this? We grab lunch together and share what’s on our mind? Sound like a date?” He nodded slowly, and in her stupor over the word date, she mimicked the action. Mindlessly agreeing to it. “Great. I can’t wait to hear what you have to say.”

The poor unsuspecting woman had no idea what deal she just made.

 

 

The day felt off. The past few did, but today, you couldn’t shake the feeling of unease as lemons followed your scent every which way. You were at the library again, sifting through the books figuring out what else you could read. Ren was standing idly by, still battling within herself to speak to you so casually.

Your face looked irritated though you were just deep in thought about how things were going for you at that point.

“Uh.. uh, [Y/N]?” She finally called out to you at the end of the aisle.

Disinterested in what was in front of you, you turned to her with a bored look which she still could not interpret properly. “…yes?”

“I didn’t mean to disturb you…” She brushed her hands over her belly nervously, causing your eyes to run over the bump before looking back to her expectantly. She walked awkwardly closer to you, making you quirk a brow and turn to her fully, both of you embodying the word apprehension. “I wanted to —“

Holding a hand up in a blocking manner, you shook your head in denial. “If this is about me being barren and you having his kid, save the apologies. I’m really not upset by it, it was before we were anything and now, we’re at the same status again —you just caught me by surprise is all.”

That was a relief to her, but not what was intended, causing her to shake her head in denial. “It surprised me too, I just happened to see him by chance, and it jogged my memory… I—I’m really happy to hear that, for a second, I thought we couldn’t be friends—err or just acquaintances.” She stumbled over herself as she saw your brow quirk at her words. “ANYWAYS, I wanted to tell you about yesterday.” She corrected her rambling a tad bit late, continuing, “The other day I almost ran my mouth about…” Her brown eyes looked around nervously before she bent closer to you and dipped into a whisper. “The things we can’t speak about.”

You huffed, crossing your arms in annoyance. ‘I’m getting real tired of hiding who I am honestly. Who would even care?!’

“I know, leave it to me to mess everything up. It was just… this freckled guy with orange hair kind of rubbed me the wrong way.”

‘Orange hair…. Orange hair….’ You began to contemplate who she was talking about while she rambled on about the incident with him and the security guard Victor.

“So I hid behind the bookcase, and I think that guy—“

“CORY!” Having a brain blast, you blurted out his name confusing the girl in front of you. “My fault, the person I think you’re talking about is Cory. Don’t like dude. At all. Weirdo. I don’t like talking about him.” You waved without care, causing Ren to cut herself off. “What were you saying?”

“Um... I was just saying that uh… I’m thankful that you let us in to this facility and didn’t kick us out like I’m sure you wanted to.” An awkward laugh bubbled out at her last-ditch effort to not piss you off anymore.

However, it had the opposite effect. “What purpose would it serve for me to want to save everyone, but in turn cast people out that did me dirty?” Ren’s face faltered and she looked ready to apologize, but you didn’t let a word slip in. “I may have had twisted things done to me and not just by your hands, but that doesn’t mean I’m capable of doing the same thing back.” You scoffed in disbelief, heading for the door, not sparing her crestfallen face a second look.

Poor Ren just couldn’t win.

Storming away from the library, you went to cool off. You knew what she meant. You knew how she meant it, but a part of you just wanted to lash out and not necessarily at her, but she just happened to be convenient. You were irritable to say the least and a nagging feeling just kept pestering you and Ren just HAD to speak to you.

‘What am I thinking? I can’t blame her… I guess I should apologize.’ You sighed heavily. You weren’t sure if it was pride or arrogance that had taken place, but the guilt of seeing Ren’s face so apologetic, ate at you. She was trying to be your friend, not the other way around. If that meant anything, its that she’s being genuine unlike others.

‘And now I have to apologize.’ You spun on your heel to head back to the library but stopped short. Wandering a bit further than usual, you were in a corridor that wasn’t frequently used at that hour. It was clear with how quiet and empty it was. And judging by the time you recalled it to be, it was lunch hour, and you were lost.

“Great.” You sighed to yourself walking in a general direction you thought would put you back on the right path or hopefully place you in front of the right person.

Hearing a cute tune of a whistle being blown, just out of sight, you hurriedly tried to catch up to the person. “Excuse me I’m lost! Can you help—” Cutting yourself off, you didn’t even hide the look of contempt on your face. “Never mind.” You said easily, pivoting to go get yourself lost again.

“Whoa whoa, I can’t let a damsel in distress get away from me.” A sly smirk came across the man’s face, showcasing his snaggle tooth.

It was him, one of the few guys that would hit on you. He was the most obnoxious. And really didn’t take a hint.

He threw his arm around you, guiding you down the hall.

“I wasn’t in distress until you showed up. I was just lost. Now, get off.” You rolled your head from under him and spun into a body you did not see rounding the corner.

A solid arm took it’s pleasure of wrapping around your waist, pulling you into a warm chest. Looking up in shock, your mouth was forming an apology, but what came out instead was rather insulting to the person.

“Oh, It’s you. Crap.” You said flatly to which Cory made a face at.

“Here I am bringing a peace offering and that’s what I get.” He held up a tray slightly out of your sight. You could only see a reflective beam off the can of soda that peeked over the rim.

You rolled your eyes, stepping out of his grasp. ‘I could offer you a piece of my mind.’ You were back to being irritable again.

“Liam! Everyone’s been looking for you. Can’t imagine where you’ve been hiding.” His green eyes pierced the man behind you.

“Yeah, here I am, and I was just about to leave.” He said sheepishly, turning on his heel to make a quick getaway.

“What happened to helping a damsel in distress?” He cocked his head in an intimidating manner. “Stay right there, buddy.” His tone gave no room for his friend to form an excuse.

“Alright, Cory. Dang.” He muttered, looking a bit uncomfortable.

“I take it you two are friends.” Noting that they were a persistent bunch. Your lip lifted slightly. You were really trying to keep your face in order, but it wasn’t working.

“Mm, sure. Anyways, [Y/N], I’d love to help you out.”

“No thanks. I’m good.” You said stoically, before pivoting and walking off in a random direction.

“You said you needed help.” You heard his steps coming after you, along with Liams.

“And I take it back.” You sassed over your shoulder continuing the wrong way.

“Maybe we should go—“

“Maybe you should just shut up and listen, snitch.” Cory muttered under his breath, giving Liam a stank eye. “Watch this.”

Path suddenly cut off by a thin metal slab being shoved in your face, you were ready to topple it over. ‘If only food wasn’t a commodity at this day and age.’

“Look, I said I wanted to offer my peace, and you asked for help. So why don’t you accept this, and my help. You’re gonna want it.” Again, that thin metal was thrust across your pathway, causing you to stutter to a halt. Fiery eyes bore into the man’s unchanging smile.

“I don’t want anything from you.” You growled out.

“Oh, fine, we can go to the food court. You were heading the wrong way, but I gotchu.” He drew his arm back along with the food and pointed in the direction you two were heading.

“I’m not hungry, Cory.” A clear lie as your stomach began to do it’s low rumblings. Thankfully, Cory and Liam didn’t notice it.

“Is that right? I’m sure it’s time for you to eat.” He seemed genuinely surprised at this. And you scoffed at his words, sparing Liam a glance as he looked awkwardly between you two. You couldn’t help the thought of why he was standing there being a witness to this harassment.

“What am I, an animal?” You spat, mostly to yourself; you didn’t care if he responded or not.

“I really come in peace, [Y/N].” The way he said your name, made you look at him again. He had a genuine puppy dog look to him, eyebrows pinched and somewhat of a pitying smile towards you. “I know things are probably hard for you right now, and I’m just trying to extend a helping hand.” This was an unexpected statement from him, and you genuinely wondered if he had sympathy for you.

Seeing your consideration, he smiled warmly, chest puffing in the small achievement of capturing your attention, he offered the tray of food again. “If you’d care to look, I got this… let’s call it a peace treaty. It has your faves, like PB&J and no pears but pudding! I managed to snag a soda too~.”

‘Ew. Ew. And Ew. What type of combo—how does he know I like pears? Whatever, Im not a child to eat that crap.’ You didn’t realize it, but your face was talking for you once again and Cory’s peaceful smile turned into a condescending sneer which sent a chill running down your spine. The air seemed cold and electrifying suddenly.

Bunching your lips together, you shook your head for the final time, denying the food that your stomach was growling louder for.

“Heh… don’t be shy.” He cocked his head while looking down on you.

“I’m not interested, Cory.” Brows furrowed as you went unheard being spoken over.

“I don’t think she wants it, Cory. You should quit—” Liam finally spoke up, uncomfortable with his ‘friend’s’ behavior.

“Well, she has to eat. Today her marrow is drawn out.” He stated confidently, his face unchanging.

And your face immediately fell flat, confusion and fear battling it’s way across your expression. Chest tightening at the statement. ‘How does he know this…?’ Your mind racked itself in who could have leaked that detail while you tried to deny his words.

But he continued speaking over you, saying, “They’re going to take marrow from you later tonight. That’s why you’re scheduled extra portions today. And the other days before.” That metal tray beamed in the light as he lifted it in show. “So as I said, I came in peace to offer this to you for free.” He crept closer to you, his grin growing menacingly wide as his form began to hover you while you faltered in your steps backing away from him. “Well, it’s not entirely for free.” Retracting it back from being directly in your face.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about, Cory.” You tried to steel yourself, but your lip was already quivering, and your balled fists were already trembling by your side. You couldn’t look menacing even if you tried. Not with him towering you.

He laughed in your face, that loud boisterous laugh scorning you. And you hoped that it drew someone’s attention because it was clear that Liam wasn’t of any help as he stood behind Cory listening in. You felt cornered and trapped.

“You’re such a liar, [Y/N]!” Cory beamed, enjoying this little ploy of yours. His hand reached up and brushed a loc from your face, a finger trailing down the side, over your jaw and down your neck to the junction of your shoulder. You felt a tap just above your collar bone. “Experiment 1-2-8.”

 

In his glee from the power he felt coursing through his veins, he silently thanked that canary of his, Kathleen, for running her mouth so easily last night. It was one of the easiest lays of his existence and boy was she a freak in the sheets. It was too bad that you were his target of interest and didn’t it sound like you had a lot of freaky sh*t going on with you. Cory didn’t catch much of the crap she spewed in detail about you, he just knew that you were something that could put him on top. If he got you under his thumb, he could be living lavishly in sector S. He wouldn’t have to clean up, repair, or line up. He would be overseeing the population of the HQ, he would be able to direct others where they needed to be, and he could control all these things through you.

“I didn’t want it to go like this, but because you’re such a stuck-up b*tch, you’ve forced my hand. You see, I wanted to come here to console you.” He falsely pouted. Your eyes quickly flitted to Liam, wondering if he had the same thing in mind given what he said earlier. The smaller man just looked in surprise. “I know your little boy toys broke up with you, and you’re heartbroken, but I originally came here to change all of that.”

Your head pulled back in disgust and concern. He was sounding like someone you didn’t want to remember.

“Now, like I said, I wanted to be peaceable here. Offer this food that’s hard to come by,” Cory brought it back to your face again, continuing, “We talk over some things like how you’re going to cut off your friends because they no longer have your best interest in mind.” Your eyes cut at him. Looking him square in his eyes that dared you to defy him. “And you’re going to let me sleep with you –in the same room, unless you can get me my own. Otherwise, you can take the couch. I’m not that kind of a monster.” He shook his head in disgust at the idea of forcing himself on someone that didn’t want him. It was preposterous. Most of the women here wanted him or at least they came around to it. He figured you would too.

You were stunned to silence. Wondering how you keep ending up in situations with horrible people that do NOT have your best interest in mind. That do NOT care about your wants or desires. That are self-seeking, manipulative, egotistical maniacs that deserve to be taken out.

“Though I doubt that considering my friend here said you called yourself a sex fiend, was it, Liam?” He turned to him with a wide smile, cueing Liam to nod absently as his mind was trying to put everything together.

“But…wait… she’s the experiment?!” Finally dawning on him, Liam was thoroughly surprised at this reveal.

A sigh left Cory’s lips, dropping his smile. “Keep up, buddy.” He turned back to you. “Anyways, do we have a deal? Otherwise, I can’t be responsible for what information gets leaked because this guy,” He thumbed over his shoulder, “Has a tough time keeping his mouth shut and can get some news goin’ pretty fast, but I’m sure, provided with the assets you have, we wouldn’t have to worry about that.” He leaned in close, pressing the tray into your chest, childishly. The pervert preferred melons over peaches. “I think the whole place would swarm you immediately. Maybe even force you out of here too… Winter is too close, and it’d be tough to survive out there at that point. You catch my drift? Accept the tray, [Y/N].”

Fists unclenched. Shoulders relaxed. There was an eerily calm aura invading the air, surrounding you as Cory disclosed to Liam the information he had learned. He noticed your hands slowly coming up to gently grasp the edges of the tray. A wrongful sense of ease came over him, truly pleased at the fact that this worked out in his favor. He worked so hard to get all this info and it paid off.

Releasing the tray, his hands fell on your shoulders roughly, making you bend slightly where he could no longer see your face.

“See now, that wasn’t so hard? I’m so glad you seen it my way! You’ll see soon how things will work o—"

“Cory?” You had asked too calmly.

“Huh, I smell oranges. Ya know, I think I’ll want that for a snack for dinner. How about you, Liam?” He called over his shoulder. “You can make that happen, right?” Celebrating his ‘victory’ too soon, he didn’t notice the quick grip change you made. “Anyways, what’s that, swee—“

“F*CK OFF!” The edge of the metal tray was shoved into his trachea causing those freckled hands to shoot up to grasp at his throat. Simultaneously the food was flipped into his face, blinding him enough to stumble back from the attack. He buckled seconds later from you kicking in his knees, landing with a yelp from the hard surface.

Liam was stunned. He didn’t expect that level of expertise in fighting from you, but then again, you had been training with the elite and were dating them as well.

Now down to your size, Cory was distraught, gasping from the pain.

“I am so sick of people like you.” You growled, readying yourself to swing the tray. It connected, causing the thin metal to bend enough to splinter at the edges and slip out of your hands. His body twisted, spiraling to the floor.

“Don’t just stand there, Liam!” Cory growled in frustration, not taking a liking to the consequences of his actions.

Stuttering between words and (lack of) action, Liam missed you throwing the boomerang shaped tray at him. Landing square in his face, he stumbled, slipping on the soda that rolled itself under his foot. His head collided with the ground, knocking the man unconscious.

Kissing your lips at him, you focused your attention back on Cory, who was trying to wipe away the sticky substance from his eyes. “You’re all the same. Trying to use me for gain.” You towered over him, leaning to kick him, one good time in the groin, but he was able to shift the dynamic before it got brutal for him. He swept your foot, having you fall for the ground, but you recovered naturally from all the training you’ve done. Rolling out of the way, your arm sliced against the strewn tray, but you didn’t notice then due to the adrenaline raging through you.

“Don’t do this, [Y/N]!” Cory demanded; he was one eye short from the sandwich being squashed against his face. “You can still walk away from this!”

“Yeah. I will, but you won’t.” Eyes dead set on him, you got into a fighting stance, mind replacing the red head with every person that’s done you wrong. You were going to end every last one of them.

 

 

Having heard a boisterous laugh, followed by your name being yelled, Ren scurried to the corner of the corridor on the hunt for you. She didn’t completely understand why she was on the search for you. Maybe to still apologize or just have you yell at her some more, Ren wasn’t sure, but she was sure that you should not have been with that orange haired man and his sidekick.

When she saw you cornered with Cory towering over you, fists balled at your side, she recognized the signs too well. Having gone through the experience herself at the community multiple times, she saw herself and many of the women in you at that moment.

She ran, as much as her belly and her swollen legs would allow her.

She ran until she caught sight of familiar green hair, accompanied by pink tufts and a black mop of locks.

She ran until she collapsed into extended arms right when her legs gave out.

“Maki!” Ren wheezed, trying her hardest to still sound comprehensible.

Alarmed, Maki held her steady. “Uh why are you running? Don’t you have a heart condition?” Perplexed at the woman huffing in her arms, Maki looked at Yuuji and Yuta with equal confusion and concern, matching their faces.

Barely able to speak clearly, she pulled and pointed, stumbling over your name. But they got the gist. Sweeping the woman into his arms, Yuuji ran with her as she pointed in the direction of where you were last seen.

Not too far behind them as well, was Victor and Walter having spotted the animated conversation, no nonsense Victor thought it wise to follow after them.

 

When they pulled up to the scene, they were bewildered at the sight. Legs tightly wound around the neck of a distressed and bloodied Cory; your face looked lethal as your eyes held death in them. Your fingers were twisted at the roots of his hair, locked in place and if they didn’t know any better, they thought you were trying to snatch him bald.

“I thought you said [Y/N] was in trouble?” Yuuji huffed placing Ren down as he tried to assess what to do. “Which one do we help?”

“The one that’s turning blue!” Victor shouted as he ran past the four of them. Walter was struggling to catch his breath from the run, opting to keep Ren company as she tried to collect herself. She looked in worst shape than him and he had at least a decade or two on her.

Their footsteps thundered down the hall, snatching you and Cory apart so you could stop mauling him.

 “YOU B—” He began to fix his mouth, but his throat was too damaged. He should have been focused on getting more oxygen to his brain.

Stepping in front of you in a guarded manner, you realized it was Maki, Yuta and Yuuji looking worriedly over you and angrily at Cory. Victor stood between them shaking his head at them to leave Cory alone.

“Sh-she’s an anim—” With a swift elbow to the face, Cory was back down on the ground, dazed and delirious.

Bending over him menacingly, Victor tskd at the man. “What I tell ya? Lookin’ just like your friend over there that I told you to get rid of. Umph, see what happens when you f*ck around? You just had to find out the hard way.”

“[Y/N], what happened?!” Maki asked with urgency as Yuta and Yuuji stood behind her pissed, impressed and ready to attack, though viewing the sight before them, it wasn’t necessary.

The men looked maimed.

 

 

While you were having the time of your life, Gojo, Geto and Sukuna were having a little farewell party.

Thankful to be done, as far as everyday tasks and baby supply hunts go. Utahime, having had a discussion with Myera and your well-being over the week, she had a change of heart for those three. Many of the nurses did. They worked hard, not once slacking off. They truly earned their way back into good standing with the women there.

The few that still held animosity were there as well, not wanting to miss out, though they stayed in their own little huddle, casting glares and murmuring amongst themselves.

Clearing her throat, Utahime garnered everyone’s attention. She had three faded sheets in her hands.

“We all owe it to our dedicated soldiers and runners that risk their lives to obtain the things we need to sustain our lives behind these walls. We were lucky to have these three work incredibly hard over the weeks for not only the whole community, but what is growing in this community. With that being said, congratulations are in order!” A bright smile spread across her face as she tore the sheets in half, signaling their sentence over. “But I hope to borrow you guys again from time to time!” She giggled at the faces they made. Knowing her well enough, she was being serious.

“Don’t push your luck.” Sukuna grumbled before making his way to the entrance.

“Don’t push yours! You all still have a few kids pending.” A bitter woman scoffed, causing a few ill-mannered laughs to circulate.

“Bet on it?” Crimson eyes casted a scary glare into the woman, striking fear in her, making the baby in her belly jump. He quirked a challenging brow at her, and anyone else that had something slick to say. She and the group of hecklers were left silent. ‘That’s what I thought. Keep quiet.’

Waving goodbye awkwardly, Geto and Gojo headed to the entrance where Sukuna awaited them while Utahime reprimanded her team for their immaturity. It was sometimes hard covering a large team as hers by herself. There were more nurses than doctors that made their way to the facility and in times like these she wished she wasn’t the only head doctor there in charge.

 

Meeting up with the tattooed brute, they weren’t sure what to do. This would have easily been a time to track you down, but they’ve let you have your space as requested to their misfortune. But before they could figure out something, a commotion burst through the doors they were heading towards. It was Yuuji with a wheezing woman in his arms.

“Yuuji? What the—“ Sukuna got ready to ask, but noticing the familiar woman in his brother’s arms clutching her chest in pain made him pause. Why was his little brother carrying her?

“I need a nurse!” Yuuji yelled drawing the attention back to himself.

 

A range of nurses followed after Utahime as she quickly ran out to assess the situation. Having known many of the patients with preconditions, she instantaneously recognized Ren’s poor state and had ordered a team to place her in a room and get the girl prepped.

“Yuuji, can you tell me what happened?” Utahime looked into the flustered man’s face.

“She ran up to me, Maki and Yuta outta breath and—“

“Why?” Utahime cut him off, too anxious to hear him out clearly.

“She was trying to warn us that [Y/N]—“

“[Y/N]?”
“What happened with her?
“Where is she?”
“Warn [Y/N]?”

Gojo, Geto and Sukuna were still very present and invited themselves into the conversation. All had several different reactions ranging from confusion to anger, to worry and frustration as Yuuji wasn’t doing a good job in relaying the information, which wasn’t his fault.

“Out with it! What happened?” Sukuna growled, gripping Yuuji up who shared an equally angry scowl along with a growl as he shoved his brother’s hands from him.

“If you all would shut up and let me talk, you’d know by now!” He berated them, tired of being picked on in tense situations.

“Alright, Yuuji, I’m sorry, but time is of the essence. What happened?” Utahime instantly deflected, trying to progress through his story.

Just then, another interruption happened. “Aye, sorry we’re late to the party.” Victor came in with a bright grin. “Got two that passed out, and were too heavy on the way here, so I had to stop and put ‘em on wheels.” He was referring to an unconscious, bloodstained Cory sitting strapped to a wheelchair right as Roman wheeled in a limp Liam. Walter was staying back to clean up the mess; he gladly traded duties with the muscleman when he spotted him roaming the hall.

Everyone’s face fell aside from Yuuji’s hardened look of disdain as he eyed the scum over.

“Him.” A finger pointed accusingly at the defenseless man. “He’s what happened.” Yuuji said with disgust before looking at Utahime who gave him a nod. “Victor and Wallie will bring you up to speed.” Yuuji dismissed himself, brushing past Victor who nodded in farewell to the men following behind their youngest teammate taking the lead.

“So what happened?” Utahime huffed in exasperation. She waved over a few other idle nurses to assist Cory and Liam into a room to assess their injuries.

“They f*cked around and found out.”

 

Having brought the now three extremely pissed off men up to current events, they were surprised to see the president’s office so full and already in disarray. There was a one-sided shouting match happening with Myera and the president, which Nanami was trying to deescalate. Yuta and Maki were still trying to get the story straight from you to which you were being stubborn about for some reason. It was a mess and those three made it messier.

Gojo got to you first, face held preciously in his hands, his eyes bounced all over your annoyed face wondering what happened. Only having Yuuji’s version of what he came across, Gojo was proud to say the least that you brought someone like Cory down, but he was livid and confused as to how it got to that point. They all were.

Feeling those sparks running over you, you took a deep calming breath and relaxed in his touch. And having been accustomed to your body, he embraced you in a hug, knowing that when you’re feeling overwhelmed you prefer that type of interaction. Your body felt drained, like you used up too much energy in that fight and the comfort from his embrace brought relief over you. You were starting to feel the achy effects of when that adrenaline rush fades off.

“Did he hurt you?” Gojo asked lightly into the side of your head. His patience was a mere tether and before he went back down to the infirmary to get banned again, he needed to know all the details first.

Pulling back slightly he seen all the emotions your eyes held, especially annoyance towards the noisiest in the room. Myera still hadn’t calmed down and Nanami looked to be at his wits end.

“MYERA! I will put you out of this office if you don’t calm down, now!” Nanami finally raised his voice, immediately quieting everyone in the room. Not a peep was heard other than his heavy sigh as he gently guided her to have a seat on the sofa. Having only once raised his voice at her before, she was stunned to silence. Watching his every move, awaiting for further instructions to be administered. Poor Nanami hated using that tone on her, but little did he know that Myera was contemplating on creating a sibling for their newborn baby.

“The yelling stops now. We will listen to [Y/N]. Quietly. Uninterrupted.” The typically stoic man was in a power stance exuding a similar aura to Toji’s and you briefly wondered where he was before dismissing it when those heated eyes landed on you. “Can you, [Y/N], please explain what happened and everyone have a seat and you five get in line.” He ordered to his team, and you went to slide out of Gojo’s grasp, but he tightened his hold causing you to look up to him.

“Can we talk after this?” His eyes pleaded with yours and you could see the longing in his gaze. You looked to Geto who had the same expression as well. You nodded, sparing a hesitant glance at Sukuna who had, to the untrained eye what looked to be disdain, which was far from what he truly felt. Knowing him well enough, he seemed sorry, apprehensive even as his eyes never quite made contact with yours for long.

Releasing you with a small smile in return, his hands slid from you, not wanting to part ways from your space, they dragged down, rolling over your elbows, and smoothing down your forearms. You snatched away from him, cradling your arm with a hiss seeping through your lips. It hurt.

On alert and confused the men easily swarmed you, forgetting the order they were just given. They kept their hands off of you but tried to look over your hunched form.

A tattooed hand shot out, quickly grabbing Gojo’s arm, taking notice of his stained hand. Surprise, guilt and rage came over the white-haired male.

“Did he cut you?!” Sukuna growled. At that point, forget an explanation. They were going to kill him. And Sukuna was going to flay his skin.

Peeling your sleeve down, it was a thin but deep cut on your arm, dried blood with bits of lint stuck alongside it from your shirt having fused to the crusted liquid.

“I’m gonna kill him.” Yuuji surprisingly growled out. Usually on the more easy-going side, this bout of murderous intent matched the three men surrounding you, plus Myera. Having gotten the snot beaten out of him by Tadashi, he didn’t quite let that memory go of when you were getting beaten mercilessly by him while all Yuuji could do was fight off the cold embrace of unconsciousness. It was the weakest moment of his life that he hadn’t lived down.

“Stop! He didn’t do this!” You yelled after them in his defense as they were already heading for the door. Cory was rousing from his forced sleep currently unaware of his life being saved twice over. “I did!”

With that admission you were able to reign them back in, getting them to sit down or stand in line like Nanami had ordered earlier and reprimanded them for. Thankfully there was a little first aid kit that had been stored in the room so that Myera could tend to it, but you would need to go to the infirmary later for sure.

While being patched up by Myera, you relayed all of what had transpired between you two. “I’m not sure how he found out. Or how I even ran into him.” You tapped at your chin in thought, a certain librarian coming to mind. “Well, there was Ren. She brought him up for some odd reason today but then we changed topics. What was wrong with her, Yuuji?” You asked referring to when you guys split up. Yuuji had to take her to the infirmary while Maki and Yuta escorted you away from the area. You ended up bumping into Myera and with only understanding that you and Cory had fought, she made a b-line for his office, dragging you and the ‘entourage’ along. Nanami was already in the office with a solemn looking Yoshinobu before Myera instantly went on the attack.

“Not sure. She was short of breath by the time we separated you from Cory.” Yuuji scratched at his neck idly.

Interjecting, Maki cleared some things up about your frenemy. “She has a heart condition. Even before she was at the community, she said she had it since childhood. Ren can’t do anything strenuous so I’m sure she just put herself at risk.”

Your shoulders drooped hearing the news. You may not have wanted to deal with her all the time, but you didn’t want the girl to check. Who would take care of the baby? Could the baby survive this ordeal? You worried slightly, thinking about how you should go visit her.

“Maybe we can go ask her a few things since we have to head down there anyways. This wrap isn’t going to hold up for long.” Myera huffed, straightening up to a standing position. Wound now dressed, you grimaced at the thought of seeing those nurses down there.

‘I’ll throw hands again!’ You glared at the thought as ‘Knuck if you buck’ crossed your mind.

“I can escort you all—” Yuuji offered, but Nanami shut that down immediately.

“Unfortunately, you are all needed here. This is requested by President Yoshinobu. Thanks for saving me the trouble of hunting you all down. Now we just have to wait for Miguel and Toji.” Nanami had a tone that left no room for negotiation. Having settled their restlessness with a look, he called for security to escort you down instead.

You didn’t think it necessary but recalling that you were just in a fight and there had been a breach in information, and a breach to your safety. It was now protocol to have security stuck to you for the time being.

Awaiting the two other comrades and the security to come in, they combed over the details of what you had said. It just made everyone angrier. Even Yoshinobu had additional creases to his brow at this incident, though there were other reasons behind it.

Hearing the creak of the door, everyone fell into silence, seeing five men walk in. Toji, Victor, Miguel and Walter. The fifth one you weren’t sure of, but you thought you recognized their face.

“Mamacita! What happened to you?!” You looked disheveled and he noticed the tinging bandage, it was obvious nothing good had happened.

You gave him a half smile, offering him a peace sign, and Toji a short nod. You went very little contact with him as well since that night and your hostility had diminished. Though the awkward air still hung around, you were happy to see his dark undereye had looked better every time you had past him.

“There’s been an incident, but that’ll be shared afterwards. Walter and Victor, please share with us what you know happened. Frank, please escort these women to the infirmary.” Nanami delivered smoothly, not letting a single word other than ‘yes’ and ‘sir’ to be uttered.

 

After your departure, Victor and Walter had offered their views and what knowledge they had of the rumors going around and Cory’s hand in it seeing as it was mostly him who held the reigns. It was going to be hard to keep things a secret now with what just happened. Sure, Victor could have some choice words with Roman and the nurses to keep quiet, but even then, people have free will and love to cross the line. Thrill seekers is what he liked to call them.

“Great, now we have reason to kick him out of here.”

“We can’t just throw him out to those flesh eaters.”

“The h*ll we can’t! He tried to blackmail her and threatened her.”

“Exactly, it’s either that or we kill him.”

Several men had different opinions in a course of action, stuck between keeping their humanity or forgoing it.

“Frankly, [Y/N] had that covered. Liam was already down. And if we didn’t get there in time, she easily would’ve killed carrot head. Completely blue in the face. Definitely would have made this ordeal a lot easier to handle if you ask me.” Victor said nonchalantly as Walter shook his head with a morbid look on his face.

‘That’s my girl.’ A collective thought crossed their minds as a few did not care to hide their proud smiles.

Settling down with the back and forth, they realized that they would have to come up with a course of action to handle Cory and Liam. Lines were clearly crossed, and you were technically put in danger regardless of the outcome of you being on top. Victor understanding his type of personality just knew that Cory would spread more misinformation, endangering you and it would spread just like the virus. Infecting the whole facility.

“We will figure that out. For now, gentlemen, there are more pressing matters to deal with.” President Yoshinobu spoke up deciding it better to let them spew their nonsense first before getting into business. “Victor, Walter, thank you both for your time. This is not to be discussed amongst others just yet. Victor please be in charge of handling this incident. If you two would please join Frank with the women in Sector 8. Thank you.” A shaky hand rubbed against his brow tiredly as he let out an exhausted sigh after hearing the door click.

The silence was loud and odd as the team was confused awaiting further explanation from their superiors. Toji had an inkling of what happened considering the meetings he had been sitting in on, but he chose to wait for the news to be shared instead of jumping ahead.

 “Japan’s in trouble.” Nanami sighed heavily, with a far-off look as he looked out through the glass wall into the bleak looking sky. It looked to be another storm approaching.

 

 

Back in the infirmary

Blearily awakening to the beeping noise, Ren opened her eyes to see a dark-haired nurse fiddling with her IV, checking her vitals.

“Rise and shine! You gave us a scare there, momma bear.” A warm smile spread across the nurse’s face as she jotted notes down on her chart.

“Wouldn’t be the first time.” Ren sighed with a sheepish smile in return.

“Yeah, the chart does say you have a weak heart... and it’s already pumping for two. Whatever you did that wreaked havoc, don’t do it again, okay?” The woman tried to discourage, but Ren couldn’t help but chuckle.

“I couldn’t stop myself, really.” Ren admitted while rubbing her belly soothingly. She had to admit that it was dumb to do knowing her condition, but she had to save you somehow. Being stuck within that community with those men who belittled and berated every woman at every turn, she wouldn’t stand by and watch the same thing happen again, not to you or anyone else. Even if that put her in danger. You got the brunt of most of the hostility when you were there. And she didn’t do anything to help you at that point, but here, she had a chance to change her previous inaction.

“Sorry, I’m late, Kristen. Had to change that stuck up princess’s bandage. She gets a scratch on her arm, and you would have thought I was the one that gave it to her the way Dr. Nanami and that scarred girl were eyeing me.” The new nurse rolled her eyes as she snatched the clipboard from the woman who gave her a disgruntled look. ‘Geez a heart disease and you’re pregnant, tsk, tsk, tsk.’ She thought poorly of Ren after reading her condition.

“Bandage? She got hurt?” Kristen quirked up from the news with your known nickname; it was surprising to know that you even could bleed. Having seen you flaunt some skin around in a bikini and your workout gear when it was warmer, for those who watched you like a hawk, it was surprising and even a bit satisfying that you’ve finally been marred like the rest of them.

“Yep. Bet that’ll knock that stuck up b*tch down a few notches.” The woman’s smug grin disgusted the other nurse and irritated Ren. “Not so perfect now.”

Kristen rolled her eyes in annoyance at her associate’s demeanor. “Well, if it’s just a scratch on the girl’s arm like you say, then I don’t think that’ll make her lose the beauty pageant.”

“No need to burst my bubble!” She scoffed. “It was actually pretty deep, but they didn’t want stitches. I guess to preserve materials for real matters. Like that piece of sh*t, Cory.” She spat. “Don’t know what he did to her, but the only good thing she’s done was make that mother*cker pay.” Sucking her teeth, the woman handed the clipboard back to the other nurse nonchalantly.

Realizing that the ignorant girl was talking about you, Ren quickly asked if you were okay, which the nurses were surprised by.

“We-we can’t talk about other patient’s conditions.” The one with an attitude had stammered out.

“But you just shared so much about [Y/N] with no problem.” Ren raised a brow, cocking her head to the side. “Rudely at that.”

“That was different.” She bit back.

“What’s different?” Ren pressed, calling out the woman’s integrity as both fell silent from the outburst. “If you knew even half—no experienced even a percentage of what she went through, you’d all hate yourselves which I’m sure plenty of you already do. Talking about someone you don’t know a thing about is typically a tell-tale sign.” She was speaking to herself here. “[Y/N] has done no wrong to you and is far from stuck up. And all any of us ever do is lie to ourselves about how terrible she is when in reality, to her we’re just as bad as those zombies out there.” Ren wheezed at the end, having worked herself up a bit.

“Please calm down. Look what you did Alberta!” Kristen fussed at the red-faced woman standing stock still, unknowing of what to do suddenly. “If you’re just gonna stand there looking stupid at least find some one that will do their job properly.” She left to get Dr. Utahime, a look of hurt crossing her face before spotting her… talking to you.

Her face descended into a scowl; annoyed at your pretty smiling face just eating up the attention you were getting from everyone. Dr. Utahime. Your friends. The men. You weren’t special. Just like every other woman in the HQ. Alberta was admittedly jealous of you. Your hair being long and tidy because of that hunk of a man named Miguel. Of your rich complexion, blemish free. Not a single scratch which was really hard to believe given the times. But a lot of eyes (especially jealous ones) had pierced your form when you hit the beach in a two piece back when it was warmer.

With that in mind, Alberta couldn’t help but dress your bandage with as minimal ointment and wrap as she could get away with without raising suspicion. She just wanted you to “fit” in with the crowd a bit more.

To this woman, you were nothing but a showoff. She knew you were hiding something and when the chance was given, she was going to figure out what really happened between you and Cory.

After having your conversation interrupted with Dr. Utahime for an emergency, you opted to come back later for Ren since she couldn’t receive any visitors right then. Myera having disclosed some information that your details were leaked, Dr. Utahime and herself would have to vet each their own subordinates for the mole. So she parted ways with you as you were escorted to the lunchroom with Maki.

That whole ordeal took you past lunch so now you were hangry having to grab only a few snacks since the kitchen was packed away until dinner.

Walking about the outdoor area catching the sun before it dipped down, you were enjoying the weather, the cool breeze whispered through your dark colored ensemble, chilling parts of your heated body. Despite the autumn’s cooler weather, you found yourself running hot. Today especially, probably because you were still working through that fight with Cory, your body was still prepared to fight, so you thought anyways.

As you went back and forth over the days events, Maki shared a bit more of Ren’s back story. That they grew up in the same area. Went to school and still only managed a small relationship.

“She was constantly in and out of the hospital, so I imagine it was hard to form bonds that stuck.” Maki shared while her hand brushed along the foliage in the garden. “I hope she’s okay. She looked so panicked when she got to us.” Sighing to herself before noticing your expression. “What’s up?”

“I was kind of snippy with her earlier and now I feel bad. She didn’t have to get you guys.” Explaining your conversation (minus the part about Sukuna) to which Maki understood.

“I mean, if you’re feeling guilty here, I think it’s a sign that you want to be on good terms with her too. Despite what history you two had, maybe she’s truly turned over a new leaf like you’re suggesting. It wouldn’t be so bad to pay her a visit?” Maki encouraged.

Shrugging in thought, you side-eyed your guards. “Think I could escape them though?” You gave a wry smirk her way to which she immediately denied the question.

“Pretty sure Victor would cuff you to his hip if you even tripped yet alone tried to run away from him, [Y/N].” She patted your slouched shoulders sympathetically. “It’s better to be safe than sorry.”

Nodding dejectedly, you two wasted your time a little more, catching up on her supply runs and relationship with Yuta. You two had travelled around the compound wasting your time, picking up some stragglers along the way like Nobara and Momo. Before you knew it, you collected a small group of friends talking about everything under the sun.

Times like these you couldn’t join in as much. You could only talk about high school and only up until sophomore year. You didn’t have much going for you during the summer outside of school; only sometimes hanging out with Myera before she went on her vacations. You hated joining in on these conversations because you felt so out of the loop. And they always brought questions about your past that you couldn’t quite answer. Partially because you were barred from speaking things that related to your experimentation, but also the looks of pity that you received made you feel uncomfortable. 

However, with them, it was different. They didn’t make you feel like an outcast for being an orphan. They even went as far as adopting the name for themselves. Saying that they all lost their parents somehow. Whether it was from the world’s current status, an accident or illness prior or just simply they lost contact with them. That’s what it was for Gojo anyways when you two had spent time together.

“Oh shoot.” You facepalmed yourself, remembering that you were supposed to be talking to them. You wondered if their meeting was over yet.

“Hey, what’s up with you?” Nobara asked as you all lazed about the stuffed chairs. She was flipping through an old magazine, wishing she could go shopping again. It was her favorite pastime to relieve stress and times were definitely stressful.

Mentioning that you needed to talk to three specific men, they questioned your relationship. Bringing up the rumors that they heard. Rolling your eyes in disbelief you quickly squashed the drama, admitting to your one-night stand with Toji. Leaving out some details because you did not want them to bash Toji as much as the others had.

“So your type is big hunky men.” Yuki grinned teasingly. “But sounds like a moment of passion that fizzled quickly. At least you both are on the same page.” Yuki had said with a simple shrug. “But I’m surprised to hear that you held out for over a month with any of them. After wearing him down, me and Choso are at it multiple times a day and he initiates most of the time.” She waved flippantly. Your jaw dropped, before Nobara closed it for you.

“Same with me and Yuta when I’m back from my runs.” Maki huffed, plopping down next to Nobara to look at the magazine with her.

“You’re so strong, [Y/N]. I’d cave just looking at their undercuts.”

“No. I’d go weak at the muscles.”

“I like ‘em with tattoos…” Nobara said to which you snapped your head at her. “NOT Sukuna though. Too much going on there.” Her face scrunched in disgust as she shook her head rapidly. “Plus, his personality.” Her eyes bulged at her past interactions with him.

“Yeah, really. I’m surprised that you two are—were a thing. What’s goin on with that because I know for a fact that Sukuna is adamant about not having a relationship?” Yuki asked sitting up. “Which doesn’t seem like the case with you… girl, are you secretly a siren?”

Bursts of laughter came from your group before you denied the accusation. “If that was the case, I’d be in the ocean filling it with my tears. I know I told them I wanted a break, but I miss them too much.” You scoffed at yourself feeling your heart pang.

“Well, you never got the chance to date before, cut yourself some slack.” Maki said absently still flipping through the magazine with Nobara.

“You never dated before? Never?” Yuki said in amazement as Momo and Nobara gave similar reactions. “Wow, what type of life did you live?”

“A h*llish one.” You quipped easily; getting up to leave, you started collecting up your trash.

“Ooh! This sweater would look so good on me!” Nobara squealed. Maki smirked at her excitement, looking over to you with mirth in her eyes.

“Bet you could make one for her, [Y/N].” Maki teased lightly, causing you to give her a funny look.

“You can knit?” You nodded in response to Nobara, which was lowkey a mistake. Springing up from her seat in haste to stall you from leaving, she flipped through multiple pages showing you designs you weren’t taught in your brief time with that mother. You shot a quick prayer up for that family that you stayed with in the beginning, telling Nobara that you didn’t have the capability. But Yuki mentioned that there was conveniently a book on knitting and crocheting in the library. “Great! So once you learn I want these two colors.” A dainty finger pointed between two dark colors that you couldn’t differentiate between given the time. “Or unless you think this color would be better. What do you choose?”

Feeling laughably dismissed, you simply shrugged with a half-smile. “I don’t know they look the same ugly brown to me.”

Her head quirked, swishing her short brown hair to the side. “It’s clearly red and green. The other is blue. Are you blind… color blind to be more specific?” Her brows furrowed and your face turned awkwardly to Maki who had a look of surprise on her face before shutting it down.

“Didn’t you say you had that rare eye—”

“Yes. It’s so rare. I don’t think there’s a name for it maybe –uh I lose the sight of color at night.” You pick up what Maki had set up on the fly.

“So not only are your eyes sensitive to light—hence the indoor sunglasses, but you also go colorblind. Poor you.” Nobara shook her head solemnly at you. “We’ll pick this back up during the day.” She reassured to which you laughed at in agreement before departing them with Maki tagging along.

“For a second that was cutting it close.” You grumbled through your teeth, heading over to your security. Maki hummed in agreement.

“You know they act odd sometimes, especially [Y/N].” Nobara spoke up after seeing you leave out with security.

“Yeah. And what’s up with security following them again? That’s a lot more than they had on anyone that came here.” Momo questioned while thinking over security details. “Isn’t Victor head of security?”

“He is. And I’ve been seeing him around a lot too. Even heard he was asking about the rumors of [Y/N]. I wonder if that has anything to do with it?” Yuki looked at the door you left out of in thought.

“That wouldn’t make sense because it’s just her having relationship issues. I don’t see how that would concern security of all people.” Nobara explained.

“Which just leads back to why are they around her to begin with.” Momo pointed out.

Conceding in agreement for the time being, their question would have an answer soon enough.

Notes:

I have Strategy and Keeper stuck in my head #ONCE

HAVE A BLESSED AND HAPPY HOLIDAY(S) Y'ALL!!!! <3
Thank you for reading folks :3

Chapter 27: Twentyseven

Notes:

What's annoying is the fact that I do all this "fancy" stuff in Word and then when I paste it in here, it erases it all. Like breh ( T_T) Anyshway enjoy the read. I appreciate you all for reading thank you!

What once was laid, dyed and neatly combed to the side, was now in complete disarray as Nanami ran his hands over his head in irritation. During the debriefing session, the latest recorded call and video feed they received of Japan’s current status was depressing to say the least. Japan’s headquarters was breached, but they managed to secure a smaller section of it off. The part that they lost was crucial in their efforts to fight the infection. The lab. They’re calling in reinforcements to get it back as theirs was the most advanced in the world.

But there was pushback, not wanting to risk lives with such little hope. China and Russia agreed to send help if the one that survived would go too, referring to Toji.

Obviously, President Yoshinobu did not want to send him without some sort of bargain, yet alone by himself, so the entire team was elected as they negotiated a deal. The plan was to clear and or restrict the infestation, secure the lab and then they were to come back home.

“This is like our last mission but on steroids.” Yuuji mumbled into his hands. As the details unfurled, the situation seemed more bleak.

Transportation was one of the main issues. Taking a vessel could take weeks, that they clearly did not have. By air, it would be too long of a trip without refuel. They’d have to have several ships set up across the Atlantic. There were a few still up and running, but they were just getting by as well. They’d need to set up a way to trade provisions in order for things to go smoothly.

With this heavy news, Nanami was catching heat from his team, especially the three musketeers. Finding out they would be going on a month or so tour to aid Japan wasn’t what concerned them as much. But the timing and location were the second and third issue.

“Millions of people have travelled through Shibuya on a daily. Can you imagine how many were stuck there when everything shutdown? And you expect us to secure a building in a city teeming with those millions?!” Yuta exclaimed. His mind was factoring the sheer number of undead in a concentrated area like that.

“I expect for the job to get done.” Nanami retorted dryly.

“And then you want us to leave while [Y/N] is being threatened and blackmailed?” Toji rolled his neck annoyed that he was singled out like some bargaining chip and that you were threatened to the point you had to fight.

Bringing you up made the crew all erupt in defense for you, not wanting to leave without ensuring your safety first. For those three, they didn’t want to leave you at all, but there was no room to back out.

“For crying out loud, we aren’t the only soldiers here! There are other capable —“

“We’re highly recommended and the best trained out here and you know it, Sukuna.” Nanami quipped. They weren’t the only ones upset by the news. They weren’t the only ones with worries. “Gentleman, I’ll be taking this tour with you all. I just had a baby. My wife is going through postpartum—while trying to be a mother, while trying to work on a cure from the blood that she has to drain from her best friend daily who she has not seen in years, who mind you has gone through worse things than just this apocalypse. Do you know that my wife literally cries every night about this? Do you think that I’m a fool that wants to leave these women behind?” Nanami was sick and tied today.

Had the president not ran his mouth about Toji or the fact that they were working on your samples so soon, the pressure to utilize your blood supply along with him and his team’s involvement wouldn’t be so dire. He believed this trip wouldn’t have been a thing at least for a few months.

Yet, as much as they argued, the whole point of their mission from the beginning was to get to this exact point. No matter the cost.

 

Aggravated by current events, Sukuna dismissed himself early, claiming he was going to blow off some steam. The meeting wasn’t complete, but Nanami let him go. The most hot headed of the group, it was best to let him walk it off and get him caught up afterwards.

“Well, that went as well as I thought it would.” Nanami ran a hand down his irritated face after finishing the meeting with his team. “What?” He asked Geto who was staring blankly at his lead.

“This feels like a suicidal mission.” He had a distant and reserved look to him.

Another sigh left the blonde man, an even deeper scowl etched into his face. He hated that he agreed with his statement. A city that once thrived with millions a day skirting through, now was teeming with flesh eating dwellers at every corner. “We’re to go in and reinforce what they have to hold up against the undead. Then if all goes well, we’ll bring in our scientists to assist and get them started with the samples created and we get supplies in return. That’s the deal.”

“And who do you think will be testing out these samples?” Toji questioned while leaned against a wall. “Some deal this is.”

Nanami just gave him a look before resting his head into his hands. This was going to be tough news to break to his wife in the midst of things.

 

 

Making it back to the hall that intersected with sectors A1, S and A, you were trying to shake off your guards, especially Victor. He wouldn’t budge. If he wasn’t dropping you directly off at your room, he was not departing from you. He took Nanami’s orders very seriously and even more so his job.

“It’s not even like you’re getting paid!” You and Maki argued with him. She was still with you thankfully and it was best to have two heads butting against a stone wall like him. Walter had conceded to the wall, posting up against it while you three went back and forth. He knew better to argue with someone like Victor. And even more so women.

“What the h*ll is going on?” Sukuna grumbled walking up to Walter.

Alarmed at the new presence, Walter jumped before settling into a tense position. After dealing with the second most violent of the group, Toji, he didn’t want to have any problems with Sukuna. “J-just a little back and forth over nothing, really.”

“It is not nothing, Wallie! If anyone took their job seriously and obeyed orders,” Victor’s eyes swung back to you and Maki, “Neither one of us would be looking at each other’s mugs.”

“Good thing I’m here. Meetings over. You’re dismissed.” Sukuna held an air of authority that to you, looked really good on him. Those crimson eyes glided over to yours which you had to quickly blink away the lust that was held in them. Now was not the time.

Victor questioned it for a moment before deciding to leave your presence. He made sure to say that he would have details on your itinerary for the upcoming days as things would obviously be shifted from this day moving forward. He had no idea how right he would be.

“If the meetings done, that means Yuta is probably free…” Maki initiated the first words that had been spoken between the three of you once security departed. The silence was unbearable, so she had to escape it somehow. “I’m just gonna go check for him. Sukuna will make sure you get back to your room safely.” Making a getaway, she completely ignored your helpless looking eyes, mouthing you a simple ‘bye’ with a thumbs up before disappearing down the corridor.

Motioning for you to lead the way, he did just that, escorted you to your room and nothing else. Not a word was uttered the whole time. And it wasn’t that he was a man of few words because when he gets on a roll, Sukuna could be quite chatty.

Stopping in front of your door, you were hesitating to open it. Anxiety gripping at you. He looked mad when you made a quick glance at him earlier and you thought he was still holding a grudge from the week prior. ‘Or maybe because I didn’t specifically say I wanted a break to him personally.’ You both equally avoided each other, though your minds and hearts battled it out all seven days apart.

You didn’t want this to continue any longer. You wanted to speak to him. You wanted to apologize, but your stomach was doing flips, and your head was feeling dizzy. You think you were overwhelmed.

And for Sukuna, he could tell—smell that you weren’t alright. You had a lot happen to you today and all he wanted to do now was make sure you were okay. He had a lot of things to say, and didn’t know where to start. So much had happened and other things were going to happen too soon for his liking. He didn’t want to leave with things left unsaid.

But with your back turned to him and your hand resting against the doorknob, he figured you still didn’t wish to speak to him. Pivoting to leave, his brows shot up when he felt a strong tug halting him from leaving.

“Please talk to me, ‘kuna.” It was a quiet request that slipped over your quivering lips. It tugged harshly at his chest as it tightened at the sound, and especially when he seen your eyes tinged a pinkish red with unshed tears.

His fingers twitched and his lips pulled tight, not knowing what to do or say. Coddle you like he’s seen those idiots do before? Or does he hug you?

“You need to get inside.” It was because you had a long day and needed to rest that he said that. Truly he was thinking of your well-being.

“Only if you can come inside and talk to me.” You defied his request. No way was he going to brush you off.

“Geto said you wanted your space.” It was a question in his mind, but the way it came out, sounded like it was a statement.

“I want you in it.” Your sorrowful eyes tugged at him as he felt himself tugging you to him. You both looked apologetic and in need of each other, conveying a mutual message between you two.

Inside your room after a tearful reunion of locked lips and heavy panting (mostly on your part), you were fixing yourself up before settling next to a shirtless Sukuna on the couch.

“I want to apologize for what I said at the party. I’m still trying to figure myself out. Learning about what’s inside of me and how it affects everyone, not even just the people I care about, really rubbed me the wrong way.” You finally spoke up after a minute of silent petting, basking in the afterglow of making up.

“I’m sorry for the way I spoke to you. It kind of f*cked me up when you said you could manipulate us. As if you could mind control my or any one of our emotions for you.” He smirked at the sight of your pout, dipping his head down to kiss it off of you. “I just didn’t like the suggestion of not being able to choose you by myself.” His hand cascaded your form, gliding those curves and tough muscles before playing with your fingers.

“Did you really mean it about sharing… me?”

“Yes.” He said comically fast. “I had to share everything with Yuuji growing up and being back in this environment as a team brings me right back to what I’ve been avoiding. I don’t like sharing, but I can share… I’m not forcing you to choose. Especially now of all times.” He grumbled out the last part.

“Especially now? What’s up?” Questioning his sudden mood change through a yawn.

He quickly brushed it off, diverging to your incident earlier. “Don’t worry about it and take a nap, crybaby.” You giggled at the name, swatting at his figure.

After settling in his lap, you two chatted some more, surprisingly uninterrupted for a long time, you ended up taking a mini nap in his embrace before being roused from the thudding against your door.

“It’s probably those two.” Sukuna grumbled as he eased out of the comfort of your embrace and answered the door shirtless. It was in fact those two and he was satisfied with the looks of surprise, confusion and jealousy cross their faces.

They claimed that they were coming to check on you after their meeting ended. Wanting to share what Victor had unraveled about you essentially.

After hearing what has been going on in the background regarding the rumors you were involved in, it obviously overwhelmed you, but it made sense. The new perspective explained the various looks of lust, judgement and curiosity you had received. You knew that some were scientists, but not all of them could have been. Then recalling the conversations with Cory and his lunchmates and how they kept questioning you about you essentially. You wondered if they had ulterior motives as well.

“Doubt that.” Gojo interjected while fiddling with his shirt. He randomly took it off and you were promptly distracted. “It’s hot in here.” He said with a shrug. It wasn’t truly. Sukuna just didn’t put his shirt back on and he needed to show off. He knew you two made up in someway and he was hoping for the same. “Anyways, we’ll bring it up to Victor as it seems like he’s been the detective on the case.” Those bright grey’s rolled and you were transported to a time when you made them roll.

A throat cleared and you snapped out of your gutter bubble to see three distinct smirks.

“…shut up.” You bashfully muttered as your eyes shifted away in embarrassment from their gazes.

Genuine smiles broke across their faces, happy to see that they still had an effect on you. He cleared his throat again, garnering your attention and you saw this time that he had a more serious look to him. Vulnerable. Sensing that this was what they wanted to get at, you patted at the space beside you, signaling for him to sit.

White locks shook back and forth, denying your offer, to which Geto easily seated himself in. “I can see the little hickies from here and if I sit next to you now, I’d make it worse.” No lie was told. The man had a jealous streak and though it was unclear if you two had sex, you still had a little glow to you that insinuated that something happened. “Safe to say that you two made up.” He popped his lips with his hands on his hips standing across from you behind a coffee table. It was what was keeping him from pouncing on you.

 A certain look you contributed to a suspicious pout landed on his face to which you couldn’t help but to laugh. It seemed accusatory. It wasn’t often that his jealousy showed, but when it did, it was… cute.

“Are…are you… jealous, Satoru?” You said in between laughs. You only used his first name in intimate moments, so it caught him off guard, perked up and stuttering over an excuse, but you cut him off. “We didn’t have sex if that’s what this is about.”

Broad shoulders visibly relaxed which made you chuckle even further.

“Yes, we did. I don’t know why she said that.” Sukuna lied, smirking victoriously at Gojo’s sudden scowl.

“You liar!” Grabbing a pillow, you swung it at him, only for the special ops soldier who was well trained in hand-to-hand combat to dodge it. Snatching it from your hands and wrestling your wrists into one hand. This all done in one fluid movement. He tugged you, causing your body to fall forward into him. Awkwardly you were bent over his lap, butt swishing in the air as you tried to balance and pull from his grasp. Then, you felt cool hands on your ankles and unfortunately paused at the sensation before realizing what was happening.

Too late did you realize the predicament as your knees were pulled from under you, causing you to collapse. Twisting you over, rotisserie style, you were able to see that you were now restrained by both Geto and Sukuna.

“Ahh, Satoru~ This seems familiar right?” A devious smirk crossed that beautiful face of Geto’s.

You heard him hum and chancing a look at him, his eyes looked hungry. Ready to take a bite out of you. Several. “Can’t say I’m not down for watching this play out.” He licked his lips thinking over the option of not being an active participant.

Your head at once shot up to Sukuna, eyes pleading. “I thought you said you weren’t into this?!” Your tone quivered as your body shivered from Geto’s hands teasing up your legs, kissing and nibbling along your tights, those long fingers toyed with your waist band.

“That’s before I realized I’m some lying mindless robot.” He quirked his head at you, eyes full of mirth. He had to admit that his pants seemed a bit tighter in this scenario.

“Petty.” It slipped out of you, and that normally would have incurred some type of punishment from the pink-haired hunk, but all it did was create an air of laughter from them all. Releasing you, you gave yourself space, fanning the heat waves that crashed over you again. It was wild that your libido was up after what you and Sukuna just did.

“Relax, we’re not going to do anything to you. We just came to check on you…” Gojo faded off, it sounded like there was more. Which there was but he couldn’t say anything yet.

“Annddd…?” You tried to coax from him, looking at the others for a cue but they were looking at everything else. You frowned at their lack of attention. “I thought we would talk about us, honestly.”

He scratched at his temple and gave you a half smile. That was the idea until they got the news that they’d be shipping out to Japan in nearly a week. He shrugged, really at a loss for words, deflating in himself. “You said you wanted space, and we did that for a week. It sucked, but I think it was for the best. You needed it.” He deflected.

“Yeah, I did. But it really hurt to not see or speak to you guys. Worse than when y’all were out on your scavenger hunts.” You laughed which earned a few huffs from them. “But what we talked about at the party, and what Sukuna said as well makes me think that it’s unfair and really selfish if I ‘force’ us as a… grouped relationship.”

“Polyamorous is the word you’re looking for, hun.” Geto added smoothly to which you smiled at him appreciatively.

“Right… So, considering y’all’s feelings and opinions, I don’t want to put that pal-poll-poly um,” they snickered at your attempt, Gojo assisting you with the word. “I don’t want to put you guys into something that you don’t want.” You huffed, finally conveying yourself.

“Thanks for considering me, but like I said, I don’t mind those other two.” Gojo flipped his hand. Jealousy aside, it was only an issue when it came to things he didn’t have access to. Like right now for example, your skin between his teeth. And he did not care if it sounded as cannibalistic as the undead.

Geto shared the same sentiment, and Sukuna was adamant about not making you choose at that point.

“Well… in that case—“ Your stomach interrupted the deliberation. You grew embarrassed and curled inwardly at the taunting laughs that erupted.

“We can put a pause on this and revisit it later. Can’t think on an empty stomach. It’s about time to eat anyways.”

 

Dinner was interesting to say the least, no one could get near you with those three stationed at your hips and rear, not even security, essentially making them useless.

Seeing the four of you together brought lots of attention to you that the desire to blend in was no longer a possibility that you cared about; Going from dating, to ‘breaking up’, to seemingly back together again, the rumor mill was shook and you couldn’t care less. You just wanted to enjoy your time spent with them.

Enjoying your meal together with those three and your friends that night caused many to feel pretty stupid; choosing to mind their business now with your relationship status, they let that rumor die out immediately.

But while you were enjoying your meal in peace, the mill was being fed more information bringing to life a new monster.

 

Two best of friends were rooming together, one getting an earful from the other.

“You could have backed me up, Liam!” Cory sneered.

“I was knocked unconscious.” Liam mumbled with his mouth full. Sharing dinner with each other was interesting. For once Liam was the quiet one, still feeling a bit off from the one-sided fight while Cory was ranting almost nonstop. If there wasn’t food in his mouth, your name was, followed by a few choice words.

Now awake and alert, they had some visitors over for dinner, Roman having shared the news to friends, they couldn’t help but to be concerned for the two’s well-being. And eating up the attention, Cory couldn’t help but to exaggerate. Not being quiet in the slightest as he shared details Liam couldn’t confirm or deny as he was concussed.

The infirmary rarely had genuine patients, only those who had preexisting issues like Ren, or when soldiers came back from a supply run. Rare were the incidents that occurred due to infighting. So overhearing that you went crazy on him and attacked him for ‘no reason’ didn’t seem accurate given his known personality and Roman tried to point that out without setting his friend off.

For Alberta, the snoop, seeing you had come in with a bump, bruise, and a decent cut that she had to tend to, proved that you and him did have an altercation. ‘But if what Roman is insinuating that Cory is lying, then the question is why?’

The enigma that you were, what surrounded you also reinforced that question. Seeing you guarded by a special ops division of the military and security, as well as several important scientists hanging around you, clearly something special was there. Then hearing your name coming up over several different topics namely: experiment, mission, and cure, raised a lot of suspicion to Alberta, ultimately just adding more fuel to the fire. ‘What was so interesting about [Y/N]?’

After that confrontation from Ren and cryptic hints of your ‘true’ nature from Cory, Alberta had a reason why she was digging for your file in Utahime’s office.

All patients’ files were kept in the filing room, except for yours. Many knew this, and by many, Rachel (who has a vendetta against you because of Geto), and other envious nurses tried to look into said file that Dr. Utahime had carried around but could not find it, until now.

Searching carefully through the small office space, Alberta found a promising drawer. Sifting through it, she noticed one thick folder. Pulling it out, she thumbed through it, confused at the wording.

“Specimen? Experiment 128?” Her brows creased as she skimmed the words she had randomly opened to. She didn’t even bother flipping to the end with your image. For her, what she read was foreign and it didn’t look like it was what she was looking for.

“What are you doing in here?”

Jumping, Alberta dropped the folder with a loud plop, causing some of the papers to fly outwards. One page landing at the feet of the intruder.

“I’m..uh…” She stammered over her words while scrambling to put the contents back inside.

Bending down to snatch the paper up at her feet, the woman growled, a look of annoyance had crossed her face. “What are you doing with [Y/N]’s folder? Are you that jealous of her? Do any of you realize that is obsessive behavior, right?”

“Winona, please. I overheard…” She paused and looked at her coworker. “This is [Y/N]’s file?” Quickly gathering the belongings, she scrambled to stand upright while Winona, waved a page that held your image. You did not look nearly as healthy or as happy in the picture like you did in person, but it was clear that it was you. “This came from here?”

“Uh duh! Now why do you have it? Why are you—”

“Hush! I overheard Cory talking about her. He said something about this experiment and cure or whatever. She’s involved somehow. I just got curious.” Alberta explained while searching through the file's contents again.

“That girl can’t be no exper—oh… oh… no.” Flipping the image back over, the contents on the back read:

Subject: E-1-2-8

Facility: GeneXcell

Division: Experimentation

Blood Type: O

Zone: D

Room: C7

Function: Physiotherapy and Immunization

Slowly looking up at each other, Winona looked torn. She knew she shouldn’t go further. So many rules and violations were being broken from what they had done, yet alone discovered. But with the whispers of a search for a cure and you being in the midst of it, how could she not want to know more.

“We have a right to know who exactly is wandering around our home so freely.” Alberta rushed out, grasping for an excuse to bring Winona on her side.

“This could make a lot of trouble for everyone, Berta.” She tried to reason, but her body crept closer to the file, and instead of placing the page back inside, she pulled out familiar sheets that she knew were from their infirmary. It had Dr. Utahime’s signature all over them, along with her findings.

‘If anything, she’s trouble.’ Even with the facts unfolding before her, Alberta didn’t want to believe that you were innocent. That you were blameless. She needed a reason to keep hating you, because the truth would mean that she’d have to realize something about herself that few self-centered people could do.

“I can’t believe this.” The woman huffed in disbelief.

 

 

You felt so lethargic waking up which was surprising as you didn’t even get anything drawn from you last night. You ate regular portions too, yet your stomach felt hollow. “Maybe I should have taken Myera’s offer and had a little snack bar in here~” You whined stretching really big before contracting back, hissing at the pain in your chest. “Why do my boobs hurt?” You wondered to yourself while caressing them gently.

Brushing the thought off you got ready to pick out an outfit but halted when you heard banging on your door.

It was Victor with that itinerary he mentioned. You rolled your eyes snatching the paper from him. Labs were being prioritized, so they were going at the top of the list. All fun activities were postponed unless you had a chaperone such as Victor or Nanami as an example. Eating had been restricted. Reduced to half an hour, you immediately rejected that.

“It’s that or you can eat in your room. Take it or leave it.” His grumpy demeanor added to yours as you crumpled it up and threw it at him.

“I protected myself just fine yesterday; this is unnecessary!” You argued.

“These were my orders, whether you like it or not, chick. Get ready, you have breakfast in ten, and labs in forty. Don’t piss me off.” He threatened.

You glared at him. That was exactly what you were going to do.

Showering for twenty minutes instead, you jumped when you saw Victor sitting on your made bed with an outfit laid neatly across it. Underwear and bra to match.

“Wh-what are you doing in here!?” Shouting in shock and annoyance. You clutched the towel closer to you.

“I said be ready in ten, but since you like wasting your time, that’s on you. You now have twenty minutes to eat before you get your labs done.”

You scoffed. “I can just tell them to postpone it until I’m done eating.”

“They postponed one yesterday, what makes you think you’re skipping out on this one.” He challenged.

“They wouldn’t force me to do anything I don’t like. I have a say—“

“I have a say too, and I say, get dressed or I’ll get you dressed.” His eyes challenged you, eliciting a glint from yours.

‘Challenge accepted.’

. 

.

.

“You’re a pervert!” You screeched, hopelessly trying to fend off those rough hands that somehow man-handled you into your undergarments.

“I am not! Stop struggling!” He grunted, trying to force you into a shirt.

“You are too! You seen me naked!” Baring your teeth, you fought against him to no avail.

“And I ain’t like it!” You paused briefly, wondering if you should have taken offense to that. Taking a step back from you, chest heaving, he looked square in your eyes, clearly pissed off. “I’m gay—so this means nothing to me.” He spat rapidly while flicking a finger over your shocked form. He ran a hand through his shiny salt and pepper tresses wearily.

“You ain’t have to say it like that.” You murmured, looking away awkwardly. You were embarrassed and sheepishly started putting on the ensemble he had laid out for you.

“Clearly, I did since I’m dealing with a toddler! I shouldn’t have to wrangle a functioning adult into wearing clothes!” He sneered at you.

Mumbling an apology, you had finished slipping into the booties he had picked for you. You wouldn’t dare say it now, but the outfit was well put together.  Black boots, dark grey leggings and a sweater dress with cute fake bowtie buttons

You didn’t have time to look yourself over when he dragged you out of your room, but thankfully you were able to snatch your favorite fantasy book along for the journey.

 

“I want to go to the infirmary, Victor.” You spoke up.

“For what? Your arm’s healed. Plus, that’s scheduled for tomorrow.” His dark eyes secretly hovered over your arm, brows pinched slightly at the memory of seeing your smooth skin earlier. Never seen anything like it, except for in the movies and novels he dabbled in growing up.

You rolled your eyes, remembering the itinerary. “I have to give this to someone.” You gestured to the book in your hand.

“Do it tomorrow.” He brushed off.

“No, today. I want to do it today. I need to give this to them.” You said adamantly. “I’ll grab something for breakfast and eat while we head over to the tower.” You bargained trying to get on his better side.

It wasn’t priority, but he understood that you were trying to be reasonable here. Therefore, he permitted it, unknowingly escaping a growing mob.

 

 

In sector 8, you were surprised to overhear Myera and Utahime’s conversation with Ren. Standing just outside the door, you listened to Ren’s explanation about a certain nurse talking about you and how it got her worked up. Utahime and Myera appreciated her willingness to defend you but shouldn’t do it at the expense of her health.

“I will make sure to talk to my staff about this as well. They shouldn’t have been talking about other patients either. I’m sorry.” Utahime gave an apologetic look to Ren and Myera. Myera did mention that you were essentially being bullied by some of her staff but didn’t quite put them in their place.

“You just gonna stand there, ear hustling, or you gonna go in? You said this’ll be quick.” Victor’s voice loudly announced, ensuring that everyone within vicinity heard.

Meekly peeking your head in, you waved sheepishly to everyone.

Seeing Ren, you thought she looked better than when you saw her last, but still she looked drained.

She perked up however, seeing you at the door. Offering you a small wave and a weak smile, you returned an unsure one, looking between the doctors and her.

“How are you holding up, [Y/N]?” Myera asked, walking up to you with a sympathetic look.

“Fine, why?” You asked genuinely confused.

“Just thought that, ya know, with the fight and all…”

You waved her off. You were in a lot worse situations. This one was freeing in a way.

“As long as you’re alright. We were just checking on Ren. I’m sure you want to do the same so I will leave you to it.” Myera and Utahime left the room, grabbing Vincent who was standing by outside. They wanted to share what they talked about with him.

“I’m not going to stay long. I just wanted to check…” You faded off, ego and pride’s hands covering your mouth.

“I’m ok now. This isn’t new for me.” Her voice sounded smaller. Not as energetic and happy as it was in the library when she would pester you.

 “Yeah… so I was told.” Fiddling with the hem of your shirt, you were struggling to apologize to her.

“I’m sure you’re busy today, but before you go, I wanted to apologize.” Your brow creased. That should have been you. “I really didn’t mean to offend—“

“Why did you run for help?” Your face was scrunched in confusion and annoyance. You needed that to make sense to you.

“I..I just… I didn’t want to standby while someone was hurting you. I couldn’t do that again. I’m sorry—”

“No. That’s enough.” You cut her off, feeling guilt and humility snatching off the barricade against your mouth. “I’m… I’m the one that’s sorry.”

Genuine surprise came across her face. She wasn’t expecting an apology from you at all.

“I knew what you were trying to say the other day, but I was just so irritated, and I picked on anything that I could, which was you. That was wrong and I’m sorry.” You confessed.

“You don’t have to apologize—“

“But I do. Because I know better. Because I shouldn’t let what others have done effect how I treat people…. That includes you.” You looked at her with vulnerable eyes. Taking accountability here was hard to admit to, but the genuine gratitude that shown on REN’s once dull face made it worth it. “So I was um… here to check on you and pass this book on to you since I finished.” You meekly offered the worn material to her. She brightened and, in that moment, the bridge that she thought was damaged beyond repair, she dared to think that you two could be more than cordial. Even friends.

 

As promised, you were in the lab, argument free, right after the hospital visit. For whatever reason, Victor had directed you straight to the labs, stating that he would grab you a bite to eat instead. Your appetite did not appreciate the delay, but he claimed you put it on yourself, and it was best to get your heavy work out of the way. “It makes the reward so much more savory.” He had said while leaving you behind.

 

You were only with Choso, Muta and Miwa. You questioned it, why you didn’t see the other assistants like Cesco and Tina.

“They’re doing a little investigation with everyone.” Choso said easily, prepping your arm for an IV. Seeing you’re quirked brow, he continued, “Dr. Myera, MeiMei and Dr. Utahime are vetting who could have shared information with Cory given the details he knew on you.”

Mouth forming an ‘O’, you nodded in understanding thinking on who could have ran their mouth so easily. ‘Knowing Myera, she’ll probably tear them apart.’ You grimaced at the thought before the pricking of a needle drew your attention, watching the crimson liquid flow easily from you.

Getting your blood drawn was the easiest part of the day, getting nourishment for yourself seemed like the hardest part. Stomach feeling as if it was going to eat itself, you were impatiently wondering when Victor was coming back with your food after waiting an hour and a half.

Over the delay, you took advantage of the small crew; using a brief moment of where they were deeply engrossed in their work that you easily slipped out of their sights when their backs were turned.

In hindsight, every time you’ve snuck off, there was a consequence. Yet the starving hardhead that you were, did not care up until you were met with a blockade of rowdy citizens.

Having heard a mix of Cory and Liam’s misfortune and then Alberta sharing confidential information despite her co-worker’s forewarning, the news spread over night and like rapid fire into the morning.

There was a lot of disbelief amongst the masses, but mostly people were curious. It was the most “drama” they’ve had in months, and they couldn’t help but get riled up to know if you were the cure.

 

Making your way to the cafeteria, you were surprised to see that there were people arguing with security, yet alone Maki and Miguel. You couldn’t hear anything. It was just all noise, and you could see your friends being separated by the guards from the crowd as it grew rowdier. You were alarmed by the sight and a part of you almost went to defend them, but a finger pointed at you in a very accusatory way drawing the attention to you.

Heads swiveled to you, barely registering who you were before pushing past the guards, throwing your friends out of the way.

You stuttered backwards, they seemed frenzied for whatever reason and for that cause, you decided to run.

You weren’t sure where to, you just knew away from that horde.

For your stature, you had powerful quick legs that got you as far as the second tower before a dizzy spell hit you. You hadn’t had any food, and you honestly could have collapsed from all the exertion, but you stayed upright, leaning against the wall for support until you heard your name being called from behind.

It was Vincent, Todo and Yuta sprinting towards you.

“Get her in the president’s quarters, now!” Vincent barked and you were instantly whisked away by those two while Vincent stayed behind to face the symphony of feet storming his way.

At the head of the crowd was Maki, Miguel, Megumi, coming around the corner like sandlot, they were shortly followed by a few others that came in with Miguel from the community.

“All of you to the president’s office now!” Vincent waved them through. By then he was joined by a few other security that held the line so that when the hoard of irate civilians came up, they were at once halted in their tracks.

“Let us talk to her!”
“What are you hiding?”
“We have a right to know who’s staying with us!”

A series of questions and demands were thrown at them. They were so pushy to know what was going on with you and if there was a cure being made.

Victor was pissed. He wasn’t sure how this came to be, but one moment he was bringing your food back to the labs and the next he was receiving a call of a disturbance in the cafeteria and all hands-on deck was requested.

Everyone from the community was surrounded, being bombarded by questions they didn’t know how to answer. The soldiers were already there, having an early breakfast before another meeting with the president when they spotted several small groups of people walk over to certain tables.

Rogan, the man that patched up Toji on the road, stood up yelling a slew of profanities garnering plenty of attention. Then it was Louise at another table with a few others shouting for security as they too were approached by a group. The men went to help, splitting off. Megumi, Todo, Yuuji and Yuta took one side, Gojo, Geto, Sukuna and Toji took the other.

Maki and Miguel had their own issues having been confronted by Yuki alongside Nobara and Momo. They were asking if the rumors were true before Rogan popped off. Stumbling over an answer they couldn’t produce, the much-needed interruption couldn’t have come sooner, but it was fairly alarming.

Realizing the crowd was growing and the topic of discussion regarded you, there was a sense of danger hanging in the air. Wondering if in your whereabouts that you were safe came over them at once, as if it was some sort of hive-mind.

Finding Victor at the entrance of the café, they were surprised, having seen him a few minutes prior and he had told at least Gojo and Geto where you were since they were aware of your new schedule. Running up to him, they made him verify that you were safe while also offering to help with crowd control.

“Is this all because of the rumors about [Y/N]?” Yuki asked aloud looking at the chaos beginning to unfold before her. Maki gave her an apologetic look. There was no answer she could give without revealing something that was supposed to be kept secret. Apparently just mentioning your name garnered attention from a few others nearby and another small group converged on them, causing Yuta and Todo to break off.

“We gotta get them outta here!” Todo yelled, trying to get Toji’s attention while putting space between his friends. Overhearing some of what was said, Toji signaled his team with a whistle, signing for them to get those in trouble out of the mix.

Hence Todo and Yuta running into you on their way to secure a space of safety.

 

In the president’s office, you were seated hanging over the side of one of the armchairs listening to everyone fussing about what was going on. Your brain and stomach were at odds in the same way as the president and your friends.

“It’s classified information. None of what’s going on with her is their business.” The president argued, digging back into his seat with irritation. He didn’t even get to finish yet alone touch his food before they stormed into his office and made it a debate room. “How did this information even get out!?” He slammed a fist on the desk, causing his meal to clatter against the surface.

“We need to give them something. They’re practically rabid out there.” Yuta thumbed over his shoulder, huffing at how packed the hallways had gotten when he had gone back out there to help the others make it back safely. All the community members, other than Ren were escorted to a conference room on a floor below the president’s space. Maki and Miguel were exempt as they were directly involved with you and judging by your demeanor you needed some support.

A knock came at the door, before Victor entered looking pristine and pissed off. Following closely behind him was Geto huffing in exhaustion and annoyance.

Seeing fatigue written all over you, he made a B-line for you, paying everyone else no mind.

The president dismissing the formality, he looked at Victor expectantly who signaled for a moment of pause as he too made a B-line for you.

Bending in a short bow, Victor gave you a sympathetic look. Something you didn’t think was possible for the guy. “Apologies for the tardiness. Here’s your breakfast. It’s a little smushed however.” It was a quarter after twelve and your stomach made it known that it did not accept it. Pivoting to the president, he pointed to the untouched meal sitting idly on his desk, off to the side. “You’re not gonna eat that, right?”

“Uh… well I—” 

“You said you lost your appetite and you’re more than willing to give your food up for [Y/N], President Yoshinobu?” Yuta interjected with that false smile he had. “That is very kind.”

Closing his mouth, looking over to you, you were taking small bites of the sandwich Victor had given to you. You even looked a bit dull, not even the bit of sun shining in his office helped you glow. Sighing, he relinquished his provisions to you. “Yes. Please, [Y/N], eat.”

 

Patting your knee, Geto left you with an adoring smile before spinning on his heel and slamming his hands on the desk that separated him from throttling the old man’s neck. “We’re not leaving anywhere until it is guaranteed that she is safe.” His dark eyes pierced the old man to his seat. You had no idea he was referring to a mission in Japan, instead thinking that he meant you were all going to crash in the president’s office until that mob dissipated.

Just then, Myera crashed into the room, her eyes stuttered between you and the president. Unsure of who or what to address first. You gave her a thumbs up, actually asking her if she was good, but to her, you seemed in decent shape. Icy eyes seared into the president’s head, and he already had it held in his hands tiredly.

“You’re gonna ship them off to the middle of Shibuya and think that’s remotely smart?” Your friend’s face was a vibrant tinge of red. You hadn’t seen that color on her since you two met and she was crying like a baby.

A croaky groan trudged out of the wrinkled body before you. “Do you want to run this facility?! Do any of you?! I’ll have you, ALL of you know that this was out of my hands.”

“Was any of it in your hands to begin with?!” She rebutted. “I’ll be d*mned if I let you send the father of my child across the Pacific Ocean! Yet, alone have my best friend mauled out there!”

Face full of confusion, your head snapped to Geto who’s look was blank. It was really withheld, because truthfully, he wasn’t ready to delve into what he felt. Right then, he just wanted to be neutral. But it was hard when you looked at him like that. He simply mouthed that he would tell you later.

 

There was a lot of back and forth. Victor stepping in between the president and everyone else that was against him. Nanami had made it in time to get Myera to calm down, only taking her out of the room for a few minutes for her to walk back in with quiet sniffles. You almost wondered what was said but opted to focus on what was prevalent.

President Yoshinobu did not want to give up any information, regarding the Shibuya incident or you. Regardless of the information having been leaked, and the people outside demanding answers.

“Why not just answer their questions?” You grumbled rubbing your full stomach. Had the nerve to cramp on you after getting exactly what it desired.

“It could put a lot of things at risk.” His point being that someone would try to take control by using you as some type of bargaining chip, which was not far off from what Cory had attempted.

“You’re already at risk of an uprising, and [Y/N] was already endangered. You waiting around for a third time?” Maki interjected to which Yuta gave a nod to.

Beady eyes glared at her, considering her words.

“President, I have to agree here. I say, we give them what they want. They’re drawing their own conclusions, and the outcome was what caused this and yesterday. So let’s tell them the truth. The whole truth, even of Cory.” Victor rebutted. He may not have been in a role like President Yoshinobu, but he knew it was best to draw the people in by overfeeding their gluttonous appetites for gossip. Give them exactly what they wanted in so much detail that they’ll be sick with themselves.

“That… that might actually work.”

 

After a brief interlude and having calmed the masses with the promises of their questions being answered, you were all in the conference room with the community refugees. They all gave you wary looks, more of concern for you than having a distaste for you like before.

With the information given, you were all told what was going to be said. Someone had gathered the crowd into the warehouse as it could hold everyone with enough room to breathe. Those who didn’t want to know stayed away, while the rest waited, eagerly sharing misinformation in the meantime.

You didn’t step foot into the warehouse, waiting just behind a sealed door. You were peeking through the window, trying to gather their emotions. At first glance, many held a look of confusion, anger and annoyance. Some even held smirks, thinking that what they thought of you was true. At second glance, when you had peeked again, you noticed many shocked faces, some looked disturbed and others in disbelief. By the last glance, many people’s heads were hung in shame, some looked tearful. Others with even more disgust. You could not have possibly known that it was with themselves more than it being with you.

“I think you can go out there.” Todo had said while giving a thumbs up in front of the window. He was signaling to Vincent who had waved to him to bring you out.

“No!” You squeaked, anxiety suddenly gripping you. Why should you be on display for ridicule and hate?

“We’ll be with you. Come on.” He extended his hand. “We’ll beat up anyone that says something bad, alright?” He joked with you.

Coaxing you out after a few minutes, the silence that echoed inside those towering walls surprisingly shook you, or maybe it was how chilly it was out there.

Seeing the crowd before you, a shaky hand waved back at them feebly.

“Is everything they said true?” A burly man you recalled being named Roman asked. “How can we be sure that you are capable of the things that they say?” Just because they saw the tissue from Toji after showing his once infected wound, they still wanted more concrete evidence.

“You said she could heal even after being infected. How can you prove that?” A woman had asked.

“If I may.” Victor interjected, extending his hand to you to which you nodded shortly. Gently he grasped your arm, and a short bout of cool air wisped across your exposed skin, sleeve now bunched at the elbow. He held it up, eyes scanning the crowd. “As we have said, a squabble happened between her and a civilian yesterday. They both left with scars. Hers was here on her forearm.” He bent it to show everyone. His eyes narrowed in on a few of the nurses. “I’m sure many of you can verify that she did come to the infirmary yesterday to receive treatment.” A few of those heads had nodded in confirmation, one in particular had stood up. “Now we’re not going to infect her on purpose like we’re some wack job to prove anyone’s point here, but the fact of the matter is that this verifies she can heal. Rapidly at that. So, there is your proof. Take it or leave it.” He eyed Roman and the woman who remained standing.

“He’s telling the truth! I was the one who tended to her. It’s true… It’s all true.” Tears poured down her enflamed cheeks. She looked pale in the face and her hand shakily went to her mouth as she gulped down the saliva collecting in her throat. She felt ready to puke. “I’m so sorry... I have to go.” She excused herself as she clambered over the surrounding people to get away from the mirror of truth. ‘I can’t believe she’s really an experiment!’

 

Many people left after her departure having the same sentiment. Some still in disbelief. Only a few remained asking peculiar questions, truly wondering if Toji had adopted any of your traits. Wondering if they were transferable because some of them sounded cool. The ability to see at night was a hit among the younger men. And it quickly became a superhero topic and that was where Myera and President Yoshinobu settled everything down, dispersing the crowd and dismissing the gossip about you.

 

 

Seemingly out of the woods as everyone tried to digest what was revealed, you were happily whisked away by Geto, Sukuna and Gojo. You were happy, those residual jitters twinkling away, making room for those butterflies to flutter.

A cool breeze fluttered through, caressing the skin of all it touched while the sun set its rays on you. It was getting ready to set, creating a beautiful array of colors against the sky and your skin. As you smelled the fresh air of nature with the saltiness of the water nearby you let out a gentle breath, feeling liberated. No longer having to keep yourself a secret.

However, there was a looming cloud ready to shroud the light beaming from you.

“Oh, right! What was that about Shibuya earlier, Geto?” Dark pupils and bright blues watched the sparkles in your eyes bounce curiously between them. That warm smile combined with the setting sun’s orange hue over you was a pleasant sight. One that they’d miss for a while.

“Ahh~ There’s that beautiful smile.” One had said just above a whisper, lips descending to your cheek to refrain from saying those three syllables.

You giggled, pecking his cheek, pushing out of his embrace and stumbling into the other. A cool pointed nose nuzzled into your neck, eliciting a squeal. Grasp tightening around your waist, you heard a big inhale of air before hot breath cradled around your neck, making you wish more could come of this, like a hand sliding its way around your throat.

“I don’t think they managed to put this scent in a bottle. My faves the honey, cause nothin’s sweeter, but the berries can really give it a run for its money.” Bronze cheeks flushed at his words and the affection that came with it. “I’m gonna miss it.”

Pulling back, you were looking into worried blues. “What do you mean?”

“We have a campaign.”

“Campaign?” Tilting your head in confusion. You were thinking politics and billboards and tv commercials, but you were pretty sure that was not what they meant.

Large hands slid over your shoulders. Rubbing circles into them. You heard a sigh overhead. “It means we’re heading off to Japan...”

You scowled, pursing your lips. Your body was already rejecting what was said before you could form your own words.

“The president is hoping that by sending us, there’ll be a trading deal from this.” Sukuna’s voice was gravelly and as distant as he was, standing several feet away.

“Trading?” Everything out of you seemed to only be a question. “Trading what? Your lives?”

“Their facility was overrun and it’s the best one in the world. They want viable samples. It can’t wait, [Y/N].” Gojo explained further.

“When?” There was a burning sensation seeping into your head.

“By… by the end of the week.” Geto’s voice sounded despondent, and low as he spoke into the back of your head. If you remembered correctly, it was Tuesday.

Your eyebrows shot up, stuck in the air, the spark in your eyes being replaced by the reflection of the fading light. “How long?”

“A while… 3 months at least according to what Nanami shared today.” Behind the scenes, Nanami and the president had discussed more about the mission which their lead had relayed to them earlier in the day.

Your stomach flipped, gone were those butterflies along with your happiness. Tears poured down your cheeks unprompted.

“I know.” Gojo cooed, hugging you into him. He squeezed tighter as your sniffles trickled in, burying your face into his shirt. “Don’t cry, baby girl.” You couldn’t help the emotions tumbling out of you. He hated seeing you cry. He couldn’t fix this immediately. Not with the money he once had. Not scavenging for anything when they ran for supplies. There definitely wasn’t any kind of flirtation that could happen to cheer you up now.

“Look don’t get yourself worked up. We could be back sooner than you think.” Geto halfheartedly said, coming up behind you to pet your head, smoothing a hand down your back as you tried to stop the sniveling.

“Don’t go rushing to get yourselves killed!” You whipped around on him, a finger wagging in his face.

“Hey, we won’t.” You spun around back to Gojo making sure he promised the same thing, but then you saw his tear-stained grey shirt with a hideous facial figure on it. You weren’t sure why, but you burst into laughter, cheering the two up a bit. “Since we’re free for the next couple of days, we wanted to spend it with you and make up for the lost time, but we’re gonna have to prepare in between now.”

“Aww.” You hummed, showcasing sadness and appreciation. “That is so sweet!” You cried even more.

“Your mood swings are wild.” Sukuna grumbled as he looked over to the three of you.

Finally acknowledging the quieted pinkette, you stormed over to him, gripping his collar, he allowed himself to be brought down to your level. He cocked a challenging brow before settling it. That fiery teary-eyed look would always be his undoing. Just like the other day.

“Why are you far away and quiet?” You looked over his face as he scoffed, not looking at you directly.

“I just spoke a second ago.” He murmured. His ears flushed a shade of red as he looked deeply into your eyes as you clung to him. His hands twitched at his side. He wanted to hold you but refrained. After revealing something he’s been thinking about for a while, he’s sure you’ll leave him be.

You looked at him expectantly and he sighed. “…. I have something to tell you.” He looked pouty, though his brows were frowning in annoyance.

“What is it?” You asked softly, stroking is pink tresses gently, and he rumbled within himself. It felt so good. The warmth of your smile. The combing of your fingers. It even smelled so good. The honey, the lemon, the berries. He was going to miss it even beforehand.

“I’m pretty sure I’m havin’ a kid.” He cleared his throat awkwardly.

He did not expect the laughter. Especially for how long it lasted. It felt taunting and he couldn’t help the little growl that slipped out when he questioned you.

“I’m sorry, but you of all people having a kid is funny, because you’ve been swearing up and down that you were getting off scotch free.” You were now holding onto him for support, and he scoffed, rolling his eyes at you.

“Good thing we didn’t make a bet.” Gojo chimed in, watching you sober up.

“Who is it? Was it Fei?” Geto asked, because he had secretly made a bet with Toji behind their backs.

“Nah… it’s no one from the medical wing.” He quickly looked at the two before looking back to your doe eyes. To his surprise, they weren’t scathing. They weren’t judgmental, deceitful or conniving. Each word his negative thoughts created was the opposite as he looked upon you. Yet his brain refused to accept what that could mean.

“Thank you for telling me.” Your voice just above a whisper, basically communicating to him that everything was okay without saying that. He definitely wasn’t expecting to be thanked. To be appreciated for something so small as telling the truth.

“Umm… you’re welcome?” Sukuna didn’t know what was going on. He held your hands, squatting to your height. His hand touched your forehead to assess if you had a fever. “Are you okay? Are you sick?” You giggled at him fussing over you. It was rare.

“Wait, then who is it?” Geto hummed in question a little dejected that he lost the bet in a sense.

“None of your—“

“It’s Ren from the community, right? She works in the library; she’s in the medical wing now for her heart condition.” You had babbled out the information without a thought.

“Ho-how did you…?” Crimson eyes looked around wondering how you could have known.

“I was in the library often and she wouldn’t stop talking to me. Kinda became friends and she brought up a drunken one-night stand with a brutish pink-haired individual.” You shrugged nonchalantly and his shoulders drooped at the lackluster reveal.

“So you knew this entire time?!” Thick fingers twitched at your sides, wanting to grip you closer out of frustration.

“I wouldn’t say that I knew; it just made sense.” You explained with a flip of your hand. As far as you were concerned, this was all previous interactions before you came into the picture.

“You’re not mad?” He murmured to you, dumbfounded.

“Nope.” You popped the ‘P’; an easy-going smile sitting across your face, before it turned into a pout. “The only thing I’m mad about is the stupid restrictions y’all have placed.” Finally acknowledging the heat between your legs.

“Good news is that we’re unbanned, and on speaking terms with plenty of the staff in Sector 8, I’ll have you know.” Gojo sauntered up behind you. Resting his chin on your shoulder, you could hear the suggestiveness in his tone. “It’s safe to say restrictions are lifted.”

“I call dibs first~” Geto said with a victorious grin, snatching you up and hauling you over his shoulder. You couldn’t hear the objections through your fit of giggles and squeals, being jostled along the way down from the roof top.

 

Leading up to Saturday, every day you had spent time with them, and each night you’d help one pack for their travels. Definitely not distracting them at all or delaying their need to leave.

The day of departure was brutal. You flooded everyone’s senses with your emotions as it was hard to keep it together. The hugs and kisses were not enough to appease the impending void you were feeling. The anxiety you were feeling. And everyone felt the same way. Given the details of what Shibuya’s current state was, the looks of fear and worry you seen in the men’s eyes in secret were going to haunt you until they made it back.

“If they make it back.” Myera had muttered into one of Nanami’s shirts, trying to ease her greatest fear by inhaling her lover’s scent, much like those three did with you up until their departure. “We still don’t even know if they landed yet and it’s been like two weeks!” She started to snivel.

“They will and when they are able to get communications back, we will know. They went down, remember? I don’t want to think of anything bleak so soon.” You patted her head in a soothing manner. Someone had to be strong here.

“This is what it must have felt like when we made those three scavenge for supplies… this is exactly what I get.” She muttered to herself.

You tilted your head in confusion. “What was that?”

Glossy and apologetic amber eyes looked at you forlornly, full of guilt and sadness. “I just want you to know I am so sorry, okay? I had your best interest in mind.” Your eyes fluttered over her face, incredibly confused and slightly alarmed as to why she was apologizing suddenly. “I helped Utahime with that task list for Gojo, Geto and Sukuna. I was part of the reason they were gone so much. I just didn’t feel like you—they were suitable partners at the time, but I—”

“Excuse me?” You blinked at her in disbelief, hurt settling over your features. “And who do you think you are to have that opinion as if you went out there to risk your life and rescue me with your bare hands. Teaching me how to take care of myself and showing me compassion that I hadn’t received in years! Treating me like a human being. Talking to me. You didn’t talk to me. About any of that. You just went ahead and did your best educated guess like the brainiacs you scientists are!” The way you spat scientists out made her visibly shrink back, hurt at the jab.

You decidedly took a step back to give you two some space. You were getting riled up from feeling slightly backstabbed. You knew the intention was supposed to mean well. “But while you got to sleep and wake up to your man every day and night, I had nothing. Nobody. They were out there once again risking themselves, and you wanna know what Sukuna said? They did that all for me. They swallowed their pride and ego to play along with you and Utahime’s little scheme, just for me. And you have the nerve to try to judge them as unsuitable.” You scoffed, hurt by the one person that was supposed to be in your corner. But now you weren’t sure, replaying all the encounters you had with her when they were around and even brought up in conversation.

She tried to apologize, but with the way you were at that moment, you needed some space.

And tried as you may to keep that distance, it was hard.

History now exposed; you were already sick of the attention. Overly friendly greetings and forced conversations with everyone that once scorned you. You hated it, especially with the ones that would try to find any concrete reason to keep hating on you. Unable to admit to themselves that they were in fact just bitter.

You could always tell who was who; people like Penny and Raquel exposed themselves too easily. They’d bombard you with questions that were already answered, repeating themselves like parrots. Penny, the tactless dunce, had the nerve to cheer that she was right in thinking you weren’t smart enough to be a scientist. But you were smart enough to leave the conversation wordlessly, having them stand in place stupefied.

Realizing that you just can’t please certain people even at this day and age, you forced yourself to stay around others, like Ren since you were still stone-walling Myera. And that was tough. You didn’t have hate for Ren anymore. You actually grew fond of her and dared to say closer. The thing about Ren was that she yapped, a lot. The girl even talked in her sleep the one time you caught her dozing off in a nook of the library. In the time you busied yourself when you would normally be around Myera, you were instead helping Ren in the library. Or going on walks with her, slowly but surely building a pathway to a good friendship.

Though in a way it seemed fake. You were only getting closer to her because you were staying away from your best friend. Truth be told, no one could replace that kind of friendship, and you knew you couldn’t make one like that again.

You knew you couldn’t keep avoiding her forever.

The two of you were like family. Her parents had always made you feel right at home. And she too, welcomed you with open arms and a snotty nose. Despite the years of not knowing if the other was alive, you two flowed right back into each other’s lives. The pain you were both experiencing now shouldn’t be handled alone. And you knew that.

Hearts in need of healing, you concluded that you should make amends with her. She was always down the hall. She was frequently supervising the labs. You had to make amends, especially because it was hard to stay mad at a rosy cheeked, puffy eyed alien standing in front of you apologizing profusely.

You needed to make amends, because someone got bit, and she was the only one that could allow for you to treat them.

Notes:

I'm winding down not gonna hold ( "-_-) BUT I'm still excited to finish this. Soooo close~

Thanks for reading! Have a blessed holiday and be safe!

Chapter 28: Twentyeight

Summary:

Humpty Dumpty had a great fall

Notes:

That awkward moment when author almost deletes a chapter instead of adding one... I be trippn yall, my fault 😅

Anyways Enjoy The Read~

Cory hated doing work. For someone as fit as he looked, the guy was lazy and if he could take the lighter load or just slack off in general, he would 100% of the time. Having that in mind is what led many to make him work with the scavengers. The same work that Sukuna, Geto and Gojo had done but to a harsher degree. Their journeys were longer, because the surrounding area was picked clean which meant the scavenge had to be further out.

It was general consensus that Cory was scum after hearing his piss poor attempt at using you like a bargaining chip for worthless gain. He was made a social outcast as soon as he was able to croak after the damage done to his throat. Never mind if he had a concussion. Liam got off light, considered someone dragged into the fight plus his brain still in recovery, he had to clean the warehouse top to bottom. A light sentence in comparison.

 

On the way back, just a few hours away from home, a pit stop was needed. One expired can of corn had done the driver in.

“Cory, check perim.” His lead instructed. And in response the orange top kissed his teeth, grumbling that it wasn’t necessary. “And you can check it twice.”

“Yes, sir.” He mumbled, taking his time around the small building that they’ve checked out every time they went out. It was always clear. At least that is what a teammate had shared.

After rounding it two times, he came back to his leader who was sitting idly with the team snacking on granola.

“Cleared, sir.” Cory spoke, walking up to them. He saw his lead’s hand wisp around in a circle, stopping him in his tracks.

“Third times the charm.” He said coolly. Chucking a granola bar at the angered man.

Catching it midair, he crushed it in his hand while marching off, out of sight.

He decided to slack off. Taking advantage of his meal, now crushed. He thought since they were sitting around idly, he could too. He was tired of the constant mistreatment from everyone. Ignoring or giving him the cold shoulder. Speaking behind his back and shunning him. Cory felt wronged. That they didn’t see to reason. What he was trying to do was going to benefit others, just as soon as he got his.

The benefit of slacking off for Cory was that he missed the zombie that had wandered by. Attracted by the distressing noises of his ailing comrade, it had stumbled upon the brooding orange head. Too stuck inside his ego, he didn’t get a chance to defend himself without receiving a sizable bite to the shoulder.

Terrified screaming, fearful and worried eyes and an endless plea for his life, Cory and his team were racing back home in hopes that he could be saved.

 

You were with Ren humming idly to a tune you had in your head. She was having a check up after her procedure, confirming the baby’s health as well. You were awestruck when seeing it’s heartbeat pumping on the monitor. Such a surreal experience that you thanked her for wanting to share a moment like that with you. You had shared that you didn’t think you could have kids, given everything that had happened to you, which led to the invitation which you did not deny.

When the nurse had left, she thanked you for coming with her.

“You don’t have to do that. Stop.” You gave her a look before you two burst into giggles.

“It’s better than an apology.” And you had to agree there because you were getting tired of the long speeches of excuses that kept coming up whenever a stranger wanted to apologize to you for having a part in the rumors that were spread.

“…Can I make a selfish request?” Ren shyly asked. You quirked a brow at her sudden timidness. She was just speaking normally, and now she was back to being shy. “Could… I want you to be this baby’s godmother when I die.”

Your brows shot up in surprise before dipping into a frown. “You’re not… don’t say that.” Ignoring her request. You barely knew her. She couldn’t just claim death so soon. Not at her age.

She gave you a knowing look accompanied with a small smile. “It’s okay. I’ve had this my entire life and I’m okay with it.”

You shook your head. In denial. “You’re too young and it’s too soon to say such a thing, Ren. You can’t get out of being a parent just yet!” You scolded her lightly to which she huffed in laughter, fading into a soft smile. Staring each other down. Anxious eyes against hopeful ones. “…why me?” You countered.

She fixed her lips between her teeth. Brows knitting together in thought. “Logically, you’re the only option. Morally, it’s very selfish and I apologize for this… but you’re always going to be protected. It’s guaranteed and by extension whoever is around you. As a mother, that is my base feeling. If I can do only one thing before I go, it’s to make sure this baby has the best chance of survival.”

It was a tall ask. Selfish like she said, but it was honorable in it’s own right. You weren’t sure if you were good with kids though as the only baby you had a good rapport with was Myera’s. But you still wondered if that should count? She had help from her husband and others, but would you get the same? Your thoughts began to spiral, before a warm hand reached out and laid itself on you gently.

“Give yourself better credit.”

“Give your body more time. It’ll bounce back.” You found yourself countering her, unable to say ‘no’ outright; but also you weren’t trying to accept her idea of succumbing to her illness. It was too soon. “Just wait ‘til you get that little bundle in your arms and you’re gonna spring right up!” You instead encouraged through the doubt.

She gave a half-hearted smile, wondering if she had been too hasty in her request, but your two’s anxious thoughts were trampled over by the racquet outside of the room.

Peeking out, you saw a crowd had formed down the hall by the entrance. Taking a look back at a curious looking Ren, you made a motion for her to stay put, sneaking up to the front area. The nurses were all looking ahead fearfully, hands covering gaping mouths.

Through the gaps you spotted a few soldiers, they looked grim, huffing and shouting nonsense over the incessant groaning that was hard to locate. You were wondering where it came from before you caught a glimpse of dark orange hair. Getting a better look, you seen that the once luscious and shiny tresses were matted, glued to the face of a paled Cory. You noticed the patchwork job that was done on his shoulder. From where you stood you could see dark veins sprouting from that area. Telltale signs of infection.

 

“Please get back to safety; this area has now been quarantined.” Spinning around, you saw security storming in along with a few scientists rushing behind them. There were three. Xavier, Deagan, and Terra. Those three had worked specifically with the virus before everything shut down, so they were the most experienced in this case.

But you had the best experience out of anyone with the virus, so you weren’t backing away. Wanting to be front and center, you stayed put. Your defiance knew no bounds here. This technically was your territory and area of expertise (sort of) but the guards did not see it that way and stormed up to you.

“You back off of her right now!” Victor marched in with Utahime, Myera, MeiMei and Choso in tow. Pivoting on his heel, he settled a stern look upon you while scolding you off to the side. “Can you listen, girl?”

“I wanna see what’s going on.” You shrugged. He gave you a look as if to say, ‘this was no joking manner.’ “I wanna see if I can help in some way…” You trailed. Maybe that would give more incentive to letting you past those doors.

 

“We don’t have enough time to warm them.” MeiMei’s voice had entered your ears as Victor led you closer.

“And even if we did, we can’t know for sure if it’ll work!” Utahime was biting her thumb nail anxiously tapping her foot at the ground, mimicking Choso’s erratic behavior. He was nervous about the whole situation.

Myera was the only one who looked collected out of the group. But in reality, her mind was doing gymnastics; split between a lack of sleep from stress, having been restless since you two weren’t on speaking terms since that morning, plus having no contact with her man from over two weeks ago, that beautiful brain was working in overdrive.

“We have to try it on infected blood for results and his is in fact infected.” She halfway processed.

“It’s locked away, frozen and needs to be thawed, I don’t know if we have the time—” MeiMei began when Xavier rushed out of the doors.

“Please tell me we’ve made a decision. He has a fever of 105 and his blood pressure is off the charts. Dr. Utahime we need your best nurses to get it down now.” Xavier fired off, walking up to the deliberation.

“We haven’t decided yet, but my best nurses—take Linda and Zava. They’re the most levelheaded.” She pointed a dainty finger to two women who stood not that far off, trying to overhear what was going on much like you.

“What? We don’t have time. He needs that blood now.” The man emphasized, frustration littering his tone. He called out the two nurses, quickly pointing them in the right direction to have Deagan and Terra instruct them as they knew only the basics when it came to administering medicines.

“We’re not sure it’s going to work, Xavier!” MeiMei exasperated. “We’d waste a vial AND he could still die.”

Stepping up closer, shrugging off Victor’s hand (respectfully), you garnered their attention. “What about me?”

Their heads snapped to you, Myera doing a double take from your sudden existence; she shook her head immediately in denial. A unanimous ‘NO’ was declared in unison as they tried, yet failed to dismiss you.

“It’s for a fact that my blood, unaltered by your machines, has helped. It doesn’t need to be warmed and it’s readily available.” You reasoned, looking at Choso for back up.

“That is true,” He sighed, scratching at his head uncomfortably. “But that doesn’t mean that we should put you at risk. You know this is risky?”

“What’s the worse that could happen? He turns and bites me, like so many other zombies have?” Arms crossed in defiance; they couldn’t help but agree. “Still here~”

“She has a point.” Xavier said. “I say we use her. She’s offering and it’s do or die, people.” He parted ways from the small group, leaving them with little time to spare with a life hanging in the balance.

“[Y/N], I don’t know if I-We can risk you like that for… one life.” Myera muttered before you four. Despite her feelings of vitriol for the man, she genuinely wasn’t trying to stall for his death, she was apprehensive was all, especially because she couldn’t go beyond those doors with you. She couldn’t be separated from her baby for long. But she didn’t want you separated from her for long either. The ‘what ifs’ attacked her, but a decision had to be made.

“It’s a life that I can save, right?” A smirk tugged at the corner of your lips as you felt an eery calmness settle over you, knowing you were going to win this little debate. “Plus, this will change a lot of perspectives with the rest of this compound, something that we’ve wanted.”

“She’s right. There’s still a lot of skepticism and doing this could really change things for the better. And if it makes you feel any better, I’ll stay with her.” Choso said nodding to Vincent who also agreed that he would stay close by, easing Myera’s concerns, giving you the ‘okay’ to proceed.

 

 

A live transfusion for the infected. New and never done before, it was nerve wracking, for everyone around, even Choso as he had technically done this before, minus you physically being there.

They stabilized a delirious Cory and prepped him for the transfusion. While you sat out of the way, prepped and ready to go. You found yourself a little giddy, finally spectating for once. Though you hid your excitement behind a sympathetic smile or a stoic demeanor. You didn’t want to give away anything.

“Time to prove yourself, girlie. You’ve truly blown my mind. I don’t know too many people that would donate their blood to someone that they tried to kill due to blackmailing.” Victor sauntered up to you, patting your shoulder like a proud father. You stifled your laughter, thinking that if you showed even an ounce of how you truly felt, they’d deem you insane and stop the procedure.

“If he makes it back from this, I just better see him groveling, and everyone owes you an apology and then some.” One of the nurses said.

“Please, no more apologies.” You said dismissively.

“No, they’re warranted. Honestly, from everything that you’ve been through, it’s a wonder that you’re not a villain.” The other had said while attaching the IV to an unconscious Cory.

“You’re not the only person who’s said that.” You chirped, throwing a smirk their way before your eyes dragged back to Cory. You didn’t want to miss a second of this.

 

You all waited with bated breath. It took a while, but the most notable change was nothing at all. He was quiet. Stable with even breaths. He had vomited prior, causing great alarm as it had splashed on the nurses and Deagon causing a quick commotion that resulted in hazmat suits.

It was somewhat comical seeing everyone decked out in a thick rubber-like suit while you were in regular clothes sitting sideways in a chair, kicking your feet absently.

Victor checked on you occasionally with Choso and Mei in rotation. It was sweet, but annoying after a while.

“For the thousandth time I’m fine, just bored and stuck here.” You pouted staring at Cory with a dull look, wondering if the scientists had many moments like this with their experiments.

His vitals had come back to a suitable degree. Still not quite out of the red but creeping closer to orange was the best scenario in that case. That must have counted for something?

Eventually his eyes opened, slowly. Lethargic in manner. It was just the nurses and Victor to witness the eerie smile that broke across your face when you noticed his eyes on you.

“He’s awake!” Linda had gasped, looking at you with a sigh of relief. Victor standing just outside the doorframe, awaiting Choso’s return quickly spun around, readying himself to defend you, but he saw the excitement in your eyes. Not relief. Your smile was not of the same gratitude that the others had, but instead creepy in nature. Like this was fun for you, but as quickly as he saw it, it disappeared. He questioned it in the back of his mind, making quick eye contact with the nurses who were more interested in getting Cory to respond than to decipher what they may have misinterpreted.

“Someone get the others!” One had shouted.

“Can you speak, Cory? Can you hear us?” A light shone in his dull green eyes, causing tears to spring up. A deep and slow groan emanated from within the man’s chest. It sounded strained. “His movements are slow. Even his pupils are retracting at a snail’s pace.” Linda identified.

“The paralysis must have set in, huh.” You interjected, appearing behind her as she urgently took note of the vitals.

“Uh… should you be standing right now?” She said uncomfortably. You were oddly close.

“Why don’t you have a seat, [Y/N]?” Victor interjected, walking up to you to guide you back to the chair you were in.

“Aww. It was getting a bit stiff sitting in that chair, ya know.” You stretched, idly hovering beside Cory who’s eyes slowly glided over towards you. “Just need a light stretch. I couldn’t be stuck in that position for so long. It’d drive me crazy.” Your eyes lit up when you noticed Cory’s eyes had finally managed to look at you. “Oh, but I guess that’s a little different in your case, Cory.”

When the others made it back, they had deduced that his lack of response was indeed the paralysis trait that had now completely immobilized him. He could only manage a small hum, and they had to listen intently for it before he went completely silent.

“Good news is that it looks like his veins have lightened and have receded back to the …source.” MeiMei had to swallow some bile as she prodded at the sludge like substance that oozed out in varying sized bubbles. “Um… [Y/N]? It’s been about 2 pints now. You’re good to stop and head to your room. I’m sure you’re tired. You didn’t even eat.” She tried to persuade. The ball of stress that was in them all finally unwound itself; A small moment of relief that brought about slouched shoulders.

“I think Toji only had one pint, right?” You said distractedly. You weren’t trying to go anywhere, even if you didn’t eat. “If it’s two pints, I wonder how long he’ll be stuck like this?”

Those thin and finely white brows drew together. The thought dawned on them, Toji did say he was paralyzed for a while, and Choso confirmed that he only used a pint. That wash of relief drained away as they were suddenly tense again.

 

 

Tears poured down rosy cheeks. Amber eyes full of joy, relief and sadness. A mixture of emotions as Dr. Nanami sat with a crooked smile, blubbering at the screen.

Contact.

They finally made contact.

The sight before her was of the love of her life who’s eyes held the same adoration and mix of emotions as his counterpart, yet externally was the picture definition of exhaustion.

“It worked! My love. The samples worked.” The first thing that came out of his mouth to his wife. Nanami’s hysterical chuckles were felt through the screen, and she couldn’t help in joining in. “Many mentioned numbness, and Sukuna said there was tingling for him –don’t tell [Y/N] he was infected. That was his request however, I agree with it.” He rambled, excited and also just too tired to stop. “We were skeptical at first that we’d receive backup, but when we got here, the Japanese and Russian team were welcoming us. China finally came last week and quickly worked to get the power back on. We’re planning on getting to their lab soon.” He looked thoroughly pleased, sitting back in his seat with a contemplative look. “How’s my girls?” He asked, finally slowing down.

“Baby girl was fussy last night, but that was my fault. Stressed and couldn’t sleep.” Pressing further, he got the information out of her emotional week plus today’s turmoil.

“It’s seeming like it’s going to be tough for a while for the both of us, but you’ve been doing great thus far. I have faith in you, you’ve already made up with her and we know that Cory’s doing better.” He consoled, trying to encourage her as best he could through the screen. He scratched at his brow, wondering if he could dare ask Myera to convince you to donate more after this.

“My love, I have a fav—” The slamming of a door off screen caused Nanami’s head to spin, losing the question in the air.

“Is that HQ?”
“You talkin’ to the president?”

A series of rapid-fire questions rounded off at their lead before several figures entered the screen.

“Oh, it’s your lady. Hey.” Toji’s two fingers twitched in the air.

Happy to see even him, her smile was bright and full of relief at the sight of everyone. Though a familiar tattooed wrist in the corner of the screen caught her eye causing her to grimace slightly. She had to call him out.

“I don’t plan on keeping this from her for long, Sukuna. You have to tell her for the next call… are you alright?” Voice full of concern, she bit at her lip anxiously, not wanting to keep anymore secrets from you.

He huffed in annoyance, deciding in himself that he ‘wasn’t gonna tell you sh*t’, but just confirmed that he was doing fine. “Got me on the thigh… Can’t believe she took a bite for me back then, and so many others before. Sh*t really hurt.” He grumbled while looking at his leg with you in mind. In a way, you saved him again and he found himself thinking about you more intently. “Where is she?” Hesitant in seeing you at that point, he was really unsure if he wanted to see you in his current state.

“Let me guess. Giving blood or eating a hole through the kitchen.” Yuuji joked to which he received a quick swat from Sukuna.

“I mean a transfusion would count as giving blood.” She shrugged, smiling awkwardly at their sunken faces. “Cory got bit.” She explained the situation and how you were currently giving him blood as they spoke.

“Why didn’t you guys use the samples there? Aren’t you still making them?” One had questioned.

“Didn’t have time to warm or prep and we weren’t sure if it would work at that point. But regardless she volunteered herself, surprisingly. I mean, Cory of all people… I don’t think he deserved to die, but uhh…” Myera looked off to the side skeptically. Many of them shared the same viewpoint.

A chuckle slowly emanated from between the scarred lip man, drawing the attention of everyone around him. “I’d like to think she offered to do it on purpose because she knows it would paralyze him. Now that’s torturous which he does deserve.” Toji smirked proudly.

 

 

Deciding on taking shifts to watch Cory overnight, you were made to quarantine before they let you out. Rather to be safe than sorry, you had been sent to your designated room, a little bit past the occupied ones that held the soldiers. Showing no signs other than exhaustion, they were all cleared to go except the one with food poisoning. “Bro code” made them stay behind however to see Cory pull through as well as their sick comrade. They may have thought he was a piece of crap, but he was a part of their team. A few soldiers had stepped out to thank you for helping when they passed Cory’s room earlier on. To them it was a form of an apology for all the things that had happened.

And this you were happy with since no one had specifically apologized again.

In the idleness of your stay, those eyelids closed briefly, dozing off for a bit before those ravenous grumbles aroused you. You awoke to a meal next to you, a written note from Myera perched neatly beside it. It stated that everyone had landed in Japan and things were progressing in the right direction. There was good news that the samples you had given were a success and the warmth that filled your chest tingled down to your toes as you fluttered them in excitement, even more so when you read that there’d be another call later on in the week for you to join and see everyone.

At the end of the letter was a request made by Nanami for more of your blood to be sent since the samples had worked so well and they anticipated more injuries to accumulate so they wanted to take preemptive measures, as well as utilizing your donations for mass production of a cure.

Too excited to go back to sleep, you chanced a look out of your room. The rooms had their curtains drawn and behind a few, you could hear light snoring. Quietly, you crept down the hall to the dimly lit room. Since you were alert, you wanted someone to talk to and figured if that someone was watching Cory. Yet, to your pleasant surprise, he was unattended.

Sauntering up to the bed, you watched the rise and fall of his chest, reaching a hand out to touch him. You took notice of his skin no longer holding a sweaty sheen, instead it was dry and warm to the touch, not as hot as it was earlier; you nodded in observation much like the scientists from back then.

You hummed a light tune as you studied him some more, double checking to see if there was anyone coming back anytime soon, you chanced a quick peek at his eyes. “Coorryy~ You up?” You asked innocently while lifting a lid, only to let it snap back into place. “Guess ya can’t answer that, huh. Wanna know something funny? If they just tested a sample, you’d been fine instead of paralyzed for… well… whooo knows how long. That’s what I tried to hint at earlier.” Your voice was soft and light over the air, with a hint of thrill in it as you leant on his chest with your elbows gingerly.

“I was trying to tell you, that you’ll be stuck like this for a while. No movement whatsoever. Restricted and confined to this bed. To this room. To this monitor with it’s incessant beeping. I’ll have you know I’ve gone through this so many times over—for years actually. Maybe you knew that when you went dumpster diving for dirt on me.” The last bit came out with a little bite as you pushed off of him, making yourself comfortable to watch the heart monitor. It was kind of mesmerizing.

“So let’s test your knowledge. We can go over my life at GeneXcell since we’re gonna be here awhile. Feel free to chime in with whatever you know.” You giggled softly, not wanting to attract attention. “Did you know that at the age of 16 I was sold by my foster parent –I’m an orphan btw—to the institution called GeneXcell? No? Nothing? Anyways, when I got out of there, you would have thought that seeing people being torn apart would be traumatic, and not that it wasn’t but honestly, I think I got past it quickly. Maybe from all the physical and mental abuse I suffered over those seven years, did do something to me. Like being electrocuted to death. That was NOT fun… hmm but maybe it numbed me to the chaos that is today. Maybe that’s the silver lining here?” By now you were sitting on the bed kicking your feet happily as if going down this memory lane was entertaining.

“I tell ya what… I enjoyed my small bouts of alone time out in the world away from people. Zombies are still easier to deal with. Aside from the biting and clawing, that’s all they got to them really. Humans, these things that apparently have functioning brains and beating hearts. These things that are capable of logic and emotions… they’re deceptive—like Tanaka.” You bit your lip thinking of that false smile of his. “They’re manipulative, like Mahito. Dictating, like Naoya. Dehumanizing like those scientists. And Conniving, like you. You should have just minded your business. Ya know, I wanted to blend in when I got here. Start new. Contribute to this huge working machine that makes this place run. I wanted to make friends because the only one I ever had was Myera and she’s married with a beautiful kid. So, my time with her is limited. I feel like I was able to make some with the few months I’ve been here, but it’s been hard keeping this secret of mine. I should thank you for allowing me the opportunity to free myself of the lies I had to create. Can’t build anything real on a lie… like that peace treaty you called a lunch.” You couldn’t help the chuckle that bubbled out of you.

“Why on earth would I have ever eaten pb&j, pudding and a soda together?! What type of combination is that? I know food is hard to come by, which is why I didn’t toss the tray initially, but never fix a plate for me ever again.” You had to stifle your laughter because it was getting out of hand. You looked back to see if there was anyone and you were surprised that this entire time no one had come by. So much for intervals. “I didn’t mean to try to kill you specifically. Honestly, I just saw a monster. Worse than those zombies out there. All those names I said earlier, you were all the same. Monsters like them need to be put down. You should’ve minded your business, Cory. Now you’re paying for it. See what happens when you get to close to the sun? But hey, now you can say we have something in common. We both got bit and healed. Though I’ve experienced it multiple times in comparison. I can tell you all about it, if these people keep giving us time. I can share with you in great detail like you wanted, right? Speechless? That’s high praise. So my first bite waasss….”

 

You didn’t stop talking until your body signaled you for sleep. Cutting your words off with a yawn, you stretched, standing up, thoroughly happy with yourself. You saw a dim twinkle exit by his eyes; daring to lean over, you gasped lightly by his head. “Was my story that compelling that it brought tears?” You smiled to yourself, before your face settled into a look of victory. “I don’t know if you were awake for any of that, but I hope my voice haunts your dreams. Cory, when you make it out of this, be a better person. Don’t try to get yourself killed by lofty dreams like trying to conquer the world or an entire headquarter. And please… please stop f*cking with me. It would suck if you had to take up permanent residence in here or worse.” Content with yourself, you headed out the door, only to stop short, grabbing your chest in surprise.

“I knew—I mean I knew you couldn’t be all sunshine and rainbows. That was some psychopath sh*t there, niña.” Victor had side eyed you. He was just outside the room, posted up listening to your soliloquy. He didn’t want to admit that he was proud and gave you a bunch of brownie points in his book. And he wasn’t the only one there thinking the same thing either. Xavier had been a witness alongside the nurse, Linda on the opposite side behind you shell shocked.

You were easily nicknamed Jekyll and Hyde after that night.

 

 

“If they need more samples, I’ll givem samples!” Determination ignited within you, you strictly told your lab assistants to bleed you dry, in which they refused for obvious reasons all while giving you an incredulous look. You gave them about 40 pints of your blood over the next month. With Nanami’s request, you were more than willing to meet, if not exceed demand, especially after Myera shared to you that Sukuna got bit. You went through several emotions but ultimately knew that the soldiers went over seas to battle it out with a great number of undead. You knew they couldn’t all come out unscathed, you just hoped that they all came back home.

Taking a total of two pints each day as the average person only donated once every few weeks, you felt accomplished. Invigorated. They were able to secure the lab as Nanami had planned and by that time, a second team made it over with more samples. Japan’s lab was now up and running. This was such great news because if things kept running smoothly, then that’d mean your soldiers could come home sooner. For now, you had to settle with the promise of speaking to your dream boats later on that evening. You couldn’t wait to show off the top that Gojo got you. A pretty gradient of blue because he loved the contrast against your skin, it fit you well, though it was a little snug around the breast area. You wouldn’t complain, you liked giving them a little eye candy when you could.

Only talking to them a handful of times, you didn’t want to miss this chance. They called at random hours where you’d be asleep, having dozed off from donating or you would be in the middle of donating. The time difference was a bummer, but tonight, you were determined to see them. No more interruptions.

“This should be more than enough for our team to work with over there.” MeiMei smiled triumphantly. “How do you feel?”

A simple thumbs up is all that you gave her; you were focused on the slightly blurred edges and the hollowed pit in your stomach. Your appetite would increase greatly after every withdrawal. It only made sense because you were doing double the pull daily, yet today you’d consider it to be at least triple that as you had marrow taken. Thankfully, this ravenous feeling only came about once a week when you’d do this.

“We’re all done. We can head to lunch now.” Choso extended an arm for you to hold on to. The first time you had two pints drawn from you, you were a bit dizzy, but it cleared up immediately when they gave you food. Same thing every day leading up. For marrow it was the same. Last week when it was pulled, you were good to go. Now, you could imagine your own surprise when the world tilted when you got up and missed Choso’s arm, completely slipping off the chair and landing in a heap on the floor, completely unconscious.

 

The panic.

Several persons tended to your unconscious form while Choso caught Dr. Utahime up to speed and all together his breath. Sprinting from the basement of the second tower to the opposite side of the compound was no easy feat.

“She’s stable, just unconscious. She should wake soon.” Dr. Utahime spoke soothingly to Myera who was going to burn a hole through your head if she didn’t take a break from watching you.

“Do you think we took too much?” She whimpered at the thought of losing you.

“We’ve done the same thing all month. Nothing changed with our procedures.” Mei Mei interjected as she stood by the door scouring your bloodwork chart with what they had recorded. Two different sheets of information and nothing stood out. Your levels were all in the higher range which was normal for you rather than the average human.

Unwilling to leave your side, Myera stayed put even when she had to feed her child, handing her off to MeiMei when she fell asleep. She didn’t want you left alone despite having many visitors stopping by while you were comatose.

There was an incessant beeping that aroused you from your sleep, mildly increasing the headache you had. You grunted, trying to sit up, stomach feeling queasy.

Just then, Dr. Utahime walked in. “Oh, great! You’re awake. Take it easy… how are you feeling?” She asked, helping you sit up. Myera was already adjusting your bedding, trying to make you comfortable.

“Like crap.” You mumbled, holding a part of your head.

“You collapsed earlier and hit your head. Do you remember what you were doing?” Utahime went right into work mode, checking you over and explaining what occurred. For now, it was unclear what the cause was directly, but they would find out soon enough. In the meantime, you were being tended to by Myera.

“Here’s dinner.” Her feet pattered quickly across the floor, wheeling a bedside table over your lap before placing the meal in front of you. “It’s potato soup, crackers an—”

You interrupted her from gagging. The smell of the soup made your stomach punch inwards, and you quickly pushed it away.

“What’s going on?” She quickly placed it down away from you and gave you some water, patting your back in comfort.

Shrugging in confusion, you said, “I don’t know. My stomach just flipped at the smell, and it made the headache worse.” You dragged a hand across your face. “Ah, wait, I had a call with them! What ti—"

“You weren’t conscious, honey. I’m sorry. The president took the call instead.” Myera’s face pouted as she saw the sadness form in your eyes.

“Noooo!” You whined; devastated at the news, tears started to prick in the corners of your eyes as you sniffled lightly.

“Aww, don’t cry. You can reschedule a talk with them again. We just want to make sure you’re stable first. You scared us, girl. You never did this before.” A soft tissue dabbed gently at your eyes.

You argued that you were fine, though another dry heave drove by and extinguished that declaration real quick.

“Exactly, you need to stay here for a bit longer until everything’s settled.” Amber eyes looked pointedly at your stomach. “Did you eat something bad prior?” Thinking back, you had a decent lunch and breakfast, and nothing tasted foul. “Or maybe it could have been a side effect from the anesthesia. Do you recall feeling like this the last time?”

You shook your head no, laying back into your pillows with a saddened look. “Well actually, I have been feeling dizzy and nauseous even when you guys take blood.” Forgetting that you felt that way regardless of having it drawn. Mind too focused on helping across seas, the days kind of blurred. You were often too tired to even keep track.

“Then maybe we go back down to once a day. Two might have been too much. Maybe once every other day. Let’s not push it.” She said softly looking over you worriedly.

“Yes, mom.” You drawled, giving her a little smirk.

 

“Knock, Knock.” A light voice entered your ears and you seen that it was Ren with a book in hand. “I came by as soon as I heard.” It was early morning; breakfast was still being made.

“Jeez, can’t hold water, the lot of y’all.” You quipped, sitting up in the bed, an easy smirk laid across your face.

“I’m sure plenty of people would talk after seeing Choso frantically running with you in his arms. A lot of people are worried about you.”

“A lot of nosey people, you mean.” Scoffing, you rolled your eyes. Even after the exposure to the entire compound and Cory being healed entirely of his wound, people still wanted to know more about you. It was so weird. You did exactly what was said of you. Healing from zombie bites. What more could they want?

“A lot of people are appreciative of you and what you’ve been doing.” She came up to the couch and sat gingerly on it, book clutched to her chest.

“Yeah, now they’re like that. Before they were ready to tear me apart. No need to kiss up to me now. I was planning on helping others regardless of their view of me.” Leaning over to the bedside chair, you grabbed your pants and shirt, changing from the gown you were wearing. Ren looked down in understanding and slight guilt. “Aht! Don’t do that. We are past that now.” You warned, before flicking your eyes to the book in her hand.

Brightening up, she quickly agreed. “Right! Uh, I brought you this book to read to pass time here, but it seems like you’re preparing to leave.” She tilted her head, looking at you curiously as you jumped into the jeans Myera brought.

“Well yeah, if these things would come up! Ugh, these just fit me the other day!” You plopped down on the bed, breasts bouncing a bit, causing you to grab them tenderly. “Ow.” You hissed.

“You alright?”

Frowning, you nodded, studying a pair of scrub pants that were situated on top of the cabinet where they kept the blankets.

 

“What do you think you’re doing?” Dr. Utahime asked bewildered with your best friend beside her with the same look. They were not expecting to see you on top of a chair in your underwear, with Ren behind you to catch you in case you fell.

“Grabbing pants.” You said this as if it were obvious. “You honestly didn’t want the pregnant lady up here, right?” Sarcastic in tone, you gave a cheeky grin before snatching the pants and hopping down.

“I wouldn’t want either of you up there.” They sighed, Myera pinching between her eyes. “What was wrong with the pants I grabbed you?”

“They don’t fit.” You deadpanned for a moment before slipping into the baggy material.

“You just wore them the other day?”

“That’s what I’m saying!” You huffed, hands fooling with the strings of the pants. Amber eyes looked over you amused at your frustration barely taking notice of the bloating you had.

“Well, we’re still looking into what caused this, but I agree with taking it easy and not donating as much as you have.” Dr. Utahime informed you, discharging you from the room.

 

Walking out you seen Victor posted against the wall outside of the center. The threat to your safety had seemingly died overnight so there wasn’t any need for his presence as much. Hearing the news of you passing out made ol’ cold hearted Victor worried, having stayed close by to see if you would walk out anytime soon.

“What are you doing here?” A wide grin greeted him as he smirked to you in return.

“Standing guard just in case you tried to escape against doctor’s orders… You alright?” He questioned scanning your face. You hummed in return, nodding along. He nodded back and greeted the other women.

“Aww you were worried about me?” You teased. His dark eyes rolled, scanning you up and down, but they got stuck at your pants, a thick peppered brow quirked upwards. “You ain’t gotta make that face! My pants shrunk.”

“No, you stopped working out!” He argued. “I had you on a regimen and look at you. Not even two weeks!” Now you two started bickering over his strict itinerary before being interrupted by Maki, with a few others in tow.

“What are you guys arguing about this time?” Nobara smirked.

“Itinerary.” Ren and Myera said in unison to which you swung your head at them. It was clear that this was a normal occurrence between you and Victor. Having grown a fondness for you, this was his way to communicate that he cared about you.

“What’s with the scrubs?” Momo asked, head tilting from side to side.

“Laziness.”
“Pants shrunk.” You two snapped your heads towards each other. Eyes challenging one another, the same argument ensued for the day.

 

 

A yawn escaped the exhausted man.

“A good way to keep the sleep at bay is to tell an interesting story. Got one for me?” Cesco asked Choso who was blinking slowly at the pages of labs you had recently.

“…No…” Choso mumbled out, grabbing two random sheets. Cesco smirked at him fondly. He had to admit that Choso was a hardworking, honest to good man. Maybe too hard on himself.

“That’s fine. I have one. There was a friend of mine who was a snake breeder. All sorts of beautiful colors she had them in too.” A fond smile crossed Cesco’s face as he shared a piece of his past. “My favorite was the hognoses, little pig nosed things. I had to get one with no spots. It was so cute, and they have this little defense. Like a possum, they play dead and poor Tina didn’t know that they did that at that time. So she took him out of his cage, and he wouldn’t move. She placed him down and ran to get her phone to call me—man I miss phones—anyways the thing is, at that time we were also pet sitting for that snake breeder friend. It was a brown spotted female, and mine was a white male. So she’s on the phone frantic, not knowing anything about the little trickster, comes back and the little sh*t was gone. Turned the home upside down looking for him. Finally found him in the female’s enclosure.” Cesco chuckled at the dazed expression that Choso held.

“Story’s almost done kid, keep up! So thinking nothing of it, we separate them, and we give the friend back her snake. The following year, my friend says that she thinks her snake is mixed with something because she keeps laying a small portion of spotless snakes when the male she mated her with had red spots. A whole year later. I told her it had to be my little guy when he faked my wife out back then. My friend wasn’t too mad—worked out profit wise! But the neat thing about this, is that some reptiles can have multiple mates and can hold onto DNA for years, though I think mammals are a few weeks to a couple months. So interesting.”

“M’yeah...” Choso blinked slowly, eyes stained red from fatigue.

“Choso, why don’t you take a nap. Get some rest.” Cesco said, tapping his pen against the table they were seated at. Located in the observation room, they had rewatched your treatment several times over with Myera and then MeiMei to see if there was a cause for your reaction. Not finding anything there, they were now scouring the lab results. After a while, the data all looked the same.

“I’m alright.” He yawned, looking back and forth at the pages in his hand. “…It all looks the same.”

“That’s because these are the same page. You grabbed my packet. Mixing up data. Not good.” Cesco chided lightly. “Go rest. See your friends. Your girlfriend. At the very least, the back of your eyelids. A half an hour minimum.” He gave a pointed look to which Choso nodded absently to.

Getting up with a long over-due stretch, Choso left with that bit of information hanging loosely at the edge of his mind.

 

 

You were depressed and irritable. Not only did you miss the phone call, but you also missed how your clothes fit comfortably around you. You felt so bloated everywhere. Nothing was fitting you like it did a of couple weeks ago. “I really can’t miss a day of gym.” You grumbled to yourself thinking about Victor being right.

Trudging out of your sector, you passed by A1 feeling your chest tighten at how long they were going to be away. Despite the calls that were too few and far in between, you missed them. You missed being around them. Hearing their voices. The teasing. The compliments. You thought of the shirt Gojo sent in which you wanted him to see you in, yet you passed out, missing out on his reaction. Tears started to form and before you could steel yourself, you heard your name being called. Turning to see a sleep deprived Choso and worried Yuki beside him, you couldn’t help but to burst at their questions of concern.

“I-I miss them!” You bawled between them as they swarmed you in a hug. “I missed their call all because I freaking passed out!” You stamped.

“We miss our friends to—”
“That was a weird accid—"

“An-and-and Victor was right!” You bitterly admitted. “I do need his itinerary! I can’t fit anything! All my clothes shrunk, and I can barely fit the shirt Gojo got me which he couldn’t even see me wear because I passed out!” You bawled, spiraling in your woes.  

“Oh dear… you’ve been through a lot.” She patted your head lightly, smiling softly at your misfortune. “Why don’t you lay down and reset. I’ll make sure to get you bigger clothes, okay?”

“…okay… I’m hungry.” You whimpered as your stomach announced itself in agreement. Clearly going through it, you wished them a farewell saying that you’re just emotionally sensitive right now and after you eat, you should be fine.

Looking at each other in concern, they let you be to yourself and continued with what they were doing.

On his way back from the labs, he ran into Yuki and some teammates that went on runs with her. Seeing how exhausted he was, she parted ways with them to walk him back to his room.

Laying down together, she played in his hair, kissing him sweetly as he relaxed under her touch.

“It was so random. That never happened with her before. I couldn’t catch her.” His face frowned, full of guilt at letting you collapse.

“That is not your fault. It was just an accident, that hopefully won’t happen again. You seen how she was. She’s okay, albeit a bit hysterical, but okay.” She chuckled lowly at the end. “Did you guys figure out what may have been the cause?”

He hummed in denial, snuggling into her further. “All the data showed was the same numbers. Nothing too low or high discounting the blood count since we were taking double every day.” He sighed heavily, running a hand through his dark hair. “It could have been the anesthesia, but we’re not sure.” He shrugged nonchalantly, looking at her with a half-smile. “But I did find out a fun fact that animals—specifically snakes in this case, can hold sperm for years and with multiple mates.”

“And what a fun fact that is. But I think some sleep will do you some good, handsome.” Kissing the top of his head, she rested her chin against it, shutting her eyes along with him. “And probably [Y/N] too. The poor thing is acting as emotional as the other pregnant women. I think she’s been around Ren too much.” A short chuff left her at the thought. “Can you imagine, [Y/N] pregnant? Oh my—who would be the dad?”

“She doesn’t have periods so she can’t get pregnant.” Choso spoke sleepily.

Body stiffening against him, his head slid from under her, seeing her saddened face. “I… don’t think that’s right. I mean maybe for her given what she’s been through, but women can still have kids regardless of an irregul—" Yuki tried to explain, but Choso shot up looking at her with crazed eyes. “W-what?!”

“What if she’s pregnant?!”

“Huh?” Yuki asked bewildered at the sudden change in mood. He wasn’t this hyper moments ago.

Dashing out of the bed, he started pacing, rambling over the numbers he recalled seeing, but the one important count he couldn’t recall. In his fog, it escaped him. “I have to go back to the lab.” He searched hurriedly for his clothes, throwing them on wildly.

“Don’t you need to rest?” Yuki got up, following his lead and rushed to put on her clothes.

“I’ll rest when we have an answer.” Kissing her abruptly, he promptly left her dazed and flustered.

 

Along his trip to the dungeon, he looked like a crazed scientist; Hair flowing wildly around him. Mei Mei nearly ran the opposite direction when he shouted her name, sprinting to her. It didn’t help that he was pale in the face with red tinged irises coupled with a concerning dark under eye.

“Ah…uh Choso. Cesco said you went for a nap.” She crossed her arms, looking him over with concern. “Go rest.”

“What if she’s pregnant?” It was as if he didn’t hear her words at all.

“No. No.” Holding a hand up to stop his line of thinking. “That’s already been handled between Myera and Utahime.”

“I didn’t know they tested for that.” Choso deflated, fatigue washing over him again. His shoulders sagged and he huffed, feeling foolish for his antics.

“Please sleep. Don’t beat yourself into the ground trying to figure things out on your own.” A gentle hand rested on his shoulder.

“Do I hear a lecture?” A teasing voice sounded behind them.

“Dr. Utahime.” They both greeted.

“Don’t beat him up too much. I have use for him in the infirmary too!” She smiled kindly at him, also patting his shoulder.

MeiMei explained how he was still concerned for your well-being and couldn’t resist trying to find out the cause of your mishap. Giving him a sympathetic look, Dr. Utahime repeated the same sentiment that others have been saying all day.

“Thank you. I know. I will get some sleep. It was just me and Yuki were discussing [Y/N] not having a period and I said that she couldn’t get pregnant.” He started to ramble, but Utahime cut him off.

“Well, that’s not the case for everyone.” Utahime held her chin in her hand as she thought back to that conversation she had with you months ago.

“Which is what Yuki said. So I had a ‘what if’ moment, but Mei said you and Myera cleared that all up.”

There was a blank look on her face to which they both questioned. “Our one and only machine was down at the time when I saw her so there wasn’t an ultrasound done, but the normal test came back negative… I can’t say anything now, months later.” She blinked skeptically. The thought that they’ve been bleeding you dry on top of injecting you with medicines and you could be carrying was a terrifying thought.

They slammed into each other, brains trying to reconfigure themselves as they tried to decide where to go.

“I’ll go check her charts in my office and then I’ll be down at the labs. Sound good?” Utahime rushed out as the two threw a thumbs up at the woman before rushing to the tower.

 

“You’re back sooner than I thought, and you look unhinged.” Cesco had said, laying a stack of papers neatly on the table.

“Are those her files from this week, Ces?” He nodded in confirmation to MeiMei, smile faltering as the two dove for the pile, sifting through them hazardously.

“Whaaat is going on?”

“We didn’t check her labs properly.” Mei Mei said, biting her lip as she flipped fervently through the papers. “Found it.” Mei’s voice whispered harshly as she rested the paper to cover her face as guilt washed over her.

 

“What’s the rush?” Myera asked Dr. Utahime as she saw the small woman rushing towards her with a thick file in hand.

“W-well uh… just come!” Utahime sputtered unable to form words correctly. Her mind was running things back. It just didn’t seem right, so as they descended to the dungeon, she relayed the conversation to your best friend.

An incredulous look covered her face as she practically sprinted to the labs, outrunning poor Utahime.

Huffing, leaning on the door frame of the observatory room, she observed the disastrous state of the room. File cabinets were left open, folders were strewn everywhere, while Mei was sitting, head facing the ceiling with a sheet of paper covering her face, arms dangling to the side. Poor Cesco was trying not to rip the rest of his hair out as he trailed behind the mad scientist that was Choso. He fit the part, looking like he was trying to crack the Davinci code as he flipped through several packets circling random data.

“What am I looking at?” Myera gritted through her teeth, seeing “her” observatory in shambles.

“A high number of hCG levels.” Mei mumbled under the sheet.

“37,429 mIU/ml on the day of her fainting.” Choso mumbled still looking through the files. He wanted to go back as far as possible to see when this started.

“No way.” Myera mumbled, walking over to the sheet that Mei had held out for her to grab. Snatching it from her flimsy grasp, amber eyes could have pierced through the high number. It didn’t make sense.

“I guess this isn’t needed.” Utahime huffed plopping the file on the messy table before eyeing Choso’s handy work.

“Wait, that’s odd.” Utahime pointed out two of the data sheets. “These are for the same day, but one’s far higher than the other.”

“Lemme see.” Choso snatched up the sheets, eyes darting between the two quickly. While he flipped through the packets, Utahime flipped through her file on you, back tracking to that date of when she checked you out. It was only off by two days and as she had claimed you tested negative for being pregnant, so how did you have a fluctuation back then?

Pondering for a moment, Myera reread one of the packets. “It says this is the blood that you drew, Choso.” A tan, dainty finger pointed at the small font.

“So what she was pregnant and then she wasn’t?” Choso asked in his wired state.

“She was when you were in the community.” Myera muttered, letting the revelation sink in. She rubbed her overworked temples distraught at the news.

A small gasp left Utahime’s lips, realization coming to her. “So what she mentioned before… that wasn’t her period.” Myera shook her head solemnly.

Brain drawing slow to the cause, it took a second, but Choso finally caught on.

“She had a miscarriage.”

 

Notes:

How was everyone's new year? Pray that it was safe and a wonderful time! I had a great time... forgot my phone at home, but had fun all the same 🤪🥳

Anyways thanks for reading~ Have a great and blessed week/end!💕

Chapter 29: Twentynine

Summary:

Oh Baby! :o

Notes:

I was on vacay y’all and paid for internet that didn’t give me access to the internet 🙃🫠 I had fun disconnecting tho so there’s that~
Anyways, enjoy the read y’all <3 And have a blessed week/end!

“We have to tell them that we can’t give them any more blood supply. They need to make do with what they have.” Myera demanded, face pleading with the president, giving no room for pushback.

Sighing heavily, he looked at her exasperated. “Was her passing out that detrimental?” It sounded careless, callous even. But it was not intended, he even paid you a visit when you were unconscious, leaving behind some flowers.

“She’s pregnant. We can’t take anymore from her than we already have.” A tan hand rubbed at her temple, pushing the stray curls out of the way in a small bout of frustration and guilt. She had already cried about it earlier.

Sitting up straight, he perched his elbows on the desk, fixing her with a look. “I beg your pardon?” He couldn’t believe his ears.

A trading agreement had already been made, your samples for food and extra provisions. They needed their supplies for the winter that was coming. He knew he would have to get on a conference call with Nanami soon to resort a deal. This couldn’t be worse timing. You were all heading into winter. The outdoor garden wouldn’t produce anything for a while, and the indoor garden could only sustain so much.

“Haaahh… what a time…” He croaked.

 

Amber eyes studied you while you played with Kuatana. It was decided that Myera alone would break the news to you. The good, the bad and the ugly. It was hard to be celebratory because she knew you could react very poorly. She also knew that you could be so enthusiastic too. A sigh slipped past her lips garnering your attention.

“What is it?” You asked while playing peek-a-boo with her daughter.

“…You’re not donating any more blood.” She finally spoke up to which your head snapped up to hers.

“It was one fainting spell. I’m good now.” You frowned at her shaking her head back and forth, curls swaying lightly. “Plus, they need my blood—Kento needs it.” A light jab, but it did not deter her.

“They all will have to make do, [Y/N].” A stern sounding counter that caused you to pause before scoffing humorously at your friend. “Something else needs it more.”

“And who’s that?” You sneered in confusion.

Taking a deep breath, Myera swept her feet from under her form, sitting upright on the edge of her bed. Her eyes ticked back and forth between yours. Those amber browns looked so worried at your reaction.

“Tell me, Myera.” You pressed, sitting up straighter, she had your attention now.

“…Remember when you said you had your period randomly?” Fingers toyed with the edge of the bed, messing with the trim of the blanket she sat on.

You hummed, idly running a hand over your abdomen as you remembered the cause of it. You grabbed Kuatana and hugged her to your chest gently. “What of it?” You whispered, snuggling away the memory.

“That wasn’t… it.” The emphasis caused you to frown, looking at the carpet briefly before looking into her eyes with irritated confusion. “You were having a miscarriage, sweetie... I’m sorry.” Small, pink toned lips pinched together as she saw your brain work in real time, piecing together what she had just said. Your locs swayed with your movement, shaking your head in denial, but all the while, Myera was nodding against you. “It’s true. The bloodwork says it all.”

Swallowing thickly, you asked how that correlated to why you no longer could donate now. Who was so important that needed your blood more than those across the world?

“Well, the reason why we found out that you had a miscarriage back then, is because… you’re carrying now.” She sat patiently, watching your reaction. Your eyes kept looking between her, her child and your belly.

You were both silent for a while, listening only to the coos of your niece as she played with a loose loc. “That can’t be.” You denied, blinking away unshed tears.

“But it is.”

You kept shaking your head in denial, all the while trying to keep your emotions in check as to not startle baby girl who was already looking at you a little wild. “I mean… if I knew that they’d be as potent, I wouldn’t have had sex with any of them before they left! Ah, sorry, mamas.” You rocked the baby as she began to grow fussy at you raising your voice abruptly.

Amber eyes narrowing, Myera recalled that week of their departure you had spent some “quality” time with each of them. “But that was a few weeks ago, right? Almost a month… you’re further along than that, [Y/N].”

“What do you mean?” Your head shot back to her with a face full of bewilderment.

“The levels showed you are about 9-10 weeks. You’re at least three months if not four.”  She blinked slowly at you as you did the same, calculating what occurred three to four months ago.

“I… I didn’t sleep with anyone at that time, My?”

 

Tv static. That’s what you would call what was going on in your mind as you saw life being formed, fluttering around inside of you. Every thought was suppressed as the noise quieted everything down. Feelings included. They were shut down. Tuning out everyone’s voice, it was just you and that black and white screen pulsating at you rhythmically. Unable to take your eyes off of it, Myera had to lightly jostle you back into reality.

“Hey, you still with us?” Soft and gentle, the question was barely answered as you drifted back to the screen, humming lowly enough in confirmation.

“I can print this out and you can look at it as much as you want.” Utahime spoke just as lightly as Myera. Again, no verbal confirmation was made, but you managed a short nod, staring blankly at it. “Alright. Just sit tight and I’ll have the images out for you soon.” A small tight smile was given before she pulled Myera to the side. “I think it’s safe to say that we should let her rest. Bring food to her room and just monitor her. I don’t know what’s going on in her head.”

Quite frankly a lot was going on inside that noggin. You had yet to process that you had a miscarriage. You were technically forced to process the blob that was forming inside of you currently, and you didn’t understand how to move forward. How you were going to tell the others, yet alone them. You contemplated if you should. You contemplated if you’d be a good mother. You thought about who’s it could be. Wondered if you could choose one or another, depending on who the father was.

‘Would that be right of me to do? That could cause them to fight, and a rift would form?’ Your mind was in shambles going back and forth over hypotheticals.

Finally uttering that you wanted to be left alone for a while, you sat in your room with those swarming thoughts and emotions. Staring blankly as you sifted through the ocean of emotions that threatened to drown you.

Battling between happiness and grief. You were confused because you never knew what you lost, so it was hard to connect with what never was, but the thought of what could have been made you curl into your pillow and let out a guttural cry.

‘I could have gave them something to love before they left!’ You shakily pressed your nails into the small bulge of your abdomen to clutch the space where new residence had taken place. It surely was odd mourning something you never knew, but then having joy sitting next to it for what was to come now was just as weird, and you weren’t sure how you were going to handle this moving forward.

 

 

Nanami ruffled his hair, sighing in exasperation as he rested his head on the revised trading plans. He was thankful that Japan even agreed to it without asking too many questions. Some shipments would be reduced, but the idea was that they shouldn’t have to rely on your donations and instead replicate what they have now and the rest to come. They projected that coming out of winter they would have a cure or a supplement that could hopefully last longer than the 48 hours your blood transfusions did.

With the conversation he had with his leader and his wife’s not so candid words specifically still replaying in his mind days later. He too, could not stop thinking which ‘miscreant’ as Myera had eloquently put it, impregnated you. Over dinner with his team, those soft eyes of his would stop and glare curiously at each mop of hair, whether it was pink, white or black (tied messily in a bun). But he never gave away his thoughts whenever they questioned him.

Nanami could only imagine the wrath they would unleash had they known the real reason why you missed their last call. He was concerned for your well-being for sure, but he had an inkling that they’d go on a killing spree and though possibly putting a sizable dent to the endless sea of undead surrounding the area, he was sure they’d run through supplies as the expense.

 

The blonde was curious at how you would relay the information. Knowing for a fact that you wouldn’t keep this from them for long…
But once a week, every meeting that was had, no new news was given. Nothing notable about their change in demeanors. Sometimes they’d seem a little confused due to your odd behavior from time to time, but other than that, you were seemingly avoiding the topic.

 

“Nanami, I’m afraid to tell ‘em.” Blurting out the first thing you could when you saw it was him on the screen, you hijacked your best friend’s call. “Can you like, ‘vet’ them? See how they’d react?” Flustered and erratic in asking him, you huffed in defeat when he denied your request.

It had been only a few weeks since he found out, and he found himself struggling not to say congratulations. The only thing was to whom would he congratulate?

“This is between you, Gojo and—“

“I heard my name, Nanami-San~” That familiar sing song tone entered your ears, and you quickly hid your lower half by leaning on the table. “Oh, it’s my girl!” It was comical how he too overtook his lead’s call with his wife. Mimicking your stance, he teased you. “Wearing black again, I see. Is this a funeral? I sent a blue sweater for you.” He pouted childishly. You mockingly gasped, pulling back a little for him to see the cleavage peeking out of your dress. “On second thought, wear whatever you want.” He cheekily grinned, biting his lip at the sneak peek given.

A throat was cleared in the room, a sign from Nanami that people were still present, and you took that time to seat yourself properly, and sit close to the monitor again.

“Why are you always so close to the screen?” A new voice entered the scene, causing Gojo’s head to turn to the source. “It makes you have a huge forehead.” Sukuna added nonchalantly from further in the room. He was already at the door when Gojo burst inside, but you were able to catch sight of his waist when he walked into the screen, and you wished your legs were wrapped around it again. Man, you felt like a horn dog sometimes.

“Rude, Sukuna. But uhh, where’s Geto?” You quickly diverged the conversation, idly playing with a loc, the nerves were picking back up and they easily picked up on your hair.

“He’s uhh, resting, but are you okay?” Gojo inquired awkwardly. Your brows furrowed, tilting your head in a questioning way, you played of his inquiry, deciding to press him until he gave way. “Okay he got infected, but he’s doing fine.” He tried to reassure, but your face held several emotions.

“When are you coming back?” You quickly asked. Having experienced the infected in so many ways, you didn’t want them to be subjected to what you experienced over and over again.

“That cannot be determined yet, Ms. [Y/N].” Nanami interjected and you suddenly remembered who this call was for originally.

You bit your lip, wondering if you wanted to hear an answer to your next question. “How many times have you guys been infected?” Realization washing over you, you knew that there was no way that your people could have come out of this barely unscathed.

“Every week one or two of us.” A veined hand came up to drag across a tattooed face. “It happened to me first and Todo and Yuta after that.” Sukuna finally admitted, though the cat was out of the bag by then. You visibly looked upset, naturally because you cared for everyone’s well being, but also the very real understanding that they might not make it back and you felt the pressing need to tell them what was waiting for them back home.

“It was admittedly a uhh daunting experience that I can’t believe you went through it so many times.” Gojo added sheepishly scratching at the back of his head. Sukuna was easily in agreement, wanting to thank you for saving him back then at this very moment. “Sorry for keeping it a secret for so long.”

You shook your head in denial, giving a small smile in return, full of understanding. You leaned back against the chair you sat in, taking a deep breath. “Y’all ain’t the only ones who’ve been keeping things to themselves.”

Met with questioning brows, you looked at Myera for encouragement, she was sitting off to the side, watching your interactions quietly. She felt that she really misjudged your relationship, seeing that you had grown in more ways than one.

“I wish Geto was here.” A tug of a smile pulled at the corner of your mouth. You didn’t want to tell them separately.

“We can just tell him for you.” You pouted at the suggestion, fiddling with your fingers. You really wanted them all together. “Or we can set up a call for later?” He quickly suggested, seeing your face. He just wanted to kiss your rounded cheeks. He wasn’t sure if it was the camera or what, but you were looking deliciously plump. But Gojo also figured it was just him missing you. Sukuna secretly thought you stopped working out.

“Yeah. I’d like that.” In agreement, you relinquished the call to Myera, looking forward to the next time you could see them all again.

But that would be the last call you had with them until their ship docked months later.

 

 

A thick and powerfully pungent smell permeated the room you were holed up in, not that you could smell it yourself. You were sprawled on one of the guys’ beds –you weren’t sure. You’d rotate rooms every day, trying to catch a whiff of their scents, though months passed, there was nothing but your own lingering around. Their cologne and soaps had stopped smelling the same. Their sweat mixed with it had altered it, so it wasn’t the same and it frustrated you to no end.

The clunking of a small booklet being thrown against a wall both soothed and crushed your heart. Achingly you pushed yourself up from laying on the bed, wiping the tear crusted sleep from your eyes. Every part of your being weighed so heavily with defeat. Cradling the abused pages of the photo book delicately between your fingers, you breathed deeply trying not to stir the kicking and punching by your crying.

You had held out hope initially. Being the stronger one out of Myera, you encouraged her. And eventually Maki when you asked her how she was. She had stopped by with some new clothes for you, face flushed a patchy shade of pink and red. The look in your eyes was enough for the strong walled woman to crumble, holding onto you for dear life, but trying to be gentle at the same time.

With your belly protruding more and more, you were just so fragile in people’s eyes. And you would be defiant, always trying to prove a point that you were capable of doing normal things like every other pregnant woman did around the compound. You were not made of glass.

Everything you had gone through. You were tough, but you were not some emotionless being.

You felt a lot too. Not just the kicks and punches growing inside, but the ache of grief. Loss in so many forms. And each had a name as you flipped through the album sent by your beloveds. Each photo of the soldiers you would try to imagine what they were doing or saying when it was taken. Trying to project life into the lifeless.

“I wish you guys were here to comfort me.” A whisper slipped from your lips. “I wish they never told us that Japan had fell. It dashed the little hope we had left.” Once the remaining world leaders contacted President Yoshinobu, of the few soldiers and scientists that made it back to both Russia and China, they declared Japan as blacked out.

They had no word on your soldiers and thought it fair to determine that they were all deceased. You wanted to hold out on hope, but it was too far-fetched a dream. Hope and encouragement had dwindled to nothing, being dampened by the numerous deaths in the facility. Most were maternal and infant related, while a few were just old age and mishaps.

Several had died during birth, complications that they were not equipped to handle when things went left. Poor Utahime had to be talked off the edge as her nurses were a part of the numbers. It all just felt like one huge, collective loss for the community. Motherless children and childless mothers. Many had taken to adopting. Not just because it was the right thing to do, but also a small, maybe even ‘sick’ part of them wanted to replace what was lost.

It was understandable as you had experience on both ends. So you held no judgement towards them, nor did you give it another thought when Ren asked you one last time to be her son’s godmother. Her dying wish. You had to accept.

All that talk about her becoming better, being able to hold her baby boy. How she’d enjoy that new baby smell. Even imagined how your children would be best friends (and secretly for her a potential sibling.) When you shared that you were carrying too, she was so excited, helping take maternity photos of you and herself. It really helped you too; having broken down a little to her, sharing your fears and doubts about motherhood and your unknown loss. The pictures you now had with all those who were gone kept you both tethered to reality while simultaneously being tangled in the past.

You’ve gone through so much grief that many thought the woodsy smell that encapsulated you would never leave. With fragments of other smells sneaking in, it wasn’t enough to mask your depression. Therefore, you opted to sleep in A1, that way you would have that whole area to bombard with your emotions without bothering others. Maki found her way over there sometimes, doing the same thing you were. She’d scent you out or find you by your wailing after wallowing in Yuta’s room for a while. It was a heart wrenching time for you all.

Coughing in pain from the jolt of being kicked in the spleen, with some struggle, you gathered yourself from the ground. Not only was it time to eat, but it was time for you to see your godson.

 

 

“Nanako! Mimiko! Come eat!” Geto called out down the hall. Not long after, little pairs of feet came pattering down the metal hall, clanging along the way until they reached the threshold of the door. A doting smile spread across his face at the two pairs of doe eyes that stared up to him expectantly. After being saved from their own parents trying to devour them, they followed him like two cute little shadows.

“Tomato soup again?” The blonde had whined, while the brunette had a disgruntled look set upon her small face as they sat in front of their meals dissatisfied.

“Hey, we’re trying to savor what we have until we reach land, alright? Don’t be ungrateful. We’re lucky we even have this to share.” He scolded them to which their cute selves apologized.

“Being a dad looks good on you. Would’ve never thought growing up with you guys...” A thoughtful tone entered his ears as the man set small glasses of water for the kids. “Especially when social media existed. Goodness! The amount of parties you guys used to have and the clubs you’d be in.” He sighed, giving a smirk to the source, not-so-fondly traveling down memory lane. He felt that he had matured past that stage of his life though he was only 29. “I wonder what that girl you told me about would have thought if she met you guys back then?” Face faltering at the mention of you, he couldn’t wait to be back home.

“Probably would have thought the same as every other person did of us. Including you, Shoko.” Gojo had chimed in, letting his bowl clink against the sink. Those blue eyes captured her dark and dull pair, silently telling her to be quiet. “She would have wanted nothing to do with us, I’m sure.”

You knew of their past; there were remnants of it in HQ that you were met with when you first arrived. But those habits had died. There was a change that transpired inside of them. Not just from meeting you. One could say you were the start, and somewhere in the middle, this Japan trip added pieces in. Like when Gojo made it home. Like when Sukuna found a little white puppy. Or for Geto, when he discovered the two girls sitting in front of him now chowing down. All these “misadventures” stacked together to form who they were now. There were plenty of other events that sifted through their playboyish ways, but the most sobering piece was hearing that you were pregnant.

In a dire moment, closer to a gruesome death than life at all, Nanami had shared this in a desperate last-ditch effort to get his men out of the clutches of defeat and despair and back to fighting against all odds. Like they had done so many other times. That news gave just the boost they needed to escape through the endless sea of flesh eaters. Yet not all made it out clean, having to leave a few things behind in exchange for their life. The serums, the hard work you had done were lost to the wave of dead. But at least what was salvaged was the data that would create the cure. They would no longer be needing to drain your blood when the last few scientists reestablished their works back at HQ.

Those who survived were lucky to be saved by your soldiers; the remnants of Japan had to flee and disperse when an enormous horde rushed through. It was seemingly out of nowhere and none were prepared or thought it possible to put up a fight. Many individuals ran for their lives, going with Russia and China. The few remaining scientists left behind joined with the US, saddened to leave their home, yet eternally grateful to be able to see another day.

 

They were thankful to see land on the cloudy horizon about two days away. And then hours when the fog finally dispersed, HQ’s towers peaking just over the mountain. Yuta nearly jumped for the radio, calling out for someone to answer.

“We are not expecting any ships to come in. Please state your business or you will not dock.”

“IT’S US!” Voice wobbling from hearing how close they were, he took a deep breath to stabilize himself. “It’s Yuta Okkostu. We’re back.”

For a minute there wasn’t a response. He tried the radio again, only realizing that whoever it was had left to signal that they could dock. In the edge of his vision, he saw lights flashing, red, switching to green and white, show casing where to harbor.

“Yuta?!” A frantic and familiar voice called desperately over the line after a few minutes.

“Ye-yes? It’s me. Yuta Okkostu.” He named himself, fixing his ears to the voice he’s been haunted by for months in his dreams.

“Good.” It sounded relieved. A brief pause following as the person collected themselves. He could hear the sniffles. “You have some explaining to do.”

A wobbly smile broke across his face, despite knowing the trouble he was heading into.

Dashing to tell the others, they all made their way outside to the deck to see what they had missed for half a year. And for the new refugees, what they would soon call home. The sky was clear, and the sun was shining brightly. The saltiness of the air as it lightly sprayed over everyone’s face, brought about a relieved feeling. Tears burned behind their eyes, yet a few withheld them saving it for a more secluded time. They had to focus in. Afterall, they had quite the cargo to unload.

The tacking of nails on metal pulled a few from their thoughts. Big, black, and fluffy, the mixed wolfdog easily sat itself next to the wheels of the green-eyed man. “And this is why I call you shadow. You never leave me alone.” Toji sneered at the dog which gave him a seemingly disinterested look. Many swore there was Husky in the mix since it was very expressive.

A smaller version, white and fluffy, yapped happily at the heavily tattooed man’s feet. The poofy tail swished and blew from the ocean wind as it sat obediently at his feet. Though he would often fuss at it for getting into things it shouldn’t, Sukuna grew a soft spot for his new furball companion.

Brushing up against his leg, it yapped one more time, signaling it’s hunger. “Let’s get inside, Uruame. We’re about to be home.”

“I like the sound of that!” Miguel cheered along with a few others. Limping beside Geto who threw his arm around him to assist the man inside, he said, “I wonder what that pretty little thing will think when she goes to massage my feet. Ya know she loved giving me pedicures, but now all I got is nubs on my left. She’s gonna be heartbroken!” He joked cheerfully to which Geto and those who overheard laughed boisterously.

“I think seeing you alive will take her mind off that, Miguel.” Geto’s face was lit up at the thought of the upcoming reunion. He couldn’t wait.

“Yeah… I’m excited to see everyone, especially mamacita. Giv’er a big ‘ol kiss from me. If it weren’t for her, I’d be missing more than just my toes.”

“Owe her a lot of those.” Geto’s mind ran back to how many vials his team used. Not even counting the other soldiers there.

“I can’t wait to see if I’m having a niece or nephew. Or both. I’m an uncle twice!” Yuuji chimed in randomly, passing them by as he and Megumi helped wheel Toji inside. One random evening where Sukuna decided to be open, he shared with his teammates that he for a fact was a father, mentioning Ren offhandedly. Everyone awkwardly congratulated him, seeing the apprehension in his actions, while Yuuji was just excited to be an uncle. Now one could imagine how thrilled he was when he heard of your pregnancy. He didn’t care if it was his brothers or not.

“Speaking of which,” Miguel began eyeing Geto and Gojo nearby. “How d’ya feel about maybe being a dad?” Like many, he was curious about how things would turn out with the type of relationship you had with the three men. Many could see how deeply they cared about you and with what was to come, he wondered how things would turn out.

Geto gave a half-smile, while Gojo stopped walking, deciding to stay on the outer deck a little longer to gaze into space. They both had said they wanted to be fathers at some point in their life; and both secretly wished you were able to have kids; so finding out you were pregnant was a lot for them. For Geto, he had a lot of inner turmoil. Excitement. Disbelief. Anger and regret. Given the circumstances of when they were told, he and Gojo felt horrible for leaving you alone this entire time, but seeing home just a few waves away, they felt…

“…I feel…”

 

‘I feel so… UNCOMFORTABLE!’ You shifted baby Ryo to the other side of your hip with a disgruntled look upon your face. Today, somewhat like his father, he was calm, cool and collected. You were grateful because you felt exactly the opposite. Drained, lame and a touch wired, you knew you had to keep the visit short unfortunately. Not just because of his health conditions, but because your emotions (pheromones) got to him too. He looked like Sukuna. Rather, you knew he’d look like Sukuna. Pink hair, crimson eyes, and even a frown to match, you cried every time you left him.

And he would cry and fuss naturally from just being a baby as well as being poked and prodded at from time to time. His health wasn’t the greatest, being a preemie and taking on his mom’s heart condition, he had to stay in the infirmary for a long time until further notice. He had his good and bad days.

And you were thankful that today was good for him as you kissed him goodbye. It was a rather short visit as you weren’t feeling today at all. You weren’t feeling most days but today was different. Things were off. And if that were the case, you thought it wise to mention it to a nurse. But after checking you out, you were cleared. A healthy pregnancy despite the blues.

You couldn’t shake it.

“Almost at the finish line, mija.” A familiar voice remarked behind you as you trudged from the infirmary, dejected and in your head.

Humming in response, you sent a tired smile over your shoulder. “Almost and arrived are too far apart in my opinion, pops.”

“That’s how it typically is in the last trimester from what I’ve heard.” Sauntering up next to you in some new kicks which you gave a nod of approval to. Victor gave you a wink, throwing an arm around you. Accustomed to various smells, your woodsy scent was far from unpleasant and never deterred him. “Papa got a hold of some new kicks and pairs to match the littles. How’s my grands?”

To many surprise, Victor was a very compassionate person and without prompt, took care of you throughout the months like any parent would when their child is going through something. Giving you the name mija as the two of you were inseparable at this point as he helped you with Ryo and what was to come.

“Ryo is doing fine. He wasn’t fussy today, just calm unlike the fiesta going on in here.” You fixed a pointed look at your belly before casting a glance at Victor who was smiling affectionately at your protruding stomach. “Was calm during my little 20-minute exam, but now it’s time to turn up!” You grunted, feeling a kick to the ribs.

“Oi, don’t give mamá too much trouble.” Tone stern and an octave louder, the party dwindled down inside bringing a sigh of relief. “Come on, mija. Let’s grab some food first, then you can kick those swollen feet up.” He snickered, quickly dodging a swat from you.

 

 

“Stupid Braxton and his hicks!” A curse or two left your lips as you grunted, struggling to get out of bed. You maybe got an hour of shut eye before being catapulted awake by what you thought to be fake contractions. It was just a shame that this wasn’t when you went to the infirmary earlier. You wondered if you should even bother, thinking that they’d leave in time again.

‘Deep breaths like they taught you.’ You tried self-soothing, and it did not work.

It was too good to be true. You’d had them the week prior, but this felt different. You were due soon enough anyways, considering waddling around would ease the full body tingles you were feeling.

You hadn’t felt them in a long time. It was so foreign. The way you looked was foreign to you. You rounded out in several areas, notoriously your tummy. Large and in charge, was definitely the first thing people seen, then it was your breasts. Bounced with every step you took—they were just that full. From the back… it was dragging, and you had the thighs to match. Overall, bestie and friends labelled you as a problem (in the best way possible.)

 

“It was probably a good and bad thing that you guys were away for so long.” Victor had said as he led three anxious men toward your residence. “Too many people would have died if you guys were around.” He slightly joked, explaining how pregnancy apparently looked too good on you. How many had risked their life shooting a shot at you, but thanks to him punching a few teeth in, while Maki and Myera tore off a few lips, casualties were averted, and everyone got the picture.

Thanking him for keeping you safe, they nearly faltered in step when a concoction of scents hit their nose.

Victor looked at them puzzled before realizing what they were doing.

“She took the news real hard. Holed up in A1 all these months. It’s gotten better, though it never deterred me as much as it did the others, I think it’ll disappear instantly when her eyes land on you three.”

Closing their eyes, they inhaled deeply, reacquainting their dulled senses. Having only the perfume Gojo salvaged to go off of, an adjustment was needed. They were ecstatic to know that you were so close.

And you were far from ecstatic. The tingles turned into waves of chills, and you swore your organs were in a one-sided kickboxing match. Your poor bladder was shot, having to constantly wear pads ever since you hit seven months.

Fed up you couldn’t help but to yell out in frustration. “At this point just break my water if there’s gonna be break dancing in here!”

A brief pause occurred. Realization crossing their faces at once, Victor held out a hand, silently holding them back to which they smirked in agreement.

“Cht Cht! You better stop that yelling, mija!” He scolded, coming to grab your shoulders to prevent you from walking into him.

“Oh hush up; it’s not like your bladder’s been used like a trampoline!” You poked a finger into his chest as he spun you the opposite way to hide your surprise. “It’s been all day with this and I’m ready to issue an eviction notice!” You stomped, but paused your rant, raising a brow at the man after seeing his eyes and nose tinged a rosy red. “What is it?” You sat into your hip, butt poking out more than it already was. It took a great strength from the three hidden figures to resist the urge to just grip you up.

You looked diabolically delectable from this view, and if it were possible, they’d try to get you even more pregnant. You glowed. Radiating beauty, attitude and all. They couldn’t believe they missed this.

“Probably can’t sit still because daddy’s home.” His croaky voice was muffled in your hair after he embraced you in his arms.

‘Huh?’ You pulled a face, completely baffled at what he meant, but then it dropped as three bodies sauntered out from behind the corner.

Time stood still—you did anyways as your brain tried to register who or what was in front of you. A spirit? Hallucination? Did pregnancy include that?! A flurry of questions ran across your mind as Victor tried to pull back from you. Your hands gripped at him, wondering if you were seeing ghosts.

“They came home. All of them. Don’t get too excited though. I don’t need you having a water break here. I just got these shoes.” He lightly joked, though he meant it about his shoes being new.

But it wasn’t funny.

Disbelief washed away by Relief. Grief trampled by Joy. You only took one step out of Victor’s hold before catching yourself grabbing your stomach in surprise as you felt a great shift. Like pressure being released, a flow that felt like warm pee flowed from you.

You thought you were peeing yourself from the excitement. But it was in fact your water breaking conveniently when Victor asked you not to.

“Dangit, girl! You don’t listen!”

 

 

Everyone was wearing a mask, not just because it’s protocol during active delivery, but mainly because your pheromones were at an all time high. Every scent under the sun was present; naturally because the body is under a lot of stress.

Tension and pressure. It built and crashed over and over, awaiting that moment where life would finally come forth.

You were humming away the pang that rolled through, being swayed in Geto’s arms, comforting you. His chin rested in the crook of your neck while his large hands roamed your belly happily. He wished he could have seen it grow. The pictures littered in his room weren’t enough. He wished he had been around. Been there for you this entire time. You went through so much alone, and the guilt weighed on each of them. They apologized profusely until you told them to explicitly shut up while you groaned in pain.

Sukuna was drinking in the entire scene. He was numb. Or overwhelmed. Hearing the news of his son’s deceased mother, on top of him being a preemie... he didn’t know how to feel about it. He was excited to see you and battled heavily within himself when Victor told him and the others to go cleanup first while he took you to the infirmary.

Now squeaky clean, he was uncomfortable seeing you in pain while he had to sit there with so many thoughts looking at the images of Ren and you smiling together and then the images of just you and Ryo… he could see the hurt behind your eyes. It was tough to look at yet alone talk about.  A bit touchy of a subject to broach.

But when you told him about his son, you were all smiles and giggles. There was a sparkle in your eyes as you shared that Ryo had a lot in common with him, even his little mannerisms despite being a few months old. Given the option to see him in person while Sukuna waited for you to give birth, he opted to stay put, not wanting to leave your side so soon, but also because he was very apprehensive at seeing Ryo.

Ryo, a name you chose in memory of him who you reasonably believed to be dead. A little baby boy that shared many things with him. A blatant mirror that would display what he had done. Something he wasn’t quite ready to face, even though you embraced the both of them with open arms. He wasn’t ready to wrap his mind around what that was. What that meant.

Quieting down for the meantime, you relaxed out of Geto’s hold, and he reluctantly let you go as you waddled your way back to the bed where he had to help you into it. You huffed in annoyance, eyeing them all down, though Gojo was busy walking a hole into the ground as he was captivated by the ultrasound pictures. He had traded you off to Geto after he was finished looking at them.

“I don’t care who’s offspring is in me, I hate all of y’all and no one’s penis is touching me ever again.” A declaration made under duress that was completely understandable, yet a false rule that you yourself would break in due time.

A chorus of snickers and snorts cut through the air as you cut your eyes in annoyance, nothing was funny.

“That’s fair.” Gojo smirked, rubbing his lips together before looking at the pictures in thought. It said in the top how far along you were and doing the math in his mind, he wanted to question if it was accurate but wasn’t sure if now was the right time.

In his mind, as far as he cared, you were his baby and what you were about to give birth to, too. He kept in mind that there wasn’t a definitive answer on your end of who you wanted to be with as you collectively agreed that it was poor timing to make a choice back then; however, a possessive part of him now wanted you to choose him alone. But he wouldn’t dare bring that up to you in your state.

“What are you thinking about?” That white top popped up in surprise at your direct (slightly accusatory) question. “It better not be about impregnating me again, because NO!” He had gushed over your appearance and wouldn’t stop whispering specific things in your ear about how good you looked despite your exhausted look of frustration and sweatiness earlier on when he was crowding your form, comforting you.

“Nah…” He trailed, looking back at the image in his hand. “Just looking at these pictures and the old ones. Just hard to believe…” A look of innocence crossed his face. He was being genuine.

“I know. I didn’t believe Myera when she told me at first either. And it’s still confusing how I’m even pregnant despite Cesco’s hypothesis.” You said offhandedly doing a breathing exercise as you felt a dull ache coming around.

They gave you a questioning look, all curious about this theory. You explained his snake story, a very short version, mainly giving them the facts of how reproduction works in reptiles and some mammals.

‘Sometimes, I forget that you were experimented on.’ One had thought quietly to himself after said story.

 

“You know I was so anxious to tell you guys this back then—that I was pregnant.” You began to say in the quietness that had settled in. You explained that you wanted to tell them, but you kept putting it off, until you finally had the courage to do it. But ultimately held off until the three of them were available which never came. Tears trickled down your cheeks as you remembered the fear and regret that came after once you realized that you lost connection. “I had really hoped that you somehow all knew even though I never got to say anything. I’m so happy Nanami told you guys. I really hated myself for being too scared to tell y’all back then.”

A large hand swallowed the side of your face, and you nuzzled into it’s caring touch. You looked into those electric blues, ones you had dreamed of often. “Why would you be scared to tell us?” He chuckled, thumbing away your tears, giving you a few pecks.

“I… it’s gonna sound silly, but I was afraid that if I told you guys, then you’d be mad at each other and fight over who’s it is, and I’d have to choose whoever the father is and yeah… it’s sounds ridiculous now that I say it out loud.” Fingers dancing around the other, you didn’t look up at anyone as they barked in laughter.

“[Y/N], as much as I can remember, you still had a choice to make before we left. I know we postponed it, and maybe right now is not the greatest to bring it back up, but the option is still there.” Geto had reminded you at the foot of the bed, handing the pictures off to Sukuna.

“No matter who you choose or if you choose... you’re stuck with us.” It almost sounded like a threat coming from those plump lips of his. They were surprisingly glossy still. You almost wondered how he kept them moisturized this entire time, but a particularly strong contraction occurred, alerting them to get a nurse for you. It was go time.

 

Notes:

NGL I forgot that I didn’t upload this chapter lol. My fault. I hope it was enjoyable. I don’t hate this one. There’s parts where I feel like more could have been done, or just been better written, but I honestly don’t have it in me. I still love this no matter what. I keep going back to the beginning of this story because the memory of how I felt when I first wrote this was such a great feeling. It pushes me to finish this honestly. Next chapter will be the end. I have other endings for the story, but overall it is the end.

Chapter 30: Thirty

Summary:

On the road to recovery.

Notes:

So I've been working on another story. Not working on it heavily because I really wanted to finish this one first, but I am working on another. Mafia/Yakuza? based theme. Same JJK characters plus my own originals of course. Another black reader insert as well. Sukuna is main interest bc that's bae. Don't know when or if I'll post it. I tend to sit on things for a while. Like this story, I sat on it for like 2 months before posting my first chapter. I started this in Feb '24 and didn't post until April lol. It's almost that Feburary again! About a whole year to finish this. Teehee ^^ some of y'all really stuck around for a year with me~ ;3 Shout out to you folks <3 and all those to come!

Without further ado, enjoy the read!

“It clearly meant nothing that you had a host of traits.” Myera stated dryly as she balanced Kuatana on her pudgy feet in the playroom area you jointly created. “They obviously weren’t in the room when these two were being made.” Her pink lips quirked up, happy to see her daughter trying to step forward.

“Who you tellin’?” Looking at the two infants fluttering on the plushie ground, you couldn’t help the sneer of your lip at the statement. “My complexion and curls were fighting for their lives.” Your two kids had a tanned tone to them, just enough to tell that they had something from you.

“At least there’s no denying from them, not that those men would. They’re so in love with all of you.” Referring to Gojo, Geto and Sukuna. Gojo and Geto loved being fathers and Sukuna warmed up to it really well as he started taking an active role in Jr’s health, taking him to doctor visits by himself and such.

When it was discovered that your kids had multiple characteristics of those three, a brief biology lesson (this included animals) with Cesco had to be taken to help explain the phenomenon of having a kid with multiple fathers.

“Meanwhile Cory ain’t catching a break.” She muttered, side-eyeing you with a smirk after the gossip that went around the compound.

“Oh yeah—nooo~ I’d cry if I had that many kids. I mean, a lot of them obviously have his birthmark and hair; I don’t know why those women are claiming he ain’t the father still. The proof is in the pudding and he’s a much better person in my opinion.” You shrugged nonchalantly. After your long-winded one-sided discussion with Cory, he truly turned over a new leaf. Once he was free from paralysis, he was a blubbering apologetic mess to everyone around and vowed that he’d do better as a person. However, he had written you a letter stating this, as he was genuinely uncomfortable facing you again.

“Probably because of what he has done. AND that they swore up and down that your babies' daddies were the fathers.”

You snorted, giggling along with Myera. “Welp, I guess I hit the lotto in this case.” You deadpanned, looking at the two mixes cooing and sucking their thumbs before you. A little tell-tale sign that they were getting hungry.

Baby girl was the greedy one. You figured she was mainly the reason why your appetite was so ravenous, and not just because you were feeding two extra people. An interestingly beautiful mix of Gojo and Sukuna, Hikari would have them wrapped around her little finger for the rest of their days. With thick pink coils and those undeniable sky baby blues, every whine or fuss she kicked up, they would all come running. And you would say Sukuna’s attitude and Gojo’s jealousy took residence in her. Every time she’d notice one of her brother’s being tended to, she’d throw a fit—which oddly enough, the guys believed that came from you.

Your son, Isamu, was a different story. You didn’t question it, but it was strange how your body could breakdown DNA and reconstruct it into abnormal things. Sporting dark curly hair and beautiful amethyst-colored eyes, you didn’t have to think too hard who he took after, personality wise that is. He was more affectionate like Geto. A true momma’s boy, clinging to you with that odd baby strength; it was comical every time you’d try to hand him off to someone, yet alone his own flesh and blood, but he’d easily go to Geto.

You heard the buzzer ring, signaling someone was at the door.

“That’s probably Sukuna with Ryo.” You mumbled, getting up to let them in. “Aww, look at my two handsomes!” You greeted at the double doors, welcoming them back into the large home. You smiled cheekily in their grouchy faces as Sukuna tried to fish his son out of the car seat. “How’d the checkup go?” You stuck your hands out as Ryo quickly tried to dive for your arms.

Sukuna rolled his eyes at his little twin’s antics before responding to you. “Fine. They don’t want to perform surgery on him until he’s a little bit bigger.” Kissing his teeth in annoyance as his son swatted at his hand that poked at his small body.

“Okay so we gotta get you to eat more. Did he eat?” You asked to which he said no while you two travelled over to the kitchen. Starting to reach for a bottle to feed him, you halted, having caught a whiff of something foul. “Did you poopoo?!” The little stink butt smirked at you and you whipped around to Sukuna with a scowl.

“He JUST did that—don’t give me that look.” Sukuna rebutted, grabbing the diaper bag and following behind you to the changing room down the hall.

“Mhm, sure. Could you at least make him a bottle.” You quickly set up the changing station for Ryo while instructing his father on how many ounces to feed him and where to get it. “Also please don’t grab—Oh God, it’s up his back—the ones on the counter!” You yelled after him.

“Sup, My.” He greeted, before hovering over the twins. Hikari gave him a gummy smile, kicking her feet faster while Isamu blew raspberries at him and both times his heart melted, but he wouldn’t let it show. Not in front of company.

“It’s okay to show affection to your children, Sukuna.” Myera jested with the man who threw a smug grin her way before stepping back out to get Jr a bottle.

Those crimson eyes landed on a large bottle that he could have sworn was for Ryo given it’s size. And then the milk that was sitting out, it was obviously set out for him too. ‘She did say something about grabbing the ones on the counter.’

 

Heading back to you, you didn’t notice the bottle size or the coloring of the liquid, having been distracted by a fiendish kiss from Sukuna. He didn’t say it out loud often, but his actions often got the message across. He was enamored with you. And blinking up at him right then and there, you could also see he wanted to make love to you… again. As if he, Gojo and Geto didn’t have you folded in several types of pretzels and lawn chairs practically every day of the week for months.

It was unclear to you if it was punishment for threatening them about never having sex again or if they were trying to make up for lost time. You weren’t sure and you weren’t trying to find out currently.

“Here. Feed your son. I gotta check on the twins.” You quickly did a handoff, smooching them both before darting into the nursery with a stressed out Myera. You could still feel those sanguine red orbs burning your backside up after you left out.

“What’s up? Aht!” Dark Lucious curls were being fisted and pulled as Kuatana tried to balance herself using her mother’s hair.

“Nothing!” You quickly say while picking up the twins. “Don’t y’all laugh at auntie; it’s not funny!” You played with them, tickling their bellies and watching their gummy smiles break across their face.

After a short while, they grew fussy and you knew the ring of their hungry cries would start to sound off.

“Sounds like it’s time to eat. Let go little girl—the milk should be good to go by now.” Myera grumbled, still wrestling with her little twin. Kuatana was the spitting image of her mother, just with ‘less ink’ so to speak. Dark brown curls, light golden amber eyes, she was really the spitting image of her mother.

“Kua, be nice!” You chastised lightly, helping her to loosen her grip on Myera’s hair after setting Isamu and Hikari in their walkers to keep them semi-occupied. “I’ll be right back. Don’t get snatched bald.” You joked.

 

Finger rapping on the granite kitchen countertop, you were sure that Myera said she left the milk out on it.

“We’re back~” A jubilant voice brought you out of your confusion. Spinning around your legs were quickly enveloped by two little bodies, fits of giggles vibrated against your thighs.

“Hey, girls! How-was-school?” You spoke slowly as they were still learning English.

They had replied that it was fun in Japanese. You at least learned the bare minimum, having small, short conversations with the two until you’re both fluent enough.

“You’re getting better, baby girl.”  Geto encouraged, kissing you on the head before embracing you in a hug.

“While I don’t necessarily agree with how the lessons turn out, there is some merit from it.” Clearing your throat to rid yourself from thinking of certain steamy sessions.

“You’ve made great progress with each class though.” The teasing in his voice did not make the heat any better.

Just then, Sukuna came strolling out with the mostly empty bottle, rinsing it out in the sink after greeting everyone. “He is knocked out.”

“Milk drunk is what we call it.” You giggled, before it caught in your throat. Eyes catching both the size and color of the milk being rinsed out, you immediately pounced on him. “Did you listen when I said not to grab the milk bags on the counter?”

“…” The pinkette froze, not even bothering to look at you.

 

Poor Ryo was out cold. You were a nervous wreck when you realized what had occurred by accident. Tears poured from your eyes when you thought he could have been paralyzed by your milk, or worse, poisoned.

To your dismay and Sukuna’s, Ryo was paralyzed. But thankfully it was acute, and you got him to headquarters quickly enough to rectify the issue. Staying overnight to monitor him, baby Ryo turned out just fine. Sleeping fully through the night, he awoke full of energy and with an appetite ready to go…

It was just that he wasn’t taking his normal formula like before. Crying incessantly, Dr. Utahime and Shoko had to rescind their earlier decree of making sure he doesn’t have any more of your milk. Instead, they suggested just a small amount mixed with formula to ween him off.

It did not work. It was like crack and he wanted the real deal. Rejection after rejection, in your frustration and tiredness, you gave up and gave him what he wanted. You apologized profusely to Ren in your head, unsure if you were doing the right thing as you breast fed him, having no milk bags on hand. He finally calmed down, yet you were wired, rushing to the doctor’s again to watch him while the paralysis took over.

But this visit was a shock, the pediatrician the compound had welcomed graciously from Russia when Japan had fallen, nearly had their eyes pop out of their head as he checked Ryo. Not only was he not affected by the paralysis, but his condition had ceased to exist. He no longer had that heart disease of Ren’s. And when that news circulated, there was odd talk about your breast milk having incredible healing powers and how it should be marketed and traded. It’d be in high demand the pediatrician said. True liquid gold.

>>> 

“I can’t believe they are still trying to get you to sell your milk. Trying to take my grands’ nutrients away.” Victor scoffed before continuing to play with Isamu who held a soggy cheese doodle in his hand. Geto was standing alongside Sukuna, both leaned against the colorful wall watching everyone play about, idly discussing the expansion of the compound, hence how you were all living in a recovered mansion not that far from the headquarters that quickly grew cramped as time went on.

This was the new normal for now. Restoring rundown areas and moving into homes one by one after fortifying the surrounding vicinity.

“As if the cure against the undead wasn’t enough to help take back 20% of the world, they still want more from you. There’s no reason for anything else. Just greedy.” Gojo chimed in while he played with the girls. They missed Hikari eyeing her target from across the room.

Distracted by playing with Mimiko and Nanako, her adopted sisters, Gojo missed grabbing the little pink bandit when she turned on the turbo jets, crawling at high speed to Victor who was about to feed Isamu another cheese puff. She almost snatched it had Sukuna not intervened.

“I swear she’s the reason why I was so hungry.” Exasperated, you handed her a doodle while Sukuna held her up, chuckling at the way she drooled over your fingers devouring the cheesy goodness.

“Not too sure. Isamu can put away as well.” Geto chimed in, coming up to nudge his son’s puffy cheek. “He could give her a run for her money, I’m sure.”

“I don’t know. Ryo’s been catching up as of late. You know what they say about underdogs.” Sukuna added with a small smile coming across his face as Ryo, hearing his name, came crawling over towards him. He had a tendency to play on his own.

A loving smile blossomed over your face, just happy that the little mishap turned out to be the greatest mistake that could have ever happened. Sure that Ren was ecstatic watching over her completely healed and healthy baby boy. He’d have less doctor visits and no medication other than what was necessary for his age; you were thankful that Ryo no longer needed to be poked and prodded. There’d be little monitoring to be 100% sure, but hopefully no procedures would be necessary for the foreseeable future. You didn’t want him or any of your kids to go through what you went through.

 

_____

 

The steam from your shower wafted into your bedroom, creating a warm and cozy air as you sat upon the edge of your bed in nothing but a towel; you were winding down from the day.

The kids were with their fathers as mommy tended to her needs, allowing you a break from the almost constant pull from your body. Hissing slipped between your lips as you gently applied a small amount of ointment to your nipples. The babies were now teething and beginning to use you like a chew toy; and thankfully, healing kicked in quickly, but at the time, it didn’t feel fast enough.

“What’s wrong?” The white-haired male posted up in your door frame, arms crossed accentuating his strong arms. He was only in sweats that hung loosely on his waist, tufts of hair peaked above his waistband. He was very much topless, save for a burping cloth draped over his broad shoulder. A part of you thought of your legs being draped over them not that long ago, but you shook that thought away.

“Nipples are sore.” You winced, tenderly caressing them, having that pain bring you back to reality, distracting you from hearing the door clicking, signaling that it was now locked.

“I can help with that.” Barely catching the words he said, his lower half had entered your view suddenly, then it was his delicious abs, followed by those mesmerizing eyes that shone bright even in sepia, grey tones. They were telling you everything he was about to do to you, even without him uttering a word as he bent over you, caging you between those muscly arms; before you could make a sound, his head dipped right below your sight. And suddenly you were looking at the back of your eyelids before realizing what was going on.

The pain with pleasure was a nice touch, leaking out the liquid gold as his long fingers rolled your nubs between his fingers masterfully while his mouth kissed between the two. His warm tongue lapped at what leaked out. Trying his best to not steal too much from his kids, but man did he want to drink you dry.

“Maybe it’s time to ween them off.” He spoke alluringly in your ear, or maybe you imagined it as your arousal was at an all-time high, making this scene much hotter than it should have been. “Then these wouldn’t be so tender.” He flicked them both, jolting your body awake with the added soreness. “And they’ll be back in their rightful place…” He teased wet kisses along your full breasts, causing you to arch a little. “…back in my mouth.” His hot breath blew along the wet skin, eliciting goosebumps to rise. You let out a shaky moan and before you knew it, you were laid on your back being ravished once again.

“T-Toru~ Our kids—” You whined, trying to bite back a moan. You wanted to sound comprehensive despite your mouth dripping with need, in every sense of the word. There was a little bit of spittle spilling from the side of your mouth and Gojo didn’t make it better when he twisted your nipples, making you arch further into the pain.

“Taken care of, princess. Twins and Jr are asleep; the girls are with Shoko—”   He felt you tense after uttering her name, drawing a smirk from his lips. You knew that they didn’t have an intimate past, but you couldn’t deny her beauty and initially felt some type of way when you learned about their gorgeous childhood friend being in such close proximity for months…

But you now knew you had nothing to worry about. You weren’t tense about that anymore, because none of those men were her type in the slightest. If anything, you were.

When you caught her openly flirting with a flustered Utahime and then in the same breath, with you moments later, you had to admit, she had a way with her words. Flustering the two of you defenseless damsels, you and Utahime were glued to your spot under her haughty gaze as it ate you all up. It wasn’t until Geto and Sukuna burst in that the “spell” you were under was broken and you were whisked away bamboozled at what occurred.

Poor Utahime was left behind and you… faced some consequences from that incident. You caught an earful and then some from all three, never to be alone with her again as she often stole their women back in the day. You learned a lesson that day, to keep at bay from her. And just like now you learned to keep your hands from covering yourself up.

100% claimed as theirs, you were not to hide yourself anymore from them.

Feeling the cool air hitting your bare skin from Gojo ripping away your towel, you were brought back to the present. The reflex to hide away was strong as you fought to steel yourself, keeping your hands away from the hungry man above you. Having received enough swats from the other times as well as always being bested as they would easily pry your arms open and pin them down, you didn’t feel like being taught a lesson that night.

“Good girl.” An acclaim that sent heat swarming down between your legs, tingling at your toes.

“Toru, I… I wanted to put lotion on.” A foolish attempt to get out of this… though you really didn’t want to. You weren’t even trying to resist.

Those heated irises drowned you with his unrelenting desire as he crawled over your form, slowly dipping his head down to your ear to place a gentle bite and kiss on it.

“Let daddy take care of mommy, alright?” He in fact helped you moisturize. Inside and out.

 

_____

 

A growl of frustration left the pinkette; hot air blowing through his nose as he tried to calm down. He had asked you this time around, to place aside some “heavily” used cotton and or rayon undergarments for his trip a state over. This was going to be a short one. Much like with what headquarters had done, they were trying to expand military and restore general population, reclaim the land. Thanks to your efforts and the effectiveness of what Japan had created, the world was reviving. The dead had to give way to life and living arrangements had to grow as the community expanded.

And for the life of Sukuna, he couldn’t figure out why you hadn’t done what he had asked. So he had to resort to rifling through your dirty clothes, but to his misfortune, it was empty.

Hearing a whine, he eyed the white pup who laid sleepily by the foot of your bed. Though accustomed to the household, Uruame stayed by his side often, only separating when the kids wanted to play or if he was busy. She was great with them, so well behaved as he trained her to be. She also was great at combat skills. Taken on a few small missions, she sniffed out survivors and alerted to impending danger.

He huffed looking at her lax form before turning back to snoop more through your closet. “At least you listen to me.” He grumbled to himself. It was too bad she didn’t alert him to the sudden intrusion.

“Mommy, what’s daddy doing?” Spinning around, he saw a chubby faced mirror image of himself held in your arms while you looked at him with confusion.

“Mommy’s not sure. Care to explain yourself, daddy?” You tilted your head at him with an accusatory look.

“Where is my stuff?” Pointing to the hamper, he was trying to keep the bite back from his voice. It still stayed on his face, however.

“It’s laundry day, Sukuna.” It came out snarky, a tad condescending—strike one. “You guys are getting ready to leave, so I wanted to make sure everything was clean before y’all go.” Thoughtful, but he requested used. “Don’t know why you’re in my closet to look for your stuff to begin with.” Unnecessary comment… strike two.

“My bag is missing some.things.” With added ‘tude, he had thrown the duffle bag in front of you to which you scoffed at it.

Squatting down awkwardly, you snatched it up, finding a certain stitch on it to turn it over and show Sukuna. “Well maybe that’s because it’s Geto’s. Yours is sitting in the chair over there.” Your perfectly manicured nail, courtesy of Nobara, pointed at the large, cushioned chair you had pushed into the corner of your room.

Low and behold, it was in fact his. And you did pack his clothes away neatly. Alongside a stash of assorted panties, stored away in plastic baggies labeled with the type of material it was. The lace, though pretty, felt too rough against his member after a while of abuse so you made sure to not pack those.

Broad shoulders slacked, feeling worked up for nothing after seeing how well you listened to his request; He was going to do away with your strikes. It was his error after all. He turned around slowly, fixing an apology onto his lips, you deserved one.

“Mhmm… baka.” Throwing words in here and there, you had gotten comfortable with your Japanese. Too comfortable.

Strike three.

“Oooh. Mommy called daddy a mean word.” Ryo had patted your mouth as you would do the same to them all when they got mouthy.

You kissed at his pudgy hand playfully before noticing how much he was struggling to get out of your hold. ‘What’s up with him?’ You quirked a brow, squatting to place him down before feeling an ominous presence hovering over you. Looking up from below, this was a rather unprecedented situation.

“He’s right. Mommy did call me a mean word. One that I don’t like.” A flashback from a few years ago, involving you being bent over a knee vividly crossed your mind as you looked up at him, regret rinsing the playfulness from your eyes. Sukuna had to admit that he relished in it.

“Knock-Knock. What’s up, guys?” Yuuji’s bright smile faltered at the dominating scene before him. “Uhh… did I come at a bad time?”

“Mommy called daddy ‘baka’.” Ryo automatically confessed running up to his uncle, Uruame was right on his heals, side-eyeing you before looking at Yuuji expectantly. She knew what time it was and the younger pinkette could take a hint, grimacing at the thought of your fate.

“You know what that means, kid?” Sukuna asked, eyes still staring you down, though you had long stopped making contact, opting to look at your bent knees pressing harshly into the plush carpet of your room. You wished you could sink through the floor.

“That I can go play with Uncle Yuuji?!” His crimson eyes were bright, and round and it honestly hurt how quickly he left out, barely saying goodbye to you two as Uruame pattered after him. Yuuji wished you luck before quickly shutting the door behind him.

Betrayal. You would never forget how they all left you.

You gulped. You hadn’t experienced this in a while. Your smart mouth had been on it’s best behavior for months so your bum had been spared. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean it, Ryoumen.” You felt his hand pat at your head, and you couldn’t help but to nuzzle into his touch though chills were flowing over you.

“I’m sure…” His hands had now grasped under your arms, setting you up on your feet, steadying you as you stood shakily before him. “Now strip.” A command that sent heat bursting through you. You mewled (in want) somewhat excited for what was to come, and also full of nerves. Backing away slowly while doing as he asked, you watched those fiery reds rake over your naked form. Recommitting your figure to mind as he has done for every trip thus far, he couldn’t wait to get his hands on you.

Your body backed into the darkness of the closet he stalked you into, and once passing the threshold, you knew there was no escape. You had to go through with what was to come; his eyes seemingly glowed like the predatory beast he was amidst the shadows that you, the prey, were swallowed by.

His hands and mouth hunted, brutalized, and subdued every inch of your skin.

You vowed to yourself to never use mean words ever again…

That wouldn’t last long however given your temperament.

 

_____

 

“You know, Shoko was right. Being a dad does look good on you.” Your bronzed hands smoothed over Geto’s bare shoulders, massaging them lightly, before gliding down the slope of his chest. You nuzzled your cool nose into his neck, placing little love bites here and there against the warm column of skin. The sun was shining beautifully onto the patio you both occupied.

He chuckled, understanding what you were getting at. Those hormones could really make you insatiable sometimes.

“I have you to thank for that, my baby.” He pulled you to the front of his seated form, kissing your protruding belly affectionately. “I’m glad we didn’t get to miss this, this time around.” A sigh of relief left his lips as he rested his forehead against what he felt to be the baby’s foot or hand.

“I’m happy too.” You caressed his head as he nuzzled against the pressure pushing against his face. They were reaching out to daddy, and he couldn’t help the proud grin spreading across his face. He loved being a father. Isamu followed after him in a lot more areas than Hikari. “I can’t remember how many times I had masturbated in y’all beds when you were away in Japan back then… shoot, even now when you guys are away.” You admitted unabashedly stroking his head, pinching a few strands of his luscious hair between your fingers to inspect it… as if you didn’t just say something outlandish.

Those dark eyes twinkled as he let out a boisterous laugh, tossing his head. “Easy there, momma. If I didn’t know any better, I’d say you’re trying to seduce me.” He joked, a smile forming across his face, but you wiped it off all too quickly.

Sultry and full of seduction, you slyly asked, “Is it workin’, daddy?” It never ceased to amaze him, or the others, how you managed to get low with your belly, having heard it wasn’t ideal to get that low. You had managed it several times a day throughout this last month of yours for numerous reasons, but the one main reason would be for what you were about to do—trying to do.

Breasts full and ready to spill from the top of the low-cut dress you wore, also taking liberty to rest your cheek in his hand, ever-so-gently rubbing up his inner thighs, going under his lounge shorts (for some skin-to-skin action); Geto couldn’t help the involuntary thrust he did from the little number. Clearing his throat, he admitted that it was just him adjusting himself to make room for you…to sit down.

“Mhm. Suguru, you know there’s plenty of room in here…” You tapped at your mouth before gliding down your throat, pressing your breasts up and together. “And here—its kind of a squeeze, though down here’s really snug from what I’ve been told.” You snorted, looking at Geto’s leering eyes. You loved turning him on.

“Please get inside before we show the neighbors how you got pregnant!” Blushing from his neck up, Geto quickly helped you stand, scooping you bridal style and shuffled for your room, trying not to jostle you too much. There was precious cargo after all.

“Daddy, what are you and mommy doing? I wanna play too!” Hikari interjected, poorly blocking the route to your room.

“Trying to get your sibling out of my belly.” You answered smartly.

“Ugh, good luck. Mommy’s been trying all week with strawberry daddy and snowman daddy. They’re really stuck in there.” Her blue eyes rolled before skipping off to play with her other siblings. Such sass.

You covered your mouth trying to stifle the laughter you were choking on. ‘She ain’t have to do me like that!’

“Guess I’ll try my luck then. I might have the magic touch.” He offered confidently, ushering you to the bedroom located on the opposite side of the mansion, away from an audience.

He in fact did. Around the third round, he nearly drowned between your legs after getting caught up in your honey trap.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           

____

 

So your traits did win out. In a subtle way. It would be the faint smells of something fruity. Or woodsy. The men didn’t realize it was their kids until you spoke up of the scents randomly as time passed, watching the kids grow older. Remembering that you couldn’t smell yourself, you all soon realized it was your three babies’ genes blossoming. It was new for you, and you were amazed at how distinct each scent was.

And on one night, another discovery was made by you. Having told Isamu to put on his red coat, you were confused as to why he came back in blue, only knowing this because Ryo pointed it out immediately, guiding him back to the room to help him change. Ryo was a good older brother, even by a couple of months. He did the same for all of his siblings as Hikari had the same issue, having on highlighter yellow and purple socks. If it weren’t for Vincent acting as a stand-in grandfather who was really good at putting together outfits, you were sure your children would have looked like every color of the rainbow when they showed up to school on the compound.

Though the aunties would have rung people’s necks if they found out that anyone picked on their little nieces and nephews. Maki and Yuki always made sure to drop off new clothes they came across when returning from scavenging. (The shirts would typically say something along the lines of ‘The world’s coolest aunt’, ‘My aunt is the best’, words that you never got a chance to utilize growing up. You were happy that your children were able to now.

You wanted them to utilize everything that you weren’t able to. Have access to things that you never did. Use your manufactured gifts as best as they could.

And they did.

Taking that gift of seeing in the dark, they couldn’t help but to get into mischief.

You caught them several times in the fridge. Up late reading, which shouldn’t be so bad, but their little bodies needed rest in order to grow.

And as they grew, their curiosity of the large walls they were encapsulated by did too.

Headquarters needed to expand with such a large population accruing over the years, and with the protection that your blood provided, it was enough to help them branch out further into surrounding neighborhoods. It took a long time, but they were finally able to secure many more homes to refurbish and renovate enough to make them livable again, much like yours now.

Yet even with the cure, there still needed to be a form of protection against what was still roaming out there freely. So the large wall that greeted you when you first arrived had now extended and branched out into the world, repossessing areas that were overrun and had fallen to decay. They were shorter, due to materials being scarce, but also the threat wasn’t as threatening anymore.

Not to the kids anyways. They were told what was behind them. They were even shown. Pictures and videos from the small makeshift school at the compound, but many kids determined that it wasn’t enough. Your kids especially. They were at that rebellious stage. Something that ran through their blood, courtesy of you.

They just wanted to see one in real life. All of the kids, now teens. Kuatana, Ryo, Hikari, Isamu and Kenji, just had to see one. Nanako and Mimiko already seen them, having told their younger siblings what they experienced with their parents from before. But it still was not enough to deter them.

Hence why Myera’s hair was already sprinkled with silvers and your hair was going to turn as white as Gojo’s. Or maybe a light grey like your current youngest son’s, Kenji. You huffed waddling into the infirmary room, disheveled, worried, and very pissed off.

Hikari’s hand was nearly chewed off, protecting Ryo who couldn’t see the zombie about to bite into his neck. Isamu had a few scratches from helping his twin while Ryo, Kuatana and Kenji all looked traumatized.

“Your sisters told us where you all went. You’re lucky Toji and Todo were close by on patrol with Shadow!” It was Gojo with a serious look stalking up to his kids. All of their heads were casted down in fear, especially when Nanami and Toji strolled in with Shadow by his side. The dog had managed to mangle the undead enough for Hikari to dislodge her hand and for Toji to put it down properly. “What were you all thinking, endangering yourselves like that?!” Gojo for once raised his voice which made you slightly take a step back.

“They weren’t thinking at all. They get that from you, by the way.” Toji had sighed, casting you a glance before standing intimidatingly over the five troublemakers. Gojo stepped aside, raking a hand through his disheveled hair, trying to calm himself down.

“Kuatana, me and your mother are very disappointed in you.” Nanami chastised. “If it weren’t for the fact that she just gave birth to your little brother, she’d be the one in here chewing you alive. Do you have any idea what could have happened tonight to any of you? Were the videos and images not enough for you five imbeciles.?” Name calling, something rare for everyone’s ears to hear from someone so firm and well articulated as Nanami was. “We’re going to see your mother because she is worried sick and needs to see you so she can calm down, but I promise you she is anything but-“ The blonde was leading his crying child out of the room still going on his tirade that was then overtaken by Toji not a second later.

    “Did you get what you were looking for? Was it worth it now that you almost lost a limb, Hikari? Was it worth your sister having a mangled hand for the rest of her life?” Rhetorical. All of it was rhetorical. “Do you think we’re out there patrolling for fun? I had to amputate my leg because of those things!” He dug into them for the better half of an hour before an intermission with the doctors interrupted them so they could perform final checkups. Then right before they were discharged, Sukuna and Geto showed up and laid into them too.

Hikari was whimpering quietly as her now bandaged hand was wrapped tenderly, being chastised by her dads.

“You’re just like your mother! Why the h*ll would you use your fists to punch an undead in the mouth?!” Sukuna investigated the wrap, noticing a space where a finger was missing. He sighed heavily, hugging his little girl to his chest. “Can you guys not be so stupid and reckless?”

“I don’t know why I keep getting dragged. I don’t even do that anymore.” You said munching on some snacks after sitting back to let the dads reprimand them. They didn’t want you getting any more worked up.

“You literally jumped out of the bed and were waddling your way down the street before we drove up. If you tripped, you would have started rolling.” Geto crossed his arms, giving you a scornful look. “What if you had the baby right then?”

You stopped mid chew at the insult? Your belly was rather round this time, but he didn’t have to point that out. Silenced because you had no leg to stand on, you realized suddenly that you were in the hot seat too. All of you were sent to your rooms when you got back from the hospital. Grounded until the newborn was five years old…

You weren’t due for another two months and by the time you gave birth to a beautiful babygirl, surprisingly Hikari’s finger had grown back completely. Which brought about the question, could enough of your blood restore lost limbs?

No one wanted to test that theory, not even Toji. He was perfectly fine with his makeshift leg.

 

>>> 

 

“Mommy’s on VV!” A small voice gasped gently, pointing to the large screen before her. “Wook, papa! Tio Gelly, too! And my daddies!”

Miguel sauntered on the screen, showing off his pearly whites with a toothy grin as he bowed to receive a medal for bravery and his service to Japan. Todo, was next, also showing off his pearly whites and his fake hand. It got cut off on a tour around the states.

“Yup. I see, I see, niña. My little muñeca is finally being rewarded.” Victor said fondly over his granddaughter’s strawberry white hair.

“Wewaded?” Her head cocked to the side, looking at her grandfather questionably, with dark blue eyes.

“Yes. Rewarded. Everyone you see there is getting a gift because they helped mommy save the whole world like a superhero.” Vincent’s aged eyes sparkled with adoration as he watched you patiently awaiting to be addressed.

“My famawy are supahewoes?” Responding in agreement, the little girl and her pop pop looked at the screen in amazement, watching everything unfold.

Awarded for leading his soldiers into harrowing situations and still achieving the goal, Nanami was awarded a Medal of Honor. Alongside him with this medal were the rest of his soldiers. Some receiving other awards like Service Crosses. The scientists, such as Choso were also rewarded for implementing the first successful testing of the cure; Toji being thanked profusely for being the first successful patient. The dads were up, all lined in perfect order unfazed by the googled-eyed woman pinning their medals. None of it mattered in comparison to you.

This moment was long awaited and they couldn’t keep their eyes off you as you were finally up to be celebrated. The cheers took a while to settle down, naturally after experiencing what was considered the death of humanity; the revival of so many countries and, yet alone states, you had a lot more of these types of ceremonies to attend, that could be sure.

“We cannot express our deepest gratitude for the sacrifice you’ve all made. And all commend you for your bravery over the years as the world works to restore itself. These awards have been long overdue and again we cannot express the amount of gratitude I have for these individuals. You all have triumphed what this world has given you. Thank you.” The world leader of Australia smiled proudly as the room erupted into applause for the ones who worked hard out in the world.

“Now to address the one that made this happen,” his pale hand gestured to the room. His raspy voice continued on, “You, [Y/N], have done more than any of us could have dreamed or hoped for. Bringing the world back to life after death took such a huge risk and a lot of sacrifice. There are not enough thank you’s to express my gratitude or anyone else for that matter. You’ve saved countless of lives thanks to your donations. It’s not nearly enough to show how appreciative we are, but we would like to place a statue in honor—”

You shook your head immediately, interrupting the speech made by one of the world’s leaders.

“No?” He had responded quizzically, looking around questionably as you politely reached for the microphone he held.

A few snickers from the soldiers made it to your ears, causing you to give them a slight side-eye before addressing the man’s question.

“If I may… I don’t need a statue. That’s not something that would be profitable to the world. I have everything that I need. My friends and family. Alive and well. That’s what I find honorable. Living the life you were blessed to have. Everyone on this stage. In this building. Watching this moment on TV. That’s the best way to show gratitude to me and to everyone that helped bring the world to where it is heading now. That’s all I want to see.” You smiled happily as cheers roared through, giving you applause for such a moving speech.

You were wrapped in a loving embrace by your loved ones, finally accepting this type of thanks. Finally feeling accepted in the arms of others. It all felt good.

The world was slowly coming back to life, little by little just like your family, growing little by little.

 

-Fin

Notes:

Y'all this is it! I feel so weird that this is the last chapter. (Other than the side parts that will come much later (" >_>) I honestly wrote this story because I was tired of seeing "black" reader content unfinished or not that fully fleshed out. If that makes sense? I really pushed myself to finish this and I'm telling y'all I don't finish NOTHIN! I'm so thankful to God, cuz I never thought that I'd get this far. And this is really far. I truly was not supposed to have 30 chapters. The most I wanted was 20-25 max with a lot less words. Clearly exceeded that, but I'm not unhappy. I'm thankful to everyone who read thus far. Y'all real ones and shout out to those who left all types of comments. I enjoyed them all truly. It showed that there was engagement with my story, and it made y'all feel things like I did when I was in the middle of writing it. My heart is happy ^^. Thank you so much for reading! Until next time~