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“Sukuna,” It’s said in a low voice, as though Yuuji is afraid to break the peaceful silence that’s enshrouded them. Which is laughable, considering he is shaking Sukuna awake with such an urgency that the bed itself wobbles. “Sukuna.”
It is during times like these that Sukuna wonders why he signed up for this program to begin with. He keeps his eyes closed and questions his life decisions.
When he doesn’t respond, Yuuji goes quiet. But the reprieve does not last, because not a second later, the sharpness of a predator’s incisors sink into his bare shoulder. The pain radiates hot and sharp through his flesh.
Sukuna sighs.
He drags a hand down his face before finally turning to his side to level his not-mate with a flat look. “It’s in the middle of the night.” He says, voice raw with sleep.
Yuuji is undeterred. His feline eyes reflect in the dark, big and doe-like and eerie in the way he regards Sukuna with the intensity of a beast, “I’m hungry.”
“Then go eat.”
“I want beef, we’re out of beef.”
Sukuna’s eyes narrow, “We weren’t out of it when we went to bed.”
“I ate it.” Yuuji says simply, the intensity of his gaze never wavering, “I need more.”
He shouldn’t be surprised. He really shouldn’t . But at the admission, Sukuna’s ears flatten to his skull and his tail gives many a flick as he stares at Yuuji. Finally, he opens his mouth, “That was five pounds of meat.”
In the dark, Yuuji’s expression is mostly obscured, but his shoulders hunch ever so slightly and Sukuna can only imagine the guilty pout that’s gracing his stupidly pretty face. But his not-mate does not respond. Sukuna sighs for the second time in as many minutes.
Slowly, so as not to jostle Yuuji too much, Sukuna pushes himself up to sit.
He has not had a full night’s rest in weeks. A part of him is ready for this pregnancy to be over. Another part of him warns that it will only get worse once the cub arrives.
Without looking, his hand finds the swollen belly of his not-mate and rubs up and down the warm, bare skin. He wonders if these interrupted nights are taking a toll on the little one inside. “Fine.”
It’s a losing battle, he’s long learned. A pregnant tiger is not one to be underestimated.
Like the flip of a switch, Yuuji’s entire demeanor changes. His body vibrates with a loud purr and he shuffles closer to Sukuna. “Thank you!” He grins and leans over to press a quick kiss to the corner of Sukuna’s mouth.
Warmth, soft and pleasant and traitorous, rises. His shoulders drop. And a voice, small and distant, warns at the sensations.
He doesn’t dare dissect it.
#
Footsteps sound from behind him as Sukuna slips on his shoes.
“Can you get more peanut butter, too?”
Of course. It’s always the peanut butter.
“Yes,” Sukuna sighs for the third time tonight.
“And chocolate?”
He finally glances back to the form behind him.
Yuuji stands meters away, fully naked and hands resting atop his belly. His eyes are wide and pleading and voracious. There’s something manic and desperate in them that only manifested after their scheduled couplings bore fruit. And his striped tail swishes back and forth behind him, betraying his restlessness.
“What’s the matter?” The question is spilling from Sukuna’s mouth before he understands why he’s asking. Months ago, he wouldn’t have cared to say such a thing to anyone, wouldn’t have fathomed caring enough to do so.
(He still can’t fathom it. The way his body pulls and tugs and acts on its own, just for the sake of this one singular person.)
Yuuji’s brow furrows and his expression takes on a truly pouty sort of despair. In his odd sort of waddling walk, he inches closer. “I don’t want you to go but I want beef,” And then he lets out a long, dramatic huff of breath, “Why is life so hard?”
That pulls a short laugh from Sukuna’s chest. “Spoiled brat, I’ll be back soon.”
And before the sight of his not-mate’s even greater pout and bare body tempts his cock to rise, Sukuna departs.
#
The store run is quiet and uneventful, and by the time Sukuna returns home, only twenty minutes have passed. Still, Yuuji is by his side the moment the door opens.
It’s difficult to remove his shoes with an adult man hanging off his arm, but Sukuna’s had enough practice that he only fumbles once.
Purrs build in the air as Sukuna maneuvers to the kitchen, Yuuji’s tail quickly finding his and wrapping them around each other.
He only extricates himself from Sukuna when the grocery bags are put on the counter. Yuuji shoots to them and immediately starts pulling out the contents. When he finds the multiple cuts of beef that Sukuna bought, a small chirp escapes his lips.
And fuck if the first thought that hits Sukuna is that it is chest achingly cute.
Even his own mind is a traitor.
And then Yuuji grabs one of the packages of meat and trots past Sukuna and out of the kitchen.
Sukuna sighs. He buries his hands into his sweat pockets and wanders after his not-mate. He watches Yuuji walk past the table and make his way to the couch.
“No,” Sukuna warns, “Table or put it in a bowl.”
“Oh,” Yuuji stops, blinks. “I forgot, whoops.”
Yet another sigh attempts to escape Sukuna’s throat. He clamps it down and approaches Yuuji. Grabbing the meat, he goes back to the kitchen and pulls a bowl from the cupboard.
“You’re not cooking it, are you?” Yuuji’s voice is urgent from where it floats in from the living room.
Sukuna is tempted to lie and say that he is, but it is far too late in the night to deal with the subsequent whining it would no doubt elicit. So instead he answers with a curt, “No, I know it makes you sick.”
“Thank you!”
He rips open the package and lets the chunks of hide fall into the bowl before bringing it and a fork over to Yuuji.
His not-mate is sitting on the couch, still just as naked. His belly is not at its largest, but it is still sizable, and his breasts are full and plump. He has gained weight in his pregnancy, and it fits his body well, leaving him soft and sweet and pleasing to the eye.
Sukuna’s ears twitch, his tail sways on its own accord, and the stirring of desire pools low in his gut.
Yuuji takes the bowl with a murmured thanks and an uptick in his purr. And he is too warm, too cheerful, too… too much of whatever he is that makes Sukuna move on his own and act like a fool – so before he knows it, he is plopping down onto the couch next to him.
With a chirp, Yuuji immediately snuggles up next to him, body pressing into him from bicep to hip. His thigh presses into Sukuna’s and his head leans onto his arm – too small to rest it on his shoulder. And he begins to eat his large bowl of raw meat.
Little hums of pleasure escape Yuuji’s lips, happy small sounds that wiggle throughout his body and make him constantly shift next to Sukuna.
Before he knows what he is doing, Sukuna’s arm is moving to wrap around his not-mate. He is warm and his skin is smooth, body full of life and vitality. He nuzzles even deeper into Sukuna, nosing the side of his chest and humming contentedly. His tail sneaks its way into winding around Sukuna’s wrist where it rests idly on his hip.
Something thrums in Sukuna’s chest, low and deep and mellow.
Suddenly, Yuuji breaks the silence, “I like your purr.”
Sukuna blinks.
The thrumming stops.
Yuuji snorts, “Dork,” He says, and there’s an undercurrent of endearment in that single word.
“Brat,” Sukuna snarks, “You are lucky I need you alive.”
“Ohhh, I’m scared,” It’s spoken through a bite of beef, “The big bad mafia guy is threatening me.”
“You are also lucky you’re pleasing on the eyes.”
“Keep complimenting me, I like it,” Yuuji’s grin winds deep into his voice, light and playful.
Sukuna squeezes the plump skin of his not-mate’s hip, “And that I signed a nonaggression contract at the beginning of the program.” His lip twitches into a grin against his will.
“Hmm, so did I, it’s a pity.” Yuuji turns his head to smile into Sukuna’s chest, “Our death battle would be so sexy.”
And like a wolf that caught the scent of blood, the beast within perks. Sukuna rubs up and down Yuuji’s skin, his lip peels off a fang, “We can always fight in other ways.”
“Maybe in the morning,” Yuuji takes another bite, “I’m getting sleepy again.”
A tinge of irritation rises, but Sukuna bites it down. Pushing for sex now will just lead to none at all. “I’ll hold you to it,” He says instead.
It elicits another snort. But Yuuji doesn’t argue. Instead he simply continues to eat his beef in silence, leaning closer and closer as time goes on, as though he wishes to meld them into a singular being.
He is warm and soft against Sukuna’s body. Peaceful and thrumming with a comfortable, slow sort of energy.
It’s times like these that makes Sukuna pleased that he joined the breeding program. If he hadn’t, what other unworthy soul would have taken his spot here, next to his perfect, spoiled, bratty little not-mate?
The thought itself is appalling that someone else could very easily have had this fate.
The one silver lining, he supposes, to their species as tiger hybrids being nearly extinct, is that it brought him his Yuuji on a silver platter.
He looks down at the form in his arms. Yuuji’s head is obscured, but his ears keep flicking and then stilling and then flicking again, proof that he is truly tired. His bowl of red meat is almost gone already, and it sits still in his hands on what remains of his lap.
Slowly, it starts to fall.
Sukuna catches it before it does, and with his free hand, he leans forward and rests it on the coffee table. Peering down and tilting his head, he glances towards his mate-not-mate.
Yuuji’s eyes are closed and his mouth is softly parted, deep in sleep.
Something twinges behind Sukuna’s ribs.
His mouth thins at the sensation. That same voice from earlier whispers of trouble. Of the dangers of letting someone too close to the heart.
With a huff, Sukuna simply readjusts his Yuuji so that his arm supports him by his upper back. He slips his other one underneath his knees, and he stands.
Precious thing lifted in his arms, Sukuna carries him back to bed.