Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

He needed to summon a demon. 

It was the only way. 

All his hard work, countless hours of studying well into the night, working on his spellcasting until his fingertips were bloodless and his muscles were only working on pure will and nothing else — it was all futile, if he could not progress. 

Have something to show for everything he had sacrificed. 

He knew how deep his insecurities were, how toxic his mindset had become, how his jealousy of his peers grew every day.

It wasn’t good for him.

If he could only say to himself: “It’s okay. You don’t have to become the strongest. You can settle for being less.”

He just couldn’t. He owed it to himself to improve.

Any spell he was currently practicing had already been mastered by someone else, written down into history by pioneers. Nothing he accomplished was anything new, anything groundbreaking. 

Whenever Megumi had mastered a spell, he would hear whispers amongst his peers of how privileged he was, having their professor as his guardian and therefore being favored and probably given private lessons. The worst ones would also spread rumours about Megumi seducing him even, making him sound like a fucked-up pervert. 

It was all false. They didn’t know anything of Megumi and Gojo’s relationship, and how it was nothing like that. 

Megumi could beg him, beg for private lessons and for Gojo to shape him into being the next great sorcerer, but Megumi wouldn’t. 

He worked so goddamn hard. He skipped meals, was sleep deprived, found himself repeatedly losing track of his own self when he was too deep into his training, all to make a name for himself.

No way in hell would he throw away all his hard work just for another sorcerer to hand him an opportunity, especially not the one he wanted to overcome. 

Yet, he found himself at a standstill, and something needed to be done. 

“Fushiguro, please go home,” the librarian at the university asked him, standing above his desk in the library. “It’s past midnight, you know I have to lock up,” he said, fiddling with the big iron key that hung onto a chain around his neck. 

Megumi looked up, furrowing his brows, making his eyes look bigger and sadder than normal. 

“Kiyotaka, this is important. If I don’t study enough for the test on Monday, I don’t know what I’ll do. Please let me stay.” 

Kiyotaka sighed loudly. “I can’t leave until I’ve locked up, it’s protocol. The dean will have my head you know.” 

“I’ll lock up for you. You know I’m trustworthy, there is not a single place on earth I care more about than this library. Give me the key, and I’ll return it in the morning. No one will know.”

When he didn't answer right away, Megumi pushed harder. 

"I know your wife would like to have you home by now. Give me the key, call it a day, and go home."

Kiyotaka groaned. "You," he stammered, cursing under his breath. "You kids have no notion of healthy studying! The books will be here in the morning, you know? Some sleep wouldn't kill you," he ranted, but pulled the chain off all the same. 

He handed Megumi the key, but did not let go. 

"It's just because I know you won't trash the place. And don't go yapping about this to other students, because the same can't be said for them. And I like this job." 

Megumi smiled sweetly. "Thank you for the trust. I won't let you down." 

Kiyotaka finally let go, and left Megumi.

Then he was all alone in the dimly lit library filled with books that seemed to whisper and beckon to him with promises of wisdom. 

However, tonight there was something else he was after than mere wisdom. What the sought was forbidden. 

As soon as he heard the large metal gate creak, letting Megumi know Kiyotaka had gone outside, he bounced up from his chair. 

There was something extraordinarily eerie about the library at this hour, dark and empty. In daylight, colors would dance along the three-stories high bookcases, sunlight streaming in through stained glass windows flanked by thick walls of ancient stone. 

The wooden floors and furniture would look warm and inviting, soaking up the sun. 

Now everything was just darkness and total abyss the further away he tried to look. The electrical lamp on his desk wasn't much of a lightsource either, only good for lighting up the books he read.

A shiver ran down Megumi's spine, as he felt a chill draft coming from somewhere in the building. 

He normally felt quite at ease in the library, even in the late hours by himself. Perhaps tonight felt different, based on what he was trying to do. 

But he couldn't back down now. The only sorcerers who made a name for themselves, were those who took risks. What he was doing could be the worst idea ever, a complete suicide mission, but it could also be the greatest decision of any sorcerer in modern history. 

Backing down or failing was not an option.

So, Megumi lit a match, grabbed a wax candle from his desk, and with the tiny flickering flame leading the way, Megumi went towards the closed off basement, containing forbidden, tempting, and dangerous knowledge, and that was highly off limits to not only students, but also to most of the staff at the university. 

His heart hammered in his chest as he unlocked the iron door. It was perhaps the heaviest door he had pushed. It looked like a prison gate, just as much designed to keep something inside as to keep something out. 

Staring down into the descending steps leading into an abysmal drop, Megumi's mind somehow wandered to his childhood bullies. 

How they had teased him, ridiculed him, claimed he was a coward and a crybaby. Would they stare into the abyss as fearlessly as he did now? Would they leave all rational thought behind, in order to pursue their ambitions? 

Megumi smiled, perhaps out of lunacy. 

They wouldn't. 

As he made his way down the spiral stairs, that almost felt like it was wobbling despite being made out of solid stone, he noticed the air changed. 

It got heavier and drier, as if climbing a tall mountain.

He swallowed, trying to suppress his nerves. 

Be fearless.  

His candle flickered some more as another draft hit him, and it took everything in Megumi's might not to imagine it as a spirit passing him by.

Once he had descended, both legs on firm, steady ground, he tried to take in his surroundings. 

Looking for the book would be impossible in pitch darkness like this. He found a wall, followed it, and finally found a torch he could light.

Apparently electricity was reserved only for the upper floor, and not the basement. The torch was archaic in nature, however it wasn't as unimpressive as it looked. The minute Megumi's candle lit it, so did all the other torches in the room. 

Bound by a connecting magic, they lit up the dark, frightening basement, revealing its content. 

Books – to no one's surprise – and books, books and books. At first glance, it was nothing special. You'd never guess why they were kept down here instead of upstairs. But, as Megumi walked closer to the rows of dusty bookcases, he started to understand. 

He could hear them, feel them, whispering into his ear, hovering by his skin, desperate to touch.  

It was mostly unintelligible, made out of different languages, most of which he didn't even recognize. Pagan mutterings perhaps. But certain words occasionally stood out. 

Boy. Look. Come here. Sweet. Touch me. Open. Read. Set me free. 

Like words of encouragement from a lover.

Good thing Megumi wasn't particularly affectionate. The evils hidden away between the pages would have to try harder than that to tempt him. 

Despite often feeling inadequate, Megumi wasn't an idiot. 

He didn't come here to let himself be fooled into unleashing havoc on campus, and consequently, the world; he just needed to get his hands on one particular book, so he could summon one particular demon. 

That was it. 

He'd read about it in a different book from upstairs, that referenced an ancient tome that was a compendium of demons. It wasn't his intention at the time to summon a demon, simply learn about them, so he scoured all the upper floors for it. 

With no luck, Megumi sneakily took a peek the long list of works in the basement that Kiyotaka kept inside his desk. 

And there it was on the list, practically calling his name: Daemones ab inferno.

Supposedly it contained every single name of the demons residing in all the nine circles of hell. That was what Megumi knew , judging from the book that quoted it. It said nothing of whether or not summoning them was possible, or written like recipes in the tome. However, Megumi had a hypothesis. 

There had to be a reason why the book was locked down in the basement, why it was forbidden. As far as Megumi could tell, partially from his prior understanding and now his own experience standing in front of the books, there had to be a level of danger involved for a book to become locked away. 

Knowledge, any kind of knowledge, no matter how valiant, immoral or basic it was, was the core of the university's philosophy. In fact, it weighed heavier than physical spellcasting did. So why would a university, priding themselves on an extensive collection of knowledge that was available to everybody, keep something away?

Being a threat to a life, the school, or the world, might be reason enough. 

A name in itself was harmless. A name, coupled with knowledge on how to summon what the name represented, was definitely not. 

So, Megumi decided to see for himself if his hypothesis was true. 

He stood next to the endless rows of whispering books. Despite knowing that if he performed any sort of spell here it would be like bleeding in front of a vampire, he realized roaming through it all with his mere eyes would take hours he did not have, and would possibly cost him his sanity too. 

"Venite ad me, daemones ab inferno," Megumi whispered, placing his hand in the air and moving it in a wiping motion, characteristic of a simple location spell. 

He didn't know what the book looked like, only its title, but hoped the book would somehow find him as well and meet him halfway. 

Certain books didn't want to be perceived, but perhaps this one would hope a young, naive student would come across it. 

From what Megumi knew, demons liked to manipulate their way into others' lives after all. 

He walked slowly on instinct, moving further into the basement. The whispering belonging to other books, scrolls and artifacts had seemed to decrease, being reduced to background noise as Megumi focused on his target.

It felt like it was physically pulling him. If he changed his mind - which he wouldn’t - he’d probably be yanked forward anyway.

Unlike the other various things in there, this one wasn’t noisy. It didn’t call out to him sweetly, because it didn’t need to. Megumi had made his desire known already by casting the spell.

And there it was, in its humble, yet intoxicating glory. 

The edges of the cover were frayed, the dark red color of it splotchy and faded, and the pages were yellow from age. It wasn’t like the oldest spellbooks Megumi had learned about in class, codexes that were kept locked up and protected with various spells. This could’ve been any old book, yet Megumi knew it wasn’t like them at all.

This book was cunning, and wanted to blend in. Who knew if it was to be ignored and left alone, or oppositely, to lure curious scholars into its grasp? 

Time to find out. 

Megumi touched the spine of the book first, feeling the ridges of it under his finger. Almost like a gentle greeting. Then, he pulled it out of its spot.

While being humble in appearance, it certainly was quite heavy.

He looked down at the title on the front. Daemones ab inferno. In big, gilded and slightly faded letters. At least he had not been led astray. 

Part of him wanted to open the book, but he quickly let go of that thought. Not here, with so many dangerous books and artifacts that could interfere. It wouldn’t be good to do it on campus either. By the sizable chance of fucking up, and by a miracle not ending up dead, he certainly did not want to be expelled. 

He had a perfect alternative in mind. 

Megumi entered the mouth of The Whaler’s Deathbed. He walked carefully, carrying the tome along with other necessary items for his ritual in a knapsack. In his other hand he held an oil lamp, helping him find his way in the darkness without falling into the sea. 

It was absolutely terrifying walking on the wet rocks. Why this was the designated party spot for fresh sorcerers was beyond him. For the thrill, most likely. 

The Whaler’s Deathbed was a cave where the sea met the cliffs. During particularly stormy days, the water would fill up large parts of the cave, but on calm days, it was possible to enter it without getting wet, and it was big enough for a student gathering.

The story behind it was that a whaling ship had been destroyed by waves at sea. One of the whalers survived and somehow swam to shore. However, just before being able to climb up on land, a wave caught him and sent him into the cave. The waves were relentless, continuously drowning him while keeping him sealed there. The storm lasted for days, and when it finally ended, it was too late. The cave had become the whaler’s coffin.

And now it was a hang-out spot for morbidly curious sorcerers.

Megumi’s teeth chattered. Gods, it was cold. The autumn night was no warmer than winter, and it was only accentuated by the wet stone that surrounded him. 

He quickly set up his summoning circle. He wasn’t sure if the tome consisted of specific summoning instructions, but Megumi had done his fair share of summoning other things, both living and dead things. 

In theory, demons shouldn’t be much different.

Instead of a singular circle, Megumi added eight more. Each representing one of the circles from hell. The outer circle was Limbo. Then came Lust, Gluttony, Greed, Wrath, Heresy, Violence, Fraud, and the inner circle, Treachery.

And in the centre of it all, was the Devil himself. Or so they said. Hopefully, this is where Megumi’s desired demon would appear.

After drawing the circles with chalk, Megumi set up candles and lit them. The flames casted dramatic shadows on the rugged walls of the cave, the light being reflected where the stone was wet.

It was almost ready. What came next was sacrifice.

For usual summoning, sacrifice only meant spending your innate magic. The magic would only be spent for a while, and always came back. How much you used depended on the size, difficulty and nature of the summon.

Megumi had shadow familiars, some of which were small, like rabbits, that he could summon in a large quantity because the magic spent was a small amount. Others, like his elephant, required more.

Those were partially illusionary because they consisted of shadows, so it did not take a huge toll on his magic. However, when you dipped your toes into different natures, it could become less predictable. 

Living things, like plants and animals, were unpredictable because they too harbored innate magic that sometimes resisted the sorcerer’s magic.

Dead, or undead beings, were even worse. A walking skeleton would usually push the limit of any sorcerer’s reserve. An undead, consisting of flesh and blood and innate magic was only possible by those who somehow had managed to expand their reserve, or by those who made pacts with the undead.

Megumi was hoping for the latter, although he wasn’t sure if a demon would operate on the rules of undead… After all, demons were something else entirely.

He had read of people making pacts with demons, but only in form of communication, not necessarily summoning. Verbal and written contact was apparently much easier to initiate. 

But it wouldn’t be good enough. 

Megumi inhaled deeply through his nose. This was more than a wish to initiate a pact with a demon. This was a test. 

A test for himself to see how far he was willing to go in order to become a better sorcerer.

He had tried not to dwell on it, but the risk of death was high. Even if he did everything right, pronounced the right words, summoned the demon without fault, he’d heard of countless sorcerers who died from their magic reserve being exhausted.

Megumi might die on the spot just from that. 

Perhaps he had gone insane, but he was willing to take that risk.

He would be his own sacrifice today. 

He placed a silver bowl in one of the outer circles. Then, he fished out a knife from a pocket on his vest. 

Without much thought and with enough pressure, Megumi dragged the knife across the palm of his hand. For a few short seconds, Megumi watched the blood form painlessly. Then, it stung. 

He ignored the pain and turned his hand over, letting the blood drip into the bowl.

Minutes passed, as Megumi watched the steady flow turn to dripping. 

His hand was paler than usual, and started to lose feeling. 

“Okay,” Megumi whispered to himself, feeling lightheaded. He wrapped some cloth around his hand, adding pressure to the wound. 

Then, he sat down, and opened the book in his lap.

Megumi flipped through the pages, until he found the demon he sought.

Bune. 

A wise and strong duke of hell that had the form of a dragon with three heads. He was his best chance of a demon who would answer questions, and go along with his commands.

Megumi’s eyes skimmed the introduction, until he saw the chant he needed to read in order to summon him.

“Rex fortis, exaudi vocem meam,” Megumi said, hoping his latin was satisfactory.

Mighty king, hear my call.

 “Exaudi orationem meam in hoc tempore opportuno. De fortitudine, de dominatu, de libidine tua prodite.” 

Answer my prayer in this time of need. With your strength, with your dominance, with your lust-

Lust? 

Megumi furrowed his brows, but kept chanting. 

“Salve rex Sukuna.”

Hail king Sukuna.

His brows shot up, mentally reading the last line even though he had already voiced it. 

Sukuna? He swore his name was Bune. Perhaps he had several names…

Megumi looked at both of the pages that were stretched out before him, but he did not have time to investigate further, because the circles were starting to glow.

His heart stilled at the sight of the white chalk changing color, into an ominous shade of red. 

He had done something, that was certain. 

The first thing he felt was warmth, like time had moved backwards, the season changing into summer. However the warmth soon went from gentle heat to a scorching inferno, making beads of sweat roll down Megumi’s temple.

Then, a gust of wind, cool like in a snowstorm, swept throughout the cave. 

All the candles were extinguished, including the oil lamp. 

Now it was only the red summoning circle that glowed, a stark contrast to the darkness surrounding it. Megumi’s eyes widened as he saw symbols appear, adding to the circles, perhaps a form of writing.

Megumi blinked, and in the span of a miniscule second, he was no longer alone.

He jumped back, falling backwards onto the cold ground, and looked upon the summoned entity. 

The first thought that struck him was how human the demon looked. He was in the shape of a man; well-built, tall, with ten fingers, ten toes and… well, he was completely naked, sporting a rather impressive member that was half-way erect. 

Very human-looking indeed… 

The manlike demon made a sound, sounding like a chuckle, and Megumi tore his eyes upwards, finally looking at his face. 

“Well, hello there. You called?” the demon said, drawing his words out in a seductive manner, and cocking his head in curiosity. 

In the red darkness, it was hard to make out his coloring. But lustful eyes glowed red, he was almost positive of it. His brows were thick, cheekbones sculpted, his jaw wide and mouth stretched out in a smirk, with a sliver of teeth showing.

Black, sharp markings covered his face and other areas of his body, mirroring some of the new symbols in the circles.

With a dry mouth, Megumi finally made himself speak.

“Are… Are you Bune?”

Part of him already knew the answer, considering it was not a three-headed dragon looking at him. 

The demon’s smile widened, and he erupted into laughter. 

“Bune?” the demon repeated, laughing some more. “Is he the one you were expecting?” 

Megumi kept his mouth tight, not answering.

He had fucked up.

“Hah! How marvelous,” the demon said, laughter slowly coming to a stop. “Based on my intuition, you’re a student, are you not? Probably somewhat versed in latin. And yet, you read the wrong passage?”

Megumi felt his cheeks burn in humiliation, in addition to simmering anger starting to build up. 

“Who are you then, if not Bune?!” he snapped. 

The demon rolled his eyes, and crossed his arms. “Bune,” he muttered under his breath. “Of all the infernal demons, you wanted him? I’m offended, little sorcerer. He’s a boring one.”

He leaned forward, as if to take a better look at Megumi. “How lucky you are, summoning me instead. Perhaps your mistake was fated.” 

Megumi frowned. “Tell me your name.” 

“You read it aloud.”

Megumi thought back to the passage he read.  

“... Sukuna.” 

“King Sukuna, actually. I’ll let it slide for now.”

“And which kind of demon-” Megumi shook his head. “Well, never mind that, could I make a deal with you, similar to one I could make with Bune?” 

Sukuna raised his brows, with a sly smile forming. “Depends. I’ll need more context than that, little sorcerer.” 

Megumi, remembering he was still on the ground, quickly dusted himself off and stood up. Even while standing, the demon towered above him.

“Fulfill my commands. Like expanding my magic reserve, giving me knowledge that no other sorcerer has access to, teaching me ancient spells. Being obliged to answer any question I might have.” 

Sukuna nodded slowly, although it was not in confirmation. More like he had come to an understanding, of sorts. 

“Ah, you truly are young,” he said, and started to pace around him slowly, like a predator. “An arrogant, naive little sorcerer. Who thinks he has the world figured out, yet he is ignorant to all the other planes of the universe. Who considers a scholarly text the epitome of knowledge. Who read some old, biased sorcerer’s deduction of a demon being obliged to answer truthfully, to become one's thrall when summoned.”

He stopped behind him, leaning in to whisper in his ear. “If only it was so black and white. No, you have a lot to realize, young one. Starting with properly reading a passage before saying it out loud.” 

Megumi exhaled through his nose, the whispers sending shivers down his spine.

“I’d reckon you’d be a gory mess right now if a less civilized demon had been summoned instead of me, speaking like that. Do not get it twisted, you frail, fleeting mortal. It is not the sorcerer who has the power in an audience with a demon.”

Then, he circled back in front of him, closer now. Suddenly Megumi felt Sukuna’s finger underneath his chin, gently tipping his head up. 

However, the intense glare looking into Megumi’s eyes, was not gentle at all. 

“I do,” Sukuna said, voice rumbling like a volcano before erupting.

Megumi had stopped breathing now, feeling trapped beneath his gaze. The human facade seemed to fade in Megumi’s mind, as he finally realized what he was. 

An entity far older than him, wiser than him, stronger than him, and Megumi had no idea what he was capable of. 

The corner of Sukuna’s mouth turned upwards, looking like he was pleased by Megumi’s fear that must’ve been oozing off him like perfume. 

“That’s more like it,” Sukuna mumbled, and let go of his chin. “Humility suits you.” 

Sukuna stepped back, scouting the cave, and taking note of the silver bowl with blood in it. Megumi watched as he picked it up and sipped it. 

“Oh,” Sukuna said, licking his lips. “What sweet blood. A pleasant surprise indeed…” he murmured, and looked at Megumi’s wrapped up palm. “... and wholly unnecessary.” 

Megumi frowned. “It’s my sacrifice.” 

“Your sacrifice is yet to come, little sorcerer. And I am very much anticipating it.” 

Megumi felt overcome with confusion and uncertainty. Yes, he had read the wrong passage, but he thought he at least had a grasp on the nature of summoning and sacrifice.

“So… You can’t do any of the things I mentioned?”

Sukuna’s gaze darkened. “Of course I can,” he said sternly, anger seeping through his voice. “I can do it all, and more.”

“Are you willing to help me, then?”

Sukuna set the bowl down, its content gone. “I would, for the right price. However, what can a mortal like you offer that I cannot do myself? Besides the obvious.” 

Megumi wasn’t sure what he meant by the obvious, it certainly wasn’t obvious to him, but he did not dwell on it.

“Please, make me into a great sorcerer. Help me, and I will become the greatest asset possible among all sorcerers. Surely that can in some way help you. I summoned you, and I swear, there are few who would even consider doing such a thing. Suk- King Sukuna, I promise I will be of use.” 

Sukuna seemed to ponder it, never taking his eyes off Megumi. As moments passed, he finally spoke. 

“There are a few things you could offer me for greatness in return,” he admitted. “Your devotion and worship, for one. You are also correct, in that few people here on earth would summon me, let alone another demon. It’s been about a quincentenary since my last visit… This is a place I would like to frequent more. This cauldron of good and evil, how satisfactory it would be to spoil it.”

He saw it, the bloodlust in his eyes. His yearn for power, for chaos and domination.

A sense of regret started washing over Megumi. 

He wanted to be strong, knowledgeable and powerful. He wanted to be the most successful sorcerer of his generation, if not of all time. But could he guiltlessly pursue that quest if it destroyed the world?

There were more important things in life… Weren’t there? 

“I don’t… I don’t know if I can agree to that,” Megumi said, slowly backing away. He felt his back hit a wall, but it was not made of stone. It was an invisible wall, going along the outer circle. 

He was trapped. 

“I don’t want destruction,” he said. 

Sukuna cocked his head curiously. “You’ve gone through too much trouble to back out now. Is your ambition so fickle?” 

“I don’t want destruction,” Megumi repeated, sternly now. “I will worship and devote myself to you, I will utter my spells in your name, I will help you create your presence on earth, establish a following if you so wish, I will do it. But I will not let you ruin my home, ruin those I care about or those innocent,” he drew a sharp breath. “You can ruin me, but not them.” 

Megumi couldn’t read Sukuna’s expression, but despite his voiced limitations that surely would not be pleasing to hear, he didn’t seem annoyed.

“Oh, I will certainly ruin you, little sorcerer. You can rest easy, destruction and chaos will not be unleashed any sooner than your powers will come to fruition. I shall also take your loved ones into consideration.”

“No,” Megumi said, his earlier fear and humility subdued. “You won’t consider it. Say that you won’t hurt them, or else the deal is off.”

Sukuna laughed. “A summoning either ends with a deal, or death. Are you sure you’re in the position to bargain with me?”

“Then kill me, and be done with it. I have told you my terms,” Megumi said, crossing his arms. 

He closed his eyes, almost anticipating instant evaporation, but seconds ticked by with nothing happening. 

“Very well… I find the outcome of death too boring for my taste. And my desire, far too great to ignore. I shall accept your terms. I will help you become a powerful sorcerer, and in turn, you will devote yourself to me. I shall also refrain from harming your loved ones during my business on earth.” 

“And innocents too,” Megumi added. 

Sukuna rolled his eyes. “You’d have been better off summoning one from the heavens, with these obnoxious morals of yours.” 

“According to biblical history, even the innocents faced God’s wrath, for no reason at all. So no, I’m not sure if I would have been better off.”

Sukuna chuckled. “Witty,” he murmured. “Fine. I shall restrain myself, and do no harm towards innocents as well. Luckily, there are few mortals who fit that description, and few I won’t be able to influence into committing sin.”

With the snap of his fingers, Sukuna materialized a golden page out of thin air. In pretty, cursive handwriting, sentences describing the terms they discussed had been written. At the bottom was space for two signatures, and Sukuna’s name was already there.

Sukuna handed Megumi the contract and a quill. “Sign your name.”

Megumi took it, but made sure to read the contract first, paying extra attention to the smaller writing at the end.

If the sorcerer breaks the contract, the demon will, without consequence, decide what’s to become of the sorcerer’s fate. Alternatives could include, but is not limited to, imprisoning one’s soul in the hells for all of eternity. 

Megumi frowned, and looked up at Sukuna. “You seem to have left out what happens to you, if you break the contract.” 

Sukuna smiled wickedly. “Nothing happens. The contract ceases to exist, and well… That’s it.”

“Hardly seems fair that only I face consequences.” 

“I will remind you again, especially after your vigorous bargaining… Do not think that it is you who has the upper hand in this deal, little sorcerer. Now, sign the contract.”  

Megumi did as he was told. He felt a bit more at ease now, with Sukuna agreeing to not hurting his friends or family. It would be a difficult walk to balance, not letting chaos take over while he strived for power. 

But he could do it. He had to.

He handed the signed contract back to Sukuna, who briefly looked at it. 

“Fushiguro Megumi,” Sukuna uttered, each letter weighed on his tongue. “Blessing,” he said, the meaning of his name. “I do hope you will shower me lavishly with your blessings.”

“Likewise.”

He was starting to feel restless, and slightly anxious, from the invisible wall keeping him trapped.

“So what now? Will you let me out?”

“In due time. First, this pact will need to be consummated. I need something… tangible , of course, to confirm your devotion,” Sukuna said, rubbing his chin.

“I thought the blood would suffice, do you want me to cut myself more-” 

“No, no, not at all. Your blood is sweet, but limited. Offer it to me another time, and I will accept it.” 

Megumi looked around himself, as if he could somehow find answers next to him. “Then… How do I show you my devotion? Do I go down on my knees and pray?”

Sukuna laughed heartily then, it burst out of him as if he really hadn’t expected it to entertain him so. 

“I would like to see you on your knees. But not necessarily with prayers on your lips. You have no idea who I am, do you, little one?”

“Then tell me,” Megumi said, embarrassed. 

“Very well.” 

The markings on Sukuna’s body started to glow red and expand. Then, even though it seemed impossible, he grew taller and wider. On his cheekbones, right beneath his eyes, another set of eyes appeared. A wooden mask started covering the left side of his face, yet his eyes still peeked through it. And perhaps most perplexing of all, was the additional set of arms that grew out of his torso.

Megumi gaped. 

“I am Sukuna, the king of the second infernal circle. Surely you know what it represents, since you drew it so nicely?” Sukuna asked, gesturing to the chalk circles. 

“L-lust,” Megumi uttered. 

“Exactly. That should also indicate my nature. For while some demons feed on and relish sickness, death, blood, flesh, betrayal, destruction, violence… I, on the other hand, favor something far more delicious. I am an incubus, you see. And the way for you to show me your devotion, sweet blessing, is by surrendering your body to me.” 

Megumi stared at him, wide-eyed. 

“Your virginity will make a fine feast to start off this companionship,” Sukuna said, licking his lips. “Now, remove those rags of yours.”

“No,” Megumi immediately said on instinct, backing away but again getting pressed up against the invisible wall. 

“No?” Sukuna asked. “We made this pact mere minutes ago, and now you already want to break it? You do realize that if you do, I could very well decide to take your body and soul with me to hell and have my way with you there for all of eternity.” 

“This isn’t part of the deal! You never said-”

“Oh, but you didn’t ask. This is how you show devotion to an incubus. Perhaps if you had done your research beforehand, you’d know that.” 

“You’re vile,” Megumi spat, as he crossed his arms across his torso, as if to protect himself.

"I'm a demon. Were you expecting sunshine and rainbows?" 

"And were you expecting me to be willing?" 

A darkness swept across Sukuna's face. He was more intimidating like this, in his true form. Like some ancient deity that followed no one's authority but its own. 

"Willingness does little to stop me. I will have you weeping and screaming, bleeding and paralyzed if it comes to it. Although I would prefer a bit more enthusiasm, but… It will come with time."

With time? As if he expected this to not only happen once, but several times? 

What had he gotten himself into? 

Slowly, he finally processed the decision he had to make. Surrender to Sukuna, and work on realizing his goals. Or die, abandon his goals, and still end up surrendered to Sukuna. For eternity.

Either choice ended up with his body violated. 

That was the price he had to pay for greatness. And not only that, but for his own mistake. 

"So, will you honor the contract?" Sukuna asked. 

Megumi looked away. He couldn't look him in the eye as he nodded. 

"Good. Although I would love to take you in this form, I'm afraid it would be too much for your mortal, frail body. We'll work our way up to it." 

Although nothing about the situation was kind, it was a small mercy that Sukuna returned to his initial humanlike form. 

Megumi hated himself for even feeling slight relief at the thought.

He didn’t follow Sukuna's earlier command of taking his clothes off and instead stood still, looking at the ground as his breathing turned uneven.

He wanted so desperately to put on a brave face. Stay stoic and unbothered. But he had never done any of the sort with someone else, let alone a demon of all beings, and his body betrayed him. 

Sukuna didn’t command him again, and took initiative to undress him. He unbuttoned his vest, not roughly but slowly. The vest fell, and then he untied his shirt.

Megumi, pliant although frozen, let his arms be raised as Sukuna slipped the shirt over his head.

He shivered then, properly. The cave would be cold anytime, but especially so during an october night. The chilly wind caressed his skin, making his hairs stand up and nipples stiffen. 

As his body shook, he immediately closed off, covering himself, both as if to warm up and to hide from Sukuna’s gaze. 

Sukuna sighed, disappointed. “This won’t do.” 

Megumi looked up briefly then, feeling a mixture of shame and inferiority.

But Sukuna had already turned around. 

Was he that undesirable that even an incubus rejected him?

However, it seemed Sukuna had a different reasoning. 

Suddenly, as Sukuna snapped his fingers, the cave was transformed.

Candles were everywhere, candelabras and oil lamps and even floating ones. Logs crackled on a bonfire, immediately warming up the air and the stones. A round, persian rug covered the summoning circle. And in the middle of it was a mattress with red silk sheets. Next to the mattress stood a table, with goblets, vases and jugs of wine and oil. 

“There,” Sukuna said, sounding happy with himself. “This should be more comfortable. I’d rather not fuck an icicle.”

Megumi ignored his obscenity. 

While he immediately felt warmer, and his shivering was subdued, his anxiety still prevailed.

Sukuna walked over to the table, and poured red wine into one of the goblets.

“Drink,” Sukuna said. “For the nerves.” 

He accepted the goblet. He’d do anything to make this more bearable. He almost wanted to ask Sukuna to knock him out somehow, put him under a spell, and just go through with it. 

But he had a feeling that wouldn’t be in Sukuna’s interest, or be classified as devotion at all. 

Megumi took a few sips at first. The taste was rich and sweet, probably the best wine he had ever tasted. Wine reserved for infernal kings, most likely. 

It trickled down his throat smoothly, and before he knew it, the goblet was empty. 

Sukuna raised his brows.

Megumi reached for the jug of wine, getting drunk seeming like the best solution. He was about to pour himself some more, however Sukuna put his hand over his, stopping him. 

The touch of his hand was much warmer than Megumi had anticipated. Not scorching, but hot like a cup filled with tea. 

"You should probably wait for it to take effect before drinking more," Sukuna warned. 

Why, Megumi wanted to ask. Perhaps it wouldn't be the most pleasant drinking experience, downing all that wine, but it would get the job done. 

He didn't quarrel, and instead looked at Sukuna, as if waiting for his command.

"You seem less on edge. We should start." 

Megumi frowned. "I will have you weeping and screaming, so be it," he paraphrased. "So why all this accommodation?"

Sukuna smiled. "I can have you that way. And I can be cruel, sadistic, emotionless and manipulative. But it just so happens, pleasure is a rather important aspect to sex. It is the essence of my being, my foundation and the very thing I feed on. And I am ravished," he said, a growl in his voice. 

"You'd have better luck extracting pleasure from a rock." 

Sukuna chuckled. "We'll see."

"Let's just get this over with," Megumi said, impatiently.

He waited for Sukuna to make a move towards him, continue undressing him, but instead, Sukuna sat down on the mattress and looked at him. 

Megumi stared back, wide-eyed. 

"Well? Do you need my command?" 

He didn't answer, not allowing himself to sound so submissive. 

"Undress yourself," Sukuna said. 

After a few seconds of silence, Megumi unlaced his pants, letting them fall and pool by his feet. Only his underpants were left covering his privates, and he really wanted to stop there.

However, Sukuna was looking at him with an expectant gaze. 

He did want to be done as soon as possible, so he removed them as well.

The embarrassment was excrutiating, but he bit it back.

It was harder to meet Sukuna's gaze now, while he was completely bare, so he focused on taking off his shoes and staring at the ground. 

He hated the warmth that filled his cheeks, and the lightheadedness he started feeling - all from one glass of wine? 

It had to be his fatigue. He had studied and practiced all day, and then some. Then summoned a demon, and it must've taken a huge toll on his reserve and stamina. 

Now, he had completely lost track of time. Perhaps it was nearing dawn. 

"There's oil on the table. Would you like to loosen yourself up, or should I?" 

Sukuna's comment made Megumi's eyes shoot up towards him. 

He must've looked confused, because Sukuna explained further. 

"For your rectum. I'd advise it-" 

"No!" Megumi said, cheeks burning. 

"If you'd rather bleed out of your ass for the next days then I won't stop you."

Megumi's eyes skirted towards the table and the bottle of oil.

Bleed out of his ass? For days? 

He winced.

"Preparation can be very pleasurable. I'll help you," Sukuna said, reaching for the bottle, but Megumi grabbed it instead. 

"I-I'll do it myself." 

Sukuna's maroon eyes seemed to light up with that. 

"Coat your fingers first," he said, and Megumi followed his order. 

The oil slid down his fingers, dripping onto the rug. 

"It's better to do it bent over," Sukuna mumbled and moved over, making space on the mattress. 

"Get on your knees. Relax your body, and start with one finger."

The mattress dipped as Megumi's knees sank into it. Then, although ashamed out of his mind, he leaned forward, onto his arm. 

He looked down onto the silk sheets, as he shakily positioned his fingers by his hole. 

This was a crazy situation. Out of all things to happen - and Megumi had anticipated the absolute worst - this had been beyond his imagination.

And for a moment, while he was caught up in embarrassment as he slipped the finger inside, part of him truly thought he’d be better off dead.

Then, Sukuna leaned forward, and while Megumi refused to look up at him, he whispered into his ear: “Just like that.” 

Megumi’s breath hitched, the words sending electric currents through his blood. 

He was taken aback by the sultriness of his voice. 

Megumi frowned and slammed his eyes shut, trying to force himself to shut him out. 

He was a demon. 

Megumi would honor the pact, but he would not be reduced to some puppet without agency. 

Instead, he focused on preparing himself. 

“Add another one,” Sukuna murmured.

“... It’s fine, let’s just get on with it,” Megumi said through gritted teeth.

“Do it. I’d rather not tear you up.” 

Megumi obliged then, slipping another finger in. His breathing turned heavier, and Sukuna noticed. 

“You’re starting to like it now,” he stated. “It finally rises.” 

Megumi opened his eyes, and looked down at his body.

His dick was hardening. 

He bit his lip. 

Suddenly, Sukuna gripped his chin, and made him look up.

His eyes were dark and half-lidded, clearly pleased by the show. Megumi wanted to tear away from his gaze, but he was frozen. 

“Let’s give you more of a challenge,” Sukuna said, sliding his hand down Megumi’s torso while still holding his chin in place. He reached his behind, and alongside Megumi’s slender fingers, he added one of his own.

The sensation was completely different.

Megumi gasped at the feeling of the thickness and slight sharpness from his claw-like nail.

Worst of it all, was that it didn’t hurt. 

Instead, Megumi’s cock stirred more. 

“After this, you’ll never want anybody but me to satisfy you. Not even yourself,” Sukuna said, slowly working the finger further in.

“The hubris,” Megumi spat, almost on instinct. “You should know I’m not easy to please.” 

Perhaps he took it as a challenge, Megumi realized then. It seemed to be the case, judging by the look in Sukuna’s eyes. Hungry, excited and fired up.

Sukuna chuckled and suddenly curled his finger, pressing something inside him that made his vision blur for a second.

Megumi had to bite down on his lips harder, not to cry out. 

“And you should know there is no one better suited to make you feel pleasure, than I. After all… This encompasses everything I am,” Sukuna said matter-of-factly, and as if interfering with Megumi’s teeth digging into his lips, he brought his thumb in between his lips.

Too dumbfounded to react or resist, Sukuna slipped it into his mouth, the flat of his thumb laying against Megumi’s tongue. 

Megumi shut up, and stopped breathing. 

If Sukuna pressed down further and harder, he’d end up choking.

“I wonder how much of this is your honest reaction, and how much is spurred on by the aphrodisiac,” Sukuna mumbled, and started to prod with another finger.

How the hell would it fit? 

And what was that about an aphrodisiac?! 

Megumi was unable to ask, but Sukuna didn’t need to hear the question at all. 

“The wine is spiked with a potent aphrodisiac. I thought it would help loosen you up a bit,” he said, and sank his finger in. 

Megumi couldn’t help the whine that escaped him then.

Just after a few rounds of pushing it in and pulling it out, Sukuna stopped and removed his digits, guiding Megumi’s fngers out as well.  

“You’re loose enough now,” Sukuna said. 

Megumi expected him to just have his way now that he was prepared, but instead, Sukuna leaned back against the mattress with his arms behind his hand. 

His phallus stood tall, while he stretched out with his eyes closed. 

Megumi frowned at the sight. 

“Well, I’m waiting,” Sukuna said, opening an eye after a minute of pure silence. “Since this is your first time, you can run the show. Less painful that way.” 

“There is no way.” 

“I saw you finger yourself open for me, little sorcerer. There is little you can do in my presence to embarrass yourself. Quite on the contrary. All that’s messing with your inability to act at this moment, is your mind. Your erection and the flush in your face speaks volumes of how your body feels.” 

He wasn’t wrong, Megumi realized, feeling his cock stir and warmth radiating off his skin. 

He was horny. 

And it felt like a betrayal. 

It’s the aphrodisiac. 

And the thought was like a lifeline, saving him from the deep abyss that mocked him. The wine made him this way. 

Not his thoughts, not his feelings or his nature, but the aphrodisiac.

It was the only excuse he could come up with for going through with what was coming. 

Drawing a deep breath, Megumi finally made a move. 

He climbed on top of Sukuna, mounting his lap.

Sukuna’s brows perked up with interest.

Megumi didn’t look at him. He was just a body to use, he thought. He could forget that what he was fucking was a demon.

He grabbed the manhood, ignoring how thick it felt in his hand, and positioned himself over it.

“Slowly,” Sukuna warned, but Megumi blocked his voice out.

He pressed down rather quickly. 

He had just had four fingers inside of him, it really shouldn’t have been so difficult. 

But it was. 

Before he could force himself down further, Sukuna had his hands wrapped around his waist, keeping him still.

Megumi’s head snapped up, looking at him now. Hadn’t he just said Megumi was to do it himself?!

Sukuna’s expression was different from earlier. A little bit more serious. 

“You’re rushing, and it will hurt,” Sukuna said. “Of course I shouldn’t have trusted a sorcerer blindly summoning a demon not to hurt himself.” 

“I’ll manage.”

Sukuna laughed to himself in disbelief. “I’m too merciful.”

“I didn’t ask for your mercy,” Megumi said, annoyed. 

Then, Sukuna’s hip slowly angled upwards. Megumi felt the strain of his cock entering him, but when he expected Sukuna to shove inside even further, he stopped.

Megumi’s chest collapsed and expanded with irregular breathing.

He already felt full and it was only the tip.

The only thing holding him up was Sukuna’s hands, and if he let go, Megumi wouldn’t trust his own thighs to do the job. 

“You would be less pleasing to look at while flaccid and covered in blood,” Sukuna said, staring intensely into Megumi’s eyes. 

Megumi couldn’t come up with another remark. He became too preoccupied with the feeling of Sukuna filling him. 

Whenever some time passed, Sukuna would penetrate him further. Slowly he sank him down as well, letting gravity do some of the work.

When he bottomed out, Sukuna let out a deep, guttural sigh. 

Sukuna moved one of his hands, cupping the bulge in Megumi’s abdomen.

“Look at you,” he murmured. “So tiny, yet you fit me so well.” 

Megumi didn’t dare to move, both frightened and mesmerized by the fact that all of him was inside him now.

"And so hard," he added, and wrapped his hand around Megumi's so far neglected cock.

Megumi gasped, shivering, as Sukuna slowly started to pump him. It was a new and overwhelming sensation, being completely full with Sukuna poking him from the inside, while stroking him externally. 

He didn't care to count how many strokes it took for him to ejaculate, but it were embarrassingly few.

All of a sudden he saw white, and he couldn't keep control of his mouth and the sounds he let out. 

Then he looked down, at the stains now covering Sukuna's sculpted abs and chest.

Megumi breathed heavily, coming down from his orgasm. 

Although, there would apparently be no resting. 

Sukuna stirred within him forcefully, making his presence known, as if to say "do not forget about me." 

Megumi yelped as Sukuna's hips started to move. 

"We are only getting started, blessing."

Chapter Text

Time seemed like something separate, something he should not, and could not, concern himself with at this moment. It was the same with the outside world. 

Megumi's universe had been reduced to the cave, the bed, Sukuna and himself.

By the time he got to his senses, perhaps hours, days, weeks, months or years had passed.

Perhaps Sukuna had already dragged him to the hells, it certainly felt like he was in Limbo. It wouldn't be an outrageous assumption. 

For the time being, he didn't know. 

The only thing he knew was that Sukuna had him on his belly, plowing into him from behind like a bull.

"Ah- Fuck," Megumi's moans and whimpers were mostly unintelligible and all of them completely unintelligent . 

Sukuna made him stupid. 

He had also made him addicted to the feeling of his cock filling him, stretching him, and then pulling out, leaving Megumi… Relieved? Or dissatisfied? Perhaps both. 

Then he'd enter him again. Go even deeper than scarcely possible. Sometimes Sukuna would stay inside for a while, pushing and pushing and pushing, filling him properly, hitting sensitive spots that Megumi had no idea existed. 

Those moments made Megumi go into a frenzy. 

He'd lose the ability to speak. To think. 

All of his autonomy and control was just gone. Beneath him on the silk was a wet patch of his spend, and how many times he had come was a mystery to him. 

The larger mystery was that Sukuna had not . 

Megumi was exhausted, nothing came out of him anymore and his ass was sore. Yet, Sukuna kept going without his own climax. 

Was it just another factor that separated him from humans? Endless stamina, strength and patience, and perhaps he wasn't even able to climax. 

No wonder he was obsessed with sex, if he never even got to finish. 

"Your heart's not in it anymore," Sukuna remarked, holding Megumi's arms behind his back. 

"Tired," Megumi mumbled. Even his moans were subdued now, only coming out on instinct with Sukuna's movements as he fucked him. 

Sukuna sighed. "Humans and their limits. You need to work on your stamina, little one," he said, and penetrated him deeply one final time. 

Megumi gasped, the fullness so delicious despite his fatigue. 

Sukuna was almost flat on top of him. 

Then, came the release. 

Sukuna grunted in his ear as he came inside him, and it wasn't quick business. Megumi still felt it filling him up, as Sukuna - his hot breath tickling his ear - whispered: "Sleep now."

And immediately, with Sukuna still inside, Megumi fell asleep. 

When he came to again, he was alone in the cave. The bed was still there, but the sheets were different now, white and stain-free. 

The candles Sukuna had made appear were also gone, along with the table, oils and wine. 

For a minute Megumi wondered if he had dreamed it all, but why else would a bed be there? Why else would the bowl Megumi had bled into, now be empty? 

He thought he would wake up in pain, sore, sticky and exhausted, but… He felt good. 

He was clean even. Not a drop of demon semen coated his thighs or buttocks. Even the wound on his hand had turned into faint, pink scar already.

A demon had tricked him into becoming his toy, but was kind enough to clean up after himself. 

Megumi groaned, rolling over. Then, a piece of paper caught his eye. 

He picked it up. In neat, cursive handwriting that was gilded, it said: "Until next time, blessing."

Another reminder that his memories didn't betray him. What had happened was real. 

Next time… He really had to go through it again? For how long? He hadn't even asked him, he had been too drunk on the aphrodisiac to keep his wits. Megumi really had no idea what he was heading towards.

But he did it for a reason. 

Greatness.  

And while Megumi didn't trust Sukuna in the slightest, he had signed a contract. That had to count for something. 

Offering his body to a stranger, a demon , would not be done in vain. 

After Megumi had packed up his things, he headed towards the exit of the cave. 

He wasn't sure what to do about the mattress, but when he turned around, it was gone. Along with the nine circles he had drawn. 

Leaving the cave, Megumi was met with the orange glow of the sun setting. 

Then he remembered the key in his pocket, and how he was supposed to deliver it to Kiyotaka that morning. 

Well, shit. 

It wasn't the best time for sneaking back to campus, but Megumi made an effort anyway. He probably looked horrible and not suspicious at all, so he hoped he could make it to his dorm without running into anyone. 

Of course, the one person he had not wanted to run into at all, showed up in the hallway, right in front of Megumi's door. 

"Professor," Megumi greeted, surprised. 

He saw Gojo's eyes travel over him, lingering by the sack he had slung over his shoulders. 

He could not figure out which book he kept in there. 

Megumi would be dead.

"You know how I feel about you calling me that outside of class," Gojo said, although lacking his usual obnoxious, playful tone.

He seemed serious, and that was rare.

He lifted his tinted glasses, the vividness of his blue eyes immediately pinning Megumi down. 

He was mad mad. 

"Ijichi asked me this morning where you were, because you had the keys to the library and were supposed to give them back. Then he approached me again at noon, frantic and annoyed that he had to find his spare keys to open the library." 

Megumi didn't interrupt him and waited for him to finish his preaching. 

"Now, Ijichi makes a fuss over everything, that's nothing new. And I don't know whether to applaud you or berate you for manipulating him into giving you the key, but you and I both know you should not have had it. If you were a new, unknowing student who only wanted to do well on a test, I'd buy the whole 'studying all night' excuse, but you're not. So tell me, Megumi - and don't lie, what were you doing?"

Megumi sighed. "I'll return the key, I just lost track of time and then overslept-" 

"Except you weren't at your dorm, not in the library this morning, nor at my apartment."

"You're blowing this out of proportion," Megumi said, anticipating Gojo's fury. 

And like a twig, Gojo's patience snapped. 

"Tell me honestly or else I'll expel you myself."

Megumi's eyes widened. "You can't be serious."

Gojo's eyes were unwavering. "You've always wanted me to treat you just like the other students. Keeping a key for longer than allowed would be enough ground for expulsion. Now, I'll ask you again, and this is your final chance - what were you doing?"

"I was practicing. In The Whaler's Deathbed. I wore myself out and fell asleep," Megumi said. Stay close to the truth, but not too close. 

Issue was, Gojo was like a bloodhound. You couldn’t lie to him, he smelled bullshit from a mile away. 

"Why?" Gojo asked, not sounding convinced. 

"Because I didn't want to cause a ruckus on campus, and because I have to practice or else I won't get any-fucking-where."

Perhaps playing on his own emotions was a bad choice, but it was the most honesty he could give without exposing himself. 

"The practice halls are open at all times. I constantly see your name on the booking chart from night until morning, Megumi."

"Well it's-" Megumi swallowed heavily. "It's suffocating me. I might as well move into the hall, it won't matter. You can offer me private lessons all you like too, it won't fucking matter."

Gojo sighed, and his stance softened. 

Finally.

"It's a mental blockade. But that is possible to overcome too, once you start treating yourself with respect and empathy, instead of trying to reach this ruthless standard you’ve set for yourself."

Megumi's shoulders dropped. 

It was so easy for him to say, the greatest sorcerer alive. He was the one creating the standards. 

"Right," Megumi mumbled. 

"Have patience. Stop thinking about sorcery for a minute and go experience the ordinary world. Take a page out of Yuuji’s and Nobara’s book, they're great at it."

Megumi closed his eyes. Really, the last thing he wanted to hear was how someone else was so much better than him at being normal. 

He couldn’t be ordinary, and he couldn’t be great. 

Perhaps he’d always been in Limbo.

"Give me the key, I'll deliver it to Ijichi. Apologize next time you see him."

Feeling like a scolded child, Megumi handed him the key. 

"I really didn't mean to keep it," Megumi said. "I lost track of time."

Gojo raised a brow. "You devote yourself to training and studying, but you never miss a deadline or act disrespectful, Megumi. This is unlike you." 

Megumi didn't argue, and simply waited for Gojo to move so he could escape into his dorm room. 

"Hand me the thing you took from the library basement as well. Your knapsack reeks of bad energy." 

Megumi's eyes shot up. 

Gojo didn't look at him while he held his hand out.

"Come on," he urged. "Theft would not only cause expulsion, but also punishment by a fine. Depending on the context of what's stolen."

Megumi opened his bag and pulled the book out. He was done with it anyway, and he really didn't want to get expelled. 

Gojo's trust in him would probably take months to repair, on the minimum. 

The look in Gojo's eyes was hard to read as Megumi gave him the tome. 

Megumi’s heart thumped nervously.

"My, my," Gojo mumbled, sounding half impressed, half disappointed. "This is what you were practicing?" 

Megumi didn't say anything. 

"And did you succeed?" 

"No," Megumi said. "It just drained me, so I passed out."

"We'll have a proper talk about this someplace private. Tomorrow, after classes."

Megumi nodded. 

Gojo finally moved, but on his way out, he stopped and quietly said: "I thought you were smarter than that, Megumi. You're lucky you're even alive."

Then he disappeared, and Megumi finally allowed himself to breathe.

That night, all he did was bathe, eat and immediately fall asleep the minute he hit the bed.

"Demonology," Gojo said, loudly, as class the next day started.

They were supposed to learn about the evolution of illusion spells, but instead, it seemed Gojo had changed the plan just to send a message. 

Megumi silently groaned, knowing Gojo’s eyes were on him without even looking. 

"Demons and sorcerers. Where do these different beings intertwine? Yuuji?" 

"Summoning?" Yuuji asked, unsure.

"Indeed. Summoning, something all of you are familiar with in one way or another. Can a sorcerer summon a demon? Nobara?"

"In theory. Although, I haven't heard of anyone in recent times do it."

"You are correct. It's been hundreds of years since a demon summoning has been documented. Why does it seem like it suddenly just… stopped? Is the knowledge of how to do it lost?" 

The classroom was quiet, as Gojo let the question hang in the air. 

"Megumi," Gojo said, not a question. 

Megumi sighed quietly, sitting up straight. "Because it's dangerous. People are afraid to take the risks." 

Gojo nodded. "It's part of it. Of course, the attempts that failed are unlikely to be documented, often because… They are dead. Such is the life of a sorcerer, and risks come with every spell of every kind. There are some other aspects to this phenomenon though to consider," he said and snapped his fingers. 

A piece of chalk levitated into the air, and started writing on the chalkboard in tiny letters at an unbelievable speed. 

After a few seconds, it was clear what it was writing.

It was on the curriculum for every first-year sorcerer.

"The code of conduct is something all of you should know. While you at the time being are students and therefore the university is responsible for your academic actions, at least to some degree, this is still something you should strive to follow. Now, what kind of magic would you say summoning demons classify as?"

"Infernal," Zenin Maki, sitting behind Megumi, said. 

"Yes, but not just that. It's also natural, the magic we are familiar with. A demon, or any creature from the nine circles, has infernal power. Our own magic doesn't change, because that's impossible unless we are of a different species for some reason. Maybe your mother slept with a demon and you're half-devil, who knows," Gojo said and several of Megumi's classmates snickered. 

"Point is, our magical nature is set, formed by the boundaries of humankind. We can't perform infernal magic unless our father is a demon. So performing a summoning, which only requires natural magic from our part, should be reasonable, right? So why is summoning a demon forbidden in the code of conduct?"

Again, class fell silent. Gojo paced around the room, until he stopped in front of Megumi's desk, and halfway sat on top of it. 

"Perhaps you can think of why, Megumi." 

Megumi looked up. 

It somehow felt like an attempt of public humiliation. 

But Megumi knew why, and Gojo wouldn't ask him without thinking he had an answer. Like saying: “You are smart enough to know this, and that makes you all the more horrible for attempting it.”

Perhaps it was his own way of confirming whether or not Megumi had completely gone off the rails. 

"Summoning is a two-way street. When we summon something that has its own innate magic, our nature reacts with theirs. It makes the result unpredictable."

"But is unpredictability the sole reason for it being forbidden? After all, many of us summon things and beings with different natures, which can be unpredictable."

"I suppose it has to do with infernal magic being particularly tricky."

"Not so much the magic," Gojo corrected. "But the demon." 

"Simplified, demons are just like sorcerers, but a bit more intense, powerful and limitless. They are unique, none of them the same in terms of skill, technique, knowledge, physique and psyche. Unless an expert in demonology, and none of us are because it's a field impossible to study properly, we don't know if the demon we try to summon has the strength of a puppy or a natural disaster," Gojo continued. 

"And summoning is, as Megumi says, a two-way street. The demon's capacity, which could range from a feathery kiss to a brain-annihilating collision, determines how much magic is required of us. And too often will that requirement be way beyond our reserve. And that results in, and this is basic summoning, Yuuji, don't let me down-"

"Death," Yuuji said, a bit too cheery. He always got excited knowing the answers to Gojo's question. 

And like a dog winding up another, Gojo let out a whoop mirroring his energy. 

"Ding-ding-death! Now, performing any spell could make your reserve run dry and kill you, not just the ones dabbling in infernal relations. Like legal magic that pulls on nature, shadows, energy. So this isn't about protecting a sorcerer from death. It's about ethics," he said, and a seriousness fell over him once more. 

He looked at Megumi then, because of course he did, as an extension of the scolding from the day prior. 

"Doing business with a demon can, and often will, cause consequences that go beyond the individual sorcerer. That is an unpredictability that is too risky to ignore. Until you graduate and go fuck off and ruin your lives and end up on trial for your crimes, you are the university’s responsibility. My responsibility. And it would be a shame for a student to either die, or summon a nuisance we’d have to deal with.”

Megumi looked down onto his desk, the rosewood surface sleek and shiny.

Gojo had moved, pacing around the classroom again. 

“Will this be on the curriculum, professor?” Yuuji asked, holding his hand up. 

“No. You can store this information as ‘common sense’, though.”

“Got it!” 

This was insufferable. 

Only Gojo would disguise a scolding only meant for him as a lecture, trying to embarrass him.

Well, Megumi had other things to be embarrassed by. 

The memories immediately made his cheeks heat up, and he desperately tried to mentally block them out.

“Did someone attempt to summon a demon? Is that why you’re bringing it up?” Maki asked. 

For a second, Megumi genuinely thought Gojo might expose him. He was the craziest person he knew, it really wasn’t beyond him.

However, it was also the right thing to do. And although he liked to get preachy with Megumi… Gojo himself dabbled in the gray areas sometimes.

“No, not to my knowledge,” Gojo said, to Megumi’s relief. “Sometimes I just realize how young and naive you are, so I felt a reminder was in order.”

Megumi glared at him. 

“Young and naive, but bright and full of potential. A dangerous combination without the right guidance,” Gojo added, looking at him.

Then, he turned around and the writing on the chalkboard disappeared.

“Now, let’s talk about what’s actually on the curriculum, the evolution of illusions…” 

Megumi had one more class after lunch before he had to talk with Gojo. It was physical education with Nanami, and was a welcome change for Megumi to make his mind focus on other things. As a sorcerer, there was an expectation of being physically able to not only handle your spells, but also to fight and protect when the situation called for it.

Sorcerers often took on important duties in society, like in law enforcement and healthcare. That, in addition to the Sorcerer subdivision of government, a council made out of sorcerers with various skills to strictly handle sorcery matters. 

While spellcasting was strictly forbidden outside of certain areas, like the university and other establishments, it was often necessary when a situation looked grim. 

Nanami was one of the best, if not the best sorcerer, at hand-to-hand combat. His sorcery was outshined by others like Gojo, but his physical ability was impressive. In general, Megumi found him much more bearable than Gojo. 

“Fushiguro, you’re distracted. Keep your hands up,” Nanami said as Megumi was sparring with Yuuji. 

Megumi huffed, but tried following his advice.

It really wasn’t fair being paired with Yuuji. If Nanami was the master, then Yuuji was the apprentice. 

Yuuji was fresher to sorcery than Megumi, but he was evolving at a frightening speed. It was probably part of the reason Megumi felt so insecure in his own abilities. Jealousy towards his friend.

In a moment of confusion, Yuuji hit Megumi square in the gut, and he flew backwards.

It shocked Megumi so much he forgot to use his magic to ease the fall. 

“Fushiguro!” Yuuji called out as Megumi hit the ground. “Are you okay?!”

Megumi pulled himself into a sitting position, rubbing his knees and side of his face. He was a bit scratched up, but it would heal naturally. 

Most of the damage was his head aching, but he doubted that was due to injury.

“Megumi,” Nanami said, standing next to him. It was uncharacteristic of him to use his name like that, and Megumi wondered if he’d be getting scolding number two today.

“Are you okay?”

Megumi let out a sigh of relief. “Yes. I’m sorry, I was… Distracted, as you said.”

“Then start focusing. You can go see Shoko, if you’d like.” 

“No, it’s fine,” Megumi said, standing up. “I’ll continue. Focused.”

“Alright then. Slow start, boys. Itadori, maybe hold back a bit-”

“No,” Megumi quickly intercepted, glance shifting from Nanami to Yuuji. “If he holds back he’ll never progress and… I need to be challenged,” Megumi said, brushing himself off. 

“Alright then,” Nanami sighed. “But remember, this is training. It’s fine to take it easy some days.” 

Megumi ignored it, and looked at Yuuji. “I’m ready.” 

By the time they were done, Megumi was sore all over. Despite telling Yuuji not to hold back, he still sensed his hesitation during the sparring.

Truthfully, it made Megumi enraged. 

He didn’t show it though, and he somewhat managed to focus for the remainder of the class. 

At this point he felt like he was weighing Yuuji down, being more of a hindrance than a valuable training partner. Yuuji would be better off sparring Nanami or Gojo, someone close to his own skill. 

The thought was utterly depressing. 

He really was falling behind. 

“What has got you distracted?” Nanami asked, as class was dismissed and the students started leaving. “You weren’t in class yesterday. Same reason?” 

Megumi froze. “Not really.” 

“Everyone was looking for you. Well, Gojo in particular. He seemed worried.” 

“Worried? Why? I’m an adult, it’s not his business where I go.” 

Nanami raised his shoulders. “It’s not so strange when you usually have perfect attendance. That, and the fact that he cares. Although he has an eccentric way of showing it.”

“I suppose.” 

“You’ve been pushing yourself too hard. I see it too. Cut yourself some slack, or else it can have negative repercussions. Believe me, I would know,” Nanami said, and fished out a cigarette from his pocket. He lit it by snapping his fingers, and inhaled deeply. “I should quit this damn job,” he mumbled around the cigarette.

“Please don’t. You’re a good teacher,” Megumi said, smiling slightly. “Thanks for the advice,” he added, before excusing himself. 

He would probably not take it. 

Gojo’s office was at the end of the hall in the staff’s wing. Megumi had been there a million times before, but facing it this time, he felt slightly nervous.

He knocked on the door, and waited. 

“Come in,” he heard coming from inside. 

Even just those two words seemed different today. Normally Gojo said everything in an obnoxious, sing-song voice, sounding condescending and stupid at the same time.

Megumi usually found it annoying, but with time perhaps it had created a false sense of easiness. Gojo never got angry with him, even when he was a rebellious child getting into trouble during his early schooldays. He’d say the things he was supposed to say of course, like “don’t do that again” and “don’t use magic on non-sorcerers” but always with a gleam in his eye, with mischief in his voice. 

He entered the office, closing the door behind him. 

“Tough training? You look a bit roughed up,” Gojo commented. 

“Itadori is one of a kind. I’m no match for him.” 

Gojo cocked his head. “That’s not true. Physically, maybe not. Your sorcery though is on a different level, but he might get there. And your intellect… Well, I wonder if I’ve overestimated that in you, considering recent events.”

Megumi rolled his eyes, tired of his passive-aggressive criticism. 

“What do you want me to do? I returned the key and the book, and most importantly, nothing happened!”

Gojo rested his chin in his hands, and removed his shaded glasses yet again. His gaze wasn’t as aggressive as the other day. Perhaps he was changing tactics. 

“You could start by taking some accountability.”

“I told you what I did. I know it was dangerous, against the code of conduct, and unethical. I’m sorry.” 

Gojo frowned. “I’m hearing you say those words, but it doesn’t sound genuine at all. You know what I think?” 

“Oh, I am anxious to hear your thoughts,” Megumi said sarcastically, taking a seat.

“I think - and I find this horrifying - that while knowing all these things, knowing how wrong it was to even attempt summoning a demon, you simply didn’t care. You did it for your own selfish gain.” 

Megumi was a bit taken aback by the blatant honesty. Never had Gojo called him selfish.

But it wasn’t wrong either. 

“It’s worrisome when a student shows signs of a lack of empathy, especially someone talented. It would make me think twice before letting you go into the real world, as an agent of doing good.” 

Megumi chewed on the inside of his cheek. 

Lack of empathy. 

It gave him a bitter taste on his tongue. 

“I don’t… I don’t lack empathy,” Megumi said. 

“No? Then how would you justify taking a book containing forbidden information and trying to summon a demon with no thought to the consequences?”

“I can’t justify it. It was impulsive and short-sighted. I just feel weak. That’s the only reason, and it doesn’t justify it. I would never intentionally cause harm to anyone.”

Gojo sighed. “You could be playing me like a fiddle, but I believe you. Most of the time I can’t picture you doing anything wrong, then you pull my leg like this. You’ve always been a troublemaker at heart, I keep forgetting that.” 

“There is someone you would intentionally harm, though,” Gojo added. 

Megumi frowned. 

“Yourself,” he said, leaning back. “You’d risk it all, even if it meant losing your life. If that’s what you mean by short-sightedness, then yes, you are very introspective. It is a very selfish way of life, one that ignores all other possibilities and effects of an action. What if you did summon a demon, and that demon took the opportunity to destroy earth? What if you, instead of summoning a demon, summoned a gateway, a rift between the nine circles and earth? And say you did fail, fulfilling this suicidal fantasy of yours, what comes next? What of those who will grieve, do they fit into that fantasy? Do I?”

Gojo sat still, looking at Megumi. Not judging, but searching. Looking for an answer.

“I know relationships are difficult for you, Megumi. It’s hard for you to say you have a friend, even harder for you to consider someone family. But I’m saying I’m your family, and it’s up to you whether or not you think it’s worth something.”

When Megumi didn’t say anything, Gojo turned his attention to the paperwork on his desk. “That’s what I had to say, you can go now.” 

Megumi stood up, and turned towards the door. 

He paused by the doorknob, feeling his eyes start to water.

As a tear escaped, rolling down his cheek, Megumi quickly said: “You are my family,” before leaving the office. 

Despite still feeling like he had a mountain to climb in order to progress, Megumi did actually somewhat take Nanami and Gojo's advice. He wasn't on top of his game, he made mistakes and most of the time he couldn't concentrate at all. 

It was like trying to light a match that was completely burnt to a crisp. 

So for the next coming days, he attended classes and did what he was required to, but he sat back, took it easy, and let others do the talking and the sparring.

He even prohibited himself from using magic for a few days. 

Although he didn't feel like summoning Sukuna had drained him or even taken a toll on his reserve at all, it was also the reason why he was skeptical. He didn't know what lingering effects summoning him had caused. 

Perhaps he was running on bare fumes without knowing it.

Truthfully, it was good for him. Using magic always led to taking shortcuts, and Megumi didn't like doing that in day-to-day life. So he did his chores without cutting corners, and when he had downtime, he sat down with a novel.

It was easy. It was normal. It was like finding his way back to his old self. 

But knowing that Megumi's best self was the ordinary, organized, introverted non-sorcerer in him, wasn't exactly preferable.

"How do you do it?" Megumi asked Yuuji as they were walking in the park on campus one afternoon. 

Yuuji looked at him with big brown eyes. "Do what?" 

"Staying positive and happy while staying in physically perfect shape while also constantly pushing the boundaries of your magic reserve, and on top of that, looking like you get a full, healthy night of sleep every time I see you."

Yuuji smiled, a bit dumbfounded. 

"First of all, thank you , a compliment from Fushiguro Megumi is like Christmas, and second of all… It's not always perfect," Yuuji said and Megumi fought the urge to roll his eyes. 

"I have bad days," he continued. "Some days I don't even want to get out of bed. But I think I get scared of where I'll go mentally if I don't, so I force myself to."

"Still, you perform so well. The fact that you found out you're a sorcerer just half a year ago and you're already at this level… You're something else." 

Yuuji raised his shoulders. "Maybe my mother slept with a demon." 

Megumi let out a strangled breath. "Yeah. Could be. You don't know your parents, right? Do you know if they were sorcerers?" 

Yuuji shook his head. "I have no idea. If they were, gramps told me nothing about it. How about you?"

Megumi stopped in his tracks. He didn't know either.

Genes.

He'd compared himself to Gojo ever since being taken under his wing and learning about sorcery, but genes was an aspect Megumi hadn't even considered. 

"While anyone could be a sorcerer regardless of their parents being sorcerers, genealogy still plays a big part in those who do have sorcerer parents," Megumi explained. 

"How so?" 

"Like the size of someone's magic reserve. It would make sense for that to pass along to offspring. Small or big. Someone could also heavily favor a type of magical nature due to their parents’ magical nature." 

"Oh, that's interesting," Yuuji mumbled. 

"Studies show that sorcerer children are more likely to explore the same magical nature that their parents use. However it's difficult to measure if it's due to biology or culture and nurture. If it's true for children who hasn't grown up with their parents, it could prove it's part of the genes."

Maybe the way to bring down the massive wall Megumi was facing was to figure out who his parents were. 

Perhaps it would also teach him about his own magic nature, shadow magic. Unless it had nothing to do with his parents. If not, then it might show that Megumi was using the wrong magic.

Then again, shadow magic wasn't easy nor common to use, but to Megumi it felt not only normal, but comfortable. There had to be a reason to it. 

Perhaps Sukuna could give answers. He had to, after all, it was part of the damn contract to help him become a better sorcerer. 

Except Megumi had no idea when he'd get to see him and ask. 

"Uh-" Megumi uttered suddenly, when he felt a sharp burning sensation in his abdomen. 

"Fushiguro? You okay?"

Megumi took a long second to answer, collecting himself.

"Yes. Just a stomach ache," he said.

What the hell was that? 

The sensation didn't stop either. It felt like someone was poking him with a white-hot knife. 

"I should go," Megumi said, clutching his stomach. "See you, Itadori." 

He could barely hear Yuuji speaking over the rush in his ears as he hurried back to the dorms.

Once inside the safety of his room, Megumi shut the door behind him and winced. He thought it was something internal at first, but the longer the pain continued, the feeling of something being almost carved into his skin got stronger.

Megumi lifted his shirt up, checking his stomach. 

Something black and inky unfolded on his abdomen. He quickly turned towards an embellished mirror leaning against the wall, to get a better look. 

Two jagged, symmetrical lines the thickness of a finger flanked a diamond shape. 

Megumi immediately recognized the style. 

He’d seen similar marks up close and personal on Sukuna. 

Branded, was all Megumi could think.

But was it just that, a simple mark, or did it have an impact on him?

At least the pain subsided once the design was complete.

He looked down at himself, touching the ink. It felt like just any layer of skin; it had completely merged.

He could never show his bare stomach to anyone now, unless he could somehow convince people it was a tattoo he willingly got. That would be an impossible task. 

Looking up again in the mirror, Megumi was shocked to see red eyes next to him, and he jumped backwards, gasping.

His back met firm muscle, and a hand steadied his shoulder.

“Admiring my handiwork?” Sukuna asked, murmuring into his ear. “Personally, I think it suits you.”

Megumi immediately stepped out of his grasp, and turned towards him. “How are you here?!”

Sukuna raised his brows. “How? We made a deal, remember? Or did I fuck you dumb?”

“You know what I mean, bastard. You showing up unannounced, without even being summoned-” 

“Watch your tongue, human,” Sukuna sneered. “You shall only speak to me with respect and humility.” 

Feeling courageous, not to mention annoyed, Megumi snapped back. “Or what? The deal’s off the table? Your loss.”

In a flash, Megumi felt a hand around his throat and the cold surface of his mirror against his back. Sukuna had him pressed against it, glaring at him with feral eyes. 

Megumi’s gasps turned breathless as Sukuna applied more pressure.

“I have acted with patience,” Sukuna said, frightfully calmly. “But I can rip your clothes off and fuck you against this mirror until it breaks, shards impaling your fragile skin. That would be merciful compared to other alternatives. I can break the pact and sentence you to an eternity of torture and misery if I so wish, filth.”

Megumi’s eyes started to water, rolling to the back of his skull as he felt himself losing consciousness. 

“So it would very much be in your best interest to worship me, as our contract states,” Sukuna said, letting go of Megumi’s neck. 

He fell to the floor onto his knees, coughing and wheezing, tears streaming down his cheeks. 

Fucking lunatic, Megumi thought, careful not to say the words out loud. 

To think he’d lain with him, and moaned and climaxed from his cock? That aphrodisiac had to have been stronger than any known drug. 

Megumi looked up at him with bloodshot, angry eyes.

Despite the rage just seconds prior, Sukuna now seemed pleased with himself, the hint of a smile on his lips as he looked down at Megumi.

He swallowed heavily before speaking again.

“Fine. But this pact is transactional, don’t forget that. I still haven’t gotten anything in return from laying with you.”

Sukuna rolled his eyes. “Oh, you are boring. Blind to pleasure. If you knew what was good for you, you’d be begging for me to fill you every second of every dreary day. Any sane person would do so, after getting the taste you were given.”

“And I told you, I’m not easy to please.”

Sukuna scoffed, and placed his hand on top of Megumi’s head. His fingers threaded through his hair, sharp nails clawing at his scalp. 

Megumi ignored the tingle it gave him.

“But you were. To the point you could’ve drowned in a pool of your own semen. And let’s not forget about all the times you came dry, like a woman, preening on the sensation of me inside you,” Sukuna murmured. “No, the ability to feel pleasure is no problem at all. It is only your pathetic values standing in the way.” 

“The only reason I made this deal with you is for power and knowledge. Save your lust-obsessed rants for a sinful whore instead. I don’t care.” 

Sukuna’s chest ruppled as he burst out in laughter.

“Hahah! Sinful whore… Remind me again, who is the one selling his body to a devil? Your lack of insight is simultaneously tragic and hilarious,” Sukuna snickered. “And here I thought you were at least smart enough to embrace the sins declared by God. But it seems you’re no better than a brainwashed fanatic.” 

He let go Megumi’s head. “Pathetic.” 

Sukuna sighed, and paced around the room. “Well, you can rest easy today. I won’t fuck you bloody, no matter how tempting it is with that foul mouth of yours. As much as I like keeping you on your toes, I came to inform you of some things.”

Megumi got up with shaky legs, his knees surely bruised. 

Sukuna wasn’t naked this time, well, he was half-naked, but his lower half was covered with a robe. Perhaps it was true then, that he was here for business only. 

“One. Your beautiful new mark, which you by all means should interpret as me claiming my property, will only be visible when I summon myself to earth. Even though you’re a horrible liar and got close to exposing your sinful activities, my summoning is still unknown. We will keep it that way.”

Megumi frowned. How could he know that? 

“Two. You can no longer summon me, because you already did. Through you, I can appear and disappear whenever I wish, and that decision is mine alone.” 

“So at any point? That will be a massive inconve-”

“I am not done,” Sukuna boomed. “Three. Know that if you in the future decide to try to deceive me with pretty words - which you obviously would fail doing, it will be a futile attempt. I will keep an eye on you even if I’m not present. Any action you make against me will be noted. So will acts of devotion. And since this is so damn transactional to you, I’m sure you’ll understand this: The more you worship, the better of a sorcerer I will make you. Clear?” 

After processing the information, Megumi nodded. 

“Good. Then, I’ll be on my way-” 

“Wait- I have a question. Well, a request,” Megumi hurriedly said. 

Sukuna raised his brows. 

“I need to know who my parents were, or something about their magic, if they were sorcerers. Anything.” 

“Who do you take me for, God? I know many things, but biographical information about two random mortals? That’s just not interesting.” 

Megumi crossed his arms. “It is to me. You’re supposed to help me, so figure it out! Or is the contract just a joke to you?” 

“I take it very seriously. So, if it’s so important to you, I will do some digging. Are they dead, perhaps?” 

“I know my mother is. I’m not sure about my father,” Megumi mumbled. 

He hoped so. It was tolerable to live with a parent being dead, instead of alive and having abandoned their child. 

“Well, if they are, it makes it easier for me. Although, you might be disappointed with the results.”

“That’s fine.” 

Sukuna looked at him, focused with half-lidded eyes. As if he was deep in thought. 

“Until we meet again, blessing,” Sukuna said, and in the blink of an eye, he was gone.

Once Megumi was alone, he felt like he could finally breathe. 

He grabbed his neck, feeling where Sukuna had been choking him. 

Raw strength, with only one hand. 

He had the temper of someone who truly had no consequences at all; he could've killed him right there and it wouldn't matter. 

Why did he agree to a deal with Megumi? 

Access to earth? Sex? 

It seemed so unimportant, in the grand scheme of things.

Sukuna took the contract seriously he said, but Megumi couldn't help but think that he was a toy to him, just something to keep him entertained for a while. 

Well, the why and how didn't matter. As long as Megumi got what he wanted in the end, he'd be satisfied.

Megumi laid down in his bed, drowsiness coming over him. 

The fact that he appeared without making demands of sex surprised him, though. Megumi had expected it to play out like the first time.

He was relieved, but he wasn't sure if this side of Sukuna was any better. Maybe he was worse, at least he hadn't been choked half to death during the summoning night. 

He's a demon, he doesn't have sides, Megumi reminded himself. 

Any grace he showed would ultimately have ulterior motives. 

He couldn't trust him, not really.

Slowly, Megumi drifted to sleep wondering what mess he had created for himself.

Chapter Text

"We have a mission for you three today," Gojo explained to Megumi, Yuuji and Nobara. 

They had gathered in Gojo’s office first thing in the morning. Usually fridays were meant for self-study, but Gojo had called them in instead.  

"A mission?!" Yuuji's eyes were wide with excitement. 

"Yes. It's about time you get field work, after all, you don't become a sorcerer by only learning, but by doing. The local police don't have the time nor manpower to deal with this case, so they asked us for help."

“And magic is required?” Megumi asked. 

Gojo looked at him, the shadow of a smirk on his face. “Yes.” 

Megumi crossed his arms, uncomfortable.

He hadn’t really practiced in a while, not since the summoning. At first he just wanted to wait for a couple of days, but two weeks had passed now. He wasn’t really sure why it was so difficult to slip into his old habits, he’d never been scared of tiring himself out before. 

“Awesome! Finally we get some action,” Yuuji said, nudging Nobara who grinned back at him. 

“If it’s a police case, wouldn’t they be better equipped at handling it than us? Or even you?”

Gojo smiled. “Megumi, do you think you can’t handle it?” 

“I’m sure we can, I’m just saying.” 

“Well, the sorcerers in the police has a lot on their plate. And I spoke with the dean, and he agreed with me that this was a good opportunity to put your knowledge to practice. I will also be your supervisor during the mission, should it turn out more dangerous than it seems.” 

Well, that was a slight comfort.

Gojo handed Megumi a paper containing information on the case.

“Everything you need to know is written here. I could tell you the best way to approach this, but I feel like letting you decide. Good luck!” 

That evening, the four of them drove out to a dark, dilapidated house. Situated in a quiet part of St. Faustus, it was surrounded by tall, metallic fencing. Everything about it screamed “keep out”. 

The rain hammered against the ground, close to seeping through their clothes. 

“And we’re here because it’s haunted? It’s superstition,” Megumi said, looking at Gojo.

He had a hard time taking the mission seriously, as the sole reason was neighbours finding it creepy.

“It could be superstition. But as sorcerers, we know how superstition and reality overlaps. Who’s to say the sounds the neighbours hear are imaginary or real? It’s your job to find out.”

“Well, magic operates on certain premises that superstition does not.”

“Let’s just go in,” Yuuji announced. “I’m ready.” 

“I’m not!” Nobara said, visibly shaking. “You know it’s All Hallow’s Eve today. When the veil between the world of the living and the world of the dead is lifted?”

“It’s not,” Megumi said, rolling his eyes. “That’s old superstition. It’s just a day to remember the dead, nothing more.”

“The more time you waste, the closer we get to the witching hour,” Gojo whispered, and Nobara yelped. 

“Okay! Fine! Let’s get it over with!” 

Megumi sighed, and opened the sharp metal gate. 

It creaked ominously.

“Call out if you run into trouble,” Gojo said, waving them off while leaning against the automobile.

“You do realize we’re the witches, right?” Megumi asked Nobara as they made their way into the garden. “If there were someone in here, they should be afraid of us.”

“I haven’t thought of it like that,” Nobara mumbled.

The garden was quite large, and it got clearer by the second that whoever once lived here, had been rich.

There were overgrown statues and gazebos in every direction, and was without a doubt the scariest things so far. 

“Someone’s there! Revelite!” Yuuji said, casting an illuminating spell that flew forward against the shape. 

“... It’s another statue,” Megumi said, once the light revealed that it indeed was not a person. 

“Thank God,” Nobara breathed out, holding a hand to her chest. 

“This is ridiculous,” Megumi said as they approached the door. “It’s clearly not haunted. The neighbours are just spooked by the previous owner’s eclectic taste."

He was about to grab the doorknob, but then he door swung open by itself. 

Nobara gasped. “You sure about that?” 

“The wind, Kugisaki. It’s the wind.”  

“Stand behind me guys, I’ll go in first,” Yuuji said, standing in front of them. “I don’t get scared easily. In fact, I’ve read quite a few horror novels, I find them quite fun-” 

“That’s great, get a move on,” Megumi urged, and they finally entered the house. 

The inside of the house was just as ruined as the outside. The wallpaper was coming off the walls in chunks, mold and wet wood peeking through. In the middle of the foyer was a large chandelier that had fallen down, glass crushed and spread throughout the floor. 

“Since the door was open, it wouldn’t be strange if kids have been breaking in and making noises,” Megumi said. “They probably trashed the whole place.”

“Maybe,” Yuuji said. “We should still check the house. Maybe someone broke in and got into danger. The floor doesn’t look very sturdy.” 

Valid point, Megumi thought. 

“I’ll check upstairs,” he said, heading towards the stairs.

“Shouldn’t we go together?” Nobara asked nervously. “If it is dangerous.”

“We’re strong enough on our own, you especially!” Yuuji said, grinning. “You’re so intimidating!” 

Nobara gave him an ugly look, sneering.

“Itadori, check the basement if there is one. Kugisaki, you can explore this floor. Just call out if you notice anything out of the ordinary, I’m sure sound carries well here,” Megumi said, and then started moving up the stairs.

Although he wasn’t particularly heavy, Megumi was still unsure if the floorboards would carry him. Almost everything in the house was wet, so the roof had to be leaking for sure. 

He should’ve brought a lantern, he realized, in the darkness of the house. He saw the outline of various candelabras and lamps along the walls, but he doubted they would light in the moisture. 

So, he realized he was forced to cast a spell if he wanted to see anything. 

“Illumina,” he whispered. A light blue flamed appeared on the tip of his fingers, illuminating his surroundings in a larger vicinity than a simple candle would.

It was a simple spell, one of the very first you’d learn as a sorcerer. It wasn’t taxing on the body nor the magic reserve. Yet, Megumi couldn’t help but feel relieved that he was fine. 

What was he expecting? That summoning a demon had altered his magic for the worse? The whole point of it was to become a better sorcerer. 

Of course it hadn’t fucked with his magic. 

Megumi scoffed at himself. When did he become so paranoid?

“Umbra lepus,” he said then, calling forth his first shadow apparition in weeks.

A single rabbit, made of thick, smoke-like shadow with red eyes gleaming in the dark, waited patiently before him. 

“Explore the floor. Return to me if something needs investigating,” Megumi said, and the rabbit immediately started hopping away. 

Megumi felt fine, the same as usual. He’d notice fatigue if he summoned some of his bigger creatures, but the rabbits were the easiest.

If he truly wanted to progress, he had to start trusting himself to handle it. 

While the rabbit started exploring the right wing of the second floor, Megumi walked to the left wing.

The hallways were narrow but long, decorated with paintings that were dirtied and ruined. Beneath all the grime, Megumi could picture how beautiful this house once was. Full of art, books, expensive carpets and a smooth mahogany floor. 

Who would leave such a place to ruin? 

Perhaps the owner died, and had no relatives. But surely someone else would snatch up the place in that case.

Well, maybe not if rumors of it being haunted circulated. 

It was somewhat quiet, except for the occasional sounds of creaking and the rain hitting the windows. Sometimes Megumi heard sounds coming from downstairs, but he knew that was either Yuuji or Nobara rummaging around.

He methodically went through each room along the hallway. There were surprisingly many, but it was a big house. 

Nothing caught his interest. All of them were in the same state as the rest of the house. Some of the rooms had broken windows, letting in rain, leaves and gusts of wind. But equal to all, were the moldy wood and wallpaper that at this point, looked like it was torn. 

It was a bit puzzling, the more Megumi thought about it. Even the rooms that didn’t have broken windows were all wet and dirty.

He didn’t doubt that kids or even adults would break in and add to the ruin, but he hadn’t seen a single thing yet that would suggest recent human activity. No lanterns, no newspapers, no toys or marks on the walls saying “I was here."

A squeak coming from behind him made Megumi turn around. 

His rabbit was back, standing in the hallway. 

“You found something?” he asked, and the rabbit started hopping back to the right wing.

Megumi followed it, heading into a hallway identical to the one he had just explored.

This one however, had a door at the end.

A break in the symmetry.

Megumi opened the door, mentally preparing himself for anything unusual.

At first sight, it was the same as the others.

The wallpaper was torn, there was a bed that was made but still dirty, and a mirror that stood in the corner had been shattered, leaving shards of glass scattered over the floorboards. 

But there was one detail that immediately alarmed Megumi. 

There was a candle on the nightstand, burning. 

First sign of activity.

Candles didn’t burn forever, certainly not for longer than a day. It was halfway burnt down, wax running down the sides and pooling onto the nightstand. It had to be lit a couple of hours ago.

Megumi felt the hairs rising on his arms.

It could be someone homeless crashing there. It really was the most rational theory. Who else would stay in such a house?

Or teenagers, wanting a thrill on All Hallow’s Eve. 

But they hadn’t heard a single word so far that sounded like any human. 

They could have left just before they got there.

The rabbit didn’t stop, but turned just around the door Megumi had opened. He peeked behind the door, and then came another interesting detail. 

A ladder, that went up to a trapdoor in the ceiling.

An attic. 

Of course a house like this would have an attic.

He wasn’t superstitious.

Megumi was rational, and yet… He really didn’t feel like going up the ladder.

“Itadori! Kugisaki!” he called out. “I found something!”

He waited for a few seconds, but neither of them answered. Didn’t they hear him? 

“Come to the second floor,” he shouted again. 

Only the wind answered him. 

It should’ve been his cue to walk downstairs, and tell them in person in case they didn’t hear him.

But then Megumi looked at the trapdoor, rolled his eyes and thought: It’s just an attic.

He hadn’t even checked it out yet, it would be embarrassing if he called for them and it ended up being nothing but storage. 

“Dimitte lepus,” Megumi said, looking at the rabbit, and it disappeared. Then he started going up the ladder. 

The steps felt rotten, so he made his way up slowly, before carefully lifting the door up.

He tried to just take a peek at first, but he couldn't see much. 

So, he opened the door fully, and climbed all the way up.

The attic was larger than he thought. It stretched all the way to the other end of the house, following the ridge of the roof.

It was surprisingly empty as well. There weren’t chests of boxes stacked around, containing books and trash and forgotten heirlooms. 

However, there was something at the very end of the attic, and it whispered. 

Immediately it reminded Megumi of being in the basement of the library, hearing all the books talking to him. 

Slowly, he walked closer. 

He didn’t understand the language, and he couldn’t really tell if the whispers sounded malicious or not.

But he understood that this had to do with sorcery. 

Close enough to see the source of whispering, he saw it was a book. It was open, placed onto a table and surrounded with flickering candles. 

Red symbols were all over the table, also made in a language - if they were words at all - that Megumi didn’t understand.

They weren’t just red either, Megumi realized. They were written with blood. 

In fact, the metallic scent was obvious, but also disguised by another scent, like the scent of rot, and not mold, but decay.

Like something had died in there.

It could’ve been birds or a rat, or some other rodent that had taken over the attic, but Megumi doubted it. 

Something was terribly wrong with this room. 

He turned around then, needing to find the source of decay, and ended up wishing he hadn’t.

Someone, something, was standing between Megumi and the trapdoor.

Megumi directed the blue flame towards it, hoping it would reveal either Yuuji or Nobara, but unfortunately, it did not. 

The creature, or person, Megumi wasn’t sure, was hideous. 

Its flesh was falling off of him in strips. Despite slouching, he was still big and his back was crooked. Beneath his skin, where Megumi expected to see blood or bone, was just a dark pus oozing out. 

It would’ve been enough to convince Megumi this was something supernatural, a very real monster of some kind, not a vampire, werewolf, or demon even, but something else.

Then he saw his eyes, and they were bloodshot and uneven, but there was still something very human about his dilated pupils and the blue irises that surrounded them.

He was a person, he had to be. 

“F-finally,” the creature, person, said, in a strangled voice. He sounded hoarse, as if he hadn’t had water for years. “A s-sorcerer.” 

Megumi stepped back, holding his hand up in front of him in case he attacked.

“I’ve waited, f-for so long,” he forced out. Every word sounded like nails on a chalkboard. Like speaking physically hurt him.

“Who are you?” Megumi asked sternly. 

“H-humans are so bland, t-tasteless. But sorcerers… N-nourishing.”

Megumi frowned.

Having adjusted more to the darkness now, Megumi saw something behind him, tucked away in the corners behind the trapdoor. 

Bones. Loads of bones. Bones that were dry, completely clean, bones that were fleshy, and some bones that were still attached to rotting body parts.

He wanted to throw up, and he very well could have, had it not been for the man heading towards him with bloodlust in his eyes. 

“Umbra serpens!” Megumi called out, throwing himself back out of the man’s reach. 

Megumi’s large shadow snake formed into existence, hissing as it immediately slithered towards the man. 

Just as it striked, the man muttered something in a foreign tongue, and before Megumi even knew it, his snake was gone. 

It disintegrated in the air.

Gone. It didn’t return into shadow as they did when Megumi dismissed them, but the very existence of it was torn to shreds.

Suddenly, the man had a grip on Megumi’s arm.

“Satoru!” Megumi called out, as loudly as he could, understanding that he was in over his head. 

Would he even hear him? Yuuji and Nobara hadn’t, how could Gojo even know what was going on? 

He managed to wring out of his grip, but he felt his arm burn in the process. The man didn’t stop though, and although he looked like he could fall apart at any minute, he quickly grabbed Megumi’s leg, pulling him into falling.

The force in which he had Megumi on the floor, head crashing into the floorboards, was overwhelming.

“D-delicious sorcerer,” the man grunted, collecting Megumi’s wrists in one hand and pinning him to the floor. 

The impact to Megumi’s skull made him disoriented. Before he came to his senses, the man was on him, keeping every limb in place.

“Thank you for the m-meal,” he said, baring sharpened teeth which Megumi could only faintly see through his blurry vision. 

He felt a surge in his stomach, perhaps from anticipating the impact of teeth or limbs clawing at him he thought, but it never came.

Instead, Megumi felt something warm and wet land on his face.

He opened his eyes. The man was still on him, but he no longer had a head. 

It hit the floor with a thud and rolled down the floorboards.

Eventually, the body tipped over, brown blood and pus seeping from his exposed neck.

Megumi stared with wide eyes at the scene. 

Then, the decapitator revealed himself.

Sukuna stood above him, staring down at Megumi. He chuckled and pointed at the headless body.

“What a hideous fucker.”

Megumi simply stared at him, dumbfounded. His heart hammered in his chest, the adrenalin catching up to the events that had just unfolded.

He would’ve been dead, he realized, had Sukuna not interfered. 

Eaten.

The man had destroyed his shadow snake completely, Megumi didn’t even know how, just by uttering some words. 

His heart wouldn’t calm down, and Megumi’s breathing started transforming into hyperventilating.

He felt frozen in place, like he was still pinned to the floor. 

Sukuna sighed and crouched down next to him.

“Breathe,” he simply said while a hand - warm and secure - supported his neck, and magically, Megumi did. He gasped, breaths coming out slowly now, turning even. 

As he stopped shivering, Megumi sat up, looking at the scene once more.

He hadn’t imagined it. The grotesque man was dead by Sukuna’s hand, and there were piles of bones gathered in the corners of the attic. 

The book on the table was still whispering, and Megumi turned towards it. 

“What was he?” he asked.

Sukuna straightened up, and paced the attic. “A sorcerer. Although a very deformed one.” 

“Which sorcerer eats humans? That’s insane,” Megumi shuddered, feeling bile rise to his throat.

“Someone who dabbles in questionable forms of magic, it seems,” Sukuna said, walking up to the book.

Megumi got up on his feet, and followed him. 

The book was louder now. 

Maybe because its master, or puppet perhaps, was dead. 

Megumi didn’t realize he was about to touch it when Sukuna suddenly gripped his wrist painfully. 

“Ow-” Megumi winced, pulling his hand back. 

“Fool. Touch it and you’ll end up like him. He was obviously following this book’s bidding,” Sukuna said. “It’s necromantic.”

“He was raising the dead?” Megumi asked.

“No. He was making himself undead, feeding on people. But, immortality comes at a price. His body was rotting.” 

Megumi had more questions, but suddenly Sukuna was gone, and the trapdoor creaked open.

“Fushiguro!” Yuuji called out, and hurried up the ladder. “We’ve been looking everywhere for you- What the…?” 

Megumi sighed. 

And now he had to explain.

“A sorcerer, huh,” Gojo mumbled. All four of them were in the attic now, although Nobara and Yuuji looked like they were gonna throw up any minute. 

Megumi had tried to explain the events to the best of his ability.

“I’m surprised you managed to kill him. Decapitate him no less,” Gojo said, stroking his chin in thought. 

“Nue did,” Megumi said.

He had thought of whichever of his shadows were most likely to accomplish that. He could somewhat imagine Nue, his shadow owl, bite the head off. 

Obviously, the cut was too clean. 

Gojo probably knew that, but he didn’t press the issue. 

He had immediately removed the necromantic book, not by hand, but by snapping his fingers and all of a sudden it was gone.

Probably someplace safe and isolated.

“You really didn’t hear me?” Megumi asked Yuuji and Nobara. 

Yuuji shook his head. “We heard each other, but you were completely quiet.”

Megumi frowned, then looked at Gojo. 

“You couldn’t hear me calling either?” 

“No. I came in when I heard that they couldn’t find you. I suppose the attic must’ve been silenced, somewhat,” Gojo said. 

“Who are all these people?” Yuuji asked, looking at the bones. “There’s so many. How come nobody noticed people disappearing here?” 

“That will be for us professors and the sorcerer department to find out. You’ve completed your mission, good work. Let’s get you back to campus,” Gojo announced, clapping his hands together.

Nobara immediately climbed down the ladder making gagging sounds, followed by Yuuji. 

Megumi had his eyes fixed on the head of the man, the blue, bloodshot eyes now with a milky film glazing them, still staring at him. 

“Megumi,” Gojo said, softly. “Go down.”

Megumi made a noise, agreeing, and finally made himself go down the ladder. 

In the automobile on their way back to campus, they were mostly quiet. Megumi felt their gazes on him occasionally. 

“You’re really strong, Fushiguro,” Yuuji said, wonder in his voice. 

I’m not though, Megumi thought.

He was weak. Completely unprepared to what he ended up facing. His snake, evaporated. 

He himself would be a pile of bones had it not been for Sukuna. 

Instead of saying anything, he kept quiet, and stared out into the darkness as they drove home in the middle of the night.

Gojo followed him all the way to his dorm, which Megumi thought was unnecessary, but he didn’t complain.

“If you want to, you can stay over at the apartment, you know. Your old bed is still there, unoccupied.” 

Megumi shook his head. “I’m fine.” 

“Didn’t say you weren’t,” Gojo hummed. 

Megumi could tell he didn’t mean it. Gojo picked up on everything, when something bothered Megumi, he’d point it out even if he wasn’t aware himself.

“Thanks anyway,” Megumi said, opening the door to his room. 

“I’m sorry I didn’t hear you, Megumi,” Gojo said. “It was a bad idea sending you in without knowing what could’ve been in there, I certainly didn’t expect that. You know I’d show up in a heartbeat had I heard-” 

“I know,” Megumi said, smiling. “In the field, we won’t always know what we’re gonna meet. It’s good that we’re getting experience.” 

“You handled yourself well. You’re not as weak as you think. I’m glad you got over the threshold too, it seemed like your summoning attempt scared you off magic for a bit.”

Megumi looked away. “I’ve been trying to be careful, is all.” 

“I still think it was a horrible decision, but it’s a good lesson to learn. Just don’t let it scare you to the point of inaction, I’d prefer it if you stay alive,” Gojo said. 

“... Yeah.” 

Megumi entered the room and was about to close the door, but Gojo held it open a bit longer.

“Next time, I’ll be there,” he said. “I promise.” 

Then he closed the door, and left Megumi alone.

How could he promise, if he couldn’t know that Megumi was in danger at all?

To think that had things been different, had Sukuna not appeared at that point, Megumi would’ve been found dead.

Perhaps the others would’ve died as well. 

He was supposed to feel relieved, and he partially did, but it still somehow felt like he wasn’t safe.

How stupid. 

Not only was he weak, relying on a demon to kill his enemies for him, but now he was scared as well. 

Irrationally scared.

Megumi brushed his teeth, showered, and put on a nightshirt. It was late, probably nearing three. Even so, Megumi couldn’t fall asleep as he laid down in his bed.

He couldn’t bring himself to turn off the lamp on his dresser either. 

Minutes passed as he laid still, staring into the dark corners in his room.

He felt like he saw bones everywhere. 

Eventually, he couldn’t take the anguish anymore. “Sukuna,” he quietly said into the air. 

Truthfully, he didn’t expect him to answer him or appear. He had made it clear that he’d appear whenever he himself wished, probably whenever he needed or desired something from Megumi.

Yet, tonight he had appeared when Megumi truly needed it. 

And then, Megumi felt the same surge in his belly, as he had a couple times now. He lifted his nightshirt, looking at his abdomen as Sukuna’s mark formed once again. 

“Scared of the dark?” Sukuna asked, suddenly sitting on a chair opposite to Megumi.

Megumi’s heart jumped, still not used to the way he appeared out of thin air. 

“No,” Megumi lied. Sukuna probably didn’t buy it, but he didn’t say anything. 

“It’s just that you disappeared so suddenly. We didn’t get the chance to finish our conversation.” 

“Ah,” Sukuna said, feigning surprise. “You still have questions?”

Megumi swallowed, forming as many questions in his mind as he could. Anything to take up the time, making the hours pass until the sun rose.

“The others said they didn’t hear me. How?” 

“Your professor told you. The sorcerer had silenced that part of the house.”

“Is that how he’s been killing people without anyone knowing?” 

“It likely helped.”

“Who has he been killing?” 

Sukuna raised his brows. “How should I know?” 

Megumi scoffed. “Because you know so much!”

“I have deep magic knowledge. I know how the nine circles work. I somewhat know how the heavens work. I know how the human realm works, but I don’t know the humans in it. Especially not weak non-sorcerers.”

“Well, he wasn’t weak,” Megumi said. “You must know something about him.” 

Sukuna hummed, leaning back into the chair. “I can tell he’s been around for a long time. Maybe two hundred years.” 

Megumi’s eyes widened. “And he’s not a vampire, or anything like that, but a sorcerer?” 

“His faith in necromancy made it possible. Necromancy is just another school of magic, akin to mine, and now by extension, yours; infernal magic. You humans have made a terrible guideline based on morality, banning use of magic you deem ‘forbidden’, but truth is, as you have learned, that kind of magic is simply superior.” 

“You killed him right away, though. So infernal magic must be stronger than necromancy.”

Sukuna smirked. “That, little sorcerer, was not determined by magic, but personal skill.” 

Megumi turned his torso towards him, leaning onto his arm. “So skill matters more. Satoru could probably destroy you, then?” he asked, feeling courageous. 

A mean darkness spread in Sukuna’s eyes. “He could not. What he does is mere child’s play compared to what I can do.” 

“If you say so.”

“You idolize him,” Sukuna commented. “Think of him as a savior. Perhaps due to his status as your caretaker.”

Megumi scoffed. “He never took care of me. He was simply there.”

It wasn’t entirely true. Gojo may never have been the perfect guardian, being a teenager himself when he took Megumi in, but he did cover his needs. Gave him companionship, too. 

“Well, he couldn’t be there tonight,” Sukuna said, folding his hands in his lap. “Good thing we made that pact.” 

Megumi looked at him, trying to read him. Was he expecting a thank you? Was he gloating? Would he hold this over him forever now?

He couldn’t say. 

“Why did you come… to my rescue?” 

Sukuna smiled. “Before you fall for me - and I wouldn’t blame you for it - know that it was because your death wouldn’t benefit me.” 

“As if,” Megumi sneered. “Fall for you? Your ego is as inflated as the thickness of your-” 

Sukuna's smile widened into a grin, eyes full of mischief. "Co-"

“Skull!” Megumi quickly shouted, blocking out Sukuna’s childish boasting. 

Just when Megumi was starting to feel an ounce of respect for him, perhaps gratitude, Sukuna immediately made him change his mind.

“Unbelievable,” Megumi mumbled. “Why are you still here, anyway, I’m sure you have other duties or, I don’t know, demons to fuck or something.” 

Sukuna laughed, the sound deep and frustratingly kind of beautiful. “I could do that. But why would I, when you’re calling my name so sweetly in the night, half-naked in your bed?”

Warmth immediately rose to Megumi’s cheeks. He hadn’t thought of how it would look at all. 

“Besides, I’ve found some information on your parents, per your request.” 

Megumi sat up then, quickly. “Really?” 

“I don’t know much about your mother, because her soul went to the heavens. She wasn’t a sorcerer, nor did she come from a bloodline of sorcerers,” Sukuna said. 

“And my father?” 

“Now, he’s interesting…” Sukuna started. “Dead, by the way. Sorry if that upsets you, you have my condolences, yada yada.”

“It doesn’t,” Megumi said, dead-pan. “So why is he interesting?” 

“His soul did not go into the heavens, but is currently residing in the deep depths of the eight circle, actually. Sometimes he’s held in the seventh.”

“Fraud and violence,” Megumi mumbled.

“Many sorcerers tends to go there, in fact. Those who use their power for evil. Those who trick and exploit, using their status.”

“So he was a sorcerer?” 

“Yes and no.” 

“What?” 

“You know, this information isn’t hard to come by, if you ask around. In fact, I think you should specifically ask your idol guardian about him. Ask him how he died as well.”

“Why can’t you tell me?” Megumi asked.

“Well, some facts are better to hear from someone else. I have the feeling you wouldn’t like it coming from me.” 

“What I’m not liking is your vagueness. His magic is crucial to the understanding of my own.” 

“I’ll give you this,” Sukuna said. “His magic, or non-magic I should say, isn’t of the same nature as yours.” 

Non-magic? 

“So… what does that mean for me? I’m equipped with the wrong magic?” 

“Not at all. Yours is a rarity, coming from a sorcerer bloodline that is highly beneficial to you. The pure potential of it is honestly arousing, it’s such a shame you don’t have anyone to learn from. I suppose I’ll have to help you fullfill that potential.”

“Do you know how to use my shadow magic?” 

Sukuna leaned forward, chin resting on his knuckles. “If I can physically, no. But I’m well-versed with the very concept of magic. Yours is limitless in a way, that unfortunately, you’re limiting.” 

Megumi frowned. “Again, I’d find it helpful if you’d specify.”

“In due time. Rome wasn’t built in a day, as they say.” 

Megumi sighed. “Okay.”

He looked at Sukuna, and didn’t miss the way his dark, red eyes were pinned on him.

Expecting something. 

Megumi didn’t like to admit it, but he could tell what. 

“I suppose you’ll want… compensation for your research. And for saving me.” 

“Compensation,” Sukuna repeated with disdain. “You word it in the most impersonal, dry, stiff ways. Compensations and transactions. When will you start speaking honestly? From your gut? From the repressed desire that so obviously resides in you?” 

Megumi didn’t say anything as Sukuna rose up from the chair, approaching him.

“But yes, to use your terms, I suppose I do want compensation.” 

“Wine,” Megumi croaked out. “With that aphrodisiac. A-and make sure no one can hear us, or walk in on us.”

Sukuna smiled crookedly, snapping his fingers. 

A bottle of wine, and a phial with oil, appeared on Megumi’s dresser. Immediately without bothering to pour himself a glass, Megumi started drinking the wine, a drop of it running down his chin. 

Sukuna watched, mesmerized. 

With knitted eyebrows, Megumi had chugged half of it. 

“I’m ready,” he said, alluding for Sukuna to grab the bottle of lubrication. 

Sukuna stretched his fingers. “Well, then let’s not waste time.”

They didn’t spend as long preparing this time, as they had the summoning night.

Sukuna said it was because “your body has already accepted me,” but Megumi wouldn’t want to call it accept. 

It was the aphrodisiac, the wine, Megumi’s ability to adapt. 

He was adapting to the notion of being a demon’s sex toy. This was his sacrifice to become a better sorcerer.

Frankly, it could’ve been so much worse.

Sukuna had Megumi stretched around his cock, while his hand worked on Megumi's cock. Suddenly, Megumi felt a warm wetness that did not belong to himself, along his shaft. 

“What the-” he uttered and glanced down, and...

Was that a tongue?!

There was a tongue, a mouth, coming out from the palm of Sukuna’s hand.

Sukuna chuckled. “Neat trick, huh?” he said, ramming into him. 

Megumi gasped, the feeling of being penetrated while jacked off, while licked, completely overwhelming him. 

Then Sukuna leaned down over him, licking his lips, before diving to the nook of Megumi’s neck. 

Kissing me? Megumi asked himself.

But no, the way his tongue attacked him so viciously, teeth scraping against skin, it felt more like being devoured. 

Eaten. 

“Eating someone doesn’t need to be grotesque,” Sukuna murmured. 

Megumi shivered, and he didn’t know where to focus. Every part of him was being stimulated into oblivion. 

“It can be like this. Sensual, erotic…” Then, Sukuna’s hand swallowed him. Literally swallowed his length, into the mouth in his palm.

Megumi shuddered. 

“Carnal,” Sukuna said, before his teeth sank into Megumi’s neck. 

He choked, the breath caught in his throat.

It hurt.

But Megumi didn’t mind. 

Sukuna lapped at the wound he had created, slurping up blood that escaped the punctured skin. 

Then he lifted his head up, peering at Megumi. He was oddly beautiful, Megumi thought, mind hazy with aphrodisiac. His lashes were dark, eyes intense and half-lidded, looking at Megumi like he was the only one in the world. 

At least for that moment. 

Sukuna’s mouth was red, not only due to friction, but also due to Megumi’s blood on his lips.

Then, Sukuna did something Megumi had not expected. 

He kissed him. 

But it wasn’t a kiss, it was an extension of the bite, a continuation of Sukuna’s feast.

Bloody lips met Megumi’s, and suddenly Sukuna shoved his tongue into Megumi’s mouth, metallic blood blending in with saliva. 

Megumi moaned, the vibration making Sukuna hum.

Then, Sukuna prodded further, his tongue sliding down Megumi’s throat, and he could swear it grew in size and length.

Megumi came. 

He climaxed into the warm, wet void of Sukuna’s hand.

It felt like the longest lasting orgasm of his life, and yet, the most explosive. 

Sukuna’s hand pulled back, mouth gradually closing, but not without giving Megumi’s cock a few more licks.

The sensation which had been electrifying, now turned torturous. 

Megumi flinched and choked on Sukuna’s tongue, still lodged deep within him.

With a smile, Sukuna retracted his tongue, finally letting Megumi breathe.

“Delicious,” he said, licking his lips.

“You’re fucked up,” Megumi mumbled, sighing.

“You continue to project your desire and shame onto me, blessing.”

Megumi didn’t have the energy to fight him.

Just that one orgasm was enough to almost make him pass out. 

“Stay awake,” Sukuna urged, hoisting Megumi’s legs up above his shoulders, his cock still rooted inside Megumi’s guts. “We’re not done.”

They continued until soft sunlight streamed inside Megumi's room through parted curtains. 

It hadn't been as chaotic as the first time, and in a way it seemed like Sukuna took Megumi's reduced state into consideration. He didn't demand Megumi to ride him, suck him off or give him a hand job, instead, Sukuna was the one pleasuring him. Still going at it with ridiculous vigor and force, but Megumi was fine with laying there, taking him. 

Was this really compensation? 

Yes, it is, Megumi told himself.

Sukuna said it himself; sex was his nourishment. It certainly wasn't to Megumi.

"The pillow," Megumi complained, after Sukuna had slipped out of him. Sukuna had just whisked away traces of semen trickling out of Megumi. 

He was glad he didn't have to clean it up himself. 

The pillow however, was stained with blood from Megumi's neck. 

Sukuna sighed. "Such a demanding little sorcerer," he mumbled, but Sukuna obliged and snapped a different pillowcase, one of luxurious silk, into place.

"Do you purposefully take advantage of my good mood to try to boss me around?" he asked.

Megumi sleepily shook his head. "I wouldn't dare." 

Sukuna scoffed. "The only reason I'm allowing it is because you would dare." 

Megumi ignored him, and turned his back towards him, nestling himself deeper into the silk. "Night," he mumbled, not expecting much of a goodbye from Sukuna before he vanished. 

But then, he felt the bed dip as Sukuna leaned over him, whispering into his ear.

"Before you drift off into dreamland, you should know that the wine didn't contain any aphrodisiacs this time. Not much alcohol either, to be honest." 

He chuckled quietly to himself, Megumi too sleepy to grasp the reality of his words. 

"Goodnight, blessing." 

Then he was gone.

Chapter Text

No aphrodisiacs.

And barely any alcohol? 

The words haunted Megumi all throughout his weekend. They distracted him when he studied, and drifted once again into focus when Megumi relaxed with a cup of tea and a novel in his hands. 

Sukuna could be lying. 

It was almost likely, in fact. 

He seemed like someone who liked to play games, freak people out to get control over them.

Then again, wouldn't telling Megumi the wine was full of aphrodisiacs do just that? 

He didn’t even tell him that, exactly. Megumi had simply assumed Sukuna would do what he had asked. 

He was playing with him psychologically. 

So he was to assume all the pleasure he had felt at the hands of Sukuna was now authentic, and not spurred on by other factors but his own biology? 

That's what Sukuna wanted him to think. 

How insufferable.

All he was doing was distracting Megumi from his goals, being utterly unhelpful. And he still expected Megumi to worship him.

What a tool. 

Megumi hadn't the slightest idea how he'd worship him either, he had never been particularly religious. 

Megumi looked at himself in the mirror that sunday afternoon. Sukuna's bite was painfully visible. It was the one thing he hadn't cleaned up or healed for him. Around the puncture wounds, now closed up and red, a bruise formed.

A bite and a hickey. 

Megumi scoffed at the eyesore, wrapping a scarf around his neck. He’d have to keep it covered up until it healed, because he had no idea how he could explain that to someone. 

Perhaps Shoko could heal it for him. 

She wasn’t nosy like Gojo. She never asked questions, judged or gossiped about patients to others. 

He’d have to think on it.

Megumi left his dorm and the building, walking across campus towards Gojo’s apartment. The complex was shared by several of the staff at St. Faustus University. Including the student dorms, they created almost an isolated society in the outskirts of town. 

Perhaps not the best for mingling with non-sorcerers, but it gave them the time and space to practice and learn.

Standing outside Gojo's apartment, he knocked on the door. 

While waiting for him to open, Megumi looked at the adjourning apartment. It had been empty for years, for as long as Megumi could remember.

No one was cleaning it either, there were cobwebs thick like wool just inside the windows. 

He wondered why no one wished to move in. 

The door swung open, revealing Gojo in leisurely clothing.

"Well, if it isn't my cute little Megumi!" Gojo beamed. 

Megumi sighed. "Really?" 

"What? You are cute!" 

"But 'little'?" 

He couldn't help but think of Sukuna's one of many nicknames for him. 

Little sorcerer, little one, blessing.  

Add filth and frail mortal to the list when he was feeling vicious. 

"You may be tall now, but I can still see that short, puny boy in you. Time moves so fast," Gojo said, smiling. 

"Well, since you're already feeling sentimental," Megumi mumbled, walking past Gojo into the hallway. "There's some things I've been thinking about. If you're not busy."

"Never too busy for you. I'll prepare some tea." 

Gojo's taste in furniture was eccentric, and yet so stereotypical of a professor. It was full of artifacts and souvenirs from all the places in the world he had visited. 

They were interesting of course, but as a child living there, Megumi always remembered how he hated the mess. 

Still, it felt like home. 

"How come no one moves in next door? At this rate it's gonna end up decaying like that creepy house," Megumi said.

Megumi heard Gojo, who had been rustling around in the kitchen, suddenly go quiet. 

After a moment, he spoke. "It's probably for the best that it stays empty." 

Megumi frowned. "Why? Don't tell me that too is haunted or something."

Gojo came into the living room with a steaming teapot and two cups on a tray. 

"Living next to me is always a danger," he joked, winking at Megumi. 

"I lived with you and I survived."

"Rather miraculous, don't you think?" 

Gojo poured him a cup.

“Aren’t you gonna take your scarf off?” he asked, changing the subject. 

“No,” Megumi said, plainly. “I’ve been feeling cold.” 

"I hope you’re not getting sick. How are you, by the way? After friday night." 

"Fine," Megumi said, and meant it. 

He had managed to sleep the other night, without thinking about bones and rotting body parts. He hadn't even called for Sukuna again. 

Perhaps it was a comfort to know that if should it overwhelm him, scare him too much, he could always just offer his body to Sukuna as an excuse to make the time pass and distract him.

Then there was the fact that apparently he was always watching. 

Megumi didn't doubt it, considering his supernatural timing and knowledge of Megumi's conversations. It should've been outright creepy and infuriating to know, but it also made Megumi feel… Invincible. 

Sukuna intended to keep Megumi alive.

So did he have a reason to be frightened in the first place? Didn’t it just mean there was no limit to what he could do?

Well, unless his death would somehow be instantaneous. Maybe nobody would have the time to intervene then.

“Well, you should know the case is already being taken seriously by the sorcerer’s department. If there’s more people like him out there, practicing necromancy and whatnot with the use of dangerous books, it’s in everybody’s best interest to find them. He was a good example of what might happen when ambitions surpasses common sense and ethics,” Gojo said, looking at Megumi. 

There he goes again. 

“You sound so ingenuine when you prattle on about ethics,” Megumi mumbled, sipping his tea. “Considering you’re quite controversial yourself sometimes.” 

Gojo smiled. “There’s a balance. Just because I don’t blindly believe in an uncontested truth of good, doesn’t mean I would want to see the world burn.” 

“Do you think it’s what I want?”

“I hope not,” Gojo said. “If you did, I’d put the blame on myself for not raising you better. Not that I’ve done all that much, I’ve always put faith in you to handle yourself.” 

Megumi looked down at his rippled reflection in the tea water. “I’ve been meaning to ask you something. I don’t know why I’ve never asked about it before, I guess I never cared, but…”

Gojo crossed his legs, patiently waiting for Megumi to elaborate. 

“My dad. He died, didn’t he?” 

“You remember?” Gojo asked, cocking his head. “You were quite young.” 

“Not exactly. I just remember snippets, but… There’s a reason you started taking care of me.”

He couldn’t reveal the information Sukuna told him without raising suspicion. Gojo would know right away he’d have communicated with a demon if he admitted he knew he was in hell. 

“So what is your question Megumi, if he died, or why I took you under my wing?” 

Megumi frowned. “I’m assuming those things are related. But I don’t know, because you’ve never told me anything about it.” 

Gojo sighed, leaning back. “I suppose you’d ask sooner or later. Do you hate me, for not bringing it up?” 

“Of course not. I mean, I won’t if you tell me now.” 

“I guess I have no choice then. You might hate me, still.” 

Megumi looked at him, wondering what could be so awful that it would cause him to hate Gojo.

The room turned quiet, besides the rhytmic ticking of the grandfather clock in the corner of the living room. 

“Your father was an interesting man. Ridiculously strong, quick and skillful. He moved as a sorcerer polished to perfection, but without using magic at all. He would use weapons and martial combat instead to compensate for it, and he did it well. He surpassed most sorcerers with his skill, in fact. I know this because I fought him.” 

Megumi’s eyes widened. 

“Around that time, there was a myth going around that he was blessed, perhaps by God, perhaps some other deity, or perhaps by a devil. Maybe he had summoned one, who knows?” Gojo said, looking at Megumi with a gleam in his eye. 

“Unfortunately, his skills were used for more bad than good. He was an assassin, specifically seeking out sorcerers and killing them. Which was the reason for our meeting. Despite him being a nuisance for sorcerers, I do owe him a great deal. Thanks to him, I managed to push myself further, evolving my magic to another level. When we faced each other, I could feel in his abilities how he broke the laws of the universe…”

His eyes were bright, recalling the past. “... But at that moment, I became God. He couldn’t best me, and I killed him.” 

The words sank into Megumi. 

Gojo had killed his father. 

“He told me about you. And despite being utterly unfit for it, I decided it would be worth taking you under my wing,” Gojo said, finishing the story. “So… Do you hate me now?”

For long seconds, only the clock ticked. 

“No, I don’t,” Megumi finally said. 

He didn’t know his father. He couldn’t even picture him in his head and he couldn’t hear his voice. 

He was nothing to him. 

“I don’t care. To be honest, I’ve just been curious about whether or not my parents were sorcerers. In case it could tell me something about my own magic.” 

Gojo chuckled. “So cold, Megumi,” he said, ruffling Megumi’s hair. “Well, I think it’s safe to say your magic wasn’t passed down to you directly from your parents. Your bloodline, however…”

Megumi’s ears perked up. Sukuna had also mentioned a bloodline.

“If I tell you about it, can you promise to think carefully before making contact with them?” 

Megumi nodded.

“Your father comes from the Zenin clan. You know Maki, of course, but I’d avice you not to concern yourself with that family until you know what you’re up against.” 

The Zenin clan. 

Megumi knew about them, somewhat. A rich, influential family who prided themselves on their sorcerers. But he also knew that they didn’t take kindly to those who, like Maki, has little to no innate magic.

“So they’re my relatives,” Megumi said, the sentence weird on his lips. 

Relatives.

Megumi had grown up without a family. And now he’s related to one of the most powerful sorcerer families in the world?

“Angry with me now? For keeping that from you?”

“I’m not. Stop asking,” Megumi mumbled. “I don’t know them, they don’t know me. They don’t seem too friendly, anyways.”

“Truthfully, your magic is very treasured by the Zenins. Your father was gonna sell you to them because of it. I got it stopped,” Gojo explained. “Perhaps you’d be stronger than you are now, if you’d grown up in their clan. But perhaps it would cost you something else.”

Megumi had heard Maki’s horror stories in passing. She seemed relieved to be in the university, away from her own family. And Megumi had made himself a deal, unrelated to any sorcerers and families who could turn on him and judge him. He didn't need to be guided by them.

Despite being in a binding contract with a demon, he felt an odd sense of freedom too. 

Sukuna was a dick, foul and selfish. 

But he was honest, and he would most definitely not judge him for immoral decisions. Quite the opposite, he seemed to enjoy those questionable things. 

Megumi would need that, going forward.

The first snow of the year came in the middle of november. The last of the leaves had fallen, and the St. Faustus campus was now covered in a thin layer of snow. Walking towards the gates, Megumi breathed hot air into his hands, warming them.

“Fushiguro!” Yuuji shouted with a big smile, waving at him. 

Megumi could never grasp it, his excitement. Especially not just for seeing him. 

He was nothing special. At least, not compared to Yuuji himself. 

“Where’s Kugisaki?” Megumi asked, once he reached him. 

Nobara and Yuuji had convinced him to go to a theatre that day and see a play. 

“She has a cold, so she’s not coming,” Yuuji said, corners of his mouth downturned.

“Oh. Shouldn’t we… Stay, then?”

“She told me we should go. I was thinking we could pick something up from the bakery for her afterwards. Unless, you don’t want to see the play?” 

Megumi wasn’t particularly interested in plays, but he didn’t feel like turning down Yuuji either.

“No, we can go see it. I don’t mind,” Megumi mumbled. 

He breathed air into his palms again. 

Too cold.

“Here,” Yuuji said, taking off his mittens and presenting them to Megumi. 

Megumi looked up at him, baffled. “Are you sure?”

“You need them more than me. Your skin is turning pink in the cold. It’s kind of cute, actually.”

Megumi felt warmth rise to his cheeks.

Cute?

He seemed so sincere too. 

What was Megumi supposed to say to that?

He accepted the mittens. “... Thanks,” he said quietly, slipping them on.

The immediate warmth lingering from Yuuji was soothing.

“Let’s go, or else we’ll be late!” 

It was about a twenty minute walk into town before they reached the theatre. Yuuji had gone several times before, and constantly referenced plays and performances he had seen before.

Megumi felt a bit intimidated by it, having preferred novels and staying at home instead.

The play ended up being a comedy. Upon learning that, Megumi thought he would hate it. Much to his surprise, it didn’t end up being awful. 

“I heard you laugh a few times!” Yuuji said, grinning to Megumi as they exited the theatre. “See, I knew you’d like it.” 

Megumi rolled his eyes. “I was laughing at the stupidity of it.”

“Still means you were entertained! Mission accomplished.” 

Megumi frowned, and smiled to himself. 

Was that his mission? To entertain him?

Outside, it had started to snow again, and the sky was almost dark, casting the world in a cold, blue tinge.

“Oh! The bakery,” Yuuji said. “It might close soon. How about I run over there, pick up some sweets and come back? I’ll be quick.” 

“Okay,” Megumi said, and Yuuji was already running.

Megumi could not fathom how he had the energy to constantly be running around.

He stepped into the alleyway, seeking shelter from the snow underneath the eaves of the theatre.

Even if he was prone to freezing, he didn’t mind the snow. It made the world a bit more quiet and toned down. For a little while he observed the surroundings, taking in the sounds and sights of the city.

Couples, friends and families were coming out of the theatre, some of them still laughing. Others walked past, going for walks or running errands.

Some were huddling around, looking uncomfortable. Perhaps poorly dressed, or perhaps poor in general.

For a second, Megumi wondered if he would enjoy life if he wasn’t a sorcerer. 

Would he have any goals? Most of non-sorcerers seemed so directionless. 

But some still seemed happy. 

Especially the people in love; young ones and old ones holding hands and smiling. 

Megumi looked down at Yuuji’s mittens knitted out of wool.

“What a horrible play,” someone suddenly said, standing next to Megumi. 

A man was smoking tobacco, looking at Megumi. “Did you watch it too?” 

Megumi eyed him suspiciously. Why was he talking to him?

“Yes,” he ended up saying.

“I could’ve made up something better in an afternoon,” the man said, letting out a cloud of smoke. 

“Reggie’s the name,” he said, and reached his hand out. 

Megumi pretended not to see it.

“So? What’s yours?” Reggie asked, putting his hand down. 

He didn’t like to think of himself as a rude person, but Megumi really felt like just walking away. 

Despite that, he answered. “... Megumi.”

“Oh. A girl’s name, isn’t it?” 

Megumi sighed. 

“Don’t get upset. You’re obviously not a girl. Or?”

What the hell was this conversation?

Megumi stood up straight, about to walk away. 

Then he felt a hand around his arm, holding him back. 

“Oh, come on,” Reggie said, hand tightening. “Don’t be like that. You looked a bit cold and lonely, I just wanted to keep you company. Surely, hanging around a corner like that, you were expecting someone to approach you?” 

Megumi looked at him, bewildered.

He wasn’t supposed to use magic on a non-sorcerer, he wasn’t supposed to use magic on a non-sorcerer…

He repeated the mantra in his mind. 

“I’ll pay whatever you’re worth.” 

“I’m not a prostitute,” Megumi sneered, and ripped his hand out of his grasp. 

The man’s look darkened. “Could’ve fooled me,” he mumbled. “That means you don’t require payment, right? Works for me.” 

“Fucking delusional,” Megumi mumbled under his breath, and promptly walked forward, his last resort to avoiding a fight. 

Reggie had other plans.

A singing knife was pressed against Megumi’s throat. The metal threateningly brushed against him. 

“Now, let’s just slowly back up, and not make a scene. You can do that, right?” he whispered into Megumi’s ear. 

Megumi calculated his options. 

Shouldn’t he make a scene?

But this was a serious situation. In cases like these… Magic was not only allowed, but required. 

Handling this quietly with magic would be his best bet.

Megumi followed Reggie’s lead, walking backwards behind the building, hidden from bypassers’ sights.

Despite the automatic increase in his heartrate, Megumi wasn’t stressed. 

He was a sorcerer. 

This was a nobody. 

“Umbra divina can-”

A hand immediately covered Megumi’s mouth before he could finalize his spell, and he was thrown onto the ground with a kick in his stomach.

Megumi felt the breath get knocked out of him, and Reggie was still holding the knife against his throat. 

“Now this is interesting. I didn’t expect a sorcerer,” he said, smiling. “Two can play that game.”

“Creatio catena,” Reggie said, and Megumi’s eyes widened as chains appeared into existence, wrapping themselves around Megumi’s hands and feet.

Reggie sat on top of him, immobilizing him.

He put his knife away, but kept his hand over Megumii’s mouth. 

He was too heavy to wring off, without movement in his limbs. He’d have to find another way. 

Then, he felt a familiar tingle in his belly. 

Sukuna. 

Megumi saw him, rounding the corner. He was quiet, fully-clothed in commoner’s clothing for once.

He expected him to immediately jump in and resolve the situation, but Sukuna stayed put, looking at him with his hands in his pocket.

What was he waiting for? 

For Megumi to make a move?

Maybe a distraction, something to keep Reggie’s attention on him. 

Megumi bit Reggie’s hand, probably hard enough to draw blood. 

“Ah fuck! Bitch-” 

Swallowing his pride, Megumi said: “If you’re gonna do this, you better do it right. Got it?” 

Reggie’s dumbfounded expression slowly turned into malicious glee.

“Hah! A freaky sorcerer, huh,” he said, and immediately started unbuttoning Megumi’s coat. “Fuck yeah, I’ll do it right.” 

Megumi glanced over at Sukuna. 

There shouldn’t be any hesitation now, Reggie was distracted, practically served up on a silver platter for Sukuna to strike. 

But he still didn’t make a move. 

Megumi’s eyes widened as he watched Sukuna, arms crossed, simply looking at them. 

Genuine surprise turned into a realization that Megumi had no reason to expect Sukuna to help him. 

Maybe if his life was in immediate danger. But it wasn't the case now.

Was Sukuna sick enough to stand there and watch him get raped? 

Yes.

He was. 

He wasn't sure why that had seemed like such a foreign idea, up until now. 

So, Megumi felt the remaining dignity he had left escape him, as he looked at Sukuna like one would a guardian angel, and begged. 

"Please," he said, voice small. 

“Begging for it? Fucking hot," Reggie said as Megumi's coat was open. 

Just as he undid his belt, Sukuna stood behind him.

"Since you begged so sweetly," Sukuna murmured, and placed his hands on each side of Reggie's head. 

Before Reggie could even react, his neck was twisted in a resonating crack.

His body slumped to the ground, and the chains on Megumi disappeared. 

"Why were you just standing there?!" Megumi yelled, about to sit up. 

Sukuna pressed him back down. 

"Are we not at the theatre? I wanted a show. And you gave me one. But thanks to that, I have something you need to take care of." 

Megumi frowned, as Sukuna started to undo his own belt and buttons. 

"No, are you crazy?!" 

Sukuna smiled devilishly. “Not any crazier than you spreading your legs for a stranger, a rude one at that.”

"I was obviously trying to deceive him-" 

Sukuna pulled out his cock, erect and proud, even in the cold. 

“It seems danger flocks to you like moths to a flame, little one. It makes me wonder… Perhaps you enjoy it?"

Sukuna shoved his knee up between Megumi's legs, pressing against his crotch. 

"Stop," Megumi breathed, placing his hands on Sukuna as if to push him away. 

It didn't do anything of course. 

Sukuna pushed his arms down against the ground, keeping them there. 

"Not here," Megumi said through gritted teeth as Sukuna kept stroking his crotch with his knee. 

Megumi wasn't even sure if he could get hard. The ground was so cold, snow melting into his clothing, making his skin go numb.

"You don't have a say in that," Sukuna said, frankly. "You have yet to do much to worship me, except by presenting your body. So I shall have you here, at this moment." 

His eyes were dark, eyeing Megumi up and down. 

Then, he moved up, positioning his cock in front of Megumi's face. 

"I think your mouth will do today. Shut you up for a while, since you're being so difficult," Sukuna murmured. 

"No-" 

Immediately, Sukuna forced Megumi's mouth open with his thumb, and pushed his cock into him. 

Megumi gagged right away as it bumped into the back of his throat, and then down, down and down. 

It wasn't like Sukuna's tongue, which while overwhelming was still soft and malleable to a degree. 

This was like having a pipe jammed down your throat, unforgiving and stubborn. 

Megumi's eyes started to water as Sukuna sank deeper. 

Through the blur, he saw Sukuna's chest rise and fall, a look of deep satisfaction on his face.

"You are so impossibly tight," Sukuna said. "To think, if I just shove a little too hard, it might kill you. If I made you suck me off in my true form, I think we'd have to tear apart your jaw. What if I transformed right now? That could be a fun experiment."

Megumi's eyes widened. He whined, and if it stemmed from desperation or pure fear, he didn't know. 

He was a lunatic. 

And Megumi felt like a fool for not realizing how destructive he was, sooner. 

"You probably wouldn't like that, would you?" Sukuna chuckled. 

Megumi didn't know if he expected an answer or not, but he shook his head just to be safe. 

"No? Then put some more effort into worshiping my cock."

How could he, when Sukuna had his mouth aching, throat completely stretched out?!

He couldn't fucking breathe! 

Despite that and despite the steady stream of tears rolling down the sides of his face, Megumi tried. 

He pushed his tongue against Sukuna's shaft, trying to lick and to wiggle, even if there was minimal room for movement. 

He made his neck move, taking him even deeper and then pulling further back, making himself gag with every short thrust, but he tried.  

It burned.

He could pass out any minute too, it felt like. 

But he saw how Sukuna's expression changed from amused to something he could only describe as feral and terrifying.

He even thought he could see beads of sweat gathering at Sukuna's temples, and Sukuna pushed his hair back, mouth slightly agape. 

So Megumi endured.

Megumi's foot knocked into something, and he remembered the lifeless body right next to them, and he gasped, reminded of the context they were in. 

Somewhere, not too far away, he thought he could hear Yuuji calling for him. 

"Megumi? Where did you go?"  

But he couldn't answer him. 

He wasn't even sure if he could handle the shame, should Yuuji find him and see him like that. 

Sukuna himself was getting impatient, meeting Megumi's small thrusts. 

It knocked Megumi's head back against the ground, and he thought that if he didn't pass out from lack of air, he'd surely be knocked unconscious. 

With one final thrust and a groan, Sukuna released his seed down Megumi's throat.

He reached his limit then, and saw pure white. 

He couldn't have been passed out for long, maybe a minute at most, but when he came to, Sukuna was gone. 

The snow was still falling, starting to cover Megumi in addition to the corpse next to him. 

Shit. 

What the fuck was he supposed to do?

His teeth chattered. It was so fucking cold and Yuuji was expecting him and there was a corpse next to him and this was now a goddamn crime scene and fuck, fuck, fuck Sukuna! 

He couldn't even take care of the body? 

Fucking asshole! 

Megumi's tears continued to fall, burning with anger.

He allowed himself one desperate, shaky breath for air, before standing up on his feet. 

After brushing himself off and buttoning his trousers and coat, he decided to summon one of his animals. 

"Umbra noctua avem," he said, and Nue appeared before him. 

The owl-like bird looked at him, expecting orders. 

"Take him, and dump him somewhere far from here," Megumi said quietly. 

Nue didn't need to be asked twice, before gripping Reggie with its claws and flying off. 

Megumi watched it blend in with the night sky, until it was gone. 

Yuuji hadn't waited for him, understandably so. 

He probably thought Megumi had gone back to campus.

A sickening feeling of guilt creeped up on him as he made his way back. 

This could all have been avoided. 

Had he just walked away from Reggie sooner. Had he just prepared for the possibility that he in fact was a sorcerer, and not a civilian. Had he just been stronger on his own to beat him. 

Had he never made that stupid contract with Sukuna, or summoned him in the first place. 

Prick, Megumi thought, and if it was aimed towards himself or Sukuna, or perhaps both, he wasn't sure. 

Once he was back on campus, shivering and probably blue in the face, Megumi wanted most of all to crawl under the covers of his bed, and sleep for eternity. 

But his feet carried him to Yuuji's dorm. 

He hesitated for a moment, but ended up knocking on his door. 

The door swung open, revealing Yuuji with a surprised expression. 

"Megumi! There you are," he said, and smiled with relief. 

He wasn't mad? 

"I was getting kind of nervous. Where were you?" 

Megumi looked at the ground, unsure of what to say. "I'm sorry-" 

"Don't tell me something happened? Are you okay? You look so cold," Yuuji said, looking him over, before pulling him inside the room. 

"Get in and warm up. Christ, Megumi, your skin is…"

Yuuji put his hand against his cheek. 

"I- I'm sorry. I ended up walking around," he croaked out. 

Oh, his voice sounded terrible. 

He felt like he had phlem stuck in his throat. Surely it was after Sukuna's ejaculation inside him… 

"You're getting sick," Yuuji pointed out, sighing. "I should've given you my coat."

Megumi looked at him, puzzled. His coat? Then he would've ended up cold. 

He didn't trust his voice to speak properly, so he stayed quiet. 

"Sit down, and here's a blanket. I'll be back with tea and honey in no time," Yuuji declared, and handed a woolen blanket to him. 

He really just wanted to return to his own dorm, but felt he had no choice but to oblige.

Yuuji returned with a calming tea that immediately soothed his throat as he sipped it. 

Despite feeling a bit out of place, he had made himself comfortable on Yuuji's bed, with the blanket wrapped around him. 

Yuuji joined him with his own cup of tea, and immediately started rambling on about his room, classes, magic and the latest novels he'd been reading.

Megumi listened, perfectly happy doing so without adding much to the conversation. He looked around at the characteristics of Yuuji he saw reflected in the room; slightly messy, books thrown about without much organizing, and a few drawings here and there.

Eventually, Megumi felt himself drift off. Before he could spill the tea, Yuuji took the cup from him and put it down. 

Then, without much thought, Megumi leaned against Yuuji's shoulder, and fell asleep. 

When he awoke the next morning, Megumi was in a cloud of confusion and disarray.

He couldn't recognize the room he was in, it certainly didn't look like his own, but then he remembered the night prior. 

And with it, came the rest of that day's events. 

It hit him like a brick - no, several - just one after another.

What a mess. 

Megumi looked around, wondering where Yuuji had gone, but then saw his salmon-colored hair on the floor next to him. 

"Yuuji?" Megumi asked, and Yuuji rolled around, rubbing his eyes. 

"Morning," he said with a smile. 

"You… You slept on the floor?" 

Yuuji chuckled, a morning rasp in his voice. 

"It wasn't so bad! It's better for the back after all," he said, and sat up while stretching his arms. "And you looked so peaceful, I didn't want to wake you up." 

Megumi groaned, and buried his head in his hands. "I can't believe I fell asleep like that… I'm sorry." 

"Hey! Don't apologize. If anything, I feel honoured that you're comfortable enough around me to relax!" 

Megumi poked his head up. 

He really seemed genuine.

He'd even taken his coat off, and then put the duvet over him in addition to the blanket. Megumi hadn't felt so warm and safe in ages. 

All out of the kindness of his heart. 

Megumi knew someone else who wouldn't act so kindly in such a situation. Who'd take advantage of him instead. 

Those awful feelings from the day prior came rushing back. 

"Thanks for taking me to the theatre, Yuuji. And for taking care of me," Megumi said, just before he was about to leave. 

Yuuji's cheeks turned pink, and he smiled sheepishly. "Anytime. We should do it again." 

"With Kugisaki next?" 

"Yeah, or…" His smile turned smaller, expression becoming more serious. "Just the two of us." 

Megumi felt his own cheeks redden, and perhaps his heart skipped a small beat too. 

"I'd like that," he said, smiling slightly. "See you around," he added, and left Yuuji's room. 

Back in his own room, Megumi kept wondering if he had just completely lost his mind. What was he doing, getting butterflies over the most trivial things? 

He couldn't fall for Yuuji. 

Love wasn't meant for him. 

He was supposed to devote his life to becoming a damn good sorcerer. He certainly couldn't start developing relationships during his current status as a demon's sex toy. 

Sukuna had made it very clear of Megumi's own position; he was below him. Unimportant. Without a say. 

Sukuna would show up whenever he wanted, and would take Megumi in whichever way he wanted. His throat was still sore and his muscles still ached, as a result of learning that. 

Trying to build a relationship with Yuuji would be impossible. 

Maybe he could flirt a little. Maybe get physical with him too… But feelings? That would never work. 

At some point someone would find out about his contract, and then he'd be tainted. No one would want to touch him or love him, especially not pure-hearted Yuuji.

Megumi watched his own reflection in the mirror. Although his night of sleep must've helped, he still looked nothing short of a wreck. Messy hair, cheeks starting to hollow, skin almost translucently pale… 

He blamed it on Sukuna. He exhausted him. Wore him out. 

The problem wasn't Megumi's magic reserve. He had been able to use his magic well on All Hallow's Eve without being drained; but the same could not be said for his physical or mental state after facing Sukuna.

He couldn't let him keep fucking him. He'd have to find a way to avoid it. 

Sukuna had partially given him the answer. Worship, and not just the sexual kind. 

It was part of the contract, and as long as Megumi upheld his end of the deal, Sukuna had to as well. 

Chapter Text

Megumi had thought long and hard of ways to worship Sukuna, that he would find pleasing. 

It was the last thing on earth Megumi wanted to do, but his ultimate desire for power and knowledge dominated over contempt for the demon. 

There was also the small issue of the fact that Megumi really had no choice but to do it, lest he gets annihilated and imprisoned in Sukuna's hell. 

Megumi toyed with the idea of starting a cult in his name. However, a cult would need several members, and there was only a question of time before the cult's existence became common knowledge. He didn't want to ruin his own reputation completely. 

Worship would have to be done in secret, but still impactful, somehow.

A grimoire, Megumi thought.

Sukuna had said that infernal magic was, by extension, also Megumi's. 

It wasn't odd either, considering how one during a summoning essentially work together with the other party's magical nature. 

It could mean that Sukuna would lend him his magic. Well, he already had, sort of, in times of need. But the potential of more was bubbling beneath the surface. 

Megumi could use it to his advantage. He could write down information on Sukuna, on demons, infernal magic and maybe even create his own spells. He could research it, scourge the library and other places too for anything that could flesh out the book with valuable information. 

And it would not just be a grimoire, but it would be a bible, one with Sukuna as the subject of worship. But the true value would not be the worship, but the grimoire as Megumi's tool, for obtaining knowledge, power and perhaps leverage he could hold over Sukuna. 

He was tired of feeling inadequate, like a dog that only got to eat from his master's hand whenever the master felt like it. And only after putting on a show. 

"Good morning, Kiyotaka," Megumi said with a bright smile, the one the librarian rarely managed to resist. 

He had apologized for keeping the key for too long ages ago, but Megumi realized it would be hard to regain the same trust Kiyotaka had in him before. 

So, he tried his best to butter him up. He offered to help him when he had downtime, put away books for him and kept him company. 

Today was no different; he had offered to help Kiyotaka organize some new additions to the library, and dust off old books. 

"Morning," Kiyotaka said with a slight sternness, and pointed to a stack of books on the desk. "Put those on the trolley for me, would you?" 

"Will do."

He didn't enjoy being bossed around, but he had no issues following orders. Especially not when having access to the library, and hopefully the basement too, was crucial. 

Thankfully, Kiyotaka had not known about the stolen book. Gojo had seemingly kept that a secret. 

"These any good?" Megumi asked, making small talk. 

"Eh, there are better ones about the same subjects that we've had for years," Kiyotaka said. "We've been pressured about 'keeping with the times' and updating our selection… What we have is quality, we don't need this new paradigm-challenging wish-wash." 

Megumi smiled to himself in amusement. "I agree with you. Besides, aren't we running out of space?"

"That too. Eventually we'll have to throw them out!" 

"How about the basement? Is there space there?" Megumi asked once the trolley was loaded. 

"The basement is only for special books."

"Maybe it can be a temporary solution?" 

Kiyotaka rubbed his chin. "Perhaps. I could persuade the dean to give me another storage room, or to at least build another bookcase. They have to be kept somewhere in the meantime…”

They walked around with the new books, shoving them into place if there was room for them. Still, only half the amount could fit. 

"I can move them into the basement for you," Megumi offered. 

"You're not going down there without me, young man. It's not a place for a student to be while alone."

Of course, he knew nothing of the fact that Megumi had been there, alone. 

They went down together, Kiyotaka opening the metal gate while Megumi held the stack of books. 

It wasn't the easiest stairs to descend with books up to his neck, but they walked slowly, and Kiyotaka kept held up an oil lamp lighting the way. 

"Now, whatever you do, don't touch anything, and don't listen to the voices," Kiyotaka explained as they reached the bottom. 

He lit the room up with a snap, all the torches starting to burn one by one. 

"Which voices?" 

"You don't hear the voices?" 

"No," Megumi lied. 

The voices were very much there. It was like they remembered him, calling out to him with familiarity. 

"You sure?" Kiyotaka asked. 

Megumi nodded. "I don't hear anything."

Kiyotaka frowned. "How about… feeling like the books are dragging you towards them?" 

"No." 

"You don't feel like touching them?" 

"I mean, not any more than normal books."

"Interesting," Kiyotaka mumbled. "Well, that's good. There's always been incidents you see. Students usually lack the self-control that older sorcerers have, they can't help but touch everything once they're down here and start falling in love with the words the books whisper… This room has killed," Kiyotaka said dramatically. 

"Well, I feel fine," Megumi said smiling. "Although my arms are numb. Can I put the books down?" 

"Put them over there, boy," Kiyotaka said, gesturing to a table. 

Megumi put the books down, walking slowly to steal a glance at the surrounding books, anything that might seem useful. 

"Truthfully, I myself get uneasy down here. So let's go up again, we did what we came to do," Kiyotaka said impatiently. 

Unfortunately, Megumi didn't get the chance to get a good look at the books. He needed to be there alone. 

Hopefully he had planted the seed for the opportunity to naturally present itself in the future. 

While waiting for access to the basement, Megumi started his little project. Whenever he had time, he would write into a leather bound book full of blank pages. It started out as a compendium for Megumi’s own knowledge, what he had learned so far.

He wrote down what happened when Megumi summoned Sukuna, all the steps he went through and every minor detail he could remember.

Even the intimate details. 

As much as it irked him, it was something he could not avoid, considering the nature of the demon he was writing about. Perhaps the book could become useful later down the line, to someone else who might think of doing the same.

The idea of someone else summoning Sukuna was strange to think about, it made his gut twist in discomfort. 

Probably because he didn’t want anyone else to suffer the same fate. 

To most, a book like this would be a warning. But to others, it might be exactly what they’ve been looking for.

Still, Megumi made sure to be extravagant with praise for the demon, even if it made him physically ill to call him things like “great”, “uncontested” and “influential”. He had to push aside his simmering grudge against him. Sukuna was watching through his eyes, and all visual evidence pointed to Megumi becoming an active worshipper.

If it was enough to keep Sukuna away from his body, then Megumi would be more than satisfied.

"What are you writing?" 

Megumi immediately slammed the book shut, as Nobara plopped down next to him.

He had been working on the grimoire in the hallway, waiting for class to start. 

"Nothing important," Megumi said. 

Nobara raised her brows. "Quite a fat book for not being important." 

"Just my thoughts, notes, that sort of thing." 

"So like a journal?" 

"Sort of," Megumi mumbled.

They fell into an awkward silence. Megumi felt antsy about writing more, but he couldn't when Nobara was right there. 

"Look at him," Nobara suddenly said. Her gaze was aimed to the window, or more accurately, beyond the window. 

It was snowing, and in the midst of the field was Yuuji, practicing martial arts and his magic by himself. 

"Why not do like the rest of us, and practice inside in the warmth? So strange." 

"It's not strange," Megumi said. "It's smart. Practicing in any kind of weather will prepare him for surprising and challenging events. Danger is most likely not going to happen in a heated room.”

Yuuji’s breath looked like smoke in the cold sunshine. Megumi forgot about the book for a moment and watched him, mesmerized. 

He worked hard. He could be a bit foolish sometimes, too playful in situations that required you to be serious perhaps. But even then, he was dependable. And oddly, Yuuji seemed to care for him despite only knowing him since the summer.

Yes, maybe he was a bit jealous of his progression, but mostly… Megumi admired him. 

He was friendly and welcoming in a way Megumi was not. 

While deep in thought and still staring, Yuuji suddenly stopped moving, and his eyes met Megumi’s. 

Then he grinned widely and waved. 

Nobara was long gone, Megumi realized, the seat next to him empty. 

He thought of waving back, but felt awkward having stared at him mindlessly for so long. So, he decided to go outside and greet him instead. 

"Do you ever run out of energy?" Megumi asked as he approached him, the snow crunching beneath his feet. 

"I wonder the same thing about you when I see you studying at the library," Yuuji said. 

"I guess I get physically tired faster than mentally." 

"Then I must be the opposite. Not a bad team combination for missions right? I hope we get a new one soon!" 

Megumi didn't share Yuuji's excitement. He still felt bummed about having to rely on Sukuna's powers during the previous mission, rather than his own. Twice now.

"Maybe you could… Help me train, sometime? Physically," Megumi said, and immediately he winced at himself for the awkward phrasing. 

Yuuji didn't seem to mind though, and his cheeks - already pink from the cold - deepened in color. 

"I'd love that. And you could help me study? We do have exams coming up, I'm kind of nervous," he said, rubbing the back of his head. 

"It's a date- Deal. Deal I mean," Megumi corrected himself. 

Had he lost all conversational skills? 

"Looking forward to it," Yuuji said, with a playful smile. 

Megumi couldn't read his intentions, nor could he make sense of his own fluttering heart. But he couldn't ignore feeling gravitated towards Yuuji and the positivity and gentleness that he had sorely been craving lately. 

Perhaps it was only friendship in Yuuji's eyes, or perhaps not. 

Either way, Megumi wasn't opposed to finding out. 

Late in the evening early in december, a few days before an exam on sorcerer history, Megumi sat in the library with Yuuji. They had been there since that morning, studying all day. Yuuji looked close to losing it, and Megumi himself was feeling tired too. 

“This is impossible!” Yuuji declared, slamming his book shut and pushing it away. He crossed his arms, bottom lip sticking out in a pout. “I’m reading, but I can’t comprehend any of it.”

Megumi smiled slightly, amused. “You will once the exam starts. Have some faith.”

“I’m done,” Yuuji sighed dramatically.

“You can leave if you answer one final question,” Megumi said, picking up a paper from the stack of study cards they had made. “Who was Kashimo Hajime?” 

“... A sorcerer.” 

Megumi raised his brows. “You know more than that.” 

Yuuji groaned. “He was one of the strongest sorcerers about 300, or maybe it was 400 years ago.”

“Remember his nickname?” 

“God of… Lightning? Because his speciality was lightning magic?”

Megumi nodded. “Correct. Answer with confidence on the exam and you’ll be fine.” 

“Okay,” Yuuji said, a bit defeated, but still looking at Megumi with a soft expression. Then his stomach rumbled. “I think I’ll die if I don’t eat and pass out soon. Are you still gonna study?” 

“Just a bit longer,” Megumi said while Yuuji was putting his things away.

He was hungry too, but he wanted to get some more work done in the grimoire. 

“Well, we’re training tomorrow, so don’t push yourself too hard, okay?” 

“Got it. Good night, Yuuji.” 

“Night,” Yuuji said, and waved him goodbye with a bright smile.” 

Once he was gone, Megumi pulled his grimoire out from his bag. Then, just as he was about to open it, he heard another set of footsteps approaching. 

“Ah, you’re still here! Good,” Kiyotaka said, beaming at him. “You must be tired, but could you do one thing for me?” 

“Of course.” 

“The dean granted me one of the rooms in the hallway to use for additional storage, so I was thinking we could move those books we put in the basement. Or, well, I was hoping you’d make the trip down if it’s not too much trouble.” 

Megumi made sure not to let the overwhelming sense of victory show on his face. 

Finally. 

“It’s no trouble at all.”

“Great! It’s just that my knees are not doing too great at the moment. Here’s the key,” Kiyotaka said, handing him the key Megumi was already familiar with. 

Of course it was not about his knees; Megumi remembered how uncomfortable Kiyotaka had seemed in the basement.

“I’ll be quick,” Megumi said with a smile.

“Illumina,” Megumi said, heading into the basement. The blue light in front of him lit up the way as he nearly ran down the steps. 

This was the perfect opportunity to get some more books in his possession. Maybe they even contained spells that Megumi could learn and modify, making them his own in the grimoire. 

He’d just have to be careful so that people like Gojo wouldn’t sniff them out. 

Ideally, he’d just work on the grimoire in the basement. 

He’d need another set of keys, and he knew they existed, since Kiyotaka had to find another when Megumi hadn’t returned them. 

But then there was also the problem of the voices. 

Standing inside the room with the rows of whispering, dangerous books, Megumi understood why there were no desks there fit for studying. The basement was a prison, and a librarian was only a guard. 

It was not a place for anyone to stay for long.

He’d probably go mad listening to all the voices, and do something foolish like succumb to the books’ bidding, the way that necromancer had done. 

Megumi had already done something foolish, and it was the reason why finding the Daemones ab inferno book only took two seconds this time around. Thankfully, Gojo had put it back instead of sending it somewhere else.

He put it in the bottom of a crate.

He should’ve done more research on the other books present, but perhaps a searching spell could help him find another relevant book.

Just before uttering the spell, Megumi felt his abdomen tingle. 

Sukuna.

Megumi turned around, almost crashing into Sukuna standing right behind him.

“Up to no good?” Sukuna asked with a mischievous voice.

Megumi scoffed. “Nothing I need your help with.” 

Sukuna was looking at him with his usual half-lidded, smug gaze. Like everything was as usual between them. 

God, Megumi wanted to punch him. 

“You’re doing this for that cute, little book, aren’t you?”

“Cute?” Megumi asked. “Nothing about it is cute.” 

Sukuna’s smile grew. “To me, it looks like a gift in the making. Made with neat, cursive handwriting, full of praise. You might as well dot the i’s with hearts,” Sukuna said, sharp nails caressing the skin of Megumi’s neck. 

He immediately shook his hand off. “Don’t touch me.”

Sukuna chuckled. “So hostile. I wonder what your intentions behind making this infernal bible are. Perhaps to avoid my touch?”

“Acute observation,” Megumi mumbled. 

“It’s a noble attempt. However, do not forget what I am. You can’t pick and choose in which way to worship. I will encourage your scribbling, but I will have your body as well, whenever I wish,” Sukuna said.

He gestured to one of the bookshelves with his finger, and a book started levitating, floating towards them.

“You know what I think?” Sukuna asked, and before Megumi could tell him how little he cared, he kept talking. “I think that you’re terrified of the pleasure I give you. So you push me away, to stay your chaste, frigid old self. Submit to sin, blessing, and a whole new, delicious world will open up to you.”

“I push you away because you are rude and repulsive. It’s not that deep,” Megumi said through gritted teeth. 

Sukuna’s smirk gradually fell. “You would be wise to start speaking to me with respect. It will only lead you down a painful path.”

“And perhaps I would start feeling this pleasure you speak of the day you stop your threats and violence.” 

Sukuna cocked his head, handing Megumi the book. “This will be helpful for your grimoire. And you are wrong, by the way… Pain and pleasure goes hand in hand. You will see.”

Megumi looked at the book. 

Incantationes ab Infernis. The spells from hell. 

“By the way… I see you’re spending a lot of time with that annoying, noisy brat.”

Megumi frowned. Was he talking about Yuuji?

“If you become intimate with him, I will destroy the both of you. Just a warning.” 

Megumi scoffed, and then Sukuna was gone. 

Warning? Another fucking threat, more like. 

An empty threat too. Sukuna couldn’t harm them, he had agreed to that in the contract. 

Then a dark, but thrilling feeling crept over Megumi. 

Sukuna didn’t want him to sleep with Yuuji. 

Well, then that is exactly what he will do.

The next day, after Megumi had spent half the night looking over the books from the basement and taking notes, he met Yuuji in the training hall. 

Yuuji seemed to have already been there for some time, sweat running down his temple and his exposed torso. 

Megumi's eyes widened at the sight.

If Yuuji's martial art skills hadn't already shown him to be in great shape, his appearance sure did. He was about the same height as Megumi, but his muscles were more sculpted and his shoulders were broader. 

"Good morning," Yuuji said, looking at Megumi for a second. "You didn't get much sleep, did you?" 

Megumi frowned, casting a look at himself in the mirror on the wall. 

He could tell? 

"Not the ideal amount," Megumi admitted. 

"I know studying is important to you, but you have to take care of yourself. You're smart, you don't need to spend all night studying for the exam. If anyone genuinely needs it, it's me," Yuuji said, chuckling nervously.

Megumi smiled apologetically. Technically, it wasn't the exam he had studied for. 

"Anyways, don't think I'm gonna go easy on you just because of it!" Yuuji declared, pointing at him. 

"I don't expect you to," Megumi said, taking off his coat and hanging it by the entrance. 

He liked this side of Yuuji. The confident, assertive and strict side. 

Maybe being shirtless helped too.

Although being out-classed by Yuuji when it came to hand-to-hand combat, Megumi wasn't a complete amateur. Up until Yuuji entered the university, he had been second only to Zenin Maki. 

Megumi's strength was his agility. He was slippery and fast, and was quick to take advantage of even the smallest of distractions. 

But, his downfall was raw, physical strength. 

It didn't help then that his opponent was ridiculously strong, as well as being agile.

Megumi could run away or try to take any hit that Yuuji sent his way, but when the hit was hard enough to make his head swim, it was only a matter of time before he'd run out of energy.

Megumi huffed as they finished their third sparring session, Yuuji yet again ending up on top, barely fatigued at all. 

He looked up at him, at Yuuji's big brown eyes, at how his smile widened with the realization that he'd won again. 

Megumi wanted it to end on a different note. 

He lifted himself up, reaching out for Yuuji's neck. Then, keeping his hand against his nape, Megumi pursed his lips and kissed him.

A small, surprised sound escaped Yuuji.

It wasn't particularly deep or hungry, although part of Megumi wanted for it to go deeper. But it was enough to serve as a distraction. 

Megumi grabbed the opportunity to flip them over, him straddling Yuuji now. 

He pushed his forearm against his neck. 

Yuuji could easily break free, Megumi knew that. But still, Yuuji’s surprised expression eventually became a carefree one, and he yielded. 

“Not bad,” Yuuji said, smiling. “That took me by surprise. Is that your secret move you’ll use against enemies?” 

Megumi rolled his eyes.

He removed his arm from Yuuji’s neck, but still stayed on top of him, glancing down.

It was always a little jarring going from mindlessly throwing themselves over each other with the intention of sparring, to being done, but still in the same - now seemingly suggestive -  positions. 

He should’ve moved off of him, and offered him a hand up. 

Megumi certainly wasn’t the type to make the situation more suggestive than it already was, but even so, he wiggled slightly, lowering himself just a bit.

Maybe it could be dismissed as an innocent act of getting more comfortable and trying to relieve stiff knees. But subconsciously, Megumi knew what he was doing. And by the hardening bulge now bumping against Megumi’s behind, so did Yuuji. 

They looked at each other, breathing heavily, perhaps from their sparring, or perhaps from the anticipation. 

Sukuna will be furious, Megumi thought. 

And maybe that thought was what made him dive down towards Yuuji’s lips yet again.

And this time, he was hungry. 

Yuuji eagerly welcomed him, opening his mouth and immediately deepening the kiss. 

It didn’t take long either for Yuuji’s hands to cup Megumi’s ass, sturdy fingers kneading into his skin, or for Megumi’s hands to wander greedily over Yuuji’s stomach and chest.

Megumi’s mind turned hazy with need, and he found himself grinding against Yuuji’s bulge, his own cock hardening in his pants. 

“Oh, shit, Megumi,” Yuuji groaned as their mouths separated for air.

Megumi smiled, feeling possessed. “You’re hard. Need some help with that?” he whispered, sliding down Yuuji’s body. 

Yuuji’s cheeks were bright red and his eyes fluttered as Megumi stopped by his crotch and looked back up at him. 

“R-really?” Yuuji stammered. 

“Mhm,” Megumi nodded, and started undoing Yuuji’s buttons. 

Yuuji was already ridiculously hard, moaning just from Megumi freeing his cock. 

This must be his first time. 

Megumi looked at his cock with hungry eyes. Although not as big as Sukuna, he was still big. 

Manageable, like Megumi would actually enjoy sucking cock for once. 

Feeling impatient, Megumi took the length into his mouth, testing his limit. 

Yuuji instinctively rutted against him, making Megumi go down to the base. 

Megumi yelped around him, a little surprised. 

“Sorry, sorry,” Yuuji said breathlessly. 

Megumi didn’t mind. And the fact that he apologized for it excited him. He had an effect on Yuuji, and it made blood rush to his groin. 

“My, my,” a familiar voice said, and Megumi’s eyes snapped open. 

Yuuji quickly withdrew from his mouth, shoving his dick into this pants. 

Saliva dripping from his lower lip, Megumi looked at the source of the voice. 

Sukuna stood by the entrance to the training hall, casually leaning against the closed door with his arms crossed.

“What a pair of horny little shits,” Sukuna said, and Megumi immediately picked up on the underlying bitterness. 

“Uhm,” Yuuji uttered, buttoning his pants hurriedly. “We booked the room-” 

Megumi wiped his mouth, about to tell Yuuji to shut up, but Sukuna was quicker. 

“To train or to fuck?” Sukuna asked and laughed, but the humor in his voice was gone. “I suppose I don’t really blame you. He has a satisfying mouth,” he said, eyes shifting from Yuuji to Megumi. 

Megumi’s eyes were wide, staring at Sukuna. Had he lost his mind? He wasn’t supposed to show himself to anyone else. 

“Yuuji, don’t listen to him, he’s just a lunatic-”

“Calling a demon a lunatic is brave, little sorcerer. Anyone else but me would’ve cut your head off,” Sukuna said, suddenly transporting from the door, to standing over Megumi. 

He reached down, grabbed Megumi by the shirt and lifted him up on his feet.

Then he grabbed Megumi’s cheeks, forcing him to look at Yuuji.

“This one was more than happy to devote himself to me, you see,” Sukuna explained to Yuuji. “Got himself a neat book of demons, and prepared to even die in the process of summoning me. And then he eagerly spread his legs-” 

“Shut up and let him go,” Yuuji said, squaring up, ready to attack him. 

“No, no, you need to understand this. This seemingly sweet, innocent blessing isn’t so innocent after all. A little defiant at times, but oh, how he moans when I penetrate him, like a bitch in heat,” Sukuna drawled, his hand travelling down Megumi’s body and possessively cupping Megumi’s erection through his pants.

“Shut the fuck up!” Yuuji yelled, eyes red with rage as he rushed forward with his fist aiming for Sukuna. 

Sukuna dodged easily, taking Megumi with him.

As Yuuji threw another punch in Sukuna’s direction, Sukuna pulled Megumi in front of him like a shield. 

Yuuji’s fist stopped right before it collided with his face. 

His eyes widened with worry, fist shaking. 

“Careful, now,” Sukuna tutted. “Why don’t you leave us? And no harm will come to our precious blessing.”

Sukuna’s hand was wrapped around Megumi’s throat, long fingernails pressing against his skin to illustrate. 

Yuuji clenched his jaw.

“It’s okay. I’ll be fine, we’ll talk soon,” Megumi reassured him. 

“I’m not leaving you with this guy!”

“Please. I’ll be okay, I swear,” Megumi begged. 

“I’m a man of my word,” Sukuna said, and Megumi wanted to scoff and roll his eyes, but didn’t want to give any more doubt to Yuuji.

“If you hurt him, you’re dead,” Yuuji warned, before turning around and reluctantly left the training hall.

“Please don’t tell anyone! I’ll explain later,” Megumi shouted after him.

He felt Sukuna’s chest behind him ripple with suppressed laughter, then he went still. His hand was still firmly holding Megumi’s throat.

Megumi allowed himself to feel fear then, a deep anxiety settling in his stomach for what to come.

“Remember what I told you, little sorcerer?” 

No doubt he was referring to his warning about having sex with Yuuji.

“Yes,” Megumi said, not letting his fear show. 

“I wonder what goes through your mind as you decide to defy me,” Sukuna said, voice chillingly collected. “Maybe I’m the fool for misjudging you. Clearly you have a death wish.”

Sukuna’s grip tightened slightly, and Megumi whimpered. 

“You say violence doesn’t pleasure you… But still, your dick is achingly hard, even now.” 

Sukuna’s hand was inside his pants, wrapped around his cock.

“No-” 

Sukuna stroked him, and Megumi hated himself for how he gasped at the touch. 

“Perhaps you threw yourself so eagerly onto that brat because I’ve been neglecting you. You see, the reason I’ve left your body alone the past few weeks is not because of your diligent work with the grimoire… It’s because I thought I’d give you the break you so desperately wished for.” 

“Bullshit,” Megumi weakly uttered. 

“Is it so hard to believe I would be merciful?” 

“You are currently punishing me!”

Sukuna chuckled into his ear, stroking him faster. “If I were to truly punish you, there would be no remnants of you left. Your friend would be even worse off.” 

“The reason he’s not, is because you cannot harm him or anyone else I care about!”

Sukuna’s thumb covered the head of Megumi’s cock, pressing down, making Megumi immediately cover his mouth to keep himself from moaning.

Sukuna sighed. “Maybe this is why I struggle with punishing you properly. You so arrogantly believe that you have it all figured out… But truthfully, you are naive like a child. I, personally, cannot harm the brat. But it doesn’t stop me from influencing anyone else to do so.”

Megumi stopped breathing. 

“But, indirectly, that would still be you harming him,” he said, grasping for an explanation in his favour. 

“Not according to the contract. You see, when making deals with demons, you have to be very precise with your words. Always clarify your demands.”

“My demands needed to be clarified, but your demands of worship did not?!”

“Life isn’t fair, blessing,” Sukuna murmured, and picked up the pace with his hand. 

Megumi’s mind was turning to a mess of involuntary pleasure, anger and confusion.

Just as he was approaching climax, Sukuna stopped moving his hand, and let go. 

“I’m still angry with you,” Sukuna said. “You need to be taught a lesson. I’ve been letting your arrogance continue unpunished for too long…” 

Sukuna snapped his fingers, and Megumi was suddenly naked, his clothes in a pile on the floor. Then, without warning, Sukuna picked him up by throwing him over his shoulder. 

Megumi yelped, the world turning upside down. 

A loud slap echoed in the room, and then Megumi felt the stinging pain on his ass. He winced as Sukuna’s hand landed on his other cheek next.

Sukuna walked somewhere, one hand wrapped around his legs, and another surely ready to spank him again. 

Megumi couldn’t see, so he wouldn’t know when it would hit. 

He instinctively whimpered when he felt contact again, but this time, Sukuna groped him instead. 

Sukuna hummed, pleased. “Your skin reddens beautifully. I wonder how much it would take for the skin to break.” 

“Please don’t,” Megumi begged, his eyes starting to water.

Sukuna stopped moving, having reached his destination, and put Megumi down. 

“I have been unusually… soft, these days. So I won’t, if you do as I say.”

Pondering it for a few seconds, Megumi ended up nodding. 

“Turn around, spread your legs, and put your hands against the door,” Sukuna said.

Reluctantly, Megumi followed his command. 

Sukuna grabbed his waist, pulling his butt outwards.

He could hear the sound of clinking behind him. Sukuna was fiddling with something, but before Megumi could turn his head to look, Sukuna spread his cheeks. 

Megumi huffed at the sudden feeling of air against his exposed hole.

Then, Sukuna quickly pushed past his rim with two oiled fingers. 

"I'm not sure why you want to get with that brat so badly," Sukuna murmured. "We both know that no human can accomplish what I can do... Make you feel pleasure like this."

Megumi bit back a moan at the feeling of Sukuna's fingers digging into him. 

"I thought this was meant to be punishment." 

Slap. 

Megumi's right cheek burned as Sukuna's impact sang. 

It made Megumi stagger, but he would not cry out. 

Sukuna spanked him again on the same spot. 

Megumi hissed, closing his eyes. 

He took a deep breath to steady himself. 

"This is what I'm talking about. That tongue of yours, arrogant and impudent."

Megumi braced himself for another slap, but instead felt another finger enter him, in addition to a wet, slippery tongue. 

His eyes widened. 

Sukuna's hand-mouth had appeared again. 

"You enjoyed this one a lot, I remember. So I think you'll find this enjoyable as well."

The tongue wriggled its way into him, stretching Megumi out where Sukuna's fingers did not. 

Megumi gasped as it skirted briefly by a sensitive area. 

"One day, you will take my entire hand. Both of them. Or maybe all four?" 

All four?! 

He was insane. Delirious. Lost in his sex fantasies, forgetting that Megumi was very much a human with biological limitations. 

Sukuna interrupted his train of thought by pressing his tongue and finger against his prostate, while simultaneously landing a stinging slap against Megumi's left cheek. 

Megumi's knees failed him, and his mind blanked. 

He wasn't exactly sure what had happened until he saw the white streaks of semen on the door. 

He had climaxed. 

"My, my. Would you look at that," Sukuna commented. "Perhaps now you see how pain and pleasure is conjoined." 

Sukuna removed his fingers and his tongue from his hole, and replaced them with his cock poking against him. 

"W-wait," Megumi uttered, still coming down from his orgasm. 

"You are more than ready," Sukuna said, sinking past his rim. "Look at how easy you suck me in. At this rate, you'll be begging for me to take you in my true form."

"Keep dreaming," Megumi said with a strained voice. 

"Dreaming? I don't dream, little one. My ambitions always come true."

With that, he was fully inside him. 

Sukuna seemed to savour the feeling, holding Megumi's hips firmly in place. 

Megumi gasped. "Must be nice."

"Yes," Sukuna drawled. "Perhaps it will rub off on you."

Sukuna snapped his hips, and Megumi had to keep his hands firmly against the door to avoid flying into it. 

"Fuck," he muttered under his breath, as Sukuna pulled back, and rammed back inside again. 

Sukuna held his hips tightly, making sure their bodies stayed connected. 

"That brat must be sporting an erection by now, don't you think?" 

Megumi frowned. "What?" 

"Well, he's just outside the door," Sukuna said casually, as if he was talking about the weather. 

His hips slammed into Megumi, quicker now. 

"He wouldn't go far. Perhaps out of worry for you, or out of his own perverse curiosity. He's probably wondering if he should open the door and save you, poor thing, violated by the big bad demon. But he's scared of endangering you if he does." 

Megumi struggled with following, too occupied by trying to handle Sukuna's thrusts and keeping his voice suppressed. 

"Maybe he's listening to us now, stroking his cock. Bet you'd like that," Sukuna whispered into Megumi's ear. 

"No," Megumi said, a little pathetically. 

"Maybe he thinks this is hot. Or maybe he finds you disgusting for letting a demon fuck you."

Megumi didn't want to think that. He didn't want to think about Yuuji, or how ruined their friendship and intimacy was now. 

"Stop," he begged Sukuna, although it was not the fucking he was referring to. 

Sukuna's arm snaked its way around Megumi's torso, fingers toying with his nipples. 

"Fushiguro Megumi, you are mine," Sukuna declared. "None, other than me, gets to touch you like this."

He raised his hand, cupping Megumi's chin before slipping his thumb inside his mouth. 

Megumi didn't bite or resist. Instead, he found himself accepting him, sucking on his thumb. 

"And as you know, deep within, none will be able to pleasure you like this." 

Sukuna pulled back slowly, before shoving roughly back in, deeper than before. 

Megumi moaned around his thumb, his dick yet again sprung to life and leaking pre-cum. 

"Do you understand?" Sukuna asked, and removed his thumb from his mouth. 

He grabbed Megumi by his cheeks, making him turn his head. 

"Say it." 

"Yes," Megumi whined. 

Sukuna smiled, and his movements stopped. "Good." 

Then he grunted, and with a few final deep pushes, Sukuna came inside. 

Afterwards, Megumi slumped against the floor. With shaky limbs, he got up on his knees, assessing the situation. 

He was still physically out of it, but was finally getting some clarity back. 

"I- I can't believe you showed yourself to him," he mumbled, and looked up at Sukuna. 

Sukuna smiled, full of himself. 

"You said to keep this a secret!" 

"If that brat… " Sukuna said, raising his voice and turning his head towards the door, as if Yuuji was listening. "... cares for you, then he'll do the smart thing and shut up."

"You're awful," Megumi said, collecting his clothes. "All because I sucked his dick."

Sukuna's brow twitched. "Which I so graciously warned you about doing. Have your lesson been in vain, or must I illustrate it for you one more time?" 

"You can save yourself the trouble," Megumi said, flaring his nose. "Just know that if you ever harm Yuuji, either directly or indirectly, I will never forgive you. Every moment between us after that will be joyless and dry, devoid of your precious pleasure, to the point where it makes you miserable."

Sukuna raised his brows. "Noted." 

As Megumi pulled on his shirt, he realized he was still full of semen.

"Can you clean me out?" he quietly asked, swallowing his pride. 

Sukuna smiled wickedly. "Not today, no. I'd like it to serve as a reminder for the time being." 

He snapped his fingers and cleaned up the rest of the stains they had left instead, the door clean again, like nothing had happened. Then, Sukuna turned on his heel. 

"See you around, blessing."

In a blink, he was gone. 

And Megumi had to dress himself, while knowing semen was running down his leg. 

When he opened the door to the hallway, he didn't know what to expect. 

He thought, or hoped, that Sukuna was lying just to get a response out of him. 

But unfortunately, Yuuji was there. 

Not right by the door, but close enough, sitting on the floor. 

He looked up at him with an unreadable expression. 

Megumi mentally prepared himself for being berated, condemned, or simply ignored out of disgust and disappointment. 

He did not expect Yuuji saying: “Are you okay?” 

Megumi’s eyes widened, and he froze for a few seconds. “Uh… Yes. I’m fine.” 

Yuuji sighed with relief, and got up on his feet. 

“I wanted to interrupt you. But I was scared of causing you to be hurt,” he said. 

Megumi nodded. “He wouldn’t go as far as killing me, just so you’re aware. He wouldn’t benefit from me being dead. I suppose we’re symbiotic in that way, sort of.”

“Who is he?” Yuuji asked, frowning. “Was he telling the truth in there?” 

Megumi bit his lip, nervously looking at Yuuji. “I’ll tell you if you promise to keep this a secret between us. I’ve… I’ve made a really dumb mistake, and being expelled is truthfully the least of my worries.”

“Is he dangerous?” 

“He… Well,” Megumi sighed. He was most definitely dangerous, but he didn’t feel like admitting it to Yuuji. “There’s not much he can do. He’ll be a mild nuisance at most.” 

Understatement of the century. 

“He seems pretty invasive if you ask me,” Yuuji mumbled. 

“He is,” Megumi agreed. “But I can handle it. So please, Yuuji, don’t tell anyone about this.”

Yuuji’s expression softened. “I wasn’t planning to.”

So, Megumi told him the truth. He explained his motivations behind summoning Sukuna, admitting to how weak he was for resorting to that. He told him of his mistakes, summoning the wrong demon, and stupidly signing a vague contract before truly knowing Sukuna’s nature. He left out the more shameful facts. If Yuuji had heard them through the door, he already understood the gist of it.

And then, Megumi told him he was prepared to handle it, to see the contract through. 

“How can you be fine with it? Nothing about it is fine,” Yuuji said, annoyed. “I mean, you’ve become enslaved to him. This isn’t something you should endure. We have to find a way for you to get out of it!” 

“You don’t need to concern yourself with this issue or help me. The fact is, I put myself in this predicament. Now I am facing the consequences. And I have no choice but to trust that there will be something to be gained from this… I can already feel that my magic reserve has expanded. This won’t be for nothing.”

Yuuji shook his head. “Megumi, it’s not worth it. Strength and success can be gained in other ways. Hell, I’ll personally train you to be stronger. You shouldn’t sacrifice your comfort and sanity for this. Or your dignity.”

So he did think of him as undignified, Megumi thought. 

Yuuji was kind, and too caring for his own good. But even he couldn’t ignore the fact that Megumi had given away his body for a demon to use.

He must’ve regretted their intimate moment earlier. 

“Some things can’t be taught. Some things are impossible to achieve by natural means. If I can’t progress… I don’t know what to do with myself,” Megumi said, looking down at his hands. 

“Even so, there are more important things in life than power and fame,” Yuuji said, and started walking away with his hands in his pockets. 

Megumi felt a urge to reach out and hold him back, but he stopped himself. 

“Yuuji,” he called out. “I’m truly sorry.” 

“Yeah,” Yuuji quietly said, sounding discouraged. 

Then he left. 

Megumi clutched his temple, and slid down against the wall.

He had ruined it all. 

Chapter Text

Yuuji kept his promise. Megumi didn’t hear a whiff of demons, illegal summonings or sightings of a strange man on campus. Nor any circulating indecent rumors about Megumi.

He was thankful; anybody else but Yuuji wouldn’t think twice before telling on him. 

Yuuji wasn’t one to break rules either, despite his playful and sometimes loud nature, he seemed to have a deep respect for the authorities at the university.

So Megumi should’ve taken it as a sign that Yuuji did care about him. 

Despite that, the words exchanged between them for the next weeks would be few. 

As they finished their exams, they stopped training and studying together. They stopped hanging out too, only occasionally spending time together if Nobara or someone else invited the both of them. 

There was no rudeness, nor any coldness in their interactions, but Megumi could sense how the tone had changed drastically beneath it all. The candle that had been lit between them was burned down, the thrilling romance dead before it even started. 

It’s better that way, Megumi reminded himself. 

That way he couldn’t hurt Yuuji any more than he already had. That way, he could continue his abnormal relation to Sukuna without distractions. 

However, it didn’t ease his sense of loss. 

Yuuji had come into his life unexpectedly, making himself at home in his heart where few people got to be.

First and foremost, he had become a dear friend. 

Megumi had managed most of his life without many friends, clutching onto other areas in his life, like Gojo and his studies. 

So why did it hurt so much to be alone again? 

Throughout December as their classes ended before the holidays, the loneliness ended up taking more and more space. He was supposed to enjoy time off from the daily hustle as a student, but found himself missing the things that usually filled up his time.

So to make up for it, he immersed himself into the grimoire, and devoured the contents of the books from the basement. 

The one Sukuna had suggested to him was particularly interesting.

It contained a wide array of spells, incantations and detailed instructions for various rituals. The only problem was that they were based on infernal magic. Megumi wasn’t sure if he would ever be able to use such magic, unless he did it with Sukuna’s help. 

What he could try doing, was converting them to his own magic somehow, or imitate them. 

Many of the spells seemed downright terrifying. They were all about using hellfire, converting living organisms - specified as humans and animals - into energy, and so many of them with the goal of killing or destroying. 

Some were categorized by the nine circles, most likely spells commonly used by demons residing in their respective circle.

Naturally, Megumi felt himself be drawn to the spells categorized under the second circle. It made sense to become familiar with the spells and rituals belonging to Sukuna’s domain.

Some of them didn't seem so violent either. But they were most definitely sexual spells. 

Hostis, vel amice, meum carmen audi.

Amans fias, noli amplius pugnare.

This one seemed to be about turning a fight into lovemaking.

Me specta libidine. 

A simple one, that was supposed to incite lust.

Megumi could see himself learning them easily, but he assumed they were spells only an incubus could cast. 

Dipping his quill into ink, Megumi started a new chapter in the grimoire, calling it "love or lust".

Do the demons from the second circle feel love? Or is it entirely based on lust? 

Is their lust always malicious? Or can it be pure?  

He jotted down his thoughts. 

They were probably stupid questions. A demon's intent being pure seemed like a paradox.

Nonetheless, he decided to do more research, and deciphered the rest of the spells under the Lust category.

None really mentioned love in its purest form, as something romantic, instead of exclusively sexual.

But the description of a ritual caught his eye. He translated it into the grimoire.

When you make the promise to only lay with one, you will undergo a binding vow. 

You will form a contract with said demon, each promising their exclusive devotion to the other. Once the contract is signed with gold, it must be repeated verbally. Then the vow is complete. 

You shall then only accept them as your source of nourishment, pleasure and satisfaction. 

Undoing of the binding vow is not impossible, but shameful and painful. Most commonly it is caused by death or a mutual agreement to end the contract, but not without a price to pay. 

Megumi frowned, at first thinking it seemed similar to the contract between him and Sukuna. But there were differences too. 

To human eyes, it even seemed like the description of marriage. The text didn't seem to be aimed towards humans either. Was this a love ritual to ensure loyalty between demons? Incubi, who swore themselves away only to one partner? How absurd. 

Although, it certainly wasn't phrased the way you'd speak about marriage. 

Perhaps Megumi was mistaken. 

He could always ask Sukuna…

No, no, no. That would be way too weird. 

Megumi put his quill down, and sat down on his bed, leaning back.

From what he had read so far, incubi didn’t seem so strange as he had initially thought. Sukuna wasn’t normal, really, he was a cocky nuisance most of the time. But even that was part of being human. 

Perhaps demons weren’t so different. 

“For you,” Gojo said, placing a small sponge cake in front of Megumi as he was sitting in Gojo’s living room. 

Megumi looked at him with a frown. 

“Happy birthday!” Gojo sang. “Did you think I would forget?” 

“Well, I really didn’t expect anything,” Megumi mumbled. Even so, he took a taste. Gojo was not a great cook, or a baker, but it was surprisingly edible. 

“I have a gift for you as well.” 

“Oh, I don’t need anything-” 

“Nonsense!” Gojo said, pulling up a small box, wrapped up neatly in a velvet bow. “I think you’ll like this.” 

Megumi eyed him suspiciously as he carefully unwrapped it. 

The box was smaller than the palm of his hand. 

He took off the lid, peeking inside. 

The object inside was made of metal; round in shape, consisting of engraved markings that looked like a language. He picked it up, feeling its surprisingly heavy weight. 

Megumi immediately looked at Gojo with curiosity. “What is it?” 

“It’s called a transmutation arcanum,” he explained. “A neat trinket I found years ago on a journey. It can hold any type of magic that exists in the universe.” 

“Seriously?” Megumi asked, eyes widening. 

“It’s empty right now, as magic must be transferred from someone or something else. It can only be a small amount, enough for just a spell or two. It gives someone the opportunity to use magic of a different nature for a short moment.”

Megumi stared at the arcanum, rolling it in his hand, mesmerized. 

“I thought about filling it with my magic so you’d have it in case of an emergency, but I decided I’d let you think about it. It’s single use, you see. Once it’s used, it will disintegrate. It’s quite rare too.” 

“It’s rare and you’re just giving it to me?” 

Gojo cocked his head. “Why wouldn’t I?” 

“And it can hold any magic, to perform any spell?” 

“In theory, yes.” 

Megumi frowned. “Are you pulling my leg? This could potentially do a lot of harm, couldn’t it?”

“While you haven’t worked your butt off to make me trust you as of late, I still do. You’re a good sorcerer, Megumi. I trust that you’ll use the arcanum well,” Gojo said, smiling. 

He took one last look at the sphere, before putting it back in its box. “Thank you, Satoru. I will,” he said. 

Then he turned to Gojo, and gave him a hug. A little awkwardly, as it wasn’t everyday occurrence. 

Gojo hugged back, wrapping his arms around Megumi’s waist. “Who’s the coolest guy on earth?”

Megumi rolled his eyes. 

“Who is the coolest guy on earth, I ask?” Gojo repeated and Megumi groaned.

“You are,” he said unenthusiastically as he pulled out of the hug. 

Gojo beamed. “That’s right. Now aren’t you gonna celebrate with your friends today?”

Megumi looked away, taking another bite from the sponge cake. “I’m fine with celebrating like this.” 

None of his friends, if he even had one, knew it was his birthday, and Megumi didn’t like celebrating it. Gojo giving him cake and a gift was more than enough.

Gojo sighed, leaning back into the couch. “Alright. I do hope you’ll start letting people in, ‘Gumi. Otherwise you’ll get lonely.” 

“I have you,” Megumi said.

And an incubus visiting him out of the blue. 

“That, you do,” Gojo said, ruffling his hair. “You should join us for the New Year’s masquerade this year. Be a little social, huh?” 

“Do I have to?” 

“It’s tradition! And you always make an excuse to stay home.” 

“I’m not a party person.” 

“You only say that because you’ve never properly partied. I swear it will be fun. And if not for the drinks and dancing, you should make an appearance as an up-and-coming sorcerer. It’s all about connections.”

Megumi rolled his eyes. “Well, aren’t masquerades all about disguises? I can’t see how it’s helpful then.” 

“Think about it,” Gojo insisted. “Be young and forget about your studies for one night of fun.”

“You’re my professor, how can you even say that?” 

“It speaks volumes of how much I think you need a break, doesn’t it?” 

Megumi sighed in defeat. “Fine. I will think about it.” 

He spent the rest of his day at Gojo’s apartment, eating dinner, talking and reading. It was a perfect birthday in his mind, not too extravagant at all, but not spent alone.

On his way back to his dorm that evening, he felt ready for bed, but just as he was about to open the door, he felt the familiar tingle in his belly.

Ah, another visit. 

He had been graced with yet another gift, he told himself sarcastically. 

Megumi opened the door, not surprised to see Sukuna waiting for him.

“It is your date of birth,” Sukuna stated as Megumi walked inside. 

“That is true,” Megumi said, taking off his shoes. 

Sukuna cocked his head curiously. “It seems you do not enjoy these birthdays.”

Megumi looked at him, a little amused. "Birthdays are fine. I just don't like it to be a spectacle. Do demons have birthdays?" 

"Human lives are like shooting stars; brief, like if you blink you might miss it. Demons have existed since the dawn of time. Some are older, some are newer. But all have lived for a period of time that a human could never comprehend." 

Megumi raised his brows."So the answer is no, I take it?" 

Sukuna paced the room with his hands behind his back. "Timeless beings have no use for such foolish celebrations."

"What do you celebrate, then? Nothing?" Megumi asked. 

Part of him was genuinely curious, especially after reading up on infernal spells and rituals.

Sukuna tapped his chin in thought. "There are some things. You'll see in due time." 

Megumi frowned. He couldn't just tell him? 

"Perhaps sooner than later," Sukuna mumbled. "Since it is your date of birth, which apparently includes gift giving as an important ritual, I have something for you." 

Megumi's ears perked up. 

A gift from Sukuna. Perhaps a spell, or another magical artifact, or maybe today would be the day he gave him something that could finally make Megumi become a great sorcerer. 

A box appeared on Megumi's bed.

Megumi wasn't greedy or materialistic, but his curiosity got the best of him as he immediately lifted the lid off from the box, expecting something akin to the transmutation arcanum. 

What he did not expect, was a mask. 

A masquerade mask. 

He picked it up. It was of the venetian kind, a half-mask in the Colombina style. Parts of it were done in a black and white diamond pattern, with silver ornamentation around the eyes. 

It was beautiful, but also useless. 

"A mask? Just a normal mask?" he asked. 

"My, my, sound a little more ungrateful, would you?" Sukuna said, although his tone lacked bite. "A mask, yes. But a mask of the finest, most expensive quality, straight from Venice. A beguiling Colombina they say have the power to enchant any man."

Megumi wasn't sure if he was speaking rhetorically, or if it was actually true, that the mask could enchant people. 

Touching it, it certainly didn't feel magical. 

"Why are you giving me this?" 

"Anyone attending a masquerade needs a mask. Now you have one." 

"Well, I don't even know if I will attend."

Sukuna gestured to the mask. "Now you have a reason to. You wouldn't let such exquisite work go to waste?" 

Megumi felt the smoothened material under his thumb. "Why do you want me to go so badly? It's just a party."

"Your guardian is right. It's a good opportunity to form connections, and I think it is time you start spreading my gospel to the masses," Sukuna said. 

Ah. So there was intent behind it. 

"And in which better way to do so, than disguised in the night, as the wine flows? People lose their inhibitions when drinking normally. And when they get to hide their identities for a night… Well, let's just say the line between condemnable and acceptable becomes blurred," he added. 

Megumi shifted on his feet. It seemed like Sukuna wanted him to do something that might usually be seen as condemnable. 

"I won't cause danger, if that's what you're after."

"I don't expect you to. I want you to arouse. Make the sorcerers of today hungry for what the second circle of Inferno can offer." 

Megumi felt like laughing, but kept it in. Sukuna wanted fodder for hell, and he was supposed to be the one causing them to sin? 

“Me being your herald is an odd choice in that case.” 

“It’s the only one I have, considering you were the one who summoned me.” 

“And was there no option to refuse the summon?” 

Sukuna smirked. “Why would I do that? You are more tempting than you think.”

“Well, I thought that you didn’t want me to be intimate with anyone else,” Megumi said, crossing his arms. 

Suddenly, Sukuna took a long stride forwards, ending up so close that Megumi had to lift his head to look at him. 

“And you won’t,” Sukuna growled, maroon eyes nearly glowing. “You will whisper sweet little temptations in their ears. You can put on a show, and they can watch you, even fantasize about you, but they will not touch.”

Megumi stood there, wide-eyed and frozen, not sure what to say. 

“Do it well, and I will reward you with something far better than a mask.” 

Slowly, Megumi nodded. “Alright.”

“Good. Until then, blessing,” Sukuna said with a smile, and promptly disappeared. 

Megumi felt a strange mix of relief and anxiety; relief of not having to actually fuck random people at the ball, and anxiety for having to go around charming them anyway. 

He wasn’t charming. Sukuna making Megumi out to sound like a temptation was just an illusion he had made up in his own head. After all, Sukuna hadn’t been on earth in hundreds of years and he was an incubus. Sex was probably on his mind at all times. 

Either way, Megumi couldn’t decline, not with the offer of a reward on the table. 

Perhaps he was greedy after all. 

The holidays rolled by in a quiet daze, as they usually did for Megumi. He spent them mostly with Gojo or by himself, training, reading and writing in his grimoire.

Some of the students went home to their families and hometowns, while some, those who didn't have much of a family or cared much for the holidays, stayed behind. 

As the university consisted of many lone wolves, as being a sorcerer could be a lonely profession at times, it was also tradition to have a nice gathering for them. 

So the staff prepared a christmas dinner, serving turkey and hearty side dishes, and cakes for dessert.

Megumi was surprised to see Yuuji there. By his cheerful personality, he had simply assumed Yuuji most likely had someone dear to him that he could return to. 

He asked him about it at the dinner, wanting to close the distance between them that had grown so large. 

"I only had my grandfather," Yuuji had said. "But he died last spring."

Megumi had felt his chest hurting, hearing that. But then Yuuji smiled brightly at him, for the first time in weeks, and told him not to feel sorry for him. 

Still, it didn't ease the guilt he felt for hurting Yuuji.

Soon, the day that Megumi had been fearing was upon him. 

New Year's Eve. The night of the annual masquerade ball in St. Faustus; a grand party hosted by the highly esteemed Sorcerer's Association, and funded by several political organisations as well as rich sorcerer families, like the Zenins. 

Apparently Gojo was also one of the contributors, sitting on a large inheritance. Nobody could have guessed really, considering he lived in a humble apartment at campus, and spent his days teaching. 

To Megumi, the masquerade ball seemed ridiculous. For one, it was meant for the upper class. While it was tradition for students and faculty of the university to attend, it certainly did not feel like a place he belonged. He felt like it was a parade; a performance made by the rich people in town, to show off their wealth. 

Gojo had told him not to take it too seriously, as it was supposed to be "a fun party for dressing up and making the dark winter days brighter."

Standing in front of the large manor in which the ball was held, Megumi thought it seemed anything but fun.

"Masks on, everyone," Gojo said to the group they had traveled with. "Enjoy yourselves."

Megumi put on his mask, tying the silk ribbon around his head. 

Sukuna should've given him a full mask, he thought. Then he could've been close to completely anonymity.

"How handsome," Gojo whistled, when he looked at Megumi. "If you dressed like that everyday, you'd have a line of suitors." 

Megumi rolled his eyes at Gojo's inappropriate comments. 

Well, perhaps there was reason behind the mask after all. 

The ball was held at the manor belonging to a woman called Mei Mei, a successful sorcerer who had climbed the ranks of the Sorcerer's Association. As they walked up the marble stairs into the foyer, it was like entering a castle.

Classical columns on every corner, with vases and sculptures of marble, bronze and gold on display. There was no doubt about it; this was a world belonging to the rich. 

It instantly made Megumi feel out of place. 

Some people were gathered in the foyer chatting away, all with various types of masks and clothed in extravagant dresses and suits. 

From the main banquet hall, music was playing. It might've been a whole orchestra. 

Apart from a couple electrical chandeliers made of glass, most of the lighting consisted of candles, creating an atmosphere of mystique. 

A woman with long blonde hair and a mask in a similar style to Megumi's except in glaring red and gold, came walking towards them. 

Mei Mei, Megumi thought. He'd seen her before, but they had never talked. 

A young boy followed in her footsteps.  

"Ah, Gojo, how pleased I am to see you. And you brought some adorable little students with you," she said, smiling at them. 

Ugh, Megumi wanted to barf. 

"Delightful," she said, and fell into smalltalk with Gojo. 

Megumi took the opportunity to slip away. It was easier to slip into the shadows that way, and remain anonymous. He didn't need Gojo loudly introducing him to people, not tonight. 

Butlers were all over the manor, holding trays of wine and liquor.

Megumi was offered red wine, and didn't think twice before sipping it. 

He would definitely need it. 

For the first half hour, he kept to himself in the corners, simply observing and drinking. He enjoyed the music as well, the dramatic tones of violins and pianos, as it was rare for him to be able to attend such gatherings. 

It seemed no expenses were spared. There was food on every table, and they were promptly refilled by the butlers when they were starting to empty. 

How luxurious. 

While his memory was faint, he couldn't help but think back to his childhood years. More than a meal a day had been a luxury to him at some point. 

Now he was drinking wine, in an expensive mask given to him by a demon, amongst successful and rich sorcerers who would never have to worry about having their needs met.

He couldn't figure out if he felt happy about it, or bitter. 

Occasionally, as Megumi worked on getting inebriated, he would make small talk whenever someone came up to him. 

But it was only small talk. He felt like a fish out of water, he didn't know how to charm people. 

They smiled at him, complimented his look, but that was it. 

He wasn't some sexual enigma that could simply inspire lust in anyone. Sukuna had to have been out of his mind to think Megumi could do this. 

Megumi downed his fourth glass of wine. He was starting to feel it now, his head swimming a bit, body heating up. But it was nowhere near the level of drunk he had to be for even making an attempt at seduction. 

"Look at them," the familiar, deep voice of Sukuna whispered into his ear. 

Megumi jumped a little, not expecting him. He turned his head, and but was not met with Sukuna's face. 

A jester peered into the crowd, instead. The back of his head was familiar, although his hair was now slicked back. Other than that, his face was covered by a full mask, half black and half white. The mouth of the mask was carved into an illusion of a wide smile. At the top of the mask, three long spikes stretched forward, with a bell hanging from each. 

He was the Arlecchino to his Colombina. 

"Such an excellent selection of people prime for making sinful choices, don't you think?" Sukuna murmured. 

Megumi crossed his arms, looking away. "Maybe. I doubt I'd be able to make it happen."

"You have terrible faith in yourself," Sukuna said, as his hand slid down Megumi's back, and stopped by his waist. 

He hated how it made his stomach surge. 

"You just need to get comfortable," Sukuna continued, and stepped in front of him, still with his hand resting on Megumi's waist. "And haven't we been through this dance before?" 

Sukuna offered him a hand. 

His mask certainly didn't make Megumi feel more at ease, as it was more creepy than anything else. 

But he was right, they had been through the dance before. Not in the terms of a literal dance, but as for getting Megumi comfortable… Sukuna had a certain way about it. 

Megumi accepted his hand, and he was guided towards the dance floor. 

"I don't even know this dance," Megumi nervously said, looking at the dancing couples around them who moved in perfect sync. 

"There is no need to know. There is only need to surrender, and you will find yourself following my movements with ease," Sukuna said, as his grip on Megumi became firm. 

"Listen to the rhythm, blessing," he murmured as he swirled Megumi around, before pulling him back in. 

He stepped back, and forward, with enough conviction for Megumi to understand where he wanted him. 

"See? You move endearingly," Sukuna praised, and Megumi felt his face flush. 

They continued dancing at a comfortable pace, blending in with the crowd. 

Megumi forgot his mission for a moment, the reason why he was even there, and simply absorbed the surprisingly exhilarating element to dancing. It wasn't all too different from learning combat or practicing spells; there was a disciplinary set of movements to follow in order to achieve perfection. 

But then, Sukuna changed it up.

He spun him around once more, but Megumi ended up with his back towards him. Sukuna's arms were around him, locking him in the odd embrace.

Megumi’s breath stopped, as he felt the warmth of his body against him. 

“Me specta libidine,” Sukuna whispered. 

Look at me lustfully. 

Megumi looked over his shoulder with wide eyes. Was Sukuna putting a spell on him? 

“What are you doing?” Megumi asked in a hushed voice, already starting to feel the effects of his spell, making his skin feel sensitive and his gut tense. 

Or was he imagining it?

“Why would I be enchanting you, little sorcerer?” Sukuna asked, his hands wandering over his body in a vulgar display.

No, they would start drawing people’s attention- 

“You already lust for me, after all,” Sukuna continued, and he leaned down into the nook of Megumi’s neck. 

“This is for them.” 

Megumi looked up at the people around them. 

Some were still dancing, but some had stopped. All the eyes in their general vicinity were fixated on them. 

Reading their emotions behind their masks was difficult. Some of the ones with half-masks had their lips parted in surprise, or corners turned up in small smiles. 

They were the ones enchanted. 

Sukuna had nudged his mask slightly upwards, and Megumi felt hot breath against his neck. 

“Wait-” Megumi said, but his voice was wavering, already riddled with desire. 

He couldn’t tear his eyes away from the crowd staring at them, as Sukuna’s soft lips kissed his neck. His tongue shortly followed, lapping against his skin. 

Megumi bit down on his lip, refusing to moan so publicly. 

But then Sukuna’s teeth grazed against him, pressing down only slightly, and it made him gasp. 

He quickly covered his mouth, closing his eyes in embarrassment. 

Sukuna darkly chuckled against his neck.

Then, Megumi was turned around again. Sukuna kept his hand on the small of his back, pulling him close.

It was completely indecent, to dance publicly in such close proximity with someone who wasn’t a partner, and a man at that. 

Megumi couldn’t look at the crowd anymore, but he couldn’t tear himself away from Sukuna’s grasp either. He surrendered to him, burying his face into his chest and let him sway him around to the music. 

He felt completely overwhelmed, yet needy, same as the night he summoned him. 

It's the alcohol, Megumi told himself.

It made him more receptive. 

What Sukuna made him feel wasn't natural. He was parasitic, gradually changing Megumi from the inside and out, making him become a lustful minion. 

"Don't be shy, blessing," Sukuna murmured. "Let the audience see you. You're the star in this play." 

Megumi cracked his eyes open, peeking above Sukuna's shoulder. 

The eyes seemed hungrier now. Some were whispering amongst themselves, some cooling down their blushing faces with fans, and some were awkwardly shifting on their feet, trying to disguise the growing tents in their pants. 

Was this really the effect they had on them? 

Was it not just Sukuna's magic, doing so? 

"I could force them all to strip right here and partake in a massive orgy, all with a simple spell," Sukuna said. "But the fruit of sin is so much sweeter when grown organically."

Megumi pulled back a little, looking up at him. 

His eyes gleamed through the holes of the mask. 

"You can inspire them greatly, I believe. But will you need more inspiration first?" 

Megumi swallowed nervously. "A little bit more," he said, not ready to face his task just yet. 

Sukuna hummed. "Perhaps I should take you, right here. You would handle it well, as I can practically smell the desire in you. Would you like that? Give them a show? Let Yuuji watch instead of just listen this time. Maybe your guardian will take a peek too." 

As he whispered those provocative things to him, he let his hand firmly travel downwards until he cupped his asscheek. 

Megumi should've pushed him away. But he couldn't bring himself to do so. 

"No," he said. "I don't want anyone to see." 

"Because you'd be embarrassed?" Sukuna asked, voice quietly rumbling. "Or because you want it to remain between us?" 

"Both," Megumi blurted out. "What we do is our business, no one else's."

He couldn't really tell if Sukuna reacted positively to it or not. His maroon eyes narrowed, his grip turning a little bit tighter.

"No one else's business, but you're horny anyway, even with all of these eyes on you. Does it excite you, that they get to see but not touch?" 

Sukuna unbuttoned the collar of Megumi's shirt, exposing more of his neck. He cocked his head, as if he studied something. 

He must've left a mark there, and now he was showing it off. 

"Should I let them touch you?" Sukuna asked. "Let them paint your skin like a canvas?" 

He spoke louder now, as if to make sure the closest people heard. 

Megumi tensed, looking at Sukuna with begging eyes. "No. O-Only you can." 

Sukuna's eyes widened for a second. "Yes, that's right," he said, almost purring. "Remember that for the rest of the night."

Then, Sukuna removed his mask, but held it up to hide his face from the bystanders. Megumi watched him as he wiped his thumb across his lips, coating it with a reddish-purple liquid.

Sukuna smiled, gazing at Megumi with half-lidded eyes. 

“I’ll allow you aphrodisiac just for now,” he said, before claiming Megumi’s lips with vigor.

Megumi gasped, opening his mouth in response. A mixture of saliva and aphrodisiac filled his mouth, as their tongues intertwined, all behind the shield of Sukuna’s mask. 

Eager to swallow it, as a tool to help him go through with his task, Megumi kissed him back with the same enthusiasm. 

This is obscene, Megumi thought to himself. With all those people there. Surely they could hear what was going on.

But as soon as the aphrodisiac was starting to take effect, Megumi’s worrisome thoughts turned quiet.  

Sukuna was the one to break the kiss. 

He looked back at Megumi with hungry, curious eyes, but made no further moves.

He raised his brows, as if to say “good luck,” or “you’re on your own now.”

Then, as Megumi blinked, he was gone. 

The people around him had stopped staring, and were acting like nothing had happened. 

Dumbfounded, Megumi adjusted his mask, and was about to button up the collar of his shirt as well. He stopped himself, and decided not to. 

Maybe the roughened up look would help him. 

For the next few minutes, Megumi felt the aphrodisiac's effects spreading through him. He felt lightheaded and sensitive, as if a simple touch would light him on fire. 

Damn him.

Damn him for his anti-climatic exit, leaving Megumi alone like this.

The feeling of betrayal was short but intense, heightened by the hormonal chaos unfolding inside him. For a moment, he felt like crying, because Sukuna had left him, while he felt so needy all because of him. 

He couldn't even finish what he started.

He's probably enjoying my misery, Megumi thought.

But as his desire grew, his momentary ails became irrelevant. 

People were watching him now, when they passed him. When they were standing across the room in conversation. When they were dancing with a partner. 

Women and men alike had their eyes in his direction, fluttering their lashes coyly, nodding their heads in a nonverbal greeting. He should make a move soon, he realized. 

Funnily enough, his first target wasn't someone who seemed interested in him. It was a man, perhaps older, judging by the gray in his hair. 

A silver fox, maybe. He also had a half-mask, although one that covered his forehead too. 

Megumi thought he could see some fine lines around his mouth, as he took a good look at him when approaching the table the was standing next to. 

"You're not dancing?" Megumi casually asked, leaning across the table to pick up a glass of champagne. 

The man's gaze skirted to him, but soon it went elsewhere. 

"No," the man said. "But you were."

"So you saw?" 

The man looked at him again. His eyes were a stormy gray. "It was difficult to miss." 

Megumi smiled, raising the glass to his lips. Maybe he was interested after all. "Did you enjoy watching?" 

He took a sip, leaning towards the stranger slightly. 

"It was vulgar." 

"But did you enjoy it?" 

The man seemed intent on avoiding his question, which told him that yes, he did enjoy it. 

"It's a masquerade party, people are dressing up as charicatures and animals, but it doesn't give free reign to acting like animals. People should act with decency." 

Megumi made a noise, halfway a whine, halfway a moan. "I disagree, sir. This is the one night you can be indecent, free from society's shackling expectations of you. Isn't it tempting?"

The man's eyes narrowed. "The youths aren't as god-fearing these days," he mumbled. 

Had he not been drunk on alcohol and aphrodisiac, Megumi wouldn't have challenged him. But his mission needed to be done, and it was as if his internal voice belonged to Sukuna and said: This man would be a perfect sinner.  

"God gave you eyes… Hands… A cock. Desire. Why deny yourself the pleasure of using such things? It's perfectly natural," Megumi said, drawing out his words.

He made a point of looking him up and down, gaze resting longer by his crotch.

Perhaps he was delusional, but he thought he saw something coming alive, exposing his lust. 

"Blasphemous," the man uttered under his breath, but it didn't even sound like he believed himself.  

"Surely, were you so disgusted… Would you even have come? Would you have put on that mask, hiding from everybody's judgemental stares?" 

Slowly he snaked his way closer. Despite the man's criticisms, his body language made no sign of wanting to get away from him. 

"I don't judge. Nobody here does. They're all too busy indulging in their own desires. You should too," Megumi said. "Do you have a wife?" 

The man didn't reply, but seemed to nod. 

"Then you should fuck her tonight," Megumi whispered into his ear. "Not out of duty, but pure, animalistic desire. Better yet, fuck someone else. Someone who turns you on, someone who will serve one purpose only tonight; to make you feel good." 

The words were foreign coming out of his mouth. Influencing someone to commit adultery? He was becoming a bad, truly horrible person. 

The man turned his gaze towards him, hitting him with those gray, seductive eyes again that stirred Megumi's insides. 

Christ, he was going crazy. 

Why was the idea of corrupting this man so exciting? 

"And if I want to slam you down against this table and fuck you instead?" 

Megumi's breath nearly stopped. 

There he was. 

His true self.

He had to take a deep breath, collecting himself. 

Sukuna would be more than furious this time, if he caved. 

"You don't know how badly I want it," Megumi admitted. "But I'm afraid I can't."

"You preach of fucking someone other than a spouse, but you yourself cannot cheat? That harlequin you danced with must be a lucky man." 

"He's a hypocrite," Megumi said nonchalantly. "Rules for thee but not for me." Sukuna put all these rules on Megumi, but he himself, being an incubus, probably had sex with so many people. 

Unfair. 

"There's many beautiful people here tonight," he said, changing the subject. "The masks make it more fun, no? You never know what you get. Get out there and indulge, sir. Just for tonight." 

Although he hesitated, the man eventually moved, walking into the crowd. 

Megumi watched from afar for a bit, not missing the way he started chatting up a woman, his hand eventually finding its way to her waist. 

Satisfied, Megumi drank the rest of his champagne. 

Now, onto the next.

Chapter Text

For the next few hours at the masquerade, Megumi played all the parts of matchmaker, seducer, judge, voice of reason, and voice of irrationality. 

He thought it would be difficult to incite lust in people when he was no smooth-talker at all, and when he couldn't offer himself either. 

But, it made him creative. He could pretend to be some sweet, untouchable thing. There was excitement in wanting what you could not have. But he could also play the role of a tattletale; spreading secrets, some of them lies, of all the people attending the party. 

"See that woman in the cat-mask?" Megumi would quietly say to a fellow. "She's lonely. I heard she's looking for some companionship tonight."  

It wasn’t necessarily true. She looked lonely, but he made up most of the rumors himself.

He riled up the people who were deeply aching to unleash themselves, and he corrupted the repressed sweet lambs.

He hadn’t expected the feeling of satisfaction it gave him; quite the opposite, he thought he’d feel awful about it. Instead, every time he saw someone kiss, hands traveling where they were not supposed to be, and couples sneaking away into empty rooms… He felt victorious. 

It’s just the aphrodisiac. 

Maybe he was the one getting the most riled up, seeing all the lustful souls breaking free, but himself being unable to do anything about his desire.

Technically he could. He could break Sukuna’s rule, and face his wrath. Or he could sneak off somewhere, to satisfy himself. Yet, the thought of it didn’t seem all that fulfilling to him…

“Have you been wreaking chaos, Megumi?” someone asked him, and he turned his head to see bright blue eyes looking down at him.

Gojo. 

“Chaos? What do you mean?” Megumi asked nonchalantly.

Gojo crossed his arms. “I haven’t seen you all night. Then I hear all sorts of stories and gossip going around, and hear of this youthful, passionate man, with hair black as night itself and gemlike eyes that could arouse any man or woman- Oh, your face is so red.”

“And? Is it a problem that I’m socializing?” 

“Not at all, I just would’ve never guessed you’d be this kind of drunk,” Gojo said, humor in his voice. “Just be careful alright, you might end up seducing freaks.”

Megumi raised his brows, thinking of the freak who put him on this mission in the first place. “Yeah, you're probably right,” he sighed.

As the night was close to an end, Megumi was feeling spent. He had drank too much and socialized too much, and most importantly, he felt like he had done a damn good job. Sukuna gave no signs yet of being satisfied, but if he was not, Megumi would have to give it all up. He had pushed himself far out of his comfort zone.

On the way home, Megumi’s head bobbed against the window as they were driven to campus. Gojo talked to him, but he barely felt present and didn’t bother to talk back.

Once they had stopped, Gojo stepped out of the vehicle and caught Megumi before he fell against the ground as soon as the door opened. 

“Oh, you will struggle in the morning,” he mumbled into Megumi's hair as he helped him stand up.

Megumi merely grunted.

Somehow they had made it to his dorm. 

Faintly he felt Gojo lower him onto the bed, taking off his coat and shoes. He removed the mask gently, putting it down on the nightstand. 

Gojo rummaged around a bit, and left a glass of water for him too. 

"Good night, little devil," Gojo said in a quiet voice, as if he was speaking to Megumi as a child, and ruffled his hair. 

Megumi uttered a half-assed "night" in return, feeling the whole world spin as he splayed out on the bed.

The door shut.

Upon realizing he was alone, Megumi groaned: "Sukuna."

For a few seconds, he tried to listen for any activity. 

Nothing but the ringing in his own head.

"Come forth," Megumi said, louder now. "Idiot…" 

That oh so familiar feeling bloomed in his gut, well, it could've been nausea, but Sukuna appeared regardless, with a deep chuckle. 

"The night seems to have bested you," Sukuna said, looking down at the sight of Megumi, drunk and in disarray. 

"Nonsense," Megumi mumbled into his pillow. "I bested the task. Didn't you see?" 

He opened an eye, trying to focus on the demon across the room. 

Sukuna had changed his attire now. The mask was gone, and so was most of his clothes. All he wore was a pair of loose, exotic pants. 

"Bested is too strong of a word, but you did well. Many people have enjoyed themselves tonight, some too much. The second circle shall surely welcome them once it is their time," Sukuna said, walking closer. 

"Everyone, but me," Megumi mumbled. "You left me when I needed you." 

Sukuna cocked his head. "And whatever did you need me for?" 

Megumi grasped the sheets tightly in his hand. He still felt intoxicated. 

The aphrodisiac should've lost its kick by now. 

"You know what for."

Sukuna crossed his arms. "I'm not sure I do. Enlighten me." 

Asshole. Did he think Megumi was too far gone to miss the smirk on his face? 

"You should at least finish the job you so selfishly started. Do you know how agonizing it was, seducing all those people and doing nothing about my own desire?"

He would regret the words so terribly, if he'd even remember them. 

"And that silver fox… I fantasized of breaking your rule." 

Sukuna stood close now, towering over Megumi's bed. 

There was a storm in his eyes. 

"It would've been a grave mistake," Sukuna quietly said, and grabbed Megumi's chin. 

He simply held him there, not too firmly. His voice was cold, but Megumi had expected something far worse. 

Maybe it made it all the more terrifying. 

"Then fuck me before I lose my mind completely," Megumi said, almost breathlessly. 

Pathetic, he would've said, had he seen himself. 

He couldn't find it in him to care, for the time being. 

"You're too intoxicated," Sukuna simply said, shutting him down. 

A flash of drunken, irrational rage went through him, and Megumi grabbed his pillow and flung it towards Sukuna, who caught it easily. 

He raised his brows, looking at Megumi with an amused expression. 

"So you can reject me, but I can't reject you. Not fair."  

"As much as I enjoy your begging… I'd prefer hearing it when you're sober. In a state like this you'd jump anyone. When sober, however, you put up a wall. I find it immensely satisfying to be the one breaching it. The only one." 

Megumi frowned. He couldn't fully process what he was saying, but it most definitely sounded like an excuse. 

"You're wrong," he mumbled, and turned around towards the wall, away from him. "Sleep next to me."

"Why would I, when I could spend my time in Inferno, doing my very important duties?" 

Megumi sneered. "So you'll go fuck someone else there? No way. Sleep. Next. To. Me. It's not a question," he said, and snatched Sukuna's hand.

Perhaps to his surprise, Sukuna actually followed through with Megumi's demand. 

The matress dipped as Sukuna laid down next to him, a warm, large body taking up the space behind Megumi. 

"You're getting too confident with ordering me around. Don't forget who I am, little sorcerer," Sukuna murmured. 

Megumi didn't answer him; he was quickly drifting away, the rumble of Sukuna's voice lulling him to sleep. 

He awoke late the next day; the position of the sunbeams indicating the time was past noon. His eyes opened slowly, and it took a few seconds to comprehend the situation he was in. 

His head ached. He felt nauseous. Crimson eyes faced him, looking at him intensely. 

And they were so close. 

Sukuna smiled slightly, eyes narrowing. "Rise and shine, princess." 

Megumi groaned, covering his face as the memories from the night prior played in his mind. 

The things he had said to the guests at the masquerade. To Sukuna.  

The things he had done. 

He had acted like a wild maenad.

He barely managed to look Sukuna in the eyes.

"Is that shame I see spelled out on your face?" Sukuna asked, humor in his voice. 

Megumi swallowed heavily. "Anything I said or did last night was under influence. Yours most of all."

"You may redirect the blame as much as you'd like. We both know the things I influence you to do, are things you deep within want to do. After all, would a saint summon a demon in the first place?" 

"I've never considered myself a saint. Nor a good person," Megumi said, sitting up. Just that simple movement made his head pound. "But causing people to be unfaithful? To create obscene displays in public? That's not me."

Sukuna supported his head with his arm, showing off his naked torso. 

Megumi tore his eyes away from him. The scene was too casual. Like waking up with a lover was an everyday occurance. 

"Your morals are obviously struggling with it. But your body and your innermost feelings knows you. I wonder what will prevail in the end? Taught morals or primal instincts?" 

Megumi scoffed. "My primal instincts are telling me you're nothing but trouble. My reputation is likely ruined now." 

"Trouble that you desperately wanted to fuck last night," Sukuna said, a grin appearing on his face. "I shouldn't have rejected you… Perhaps then you would stay quiet, instead of throwing blame around. Though, I suppose you would've said I took advantage of you."

Megumi dragged a hand across his face. 

He really had begged for him… Even during their first night together, Megumi had consumed alcohol and aphrodisiacs then too. Yet, he hadn't acted so shamelessly. 

He sighed deeply. "I appreciate that you… held back." 

Sukuna suddenly sat up, closing the already intimate distance between them.

Their noses nearly touched. 

"Funny how when you say that, it makes me want to ravage you."

Megumi looked into his eyes. "If you try, I will vomit," he said, and sincerely meant it.

He had never felt so awful after a night of drinking before. 

Sukuna didn't seem too satisfied with that answer, but backed off. "Since you did your part last night, I will allow your disrespect for once."

Megumi leaned back. "I was promised a reward, wasn't I?" 

"You were," Sukuna agreed. "Two things. One, I will lend you my magic for the transmution arcanum if you wish. I’ll give you time to think on it. And two… Some knowledge. How much do you know of your shadow magic?”

“What I know, I’ve been taught by Gojo. Is there much I don’t know?” 

“Undoubtedly. Your magic has been passed down through the Zenins for many generations. Now, you could slowly fumble around in the dark, discovering your own abilities naturally under Gojo’s guidance, or… You could get your hands on very helpful information they have lying around, and speed up the process.” 

Megumi frowned. “And I’m supposed to… ask them?” 

Sukuna chuckled. “They’re not going to give it away willingly. You’re a stranger to them, and unless they have a plan to somehow use you, you'll probably only come across as a threat. No, if you want to ensure your independance, free from their influence, you’ll have to take it.” 

“As in steal it?” 

“And that’s essentially my second gift to you; I will take it for you. However, I can’t simply roam around wherever I wish. So in order for this to work, you need to be close enough to their mansion.”

“This sounds like a bad idea,” Megumi said. 

“If I had all the knowledge in the world, little sorcerer, I would share it with you. But alas, we’ll have to resort to the more difficult methods. You do want to improve your magic, don’t you?” 

“Well, yes. Or else you wouldn't even be here.” 

“Then allow me to do my part of our deal, in the way that I’m able to,” Sukuna said. 

Megumi stayed quiet for a moment, but ultimately, agreed. 

“So I’ll just have to show up at their mansion? Won’t they find out, or get suspicious?” 

“You should lay the groundwork first. Start befriending your classmate, the Zenin girl. It will give you easier access.” 

Not only were Sukuna making him seduce people, but now he had to befriend people too. Maki was an acquaintance, someone he got along with and respected, but they didn't really know each other. 

During their first class after the holidays, Megumi wondered how he would proceed. Wouldn't she, or the other Zenins, find it odd if he started talking to her? He didn't want their attention, he just wanted to know more about his abilities. 

Megumi's mind drifted off, until he heard Gojo mention a new mission. 

"Some of you might be aware of a growing problem of unwanted types of sorcery popping up in our vicinity.” 

Perhaps another case of necromancy, Megumi wondered. Clearly, this issue was bigger than they first thought. 

“Therefore, we have been asked to aid the government in taking care of this. All of you will be needed, so tomorrow we'll be doing some field work," Gojo told the class. 

This included Megumi, Yuuji and Nobara, in addition to the older students Maki, Yuuta and Toge. 

Perhaps this would be his chance to get closer to her. 

"Megumi," Yuuji whispered, pulling him off to the side as they left the classroom. 

Although the tone between them was no longer flirtatious, they were at least speaking again. 

"Um… At the masquerade…" 

Here it comes. Every single time someone mentioned that damned party, Megumi felt like hiding underneath a rock. 

"Were you dancing with that, you know… that...?" 

Megumi raised his brows.

"Demon?" Yuuji finally spat out.

"Does it matter?" Megumi asked, sighing. "It was a party, I got drunk, and that’s all."

Yuuji frowned, obviously displeased. "Still… You're letting him parade you around. I've heard rumors about you from that night which seems so strange to be even mentioned in the same sentence as your name. And if there's any truth to them, then it's clear that he's a terrible influence."

“Stop worrying. People blow rumors way out of proportion,” Megumi mumbled. “Besides, you know the conundrum I’m in.”

“Yes, but he shouldn’t be so public about it. It will never end well. Nevermind the university finding out - what if professor Gojo does?”

Megumi scowled at him. He’d rather not think about it.

“It won’t be an issue. I’ve got it under control.”

“He’s a demon,” Yuuji quietly said. “Something tells me they’re not easy to control. Just don’t become blindsided by him. Keep your wits about you, like you usually do. Because to me, it seems more like he’s jeopardizing your career rather than helping you.” 

Megumi didn’t answer, and watched as Yuuji disappeared around the corner. 

Was Sukuna jeopardizing him? 

The thought had crossed Megumi’s mind several times; that the summoning, their contract, everything, had simply been a lie. 

But Sukuna had already rewarded him, in knowledge and in opportunities. He had also, as backwards as it seemed, at rare moments acted selflessly, in stark contrast to the times Sukuna had been nothing but cruel. 

What had he to gain from those moments? 

The next day, Megumi and his class stood outside the cathedral in St. Faustus. The sky was bright orange, as if the horizon was on fire, while the sun disappeared behind the hills.

The spires of the cathedral stretched tall, and nearly every window was stained in vibrant reds, greens and yellow hues. A new hour was marked by the bell chiming eerily from the largest tower. 

Just by the entrance to the church, Gojo was talking to a priest.

After a couple more minutes, he returned to the students. 

“So, we have been granted access to the entirety of the cathedral. I expect you all to behave, especially so considering this is a murder scene,” he said.

Gojo explained the mission. 

Two days prior, an older man had been found dead on the floor by a priest early in the morning. The man was identified as a particularly pious church-goer, spending hours there every day.

But that was not all. Several graves in the nearby graveyard had been dug up. 

"It could be grave robbers. But it's too strange of a situation, so we will look for clues that might indicate sorcery. " 

As they were about to enter, Gojo grabbed Megumi's shoulder.

"You, come with me."

Megumi followed him obediently past the creaky metal gates leading them into the graveyard.

"Apparently all the graves that were dug up were unmarked. The priest told me most of the bodies are still there."

They passed one unmarked grave. A deep hole had been dug, and bones were sticking out. 

Megumi winced. "If it's just robbery, perhaps they felt too guilty to dig up named graves?" 

"Could be," Gojo mumbled, without sounding convinced. 

His mood had shifted. He seemed distant, and a bit grim. 

Usually missions, as awful they were, never affected him emotionally. 

"One body was taken, I was told." 

Gojo's strides were long, as if he knew exactly where to go. 

They stopped in front of a metal cross, almost hidden away between bushes and trees.

A big, empty hole was in front of it.

Gojo's shoulders fell, as if disappointed. 

"I believe the robber had someone particular in mind, and dug up nameless graves until he found the right one." 

For a few moments, only the crows talked. 

Megumi peered at Gojo, a bit perplexed by his silence. 

"Do you know who this belonged to?" he finally asked. 

Gojo looked briefly at him. 

"He was a fellow student, back in the day. My best friend. Suguru Geto."

Megumi tried to recall if the name was familiar, but it didn't ring a bell.

"A great sorcerer. Unfortunately he committed mass murder, using his magic for evil. The sorcerer department made him pay with his life, but they kept the incident covered up. As if to erase it from history."

Megumi frowned. 

A mass murder? This was fairly recent too, if it happened during Gojo's student days. 

"Why his corpse?" Megumi asked. It couldn't be coincidental. 

"That's the big question. Who needs corpses? A sorcerer's corpse, at that?" 

The question gave Megumi a bitter taste in his mouth. 

"A necromancer," he answered.

"So I fear. We'll have to nip this in the bud, lest we end up with a much larger problem."

Walking back to the cathedral, Megumi could tell that Gojo was deeply troubled. 

His gaze was vacant - somewhere far away. 

Megumi was curious about the deceased sorcerer, but chose not to prod. He must've meant a great deal to him. 

Instead, he tried to think of who, or what, could be the source of the recent incidents involving necromancy. 

Was it just one? The cannibal at the creepy house had seemed like a lone wolf. Yet, the string of incidents besides that, could indicate a network of several necromancers. 

Or at least, a very driven one.

As they entered the cathedral, the last light of the sun gleaming through the stained glass, the stench of death immediately hit them.

The pious victim was splayed out at the end of the aisle, right in front of the altar. 

A pool of dried, darkened blood was beneath him. 

Maki was crouching over him, deep in thought, with Yuuji next to her. 

"What have you found out?" Gojo asked approaching them. 

"He was stabbed here," Maki said, pointing to his side. "Only once." 

"And that killed him?" 

"I doubt it. I think it was done after death, to make it seem like any old death by stabbing."

"What killed him instead?" 

"Magic, most likely," Maki said. 

Megumi could feel it; a slight remnant of something electrical in the air, particularly potent near the corpse. 

"Elemental," Megumi added. "Electrical currents, maybe. Yuuji, open his shirt, will you?" 

"Shameless. You would defile even a corpse with your devilish antics?" 

Megumi's head whipped around, and he faced a priest. 

He was a stranger, yet familiar at the same time. 

"We're investigating a murder, Sir, with permission," Megumi said, not quite remembering him. 

Almost everything about him was unfamiliar, until he studied his striking gray eyes. 

The silver fox. 

From the masquerade party.

It was as if he was a different man in daylight. Although most of the night was blurry, the words he had spoken forgotten, he could remember how this man abandoned his puritanical ways. 

But here he was, a priest, and seemingly hostile to Megumi. 

The man averted his gaze, instead looking at Gojo. 

"It does not put my mind at ease, knowing there are utterly unholy, disgraceful prostitutes like him working a murder case."

Megumi's eyes widened.

He wanted to talk back, to call him out for being the hypocrite that he was, but he was completely frozen. 

It seemed to take all of them by surprise, but Gojo kept his composure. 

"I can assure you, he is not what you're suggesting, and we are here to help you and protect you. You have my word." 

It did little to calm him. 

"It wouldn't surprise me if he's the gateway to this evil that's been wreaking havoc."

His eyes were so angry and narrow. So dark. But beneath it all, Megumi saw that same lust from the night of the party. 

He was blaming him for his own sins. For his own repressed, sexual desires. 

Megumi had helped him fight against those chains bound by morality and faith, but in the end, the man had made the choice himself.

None of what happened at the masquerade had been Megumi's doing. 

No, people were perfectly able to indulge and cheat and seduce and lose their minds all on their own. 

He had merely been an instrument, blending in with the seductive notes from the pianos and violins. All it had taken was a mere whisper for the priest to shy away from the light of God. 

Oh, how he wanted to make that look in his eye falter. 

He could call on Sukuna and fuck him vigorously right there on the altar, surely that would do the trick.

The impulsive thought was tempting.

Unfortunately, he was on a mission surrounded by people he could not do such things in front of. 

So Megumi avoided his gaze, and turned his attention back to the corpse. 

After they had finished their investigation for the day, it seemed like all the eyes from his classmates were on him as they walked out of the cathedral. 

None of them confronted him about the strange interaction, except Gojo of course.

"Now that was an interesting conversation back there," Gojo remarked while driving the two of them back to campus. 

Megumi didn't say anything. 

Gojo perked an eyebrow, not backing down. "Care to elaborate?" 

"He was obviously delusional." 

"He certainly didn't seem completely sane. Yet, there must've been something behind his very pointed allegations…"

When would Gojo ever grow tired of interrogating him? 

"Well, if you're dying to know… We talked at the masquerade party. He asked if he could fuck me over the table," Megumi said bluntly. 

He decided to keep the other details to himself. 

“Huh,” Gojo mumbled, a mixture of surprise and discontent in his voice. 

“So frankly, he has no business slandering me.”

“Priests," Gojo muttered under his breath. "They're the dirtiest out of us all."

Looking out of the window, Megumi felt Gojo occasionally glance at him.

"Perhaps I've been a bit ignorant," he finally said. 

Megumi turned to look at him, raising his brows.

Gojo kept his eyes on the road. "You've grown up. You're not a kid anymore." 

Megumi scoffed. "It took a priest calling me a prostitute for you to realize that?" 

"Maybe." 

Megumi sighed. "I don't understand you." 

Back in his room, Megumi collected his toiletries and a towel, heading for the showers. 

His body felt heavy, his mind too, so he would go to sleep early. It hadn't been a physically taxing day, although he had a lot on his mind.

He preferred showering in the early evenings, as the mornings and late nights were often busy. 

He'd rather enjoy the silence, and shower in private. 

The tiles were cool as he undressed and walked over to the shower stalls. He turned the water on, waited for it to get warmer, then stepped underneath it.

For a moment he got lost in the ritual; mindlessly cleaning himself with soap made of olive oil, enjoying the few, soothing minutes he'd get with hot water.

He almost missed the slight tingle in his stomach.

Almost. 

Hands wrapped around his waist, not completely taking him by surprise, but ruining his peace regardless. 

"Pervert," Megumi said, feeling Sukuna's erect excitement brushing against his lower back. 

Although, his tone lacked the usual bite. 

"Indeed," Sukuna murmured against his neck. "How can a pervert resist such a show?" 

Megumi rolled his eyes, and turned around. 

Sukuna was naked too, with a mischievious look gleaming in his eyes.

"These are communal showers," Megumi said. 

"And?"

"Which means someone could walk in at any time." 

"How exciting," Sukuna said, smiling. 

"My reputation has taken enough blows today."

"Poor you," Sukuna murmured, his hands groping his buttocks and thighs. 

He didn't sound sorry in the slightest.

"You shouldn't have held your tongue against that priest," he said, his initial playfulness morphing into a serious aura. "You should've taught him a lesson." 

"It would've ruined the mission." 

"Would it?" Sukuna asked, eyes intense. "He's a mere bystander; if he fell off the face of the earth, nothing would change."

"Perhaps not the mission itself-" 

"You still worry about how you're perceived."

Megumi swallowed heavily.

"By your friends, classmates, other sorcerers, humans. Most of all, Gojo. The thought of them seeing you for what you really are, agonizes you."

"I think we have different notions of who I really am," Megumi said.

"I have seen your deepest desires, blessing. Do you still think ambition is what drives you? Hunger for power and knowledge?"

"What I am around you, what you think I am, is a corrupted version of me. If you had no leverage over me, no contracts, no ownership…" Megumi grasped his lower belly, covering the mark that came alive with Sukuna's presence. "... What we have would be no more significant than a grain of sand on this earth." 

"You speak as if I would've cared, had the circumstances been different."

Megumi raised his shoulders. "I have yet to see how our arrangement benefits you, aside from sex and a few more condemned souls on your plate. So why does it matter to you that I speak up against those who wrong me? That I survive dangerous encounters? That I feel pleasure when you fuck me?"

Annoyance flickered in Sukuna's gaze. 

He was pushing his buttons, approaching a territory that Sukuna did not want to address. 

He made that fact clear by manhandling Megumi, turning him around and pushing him against the wall forcefully. 

"This hubris of yours will be your undoing."

Megumi couldn't help but smile, even against the cold stone wall.  

He could threaten him all he liked. He was all bark, no bite. 

"Now will you let me finish washing before the hot water runs out?" he simply asked.

Sukuna pretended not to hear him, instead becoming awfully interested in toying with his body. 

Megumi bit his lip, feeling sensitive and pliant just from him stroking his skin, mapping out his curves. 

In a smooth movement, Sukuna spread out Megumi's buttcheeks. 

"Sukuna!" Megumi whined. "Stop, someone might come in-" 

"You don't even need any oils," Sukuna mumbled to himself, completely ignoring him. "The soap is just enough." 

It wasn't difficult to follow Sukuna's train of thought, especially when he felt his erection resting on top of his tailbone, before sliding down and prodding at his hole. 

Megumi instinctively clawed at the wall, already anticipating what was coming. 

"I'm serious!" he said, but it fell on deaf ears. 

Sukuna sighed with relief as he easily slid inside him. 

Megumi gasped at the strain, but it transformed into pleasure soon enough.

It felt too natural. Too easy. It didn't feel horrifying trying to handle Sukuna anymore, because he knew how.

That was the dangerous part of it all. 

"You're ready - hng - to take my true cock soon, don't you think?" Sukuna said, slamming into him like it was his only purpose. 

Well, he was an incubus. It was his purpose. 

Megumi met the thrusts with unexpected poise, keeping himself steady against the wall

"I doubt it," he said breathlessly. 

He felt Sukuna press against him, burying himself into him as deeply as possible, warm breath tickling the nape of his neck.

It made him gradually slip away. Away from time and space, forgetting that all it took was the door being opened to shatter this bubble of delusion and lust. 

Sukuna rarely managed to persuade him fully with words. It was his touch that made Megumi forget. 

"You're shaped after me now. Your body, mind and soul," Sukuna uttered into his ear, his voice laced with desire.

Although giving in to his touch and holding less back than usual, Megumi could not refrain from challenging him.

"Perhaps you're the one shaped after me." 

To that, Sukuna said nothing. Whether or not the tightening grip on his hips, or the additional jolts Megumi felt inside him spoke for him, he did not know.

They fell into a steady rhythm, sounds of colliding skin, water hitting the ground and winded moans filling the room. 

Eventually, Sukuna turned him around and picked him up. 

The new sensation made Megumi throw his head back, taking time to adjust to gravity forcing him down onto his cock, along with Sukuna eagerly helping him along. 

Megumi clutched him tightly, desperately hoping it would take some of the weight off. 

Sukuna however, forced him to adapt quickly. 

He rocked into him, making no use of the wall for additional support. Instead, he almost cradled him.

It should've been terrifying, he should've been flailing and feeling like he'd tip over at any moment, especially whenever Sukuna thrusted into him. 

But akin to a pillar keeping a house standing, Sukuna was unwavering.

With an arm underneath his bottom and another wrapped around his waist, he kept him safe. 

Realizing this, and secretly admiring his overwhelming strength, Megumi felt confident to start moving on his own. 

As his own eyes were closed, he could feel Sukuna's intense gaze on him. 

He opened his eyes. 

Sukuna's mouth was slightly agape, wet and shiny from water and saliva. The look in his eyes was familiar, yet something was new as well.

Perhaps it was curiosity, or surprise.

He leaned towards him, and Megumi did not have much time to think or react, before feeling his lips meet his.

He had felt his lips before, his teeth and his tongue. 

But not like this. 

It was an entirely new sensation, a stark contrast to the way Sukuna had nearly swallowed him whole times before.

Hunger and lust was still present, but concealed through a certain softness. 

His tongue wasn't shoved down his throat far enough for him to choke half to death. His teeth didn't bite his lips bloody. And his eyes, usually open and soul-piercing, were closed.

Was this a kiss? 

Megumi moaned, involuntarily.

He had been taken off guard. 

It certainly caught Sukuna's attention, his eyes sliding open with a gleam of mischief in them.

And as soon as the odd, nearly romantic kiss had started, they broke apart and returned to the familiar dance of mindless fucking.

By the time they had finished, the water had gone cold. 

Megumi didn't notice until Sukuna had let him down, his legs wobbly and shaky.

"Fucking hell," Megumi muttered. "This is how you'll kill me." 

He quickly looked at himself in the mirror, thinking he'd be blue in the face. 

But no, only covered with hickeys and a pink flush. 

"The cold won't kill you, blessing. Not when you can withstand so many other things."

"I would not be able to handle someone walking in on us, that's for sure." 

Sukuna smiled, leaning against the wall. 

"I locked the door before we even started." 

Megumi looked at him, with a deadpan expression.

"And you refrained from telling me this despite my concern, why exactly?" 

"It should be obvious," Sukuna murmured. He approached Megumi, wrapping a warm hand around his middle. 

Megumi tried hard not to sink into his touch. 

"Because I like seeing you squirm," Sukuna whispered. "Besides, you got very into it anyways. How… Perverse."

Megumi rolled his eyes. "Locking doors is not something I expect from you." 

"Well, of course I couldn't let someone walk in on you, all naked and soapy. Should anyone's inferior eyes see that… I'd have to pluck them out." 

Megumi would've assumed he was joking, had his voice not been so deep and somber.

Quickly he dried himself off, slipping into dry, fresh clothes. 

"I assume you're satisfied now," he mumbled, as Sukuna had still not left, as he usually did right after a session.

"Sure you don't want companionship in your bed tonight? You begged so eagerly the other day." 

Megumi frowned. "I have no need for your companionship."

"Such a shame," Sukuna hummed. "Devils make great sources of heat for those chilled to the bone." 

While he gathered his things, Megumi wondered why Sukuna would even want to be there next to him as he slept, when he surely must have had more important things to do.

"... Fine," Megumi finally said, and glanced at him. "But only because I'm cold."

Winter was, after all, not over yet.

Chapter Text

As January passed by, seeing Sukuna's form next to him and feeling the additional weight in his bed became familiar. It didn't happen every night, but often. Usually they would fuck, and that was that. Transaction complete. 

But some nights they would just sleep, perhaps talk beforehand. Or talk in the morning.

It was a strange and frustrating arrangement, where they looked romantically involved in one minute, and like complete strangers the next. They didn't cuddle, but they stayed close regardless.

Megumi would always wake up pressed up against him, as if he had been drawn to his warmth throughout the night.

The oddest thing was that Megumi didn't hate it either; he slept soundly, kept warm and felt overall safe. 

It only confused him. 

What was he to Sukuna? 

What was Sukuna to him? 

Even with all hands on deck concerning the issue of necromancy in St. Faustus, progress had been slow. The missing body of Suguru Geto had not been found. 

When Megumi asked Gojo if the government knew it was his corpse missing, Gojo didn't answer. 

"I doubt anyone has been keeping track of whose grave that was. Besides me. And Shoko."

That was all he had said. If Megumi had to guess, he assumed Gojo had said nothing to the government, or to anyone else. 

He probably had his reasons. He must've, as it was an important lead. Even so, Megumi could not help but worry about the weight on Gojo's shoulders, that came with having your deceased best friend missing and in some necromancer's possession.

Besides staying on top of schoolwork, researching Inferno and the ongoing mission, Megumi had a mission of his own. 

Befriending Zenin Maki. 

In some ways, she was difficult to approach. She was focused, always training and kept to herself a lot. In other ways, that made it easy. Megumi was after all, quite similar.

"Hey," Megumi said, sitting down next to her in the library. 

"Hi. Did you get the key?" she asked.

For a month now, they had worked together on researching necromancy. It had been his golden ticket to approaching her. Both of them excelled academically, so they were tasked with a lot of responsibility. 

Megumi held up the old, metallic key. He could not help but smile, happy that Kiyotaka finally trusted him with it again. 

After seeing how unbothered Megumi seemed in the basement, as well as the pressing issue of necromancers causing havoc, there was not much choice but to give them access to the basement. 

"Have you been down there before?" Megumi asked, as they walked towards the gate. 

"No," Maki said. 

"The air will feel a bit heavy. And the books will whisper, and might try to tempt you. Try not to listen. Some of the books might want to corrupt us, so we need to be careful about what we pick up."

Maki nodded as Megumi unlocked the gate. 

He walked first, holding a lantern up to light the way. 

While it was a familiar route for him now, descending down the stairs always made his stomach surge.

It was as if the books called on him already. 

"You've been here often, then?" Maki asked. 

"Only a few times."

As they reached the bottom, Megumi was impressed by how calm Maki seemed. The atmosphere and the noises didn't bother her. 

Megumi uttered a quick localization spell, and was drawn to a few different books. 

One of them sang rather loudly, and he didn't realize he was about to touch it until Maki's hand grasped his wrist. 

"Not that one," she said firmly. 

Megumi looked at her, a bit surprised. 

She was right. The book was too loud, too demanding. He had already created a disturbing relationship to books about Inferno, a demon being the result of that, and he didn't need to be corrupted by yet another form of dark sorcery.

Maki picked out another one instead. "This should be a good starting point."

Without wasting much time, they started walking back upstairs. 

Or, Megumi tried to. 

It was as if someone held him back, pulling on his limbs. 

"Stay." The voices whispered. "Learn."

Megumi looked over his shoulder, almost expecting to see a shape physically holding him back. 

But of course, there was nothing there except dusty books. 

Was his mind playing tricks on him?

When he turned towards Maki again, she was looking at him.

"Let's go," she said.

He swallowed heavily, and focused on the stairs. 

Slowly, he forced his limbs to move. 

Maki watched him with a curious gaze, waiting for him to head up first. 

"This basement," Megumi said, trying to disguise his uneasiness with laughter. "It's something else." 

It was as if the more he visited, the harder it would be to leave.

"It's certainly not interested in me. Sorcerers without magic aren't prime candidates for corruption."

Megumi raised his brows, as they reached the top of the stairs. 

"But I am?" 

Hopefully she wasn't catching on. As clever as she was, he had to be careful around her. 

"I'm not saying you'll give in easily. Your magic though seems to be quite rare, and is probably tempting to exploit. Even for creepy, sentient books."

Megumi locked the gate behind them, mulling over her words. 

Exploit. 

Could it be that Sukuna wanted to exploit his magic? His body, sure. But it wasn't like his magic was powerful enough to be useful to a demon. He hoped to reach a new level of power, that was after all his overall goal. 

But he was also only human, not a demon king of an entire domain like Sukuna was. 

But perhaps other living humans and creatures might find his magic tempting. 

He peered at Maki as she sat down, opening the book. 

He wish he could outright ask her what she knew of shadow magic, but it was too risky. He didn't want the Zenins' eyes on him.

"It's interesting how the person with the smallest magic reservoir is the best student here," Megumi said, trying to get to know her more. 

"The best? Not sure about that."

"Well you outrank us all in everything." 

"Except for spellcasting."

Megumi raised his shoulders. "Even then… Most of us are incapable of casting spells that have a proper impact. These days, objects, even non-magical ones, are just as useful." 

"You have the potential for it though. Your magic is exceptional, even if you haven't mastered it yet," Maki said, peeking up at him from the book. 

She seemed to have paid attention to it. Perhaps she even knew where it came from. 

It would be more unlikely she didn't know, right? If shadow magic was hereditary to the Zenin bloodline, naturally most Zenins would know everything about it. 

"I wish I understood it better," Megumi said, leaning down onto the table. "It's not as intuitive as elemental magic, I think. I'm just fumbling around most of the time, learning by doing."

"Then you need a teacher."

"Well, if you happen to know anyone who manifests shadow bunnies…"

"I'll stay on the lookout," Maki said. 

Perhaps she didn't know, after all. She seemed too genuine to be dancing around it, if she did.

After a long evening of reading, taking notes, and discussing passages of the book that might be relevant, the duo was spent.

Maki yawned loudly. "All right. What should we do with the book? Put it back, or hang on to it?"

Megumi looked at it, the plain, slightly weathered cover humming quietly. 

"You should hang onto it," he said, before the urge to kidnap it would hit him. As he had experienced before. 

"I suppose that would be the safest."

"I'll let Gojo know. It's important to our mission, so it should be fine."

They packed their things up, and turned off the lights. "I won't be at campus this weekend, so we won't get to study," Maki said.  

"Where are you going?" 

"Not far. Home, for some… family stuff," she mumbled. 

The words "home" and "family" sounded as far from what they represented as possible. 

This was an opportunity.

"If you have time, I could come over and we could read through the rest of the book." 

Maki squinted. "You better not be flirting, Fushiguro. We've spent nearly every day together for weeks." 

"I can assure you, I'm not," Megumi hurried to say. "I just want to learn. And figure this necromancy mess out."

"I get it," Maki smiled. "You can come. But be warned, the Zenin household is a miserable affair."

Megumi nodded. "I'll keep my nose in the books, not in your business."

When walking back to his dorm room, Megumi couldn't help the feeling of dread in his stomach. What was he thinking? 

Essentially inviting himself into the Zenin house? He had wanted to avoid it altogether, and simply get close enough. 

"This will be interesting," Sukuna said, sneaking up behind him and smiling wickedly.

"Don't say it," Megumi mumbled under his breath. 

"Say what? That you'll get in trouble?" 

Megumi plopped down on the bed, and rubbed his temple. 

Sukuna crossed his arms. "There is a very simple solution here. Show up, get close enough for me to walk inside, and that's it. Leave when I'm done."

"But I have an agreement with Maki."

"Have you never skipped school before? Next time you see her, you'll just say you got ill. No harm done." 

Sukuna laughed to himself. "You are an enigma, sweet one. You can summon a devil just fine, but standing up a friend puts you in a moral dilemma." 

Megumi glared at him. 

"No need to pout," Sukuna said. "In a few days, you'll be a sorcerer on a whole new level. Isn't that what you've been working towards?" 

While it might be true, simply reading some clan's ancient knowledge wasn't necessarily enough. He couldn't know if he was talented enough to fulfill that potential, or understand what he was reading. 

There was so much he didn't know.

Before going on this ambitious quest for knowledge and power, he could imagine it falling into the palm of his hand as long as he took risks.  

Now he was taking risks every single day, yet the end goal felt further away than ever. 

As Saturday rolled around, Megumi found a carriage in the town centre of St. Faustus that would take him to the Zenin estate. 

He stared out the windows as cobblestone turned to pebbles and dirt, and buildings grew further apart. He saw some churches along the way, farmhouses and abandoned shacks. Occasionally he caught glimpses of manors peeking out through the thick forest. 

There was only a small layer of snow left. The weather had been mild lately, signaling the arrival of spring. 

After two hours, the carriage slowed to a stop. Megumi sat still for a while, taking in the massive, isolated manor in front of him. He wasn't sure if what he saw would be classified as a castle or a fortress. 

It was an undoubtedly large estate, built in stone darkened with age. It was most likely medieval. Thorny bushes crept up the walls and the towers that stretched tall. No wonder Maki didn't sound genuine when calling it a home.

It was grand, perhaps even beautiful in some aspects, but it did not look welcoming nor homely. 

He paid the coachman generously, and stepped out. 

Warmth spread in his lower belly, almost soothing him. Sukuna had appeared. 

But before he could spot him, another man caught his attention.

He was standing on the top of the stairs leading up to the entrance of the manor, watching Megumi. 

Behind Megumi, the horses dragging the carriage were already trotting off. 

He had no choice now but to go through with the plan. 

Megumi straightened his coat and walked up to meet the man that was presumably welcoming him. 

"Hello," Megumi said, a little awkwardly, and gave the man a nod. 

The man had a sour expression. His stance made him think he was some sort of butler.

"Fushiguro Megumi?" he asked. 

"Yes, that is me. And you are?" 

The man didn't answer, but turned around to open the door. 

"Miss Maki will study with you in the library. You can wait there until her arrival. Please refrain from leaving the library; the Zenin house is old and easy to get lost in. And off limits to you." 

Megumi simply nodded slowly as the butler led him inside and took his coat.

The inside of the manor was just as cold as the outside.

It was reminiscent of the university; dusty, dark and creaky. Thick drapes in wine red kept much of the sunlight out. The only dim lighting there was burning candles and oil lamps. It seemed the Zenin estate had not yet entered the 20th century. Perhaps not even the 19th.

The butler led him to the eastern wing of the manor. Portraits and landscape paintings passed them by, without much time to stop and have a look.

Once they had gone through a pair of thick, wooden doors, they had reached the library.

"Have a seat. Tea will be delivered."

"Thank you," Megumi said, forcing a smile.

He lit a candle on the table, and pulled out a few books from his satchel. 

Then, he took a good look at his surroundings. 

It was a large library. Not quite the size of the university library, but surprisingly large for a family house.

Calling it a house was perhaps an understatement. 

The most impressive part of was the tower. It was filled with books, reaching several storeys high. A ladder went all the way up. Someone would definitely break a bone, if not their life, if falling from the highest point.

"You're in the lions' den now," Sukuna murmured. 

Megumi turned around, and saw him peeking out a window. He closed the curtains. 

"Do you think they know who I am? They knew my name. They must've known about me at some point... since I was in the process of being sold to them."

"Well, you were only a baby. Unless they've been keeping tabs on you, they might not recognize you. Or perhaps the Zenin gene is so strong that they'll recognize you straight away. Who knows?"

Sukuna seemed entertained by Megumi's uneasiness. 

"If they know who I am, and find out that important documents have been stolen while I've been here… What will happen then? Will I be basically dead? Who am I dealing with?"

"You worry too much, it's insulting. Have I not kept you safe?" Sukuna said with a faint, deep growl.

"You have," Megumi agreed. "But I don't know if what you could do is enough to save my reputation. If anything, you've been slowly destroying it." 

Sukuna frowned, irritation clear in his expression. "Choose your words carefully, little sorcerer, or else I might leave you here to fend for yourself."

Megumi crossed his arms, and looked away. He was so difficult to communicate with sometimes. 

A door was abruptly opened. It was not Maki, but a maid who walked in, carrying a tray with tea. 

"Thank you," Megumi said, as she put the cup down. 

Sukuna didn't reappear until she had left the room. 

"What matters most to you? The key to your innate sorcery, something by all means rightfully yours, or your reputation?"

Megumi didn't answer.

"If you truly cared about reputation, you wouldn't have summoned me in the first place. You are unraveling the threads of virtues society has imposed on you since birth, because you're realizing there are pleasures and powers looked down upon that would otherwise give your life meaning."

Megumi sighed, his words making a frustrating amount of sense when they shouldn't.

"Alright. Let's just get this done. I don't want to be here longer than necessary." 

Sukuna smiled. "Then, I shall see you soon."

And then he was gone, but not quite. Curiously, Megumi lifted his shirt.

The mark was still there.

He wondered what it was like popping in and out of physical existence. Was it like invisibility? Like blinking? Or did Sukuna return to Inferno for a moment, or a different dimensional plane?

Either way, he was probably much more likely to succeed in sneaking around than Megumi. 

The door to the library was opened yet again, and Megumi quickly dropped his shirt. 

Maki stopped shortly by the door, and Megumi hoped she hadn't seen the mark. 

She didn't mention it, at least. 

"Sorry I kept you waiting. We had a lunch meeting."

"How was it?" Megumi asked, sitting down by his pile of books. 

"I wanted to kill myself," Maki said under her breath. "And I am looking forward to focus on something else." 

She had brought the necromancy tome, immediately drawing Megumi in as she placed it on the table. 

"Let's figure this book out."

Somehow Megumi managed to stay focused, and lost track of time while studying with Maki. The sky was already dark by the time they had managed to get through the rest of the book. 

"So any immediate thoughts?" Maki asked, while scribbling down her last notes.

"Well, one thing that seems glaringly obvious to me is the importance of numbers. Multiple necromancers would get better results together. Necromantic beings are stronger in numbers. Harder spells requires more magic, more hands."

"Doesn't that go for every kind of magic?" 

Megumi frowned. "Many, perhaps. Not all, I don't think. At least I've never felt like my magic was meant for collaborative effort. Then again, I've never met someone to test it out with. Who knows…"

"So multiple sorcerers, plus multiple undead creatures, equals… Impending doom?" 

"We still don't know though, if what's happening is collaborative or done by a lone wolf. It's been a while since the last incident, hasn't it?" Megumi asked.

"That's right. But it could also mean the storm is brewing. You don't create a necromantic army overnight," Maki said. 

Megumi had thought that whoever dug up Suguru Geto's body was trying to collect dead sorcerers, to utilize their magic somehow. Either by reanimating them, or reanimating their magic.

Nobody really knew what happened to someone's magic after death; it was as mysterious as the human psyche. Did it hibernate? Did it transform, return to whichever nature it came from? Or did it simply die and disappear?

The cannibal they had come across said he preferred eating sorcerers. Nourishing, he called them. Was it the taste, or did he absorb their magic? Something must have kept him alive.

"Necromancy isn't just about reanimation of the body," Megumi mumbled. "But magic too. That's the only way I could see this make sense should this be the work of an individual." 

Maki raised her brows. 

"They're after a specific type of magic. Or perhaps a sorcerer's abilities. A specific spell. Or… their capacity."

"That opens up so many options. And motives." 

"Well, this isn't an exam. I don't think we there's a simple answer to be gained purely from studying."

At some point, he wanted to tell her about whose grave was dug up. It became clearer by the minute that there was a personal motive behind that exact corpse. But he'd have to talk with Gojo first. 

Suddenly, his stomach rumbled. 

Maki looked at him, then at the grandfather clock in the corner. Nine in the evening.

"You probably haven't eaten in forever. Let's finish up, I'll take you to the kitchen-" 

"Oh no, I'll get a carriage and go home I think-"

"Stay until morning. We have supper and a bedroom prepared for you," a voice behind them said. 

An older man with gray hair and a long, curled mustache stood by the door. 

"This is my uncle, Naobito. The head of the family," Maki explained coldly. 

"Ah," Megumi quickly got up on his feet, and bowed a little awkwardly. He had no idea what the proper etiquette was. 

This is your blood, Megumi thought to himself.

It didn't feel right. 

"Nice to meet you," he said. 

Naobito cocked his head, frowning a bit. "Usually people introduces themselves properly."

"I'm Fushiguro Megumi," Megumi uttered, rather quickly.

His name caused no reaction at all. It still made Megumi feel uneasy. 

"I really don't want to overstay my welcome, I can be on my way-" 

"It would be rude to leave when we have already prepared a room for you. Besides, there are no carriages ready for travel at this hour. We can sort that out in the morning."

His voice was strict and demanding. He had made it very clear that the only alternative was his way.

"Well, in that case… Thank you for your hospitality."

"No one intimidates guests quite like the Zenins do. Home sweet home," Maki mumbled, and the look in Naobito's eye was absolutely terrifying. 

"Instead of holding her tongue as she ought to, my niece fills the useless void inside her where her magic should be with crass, bitter ramblings." 

Maki smiled coldly. "I wonder where I got it from." 

"Supper is ready," Naobito simply said, and turned on his heel.

Maki glanced at Megumi, giving him a look that said: Welcome to my world.

Even with all this luxury, butlers and maids and a library several storeys high, Megumi was glad now he had been raised in a humble apartment by an immature university professor. 

As large as the manor was, it felt almost entirely empty. Only Maki and Megumi were eating supper, and he was thankful for it. Having to meet his entire bloodline at once gave him too much anxiety. 

He still dreaded the moment the penny would drop, and they would realize important secrets had been stolen. 

Of course the only person natural to pin it on would be Megumi. And then, there would be no doubt that they would understand his connection to the Zenin family. He hoped it wouldn't come to that, but realized it was naive to even hope at all.

A maid showed him to his room, and although his anxiety was still running high, he felt like he could finally breathe.

He longed for Sukuna, and let out a breath of relief at finding him inside, perched on the bed already. 

"Did you find it?" he asked.

Sukuna tutted. "Darling, I can feel your happiness seeing me all the way from here. No 'I missed you' when greeting me?"

Megumi rolled his eyes. "Why would I miss you? I saw you at midday."

"Because the thought of being alone in this miserable place terrifies you." 

He couldn't really argue with that, but he changed the topic regardless. "Did you find the information or not?" 

Sukuna leaned back. "I found it. But I couldn't get it." 

"What?" Megumi asked, voice laced with disappointment. 

"They're protecting it well. It's a papyrus scroll; quite ancient. It's shrouded in shadows, impenetrable for me. Which is ridiculous, as I can penetrate anything. You know this, of course."

Megumi glared at him. 

"Point is, I believe it will only allow a shadow magic sorcerer, such as yourself, to access it."

"Okay. So… I'll have to get to it then." 

"Easier said than done, but I shall guide you."

In the darkness of the night, Sukuna led Megumi through the Zenin mansion. Then down, down and down.

There seemed to be a whole underground network of corridors beneath the mansion, older than the baroque furnishing upstairs and the medieval limestone walls.

It might even have been Roman. 

"Do you ever think about how ancient magic is?" Sukuna asked. 

Megumi raised an eyebrow. "Feeling philosophical today?" 

"Magic was there the moment of creation. Always evolving, but from the same roots. Some change greatly, adapting to new times, new environments. Some have stayed the same since wild nature and deities ruled the world image."

"I suspect yours is a wild one," he continued. "Much like mine."

They came across doors that were locked; heavy, noisy gates. 

Sukuna unlocked them all with a snap of his fingers. 

They had descended and gone right and left and straight ahead for a long time, but Megumi could feel something getting closer.

It was getting closer. The key to unleash all the knowledge that would come pouring into him. 

Even in this uneasy mess of a labyrinth, he was excited. 

"Here we are," Sukuna said, as they flung open a flimsy metal gate.

The chamber was ancient for sure. Fragments of old pillars held up the ceiling. Even when worn down by time, they were surprisingly still sturdy. There was a niche in one of the walls, where perhaps an object of worship once resided. The floor was filled with mosaics, probably beautiful scenes, but it was too dark to see the details.

If Megumi had to guess, the room looked like a sanctuary. 

But if it was hard to tell what exactly had been worshiped there. 

Perhaps shadow magic itself, judging by the black mass of shadows circling a scroll perched on top of a pedestal. The scroll was barely noticeable through the thickness of it. 

Megumi could feel it though. He had felt the pull of ancient, malicious and enchanted books many times at this point, but never had it felt so right as it did now. This wasn't some demonic force lulling him in or cursed tome eager to possess him. 

The scroll and the shadow oozing out of it was part of him. It was him. 

Megumi had been incomplete for over twenty years of his life, missing a crucial piece, and he had not even realized it. 

All his worries of being caught, of becoming a person of interest to the Zenins or even worse, an enemy, simply disappeared from his mind. Becoming whole was much more important. 

So he walked up to the scroll, reached into the darkness and welcomed it as it creeped up his arms and enveloped him. The world blackened around him, but he had never seen clearer.

The scroll was firmly in his grasp, and the darkness disappeared. 

When Megumi opened his eyes, he saw Sukuna clapping. 

"Welcome back." 

Megumi frowned. "I was gone?" 

"Only for a minute or two. But yes, you were gone. One with the shadows. Neat party trick."

"Seriously?" Megumi asked, his voice vibrating with adrenaline, bordering on ecstasy. 

"I'm sure that will be useful for you at some point." 

Metal creaked. 

Their attention snapped to the entrance. Megumi felt his heart jump out of his chest as soon as he saw the tall man blocking the hallway. His face was thin, his hair was pulled up into a ponytail and his eyes were almost completely black. 

In one way he resembled Naobito, but in another he was much more terrifying. 

"Like about now," Sukuna said, but Megumi was frozen. 

Slipping into shadow had simply happened, he wasn't sure how to trigger it.

"Out of all to inherit the ten shadows magic… It's the son of a traitor," the man said, words coated in hatred. 

Megumi couldn't move and he couldn't even utter a spell. His eyes skirted to Sukuna, who was so expectantly staring at him. 

His lips parted, as if to say "please." 

Sukuna sighed, and answered by turning towards the man. 

"Obdormiam et obliviscere," Sukuna whispered in his direction.

The man's black eyes fell shut, and he collapsed. 

Sukuna nodded towards the corridor, signaling that they had to go.

"What did you do?" Megumi asked, still holding the scroll tightly as they started running. 

"I put him to sleep. He will also forget seeing you there." 

"B-but the scroll is gone, they'll know I took it either way, and they'll think I attacked him or something-"

"That's a fair assumption to make in this situation." 

"So I need to get away from here!" 

"Relax," Sukuna groaned. 

Megumi followed his lead as they made their way back up. Thankfully, they didn't run into anyone else. 

They slipped into Megumi's room unnoticed. 

Megumi let out a deep, panicked breath. "What do we do? How long will he stay asleep?"

"It could be anything from three hours, to five minutes… Who knows." 

"I cannot stay here tonight. I need to get home." 

"Well, it's quite far without any vehicle of transportation." 

"They must have horses? Or an automobile? " Megumi wondered, peeking out through the windows. He couldn't see anything. 

"You'll look guilty either way, but stealing a horse too won't help your case." 

"Then what am I supposed to do?" Megumi asked exasperatedly. "Can you help me?" 

Sukuna chewed on his lip. "I am unreasonably restricted on this earth, tethered to you-" 

"Please," Megumi begged, looking at Sukuna with pleading eyes. 

Sukuna pinched his brows, muttered a curse word, but grabbed Megumi's arm. 

Then he said something in latin that he could not catch, as the world warped around them. 

It felt as if his skull was about to cave in from pressure, so he closed his eyes. Sukuna's hands around him was the only thing keeping him anchored.

Then the ground felt different, and the temperature dropped substantially.

A cold breeze tickled his skin. 

He opened his eyes, staring at rugged walls of stone. 

It took a few seconds before he got oriented and realized they were in The Whaler's Deathbed. 

He let out a deep sigh of relief, and looked around him to locate Sukuna. 

Much to his surprise, Sukuna was slumped against the wall. It wasn't the Sukuna he was used to seeing, but a taller and broader one, with a few more limbs. And an air of weariness to him. 

"Are you okay?" Megumi asked, approaching him. 

Sukuna grunted, not really answering but more so refusing to give one. 

"As I was saying, I can't go wherever I please. I am tethered only to you, so I must stay in your vicinity. Transporting you to the original place of summons was a loophole, I suppose... But draining." 

He talked slowly, like every word was an effort. 

"Thank you… For doing that for me," Megumi said, earnestly. 

Sukuna gazed at him, his expression unreadable. It was unusual to see him with that wooden mask, fused to his face. Megumi had slept with this being, plenty of times, and woken up next to him in the mornings. It was so easy to forget he was a demon, completely different to him. Yet, he still had that familiar gleam and spark of humanity in his eyes. 

"Will you rest, in order to get your energy back?" 

There was a shadow of a smile on Sukuna's face. "I'm sure that would've been sufficient, had I been human. Surely you haven't forgotten what I am, what I draw power from? Or has our lovemaking become a natural, pastime occurrence to you?" 

Lovemaking.  

Megumi immediately felt warmth rise to his cheeks. 

"No," he mumbled. Perhaps he had forgotten about Sukuna's true features. And perhaps he had become too comfortable with their recent habits. "But right here? It's cold." 

"I can set up a familiar scene." 

"It won't take too much energy?" 

"A bed is hardly an effort."

Megumi nervously bit his lip. "And… Like that?" 

"Shapeshifting will have to wait until I'm recharged… Besides, we've been preparing for this." 

Megumi's eyes widened. Was he really gonna take him, the real him? He was god damn huge. All of his limbs, including the bulge staring at him through loose pants.

Megumi ripped his eyes away, before Sukuna started teasing him.

"Now if you are completely against the idea, we can drop it. I can return to the second circle, perhaps find some tortured soul to fulfill me, maybe a cute, young man-" 

"I'll do it." Megumi quickly announced.

Sukuna raised a brow. "Careful, now. You're starting to sound excited."

"I'll do it, but only because I owe you. You spent all your energy getting me out of there," Megumi said, and crossed his arms. 

"Something I did, because I owed you. Now we're on even playing field, and the way I see it, you owe me nothing tonight." 

Megumi frowned. "Are you trying to get me to refuse?" 

"No," Sukuna said, standing up straight. It made him tower above him even more. "What I'm trying to do is make you admit this is something you desire. Not because of our deal, or a sense of responsibility… But because of pure, true desire." 

Megumi's breath hitched, a sound he tried to conceal. 

It was late February and the air was still cold, especially the gusts of air from the sea spilling into the darkness of the cave… so how come Megumi felt like he was burning inside?

Sukuna's gaze wasn't aggressive or judgemental, or even overcome with lust as Megumi was accustomed to. Meeting it still made him feel challenged, as if Sukuna was telling him to drop the act. 

He knew deep inside that Sukuna had changed something in him. He had opened the gate that kept his desire securely locked in and forgotten. And there might have been a part of Megumi in the past that had thought desire and love was one and the same; he had never loved someone romantically, and therefore he had never desired someone. 

Or so he thought. 

But now he was questioning it all, thinking of the desire Sukuna had unearthed in him. 

He could desire someone; someone evil, manipulative and terrifying, without loving them. Without becoming them.

"Alright," Megumi quietly said. "I'll do it because I... desire it."

And an intense, almost childlike glee unfolded on Sukuna's face. 

Chapter Text

With a snap of his fingers, Sukuna transformed the space into the spitting image of the very same cave that summoning night. The night Megumi had made a mistake, and ended up entangled with an incubus, the king of the second circle in inferno. The night when their deal was signed with gold, and then intimately consummated. 

Megumi had been so terrified and helpless; he had been cornered without much of a choice. 

Tonight he could make an actual choice. Yet, he would end up with a similar outcome. His worry was not the act itself, but if his body could even handle it. 

The bed was centered in the cave, layered with exotic silks and soft pillows. Lamps and candles brightened up the dark corners of the cave. A bonfire provided warmth. 

A pitcher of wine was perched on a table, and Sukuna filled up a glass for Megumi. "No aphrodisiac this time," he said, not a command, but not a question either. 

"No aphrodisiac," Megumi agreed regardless. 

He thought he had needed it those first times. Now he didn't want it, he didn't want something that clouded his mind or filled him with false sensations. He wanted to feel the truth of it; the pleasure, the pain and every nuance in between.

Megumi took a sip, savoring the rich taste on his tongue. He looked at Sukuna. 

In some odd way, it felt like he was seeing him for the first time.

"How many humans have you been with?" Megumi asked, the question falling out of him. 

Sukuna cocked his head. "We've fucked countless of times at this point, and you're asking this now?" 

Megumi raised his shoulders. "I never thought to ask."

"And is finding out something that will turn you on?" 

"No…"

"Then I suggest we revisit the topic another time," Sukuna said, smiling. 

Megumi nodded slowly. He didn't want to know, not really. 

"I think you're stalling because you're nervous."

Megumi bit the inside of his lip. "Well, it's a bit much," he mumbled, eyes automatically traveling to the bulge of Sukuna's trousers. 

"What better way to test how far you've come?" 

"The plan was to improve my sorcery, not-"

"How much you can fit within you?" 

Megumi immediately buried his burning face in his hands.

"Your shame fascinates me. It clings to you tightly, despite all that we've done. I think seeing you unravel, shame turning to desire, is my favorite part every time."

He was a mystery; a raunchy king of hell who loved chaos and mischief, and who spoke to him with deeply romantic sentiments from time to time. Repulsive yet charming, who constantly put him at risk, but saved him time and time again. 

He had no way of knowing if Sukuna was toying with him or not, but he sure felt like a toy. Stretched thin and thrown around, without real value, but still… somewhat cared for. 

He didn't mind. There were rewards to be reaped after all; knowledge, power and desire. It had driven him to an edge, jumping into an all-consuming abyss that was Sukuna.

If he was using him, then Megumi was using him right back for all he was worth. 

Perhaps one day they would simply suck each other dry, reaching mutual destruction.

"Why do you always do that?" Megumi asked, a mindless thought turned verbal. 

Sukuna raised a brow in question. 

"Point out my shortcomings, values or… other details that shouldn't matter to you. Is it to get a reaction?" 

"All of a sudden you're playing a mind doctor. You're welcome to point out my shortcomings," Sukuna said, not answering the question. "You'll find they don't exist." 

"I don't believe that. You've got an awful temper. You're manipulative. Aggressive. Egotistical. Vague. Yet, it all feels so surface level."

"An amateur sorcerer calling a king of Inferno one-dimensional? This is a new kind of foreplay."

Sukuna's brow twitched, but any anger was contained. Either he was too tired, or too horny to care. 

"My point is… You can prod and make remarks as if you knew me inside and out. But I can just as easily get under your skin."

"Enough talk," Sukuna said, shutting him down. "You can't stall for eternity."

He took away his wine. He hadn't realized how tightly he held on to it. 

Megumi clenched his jaw, a little unsure of how to approach this. There was still a tiny part inside him telling him he'd die. 

He should do it at his own pace. Prepare himself for it, physically and mentally. Slowly, but assuredly. 

His feet simply would not budge. 

"Hm," Sukuna hummed, corners of his mouth slowly lifting. "It truly is our first night all over again."

He raised his hand, caressing the side of his face so gently Megumi was taken aback. A warm, long-nailed finger tucked his hair behind his ear. "You were scared then too." 

"I'm not scared," Megumi said, his voice a mere whisper. 

"No?" Sukuna smiled playfully. "Then show me how brave you are."

Megumi had stripped down, and worked several fingers in and out of himself. Sukuna stroked him in the meantime, his hand swallowing him whole in size only. 

His breaths were quick, and his heart thumped beneath his rib cage like a rabbit. 

He focused on the pleasure. The strain that gradually became familiar, a feeling he'd rather chase than avoid, and the feeling of Sukuna's warmth and precise touch setting his nerves on fire. 

They were no strangers to intimacy by now, yet it still felt strange. Like taking the next step into unknown waters.

Megumi was in his lap, straddling him, trying not to lose his mind when he felt Sukuna's hardening beast of a cock press against his thighs. 

Sukuna wasn't even rutting against him; his eyes were pinned on him while he pleasured Megumi. He was obviously getting pleasure anyway. 

"M-Maybe now," Megumi uttered, slightly worried Sukuna would finish him off before he even tried putting it inside.

"Only one way to find out," Sukuna murmured. 

He let go of Megumi, letting him position himself freely.

Megumi got up on his knees, looking down at Sukuna's member standing tall and proud. 

He wrapped a hand around it, although not managing to envelop it completely.

Sukuna watched him with a dark gaze, reacting only slightly to his touch. His breath was faster. He anticipated this too. 

With one hand on his shoulder for support, and one hand guiding Sukuna's cock, Megumi lowered himself down. 

He closed his eyes instinctively while feeling the shape of him, and it was as if his body simply said: no way. This cannot and should not enter.  

Then he felt Sukuna's hands touching him, grabbing his butt and holding his waist. 

"How about you lie down?" 

Megumi nodded quickly. 

Sukuna helped him, until he was flat against the silk sheets. He released a deep breath.

How useless was he? Hadn't he prepared enough? Not only tonight, but over the span of months.

Sukuna found more oil, coating his fingers. Megumi watched curiously as his fingernails shortened. 

"Do you wish me to change again, to the less frightening version?" Sukuna asked. 

Megumi frowned. "I thought you couldn't." 

"I'm sure I have the energy for it now." 

"I thought this was to help you get it back?" 

Sukuna smiled, a little wickedly and a little warmly. "At this point, I simply desire you, blessing. And I want to see you writhe, and ache, and beg, and shiver, and moan, and come… All because of me."

Megumi's breath hitched.

Did he not want the same? To cause such reactions in Sukuna, the king of lust himself?

Looking at Sukuna's features, the supernatural build, the mask, his multiple new eyes… He thought he'd only see a demon, a magnificent one. 

But what he truly looked at was an individual. Someone who felt, who raged, who desired, who cared, and perhaps even loved.

"Then I expect you to deliver," Megumi said, in a flash of confidence and calm.

Sukuna's hands, the lot of them, wrapped themselves around his limbs, dragging him towards him. 

The experience already overwhelmed Megumi, and he couldn't help but think it wouldn't be so bad if Sukuna did whatever he wanted to him. Somehow he felt safe either way. The most dangerous individual ever to cross his path was him, yet he had never been on the receiving end of the true wrath he knew Sukuna harboured. 

Megumi melted into the feeling of Sukuna's oil-slick fingers entering him with ease, knowing where to push and linger and tease. 

His arms found Sukuna's neck automatically, holding on like he'd fall through the bed, the cold stone, and into a nothingness if he didn't. 

He was aware he was making sounds, but did not think much about the words he uttered. At some point, when the pleasure clouded his mind properly, he heard himself ask, no beg , for more. 

Sukuna's movements slowly stilled to a stop, before he spread Megumi's legs wide open, and pulled his hips gently towards him.His weight rested against his backside.

Megumi felt small like this, like a bug hidden beneath a leaf as if it were a shield. Sukuna covered all of him. 

He was leaning over him, bringing himself closer, until his forehead touched Megumi's.

Megumi's breath stopped in his throat.

He could see so clearly into his eyes, see the hues of golden brown and maroon weave together in the patterns of collagen, set into movement by flickering candlelight. And in his pupil, he saw the reflection of his own eye.

That's not the eye of a demon, Megumi thought. Not even the wooden mask seemed foreign.

Had he ever seen something so human?

He was only pulled out of his daze when Sukuna closed his eyes, a small wrinkle appearing between his brows.

That's when Megumi finally noticed that Sukuna was halfway inside of him. 

Megumi released a quick breath, almost panicking at the thought of him entering him fully, but Sukuna distracted him once again. 

Warm lips brushed against his. 

Their noses touched. 

Sukuna's hands held his legs firmly, bringing them to rest on his shoulders. Megumi was folded, stretched in a way he had never been before.

It was supposed to hurt, and perhaps it did, but Sukuna kissed him so softly it was perplexing, and Megumi couldn't focus on everything at once.

When Sukuna opened his eyes again, he let out a deep and quiet sigh.

Megumi's own breath gathered in his lungs, as if he had been underwater and the air would make him shoot towards the surface.

"Ah-" He gasped, feeling the fulness of him buried inside him all the way to the base.

"You're doing so well," Sukuna murmured, yet again demanding his focus. "You were made to take me."

He didn't move for a while, letting him adjust to the new sensation.

Megumi was struggling to stabilize his breath, his body conflicted about the mixed feelings of pain, pressure and fulness.

It did hurt, but he didn't scream. It stung, but the worst had already passed. Like a bee sting. 

And then there was the aftertaste, that came sneaking in just in time. 

The pleasure.

"Oh- okay," Megumi whispered, as he slowly bargained with himself that this could work.

"Want me to move?" Sukuna asked, and Megumi nodded.

"Yes, yes, move," he said, a little impatiently.

Sukuna smiled as he pulled out of him slowly, but not entirely. 

"Wait, no-" Megumi whined, changing his mind when the overwhelming strain returned. 

"It's like ripping off a bandaid," Sukuna murmured, not stopping. "Pulling only a little bit will make it painful."

Sukuna pushed again, and Megumi threw his head back. The pain and pleasure kept taking turns, driving him wild. 

After a few more times, the pain slowly waned. 

He tightened his grip around Sukuna, clinging to him and moaning into his shoulder. 

Sukuna went a little faster. His breath was hot against Megumi's neck.

"So good for me," he growled, gradually losing composure. 

He normally didn't praise him like this, so naturally it went straight to his head. 

Yes. I'll be good for you.

"F-Fuck," he whispered, surrendering to Sukuna quickly approaching a relentless pace. 

One of Sukuna's hands wrapped itself around Megumi's cock, the tongue starting to tease him. 

Megumi flinched, already feeling overstimulated. 

Sukuna slammed into him, hitting deeper than he ever had before, and Megumi could not help but cry out. 

Tears gathered in the corners of his eyes.

It should've hurt. 

It didn't.

Sukuna shifted his position to look at him. 

His eyes were half-lidded and vibrant, looking very much like the eyes of a predator ready to pounce its prey. 

Megumi wrapped his legs around his waist, encouraging him. 

He was done with running away.

Sukuna groaned, quickening the pace. Megumi could tell he was reaching climax faster than usual. 

"Come," Sukuna demanded, and his movements fell into rhythm with his hand, pressuring Megumi's most sensitive areas that only Sukuna knew, all at once. 

There was no use defying him; Sukuna had woven his threads of fate. Megumi had no control of his body.

He spasmed, coming into Sukuna's hand, while he tightened around Sukuna inside him. 

Sukuna only gave him a moment of climax before he continued snapping his hips.

It didn't take long for his rhythm to become irregular, and his moans turned unrestrained.

Sukuna held him tightly, leaning against him.

With a final, trembling push, Sukuna's movement stilled. Megumi was fixated on his expression as he climaxed, his eyes fluttering open and shut, lips red with spit. 

When would he ever see this? A demon king from Inferno, so physically stirred by him. 

His spend filled Megumi up, and was given no chance to escape from the barrier keeping Megumi plugged up. 

Despite coming, his erection did not deteriorate.

Megumi didn't need much more than a glance to know that the night was not over yet. 

They kept going until sunrise. 

At one point Megumi simply fell asleep; his mortal body could not keep up with Sukuna. 

When he woke up again at noon, Sukuna was there next to him. 

He had abandoned him the first time, to wake up alone. Perhaps then it had been a good thing, and had possibly saved Megumi from even more embarrassment. 

Not this time. This time he felt relief, and perhaps even adoration as he saw Sukuna's lazy expression. 

"You survived," Sukuna said. "Congratulations. The survival rate is quite low."

Megumi could not help but chuckle. "You blithering idiot."

"You cock-hungry little sorcerer." 

"Say that to your hand-mouth," Megumi said, raising his brows. "So creepy and perverse." 

Megumi felt Sukuna's laughter all the way to his bones. An unexpectedly comforting rumble.

They stayed there a bit longer, lounging and talking quietly. Recalling the night, pointing out details that made the other embarrassed. 

Megumi swore he had caught Sukuna with his guard down, something he had never seen before. He didn't bother teasing him about it, instead he let it stroke his own ego and fill his chest with warmth. 

Insanity, a voice inside him said, among all the strange butterflies.

Falling for this demon is insanity.

"Where do you spend time when you're not here?" Megumi asked. He was getting dressed, and Sukuna was whisking the decorations and candles away. 

"Inferno." 

Megumi scowled at him. "I know that. Where in inferno, what does it look like? Do you have a room where you're watching me in a crystal ball and touching yourself or something?" 

"You would like that, wouldn't you?" Sukuna chuckled. "Now why would I ever masturbate when I can simply appear and take what I want when I need it?" 

Megumi shook his head. "I'm just wondering what it's like. What do you do? Who do you…" he paused. "... spend time with?" 

Sukuna cocked his head curiously. "You should be familiar with what I spend time doing."

Megumi bit his lip, and whipped his head around to face him properly. A wave of uncertainty and regret washed over him.

"So you just… stay there and fuck people? And demons? Any living or dead creature, when you're not fucking me?" 

Sukuna didn't even flinch from Megumi's outburst laced with emotion. 

Perhaps Megumi was feeling vulnerable after their intimacy. He simply did not find it in him to care about composing himself.

He thought he saw a faint smile on Sukuna's face. 

"That's usually it, yes."

Megumi drew a short breath. 

"Usually," Sukuna repeated. "I suppose it's been a while now since the last time if we go by mortal time measurements."

He stretched his arms. "Inferno is boring. It's miserable for people, as it's supposed to be. I punish. I rule. I manage demons. You wouldn't like it."

"I'm sure I wouldn't." 

"Although, I think I would enjoy myself much more if you were there." 

Megumi rolled his eyes. "Well, I'd probably have to be dead. You'll have your fun once my time is up."

"I'm looking forward to it." 

"I'm sure you won't have to wait long," Megumi said, crossing his arms. "With the mess I've gotten myself into."

The events from the previous day played in his head. He had pushed them so far back into the back of his mind because of Sukuna, but now he had to face reality.

"I will sit back and enjoy the show immensely," Sukuna said, and chuckled darkly to himself. 

Megumi sighed, left alone to deal with the mess himself. 

He wasn't surprised to see Maki standing outside his dorm room when he got to campus. 

Although she was stoic most of the time, Megumi could tell she was annoyed. 

"Where have you been?" she immediately asked.

Megumi didn't answer. 

"I talked to Gojo and you didn't come here last night. And you certainly didn't stay at the manor, but ran like a thief in the night. Literally." 

He sighed. 

"What is going on?" she continued, not giving him much room to speak. "You stole an ancient family scroll, which I would've been fine with had you only told me, and oh we're apparently family, I swear these last few hours have simply been ridiculous-" 

"I'm sorry," Megumi hurriedly intercepted before she talked herself hoarse. "I truly am. Let's talk about it inside, please?" 

They went into Megumi's room. He sat on his bed, wincing a little as he was sore, while she stood by the window. 

"Just so you're aware, the Zenins have arranged for a meeting with the faculty. They'll be demanding your expulsion. They might demand for professor Gojo to be sacked as well."

"Why him?" Megumi frowned. 

Maki raised her shoulders. "I don't know. They never tell me anything. I never even knew about you."

"If it's any consolation, I haven't known about me for long either. Which is why I also… stole. I want to learn about my sorcery, and where it comes from." 

Maki chewed on her lip. "I get that. I just wish you had told me. Instead of making it seem like you wanted to study with me."

"You're right," Megumi looked into his lap. "I did enjoy studying with you, though. I think we have a shot at getting somewhere with the mission." 

"That will have to wait until after the meeting… Are you planning on giving the scroll back?" 

Maki glanced at it, perched onto Megumi's bedside table.

"Yes. I'll have to read it first, though."

Maki raised a brow in curiosity. "Open it." 

Was it smart doing it with her there? 

For all he knew, it could be dangerous for himself too. It had been guarded with shadows, and when Megumi grabbed it, he disappeared. He didn't actually read it. 

Fuck it. He was in enough shit already. He needed to make it worth it. 

Megumi picked it up, unfurling the scroll. 

It was amazing how durable the papyrus was, despite being ancient. 

Maki quickly walked over to him, looking over his shoulder. 

"Nothing?" she asked. 

"What do you mean?" 

"It's blank."

It was not. What Megumi saw was a wall of text in small writing, and drawings breaking it up occasionally. The drawings were of animals, some of them which he recognized, like the rabbits, his dogs, the snake and Nue. The language was in latin, although a much older variant that was more difficult to read than Megumi was used to. 

Seeing it must only be for the one with the magic. 

"Not to me. It will take me a while to read and decipher this."

"There's something actually there? You haven't just lost your mind?" 

Megumi smiled slightly. "Well, both things can be true."

"At least you took it for a reason," Maki sighed. "The others are angry, but also… Well, they seem intrigued. Apparently there hasn't existed a shadow sorcerer in a long time. So long I didn't even know this was part of the Zenin bloodline. These old fucking men… Never telling me anything." 

Megumi felt a pang of guilt. He'd seen how they talked to her at the manor. They were probably angry with her for bringing him there. She must've gotten chewed out. 

"I'm really sorry for causing trouble. I'll try fixing it, I promise."

Monday morning, before classes would start, the meeting was held. The dean, Masamichi Yaga, supervised the meeting. Three representatives from the Zenin family were there, including Naobito and his brother Ogi, Maki's father, who they had seen at the underground shrine, and a third man called Naoya who Megumi was unfamiliar with. 

There was also a representative from the Sorcerer's Association there, Yoshinobu Gakuganji, who looked mintues away from dying of old age. 

If Megumi didn't have Gojo sitting next to him, he'd feel completely alone. 

He felt the eyes of his relatives burning into his skull. Naoya's eyes in particular. When Megumi had glanced at him, his gaze was dark if not hateful. He looked much younger than the others, but seemed just as intimidating. 

"Thank you all for attending," Masamichi opened. 

He summarized the events of the weekend, repeating what he probably had been told. 

Visited the Zenins under the guise of studies. 

Were to stay the night, but sneaked down to the off-limits basement.

Broke through several locked doors and entered a shrine.

Stole an ancient artifact.

Knocked out a Zenin elder and erased his recent memories, before fleeing the scene with the scroll.

Upon hearing the last part, Gojo turned his head towards him as if to say: When did you learn to erase someone's memories?

Megumi hoped he'd ignore it. 

"Is this line of events accurate, Fushiguro Megumi?" the dean asked. 

Megumi had decided he would be professional and admit his mistakes, so he nodded, but added: "It's true, except the memory part. I don't know how to do that," he mumbled quietly. 

Ogi crossed his arms. He seemed like he wanted to intercept, but stayed quiet. 

Would it be too much of a stretch to assume it was simply the case of an old man's forgetful mind?

"Either way, this is criminal behavior. It's disrespectful to the Zenins, the Sorcerer's Association, and to our university. It also sheds a negative light on our faculty, especially Gojo, your professor who has also acted as your guardian. Considering you have grown up on this campus and have been one of our most skilled students, this was very unexpected and disappointing."

"I understand, and I will take full responsibility-"

"If I may," Gojo threw up a finger, interrupting. "I wish to speak on the situation."

"Your ward is an adult and can speak his own case, you cannot shield him from his mistakes," Naobito said sternly. 

"This situation has its roots in the past, so I wish to add some details that a twenty one year old cannot."

Masamichi gestured to Gojo. "Then you may speak."

"My student has been in the dark about his ancestry and ties to the Zenin for his entire life. It was only a few months ago I told him about his father. All of us here are familiar with that situation, as I was under orders by both the university and the Sorcerer's Association to do what I did. As I'm not familiar with it myself, I never mentioned anything to him in the past about magic passed down through the Zenin bloodline. While it was a stupid decision, I can see why Megumi would seek out that information himself."

"You lied," Ogi spoke. "He was supposed to go under our care, as was decided by his traitor of a father years before his death. Then you told us the boy showed no signs of magical abilities."

"Megumi was entrusted to me and not the Zenins. It was his father's dying wish. Hence why I kept his abilities hidden from you. The contract was terminated, which you agreed to, and there is nothing to do about that now." 

This was news to Megumi. The only reason he hadn't been sold to the Zenins, was because Gojo lied about his sorcery. They had not wanted him for being family, but for the possibility of power. 

If seen as weak, he was completely useless to them.

No wonder Maki's experience had been rough when these were the values the Zenins operated by. 

"It was all unfortunate," the dean said. "There is truth to what professor Gojo says, there is nothing to do about it now. So let's discuss current events, and find a solution."

The discussion went back and forth, with Megumi adding little to the conversation. It turned more so into a discussion between the Zenins and the dean, about how severe Megumi's punishment ought to be.

"Expulsion should be the gentlest alternative," Naoya said, still looking at Megumi with resentment.

"It requires a serious offence or repeated crimes, this is a one-time incident by an otherwise outstanding student who have proven himself to be a skilled resource these days with cases of necromancy threatening us."

Yoshinobu coughed, demanding their attention. It was the first time he spoke up during the meeting. "On behalf of the Association, may I make a point?" His voice was frail. "This is the first time in generations a sorcerer have inherited the ancient Zenin magic, which is the core of the clan's glory. This boy shouldn't be imprisoned or excluded from academia. He should be utilised. Trained. Disciplined. Shaped to properly become what he is in nature; a member of the Zenin clan."

A chill went down Megumi's spine. Gojo sat perfectly still, no doubt feeling the same dread as Megumi did.

The Zenins contemplated his words, with only Naoya seeming disgusted at the idea. 

"Then he should serve us. After his graduation, he will be employed under our control. You are right, Yoshinobu. Such magic should stay within the family under our supervision," Naobito said.

"Forcing someone into employment, which I'm sure you would not compensate him for, is slavery. You said it yourself, he is an adult with free will," Gojo argued. 

"A year of obligatory training under Zenin supervision, then," Yoshinobu said. "Ancient magic is also dangerous, and he has not received proper instructions. For the safety of sorcerers and non-sorcerers, this is an order by the Sorcerer's Association." 

It was the final nail in the coffin. 

The incident was too serious to be left academically unpunished, so he was to be suspended for three weeks, but at least Gojo wasn't fired. After Megumi's graduation, he would have to train under the Zenins, which they seemed satisfied with. He also had to immediately return the scroll, something he had anticipated. 

Megumi had of course spent the entire night copying the scroll letter by letter onto parchment, so he was fine with parting with it.

After the meeting, Megumi followed Gojo to the classroom, but would not join the class. 

"I'm really sorry," he whispered.

Yet again, he had disappointed him. 

Gojo sighed. "I know. I'm not innocent in all this myself… Although I did tell you to be careful around them." 

Megumi nodded. "You did." 

Gojo's expression was serious, something Megumi so rarely saw. He had seen it too often lately. 

"We might still get you out of that agreement. I didn't get you out of the transaction contract for it to be a waste now." 

Megumi raised his brows. "It wasn't for nothing. I'm thankful, you know. After seeing what they're like up close. I'm happy you were the one to raise me." 

There was a slight shadow of a smile on Gojo's face. "I've obviously not been the best role model. We'll talk more later this evening. And don't cause even more trouble while you're suspended, understood?"

"Understood."

Megumi only got a few seconds of solitude in his room before Sukuna showed up to bother him. 

"What is worse, do you think," Sukuna hummed. "Selling your soul to the devil, or to the Zenin clan?" 

Megumi buried his head in his hands. "The Zenins, apparently." 

Sharp nails dug into Megumi's cheeks, as Sukuna forced his head upwards. "They will do their best to manipulate you. To hinder and control your magic, to contain it, and to use it selfishly. You might've considered me a captor, but they will enslave you. They will send you into danger like a shield. They will make you into a spy and they will make you kill on their demand without letting you know who you're killing or why."

Megumi's eyes widened, and he froze in Sukuna's grasp. 

"They will use you like a piece on a game board. And they will suck the agency and life out of you, until you would kill yourself for a cause you do not believe in. They wish to dominate you."

Sukuna's thumb brushed against Megumi's lip. "They do not wish to see you prosper and succeed."

He smiled, eyes narrowing. "Good thing you have a demon by your side."

Megumi could not help the warmth rising to his cheeks, and the feeling of hope blooming in his stomach. 

He had almost forgotten. 

He had a demon by his side. A demon who annihilated anyone who threatened Megumi's life. A demon who fed him knowledge, power and confidence.

A demon who, lately, made him feel emotions he hadn't realized even existed. 

The trouble he had gone through was largely because of him. On the other hand, Megumi had never felt so prepared to handle anything coming his way as when he was with him.

He felt safe.

"What if you're suddenly not by my side?" 

Sukuna frowned.

"For some reason or another." 

Before Sukuna answered, Megumi rummaged in his possessions until he found the box containing his arcanum. 

He held up the metal ball. "Perhaps this can be my safety net."

"If you wish it." 

Sukuna picked it up, and Megumi paid close attention. 

"Tralatio," he mumbled, and the all the engravings on the sphere lit up in blood red.

When he handed the sphere back to Megumi, he could feel the warmth of it in his palm. He could see the magic in it shift, feel it move and pulsate. 

It was as warm as Sukuna's skin. As if part of him was present in the sphere. 

"You shouldn't fear my absence," Sukuna said. His body language was unbothered, but there was a softness to his voice. 

Megumi met his gaze. 

"If you are in danger, I will always show up."

And with that, as if he couldn't stand to face him, Sukuna disappeared. 

Megumi found it hard to stop smiling after that. 

Chapter Text

Sukuna watched the barren landscape stretched before him; devoid of color, dry and crackled. 

Haunting screams echoed in the distance. Souls walked by, lost and without purpose. Some were there for the first time, some had been there for centuries.

"Su-ku-na."

The drawn out pronunciation came from Takako, a succubus standing in front of his manor. Naked as always, and with a hungry expression. 

"You barely spend time here these days," she said, pouting. "It's dreadfully boring torturing all these souls by myself…" 

She approached him slowly, dragging a finger down his torso. "Shouldn't us minions be able to see our dear sire?" 

Sukuna grabbed her arm before she went any further, but she warped out of his grasp.

"You're no fun," she whined, reappearing behind him. 

"This place is no fun," he said. "Go rub up against a new guest instead, give them a warm, infernal welcome."

"But earth is? What is there to do anyway? Watch humans dry up like raisins?" 

Sukuna smirked. "If someone ever summons you, you will know." 

Takako crossed her arms. "Lucky you. Too good for fucking and torture all of a sudden." 

"Watch how you speak to your king. It is very much within my power to send you somewhere much worse than this. Perhaps even a place of chastity."

The idea made her snarl with disgust.

Immediately she left, leaving only a vapor of ash in the air. 

Sukuna entered his manor. The entire residence was cold and not a single fireplace was lit. Perhaps Takako was right. He was more fun before and present, at least; orchestrating orgies, parties, indulging in the worst sins. Shaping an atmosphere that made existing a little more comfortable for demons, and so much worse for condemned souls.

There was simply no meaning to it. 

It was not a problem before. Sukuna did his duty as the king of the second circle, and indulged in his desires.

But there were a few things which had lacked in Inferno, which he recognized on earth; ambition, passion, meaning.

A challenge.

Being summoned had broken a uniform routine which made every day and every century blend together seamlessly.

He could not recall a single moment that stood out to him the last century, but he could recall several moments from the last months. 

Moments that looked like black hair and emerald green eyes, milky skin shining with sweat, lips bitten red, thick lashes wet with tears. A racing human heart. So full of vitality. He was different from the coldness of entrapped souls and emotionless demons. 

He was also different from his previous encounters with humans. 

Some would have tried to actively seduce him. Compliment him, attempt to sway him, whisper sweet nothings to get further towards their goal. 

Megumi had not done the same. Perhaps it was fated to be so, considering the initial mistake that lead to their contract. He had not imagined becoming an incubus' toy, so his resistance was not surprising. 

But he had resisted all the way, and he had not only resisted him, but himself and his own pleasure. 

Megumi had denied himself desire, freedom and ecstacy. He was starved for it, and perhaps that was the most thrilling part. Not Sukuna violating him, reveling in his resistance and using his body for all its worth, but feeding him the experiences he had missed out on, making him discover true pleasure and even making him demand it. 

Perhaps ambition for power and knowledge had been his motivation at first, but watching Megumi as he approached the peak of ecstasy and then go beyond it, Sukuna could tell there was not a single thought of greatness crossing his mind.

Only pleasure.

The image in his mind made him grit his teeth. He wanted to fuck him again.

He needed it.

Sukuna stared into the mirror in his bedroom, at what started as a slightly hazy reflection of himself and turned into reflections of someone else. Of Megumi, deeply concentrated, as he read the scroll he had copied. 

Occasionally he whispered to himself, trying to translate the words. Sometimes he looked up in confusion, or shook his head out of frustration. 

It would be a perfect time to appear, offer a helping hand, and then receive some compensation as Megumi so lovingly put it. 

Sukuna was about to step into his realm, but of course, someone had to ruin it. 

That annoying teacher entered Megumi's room, without even knocking. 

Rage filled Sukuna's belly at the intrusion. 

He should appear, anyway, was his first thought. The idea was tempting; just as he had done with that brat who imagined he could pursue an intimate relationship with Megumi. 

Fool. 

He had most definitely been intimidated and embarrassed into submission. 

But this sorcerer, who Megumi seemed to look up to with admiration… He would not take it lightly, should he find out his precious student had been scheming with a demon for many months.

Sukuna sat back, and watched it play out. 

"Suspended, but still hard at work," Gojo said, peering at Megumi's notes. "This must be from the scroll."

Megumi seemed reluctant to answer at first, but caved. 

"It's obviously meant for me. I couldn't simply give it away without figuring this out."

Gojo hummed. "Right. It makes sense… But you know, there could've been an easier way to get to this point?" 

"Yes, I'm aware the process was messy. As I am paying my dues for."

"You should've informed me. Told me you wanted to read the scroll, and I could've convinced the Zenins to lend it to you. And acted as a buffer between you, as I have been."

Sukuna scoffed. As if they would've allowed it, without some kind of perk. Something that would let them control him. 

"Maybe." Megumi raised his shoulders. 

"How did you learn about it? Through Maki?" 

Megumi's lips turned thin. "I mostly assumed. And felt its presence, when I visited." 

"Your intuition is quite something. You even bypassed Zenin Ogi… Who so conveniently suffered short-term memory loss." 

Megumi didn't answer, but the guilt was astonishingly obvious in his face. 

Gojo didn't say anything, but stared, and Megumi squirmed under his gaze. 

"I really didn't… And if I did, I don't know how. Maybe the scroll." 

"Alright," Gojo crossed his arms, and dropped the subject. He didn't seem any less suspicious of him. 

"I hope you know what you're doing, Megumi. I will always protect you from external forces, you know that. I cannot protect you from yourself, and the choices you make. Don't let your pursuit of knowledge taint your good heart."

Sukuna rolled his eyes.

Rich, coming from him. Gojo was by no means innocent. Megumi could achieve great things, and he was stunting his growth. 

Sukuna could somewhat understand why; Megumi had a purity about him that those who believed themselves to be good-natured wanted to preserve, and those who knew themselves to be utterly reprehensible wanted to corrupt. 

He smiled to himself. Gojo could try to guide Megumi to the best of his ability. 

Sukuna would simply undo it all and unravel him, again and again and again. 

After Gojo finally left, Sukuna touched the mirror, and as if stepping into it, Megumi's room unfurled around him.

Megumi didn't look up, and instead kept his nose buried within the piles of books.

It amused Sukuna. He had grown used to Sukuna's arrival. On the other hand, he didn't like how he ignored him.

"Blessing, put your flimsy sheets of paper away for a while," Sukuna whispered, leaning down towards his neck. 

Before even coming into contact with the milky skin which beckoned him, Megumi blocked the access with his hand. 

"Not right now, I'm busy." 

Sukuna's movements stilled. 

He dared to turn him down?  

The infernal king didn't know if he felt like laughing at the ridiculousness of a mere student ordering him around, or if he should rage in response. 

Sukuna would've killed for less. Had it been anyone else but him. 

This ambitious, clever, and delicate but rude little sorcerer.

"You should never be too busy for me," he spoke with authority. 

"I need to finish translating this. Then practice the spells, well, make sure I understand them properly first, and then I need to figure out the disappearance thing so I can actually use it-" 

"In time, little one," Sukuna said, softer now. 

"Time is running out. There is still the issue of necromancy, and I fear my suspension might hinder that mission. There is so much I don't know yet about my own sorcery, and what if I actually have what it takes to make a difference, without knowing how?" 

Sukuna could hear the stress, the panic shaping his speech.

Youths. 

So impatient, emotional and short-sighted.

He turned Megumi's chair around, forcing him to meet his gaze. 

"The world does not rest on your shoulders. It is not your responsibility to keep it afloat. So instead of facing it all alone, let me help. Was it not after all the reason you summoned me?" 

Megumi's dark lashes fluttered as he blinked. 

"Sometimes you leave me behind in peril, and other times you so eagerly help me. What am I to think of you, truly?"

Sukuna smiled to himself. He liked to play with him, challenge him and confuse him. Despite that, Megumi had awoken other aspects of Sukuna, which he had thought were long gone. Nuance, perhaps. 

Sukuna peered over his shoulder, grabbed his ink, and translated the last few words for him. Then he looked over Megumi's work, and did some adjustments. 

"It's important you understand the weight of every word, lest the result of your spells end up surprising you."

Megumi raised his brows. "I already made that mistake once." 

Sukuna smirked. "And that was the best mistake you ever made."

He handed over the revised translation along with the spells in their original language.

"Thank you," Megumi humbly said. 

"Right, let's get to the fun part shall we?" 

Megumi chewed on the inside of his cheek. "As I said, I'm busy, but if you're that pent up…"

His cheeks grew redder and redder.

Sukuna was not someone who ever needed to have discipline, especially not concerning anything related to desire. He was someone who jumped at any opportunity to feed on lust. Yet, his self-discipline and patience was akin to that of a chaste god as he resisted toppling Megumi and ripping off his clothes.

"As delighted I am to know you find our intimate adventures as fun as I do, I was actually talking about putting the spells to use." 

Megumi let out an "oh," a little dumbfounded. 

They used the cover of night to practice, not only for the sake of secrecy, but also for embracing Megumi's full potential. 

Megumi was made for the night, in every sense. His hair mirrored a starless dark sky, he embodied quiet solitude, and his powers originated from the deepest, most abysmal shadows. 

In the night he thrived, and it was also when Megumi would embrace his sexuality too. His skin would run hot. His eyes would gleam. Like a nocturnal animal, he came alive once the world darkened and he could accept himself as he was, without the judgement from prying eyes of a respectable society. 

It was always a delight to see, and it made Sukuna's own heart drum, like it was contagious. 

"Forget about holding back, that will come later. For now, you need to become the night. Let it devour you," Sukuna instructed. 

They stood in the middle of a field on the outskirts of town. A single torch burned next to Megumi, which casted dramatic, flickering shadows all over his skin. 

The moon was barely there; a mere crescent hiding behind thick dark clouds. 

Sukuna could see him shiver. He needed to embrace the night fully, and only then would such things matter less. 

"Are you sure this does not require a spell?" Megumi asked, ruining his own concentration. 

"You did it once already, did you not?" 

"It barely felt like I did it. More like it happened to me." 

Sukuna sighed. He did not believe in himself. 

He needed inspiration, and Sukuna wouldn't be much help posing as an instructor. 

So, he slipped away for a moment. He returned to his domain, standing in front of the mirror. 

"What the- Sukuna?" Megumi stood all alone in the field now.

Nothing except a cold gust of wind answered him. 

Sukuna waited, and observed him. 

"You said you'd help me!" 

His frail voice exposed his exhaustion; he had spent days lost in his texts, processing his suspension and entanglement with the Zenins. He had not slept much, and once he did he often ended up disturbed and dreaming of nightmares.

He was headed towards a cliff, one that Sukuna could not steer him away from. 

And so, perhaps it was better to force him off the edge.

A fall might be what he needed to realize that he could trust himself. 

Sukuna let him stand there in silence, so that Megumi's mind would start to disturb him. 

Darkness and silence had that effect, robbing people of the busy sensations of chatter and broad daylight. 

"Bastard," Megumi mumbled, clearly annoyed. He had become fed up, and made a move as if to leave. 

"Abominabilis illusio," Sukuna spoke, as his hand touched the mirror without entering it.

It started as sounds; faint howls and barks that gradually turned louder. 

Megumi turned on his heel, undoubtedly wondering where the dogs came from. Sukuna observed him as he listened intently, only for the sounds to suddenly come from the other direction. 

Megumi could not see the dogs, and they were not there, not really. 

But the howling, the growls which turned more aggressive by the seconds, simply sounded too real. 

He could tell himself that this was Sukuna's trick, but sometimes-if not most times-rational thought succumbed to sensation, the lived experiences. Megumi was rational, and he rationalized even some of his most outrageous actions. 

But he was also human, at the mercy of his own senses.

Sukuna watched as Megumi flinched, and heard his breath hitch. It probably sounded like a dog was sneering into his ear, right by him but still invisible. 

Or perhaps, he started seeing them. Megumi was no stranger to shadow creatures; it wouldn't be beyond his imagination to morph the dark night around him into shapes that matched the noises he heard. 

The growling was becoming too much for him. He started to back off, and attempted to run away, but the orchestra of seemingly blood-thirsty creatures made him sloppy. 

Megumi slipped on the grass. He scrambled, and with a panicked breath got back on his feet. 

But no matter where he ran, he would only be met with a new set of illusionary sounds. His senses were surrounded. He could probably see them now, like phantoms, large wolves snapping their teeth at him. Maybe he could even smell their stench. 

All that was needed was simply a sound for the other senses to play along. 

To anyone unknowing, Megumi would've looked like a lunatic battling his own invisible demons. 

"What will you do now, little sorcerer?" Sukuna murmured, as he watched Megumi run out of options. 

He was surrounded, frozen in place. What he experienced felt as real as anything else, just as real as the damp grass beneath him, the chilly breeze, and the hoots from owls in the nearby forest.

Despite that, none of it could really hurt him, but for this to work, Megumi needed to believe it could. 

"Stop," Megumi yelled desperately, again and again as he felt the creatures closing in on him. 

"Sukuna!" Megumi pleaded, as if he could appear to save him. Megumi knew this was orchestrated by him, and yet he called on him out of pure instinct-because he trusted Sukuna to help him. 

Sukuna was surprised to find himself uneasy then, almost remorseful for putting Megumi in that situation. 

Megumi could not even summon his own creatures, because what would fighting shadows with shadows even do? 

Despite Sukuna's reluctance, he couldn't simply stop it. This would help Megumi, and so the phantom attacks continued. 

Eventually, Megumi covered his ears and made himself small; it was all just too overwhelming. 

He needed an escape-and that is exactly what he got. 

Sukuna observed with great interest how he not only disappeared, but sunk into the shadows of the night. The motion was so fluid and quick that Sukuna had nearly missed it. 

Smiling, Sukuna entered the human realm once again. 

He curiously looked around, wondering where Megumi would pop into existence again. 

Unless something had gone terribly wrong. 

He felt him before he saw him; a presence directly behind him. 

When he turned around, Sukuna met glistening eyes in the torchlight. He was furious, that much was obvious; tears had gathered in his eyes, his brows were furrowed and his mouth was a sour pout. 

Sukuna reached out to wipe the tears away, but Megumi slapped his hand away. 

"You're cruel," Megumi said. 

Despite the insult, Sukuna couldn't help but feel charmed by him, this stoic, ambitious boy who so clearly was emotional at heart. 

"I'm sorry, blessing," Sukuna softly murmured. "You needed a kick." 

Megumi crossed his arms. 

"You did it. How did it feel?" 

Megumi sniffed. "I don't know… Like an out-of-body experience, sort of."

"Can you do it again, do you think? Without feeling endangered?" 

"I think so." 

Sukuna smiled, satisfied. "Splendid. Let's keep practicing."

For the coming weeks and the rest of Megumi's suspension, Sukuna would often appear to help him train. As a sparring partner he was no match–he was after all an immortal demon, and Megumi only human. However, he could guide him, advise him, and both build up or tear down his confidence whenever needed. Megumi was a quick learner, and rather rational in most situations. In situations where he lacked rationale and experience, Sukuna could help with that too. 

Sukuna created various simulations akin to the wolves which prepared Megumi both mentally and physically for unexpected situations, and situations that very well could happen. 

What would Megumi do if all the sorcerers in St. Faustus were wiped out, and he stood alone to face an army of necromancers? 

What would he do if the Zenins were out to get him, either by assassination or kidnapping? 

What if he, for whatever reason, lost authority over his own shadow creatures, and they turned on him?

Sukuna presented him with all kinds of scenarios, all without right or wrong solutions, or any solutions at all. It was merely a way to sharpen his mind. Megumi had never in his life faced true catastrophe, and as little had progressed with the necromancy investigation, chances were that he might. 

And so Sukuna found himself vigorously training the young sorcerer, not only because of desire or satisfaction to see him improve, but because he could not help but feel an ounce of anxiety, a slight worry that Megumi would have to face and endure real adversity. 

Despite Megumi's progress, Sukuna could not help but wonder if he was on the brink of exhaustion. When they did not train, Megumi studied to not fall behind, and when he did not study, he scoured the library for helpful clues in the investigation, despite technically not being allowed there during his suspension. 

He was high strung, and probably had been for quite some time long before Sukuna was summoned.

Others noticed it as well. 

A few days before Megumi's suspension was over, Gojo put him on a specific mission.

"You've been cooped up for a while now," Gojo said when Megumi was visiting his apartment. "There's this quaint little village a few hours south of here, and I was thinking it might be an idea for you to go there for a couple of days. Country air, nutritious food, that sort of thing." 

Megumi raised a brow. "I'm far too busy for a holiday." 

"Darling, you're suspended. You are making yourself busy for no reason. Besides, I have an actual task for you."

Gojo pulled out a short letter. 

"There was a grave robbery, as in a missing body, at the local chapel there. The case is similar to ours, the grave was unmarked. We don't know whose grave that was, but if I were to take a guess, it'd be a sorcerer. So, I want you to ask around, see if you can find some information about it."

Megumi nodded. "I can do that." 

"I'd send someone with you, but everyone else has class. Can you manage on your own? It's likely just a boring village, but of course something could happen." 

"I'll be fine." 

Of course he'd be fine, Sukuna would be there. 

This was also a perfect opportunity to stick around without hiding all the time. 

The next day, Megumi borrowed Gojo's automobile and drove south towards the small village of Blythemoor. The road was certainly not built for such vehicles, and so it was a bumpy and slow process. 

"And to think you cannot simply… whisk yourself over there with sorcery?" 

"Not all of us are all-powerful demons," Megumi said, changing gear. "Besides, sorcerers are not always taken kindly too. For good reasons. It's easier for everyone to blend in."

Of course, when they arrived, Megumi stuck out as a sore thumb with his lacquered black automobile, academic suit and shiny shoes, in a village consisting only of farmers.

The sun was about to set, and so Megumi decided to wait with his task until the next day

The town itself was fairly easy to navigate with its few public buildings; there was a small corner shop with newspapers, tobacco, and some groceries, and then an inn that doubled as the village pub, and what seemed like a small post and police office. The chapel was a bit further away up on a hill, and the rest of the buildings there were farmhouses spread far out. 

Megumi would attract enough attention on his own, so Sukuna stayed hidden and observed as he entered the inn. 

There were already a handful of people there, mostly middle-aged and older men. They curiously raised their glances towards Megumi. 

"Who's this?" a lady cleaning glass behind the counter asked. 

Megumi cleared his throat. "I'm Megumi, here on behalf of St. Faustus university. We're investigating some grave robberies, and there was supposedly one here?" 

The lady shook her head slowly, not to dismiss it, but in repulsion. 

"Aye," one of the men spoke up. "Evil's afoot if you ask me."

Megumi curiously turned towards him. "What makes you say that?" 

"Aside from the dead that's missing? Well, winter has been particularly harsh. Livestock have been falling like flies. Whispers in the night. We're all waiting for one of us to wind up dead."

The bartender started waving her hand. "Oh, shut it, you're scaring the poor lad! Don't listen to Mr. Prichard, love. He's far too superstitious." 

Megumi smiled politely to her, but Sukuna could tell he was uncomfortable. 

Despite sorcery-bothgood and bad-bleeding into every aspect of life, those without it still saw it as a kind of superstition. And that was a divide that had created conflicts between sorcerers and non-sorcerers for centuries. 

They had a reason to fear such things too; a sorcerer was a conduit to other worlds, both magnificent phenomenons and terrible nightmares. 

"Is there a room I can rent for two nights?" 

"Of course, love! There aren't any guests right now, so I'll give you the best one for a cheap price." 

"Visitors can smell death in the air, so that's why," Mr. Prichard said, and his group grunted in agreement. 

Even the "best" room was small; the bed was much too small to Sukuna's liking and the roof was slanted. Even in his human form, it almost made him claustrophobic. 

It was not ideal for lovemaking at all. 

"I know what's on your mind," Megumi mumbled, gesturing to Sukuna's sneer. "But we're not here to fool around."

He put his trunk down, and started organising his things. 

Sukuna crossed his arms. "You were obviously sent here to relax. If your guardian had any clue he would tell you to get laid. It feels like years since the last time!" 

Megumi rolled his eyes. "It's been two weeks, and you've lived for millenia, you can handle that."

"Surely you must know by now that my libido does not take breaks. And here I was hoping I had successfully altered yours…"

He studied him, the way Megumi did not meet his gaze. Acting as if he did not care, or was bored even. Indifferent , but Sukuna knew better. 

Megumi was stubborn and difficult to get going at first, but with the right words and the right touch, it was like a switch turned. 

Sukuna was about to do what he did best and seduce him into a mess, but Megumi was quickly heading out the door. "I'll be gathering info."

Sukuna groaned. When would he give himself a break?

Retreated into his own domain, he watched from his estate how Megumi gradually worked himself into the group of darmers drinking by the fire at the inn. 

There was nothing "rural" about Megumi and it showed, from his silky hair to dirtless nails. He had already disclosed he was an academic, and so Sukuna expected that it would not be easy becoming one of the crowd. 

However, the villagers were welcoming, and Megumi was not the stuck-up, holier-than-thou type. 

He complimented the farmsteads he had seen, the serene nature and clean air, and showed interest in the history of the village and their families. 

"There's been a small population here for hundreds of years. The chapel is early medieval, if not older." 

"Interesting. I'll be sure to appreciate the architecture on the morrow. And so the graves… They must be old too?" 

As the conversation approached the topic Megumi was after, the tone went from joyful to depressive. 

"Suppose so. Lots of bodies in the earth, many of them without markers too. As is natural, with time. All bones by now."

"For such an old town, there must have been a sorcerer recorded in its history, right?" 

Mr. Prichard who was smoking a pipe, let out a cloud of smoke. "Yer one of them, are ya?" 

A silence fell over the table. 

Of course some part of them had known, St. Faustus was the nearest town, known for it's department of sorcerers at the university and for the headquarters of the Sorcerer's Association. 

Even so, they changed their demeanour around Megumi, knowing it for certain. 

"If by that you mean a sorcerer, then yes."

"Our quiet village would not have this problem if it weren't for sorcery. It's a blight on the earth, causing destruction and terror where it travels." 

Megumi skillfully avoided getting drawn into a discussion on prejudice, and focused on the facts.

"So you have reason to believe there was sorcery behind this?" 

"Us common, uninteresting folks feel it too. It doesn't take some uppity scholar to feel danger, unnatural danger, when it threatens your town."

Megumi pulled out a small notebook, to write down his thoughts.

"I agree. But specifics could help me quite a lot, earlier you mentioned crops failing and animals dying?" 

"One morning, my wife went to collect eggs. Almost all our hens were dead. Only a few left alive," one of the others spoke up. "You know, she has a good sense of smell. She could smell the rot, even before stepping outside the house."

"I let the sheep out to graze the other day, and half of them came back. The other half had died someplace close to the graveyard," Mr. Prichard said. 

Sukuna could already guess why; they were living beings, drained of their lifeforce from others who needed it for themselves. Perhaps someone previously dead, perhaps someone struggling to stay alive. Someone attempting immortality, who challenged the rules of life. 

Livestock were however not the most nourishing, at least not according to the cannibalistic necromancer they had previously crossed paths with. 

Sorcerers were.

"If you want the real clues, go ask priest Claude. He's the most shaken up of us all. He won't even hold sunday service. You would think he would comfort us in these times, but apparently he does not believe much in God's power anymore." 

"Or perhaps he's too god-fearing." 

The group started talking about the priest amongst themselves, laughing quietly and started discussing which one of them would be a better priest instead. 

With the mood a bit lighter, Megumi thanked them for their time and excused himself. 

It was fairly late by then; he hit the mattress with a deep sigh, and so Sukuna couldn't find it in himself to pester him about indulging in more pleasurable activities. Sukuna joined Megumi instead, and it did not take long for Megumi to cuddle up to him in his sleep–head against his chest, arm around his waist. 

It had become such a familiar sensation, and one that filled Sukuna with a different kind of pleasure that did not make much sense to him. 

Early in the morning, before the innkeeper even prepared a simple toast for breakfast, Megumi was out the door heading towards the church. 

It had rained in the night, so the ground was wet and a fog stretched across the fields. 

Some farmers in the distance were walking about, but other than that the village seemed to still be asleep.

"Seems fairly unsuspecting in daylight," Megumi mumbled, and although it may have seemed to be to himself, Sukuna had found that whenever he had to hide away, Megumi still talked to him. It was a sort of ridiculous thing too; Sukuna, even when apart from Megumi, still spent most of his time in front of the mirror. Yes, a contract bound them together, but Sukuna's investment in Megumi's life was purely his own doing.

The church was not large at all; it was a chapel from the 10th century, consisting of a simple nave and chancel. The windows were not intricate, but some were of stained glass.

The graveyard was not large, and Megumi located the robbed grave quickly. 

Unmarked, not even with a cross. 

"Whose to say how old it was? Could be nine hundred years old, or a grave from last year."

Sukuna appeared next to him. "Whose to say a corpse was taken at all?" 

There were no signs of a coffin, or bones. 

Megumi raised his brows. "The priest, I suppose."

The church itself was locked. However, there was another building on the grounds. It was quaint, old and made of stone too, but it seemed much more hospitable. 

Megumi knocked on the door with a heavy iron knocker, and after a minute, the door opened. 

A surprisingly young man, perhaps in his thirties, revealed himself. His light brown hair was tucked back in an attempt to seem put together, but his eyes seemed tired, even bloodshot, and his skin was dry with deep lines forming. 

He looked like a worried man.

"Hello. How may I help you?" 

"Good morning. My name is Megumi, I'm from St. Faustus. Are you Claude, the priest of this chapel?" 

"I am, yes," he answered, a bit weary. 

"You may have been in correspondence with my professor, Gojo. I'm here to investigate the disappearance."

"Disappearances," priest Claude said. 

Megumi cocked an eyebrow. "There are several? We-" 

He stopped himself. " I looked at the open grave. Were there several corpses taken from there? 

"Come in for a cup of tea. It's nasty business to talk about this so early in the morning."

Despite the priest's unkempt appearance, the house was quite tidy and not too cluttered. He seemed to have been a scholar, with many books in his bookshelves not only about theology. 

Megumi immediately took an interest, scanning the shelves while he drank tea. 

"What drew you to the church?" Megumi asked. 

He had undoubtedly sensed the priest's uneasiness, and attempted to build some rapport. 

"Aside from belief… Helping people. In the best and worst moments of human life. It is both invigorating and humbling work." 

Megumi nodded. "A noble reason."

"I found Him everywhere I looked. I was a student, interested in language, the arts, history. There is so much beauty and intrigue in those intersections between belief and culture… Perhaps I was seduced."

His eyes seemed locked to Megumi, and he had not taken a single sip of his own tea. 

He did not seem like the nervous wreck Sukuna had expected. 

"Perhaps you can relate," the priest said. 

Megumi turned around. "I'm not particularly religious, to be honest." 

Claude frowned. "I find that hard to believe. Forgive me for being straight-forward, but… I've been sensitive somewhat, all my life. I tend to read people quite well. I think you are deeply religious."

Megumi stilled, obviously taken aback. 

"It surrounds you. Perhaps not the right kind… Demonic energy latches onto your back. You must feel it, the claws digging into your skin. Hurting you. I think you have a more intimate connection to religion than most."

The priest's words made Sukuna question himself, wondering if a remnant of him was visible to the naked eye. But he was still in Inferno, observing through the mirror. 

Nobody had seen him unless he wanted them too. 

"I'm a sorcerer," Megumi said, as if to cover up the terrible truth. "I'm sure we dabble in magic that is at odds with the church." 

"Yes," the priest admitted. "But you have not dabbled in the worst kind, the kind that disturbs the balance of life and death. But you have been near it, almost fallen victim to it, before…"

Sukuna had wanted to discard the priest's ramblings as religious lunacy, but his statements were true. Perhaps he was sensitive, to all things normally hidden from humans. 

"Either way, you are here to fight against such abominations. That is what matters."

"Necromancy," Megumi spoke plainly, as it seemed like the priest had already uncovered him. "It has been ravaging St. Faustus. Our theory is that someone is trying to harness power from long dead sorcerers, perhaps through reanimating them."

With that, pastor Claude's face whitened. 

"Disturbing the dead in their graves. It is horrible."

"I need you to show me where it happened. And I need you to tell me all you know about sorcerers that may have been buried here," Megumi said, putting his cup down. 

Hesitantly, the pastor nodded. 

First, they stopped at the obvious crime scene, the hole Megumi and Sukuna had already looked at. 

Claude did not know whose it was, and had not even known for certain that there was a grave there due to the lack of cross or tombstone. However, he quickly pointed out details they had missed, the fact that beneath the rubble, the dirt almost made densely packed walls, indicating that a casket had at one point been there. 

Nothing indicated that it belonged to a sorcerer, however. 

"I will open the chapel for you… But you'll have to forgive me for not joining you inside. I am… shaken up, you see. Until the Lord has calmed me, I would rather stay out." 

There was apparently a second grave that had been disturbed. And it was within the chapel, hidden in a cellar beneath the chancel. Directly under the holiest of places. 

After turning the heavy iron lock, the priest practically ran back to his house.

"Interesting man," Sukuna said, as he appeared inside the church, in the middle of the nave. "He was a bit off though, about the hurting you bit."

Well, perhaps not. Sukuna was not always on his best behaviour. 

"But your claws," Megumi said, humor in his voice. "He was however absolutely correct. It was odd." 

He gave Sukuna a small smile.

"I can't believe I'm walking around with your demonic energy all over me," he mumbled. 

While it wasn't ideal to be sensed, Sukuna could not help but feel a twisted satisfaction. 

"It's only natural, when I have been all over you… and inside you," he whispered into Megumi's ear, a rush of desire coursing through his nerves. 

Oh, how he loved it when the tips of his ears turned red. When Megumi, normally so stoic and collected, faltered with embarrassment and excitement. 

Megumi turned to him, eyes lidded, but more so in a silent warning than giving into him. 

"Let's find the tomb," he simply said.

The church was simple; some faded frescoes decorated the wall, a crucifix hung above the chancel, and no candles were lit. It was obvious the priest had been too frightened to attend to it. 

Just beneath the altar, there was an open hatch. He had probably not bothered to close it either, after discovering the robbery. 

"Do you think it's the same person behind this?" Megumi asked, reffering to the cathedral in St. Faustus.

Sukuna was flattered that Megumi wanted his counsel, but felt nonetheless inadequate when he could not give an answer. 

"This lacks a victim," Sukuna said.

"Maybe the victim never mattered, and was only collateral." 

"So, your theory is one necromancer?" 

"A couple, is more likely. Someone working together. Relying on one another's sorcery," Megumi said. "I think the cannibal acted alone. He was rotting, even with all the poor souls wandering into the house, would he ever get the energy to get out of his den?" 

"These people have moved around, dug up graves, killed… All while dodging the entire community of top-educated sorcerers," Sukuna added to Megumi's train of thought. 

"They're young. Not chasing immortality, not yet… They might be ordinary sorcerers even."

Megumi stared into the abyss of the cellar, not yet daring to move. 

"I know at least one young sorcerer who has dabbled in forbidden sorcery, and who was made stronger because of it," Sukuna said. 

"The irony," Megumi mumbled. "I can't imagine Satoru would find it funny if he found out."

"What is the worst that you've done?" Sukuna asked. "Gotten yourself suspended? Made someone hard? Broken a heart? At least you're not reanimating the dead."

"It's just that I don't know if I should be the one to point fingers."

"You're not the judge. As much as I would love if you would abandon your morals… you're only doing your duty." 

A light tapping noise caught their attention. The weather had turned, and rain drummed against the windows. 

Megumi descended into the cellar and Sukuna followed him. 

It smelled like it was centuries old. The wooden and probably rotten stairs creaked, and the ground was simply dirt. 

"Illumina." 

Megumi's spell brightened the room enough to see what was in it. 

It was not big at all, the ceiling was low and Sukuna had to bend his head a little to stay upright. Only a few metres ahead was a casket, or sarcophagus more like. 

It was intricately decorated with acanthus vines, winged beings, flowers and numerals carved in relief. 

"Must have been someone important," Megumi mumbled. "And old. Fourth or fifth century perhaps."

He touched the carvings, following the patterns with his fingers. 

"Could be older than the church."

"Yes… However, I cannot imagine what good it would do reanimating someone so old, only the bones would be left." 

"Let's open it up to confirm it first," Sukuna said, and both of them started pushing the stone lid. 

Once it started moving and revealed the contents of the tomb, Megumi jumped back. 

"Christ," he mumbled, calming himself down. 

A skull had stared right up at him. 

"Still there it seems." 

Megumi nodded slowly. "But… Is this supposed to be the corpse that was taken?" 

A couple of noises, followed with a loud bang that unmistakably was the hatch that had closed, made them both realise the answer. 

It was a lie. 

They shared a look of understanding. 

The priest had so easily fooled them by feigning his fear. 

"Priest Claude?" Megumi asked, loudly. 

They didn't hear much except for a quiet mumble, what might have been a prayer, but which was a spell. 

"He's a sorcerer," Megumi said. 

A dark matter started covering the hatch, forming shapes like chains. 

"Claude!" Megumi yelled, in an attempt to understand the situation. 

"I have no choice but to do this," the priest finally said.

Megumi faced Sukuna. "Transport us." 

Sukuna were about to do as he asked, but the moment he tried concentrating, his mind turned pitch black. 

He groaned at the pain, like an intense headache, and suddenly found his limbs unmoving. 

Skeletal hands wrapped around his wrists.

Megumi's eyes were wide open, round like planets. Like a marionette puppet, the skeleton had moved and had somehow locked him down. 

He should've had the strength to tear himself loose, it was purely bones, but he was completely paralyzed. 

He could not even return to Inferno, as if both his mind and body was hindered with a blockade. 

"Under His holy roof, demons shall face punishment," Claude said. "And so shall the sorcerer who aided the abomination."

Megumi had to find a way out of there quickly. If this priest could contain a demon then surely he would have no trouble containing him. 

If there was ever a time for Megumi to put his new abilities to the test, it was now. 

Sukuna could see that he attempted to focus. Megumi's illumination spell went out, and it immediately drowned the cellar in darkness. 

He could not see it, but he felt the moment Megumi disappeared.

The seconds became unbearably long. It didn't help that the bones tightened around his limbs even more. 

Sukuna tried to listen, but there was such a loud pounding in his head that he could barely register anything. 

The priest's muttering of spells abruptly stopped. Not soon after, something thumped loudly against the floor. 

The grip on Sukuna's arms loosened, and the skeleton retreated into its tomb in a pile of bones, like all life was sucked out of them at once. 

The hatch was flung open, revealing Megumi looking down at him, unharmed and barely out of breath. 

"Help me, quickly," he said. 

The priest was slumped on the floor, apparently knocked out. Megumi had used a candelabra, a heavy thing of iron. 

The side of his head was bleeding, but his chest still rose; he was not dead yet. 

"I need to question him," Megumi said when Sukuna made no immediate moves. 

"This one's dangerous. He incapacitated me. We have to kill him-" 

"He's dangerous, and weak. He had planned that ambush, from the moment he contacted Gojo! Now he's at our mercy." 

Sukuna sighed. Megumi had made up his mind. 

There was a spell that could be useful, one that through the power of suggestion, made the victim docile and subservient. 

It did however take a lot of energy, and was risky to attempt with someone like that. 

Therefore, Megumi summoned Nue to serve as an additional layer of safety. 

They worked fast. A chair and a silk rope taken from the enclosure of the altar would barely detain a mere child, but hopefully it would keep him still enough for Sukuna to cast his curse. 

Megumi and Nue observed, ready to jump in if something went wrong. 

As soon as Claude seemed to awaken, Sukuna spoke to him: "Serve, honeste loquere mecum." 

His shoulders shook, as if he restrained the invasive spell. His eyelids fluttered open and shut, before his eyes rolled to the back of his head, indicating he was losing proper conciousness. 

"Will you answer our questions?" Sukuna asked. 

Claude nodded, slowly. 

"Confirm it vocally." 

"Yes," he uttered, in a wispy voice. 

"What did you intend to do to us?" 

"I…" Claude hesitated. He was not completely out of it, and there was probably a part of him fighting to gain back his autonomy. "... was instructed to trap and incapacitate you."

His explanation was short, and he did not give them more than what was asked. 

Megumi leaned forward. "Why?" 

"My master wishes to harness both of your energies to become stronger."

"Who is your master?" Sukuna asked. 

"I do not know his name. He is Master."

"Have you met him?" 

"I do not recall."

Megumi raised a brow. "You do not recall if you've met your master? How does that make sense?" 

Beads of sweat rolled down Claude's temple. This was straining him. 

It was exhausting for Sukuna too, the resistance was greater than anticipated. 

"I… It does not? I do not know…"

He sounded deeply confused, and it was obvious his mind had been tampered with. He might have already been cursed, making Sukuna's spell less effective. 

"Did your master take the corpses of departed sorcerers?" Megumi asked. 

Claude's mouth almost seemed sewn shut; they were pressed together tightly and started trembling. He wished so badly to keep his mouth shut, but he could not stop himself from answering. 

"Yes," he croaked out. 

"Why?" 

"B-bodies remember. Even when minds and organs fail."

"Answer me properly. What are the bodies used for?" 

Sukuna quickly shot a warning glance towards Megumi. Claude's bodily aches were transferred to him like a chain keeping them locked together. 

He could not keep this up. 

"Their sorcery and experiences makes them into useful pawns, t.. t… to…"

Megumi huffed with frustration. "Who are they? Which sorcerers?" 

"Suguru Geto… H-Haruta Shigemo… Ryu Ishigori… T… Tengen… T.. To…" 

It became harder and harder for him to speak. He tried to spit the last word out, but it became incomplete. 

He bit down, hard, so hard that blood sprayed from his mouth and half his tongue fell to the floor. 

Sukuna and Megumi both stepped back at the display, as the priest wailed in agony. 

He broke out of his restraints, toppling over in the process, and with a clearly intentional, almost supernatural force, he smashed his head against the stone tiles. 

They could barely react before he did so a second time, this time splitting open his skull. 

As blood and brain matter sprawled out of the wound, the priest laid on the floor, spasming like a fish. 

It did not take long for him to stop moving entirely. 

He had taken his own life, and nothing about it seemed natural. 

"Oh god," Megumi mumbled, turning away from the gory mess. 

"He most certainly did not do that of his own volition," Sukuna said.

"Can even you do that? Force someone to kill themself?" 

"No. It's not part of my nature… Perhaps some other kind of demon, or even angel, would have such abilities, but even then it's very advanced. We influence and suggest, but the farthest I can take it is what I just did."

Megumi dragged a hand over his face. 

"So it might not even be a sorcerer who is behind all this. If they are this powerful… Then I wonder why any sorcerer societies have not been attacked yet."

"This power is not theirs, but is borrowed. They needed to replenish, and that fuel was supposedly us." 

Despite the abrupt end to their interrogation, they had still gained useful clues. 

A clearer motive and a list of sorcerers. 

"Since it's one singular master… Can we assume he is the brain behind it all? It does not exclude the potential helpers. But they might also be under control, like the priest was," Megumi wondered. "Who's to say he was guilty at all, or only under some sort of compulsion? Then anyone could become pawns against their will." 

He was already jumping many steps ahead.

"If so, we will plan accordingly. But let's start with what we have. This was a trap, and even if he spoke truthfully, we must remember the situation itself was orchestrated."

"Right," Megumi mumbled.

They headed back to the tavern, after placing the body in the morgue by the church. Megumi had decided he would tell the villagers about the situation, at least parts of it, for their own safety. 

He broke the news to the innkeeper and two old farmers who were already several glasses down. These news were unusual and shocking, and were met with gasps, disbelief and unsurprisingly, suspicion. 

Yet, Megumi managed to somewhat convince them that what had transpired was not his doing. They had found the priest's behaviour so odd that they believed he had either lost his mind, or had become someone's puppet, if not an aid to the devil himself. 

Sukuna almost laughed at the thought of appearing in front of them, but Megumi would surely not find it very funny. 

They were not done with the local investigation, but Megumi made the decision to head back to St. Faustus. Instead, he planned to have Gojo send someone else to Blythemoor to tie up the loose ends. 

There were too many leads that needed to be explored, and Megumi was already stressing about how to tell the story to Gojo. 

"It's simple, omit me from the conversation," Sukuna said as the vehicle shook and rattled across the country road. Megumi was not a great driver, clearly new to it, but Sukuna had no experience with such technology so he refrained from complaining. 

"Ah yes, simple. I'll just say I hypnotised him or something," Megumi mumbled sarcastically. 

"Or omit the spell entirely."

"He bit his own tongue off, and smashed his head. How do I explain that?" 

"Look, it is simple. You investigated, he tricked you, shut you inside, you used your new abilities to escape, got the upper hand, captured him for questioning, and he killed himself to avoid spilling information."

"Then how do I explain the clues, and no I cannot keep them from Gojo, this is far too important. It concerns him too."

Sukuna raised his shoulders. "Say you tortured it out of him. Blame it on your sorcery getting out of hand, messing him up a bit."

Megumi didn't come with another remark, and kept his eyes focused on the road ahead. 

"I suppose that will have to work."

Sukuna leaned back, relaxing. "You worry over arbitrary things."

"I'm sure if I was a demon, say a demon king even, I'd have no worries at all. But alas, us humans are simply flawed like that. Our lives are far too short and fickle," Megumi said.

He was right of course, sometimes Sukuna forgot. Until he blinked, and Megumi was in danger, a simple mistake away from death. Then he remembered.

The feeling that followed, that rush of urgency and action, could perhaps be described as worry too. 

Chapter Text

Once again, as he had done countless of times–usually for the right reasons, and occasionally for the wrong ones–Megumi had locked himself in at the library, deep into his research in the middle of the night. 

Kiyotaka had given up arguing with him about it a long time ago, especially because of the ongoing investigation. 

The air over St. Faustus was heavy, even as spring rolled around with hopeful buds blooming in fields and trees. The pressure was getting stronger, and more students had gotten roped into the case. Thankfully, Megumi's suspension had ended, and they were finally getting somewhere. Gojo had not questioned Megumi's version of the trip, at least not to his face. 

The list of names given by Blythemoor's priest consisted of both known sorcerers, and rather obscure ones. 

Suguru Geto, sorcerer who turned against mankind in a massacre. Previously the best friend of Gojo, also killed by him. While the massacre was remembered by many older sorcerers, it had been politically buried and was not talked about to students. 

Ryu Ishigori. A 400-year old sorcerer with extremely destructive sorcery and combat, apparently with a magic reserve unlike no other ever recorded in history. 

Tengen, one of the oldest sorcerers mentioned in sources. Considered a myth by some, and historical by others. 

Then there was Haruta Shigemo, who Megumi and seemingly everyone else, knew close to nothing about. 

Megumi had revealed the intentions of the so called "Master" to Gojo, and mentioned how the body "remembered". It gave him another angle when he were to explore the relation between Geto and the necromancy. With the new information, keeping the investigation confidential was also no longer possible; students, as they were helping, knew far more than the Sorcerer's Association cared for.

Gojo also had to inform the Association of clues he himself had kept hidden, which further complicated the process, as now it became an issue of bureaucracy. They expected to be kept in the loop at all times, and to be the final voice in discussions. 

Despite that, Gojo did not wait for decisions to be made. They needed progress, and so help from the students was crucial. 

While his classmates brushed up on knowledge of the well-known sorcerers, Megumi's task was one of the harder ones. He needed to scour archives for any information on Haruta Shigemo.

Finding sources was not as simple as shouting his name into a library in a spell, and expect books and compendiums to eagerly fly towards him. He had to be far more specific, and visit the proper shelves. Books had a life of their own as well, much like Megumi had experienced in the cellar, and could deceive, seduce and confuse too. 

He was currently looking through the entire inventory of the library, which itself was a Sisyphean task, as it covered numerous volumes, all several hundred pages each. 

It did not help that Megumi's eyelids were getting heavy. 

He laid out the volumes in front of him, realising that mindlessly flipping the pages did nothing.

"Registros familiares," Megumi asked, disappointed when nothing happened. Books were sometimes helpful, sometimes not. 

All of a sudden, the pages started flipping themselves, revealing the pages which were worth looking through. 

"Thank you," he said. 

After fifteen minutes scouring the titles of family records, Megumi found some that may lead him in the right direction. 

He had no idea when Haruta lived, which made the task infinitely harder, and so he found the records that spanned over the longest period, a complete compendium of sorcerer families from 800 to 1800 AD. Of course, it was by no means complete, there were bound to be families that have no records, or families who were not involved with sorcer societies despite being sorcerers themselves. 

The span of it was impressive nonetheless, and the fact that it had information from a hundred years ago, made it one of the more recent historical records.

Megumi found which shelf number it was on, and located it within the library. 

It was easy to spot as well; it was over 2000 pages thick. It was a small mercy to find it so easily, but a great annoyance to realise that he had to read through it all. 

He felt a warmth in his belly, and Sukuna appeared next to him, reaching for the book. 

"Heavy thing," he said, as took it down from the shelf. "How will you get through this in one night?" 

"You don't happen to be a fast reader do you?" Megumi asked. 

"I do not care for it."

Megumi scoffed. Of course not. What he cared for was physical activities. 

Sukuna carried the book for him, and placed it on his desk. 

He looked at the leather-bound monster of a register, and flipped it open. The writing was incredibly small and nearly indecipherable. In a desperate hope that perhaps the book would cooperate, Megumi asked it for the family name Shigemo. 

"Please," he begged. 

Not a single page budged. 

He groaned loudly, and collapsed on the desk. He felt Sukuna's fingers brush against his spine. 

"Perhaps you should retire for the night, blessing," he murmured. 

His uncharacteristically gentle touch made the hairs on his arms stand up. Megumi simultaneously wanted him to stop, and to continue. 

"I wanted to at least figure out something today," Megumi mumbled into the wooden desk. 

Sukuna's touch continued, up into his hair, brushing against the tips of his ears, his wide thumbs massaging his shoulders. Megumi could not help the slight whimper that escaped him at the soothing sensation. 

"You should sleep, and regain your energy." 

He had been tired, and he knew he needed sleep. But somehow it was ebbing away, replaced with other needs. 

Megumi bit his lip, savouring his touch even more. 

He took a deep breath, and turned his head to peer up at Sukuna, hoping the look would be enough to convey it all. 

Of course Sukuna knew what he was doing. Not a single touch was unintentional. Megumi realised his cruel manipulation the second their eyes met. He probably wanted Megumi to beg for it. 

"How about it, blessing? What do you feel like doing?" 

Perhaps he wanted Sukuna to beg for it too. 

So, Megumi released a long, obscene sigh as he got up, making sure to lean forward against the desk while he brushed against Sukuna's front. It was a far too deliberate move to be misunderstood, yet Megumi continued to play innocent. 

"I suppose I'll head home," he said, looking over his shoulder. An idea struck him, one that would either move things along or unleash hell. "I wonder if Yuuji is still up." 

He discreetly licked his lips. "Perhaps I'll visit him before bed."

Megumi had anticipated a reaction and was well aware he was playing with fire. Despite that, he could barely brace himself for Sukuna's wrath before he was bent over the desk again, rough hands holding him down. 

No gentle touch this time, instead Sukuna was pressed up against him, his bulge poking him like a warning.

The feeling was already thrilling, and Megumi wondered at which exact point had he been so broken that this excited him. 

"Have I been too good to you lately?" Sukuna murmured. "Too soft-handed? That is my mistake. You are after all…" 

He leaned down, body looming over his, pressing further against as if the layers of clothing between them were not even there. "... My little slut," he whispered. 

Megumi should've hated the shiver than went through him, the electric zaps of desire that pooled to his crotch. But he was done with all that. Sukuna made him feel good, in an otherworldly way he had never experienced before, and which he could not imagine would be experienced with anyone else. 

"I'm awfully clothed and unfilled to be a slut, don't you think?" 

Sukuna's face was just out of his view, but he could almost imagine the self-discipline disappearing from his features. 

"Let's fix that," Sukuna said, and promptly lifted Megumi's hips, and then pulled down his pants all the way to his ankles in one quick motion. 

And from that point onwards, there was no slowing down. 

Layers of clothing were strewn all over the wooden floors, the desks, and onto a nearby bookshelf. It was utterly disrespectful–not only making a mess, but fucking amongst centuries worth of knowledge. 

Megumi found it hard to reflect on that with Sukuna pounding him stupid. 

In the morning his muscles would ache, and he'd be full of bruises from the rough edge of the desk digging into his abdomen. In the present moment however, Megumi was completely oblivious to it, with pleasure clouding his mind. 

He was getting close, and only then did he remember the books on the desk beneath him. "Wait, wait," Megumi exasperatedly pleaded. No matter which delirious state of mind he was in, he would rather die than stain the books and the furniture with his shame. 

Sukuna, following his train of thought, chuckled and then grabbed Megumi's cock. 

Megumi was about to curse at him for trying to make him screw up, but then his cock was swallowed by Sukuna's hand-mouth. The sensation immediately brought Megumi over the edge, and he came into the abyss of his hand, leaving the furniture and books clean. 

Not longer after, Sukuna reached his own climax and filled him up. Megumi immediately collapsed again, head dropping to the desk as he tried to catch his breath. 

Sukuna playfully slapped his ass, and cleaned up any remnants of semen spilling down Megumi's thighs. 

Megumi, with eyes barely open, languidly watched the lamplight, muted by the green glass shade. 

Suddenly, the lighting in the room changed, as a shadow crossed the wall. It was only for a short second, but it was as if someone had moved, either from inside the building or outside the stained glass windows. 

"Did you see that?" Megumi asked and lifted his head, quickly alert. He immediately got up and started grabbing his clothes. "Someone walked by," he whispered, clumsily pulling his garments on. 

"Oh really? I'm not at my most observant, after such a fun time."

Megumi scoffed. Useless demon. 

"If someone saw us…" he mumbled, already dreading the worst. 

"Don't worry just yet. It could have been nothing, or an animal." 

Megumi closed all the books spread out on the desk, put them away, and kept the family records under his arm. "You know it's not. Now, do you mind fucking off? So we don't get caught," Megumi asked. 

This obviously displeased Sukuna and ruined his mood. After shooting Megumi a raging glare, he disappeared into thin air. 

Megumi let out a stressed breath, turned off the lamp, and headed towards the exit. 

Just as he opened the heavy library door, a figure stood right in front of it. 

It caught him completely by surprise, and he could not help but shout and jump back. 

He quickly realised it was Gojo. 

"Oh," he mumbled, putting a hand on his chest. "It's you."

Gojo smiled, clearly amused. "My apologies, I did not mean to scare you."

"What are you doing up?" Megumi asked as he went through the doorway. 

"Went for a walk, I couldn't sleep. Then I saw the light was on, so I came to investigate. I should've guessed it was you, researching well into the night." 

Megumi chuckled half-heartedly. If Gojo actually had seen him and Sukuna, he was completely fucked. "Well, it's getting late, even for me."

"Found something interesting?" Gojo nodded towards the book under his arm. "It better not be another demonic book from the basement." 

Megumi's breath caught in his throat. "Um… No, this is just family records. I'll look through it to see if I can find anything on Haruta Shigemo." 

Gojo nodded, pleased. "Well, good luck. But you should get some sleep. Come on, I'll walk you home," he said, and patted Megumi's back. 

For the few minutes of walking it took to get to the dorm, Megumi could not think of anything except the nervous pounding of his heart, and how he hoped it was not so loud that Gojo could hear it. 

It took a couple of days of research before Megumi could find anything substantial on Haruta. He spent mornings in his bed, drinking coffee as he flipped through the heavy book, and continued the research in the library.

He would've loved to call himself an expert on family history from the 800's to 1800's by now, but he frankly did not have the time to absorb anything else but let his eyes skim page after page until he came across noteworthy keywords and names.

He spent his days like that by himself; Sukuna had not appeared for a while, and Megumi assumed he was still bitter about being sent away. Not that Megumi minded. He needed to concentrate, and Sukuna was always a distraction. 

Eventually, the pieces started to fall into place as Megumi came across the Shigemo family in the register. 

They were a prominent family in the 14th century, however they were less involved with sorcery, and more involved with the church. Haruta's father was a bishop, as was his father before him. The records did not reveal much other than the fact that Haruta had broken the tradition and did not become the next bishop, and had died quite young, only twenty. 

Megumi followed this lead further and pulled out St. Faustus' church records, and even went to the cathedral to take a look at their collection of books, letters, and manuscripts. Thankfully he did not run into the rude priest again, and continued studying in peace. 

Perhaps his most interesting find was a letter written by Haruta's older sister, addressed to their father, and an illuminated page of a manuscript. 

The letter was highly religious in nature. Haruta had been sent away for schooling in a monastery when he was a young boy, to "set the boy on the right course" as the bishop had written to the monks in a letter. Their father was afraid of "superstitious acts" done by Haruta as a child, but the sister on the other hand saw the acts as divine.  

"His visions are incredible," the sister wrote. "Father, I wish you would consider that the Lord works his miracles through him. We should spread word of his miracles, and not shun him." 

Apparently Haruta had quite a few near-death experiences in his childhood. He had fallen into a mote and had almost drowned, he had caught the Black Death and had survived weeks of terrible sickness, and a barn he was playing in had caught fire. The barn had burned down with him in it, and somehow, his body was physically unscorned, despite the fact that he was proclaimed dead; he had suffocated in the smoke.  

A day later, he woke up in the morgue like nothing had happened.  

The bishop had believed this was not the work of God, but of the devil, because he had caught the boy talking to people who were not there, and making wooden toys levitate. 

Megumi suspected that he had likely been a lonely boy, with sorcery that his father had not wanted to acknowledge as anything other than heresy. 

Apparently his sister had been in his corner, and the monks at the monastery had also found his powers and visions of realms beyond remarkable and heavenly. 

And so, from that came the holy texts. 

Megumi read the latin poetry in the illuminated manuscript, in gothic ornate letters:

Death could not take him, the boy undying 

Not even water, fire or the Black Death itself

The Lord protected him within the palm of his hand 

The boy undying locked himself away, to worship the Lord

Fond of the boy, the Lord took him to heaven

And so ended the boy undying's earthly miracles

The short story was accompanied with a beautiful painting in gold, red and green, of a boy with golden hair smiling as a dagger was wedged right in his chest. 

It was a confusing turn of events, if to be taken literally. Megumi did not believe in it, in the traditional sense; that seemingly God's favourite was whisked away, or that God worked through him at all. 

No, he believed Haruta had simply been a sorcerer, and one with incredible powers. With the worst possible luck, and the most incredible miracles that followed. 

He had essentially been seen as immortal from surviving extreme suffering-drowning, suffocation, plague-and so the lonely young sorcerer took matters into his own hands, and ended his own life.

Such resilience, what was as close to immortality as one could get, would of course be of interest to a nercomancer if it could somehow be harnessed. 

Megumi summarised his research and his theory in a report he planned to deliver to Gojo, as part of the official investigation.

He stopped by Gojo's apartment to find him deep within his own research. Megumi handed him the documents, and briefly talked through it.

"I felt oddly connected to him," Megumi admitted, although he preferred not to talk so casually about his own opinion on cases like that. "He was only a sorcerer, on one hand considered a devil, and on another considered a saint. It must have been an exhausting existence…" 

Gojo didn't answer him, and seemed to be thinking of other things. Megumi found this strange, and started picking up on an ominous, and yet familiar energy in the room. 

The book Gojo had been researching was open on the table; the Daemones ab inferno.

Gojo, who had been leaning onto his hand deep in thought, turned his gaze to Megumi. 

"I suppose you recognise it," he mumbled. "I was so angry with you when I realised you had been playing around with it, and so relieved when nothing had come from it."

He got up from the sofa, and immediately made Megumi feel smaller in the shade of his taller frame.

"I therefore expected that I could safely put the book away, and would never need to see it again." 

A cold shiver went down Megumi's spine, and he knew where Gojo was headed. And there was not much for Megumi to do but stand there, and await for him to reach the destination. 

"But then I saw something which made me a bit worried… Something unnatural, not belonging to this world. I've been thinking about it the last few days. And I'm so sorry, Megumi, but I need to confirm it for myself, and hopefully be proven wrong."

Megumi let his lips fall open, as he stared wide-eyed at Gojo who started to draw a shape in the air, as he uttered a spell. 

"Revela te ipsum, daemon." 

Megumi's abdomen suddenly felt warm, as he was used to by now whenever Sukuna appeared, however this time the warmth increased, and stung like someone pricked needles into his skin and then pulled and squeezed his organs. 

It was burning hot, and he clutched his lower belly as he gritted his teeth to withstand the pain. 

The pain did pass quickly, and that was also when he knew that Sukuna was there in the room, standing behind him. 

Megumi could barely stand facing Gojo at that moment, to see that inevitable disappointment and anger in his eyes. Gojo who always smiled, laughed, called him terms of endearment, and ruffled his hair. 

When Megumi did look at him, he was however shocked by the sadness there, and it made him feel worse than anything else. 

"It seems I was right," Gojo uttered quietly. The sheer calmness in his voice was terrifying.

"You dare to force me into this realm?" Sukuna asked, voice reverberating in the room. "What a way to get yourself killed." 

"We'll see," Gojo simply said, and merciless judgement flashed in his eyes. He was ready to fight him. 

Megumi could physically feel the tension approaching the point of collision; Sukuna burned like a furnace, and Gojo's hands twitched like energy was weaving between his fingers. 

"No!" Megumi shouted, and put himself between them. "Do not even try to fight," he said, and looked at Gojo with begging eyes. "This is a death sentence."

Then he turned to Sukuna. "And you… You promised me. You signed that contract, you cannot hurt him." 

Sukuna glanced down at him, like he was only an obstacle in the way of his goal. "A contract which I can break, whenever."

Megumi was stunned to silence. Yes, he could. But had they not been through enough by now, for him to respect his wishes? Would he whisk away the progress of their intimacy and all the confusing and terrible and wonderful moments that had come from it, just to hurt someone he loved?

He must have looked petrified, because Sukuna's stern expression softened. 

Megumi's eyes burned. He could barely stand this anymore, fully knowing that it was all his fault, that his mistakes and lies had caught up with him in a terrifying storm that would surely leave him in pieces. 

And break the few bonds that he treasured in his life. 

"I need to talk with him," Megumi quietly said, voice wavering. "So please leave. Please," he begged Sukuna. 

Sukuna sighed, a rumbling sound that was far more authoritative than Megumi was used to, and cast a final glance at Gojo; a warning, that he could and would end him if it came to it. 

When he was gone, and Gojo's apartment was completely silent, and not any less tense, Megumi bit his lip. 

What could he even say?

"Have you lost your mind?" Gojo asked, and the sincerity of his question made Megumi irrationally annoyed. "Because I have seen sorcerers lose their minds before, and I have dealt with them myself, even my best friend, my soulmate." 

"Of course not! I'm stupid, I made a huge mistake and then many more, and I lied, but I'm not… I'm not insane. I don't want anything bad to happen, not to anyone."

"It will, and surely it already has. You summoned a demon, Megumi, you signed its contract, and there is no way that this will not end in disaster. You have no idea the amount of danger you have put yourself and us in." 

"He is not evil. He's dangerous and incredibly powerful, but he's not trying to destroy the world. I made sure he would not!"

"It didn't sound like it to me. The demon is a manipulator, and it has clearly taken root in you. There is a reason demons should not be summoned, and it is not simply because it's our code of conduct. It's to keep us all safe!" 

Megumi straightened his back, trying to pull himself together. 

"You said it yourself in class; demons are not much different from us. He is what he is, and he cannot help the nature of his species, just like we cannot help the fact that we are sorcerers! You see him as this terrifying creature that wants nothing but death, but he is a person! He feels and he cares, just like you and me. And the amount of times he has saved my life… When you were not there, he saved me."

Megumi could almost see how the words penetrated Gojo's chest, like an arrow dipped in poison. He felt horrible for even bringing it up, but he needed to make him understand. 

"Of course I know how dangerous he is. But I also know how sensible he can be, how caring. And I know you can't possibly understand this, but… I cannot function without him. Not because of any way he may have helped my sorcery, but because… He, he makes me feel so much, and I think… I'm in love with him. I love him." 

Megumi swallowed heavily. It was the first time he had said it out loud, and the first time he had even allowed himself to actually think it. Perhaps he had lost his mind for admitting so, to Gojo at that, but could no longer repress himself.

The glass was full, and so his emotions spilled.

Gojo shook his head in disbelief, and started pacing the room. 

"This is the sort of conversation I could imagine about some other guy, someone who steals from businesses for the rush or another sorcerer who is as reckless with his magic as you. Petty thiefs and egotistical opportunists. Not a demon. You are not in love with him, you are being used by him, and you are feeding him by letting him indulge on your body! He's an incubus for God's sake, you cannot be so dumb as to believe anything you're feeling is sincere?"

Megumi did not answer. He had never been scolded like that; not as a child or a teenager. Gojo simply never got mad.

Obviously, that was proven wrong. 

Gojo threw his hands up. "You have been completely deceived. All this is, is a parasitic relationship that will kill you and those around you."

He stopped his pacing, and sat down. Megumi had never seen him at such unease; restlessly tapping his foot, rubbing his face, mood switching from angry to quiet to baffled. 

"Frankly, I am not surprised you would lead yourself down such a self-destructive road. You've always chastised yourself… but to endanger us all? Did I fail you?" Gojo's voice faltered. "Is this on me? Where did I go wrong? I know I'm not a good guardian-" 

"No, stop!-" Megumi begged, tears spilling down his cheeks by this point. "You did not fail me."  

He sharply inhaled. "I got swept up in it, in this imaginary monster in my head who could not stop pressuring me. To perform better, become stronger, smarter, to sacrifice for it. Then I made a mistake and I wish I could've undone it, but I couldn't." 

He stopped himself, scared he would say the wrong things, but changed his mind again. 

"Despite that… I do not regret it." 

Gojo's eyes widened. 

The silence that followed was deafening.

"I don't know what to say," Gojo admitted. "Well, you're not only suspended. On behalf of the dean, I'll expell you myself. And since this is a breach of the code, I'll have to inform the Association about it… What they'll do, I don't know. But you cannot stay on campus anymore. Harbouring a demon endangers the whole university."

His voice was almost clinical, detached from warmth and familiarity. 

Megumi's throat made a strangled sound. "I'll have to leave?" 

Gojo didn't say a word, and nodded as he stared into the floor. 

"But this is…" He drew a breath, in a fruitless attempt to control his breathing. "This is my home." 

And you are my family.

"You have a few days to get organised. In that time I prompt you to figure out a way to get rid of that demon. I will attempt the same. But after that, the Sorcerer's Association will be informed." 

Megumi wanted to scream, or beg. Most of all he wanted Gojo to look at him, to look him in the eye as he banished him. From what was their home. 

He had been the one thing through it all, the one constant in his life since he was a child, that he could rely on. 

Megumi felt a fool, standing there crying tears of rage and sorrow. So he turned on his heel, and left the apartment. 

He didn't head to his dorm room, and instead walked outside. At first he aimlessly wandered, but his feet slowly took him in the direction of the beach and the cliffs surrounding the Whaler's Deathbed. 

He felt Sukuna's presence, and knew he'd at some point appear, but turned away from him the minute he did. 

"I'm sorry, I need some time to think," he said, voice hoarse and thick. 

What an embarrassing mess he was.

Sukuna didn't say anything, and after hesitating for a bit, he went away. 

There was a sour wind that picked up further out by the shore; waves crashed against the cliffs leaving the stone dark and slippery. The clouds gathered into a grey veil, and rain soon followed. 

It whipped against Megumi's face almost painfully, and he could not have sunk further into the collar of his wool coat if he tried. 

But nevermind that, there was a small comfort in the rain disguising the rest of his tears. 

The ocean was too unruly for a walk on the beach, but he decided to do so anyway. He gazed out at it, the waves bobbing up and down, colliding with one another. 

He thought of the whaler who got stuck there, so close to safety but not close enough. 

What would he do once he was thrown out? 

All he had known was the halls of the university, Gojo's tiny, cluttered apartment, and his humble room with a creaky bed and a view of the campus courtyard. 

That was his community. He had nowhere else to go-not even the Zenins would want anything to do with him if the summoning was revealed to them. 

The Association would punish him. A trial, or straight to imprisonment, or if he was lucky, be fined into debt and banned from St. Faustus.

Megumi sniffled and found himself walking towards the cave. He felt called to it, like what was awaiting him was a bed with silk sheets, a warming fire and dancing candles, perhaps a jug of wine. He knew there was nothing but cold and wet rocks and pebbles, and still he fantasised. 

Could he imprison himself there? Live lavishly in the confinement of its hard, sharp walls? If Sukuna was with him… He could've stayed there for eternity.

Nothing felt impossible with him. 

The rocks were dangerous to walk on; the water slammed against the narrow pathway, washing over it again and again. If the storm continued, eventually the water would enter the cave and make it inaccessible.

He was strong enough now to sink into shadows, he could traverse it anyway, he reminded himself. No kind of prison would ever be able to truly confine him. 

But in that moment, he was anything but strong. He wasn't sure if he'd be able to do as much as summon light, or any of his creatures. 

He relied on his legs finding the right places to step, where it was not too steep, not too slippery. 

No matter how clever he tried, Megumi's shoes barely had any grip. 

And so he slipped, and had nothing to hold on to. 

For that split second, he envisioned what would follow; he'd hit the rocks and knock himself unconscious, and drown as the ocean attacked him, or he'd fall into the ocean itself, and a wave would take him, and chain him up somewhere just beneath the surface. 

He'd die just like the whaler, alone and out of reach.

In that second, he accepted his fate too. Life as he knew had come crashing down, and so perhaps there wasn't much to live for. 

However, Megumi never hit the rocks, or the ocean. Strong arms enveloped him, and kept him safe. He could've melted into that feeling, become one with the steady body behind him.

Megumi drew in sharp breaths, adrenaline and shock and despair and relief washing over him. 

"You will be okay," Sukuna murmured into his ear quietly, and repeated it again until Megumi started to believe him.

After he had calmed down, he returned to the university with Sukuna and headed into his room. He was exhausted, but his nerves refused him rest. 

"I can't believe he did that to me," Megumi murmured, as he looked around the room. He would need to pack his things. He wasn't a hoarder, but he had quite a few books, some decorative items in bronze and ivory, and a few magical knick-knacks. Most of them gifts from Gojo. 

"He doesn't want anything to do with me now. He is nearly impossible to upset, but I did that."

Sukuna, leaned against the wall, bore a serious expression.

"He was too harsh on you," he said. 

He really must have been, when a king of hell said so. 

"Will you do as he said? Find a way to get rid of me?" 

Megumi shook his head. "No."

There was something unsaid in the air. Well, Megumi had said it, but neither had addressed it. 

His confession. Perhaps Sukuna had not paid attention to it, and Megumi preferred if that was the case, but if he had heard him… He hoped he would ignore it. 

He could admit his feelings for Sukuna to himself, but to talk to him about it… He had already sold his soul to him, but that would be selling it twice. 

Sukuna was a king of inferno, not Megumi's equal. Megumi could feel things for him, perhaps even be in love with him–and yes, he was pathetic, but would not fool himself to believe that a demon would reciprocate his feelings. 

Megumi could manage with the way things were. The intimacy was enough, the deep kisses, the ravenous desire.

He felt fulfilled enough. 

Megumi ignored the odd tension in the air, and Sukuna's unreadable body language, and started stripping out of his wet clothes. "It's so cold," he complained, tossing the garments into a corner. 

Then he made himself comfortable in the bed, and glanced at Sukuna. "I could use someone from Inferno to warm me."

Sukuna smiled slightly, and sat down on the bed next to him. Megumi could not even tell he had done anything like utter a spell before warmth creeped up on him, and travelled over his skin from head to toe like a summer breeze. 

"It's not necessarily warm in Inferno. It can be freezing, it can be scorching… Depends on the doomed soul's least favourite option of course," Sukuna said. 

Megumi had instinctively grabbed his hand, searching for more of his warmth. He felt shamelss, but Sukuna did not give him grief about it. Perhaps that should've alarmed him; he was not teasing, nor gloating. 

"I am curious about what it's like… You've never properly told me about it."

"There is not much interesting to tell. It feels different for all."

"And for you?" 

Sukuna met his gaze for a moment, before looking away. Like he had caught himself in a thought he did not expect. 

"It is… work." 

Megumi raised a brow. "Doesn't sound very exciting to me." 

He slowly mounted Sukuna's lap; somewhat sensually, somewhat like a pathetic, desperate beggar. 

Sukuna probably wasn't attracted to him like this. He liked it when he defied him, he had noticed, it only gave him more of a challenge. 

"Is it more exciting here?" he asked teasingly. 

Again, Sukuna surprised him in a way he did not expect. He was not overcome with lust, he was not making arrogant statements, and he did not seem bored or dismissive either.

What surprised him was his sincerity. He saw it in his eyes, the small wrinkle that appeared between his eyebrows.  

But what was it? Worry? 

Had Megumi overdone himself, become too much of a mess?

He'd wanted someone to fuck, not someone to console. 

Perhaps Megumi had humanised him in a way that Sukuna did not want. 

"I do enjoy my time here. Your company has been most satisfactory."

Megumi felt no reaction from him, not from the contact between their bodies, no strain in his voice, nothing. 

So he stopped moving, and settled on Sukuna's lap with a large enough distance to observe him. 

"You've come far. You've become quite strong now." 

Was he joking? Nothing about him was strong. 

He had learned some new techniques that he could use when his mind was clear, but which was essentially null in his current situation. 

"Your potential is overwhelming," Sukuna said, when he saw that Megumi was about to interject. 

"I have been expelled," Megumi said, quietly. "Any potential barely matters now. None of it matters."

"It won't last. Your guardian will come around," Sukuna said, like he was completely sure of it. 

Megumi shook his head. "He threw me out to the wolves. Frankly, I don't need him. It's enough with you."

He cupped his neck, felt the firm valleys and peaks of his bones and muscles underneath his fingertips. 

"From here on out my life will become completely different. It's terrifying, but… If it is with you, then I think I might be alright."

He drew a sharp breath. 

"And if you were to take me into Inferno… No matter what it would mean for my physical body–dead, living or just gone, I'd be fine with it."

You can do whatever you want with me, he might as well have said. You can even kill me. 

Sukuna did not react to that either. Had he been so obvious? Was his desperation repulsive? 

He seemed so shut off, when he normally was a whirlwind of passion or anger. 

Megumi removed his hand, and climbed off him. 

If Sukuna wasn't responsive, it was no use. 

There was an obvious reason, and it was his confession. He didn't want Megumi to love him. Because he didn't love him back. 

Megumi turned his back to him, afraid that his turmoil would show. 

"But you wouldn't be fine with it," he said, not so much a question as a statement.

"There hasn't been a way out for you in this contract of ours. And at this point. I feel as if I have helped you step over the threshold for you to grow. The rest of it, you will figure out. Without my immoral whispers in your ear."

Megumi barely heard him, once the cold feeling of dread washed over him, like he was being held underwater. 

"I'm breaking our contract." 

Megumi's movements stilled. 

How could he say it like that? Like he was reading aloud from a newspaper, detached and factual? 

"There will be no repercussions. You will continue as before, and I will return to Inferno. I'm sure Gojo will forgive you in time."

He should've sat down. He felt paper thin standing upright, hands shaking, vision blurring. Like the smallest breath would topple him.

"And that's why? To get him on my side again?" Megumi asked, wondering if he sounded like a wounded animal. He could not tell. 

"Yes. Because you need him in your life." 

And how dare he sound warm, then, almost apologetic? 

"Right," he simply mumbled, too tired and empty to pick a fight. 

He had known Sukuna was manipulative. He knew he was his toy. But he had never imagined he'd throw him away like that. 

Megumi kept staring at the floor, unwilling to look at him. If he did, he'd punch him or scream or cry.

"It's for the best," Sukuna said. 

Megumi's mouth was tight, teeth clenching until his head pounded.  

"Then feel free to leave," he coldly said. 

If he was expecting him to turn around, to grovel at his feet or kiss him goodbye after Megumi had essentially humiliated himself, he was wrong. 

"Take care, blessing."

Megumi bit his tongue so hard the taste of copper and iron filled his mouth. 

He turned around to face an empty room, with nothing but a piece of parchment ripped down the middle on top of his bed. 

The contract he had signed. 

Megumi grabbed the two halves and ripped them even more into tiny little pieces that fell like ash to the floor, with glimmers of gold from their signatures.

He breathed heavily, as he let the day's events play over in his mind. 

Everything had crumbled down. 

Meanwhile, his eyes wandered until he noticed the bottle of wine on his desk; a gift that had been there for months, more so as decoration than anything he had planned to open. 

Either way he pulled on the cork with fury until it popped open, and started gulping it down. It spilled over his lips and down his chin.  

The sweet taste soon turned to a burning, chemical sensation as he let it slide down his throat. Had it been a bottle of poison instead, Megumi would have done the same. 

He only stopped to breathe, and immediately coughed as he inhaled. 

Fucking idiot, he thought. Ungrateful bastard. 

Backstabbing-

"Fucker!" he yelled, throat raspy. 

He threw the bottle against the wall. It broke, glass flying everywhere, and the remnants of the wine splashed against the wall and ended up in a puddle beneath the broken pieces.

His rapid breaths had not calmed down, and only got worse. 

Fuck all of it. Fuck all of them. 

Megumi backed into the wall, and sank to the floor as he heaved. Thoughts and impulses flashed across his mind, violent or pitiful in nature, of vengeance and murder and suicide and madness and terror. 

And in his rage, it was not the hate for everybody else that prevailed, but for himself.

Chapter Text

Megumi's notion of time disappeared. By the time the sky pitch black, he had no memory of what he had done in his room. 

He hadn't bothered to clean up his mess, and the longer he waited the harder it would be to remove the wine stains. 

It must've seeped into the oak floor by now, into all the nooks and crannies.

Despite otherwise being quite cleanly, Megumi could not make himself care, and instead fell face down into his bed. As his head spun in the drunken stupor, he welcomed sleep and whichever alternate reality it would put him in. 

The next morning he woke up to knocking on his door. It was short, consecutive knocks, only growing more impatient. 

Megumi groaned as he got up, mind foggy and head pounding, and promptly put his foot down on the floor which of course was covered with shards of glass. 

He cursed under his breath at the feeling of sharp glass digging into the ball of his foot. 

Mindlessly he got the shard out, but left bloody footprints behind as he struggled to reach the door. 

Megumi was not happy to see that it was Gojo. 

He was probably there to finally kick him out—as if all their years as family meant nothing to him. 

Megumi may have made mistakes, but he felt nothing but justified at the anger bubbling in his blood. 

"No need to chase me out. I was just about to pack my things," he spat. His voice was croaky, like he had been shouting all night. For all he knew, he could have been. 

Gojo looked at him, bewildered, and then over his shoulder into the room. 

"What happened?" 

Megumi could have slammed the door in his face. 

"Oh, I don't know. I got let down by two people yesterday," he said, voice sarcastic and shaky. "I got what was coming to me, I suppose." 

He felt ill, not from the wine but from the memory of the previous day. Sick of crying, he had shut himself off. But now it threatened to spill out again, and Gojo was the last person on earth he wanted to witness it. 

"Leave me be," Megumi simply said, closing the door. 

Gojo stopped it with his arm, and was clearly much stronger than him at the moment. 

He forced himself in and Megumi didn't bother keeping him out. 

"Well…" Gojo mumbled, looking around at the mess. "We did get some noise complaints yesterday…"

Megumi sat down on the bed, glass crunching beneath his feet. They must've been cut to pieces at this point. 

He could barely feel it. 

Gojo sighed. In the past, Megumi would have thought there was worry in his voice, but now he was not so sure. 

"Megumi… I want to apologise about yesterday. I'm still livid, but I did not handle it the way I should have done," Gojo admitted. "I'm sorry." 

He swept the shards off to the side with his shoe, and then kneeled in front of him. He gently started removing glass from Megumi's feet. 

Megumi felt like he was in a whirlwind, confused about it all. Gojo had never been as angry as he was yesterday, and now he was tending to his wounds. 

"You handled it like a professor is supposed to. I'm your student, after all, and I did something unforgiveable." 

Megumi hated the quiver in his voice, exposing how affected he really was. 

As if the state of the room, and himself, did not do that already. 

"You are my student… But first and foremost, you are my family. My only family in fact. And I know it is the other way around for you too." 

Unable to stop it, a tear rolled down Megumi's cheek. He turned his head to the side, hoping to disguise it. 

"I understand if yesterday changed things. And if you'd be perfectly fine never seeing me again, and doing your own thing."

What Gojo presented as "doing your own thing" was what Megumi imagined as being a wet and whimpering stray dog, roaming the streets begging for food and attention. He had no idea how he could do his own thing—his entire life as he remembered it had been confined to the university and Gojo.

Gojo mumbled a spell, just a minor one, which healed the cuts on Megumi's feet. 

"I'm not forcing you out. I want you to stay, even if you are expelled. It's safer that way, and… I want you near. It doesn't matter that it's dangerous for me or anyone else. I want to help you."

Megumi sniffed. "I'm sure you'd be happy to know that the contract is broken. He's gone."

Gojo's eyes widened. He seemed uncertain at first, but after mulling over it, he probably came to the conclusion that it was true; Megumi's current state did not lie.

Megumi himself had no way of truly knowing if Sukuna was gone forever. The broken contract could've been anything Sukuna told him it was, it didn't make it all-powerful. But Megumi could somehow tell. It felt like he was missing something vital, like a limb or an organ, a presence he had grown so accustomed to that its absence was overwhelming. 

Like his lungs could only hold half as much air, like his heart no longer beat vigorously, like his ability to think stopped just before the thought was fully formed. 

"Perform the detection spell if you want," Megumi mumbled.

Gojo shook his head. "That's alright. So what happened? Did you break it, find a loophole?" 

He had only just come around, probably cheering internally at the wonderful news, and now Megumi would disappoint him again. 

"No," Megumi said, and avoided Gojo's inquisitive gaze. "He did."

"I see."

Whatever anger or lecture that Megumi had expected, never came. 

Quite the opposite, Gojo's demeanor became softer. He was still not entirely back to his usual lighthearted, non-serious self, but he seemed to be on his way there. 

He rose up, and ruffled Megumi's hair. 

"You'll be alright 'Gumi," he said, and as much as Megumi ached for his tenderness, he could not find any comfort in the words. 

He simply did not believe them. 

Despite the fact that Gojo found it in himself to forgive Megumi, and Megumi did the same, he was still not out of the woods yet. 

He was expelled. He could put in an appeal after the spring term was over, but in cases such as his the chance of returning to university so soon was rare. 

And because he was expelled, he could no longer stay in his dorm room. So he had to move back in with Gojo, into the cramped apartment he had grown up in.

His bed there was smaller, and that was about the only thing the room could fit, along with a square desk at the foot of it with a creaky old chair. 

All of Megumi's belongings had been strewn around in the living room and kitchen with the rest of Gojo's stuff, and as a child he had to use trunks for clothing storage pushed in under his bed. 

It was claustrophobic and it made Megumi feel like a child again, but he preferred that to going off on his own. 

"I realised that this would be the perfect opportunity for the Zenins to swoop in and kidnap you, now that you can't participate in class. Which is why you should stay here," Gojo had said. 

"Kidnap?" Megumi asked. 

"I'm mostly joking. They would disguise it of course. You'd be alone, they would offer sanctuary…  And before you'd know it they'd be brainwashing you into a puppet."

Megumi had wondered how bad it really would have been. He was still under obligation to train under the Zenins after his graduation—but now he wouldn't graduate at all. 

Of course, Gojo was as always being secretive. Apparently he had not informed the dean nor the Association of all the details concerning Megumi's crime. He'd given context to warrant the expulsion; that he had played around with sorcery that broke the code of conduct. He had left out the part of how he had broken it, and had probably downplayed the severeness. 

So he was truthfully lucky, even if he did not deserve that luck. 

Logically, Megumi knew that not everything was doomed. Gojo did care about him, and he could potentially return to university with time. He was in the safety of a home, his home, and that was all he could ask for. 

Still, melancholy was chained to him constantly, and followed him wherever he went. 

Time that Megumi had previously spent with his nose buried in between pages of old books, turned to time spent drinking. 

While it did not take away his depression, it numbed the painful parts of it, the bodily ache he felt and the pounding headaches. It would come back in the morning, worse than before. But he still preferred going to sleep with a mind too muddied to care. 

Gojo caught on quickly to his new habit, and started hiding away his own stash of wine and spirits. He drank far too much himself, so Megumi found it hypocritical. Despite trying to limit Megumi's drinking at home, he never told him off about it. Megumi had been so responsible in the past that Gojo barely had to raise him, and so why should he overstep that boundary now?