Chapter Text
Disclaimer:
The characters of Jujutsu Kaisen don't belong to me. Using an alternate, fictionalized version of Gegê Akutami's anime.
𝑯𝒐𝒘𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓, 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒘𝒉𝒐𝒍𝒆 𝒑𝒍𝒐𝒕 𝒐𝒇 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒔𝒕𝒐𝒓𝒚 𝒊𝒔 𝒎𝒊𝒏𝒆, Mixblues__
Legend:
( “ Conversation two quotes ” )
( ‘Thought just a quote with italics’ )
( Bold highlight )
( Special narration in italics )
The gym was noisy, filled with the energy of the four school basketball teams gathered for the draw, forming mixed squads. Some players seemed pleased with the new lineup, while others showed clear reluctance — a faint, bitter scent lingered in the air. But as long as they kept quiet, everyone else was polite enough to ignore them, especially Geto and Megumi.
Before even seeing who it was, Yuji felt an arm rest on his shoulder and recognized the familiar scent of rain in the forest invading his senses.
“Ah, why?” Sukuna complained beside him, snatching the colorful draw paper from Yuji’s hands to check.
They were on the same team.
“HEY, MEGUMI! SWITCH WITH THE BRAT, I DON’T WANT HIM ON MY TEAM!” Sukuna shouted across the gym.
Yuji scowled, lips curling in obvious annoyance.
“Idiot, it’s not like I want to be on your team either,” he muttered, shrugging his shoulders to push Sukuna’s arm away.
To outsiders, the two looked like mortal rivals on the court, incapable of working together. But off the court, they had become good friends.
At that moment, though, it seemed that title had been thrown away.
The sudden sound of a growl made everyone freeze in place, looking around in alarm.
Even Sukuna went still, body tense and cautious. Yuji’s eyes darted frantically around the gym at the sudden noise of aggression, trying to identify who was upset — until he spotted Junpei staring directly at him.
No… he was staring at Sukuna.
Sukuna looked back too, surprised and, though he didn’t show it, slightly alarmed.
“JUNPEI?”
Yuta, who was closer, shouted his name, startling the smaller man and springing into action.
Junpei looked around, horrified, before stammering a string of apologies and bowing deeply. The acrid scent of distress emanated from him, and the players nearby quickly stepped forward to calm him down.
“What the hell was that?” Sukuna muttered, stepping further away from Yuji. “I’m going to ask Uraume to switch me to another team.” Yuji just nodded, watching Sukuna walk off. Megumi approached, his gaze fixed on Junpei. Yuji glanced between Megumi and Junpei, confused.
“What happened?” Megumi asked, but Yuji had no answer, staring blankly at the dark-haired boy, who hummed thoughtfully. “Junpei is a beta, so he shouldn’t naturally feel intimidated by an alpha. Plus, he’s in a serious relationship, so there’s no challenge to face. What reason could he have to act aggressively toward Sukuna?”
“Territorial.” The voice from behind made them both turn. Geto was approaching, carrying a faint scent of cedarwood. “Some betas are territorial with certain people, committed or not.”
Megumi nodded in understanding. “I see… I didn’t know Junpei was a territorial beta.”
Before Yuji could say anything, Gojo appeared beside Geto with a mischievous grin. The cedarwood fragrance now mixed with a citrusy hint of lemon.
“Really? When I heard it, I was shocked. I thought it was Geto upset again—ah!”
Geto grabbed Gojo’s shirt without hesitation, his serene expression shifting to pure annoyance as he dragged him away from Megumi and Yuji.
The pair of friends remained silent for a while before Yuji broke the quiet: “Why is Junpei territorial with me?”
When he looked at Megumi, he realized his friend wasn’t staring directly at him, but rather focusing on something near his face — his shoulder.
“Come with me,” Megumi said calmly.
Yuji obeyed, following him to the benches against the gym wall. His friend grabbed a clean towel, poured a generous amount of water on it, and without hesitation pressed it against the side of Yuji’s neck.
The cold touch made him flinch instinctively, shoulders curling as he stepped back with a slight grimace.
Megumi paused and handed him the towel.
“Take it and wipe your shoulder and neck. I’d rather you do it yourself than turn this into a fight between alphas.”
Yuji said nothing. He just took the towel and began scrubbing his shoulders and neck roughly.
As he did, he felt Megumi’s watchful gaze on him. It wasn’t exactly evaluative, but having another alpha observing him so closely made him nervous.
“What now?” he grumbled through his teeth.
“Did you notice what Sukuna did?” Megumi asked, his voice carrying a suggestive tone.
Yuji frowned, thoughtful.
Sukuna throwing his arm around him wasn’t unusual. In fact, after the first few times, no one thought twice about that behavior between the two alphas. It was simply something Sukuna always did when he approached him — natural, habitual.
But at that moment, Yuji began to wonder if it was really that simple.
He looked back at Megumi.
“I don’t get it.”
His friend only gestured toward the towel, prompting Yuji to do the same. It was damp with water, nothing more — or so it seemed.
“I didn’t notice before because, the first times I saw him do it, there was nothing,” Megumi began.
That’s when Yuji felt it. A faint scent of damp earth, now much stronger and nauseating with the towel’s moisture. It was Sukuna’s scent, mixed with heat and sweat — something primal.
Fear began to settle in, and Yuji clenched his teeth.
“I think Sukuna left a scent mark on you,” Megumi concluded, confirming Yuji’s growing concern.
…
Sukuna couldn’t convince the coach or Uraume to switch one of them to another team, which only made Yuji even more impatient with the other Ace’s proximity. He watched Sukuna slick his hair back, bored, while waiting for the other team to get ready.
The young alpha fixed his gaze on the way those fingers slid through the dark coral strands, down the tapered cut to the nape, before Sukuna dropped his hand at his side.
Yuji lowered his eyes to that hand, dry.
Either way, it was impossible to find any visible evidence of a scent mark from the other alpha. He didn’t even know why he tried looking for it.
Kugisaki waved at Yuji from the center line, and he stepped forward, ignoring Sukuna’s red eyes on him.
The whistle blew, and he jumped.
The game progressed with difficulty, as expected when he and Sukuna were forced to cooperate. Yuji felt like he was practically playing alone in a 6 vs 4 match, since Sukuna seemed more interested in stealing the ball from him than helping his own team.
The older alpha showed no concern, limiting himself to throwing glances and careless bumps, keeping Yuji on high alert every round.
“CAN YOU STOP?” Yuji shouted when Sukuna once again intercepted the ball the moment he received it.
The other forward only mocked him, shrugging and stretching his body to its fullest, as if trying to look even bigger. The pink-haired boy hesitated at the sudden intimidating posture, instinctively stepping back.The squeak of sneakers on the floor ceased. Time seemed to slow down.
Everyone was watching them, holding their breath — some alarmed, others worried. They knew Sukuna was challenging him, but no one dared to intervene.
No one knew why he was doing this now.
Sukuna stood in front of Yuji as if they were on opposing teams, about to face each other in a direct duel. He watched the taller boy step into his space, the tension between them rising with every second.
Yuji could feel the change in Sukuna’s scent, the calm dampness of the forest turning into the electricity of an approaching storm — imminent danger.
When Sukuna played seriously, the scent of a violent storm always hung around him, but there had been none of that until now. Yuji cursed under his breath; he should have realized something was wrong when he didn’t smell the storm earlier on the court.
Now Sukuna was challenging him, and Yuji had no idea why.
Before either of them could say anything, the buzzer rang, signaling the end of the first half.
Yet Sukuna held his gaze, scarlet eyes searching for something in Yuji’s brown ones. Only then did he step back, and the tension in the air dissipated, drawing sighs of relief from the other players, glad they didn’t have to break up a fight.
The coral-haired alpha sat on the bench, visibly irritated, while Uraume — the team’s assistant and Sukuna’s friend — was already at his side. They engaged in a private, hushed argument.
No one on the team dared sit near the bench, taking their water bottles and discussing strategies on the other side.
The faint sound of footsteps reached Yuji, along with the scent of lemongrass and cedarwood. He turned to find Gojo and Geto behind him, with Megumi slowly approaching.
“What crawled up his ass and died?” Yuji gestured toward the childhood duo arguing. Gojo shook his head, while the other two remained silent.
“I’ve never seen Sukuna act like this before,” Gojo commented, and Yuji looked again at the pair, now farther away.
Sukuna had a towel over his head, hiding his face from most people. His lips were turned down, teeth almost bared. Yuji couldn’t see Uraume’s face from that angle, but judging by the occasional hisses escaping her, she was more upset than he thought.
Without thinking, Yuji touched his nape, feeling the soft skin under his fingers. Megumi was watching him again. “It’s fine, I don’t smell it anymore,” Yuji tried to reassure.
“What smell?” Gojo asked, leaning in to sniff, and Yuji let him, knowing an omega’s sense of smell could be sharper than an alpha’s.
Gojo frowned and straightened. “There’s another scent on you, but I can’t tell whose it is,” he commented, and Yuji sighed in relief.
“It’s Sukuna’s scent, isn’t it?” Geto asked, and discomfort prickled Yuji’s skin. Geto’s face looked impassive as he adjusted his long hair. “I see he’s doing it again. I thought we’d put an end to that.”
“Wait, what’s going on?” Yuji muttered, intrigued.
Megumi looked curious. “I don’t know either.”
Geto gave them a calculating look before stepping away. “Not now,” he said, ignoring their protest and fixing his gaze on Yuji. “If you want today to end as smoothly as possible, I suggest you play well with Sukuna. I know it’s not in an alpha’s nature to play nice, so do your best.”
He walked off without another word, and Gojo puffed his cheeks. “Seriously! You can’t just drop something cryptic and walk away like that!”
The tall omega looked at Yuji and Megumi. “Maybe we can talk to Sukuna and make him tell us!”
“It would be better to let Yuji handle it,” Megumi warned, stepping between Gojo and Yuji. He looked at the pink-haired boy, who only frowned and walked off toward Sukuna.
Frankly, Yuji had no idea what to say to Sukuna, and Geto seemed to be the only reasonable clue as to why he was acting that way. But when Geto left, Yuji was left confused and irritated by the whole situation.
Dropping heavily onto the bench beside the other alpha, he grabbed his water bottle. “Pick a fight after practice, not in the middle of it, idiot. Coach Kugisaki will kill us for this.” He took a sip and muttered, watching out of the corner of his eye as Sukuna’s lips curved at his words.
Uraume whistled, and the instant Sukuna stood up, he tossed the towel full of pheromones onto Yuji. “Bastard,” Yuji growled, yanking the cloth off his head to glare at Sukuna, who, strangely, seemed to be in a better mood.
Sukuna stepped forward, looking down over Yuji. The young alpha stiffened, tucking his head into his shoulders and pulling his lips down, baring his teeth. It was a natural instinct for an alpha not to expose his neck near another alpha.
The older alpha didn’t mind the defensive gesture, stretching his own neck to cast a bit more shadow over Yuji. The scent of a turbulent storm enveloped him, making him nervous. He realized what the other was trying to do: a display of dominance over his inner alpha.
The show was unsettling. Sukuna exposed several vulnerable parts of his body, and Yuji’s instincts went wild at the dominant gesture. Something inside him screamed to attack, to force the other to fight for his submission. It would be easy to rise and tear that throat, but he clung desperately to self-control. His mind was clear, and he refused to give in to his most primal instincts.
The cedarwood scent invaded his senses, but Yuji wasn’t so easily distracted. Not when there was an alpha trying to posture before him. He only turned his head when Sukuna shifted his too.
Geto was near them, a clear scowl on his face, obviously disapproving of what was happening. Sukuna clicked his tongue, visibly annoyed, and quickly backed off, giving Yuji space to relax after the tense situation.
With his shoulders dropping, Yuji gave Geto a brief nod, and the two separated, returning to their respective teams.
…
Whatever Sukuna’s problem with Yuji was, it mysteriously vanished for the rest of practice. Now, the alpha’s focus seemed to be making Geto’s experience a living hell.
Yuji felt a pang of pity for his teammate, who had the ball repeatedly snatched and blocked. The frustration was clear on Geto’s face as the situation dragged on. When Sukuna struck again and Geto failed to block, Yuji decided it was time to step in.
Running up to Sukuna as he returned to their side of the court, Yuji gave him a light shoulder tap.
“This is just a practice match, give him a break. I don’t know what the hell’s going on with you today, but stop intimidating him.” Yuji paused as they turned to face the other team, positioning themselves and preparing to run again. “If it’s because of me, wait until after practice.”
Sukuna only snorted, shoving Yuji’s shoulder with a bit more force than necessary.
“Whatever.” The stubborn alpha growled and sprinted off to block the attacker.
Finally, Geto realized Sukuna wasn’t trying to make things personal anymore and gave Yuji a firm nod of thanks. He understood the situation — he knew what it was like to be the target of Sukuna’s intensity, having experienced it twice in the same day.
It was rare to see Sukuna showing so much aggression. For Geto, it was strange, something he wasn’t used to.
“Sukuna seems less aggressive now,” Megumi commented behind him, and Yuji flinched, belatedly detecting the faint airy scent of morning dew. It always bothered him how odd the dark-haired boy’s pheromones were. His other teammates carried scents far more pleasant than his.
Case in point: Geto.
“You think Coral-Head is about to fall into rut?” Yuji asked nervously, not liking that today had turned into an intimidation game run solely by the stubborn Ace with coral hair. It seemed likely there was a rut behind the change in behavior.
Even so, as if on cue, Megumi looked at him as though that was the answer.
…
Right after practice ended, a firm hand grabbed Yuji’s bicep, stopping him from following the team into the locker room.
It was Geto, carrying his faint cedarwood scent, almost imperceptible now. “We’re talking now,” he said curtly, his eyes flicking quickly over Yuji’s shoulder. The boy followed his gaze and saw Sukuna, frowning, watching them from afar.
“Yes, yes! About time!” Gojo interrupted, barging into the conversation abruptly, and shoved the two toward a corner of the gym. “Come on, Megumi!” he called over his shoulder, and Yuji watched Sukuna enter the locker room with the rest of the team, while Megumi approached them, Uraume right behind.
“If three’s a crowd, then five’s an army,” Yuji muttered, uncomfortable with the scene. “Is what Sukuna’s doing really that important?”
Geto tied his hair into a bun with practiced ease and replied, “Depends on how you interpret the situation.” Uraume’s fragrance of freshly cut grass suddenly mixed with a bitter scent of frustration, and she didn’t hide the annoyance on her face. “He has… a habit.”
When the group fell silent, she continued. “Sukuna has the habit of trying to scent and mark people close to him. Most of the time, he doesn’t even realize he’s doing it. Gojo discovered it early in class, when the behavior got worse, but… I thought he had finally gotten over it.”
Uraume puffed her cheeks and tucked a strand of white hair behind her ears, visibly irritated. “Seems that wasn’t the case,” she sighed, clearly bothered.
Gojo frowned, leaning forward a little. “You can’t just go around scenting and marking people without permission; it’s rude. He should know that!”
“He does,” Geto intervened, calmly adjusting the charm in his hand. “I think the problem is that Sukuna connected with his instincts too early, when he was younger. That made it harder for him to control the more primitive parts of his nature.”
He looked directly at Yuji, a faint smile on his lips. “Being an alpha yourself, you should understand that better than anyone.”
Geto was right. It had taken Yuji time to adjust when he presented as an alpha. It was easy to rely on basic instincts to react, but that caused plenty of problems — like when the opposing team started thinking Yuji had a personal vendetta against them.
Trusting those instincts made him move faster, react harder, and push with more force. But it also created an aggressive, dominant aura that was seen as unsportsmanlike, turning the game into a battle between two raging alphas.
“So… he’s marking me?” Yuji stopped abruptly. The others exchanged puzzled looks, except Uraume, who kept her head down, her scent carefully void of emotion. “It’s kind of weird to ask, but… uh… can an alpha like another alpha?”
Gojo spoke softly, rubbing one arm with slight discomfort. “I’m not saying I have a problem with it! I just…”
Uraume’s head shot up, surprise clear in her violet eyes. “Gojo? What do you mean?”
The white-haired man quickly waved his hands in denial, trying to dispel the confusion he’d caused. “No! No! It’s fine if Sukuna likes an alpha. I’ve heard of omegas claiming each other, so with alphas, it’s possible, right? I just never heard of it happening… like this,” he said, pausing, his nervous eyes shifting to Yuji.
A wave of disbelief twisted inside Yuji. Sukuna liked him? Liked him enough to try marking him subtly, without Yuji realizing? The thought of Sukuna indirectly trying to claim him sent a hot rush of anger and shame through his body.
Nothing about the situation felt fair. His pride had been ignored by Sukuna, who seemed to think Yuji was easy enough to simply be placed under his possession.
Damn idiot.
Before he could respond, Uraume interrupted with a groan.
“No! Gojo, you big idiot! Sukuna isn’t trying to claim Yuji as a mate; he’s trying to mark him like part of a pack! A pack to protect!”
She huffed, crossing her arms.
“When you all put an end to that habit of his, he started saving it for me, because we were always together. And that’s why, back then, a lot of people assumed we were a couple — because I kept carrying his scent.” She grabbed Yuji’s hand with a smile of complicity and relief. “But he stopped now, you see?” Yuji found her behavior strange.
Geto cleared his throat, pulling everyone’s attention back to him. “So, my next question would be: who else is he marking? Sukuna has a tendency to make eye and physical contact with people, friends or not. That contact always leaves a faint aroma, which can easily mask a subtle mark. He also likes to mark places.”
“I don’t know, but his rut is approaching. Maybe it’s better if we avoid more contact for a while. You know how he gets.” Uraume frowned, visibly worried.
The conversation was cut short when Sukuna shouted from the locker room entrance, calling out to Uraume that he was leaving.
“Ah! I’d better go now. I’ll let everyone know if anything happens!” She paused, grabbing Yuji’s wrist with unexpected firmness, her gaze sharp and focused. “If he’s overdoing it, tell him to stop.” Then she released Yuji’s wrist, which he rubbed carefully, while she quickly walked away, leaving him with a heavy feeling of discomfort and confusion.
…
Yuji knew bringing up the subject at that moment was a terrible idea, but his alpha nature refused to let it slide. He wanted answers now, not after Sukuna’s rut, when he might be more lucid.
At the time, the two were resting in the living room, unsuccessfully trying to finish homework on a Friday night just to free up the weekend. Yuji could smell the sharp scent of Sukuna’s frustration, contrasting with the summer forest aroma that always surrounded him.
Sukuna’s scent was far more soothing than Yuji had imagined when he first noticed it. It was soft, almost seductive to the senses, carrying the lazy warmth of summer — much like its owner.
His own scent, however, was nothing like eternal calm. It carried the heat of the beach and the salty crash of waves against rocks, vibrant and full of energy. For some, it was invigorating; for others, overwhelming.
A pencil clinked as Sukuna dropped his head onto the table. “Just kill me now,” he groaned miserably. Yuji rolled his eyes, marking a random box on his homework before grunting and heading to the kitchen.
When he returned, he carried a plate of sliced fruit. Sukuna was sitting in his spot, still flipping through Yuji’s homework.
“Get back to your side, idiot,” Yuji muttered, setting the plate down. But Sukuna didn’t move, still focused on the notebook.
In the end, Yuji had to shove him out of the way with his foot to sit down and snatch his homework back.
Sukuna huffed and lay there with an arm over his eyes. “You got the second question wrong, brat,” he said slowly, vaguely.
Yuji squinted at his homework, confused. Sukuna must have noticed, because he sat up and leaned into Yuji’s space, grabbing another pencil to underline a passage.
Except Yuji wasn’t paying attention anymore — hyperaware of Sukuna’s closeness, his mind racing to figure out if this was the habit Uraume had mentioned or just Sukuna being “helpfully generous.”
“Hey, are you paying attention?” Sukuna frowned, his arms pressed against Yuji with a gentle warmth. Up close, Yuji could smell the forest mist intensifying, now tinged with an electrifying edge that seemed to invade the air around them.
That’s when Yuji’s instincts faltered. Sukuna’s proximity triggered something inside him. His senses sharpened, and a surge of alertness flooded his body. Another alpha, too close.
Yuji jerked away with a startled cry, while Sukuna only stared at him, irritated and confused. “What now?” the older alpha muttered indifferently, popping a piece of fruit into his mouth and looking more bored than anything.
“You can’t jus—?” Yuji started, but stopped, words tangling in his mind. Sukuna raised a brow, waiting for an explanation, clearly not understanding his confusion. “You! Like… you’re invading my personal space!” Tried to string the words together, hoping it didn’t sound rude, though he knew it probably did. As expected, Sukuna didn’t take it well.
“What the hell? Why are you so sensitive about this all of a sudden?” Sukuna scowled, grabbing Yuji’s arm firmly. “You never cared about physical contact before. What’s bothering you now?”
Yuji hissed as the grip tightened. “It’s you! You’re triggering my fight-or-flight response, you bastard! One day I’ll bite you on reflex, and we’ll both regret it!”
The older boy didn’t move, still holding him tightly. “Then teach those shitty instincts to learn the difference between friend and enemy!” He yanked Yuji closer, and Yuji immediately tucked his head into his shoulders, hiding his neck.
“Idiot, wait,” Sukuna clicked his tongue, keeping him there, their bodies pressed together.
The forest scent grew thick, heavy with rain-soaked humidity, saturated with the storm looming inside Sukuna. It spread slowly, merging with Yuji’s salty, sunlit fragrance — the sea crashing against summer shores. Yuji felt as if he stood at the edge of a vast forest, the beach stretching along its borders, while a storm swept across the island, consuming his senses.
His own scent intensified, vibrant heat radiating outward, warming the space around them. The air grew heavier, until the smoky tang of burning wood slid into his perception, dense and suffocating, filling every corner.
His instincts tangled, chaotic and unpredictable, leaving him vulnerable. His mind drifted, lost in the sensations, as if the scent itself showed him flashes of disjointed images, amplifying the inner turmoil.
Gradually, Yuji felt Sukuna loosen his hold, as if the storm within him was subsiding. The oppressive weight lifted, the forest scent returning fresh and renewed. The fiery heat cooled, replaced by the gentle warmth of a summer beach breeze.
They remained close, unmoving, assessing. Their instincts stayed quiet.
The silence broke when Yuji finally asked, unable to contain his curiosity: “What’s happening?”
Sukuna smirked arrogantly. “Just your instincts realizing that since I didn’t tear your throat out, we’re stuck in a rivalry stalemate.”
Unable to stand Sukuna’s smug tone, Yuji shoved him automatically. “Screw you.”
Sukuna didn’t flinch, continuing to chew his fruit as if nothing had happened.
“See, most people don’t have this problem…” The coral-haired alpha waved his fork at Yuji, who raised a brow. “Our instincts are stronger than most. That’s why we’re always fighting each other. We don’t react well to other alphas who might challenge us.” He paused, popping another piece of fruit into his mouth.
Yuji muttered sarcastically, “More likely it’s you who keeps picking fights with me.” He grabbed a piece of fruit, but before he could eat it, Sukuna jabbed his fingers with the fork.
“Idiot!” Yuji yanked his hand back like he’d touched fire.
“Bitch!” Sukuna coughed, choking a little on the fruit he was chewing, clearly displeased with the kick Yuji gave him right after.
Out of patience, Yuji snatched another piece of fruit and shoved it into his mouth defiantly. “What now? Exposure therapy?”
Sukuna shrugged dismissively, as if the matter were simpler than Yuji thought. “Something like that. I’m tired of you strutting around like you’re the superior alpha.”
“ME? YOU’RE THE ONE TRYING TO ASSERT YOURSELF OVER ME!” Yuji shouted, but Sukuna didn’t budge. He simply pointed the fork at him, as if it were the final word.
“Exposure therapy,” Sukuna replied calmly, as if he’d just solved everything.
Yuji, exasperated, threw his hands up in surrender and sighed, returning to his homework.
This “exposure therapy” was bound to end with his neck bitten; he was sure of it.
To be continued…
