Destined to Collide - Inumaki Toge

55. Lick

A/N: Hello everyone. 

I'm back.

Miss me? 

Recap:
"Fushiguroooo," Itadori whimpered. "We've been over this a few times already-"

"And I would still bring it up again, so quit it."

Akihiko sighed. "Back to the married couple mode again. What is it with you kids now? Real man settles an argument with fights!"

Fushiguro and Itadori continues to mouth each other off in a quieter tone despite the naggings from the Fire Wolf.

But all Inumaki Toge needs to do is to just rub his Snake and Fang mark on each side of his cheeks with his fingers for them to pipe back down. 

DESTINED TO COLLIDE

"Koi?" Maguro heard Inumaki called her that. "You alright to do this?" Inumaki asks her in his thoughts worriedly. "If it's too much, we can leave the less severe ones to Shoko."

Maguro looked to her side. Inumaki stares worriedly at her. Beads of sweat rolled down the sides of her cheeks steadily while she pours her energy into the Reverse Cursed Technique currently used on Maki. He uses the back of his fingers to tenderly wipe off a drop of sweat cascading down the side of her face. Her face already feels hot, like she was on a fever of sort.

Like she was burning out.

She merely smiled and takes a deep breath. "Still good to go. Just a bit more. The rest of them looks good enough without any serious injuries so I think I'll just leave them be. If it's not too much, they can heal up on their own. Maki has some bad broken ribs that needed attention immediately. It must have pained her greatly while waiting for us."

"It did," Maki replied, her eyes still closed as she gradually relaxes while Maguro heals her. The golden glow on the Reverse Cursed Technique User's hands flickered and stopped. Maki can now breath alright after her broken ribs has healed. "Whew. Thanks, Maguro. I've got to say, that technique really comes in handy."

"Don't mention it," Maguro beamed. She just wants everyone to be safe. Though they couldn't completely avoid any scratches, at least everyone is still alive.

Then she saw Itadori standing a distance away chatting with Aoi Todo.

Her eyes twinkled brightly. The owner of the meatball recipe.

Standing up, Maguro trotted towards Itadori and held both of his hands in hers. Then looked up, noting his surprise at her sudden action.

Good lords. Why are all of them so tall? Why can't they be like her Toge-kun? Its mighty tiring to have to crank up her neck and look up every time she stands close to them.

Everyone watches silently, awaiting the drama to start.

Inumaki clenched his jaws from where he's sitting at the moment, narrowing his eyes at Itadori.

"Are what you just said true? Really?" Maguro asked, her eyes wide with hope. "You can make them meatballs too?"

Everyone's shoulder slumped forward. It's just her normal foodie talk.

Itadori blinked. It is like there are stars twinkling in her eyes at that level of excitement rolling off her. He then breaks into a wide smile and answered her, "Oh? Ah. That. Yeah, it's really simple really-"

A tongue came out to lick the inside of her wrist.

Maguro looked down.

A mouth and eye appeared on the back of Itadori's hand.

"The Golden One," Sukuna purred in delight. "Delicious as ever. Even after a thousand years, your kind still remained so sweet."

BAM!

That's it. That's a bit too far there, Inumaki quietly thought to himself as he slapped one hand on the table and stood up, moving towards Itadori and ignoring the rest of the Kyoto side's shocked expression. King of Curses or not, that has gone too far.

The Reverse Cursed Technique user blinked. "Oh, hello there," Maguro replied to the eyes, unperturbed by the appearance of this seemingly harmless manifestation of the King of Curses. "You must be Sukuna, the finger that Itadori-kun swallowed. I'm Maguro."

Sukuna smirked – if you could call a mouth conjured on the back of someone's hand that – at her and said, "A stage name? That's not your real name, isn't it?"

"That is my name-" Maguro answered, but when she sees Sukuna narrowing his eyes and smirked, Maguro bit her lips and continued in a small voice, "-now."

She quietly thanked Fushiguro, who had approached them just moments earlier to intercept Inumaki's path and that got Itadori's attention to him instead of their conversation. None of them heard what Sukuna had said, and she breathed a sigh of relief.

The conversation, however, was cut short when Itadori and Fushiguro started to argue, with the Fire Wolf in between them trying to referee the fight and Inumaki trying to get to Maguro but was blocked by the Fire Wolf's tail.

With Itadori's hand - Sukuna's mouth and eyes – facing Maguro still.

"Hey!" Maguro exclaimed at Fushiguro, one finger pointing at him and frowned, appearing displeased. "I just healed you! Sit down and argue like a civilized human being! What is this about?"

Itadori looked at Maguro sadly. "I'm the owner of the meatball recipe. But Fushiguro said he'll make them tonight."

"That's because I'm her favourite go to whenever she wanted some meat balls soup," Fushiguro explained from the side and added with a snarky remark. "-and of course, you were 'dead' back then."

Inumaki ducked down and slipped past the wolf's tail, promptly grabbing Maguro's hand and wiped the licked part on his shirt. He doesn't care what others think. He just wants Sukuna's shitty saliva off.

"Better get this slime off your hand, Maguro," Inumaki said to her, rubbing her wrist on his shirt enthusiastically with a smile. "We don't know what kind of germ he carries, being a thousand year old curse at that. Best to be safe here."

Maguro agreed with him and nodded her head. He smiled.

In the end, the dispute is settled when Akihiko kept them apart from each other with one tail on each of Fushiguro's and Itadori's necks.

"Move, and I'll snap these up reaaally quick."

Inumaki stood in front of Maguro and fingered his zipper as well, backing up with the light threat Akihiko thrown at them.

No more protests. Just gulps of fear.