She swallowed hard, lowkey stressing. Her shoulders tensed up and she went completely stiff inside her baggy t-shirt.
"That dream felt way too real to just be a dream," Maki said, her voice dropping to a harsh whisper. "The one where Mai has to die just so I can become true me."
She reached out blindly. Ren caught her hand, locking his fingers with hers. She squeezed his hand hard.
"I'm not doing it," Maki said fiercely, glaring at the floor. "I absolutely refuse to watch my sister die just so I can get stronger."
She looked back up at him. Her eyes were bright, but her expression was dead serious.
"We're totally out of our league right now," she said, her voice turning cold and tactical. "That volcano curse proved that. My physical strength just isn't enough. Not against Domain Expansions, and definitely not against that kind of raw power."
She squeezed his hand tighter, her nails digging into his skin.
"If things go sideways, Ren. If it's the absolute only way for you to survive, or our only shot at winning..." She forced the words out, her jaw tight. "You have my permission."
Ren frowned. He shifted his weight and opened his mouth to argue.
"Shut up and listen," she snapped, though her grip on his hand loosened just a bit. "I mean it. If you can copy Cursed Techniques the same way you took my physical strength... do it. But only if it's life or death."
She leaned closer, dropping her forehead onto his shoulder.
"Because if we just stay the way we are," she whispered into his shirt, "I'll lose her. And I'll probably lose you, too. You're the only... piece of my heart i cannot afford to lose at any cost. So whatever you have to do to get stronger... do it."
Ren sat in silence. He didn't offer empty reassurances or try to talk her out of it. He just wrapped his free arm around her shoulders and pulled her flush against his side. Maki slumped into the embrace, resting her weight entirely against him.
Ren gently rubbed her arm, resting his chin on the top of her head.
"Maki..." he murmured, his voice incredibly soft. "You try so hard to act tough, but you carry the weight of the whole world for the people you love."
He pressed a light kiss to her hair, holding her a little tighter.
"I hear you," he said quietly. "If that's what it takes to keep you and Mai safe, I'll do it. But you need to understand something, too. If things go south and your life is ever in danger? I won't care about the rules either. I would cross any line, steal any technique, and do absolutely anything to save you—even if you hate me for it later."
He gently tilted her chin up, leaning down to press a deep, lingering kiss to her lips. Maki melted into it, the last of her tension draining away. When he pulled back just an inch, she blinked up at him, opening her mouth to say something—probably to call him an idiot or argue back.
Before she could get a word out, Ren brushed a thumb across her cheek and kept talking.
"Gojo won't always be around to save the day," he whispered, looking deep into her eyes. "So yeah, I will get stronger. I'll become whatever I need to be to end this."
A soft, genuine smile crossed his face, replacing the heavy tension in the room with something warm and hopeful.
"I'm going to break the board," he said, his voice dropping to a tender hum. "So we can finally leave all this curse and clan bullshit behind. Find somewhere peaceful to live... and maybe, one day, give you a daughter or two."
Maki's cheeks flared with a faint dusting of pink. She quickly averted her eyes, entirely unequipped to handle that level of sincerity.
"Yeah, yeah, whatever," she muttered, swatting lightly at his shoulder. "That's a problem for the future. Don't go giving cheesy speeches on me now."
Despite her gruff words, a small, involuntary smile tugged at the corner of her lips. She leaned back in, pressing a quick, firm kiss against his mouth to silence him, before pulling away and pushing herself up from the edge of the mattress.
She smoothed down the hem of her baggy t-shirt and cleared her throat, slipping her tough persona back into place. "Anyway. It's getting late. I should probably head back to my room before Panda or someone starts asking questions."
She had barely taken a step toward the door when Ren's fingers lightly wrapped around her wrist.
Maki paused, glancing back over her shoulder. Ren was looking up at her, the warmth from his smile still lingering in his eyes.
"Stay for a little bit longer?" he asked softly.
Maki stared at him for a long moment, her practical instincts warring with the deep exhaustion in her bones and the absolute comfort of his presence. Finally, she let out a long, exaggerated sigh, her shoulders dropping in defeat.
"You're so needy," she grumbled, though there was zero heat behind it. "Fine. But just for a little bit."
She climbed back onto the bed, shifting her weight as she lay down beside him. Ren immediately closed the distance.
He wrapped his arms securely around her waist, pulling her flush against him, and buried his face deep into her chest, nuzzling right into the folds of her oversized shirt.
Maki sighed again—this time a quiet, contented sound—and let her head rest against the pillows, her fingers gently threading through his hair as the heavy, crushing weight of the jujutsu world finally faded away for the night.
For a long while, the only sound in the room was the steady rhythm of their breathing. Maki kept her fingers threaded through his hair, lightly scratching at his scalp. It was peaceful, but her mind was still turning over the reality of what they had just agreed to.
If Ren was going to start pushing his limits, copying techniques, and interacting with whoever he needed to in order to get stronger, she needed to set some boundaries.
She shifted slightly, her free hand coming down to rest flat against his back.
"Listen up, idiot," she muttered to the ceiling, her voice dropping into a tone of absolute, unbreakable authority. "If we're really doing this... if you're going out there and doing whatever it takes to break the board, we are establishing some ground rules right now."
Ren let out a muffled, questioning hum against her shirt, his arms tightening around her waist to show he was listening.
"I'm only going to say this once, so pay attention," Maki continued, her tone sharp but underlined with a deep, protective affection.
///
Patreon: patreon.com/TrinityAura