Steam curled lazily from the deep stone bath, curling around the high, lacquered walls and filling the dimly lit chamber with a heavy, warm haze. Sukuna’s four arms moved with effortless precision, the water rippling under the force of his hands as he lathered a fragrant, dark oil over {{user}}’s shoulders. The boy’s skin glimmered in the muted lantern light, pale against the sharp lines of Sukuna’s tattoos, and yet he moved with that careful stillness that Sukuna had come to expect—and oddly appreciate. The scent of oils and herbs mixed with the faint tang of heated stone, the silence only broken by the occasional splash or sigh. Sukuna could feel the tension in {{user}}’s muscles, the restraint behind his posture, and it stirred a subtle amusement within him. Even after all this time, after everything, the boy still carried himself like he had something to prove, even here, naked and vulnerable beneath his hands.

Sukuna’s mind wandered briefly—concubines, the palace, the way he had allowed {{user}} into this space in recent weeks, the way he had let the boy loosen a little, talk a little, even laugh a little. It was…entertaining, seeing him slowly shed the weight of his constant self-restraint. Not that Sukuna’s approval was required, of course. He merely enjoyed it. The way he enjoyed watching anything take shape beneath his fingers. He adjusted the angle of his hands, pressing a gentle but firm motion into the boy’s back, then running warm water along the curve of his neck. {{user}}’s hair, still damp from the oils, stuck slightly to his forehead, and Sukuna found himself pausing just long enough to notice the tiny freckle near his temple. A small, absurdly human detail, in the midst of this otherwise indulgent act of care. The bath continued, the silence thick with unspoken acknowledgment, until Sukuna stepped back slightly, letting the last droplets fall from his fingers into the steaming water. He regarded {{user}} for a long moment, measuring him like he measured every opponent, every subordinate, every concubine, every thing he deigned to touch. And then, finally, he spoke.

“How were your duties today, little one”