Archive of Our Own

Itto flushes as red as his horns as he slaps a hand over your mouth. "I-I said keep it down, will ya?! And-And who said anything about bein' a virgin, huh? If anything, it sounds like you're the one projecting here-ow! Hey!"

You spit and wipe your sleeve over your mouth as Itto rubs the bite mark. "So you're not a virgin?"

"I mean-" Itto laughs a bit too loudly. "It's not like that matters, right? C'mon, sex is overrated these days-"

"Itto."

"And it's not like I need that kinda crap holding me back, I got my gang depending on me-"

"Itto."

"And, y'know what, screw this! I'm gonna go-"

You hook a finger in the hoop of his choker and haul him back. Despite hopping onto the stack of crates nearby, he still towers over you, nearly blotting out the moon with his stupid head.

"Itto," you repeat calmly, "you told me this was a very important conversation and that your life was at stake here, and I'm going to be very, very upset if I was dragged all the way from my post at the Grand Narukami Shrine for nothing."

Itto swallows (you can practically feel it with the way the leather shifts). His eyes bore into yours, like he's some kind of wounded street dog, but you know better than to cave. You've known him for years, now.

"...fine." Itto hangs his head, nearly goring you in the process with his horns. "I...I'm...a..." He grumbles the last word, but you get it all the same.

"Is that it?" you ask. "Is your life seriously going to end because of this?"

"Yes!" Itto's head whips up, throwing his hands up in the process. "D'you know how much the guys'll make fun of me if they hear that I'm a frickin' virgin?!"

"Um, zero?" You raise a brow. "The boys love you. You're the leader for a reason-"

"Because I'm cool and awesome, but even Genta's got a piece and I haven't!"

You kind of wonder if Kuki has heard this shpeal yet. Then you remember that Kuki is just 'one of the guys' and that 'it would be weird' because this is Itto you're dealing with and sigh.

"Itto," you say, "it doesn't matter. Seriously. The guys love you for you and would probably kill someone for you."

Itto growls and crosses his arms. You think he's trying to intimidate you, but you've got a finger on his choker still and he's Arataki Itto, so it doesn't really work.

"Oh, yeah?" he asks. "I bet that's easy for you to say. You're a virgin, too, aren't ya?"

You...snort. "No? But my stance wouldn't have changed if I was." Which is completely true, but Itto seems a little stunned.

"W-Wait, huh?!" Itto shoves his head into your personal space and nearly knocks you off the crate. "Since when? With who?!"

"Is me answering really going to make you feel better?" you ask. Itto, predictably, nods, and you roll your eyes before saying, "Thoma."

You ready yourself for some kind of remark. When nothing comes, you risk looking up at Itto and he's-Oh. His brows are pinched, like he's trying to come up with a response but just looks like he ate some tofu instead.

"But you guys aren't even dating," he finally says.

"It was just a fling," you say with a shrug. One fleeting meet-up during a very hot summer that neither of you ever talk about when you run into each other at the shrine.

"Oh. Oh!" Itto blinks quickly, then barks out a laugh, standing tall. "Man, you almost had me worried there for a second! I thought that I'd missed-" He stops.

"...you'd missed what?" you ask. The choker shifts as he swallows again, and you jerk him closer before he can escape. "Itto?"

"I-Um..." Itto's eyes dart to anywhere but your face. "I just...thought I'd missed out on congratulating you!"

"On...getting laid?" you ask.

"Uh, yeah?" he says, whacking your back with a giant hand. "What kinda bro would I be if I didn't say congrats for getting down and dirty with my best bro?"

That is definitely not the strangest thing Itto has done, but it sets your 'Itto-is-bullshitting' meter off. "And by 'best bro', you mean Thoma? Or-"

"You!" Itto scoffs, almost offended. "Seriously? Thoma's a bro, but you're my best bro, y'know?"

"No?"

"Aw, c'mon, I know you know!" Itto leans in by choice, this time caging you in as he slams his hands on the crates. The angle forces you to tilt your head back. "We've been bros for years, right? We trust each other with everything."

"Unfortunately," you say.

Itto pouts this time, eyes shiny. "You're really hurting my feelings right now, bro-"

"Call me that one more time and I'm leaving."

"...Don't be like that, bro-"

You hook three fingers into his choker and yank him forward. He stumbles and, in his attempt to not crack your skull with his forehead, falls to his knees instead. And you, out of the kindness of your heart, spread your legs before you can knee him in the jaw. He ends up smacking into the crate anyways.

"Ow!" Itto whines, "what gives?!" He rubs his forehead and peels his head up and...oh.

"Huh." You lean over, a smirk on your face when Itto finally meets your eyes from between your thighs. "You look kind of good down there."

It takes a moment for that to sink in. When Itto flushes and tries to get up, all it takes is a single finger on his choker to reel him back in.

"Uh, haha," Itto tries to clear his throat. The leather strains beautifully against his skin. "Sorry, I won't call you my bro again-ghk!"

You raise a brow as you skim a finger across the exposed skin of his neck. "So you no longer trust me?"

"I didn't say that-"

You ignore him, instead tilting your head until your ear nearly brushes your shoulder. Itto follows the curve of your neck. You don't think he even realizes it.

"So then this conversation was all for nothing," you sigh dramatically, doing your best to draw on Lady Guuji's for inspiration. "And here I was, ready to offer you a solution to your troubles."

"A solution?" Itto blinks, embarrassment momentarily forgotten until you smile and haul him closer to you.

"I can think of a few," you hum. You release the choker and bring a finger to his chin, a smile growing when he doesn't pull away. "That is what you dragged me out here for, after all, no?"

Itto's lips part in a breathless gasp. "You serious?"

"Nope." You pull away and lean back, hands on the crates as you admire the moon above. "If you're really that desperate, I'm sure one of the shrine maidens would be down to fuck an-"

The word catches in your throat when Itto slams his hands down besides you, caging you in just like before. This time, he leans in so close you can almost feel his breath on your face.

"Would you?" he nearly growls. Try as you might, you can't look away, but you can't bring yourself to speak either. It only makes the Oni lean in. "If I asked, wouldya?"

Your lips part. Itto's eyes flicker to them before the sound of his nails dragging across wood fills the air.

"So Thoma's a go," he says, voice tight, "but an oni ain't?"

...ah. There it is. You can't help but laugh. Itto recoils, blinking quickly as he takes in your position. Knees spread, arms back, chest forward-

Itto almost leans back when you drag him by the collar and press your lips against his. It's definitely not a good angle and he lets out an adorable squeak of shock, but his eagerness more than makes up for it when you tilt your head and readjust.

By the time you pull back, Itto nearly falls on top of you, trying to chase the kiss.

"A bed," you laugh breathlessly.

"Huh?"

"We need a bed," you say, nudging his head back so you can scoot onto the edge of the crate. "No way am I letting you fuck splinters into my back."

Itto reddens, but his eager smile catches you off guard. "Or I could just pick you up and we do it right here?"

And Archons, he's not the only red one now. "Seriously?"

"C'mooon," he whines, body flush against yours as he wraps his arms around your torso. His stupid oni buckle jabs at your crotch. "I'm an oni! I could carry you for days!"

"Huh. And does that energy carry over into railing me, too?" you ask.

Itto's grin practically splits his face in half as he hoists you up. You yelp and wrap your arms around him tight, but he only needs one arm to keep you secure. The other immediately begins to fumble with his belt. "I guess we'll just have to find out, then, won't we?"