Jujutsu Kaisen x Male Reader

Y/n Utsuwa Vs Gojo Satoru (Chapter 1)

Y/n lifted the boiling pan, letting the flames below play across the bottom, ensuring the heat was just right. The food inside bounced and rolled, something that he'd perfected over time. It was just cooking, sure, but he made it fun, made it an art. His left hand mirrored his right, an advantage of being ambidextrous that he never took for granted.

With a final, big flip, he dialed the heat back to zero and set both pots down. He reached back to untie his headband and apron, hanging them on the small, rusty nail sticking out from the kitchen wall beside the old, faded family photo. Then he carried the dishes, still steaming, to the table.

"Ryoko! It's ready! I'm leaving it on the table!" Y/n's voice carried through the house. Then, just to be sure, he wrapped her plate with tin foil, in case she didn't show.

Y/n paused for just a moment, a thoughtful look crossing his face, before he sank into one of the two empty chairs. The table was set for a breakfast, but as always, he was eating alone.

He made short work of his meal, the usual routine playing out in silence. Then, as he had done countless times before, Y/n got up and left for school. Of course he made sure to lock the doors behind him, and tell Ryoko he was leaving.

Even though Y/n tried not to stress about it, he couldn't help but feel the strain. He and Ryoko were all they had left of what used to be a full family, now reduced to just two. At only 16, Y/n found himself playing the unexpected role of big brother and parent all rolled into one for his six-year-old sister, a massive job that felt like a backpack full of bricks.

Sometimes Y/n would even find himself staring at Ryoko's drawings pinned on the fridge - colorful scribbles of a family, complete with stick figure parents that were no longer there. And it would bring him incredible frustration.

But the real problem wasn't just about caring for Ryoko. There was this weird gap that seemed to expand between him and Ryoko every day. It felt like trying to shout across a canyon and hoping the echo would reach her. Her eyes always held this look, like she was waiting for him to say the right words or do the right thing. But, he was only 16. He was just as clueless as she was!

Walking to school was a bit less creepy this time around. Y/n couldn't quite put his finger on it, but something was off. The "curses," as his mom used to call them, weren't swarming like usual. Born from the town's collective negativity, these creatures were something he had become all too familiar with.

Usually, they were drawn to Y/n like magnets. His walks to school were more like obstacle courses, constantly watching his surroundings and jumping at the rustle of unseen things in the bushes. But today, they were nowhere to be found. Could today actually turn out to be an ordinary, boring day? The thought was almost too good to be true.

Of course, he couldn't shake the nagging feeling that something might be wrong. Those curses didn't just vanish into thin air. They were always lurking somewhere. Y/n's gift—or curse—of seeing them wasn't something he could just turn off.

But for now, he allowed himself to enjoy the peaceful walk, the clear air, the surprisingly bright morning. There was something his Dad used to say in regards to normalcy, even if it was temporary: "You have to grab hold of the good things when you can."

_–-{}-–_

Y/n splashed some water on his face and looked at himself in the mirror, his eyes a bit red. This was his go-to move when his eyes started acting up. Annoying, really.

He didn't know much about Jujutsu, whatever that was, and didn't know where he and Ryoko fit into the big picture. There were family secrets, mostly hinted at by his mom's cryptic stories. They were interesting, but not something Y/n really cared to dig into.