β³ each masterlist will tell you wether the request for that specific character(s) are open or not!
β find me on ao3!
β β my writing masterlists;
β six of crows
β criminal minds
β jujutsu kaisen
β call of duty
β marvel
β β my rules;
β rules:
please, before you request check out the rules
β who I write for:
hereβs a list of who Iβll be writing for
β β works in progress;
as the title says, these are my works in progress. if you sent a request, you might want to look here and see how itβs going!
β β about the author;
hereβs a little bit about me
β and some silly posts Iβve made
β β favorites by others;
β³ fic recs twenty twenty-four;
contains the following characters; spencer reid, kaz brekker, simon βghostβ riley, alastor, hobie brown
β recs!
β³ old fic recs;
contains the following fandoms; marvel, criminal minds, the umbrella academy, corpse husband, six of crows, and some actors who are part of said fandoms.
note: it hasnβt been updated in four years!
β old recs!
β β the senders;
this is just my inbox answers. to see those click here! or go to these: #mcntseesrequests / #mcntseesasks [tagged below]
Anya is live and ready to show you everything. Watch her strip, dance, and perform exclusive shows just for you. Interact in real-time and make your fantasies come true.
β Live Streamingβ Interactive Chatβ Private Showsβ HD Quality
Anya is LIVE right now
FREE
Free to watch β’ No registration required β’ HD streaming
Ohhhhh to have the boy you have a crush on laying on your bed, smiling, looking up at you with a hand around your leg and resting on your knee reach up to brush your bangs aside and call you handsome
I feel like this is a quite important and profound scene. It's a shame we aren't going to see it animated, as it seems.
The intimate, kind of alluring way "Hikaru" has his hand on Yoshiki's knee while it is over his shoulder and Yoshiki being totally okay with it. "Hikaru" asking such a sensitive and delicate question to Yoshiki. Him actually admitting out loud his insecurity (one of them) and letting himself be vulnerable. Maybe because he knows "Hikaru" will not judge him. Maybe he feels safe with him. enough to do that. "Hikaru" soothing him and turning this insecurity into something beautiful via an affectionate, adoring way. Even going as far as touching that insecurity because he wants to admire Yoshiki's handsome face (and Yoshiki let him, even for a moment). He finds him handsome and he means it, proves it with deeds, not just words. So softy and sweetly, he helps Yoshiki accept a part of himself, at least a little.
Had Yoshiki ever heard himself being called handsome before? Had he been this affectionate and vulnerable with someone before?
theyre calling 'hikaru' an evil spirit meanwhile he's wrapping himself in a blanket skipping school and crying his eyes out because he's scared yoshiki doesn't love him. evil spirit WHERE. ignore the villagers he's been violently murdering
Anya is live and ready to show you everything. Watch her strip, dance, and perform exclusive shows just for you. Interact in real-time and make your fantasies come true.
β Live Streamingβ Interactive Chatβ Private Showsβ HD Quality
Anya is LIVE right now
FREE
Free to watch β’ No registration required β’ HD streaming
stealing someone's heart is the hardest heist of all to pull off - what happens when yours is caught between the man trying to save you and one who swears you don't need to be saved?
pairings: hero!Geto x thief!Reader x villain!Gojo
content: MDNI, modern superhero AU!, fem-bodied reader (loosely inspired by black cat!), pining and yearning, angst and smut galore!, coworkers lol, taking care of wounds from typical superhero crime fighting violence, piv sex, choking, oral (m! + f! receiving), multiple povs + positions as per usual, blackmail (kinda sorta it's complicated ok!!), man who wants to make you better vs a man who wants to make you worse (LISTEN)
one
haunted
two
dreamer
three
a night to remember
four
lovesick
five
fragile
six
serendipity
alternate ending
comment or message me to be added to the taglist, preview below <333
to die for art by @hunnismokah + divider by @animatedglittergraphics-n-more !!
Suguru fucked you like he wanted to fix you.
Slow at first. Tender. Kisses so light they felt like feathers ghosting across the exposed skin of your throat, your chest, sturdy fingers tugging down the zipper of your bodysuit inch by inch. Making sure you finished first with his mouth or his fingers before actually slipping inside, memorizing every sensitive spot that made your brain stop working, breath hitching and toes curling in the fevered murmurs of his name escaping your lips.
You never seemed to learn your lesson though.
And it was much more fun to make him snap anyway.
βYou're returning this,β His voice was low, a hoarse grunt in your ear as he used the dainty chain of your necklace like a leash, pulling it tight around your throat, the edges of the pretty gemstones sharp, threatening to break the skin.
βN-no,β You stammered, whining under his weight, pinned between him and your mattress, his chest on your back, his hips smacking roughly against your ass.
βYou don't need this stuff,β He muttered, grinding his tip into your cervix, how he knew you liked it, like he was trying to convince you to concede defeat even now. It was getting harder to breathe, the corners of your vision starting to fuzz as the pressure mounted in your stomach, nails clawing at your sheets.
You both knew you weren't going to return it.
His disappointment in you was a knife you couldn't stand to take out.
"Yeah, you gonna buy it for me then?" You huffed, yelping when he practically branded your ass with a sharp smack.
What you said was a low blow, something that chewed quietly at your stomach even as he was rearranging your guts with his thick length. It wasn't like vigilante justice paid the bills. And considering you'd abused your own position to sneak a peek at payroll to see what he made as a lab technician, the half of a million-dollar necklace currently cutting into your throat was more than a bit out of his budget.
"You want me to turn you in?" He threatened, pulling the chain taut, waiting until you were about to pass out before releasing it abruptly, letting the necklace settle in your collarbone while you gasped for air.
"You won't," You challenged, whining when he pulled out. But he just flipped you over, his dark eyes narrowing when they met your gaze. He sank back into your warmth, your legs automatically wrapping around his waist, heels digging into his muscled back. Puzzle pieces that didn't look like they'd fit but surprisingly snapped together with ease.
He wouldn't run the risk of you outing him. But you liked to think he was just a little fond of you. Or at least, fond of trying to force you onto a different path. You knew something he didn't though. That the fun was just in the game of cat and mouse you two played. Pretending not to know each other in public when you were the only ones who knew the real versions of each other under the masks you wore and the nights you shared.
His suit thrown on the ground, his mask on your nightstand, the way some of his hair would stick up after he took it off, the faint scars scattered on his arms you liked to trace with your fingers on the rare occasion he actually stayed until morning, all the details that'd disappear from your life if you actually took his advice.
If you weren't a thief, what were you to him?
Just another coworker he'd pass by in the break room with an awkward hello?
Anya is live and ready to show you everything. Watch her strip, dance, and perform exclusive shows just for you. Interact in real-time and make your fantasies come true.
β Live Streamingβ Interactive Chatβ Private Showsβ HD Quality
Anya is LIVE right now
FREE
Free to watch β’ No registration required β’ HD streaming
Gojo canβt cum. Too much on his mind, not enough time to himself, not enough chances to indulge. Itβs becoming a matter of personal hygiene. He can't go on like this. He needs help. Your help.
Ao3 WC: 7.4k Warnings: casual sex, raw sex, penetrative sex, kissing, kissing SLOPPY, oral m!receiving, discussion of anal but not present really, improper use of cursed energy, doggy, begging, crying, desperate whiny Gojo, brief mention on former satosugu,
------ Wow can you guys even believe? I actually wrote something about Gojo!! Tbh writing about/for him intimidates the fuck out of me but i have some longer form ideas about him so this was a good exercise. I hope yβall like it. -Doodle
Satoru canβt cum. Heβs broken. His balls dried up. His dick died. His cursed energy overloaded and rendered him impotent. Limitless misfired and clogged him completely. It was the only way to explain why he hadnβt cum in two months.
He used to be able to cum. Fuck, he used to cum too easy. Ten years ago he would jerk off before hooking up so he didnβt cum too fast. He was so fucking sensitive, every touch or graze could send him shivering. Now he would have given anything for his days as a quick draw. That life was over.
Do people have cum caps? Like a finite amount of times they can orgasm and an excess of masturbation and experimentation in his youth had burned through his chances. He wants to believe that if he had known how wasteful he was, he would have acted differently, but it was a lie. He was too instinctual, everything in his nature, his upbringing, had taught him to trust his instincts above all else. They kept him alive, kept him going, kept him satisfied. But now, a vital piece of the puzzle was missing.
It was the sixty-sixth day in a row. He got home around eleven pm, an earlier night than most. His apartment, with its spotless, professionally tended, interior that betrayed the depraved chaos burning inside of him. Dropping his keys and shoes at the door he groaned into the silence at the way his work pants shifted against his throbbing erection trucked down his left leg. This was the part that was growing painful. The sensitivity. It started just around his pelvis, any brush of fabric or misjudged distance between himself and curses, near his hips would send a shaking beat of pleasure up his spine. But it spread, and spread. Even the car seat against his back was starting to turn him on. Last week Principle Yaga touched the back of his neck by mistake and his eyes rolled back. His black blindfold was working finding more work by the day. He started leaving limitless up constantly, well, more constantly. Only dropping completely after he had crossed the threshold of his home. Anything else was too risky.
Today had been rough, he woke up aching between his legs, the coldest shower he could stand helped to bring it down, but not for long. On the way to work he had to cross and re-cross his legs, a difficult feat at his height, over and over until he got to the school. Because of his existence in the good graces of the universe, there were no classes, only a brutally endless string of meetings. Not good, but at leastβ¦seated. By the time the final meeting was dismissed he thought he could bite through a cement support beam. On the way out, one of the higher ups patted him on the back, limitless blocking it from making contact, but he found a tantalizing urge to let it pass through, just for the contact.
He was fucking ruined.
Passing through the mainroom, up the staircase to the bedroom, he pulled his blindfold from his eyes, blinking a few times, snowy eyelashes relaxing from their position pressed against his eyelids. Finally in his bedroom, he pulled his shirt over his head, dropping it to the floor, already breathing hot and deep. He passed his bed into the ensuite bathroom, clicking the light and taking in his own reflection.
Fuck, he looked rough.
Skin sallow. Muscles strained and tense. Still handsome, of course, but drained. Like he had been wrung out.
And alone.
Satoru clicked the light off. He couldnβt go there.
He walked himself over to the bed, lithe hands finding his belt and unfastening it, slipping his pants down his legs. A relieved sigh left his mouth as the tight garment was removed. He sat on the edge of his bed, palming his desperate erection. He was shivering, the stimuli so overwhelming already. He wasnβt hopeful, but he was too desperate to stop. Keening back onto the bed, he let his eyes close. He didnβt want to see, the only sensation he wanted was to feel himself, touching himself, bringing him to the peak that felt so insurmountable. He was diamond hard now, finally he pulled himself free of the confines of his briefs. Taking his length into his hand, circling his palm over his barren tip.
He couldnβt even precum anymore.
He groaned in frustration, scooting back further on the cushy mattress, his briefs joining his discarded pants on the floor. He spit onto his hand, coating his dick from base to head, easing his strokes. He let his head fall back against the pillows, dredging up memories of past lovers to try and aid his efforts. He wasnβt really a porn guy, not above it, certainly. But it was overstimulating, bright lights, too colorful, just overwhelming to his already heightened senses. He preferred to rely on his own mind, he was in total control there. Or at least he used to be. His mind was too full of other bullshit to wander into the salacious. Work, always work. Lesson plans, missions, reports, meetings.
Fuck.
He reset, turning over onto his knees, moving one of his silken pillows under him, opting to rut against the soft cushion. One hand underneath pressing it against his length. His head hanging heavy under his shoulders, sweat dripping down the slope of his nose. The cold silk pillowcase against his cock, making his sweating body erupt into goosebumps. He slid his hips, gasping out shuddering breaths. It felt so good, so cold and soft against his begging erection. The muscles in his back rippled, swelling and beckoning under his frosty, even skin. The light of his bedroom cast gorgeous shadows on his back and hips, bringing out his excellent physique. The shadow of his spine, the lat muscles under large, perfectly worked arms, almost appearing as angel wings in the low, soft glow.
He brought his thoughts to long shapely legs, thighs shaking under his touch. Lips, wet and swollen, against his own. This was working, his breath was starting to catch in time with his hips against the pillow. He let his mind continue to wander and increased his speed. Glute muscles flexing hard as images of bodies he once held, some with features he knew well, some less familiar but still worth remembering. Some too familiar, silky, long black hair falling into his mouth. Dark violet eyes, full, strong arms.
No. Not that. He couldnβt go there either. There was nothing left for him anymore.
It killed his momentum. Still aching below but too stormy on top. Stilling his hips, slouching over the mattress. He took a few deep breaths, trying to take in the room around him in pieces, grounding himself in the present. In reality.
He wiped his wet hand over his face then on the sheets below him, gripping hard. This was getting ridiculous. He felt pathetic. Tears burned behind his blessed eyes. He felt broken. He felt shame bubbling behind his navel. He couldnβt live like this. He needed to cum. He needed to release all of this build up and get himself right.
Satoru pulled his phone from the discarded pants and tapped it a few times. Until he found just what he was looking for.
Your phone screen illuminated your dark bedroom. Your humidifier was on, your lights had been long turned out. You had just fallen asleep after some restless tossing and turning. The screen lit up again, this time chiming out a text notification. That jarred you from the warm grip of dream and made your head spring up. You glanced at the screen, trying to read the too bright notification with sleep still coating your eyes. But before you could, it changed to the dimmer incoming call screen. It vibrated on the nightstand, suddenly too loud to ignore. You sighed, and retrieved it.
It was Gojo. He was calling you. You hadnβt seen him in months. fuck was that right? You thought back. You hadnβt seen him inβ¦six months. The last time you left his gorgeous, perfectly styled, agonizingly well put together apartment, it hadnβt been on bad terms, by any metric, but it wasnβt like you were falling into each other's arms either. There hadnβt been any blow out or agreement not to see each other anymore, it just fizzled out. You were sure you had been disappointed when the calls and texts slowed to a trickle, but it wasnβt like you were dating or anything. You had hooked up a few times earlier in the year. No more than four times total. Okay, six times. Okay, nine times. Okay, you lost track somewhere in the second month. What really qualifies as hooking up these days, anyway? Just penetration or sexting? Oral? Hand stuff? Hand stuff in public? Other stuff in public? What should even qualify if you were keeping track -- which you werenβt! You answered the call.
βDo you know what time it is?β You sighed out, smiling through your feigned annoyance.
He purred on the other side of the line, βhmmmm, what are you wearing?β
βPajamas, because it's almost one in the morning.β your voice was hoarse, sleep having laid your vocal cords to rest.
βSounds hot.β You could hear his stupidly sexy smile, βYou should come over. Canβt waste an outfit like that at home.β
You laugh, already planning how quickly you could pull yourself together, and whether or not the trains were still running, βYouβre kidding me. I haven't heard from you in months. You call at an ungodly hour and expect me to come running over at the drop of a hat?β
βYou donβt have to run, Iβll send a car.β He coos.
You laugh again, stretching in your bed, letting out a soft groan.
βmmmm, do that again.β His voice grew heavier, there was some suspicious sounding rustling on his end.
You stayed quiet, wanting to see if you would hear anything else and wanting to deny him.
βNow donβt be like that, baby.β He whines, he sounds pathetic βI need your help. Itβs an emergency.β
You got out of your bed, still taking your sweet time, savoring his helplessness, βAn emergency, huh? Nothing fatal I hope.β
His tongue clicks on the other side, βhmmm, itβs hard to say. Could be a fever, Iβm feelingβ¦hot.β
You hate that a line so corny is making you bite your lips to keep quiet. You slipped into a cuter, but still comfy lounge set, a bit more versatile than your pajamas βSounds contagious, maybe it would be best if I stayed homeβ¦β
βPlease!β His voice changed, cracking and almost panicked, βI need you, please.β
There was no version of this conversation that ended any other way, βSend the car.β
βAlready outside.β You heard his face split into that gorgeous smile you couldn't resist, not even over the phone.
When you arrived at his front door, you didn't even have a chance to knock before he swung the door open. And fuck he looked good. Bad, but good? Not bad, justβ¦disheveled. He hadnβt bothered to put a shirt on, inhumanly muscled torso glowy and flushed, his hair matted and unkempt, a pair of sweatpants hanging low on his hips. The long, angled white scar healed from an injury long past going from his shoulder to his opposite hip. You traced the line with your eyes, recalling the first time you had seen it, how he had moved your fingers over it, getting you used to the feeling of it under your touch, assuring you that it was long healed and nothing to fuss over. Every inch of him was perfect, despite his pain, his history. You couldnβt resist the way he made you feel like you were the only person in the world. Your ogling did not go unnoticed, looking up to his face you saw the smile you had heard so much of recently.
βMiss me?β He opened the door wider, allowing you to enter, ducking under his arm.
βYeah.β You admitted rolling your eyes and stepping inside, leaving your shoes at the door.
You took in the sleek, cavernous town house around you. His decor hadnβt changed at all, a lovely front room, a staircase along one windowed wall, leading up to his bedroom. If you were to press further into the main floor, peeling back shoji screens you would find more bedrooms, frozen in time just as they were last left by their former inhabitants, his office, barely ever touched, a gorgeous bathroom complete with a personal sauna. For someone who spent nearly no time at home, he really did have the house dreams are made of.
βI can get you something to drink if you want.β He offers, shutting and locking the door.
βThatβs okay. You sounded pretty desperate on the phone, Iβd hate to keep you waiting.
He wasnβt totally ready for this part. Having to explain what was going on with him. He shifted a bit, he wanted you so bad. He needed it. He needed every part of you right now, but he couldnβt bring himself to say it.
βCome on Gojo, you got me out here. Donβt get shy on me now. Whatβs the big emergency?β You set your bag down on his expansive kitchen island, not subtly eyeing the absolutely incomprehensible bulge tenting the front of his sweats.
βItβs been so long, why the rush, Sugar?β He plays coy, approaching you with a suave gait, moving past you to the refrigerator, βSparkling water? Still? I can go down to the cellar if you want something stronger?β
βGojoβ¦β You raise your eyebrows.
βI have tea or coffee if you prefer. Some sodas, you like diet right?β
βGojo come on---β
βYou know i'm not great in the kitchen but if youβre hungry I could---β
βSatoru!β You cut him off, finally pulling his attention from the icebox, βWhatβs up with you?β
His white eyebrows knit together in the center, making his eyes droop pitfully, βI canβt cum.β
You can barely hear his confession, and you must have heard him wrong so in earnest you ask, βWhat?β
βI canβt cum. For weeks, nothing. I try and I try and justβ¦nothing.β He blurts, simultaneously relieved and mortified.
You know you shouldn't stare, that you should say something, but youβre dumbfounded. There was once a time, not too long ago even, where he had you bent over this exact counter pushing through his own leaking orgasm to bring you to tears. And that had been the third round that night. You always thought he was the untouchable man, a paragon of self control and pushed limits. To think of him unable to even pleasuring himself, it felt impossible.
βYou canβt cum?β You say dumbly.
βWell now that you have repeated it, I think I must be cured, you can go now.β He rolled his eyes, leaning his shoulder against the fridge, fighting the hiss that bubbles in his throat from its chilling surface against his heated skin.
βIβm sorry!β You put your hands up like you had been caught, βIt's just a little hard to believe! I never expected you toβ¦.struggleβ¦in thisβ¦area.β
Gojoβs eyebrows flew up, every word you said made it worse. You could feel it but you couldnβt stop yourself. You were apparently determined to put every foot possible in your big stupid mouth.
βI just mean because youβre usually so good! How could this happen, are you sick? I donβt know why I would even ask that! Obviously youβre not sick, you're justβ¦.having someβ¦dysfunction.β
βWhy would you say dysfunction?β He stared at you, ego bruised but still amused at how poorly you were handling this.
βI didnβt mean like that! I Just---β
βAny other word. Any word in the world you could have said, and you go with dysfunction.β He chuckles, his own embarrassment now vacated completely in wake of how flagrantly you had just shit the bed.
βThat was super dumb, and Iβm really sorry. I have no idea what to say.β You just gave up on the second half of the sentence, knowing nothing you were saying was going to help.
βI don't have erectile dysfunction, the erection is not the problem,β He doesnβt have to gesture below his waist, the subject of conversation stands perfectly at attention, pushing against the flimsy fabric, βIt won't go away, Iβm stuck like this, and I canβt think about anything else, and I canβt get anything done. I need your help, you have to help me get rid of it.β
Your chest warmed a bit, a sly canary eating smile crossed your face, βSo you called me, huh?β
βYes I called you.β He sighs.
βOut of everyone you could have booty called to help your infinite boner, you call little old me? Gojo, I'm touched!β You sound like you're accepting a Nobel prize.
He rolls his eyes, βI knew you were going to be annoying about this.β
You took a seat at one of the bar stools at the counter, resting your head flirtatiously on your perched hands, βSo like when you were choosing who to call, what made you pick meβ¦am I just that good?β
You were, fuck you really were. He had thought about you so many times, Your perfect body, your pretty eyes, your soft hair, your legs around his hips, your fucking mouth. It had been too long over all, but it had been far too long since he had been with you. He called you because he knew you were great, and because he trusted you. He could be honest with you without judgement, your current reaction notwithstanding. He knew that he could count on you to be discreet and up front. There werenβt any guessing games when you were together, he didnβt have to guess or grasp for clues at how you were feeling. He knew you.
βThatβs right.β He nodded, willing to let you have this.
You let out a teasing school yard oooooooooooooh. Batting your eyelashes and grinning widely, feeling like the absolute queen of the universe.
But he was growing impatient, βYou gonna help me out, or what?β
βSounds like I have quite the reputation to protect, how long has it been exactly?β You eyed him up and down.
βStill about twenty centimeters. Give or take.β He answers, βOh! You mean--two months.β
βMonths? Two MONTHS?β You gawked and then caught yourself, βIβm sorry I know that doesnβt helpβ¦I just canβt believe youβre upright. How are you not hospitalized?β
βIf this conversation takes much longer I may have to be.β He crosses the room to you, leaning over where you are seated on the counter, putting his arm around you to grip the back of your chair.
You lean back, taking in a breath as he leans closer. Fuck, heβs so handsome. Perfect pearly skin, hair soft and fluffy, those fucking eyes holding you still under their gaze.
βCome on, Sugar, help a guy out. Weβre friends right? Friends help each other.β His breath is sweet against your face.
You feel hypnotized, looking between his eyes and lips in a dizzying circle. His cocky demeanor you were so used to was crackling, you could see beads of sweat that had formed on his brow, his tongue wet and heavy kept his lips parted, drawing you closer. He smelled like him, warm and clean, the whole place smelled like him. You were completely in his arena, but you still had all the power. The Strongest asking you for help, begging even, you felt high. You tilted your head up, close to his face, catching his eyes,
βWhat are friends for?β You closed the distance between you, locking your lips together.
He is quick to pull you closer, making your breasts press hard against his chest, drawing a moan from both of you. His tongue slips past your lips, and maps the interior of your mouth quickly. Reacquainting himself with your taste. Even just a kiss, a real kiss, made his body shudder. His left hand holds your face, his long fingers splayed over your cheek, from your neck up to you temple, his right hand held the back of your neck, keeping you firm in place against him. You are far handsier than him in this moment. You canβt stop yourself, you missed his body, his kiss, him. Feeling his toned stomach, around his hips to his back, digging your nails in just enough to see if he gasps. He does not. Far too focused on the sloppy, dripping kiss he waited so patiently for. Heβs leaning over you, pushing you further and further back, making you dangerously close to falling off the stool below you. But of course, his hand grabs your back, holding you still, right where we wanted you. Just past the point where you would have to engage your abs, but not far enough for you to want to hold yourself up. Muscles right on the precious of passive ability and focused contraction, forcing to to rely on his hold, trusting him completely, and he could feel you would relax into his palm, melting into his touch.
βFuck, Gojo. You really are desperate.β You giggled as his kissed moved down to your jaw and neck.
He moaned against your skin as your nails clawed at his lower back, nodding his head passively, running his tongue over your pulse point.
βYouβre so pretty.β He hooks your leg over his hip, pressing the problem child erection right against yours clothed cunt, drawing a shaky gasp from you.
βNot here.β He pulls himself away. βUpstairsβ¦do this rightβ¦letβsβ
Heβs not finishing any of his sentences, you almost worry if whatever problem that resides in his cock could be spreading to his brain. But maybe it was contagious because you canβt bring yourself to care. Holding your hand a bit too tight, he pulls you forward and up the staircase to his bedroom. He doesnβt bother shutting the door, no one else has lived here in a long time. The house is quiet, bar from the panting breaths that drip from both of you, the rustle of clothes, and the reconnection of hot, desperate skin. You kiss him again, pushing him back toward the bed. He allows you to push him onto the mattress, disconnecting your lips.
βSo?β You flirt, standing naked before him, letting him see all of you, βhow do you wanna fix this?β
He has shed his sweatpants in the shuffle, propped up on his elbow, the other hand giving himself long, slow strokes.
βIβve been dreaming about that mouth, baby.β He chews on the interior of his bottom lip, βshow me if youβre as good as I remember.β
He spreads his legs, allowing you a good long look at how hard he really has become. Angry, pink tip swollen, veins along the shaft straining against the skin. The lower ab muscles are so strained you think they might pop. You had almost forgotten how fucking big he is. Everything about him was too big. His broad, strong body, his long spindly legs, built, strong arms hanging below his hips, those big hands with their knuckly fingers, his long, thick cock and the ego that accompanied. Seeing all of him, how big he was, made a shock run up and down your spine.
How the fuck had you fit this thing inside of you before?
βOh, donβt be shy now,β he echos your earlier words, βyou can take it.β
Not to be out foxed, you steel yourself and sink to your knees in between his spread legs. He stops stroking himself, leaning against both elbows now, waiting with held breath for you to begin.
Your put your hands on his knees, massaging them down and up, feeling the taut muscles of his thighs, the soft hairs under your hands.
βYou think about me a lot?β You kissed the side of his left knee.
βMhm.β His head hung backs exposing his delicious, wiry throat.
His adamβs apple bobbed as he gasped, you ran your nails down his legs, making his hips jerk upward.
βDonβt tease baby, itβs bad enough already!β He begged.
Fuck he sounded good like that. No one could swing the pendulum of pathetic and cocky quite like Satoru Gojo.
βTwo months huh?β You carried on, giving open mouthed kisses up his thigh between thoughts, βyou must be sooooo sensitive. Poor baby.β
He nods, his eyes squeezed right, trying to focus on every sensation youβre giving him.
Finally you reach the divot between his hip and the base of his pelvis, the internal hinge of his thigh. You ran your tongue along the muscle, tasting the salt of his body. His hips jerk again.
βPlease!β He cries out, the lamp at his bedside flicker off and on again.
βCareful Satoru.β You warned, βall you had to do was ask.β
You swirl your tongue around the swollen, aching tip of his dick. Looping around the underside of the head and sliding your mouth down further.
Satoru was in heaven, his eyes rolled back in his head, he fought to keep his hips still, he didnβt want to hurt you, but fuck he wanted more.
You slide your tongue along each beautiful vein, making a perfect map in your head of the topography of his penis. Pulling off and sinking back down again you could take him all the way to the base, coarse white hair ticking your nose as your relaxed your throat to accommodate him he fell back against the bed, one hand moving your hair off your forehead so he could see your pretty face. He didnβt know what he wanted to do more, relax into the pleasure and let it wash over him, or watch you take him further. He leaned up to watch, just as your peeked on eye open to see him falling apart. But the eye contact was too much for him to bear, he felt his cheeks erupt in a blush, and he fell backward again, using one arm to shield his eyes.
You tutted, running his cock along your lips as your spoke, giving it sloppy kisses to make the syllabals, βoh Satoru, look at me, baby. Doesnβt it feel good?β
He nods but doesnβt look up. He canβt bear it. Your weepy eyes filling with tears from the lack of breath, your lips swollen, encasing his cock head. Your hair pulled to one side, giving him a perfect view of your hollowed cheeks as you suck and pull at him. With your spit coating his cock, the sensitivity has doubled. Wet, schlucking sounds fill his bedroom, alongside your haughty moans. Or waitβ¦thatβs actually him moaning like that. He doesnβt even recognize himself, heβs panting, sweating, begging. He didnβt even realize he was talking but the praises have been spilling from him continuously:
Yes
Baby yes just like that
Fuck youβre so good
Youβre so pretty
Fuck youβre doing so good
Feels so good
Baby
Fuck
Sugar
So pretty
So good
I canβt I
Please baby make me
Fuck youβre
Agh
Oh
Fu
Oh
Ah
O
I
All he can manage by the time he looks back at you are open vowel sounds. Itβs feels fucking incredible, perfect, if this were three months ago he would have cum in an instant. This was the closest he had felt, but it still wasnβt enough. He had to be inside you. The hand keeping your hair back rounded your face, his thumb pushing against your lips.
βI need to fuck you.β He says breathlessly, βI wonβt cum until I fuck you, please.β
You pull off of him, a little disappointed that you wouldnβt get to brag about your head game, but you push it aside and join him on the bed. Clingy as he is, he pulls you close, kissing you hard again. Your mouth is wet with saliva and pre cum. He didnβt have the time to be impressed at your skill bringing forth the pearly substance, he coveted so greatly. He was too focused on being as close as two people can be. You move to straddle his lap, but he shakes his head, breaking from your lips.
βBend over.β His mouth is wet now, both of you wet from lips to chin.
You grin and climb off him, stacking a few pillows to give you something to rest on and presenting your hips to him. Satoru is getting his bearings back, he feels more in control now that he has moved onto his knees behind you. Desperate as he is he canβt resist brushing two feather light fingers down your spine, watching you arch as he drags them further and further down. Your spine snakes, your hips sway, his fingers find the cleft where your spine meets your ass, a perfectly little dimple, waiting for his hands to paw at, your breathy moan eggs him on, sliding further down, feeling your tight asshole clench from just the lightest of contact.
βYou remember when you let me back here?β He circles it, reminiscing, βyou were so tight. fuck, you felt so good baby.β
βRemember when you let me back there.β You tried to sound tough but your position bent over with your head buried in your hands made it difficult.
βMmmmhm.β He felt his dick twitch again, remembering when you had fingered him open, sucking him in tandum, he swore he saw an angel that night.
And here you were again, having rushed over in the middle of the night just to help him, trembling under his fingertips. Maybe you really were an angel. His very own guardian angel. If anyone could bed a steward of the divine it would be him.
βI thought you needed my help.β You whined.
He giggles, leaning over you, close enough that his lips touch your ear, his heavy cock pressing against your slit,βJust making sure youβre as needy as I am.β
He runs his tongue over the shell of your ear, making you squeal. Of course he remembered all your sensitive spots. He returned to his knees behind you, spreading you open, marveling at the mess you had made. Dripping honey onto the bed, onto your thighs, on his hand. His mouth floods, the desire to bury his head between your legs quickly matching his desire to cum.
βLater.β You whimpered, having read his mind, βyou need my help.β
He beams, βso selfless.β
Finally, after an hour of build up since your arrival, the agonizing time waiting for you to get here, and the two months of celibacy that had brought him here, he aligned himself at your drooling hole, your spit was still shining along his cock but he ran either side though your folds anyway, making sure he was wet enough. He had fucked enough and had a big dick for long enough that he knew taking it all required some specific anatomy or a lot of prep, usually both. And while you were familiar with him, and giving yourself so willingly to him, he didnβt actually want to hurt you.
βSatoru please justβ-β
The rest of your sentence would never see the air of his bedroom. Itβs conclusion stolen from you and replaced with a pathetic scream as he pushed inside. He had meant to ease in but as soon as he started he couldnβt stop himself, he bottomed out in his first thrust. A loud smack of your ass hitting his hips still resounded in the room as he pulled back and thrusted in again. Your back arched evilly, dangerously close to snapping your spine in half. Despite his tunnel vision, Satoru eased his hand up your back, effortlessly smoothing it and gripping your shoulder for more leverage.
βYes! Oh fuck yes.β He grunted, thrusting in an evil pace.
You couldnβt even speak, he was so deep, you were willing to bet his made an impression agains the front of your stomach. On your pillow pedastule you sank further, and reached up one formerly supportive hand to grip his on your shoulder.
βSaβ¦saβ¦β you panted out, not even able to string his name together.
He moved to long, languid, but devastatingly deep thrusts, the hand on your shoulder holding the side of your neck now, βthatβs it, sugar. Say my name. Say my name, baby, come on.β
You tried, you really fucking tried but the letters wouldnβt come, βSβSaβ-sss.β
Your eyes rolled back, crumbling completely into the silken pillowcases, not caring if your spit or tears ruined the fabric. He spanked you once hard, making your head shoot up.
βI said say it.β He grunted.
Cocky for a man who was nearly in tears over the phone because he couldnβt bust.
βSatoru!β You finally spilled, his cock pushing hard against your g spot, βSatoru! Satoru please! Be gentle!β
Now that your voice had found you again it was hard not to beg him for mercy.
βPlease baby, please! Fuck thatβs so good.β You babbled, bringing a sick smile to his face.
He fucked harder, deeper into you, reveling the way your walls fluttered around him. You were so tight he had initially worried he was going to split you in two. But you are his angel, he should have known better than to deny your divinity. Satoru could hear your moans increasing in pitch and becoming choppy. He reached around your hip, finding the perfect pearl between your lower lips and circling his middle finger around. The clench that followed sent you both keening. His fingers brought forth an orgasm you didnβt think was nearly as close. Your hips shaking, biting into the pillow to keep from screaming.
βNo baby, let me hear you.βI need it.β He panted, not stopping his fingers on your clit or his evil thrusts, seeming deeper and deeper every second.
You tried to lift your head but felt dizzy, your vision wasnβt right, your clit throbbed beautifully but made you aware of how fast your heart was. Gojo pulled out turning you on your back, reinserting himself with a kiss to your cheeks.
βDonβt pass out on me, okay? I need you baby, I need your help. Help me, please.β He thrusted slower, only moving a few inches at a time as your came down from the mind fuzzing orgasm.
You nodded, coming back to yourself, you pulled your legs over his hips, your hands moving down the curves of his body. He slower thrust gave you time to admire him. He really was so beautiful. Looking at the sun and having to look away beautiful. His skin was reddening from effort and arousal, splotchy flushes that still couldnβt take away his perfection. The divots on his shoulders, the smell of his sweat, the taste of his spit. Fucking him felt like being completely encompassed in perfection incarnate. And you couldnβt feel luckier to have the chance to be so. He opened his pleasure screwed up eyes, those glowing blue irises, that contained so much of what everyone thought he was, looking down at you with so much trust, so much vulnerability, your heart lurched into your throat.
βYou okay?β Satoru scanned your face.
You nodded, pulling him in to kiss you again, feeling his soft hair under your fingers. You held on as he increased his thrusts again. Speed, depth, power, all of it ramped back up to fainting orgasm levels.
Satoru was on the verge of tears, he couldnβt do without again. He couldnβt not cum one more time. He wouldnβt make it. He would bury himself into any hole you offered him again and again and again until he was free from this. Reaching back and pulling your leg over his shoulder, he allowed himself even deeper into you. He watched your face scrunch up in pleasure, your mouth drop open to catch hot, stolen breath from him. He wanted to make it easier, slotting his lips against yours and kissing you deep, tasting your pleasure. He swooned, his heart felt so tight and full it could burst, he was so grateful for you. For your body, your generosity, your care for him that you made look so simple. He knew he wasnβt an easy person to care about, but it seemed to him like you had never considered it cumbersome. Kissing you he felt the tears long built up by restriction begin to fall, wetting his own cheeks as well as yours.
βSatoru are yβ-?β You worried against his lips, your hand in his hair moving from. A harsh grip to a soothing pet.
He shook his head, although you were right, βitβs okay. Thank you. Just thank you.β
He kissed you again and carried on thrusting, long and deep. He found your other hand and took it in his own, interlocking your fingers. Hips hard and fast, the friction not enough, he needed to touch every inch of you with every inch of himself. Your pressed against his chest as you moved to match his thrusts, putting aside the emotions that had arisen and remembering your purpose for being here. He had to break away from the kiss, pushing his forhead against yours, gasping out as you synced your thrusts together.
Oh.
Like a dim lantern in a barren desert, a non phosphorescent illusory light in a cave, the shine of climax came into his view. Still holding your hand, one of your legs over his shoulder, bending your body into a bizzare position, he chased it with everything he could. Drilling himself into your drooly, puffy pussy, again and again, causing you to cry out.
βBaby almost, cum with me, please! Pleasepleaseplease.β He squeezed your hand a bit too hard, your fingers felt cramped.
Well, they would, if you could feel them. And your leg would likely feel strained, if you could feel your hamstring still. But you couldnβt feel anything except the white hot pleasure bursting inside of you everytime he pushed against your gspot. Not breaking away from his hand, your other shot between your legs circling your clit, making you tighten up around him. Satoru cried out, the devilish squeeze of your walls felt like the last barrier between him and total bliss.
βPlease baby, please.β He canβt control his voice, he doesnβt care, nothing matters when he is this close, βyes, cum around me. I need it. Cum.β
Your eyes flutter back, your head pushes against the pillow, your body erupts into cooling, overwhelming bliss.
Finally, his torment turns, the ache in his stomach unraveling. He canβt believe it, itβs finally about to be over, he feels your body shake underneath him, your hand gripping his so tightly, your cries filling his bedroom. Just at the precipice Gojo, steals one last look at your pleasure struck face, and he falls.
The lights in his bedroom bloom, swell, and overload. Bulbs bursting as he pumps himself through the most earth shattering orgasm he has ever known. Line after line of thick, long stored cum spilling from him into your waiting cunt. The room is plunged into darkness, he buries his head in your neck, panting hard.
You smile as you feel him filing you, and continue filling you. He had always cum a lot, he joked that it was his lineage begging him for continuation. But this was, beyond. Load after load of hot, desperate cum. He pushed his hips closer to you, his body yearning to become fused to yours. To never separate again.
You move one careful hand up his back, feeling the cooling sweat at his neck, the soft hair at the nape. His breath slows against your skin, but he doesnβt yet push himself off of you, keeping his heavy frame collapsed on you. But you donβt dare complain, committing the heat of his body to memory. The moonlight from the window is now, thanks to his discharge of power, the only light in the room. Your eyes adjust slowly, his features glowing in soft blue-white light. The air in the room is thick and full of both of you. Had you an eternity to indulge yourself in this moment, it would still feel too intangible to recall. But you try anyway.
Once his eyes have stopped spinning in their sockets like some knock out cartoon, Satoru pushes himself off of you, staying inside, just hovering above your body. His misty blue eyes look over every inch of you in a second. Taking in everything about this moment, how your skin reflects the moonlight, your eyes heavy and half lidded with sleep and bliss, your soft smile waiting for him to say something. But he wasnβt ready yet, he pressed his lips to yours again, firm but not desperate. Heβs kissed you lavishly and with no burning sense of time. It could be called lazy if it werenβt for the focused decadence behind his mouth. He finally separates, thin silks of spit still unbroken between you two.
You brought your unheld hand to his face, cupping his cheek, watching as his eyes flutter shut. You could see tears drying on his cheeks, overwhelm and gratitude thier origin. The moon brought them forward for your viewing, you swiped a thumb under one eye. They both open under your touch, filling with something unreadable. He let go of your hand, opting to mirror your hold on your face, using one long finger to brush away a hair gelled to your sticky forehead.
βThank you.β He reiterates, the frantic gratitudes from before nullified into a sincerity that made you nervous despite the juxtoposition of his cock still inside of you.
βAnytime, Satoru.β You can feel your cheeks heat, but your bliss doesnβt waver.
He slid out of you slowly, careful not to jostle his tingling, overstimulated length.
You both are left panting once he has been removed completely. He moved onto his side next to you, on his back, breathing up into the dark ceiling. You realize that you had no way of knowing what time it was. The thoughts of work and responsibility tomorrow weβre beginning to gnaw at the edges of your mind. You should get home soon, leave him to his new sexual freedom. Youβd imagine he would be ready to pass out if he wasnβt asleep already. The expulsion of cursed energy enough to knock out the lights, enough to send him comatose.
You should know better than to underestimate him. Gojo sits up, stretching his long arms in front of him, allowing the formerly clenched back muscles to reset. Leaning back against his hands he looks down to you.
βI gotta change the bulbs and reset the fuse box. You wanna stay here? Once Iβm done we can go again.β That flirty smile quickly irresistible, βorrrr, if you help me Iβll be done ever faster and I can thank you properly.β
You rolled your eyes, giggling, βIβm still recovering from the last favor I did for you. Come get me when youβre done.β
You settle back into his bed, the luxe duvet the perfect cloud-like weight on your shoulders. The smell of him clinging to every stitch of his sheets.
He moved off the bed, slipping on his underwear and making quick work of changing the burst light bulbs. This wasnβt the first time a miscalculated charge had knocked out the electrical system of his house. He had a private grid, it wasnβt that elegant but between the solar panels on the outside and a small self sustaining aquaphir underneath, it was nearly entirely self sufficient. So it was simple enough to fix when it did happen. When he switched the fuse box, the electric hum returned. Back in his bedroom he found you sleeping, curled up in his bedding, snoring softly. He moves some hair off your shoulder, fingers gentle on your thin, soft skin. Bare except for the duvet pulled over your shoulders. He crouched next to you silently, pressing a tender kiss to your cheek. He was lucky to have you, someone who would help him so readily, so selflessly. Someone he could trust and confide in. It had been a long time since he could trust someone like this. Still standing over you, he watched as your stirred, sleepy eyes opening to take him in, squinting against the refreshed lighting.
βComing back to bed?β Your sleep riddled voice charmed.
βOh Iβm not done with you yet.β He moved into bed beside you, taking your body in his arms once again, his lips fighting home under your jaw.
He really was insatiable.
YAY!!! I hope y'all enjoyed this one. It was fun to write and fell together really easily. I am a lot less intimidated by writing gojo now. But I would love to hear yall's feedback on how it came off!! PLEASE! again, i have a much longer, more structured idea for him that I am wanting to build up to eventually so i would really love to know what yall think. Doodle <3 <3
Synopsis: Instead of dying, you are sent 13 years in the past, but this isn't your face. "Let's cut the shit." The white-haired kid grins. "Who are you and what're you doing in Suguru's body?"
Part two: Rewound Infinitely
Word Count: 18.1k
(Warnings: slight yandere, death, murder, inaccurate Tokyo geography, blood, violence, mild gore, obsession, unhealthy relationships, child abuse/neglect, time looping(?), fem!reader) Ageless blogs that try to follow me will be blocked
First, you saw a monster.Β
It was big and horribleβnasty teeth. You heard screaming. People. Running as fast as they could away from the creatures. Pain.Β
And then, you saw a bright, clear sky.Β
The sun was blaring down at you. It was so hot. Wasn't it December? How was the sun out at night?Β
"Hey, you good?"Β
A girl is looking at you. Short brown hair. A high schooler, judging by the uniform. How is she wearing all black when the weather is so hot?Β
When you don't respond, her eyes squint.Β
"Suguru, are you okay?"Β
That's not your name; your mouth moves faster than your brain.
"I-I'm fine." That wasn't your voice. It was deeper. More masculine. What the fuck happened to your voice?Β
The girl gives you another strange look but you're too busy freaking out over your new voice. Your hands are different too. A completely different skin tone, larger.Β
And then you're fumbling with your pockets, clothes you know you didn't buy. The girl is calling for you again but you're too busy pulling out a fuckingΒ flip-phoneΒ and looking into the black screen, the only thing you have for a mirror.Β
Purple eyes stare back. These aren't your eyes. This isn't your nose. This isn't your hair. This isn't your face. You blink. He does too. You open your mouth. So does he. You pinch your cheek. In the reflection, he winces.Β
Oh, you just fucking bodysnatched someone.Β
β΄΅
Ten minutes later, you conclude that your name is Geto Suguru, you are a 16-year-old boy, the year is 2006, and you attend a religious academy.Β
"You're finally acting normally again." The girl-newly discovered as Ieiri- says. "No more weirdness."Β
You don't blame her, considering you grabbed her by the shoulders, asking ridiculous questions like: what year is it, who am I, why am I here, who are you, am I dead, is this Hell, etc. For a teenage girl, she took your outburst well.Β
"Sorry," you say and by now you've gotten used to your voice, "it must have been the stress from studying."Β
She just hums, continuing to walk beside you. Though, Ieiri had a point. You were definitely calmer, and it was mostly because you figured it out.Β
You were dreaming.Β
You were lucid dreaming, to be more precise. Your brain was conjuring up a weird setting and you just happened to be placed in another person's body. You heard about this happening before. You were just so freaked out because this was the first time anything like this had happened to you.Β
An impulsive part of you wants to tell Ieiri that this is just a dream, but you've heard weird things happen after a lucid dreamer tries to break the illusion. It's best if you just let it just play out and see where this goes.Β
βExcited?βΒ
βHm?β You ask. And Shoko rolls her eyes.Β
βFor the mission you have this evening. Special grade. Sounds scary.β She says, her sarcasm evident.Β
Mission? Special grade? You donβt know what those words mean but it sounds like a school field trip. Shoko takes your hesitance as something else.Β
βAh,β she says, βso you forgot.βΒ
βI didnβt.β You reply on instinct.Β
βI expected this from Satoru, not you. You should stop hanging out with him, heβs starting to rub off on you.β
You give a sheepish laugh, and itβs enough to quell her questions.Β
She leads you into the school, all through the winding halls and through an office door. You couldnβt be more grateful, itβs not like you would have known where to go. Itβs a teachers room. Two people are already inside.Β
βWait, for once, Iβm early?β The boy with sunglasses asks, voice dripping with amusement. Heβs leaning dangerously on a chair. You stare at him. Youβve never seen someone with white hair before. It canβt be real.Β
βHe forgot.β Shoko pipes up and the boy cackles.Β
βThatβs hilarious. Iβm starting to rub off on you.β Ah, this must be Satoru.Β
You give a nervous smile. βHaha, yeah.βΒ
The boy stops rocking in the chair. Three pairs of eyes look at you. Your uniform feels itchy.
βGojo, stop making such a ruckus.β The man, presumably his teacher, gruffs. "You two got the briefing yesterday. Do your job and for the last timeΒ do notΒ leave your assistant manager behind again."Β
Gojo groans, and you delve into more confusion. Before you can say anything, the kid is hopping out of his seat before lazily striding out the door. Shoko and the teacher look at you expectantly.Β
Oh, you were supposed to follow him.Β
Not wanting to make a scene, you catch up to Gojo. He's tall, his footsteps are long and wide. But you're tall now too, so it's easy to keep up with him. This new body of yours has a lot of pros.Β
"Yaga's so annoying," Gojo suddenly says, "constantly nagging us like that. It's not our fault the assistants can't keep up."Β
What should you say? You clear your throat.Β
"He just wants what's best for us."Β
Wrong answer.Β
"Where'dΒ that come from?"Β He snorts. How charming. "I know you agree with me. You're just tryna' act like the nicer one, again. It's starting to get a little old."Β
Is that how 16 year-olds talk? Rude, but also strangely off-putting, like he can see straight through you. Or more accurately, he can see straight through Suguru. How close are these two, anyway?Β
Why did any of these questions even matter? This is a dream! You need to wake up already.Β
On the campus grounds, a sleek black car waits outside for you two. Along with a miffed man in a black suit. This must be a very rich school for a field trip to have a chauffeur. Where were you two going again?
Gojo hops in the back, taking one of the window seats. You take the other. In your own body, you would've fit nicely. But Suguru's legs are long, and the spacious car feels cramped. You should've taken the passenger seat. How do tall people live like this?Β
The ride is quiet. Out the corner of your eye, you catch Satoru type away on hisΒ flipΒ phone.Β A moment later, yours beeps. You still have no idea how to use Suguru's phone or his password, so you ignore his message. Satoru groans.Β
Quickly, you learn that Satoru has a very low attention span. When looking out the window gets boring, he bugs the chauffeur. When the chauffeur ignores him, he starts bugging you.Β
"Hey heyyyy," Satoru says, "when this is all over, we should go to that new ice cream place. Like you said, we should."Β
You look at him. "Uh, sure." You say.Β
"And you should pay for it, 'cuz you said you owed me last time."Β
Fine, whatever. "Sure thing."Β
He grins. You can't see his glasses, and it makes his smile even more unnerving. This kid.Β
This doesn't feel like a normal field trip at all. Why did you stop in front of some rackety house that looked as though it were about to collapse? You turn back to the only adult in the vicinity, but he's out too. He takes out a lighter and a cigarette. In front of impressionable children, too. Wonderful.Β
"I'll wait out here." He says, though his tone is uncaring. "Since we're out in the country, there's no need for a veil. Do your best."Β
Veil? What? Gojo's already going off again and you've already decided to be his chaperone, so you follow. You reluctantly trail behind him. Feet crunch the leaves. The house grows bleaker and bleaker.Β
"Okay, I have a plan!" Gojo exclaims when he gets through the squeaky door. He's so loud, can't he be quieter? "I check upstairs and you check the ground floor and the basement. Got it?"Β
Check the house? Were he and Suguru electricians in training or something? That still wouldn't explain why a grown man decided to drop off two teenagers in front of a creepy mansion. And why in God's name did Gojo want to split up?
"I-I don't think that's a good idea," you say, "shouldn't we try to stick together?" Or, better yet, leave.Β
He clicks his tongue. "Ugh, you're so lame. Not like Suguru at all."Β
Wait, what did he say? You're about to call out to him when he climbs up the stairs, disappearing from view. Unbelievable.Β
This kid was starting to get on your nerves. Enough, you were leaving. You could have a nice dream where you met and fell in love with Zendaya, not babysitting some teenager, whilst possessing another person's body. You were going to wait outside with the man and hope your dream finally came to an end.Β
Except, you couldn't go outside. The door was gone.Β
It-it was right behind you, right? The entrance was right behind you. You couldn't have gotten turned around so quickly? What the hell happened? Or maybe you had gotten turned around? Considering how distracting that Gojo kid was, you might not have realized it.Β
You look around the house. Looks like it'd been abandoned for a while. There's dirt on the shelves. Chairs were toppled over and left to rot. The wooden floorboards dangerously creaked beneath you. Just what had happened here?Β
There's no patio door. No door leading to the outside. At the same time, you hadn't explored everything yet. Each door led to a room. The only door that didn't, led to a basement. And no, you weren't going down there.Β
When you got back to where you started, you noticed something had changed.Β
There was a person. Seated right at the base of the stairs?Β
Gojo? Was he done with urban exploring? Maybe he knew the way out. He stands up, reaching to his full height, then higher, then higher.Β
Gojo was tall, but this thing was taller. Gojo was human. This thing wasn't.Β
What the fuckΒ you can only mouth because your voice is stuck in your throat when it takes a shaky step towards you. It's a black husk of a figure, too skinny but too tall and twitching fingers. You don't know how you could've mistaken this for the kid.Β
Another step. You're running, back into the house, leaping over the fallen shelves and creaky floorboards. It gives chase, and you can hear it groan behind you. It's deep and rumbly and terrifying. It just motivates you to go faster.Β
It's slower than you. That's good, but it seems to realize this. You can barely celebrate your advantage before something heavy is smashed into your back, sending you toppling to the floor. You and wooden chair crash on the ground.Β
It hurts.Β
EverythingΒ hurts.Β
Dreams aren't supposed to hurt. Because this wasn't a dream.Β
This was real. You were stuck in the year 2006, stuck in another person's body, about to get mauled by a monster.Β
You were going to die.Β
You aren't even fighting anymore. How pathetic is that? The shock numbs your body as the thing grows closer and closer, all you can do is reach your hands up, protecting your face.Β
And then the creature explodes.Β
An implosion. It's skin and bones twist in a way no one should. There's a shriek, something wrong and high and inhuman before it's gone. Like it never existed in the first place.Β
After all that, he's still smiling. Like the cat that just caught the mouse.Β
"I guess we're not pretending anymore, are we?" Gojo asks, stretching his arms. "That's good. That game was starting to get a little boring, anyways. Now, then."Β
He folds his glasses, tucking it on his uniform. Blue, his eyes are. As blue as a clear sky.Β
"Let's cut the shit." The white-haired kid grins. "Who are you, and what're you doing in Suguru's body?"
β΄΅
Contrary to your belief, Gojo Satoru is a good listener.Β
There's never an interruption. Not even once. Every once in a while, he nods, a hand on his chin. It's probably because he can't interrupt. You just keep going on and on. Word vomit.Β
He only speaks when you pause to catch your breath. "So you are from the year 2017, and you went back in time to body-snatch someone. I had a feeling your technique had something to do with possession."Β
You look at him warily. "Wait, you knew this entire time?"Β
You two hadn't moved from your earlier spot. You were still sprawled on the floor, still feeling the adrenaline surge through you. Gojo had transitioned to squatting on the floor. He scratches his neck, still so casual.Β
"I have good eyes. Don't worry about it." He shrugs. "Anyway, you seem pretty harmless, and as annoying as it is not having Suguru around, I doubt killing you would do any good." Why is he being so nonchalant about murder? Is this kid really sixteen?
"I think we gotta' just wait around until your technique reactivates." Gojo whistles. "2017. That's like a decade away. I wonder what happened for your technique to show up."Β
You blink, trying to remember the date.Β
"It was Christmas Eve..." You glance at him. "And then I was here."Β
He thinks for a moment. "Yeah, I got nothing." Of course.Β
He sighs, before sprawling on the dirty floor, belly up. You grimace at his antics but choose to keep your mouth shut.Β
He doesn't seem very worried. At the most, he looks mildly inconvenienced. Why isn't he worried about his friend?Β
When you ask him, he just snorts.Β
"Sorry, but you're not that scary. Besides, I don't have to worry about Suguru. He's strong."Β
Well, that's nice to know, but one other thing still bothers you.Β
"You speak so casually to me," you mutter, "You know I'm older than you, right? I'm 22."Β
He laughs. "22? Damn. You're old, man."Β
"That isn't old!" You argue. "You have no concept of age since you're just a teenager."Β And why did he assume you were a man? Oh right, you were trapped in a teenage boyβs body. Of course.
"I mean, technically, I'm older than you, right?" Gojo ponders with a grin. "If you're 22 in 2017, that makes you whatβ11 in 2006?"Β
You say nothing because you have a feeling that if you continue to argue with him, he'll just drag you down to his insanity.Β
"Technique, you've said that a couple of times." You look at him. "That's what you call your 'powers', right? Does Geto have one too?"Β
"Yeah," Gojo says, "but you can't use it. You have zero cursed energy. Honestly, it's at the same level as a plant. A bit lower than regular humans. It's a little impressive, actually." For one second, could he stop being so condescending?Β
"What's his technique?" You ignore his comments. "Could it be related to how I got here?"Β
He gives you a look over. "I doubt that, but Suguru's technique is curse manipulation. Uh, you remember that thing you saw earlier." You nod. "Yeah, he can control and absorb them."Β
He sounds pretty awesome. You look at your hands. Not your hands. Geto's hands. They're paler than yours, and a lot longer. This isn't your body. Your soul can feel it. You can feel the guilt too.Β
'I'd give it back if I could,'Β you think,Β 'I just don't know how.'Β
Gojo's getting up. He stretches. He was lying on the ground but you can't see a speck of dirt on his uniform.Β
"Okay, then. No use mopping around." He grins down at you. "Maybe Yaga can do something about you. Let's get you back to jujutsu tech."Β
You blink up at him. His hand is outstretched, reaching out to you. He's still grinning that insufferable grin but his eyes have slightly melted.Β
"Okay." You say, barely touching his fingertips. "Let's-"Β
And then Gojo's gone. And then, you're standing. And then it's cold.Β
You're wearing a coat; weren't you wearing a uniform before? There's no clear sky. It's nearly dusk.Β
You were standing on the sidewalk, where people bustled all around you. You fumble through your jackets, putting out a phone. An actual iphone.Β You flick on the screen.Β
December 24th, 2017, 7:06.
Holy shit, you were back.Β
Was it because you touched Gojo? That makes no sense, but how could you explain anything else that happened so far?Β God. You rake a hand through your hair. Your hand. Your hair. You can't believe how much you missedΒ yourself.Β It felt so good to be back.Β
Your mind is spinning, you had no idea what the fuck just happened.
For now, you just wanted to turn your mind off and grab a drink.Β
You know there was a bar not too far from your location. Along the way, you pass by the bustling town. There's a couple walking side by side, giggling over something you couldn't hear. Right, it's the 24th. You remember your empty bed with no one to share it with, and you cement your desire to drown yourself in alcohol today.Β
Your self-pitying session is almost how you nearly miss him.Β His shoulder brushes past you. You're about to apologize when you hear his voice. It's familiar.Β
It used to be your voice.Β
It's all there. Black hair, but it's longer this time around. Of course it is, he's had years to grow it out. He's tall, he must've grown since highschool. His broad back is the only thing you see, you're almost afraid to reach out to him.Β
"Suguru...?"Β
He halts in his tracks. When he turns around, it's like looking into a fractured past. He looks older, no longer a youthful teenager. You should have paid more attention to his eyes, how scrutinizing they were, how condescending his fake smile was. All that you could think of was that it was actually him.Β
"Do I know you?" He tilts his head. "Apologies, but my girls and I are quite busy."Β
You don't notice the two young ladies beside him until Geto points them out. Teenagers, maybe just around the age when you first met him. He was a father now.Β
You're so swept up by the emotions that you barely notice they've continued walking. You stumble behind, ducking behind the alleyway they went into.Β
"Wait! Geto!" You call. "Please! We need to talk!" You still needed your answers. You didn't know care how desperate you came off as.Β
In hindsight, you should have noticed that they looked more annoyed than worried about a stranger chasing them across the street.Β
The one with the ponytail scoffs. "This one talks an awful lot. How annoying."Β
Geto sighs. He leaves his daughters, finally standing in front of you. This is what you wanted, right? A chance to talk to him.Β
Still, you can't help but feel wrongness within you. His smile is off.Β
"MostΒ monkeysΒ are just that, unfortunately." You don't move. You can't. Not when he places a hand on your skull. "I suppose it'd be humane to put this one out of its misery."Β
Geto Suguru crushes your skull. And then you die.Β
β΄΅
Again. You died again.Β
This is the second time Geto has killed you. Fuck, you should've realized.Β
"Back again, Greeny?" Gojo asks.Β
He and Suguru were sitting outside in the grass. Satoru's holding up a few playing cards. You look at Suguru's hands and find yourself doing the same.Β
Not again.Β
"What year is it?" You ask warily. "And what did you just call me?"Β
Gojo grins with teeth. You remember he compared you to a plant before, didn't he? He's so clever with nicknames; someone should give him an award.Β
"Welcome back to 2006!" Gojo beams. "It's only been a couple of days since you left. And why are you so grumpy? I'm the one who just lost a player."Β
You weren't grumpy, you were pissed. You figured out what's been going on with you, and it's all because of the asshole you're possessing right now.
The look on his face when he killed you. Like you were nothing more than an animal. A monkey. Now, you feel a lot less guilty about possessing his body.Β
At least you figured out two things. You know how your technique works. Whenever someone kills you, you are sent back in time to take over their body. But you can go back whenever you touch Gojo, or perhaps just another sorcerer.Β
Secondly, you have access to Geto's memories.Β
It didn't happen the first time you died. It must have been because the kill wasn't direct (from Getos curse, rather than himself), but milliseconds after Geto split your skull in two, your brain was overwhelmed by his past, his present, as well as his future.Β
Geto was set to die on December 24th, 2017. At the hands of his best friend, Gojo Satoru.Β
Fuck him. Let the bastard die. You didn't give a shit.Β
You reach over to touch Gojo's arm, ready to leave. He pulls back with a snicker. Ugh, the brat must've figured out your technique, too.Β
"Stop messing around." You tell him. "I need to go back to my timeline."Β
"Sure, sure," he says as though speaking to a time traveler is just another Tuesday. "But first, finish the game with me."Β
"No." You tell him before leaning out even further. He isn't moving away anymore, but you still can't reach him. Fuck, he must've activated his technique.Β
Despite your annoyance, you decide to keep the future away from Gojo's ears. He doesn't need to know that he'll be the one to kill Suguru. He shouldn't. Not at his age. He's just a kid.Β
"Just one game! I promise!" He pleads. "Then I'll let you go. Suguru never lets me beat him, I want an easy opponent to boost my ego."Β
You roll your eyes, but you settle down, picking up the cards. You already know the rules; you have Geto's memories, after all.Β
It's silent, save for Gojo's humming. When you place down your King of hearts, you ask:
"Hey, is my cursed energy different at all?" You ask.
"Not really." He squints. "Wait, it has grown a little. Aw, Greeny sprouted!"Β
So, every time you die, your cursed energy increases. That, or your cursed energy, increases every time you time travel. It doesn't matter either way.Β Does this mean you can use Geto's technique now? It couldn't hurt to try, right?Β
There's a demon-no, they're called curses you know that now- floating beside you, just a little ways away. Small. Barely fourth grade. You stick your hand out, calling out Geto's power. There's a pull, a rush of energy.Β
A blue ball drops into your hand.Β
"Holy shit." Gojo leans forward. "So youΒ canΒ use his techniques." Surprisingly, there's no wariness in his voice. Just awe.Β
"Yeah." You breathe before glancing up at him. "Shouldn't you be focused on your cards?"Β
He shrugs, tossing the cards away. "What cards?"Β
You sigh before staring at the ball. Well, you captured the curse. All that's left to do is swallow it, right? You can do that.Β You open your mouth. Gojo is still staring. You scowl.Β
"Look away."Β
He rolls his eyes. "It's not like I haven't seen you do this before. Well, not you, the guy that you bodysnatched."Β
Ass, you keep that in your head as you hold your breath. You swallow the ball down.Β
Instantly, you choke.Β
It's horrible. Like a rotten carcass on the highway, oozing blood and oil and pus. You start dry-heaving, suffocating, spit dribbles down your chin. Nothing comes out. You've already absorbed it.Β The taste of a cursed spirit no one knows. Like swallowing a rag that was used to wipe up vomit and shit. Exorcised. Ingested. Exorcised. Ingested. Exorcised. Ingested. Exorcised. Ingested.Β
"Is it really that bad?" Gojo observes you. "That guy swallows them down, no problem."Β
Because Suguru was used to this taste. He was used to the responsibility. The hoarding mass of distraught absorbing a curse comes with. It was a disgusting art. Something he'd perfected to mask for years. Until he couldn't take it anymore.Β
Fuck, you might have lost your mind, too, if you kept having to eat this. To protect people who were happy you failed.Β
You snapped out of it. Suguru's memories were affecting your own. That's probably a sign that you need to get out of here. No way would you be sympathizing with someone so monstrous.Β
"Hopefully, I never do that again." You slowly recover, wiping your spit away with your hand. You lean back on your hands, exhausted.Β
"Something I've always wondered." You call out to Gojo. "What did Suguru ever think about someone possessing his body."Β
Gojo laughed. "Funny thing. He never knew."Β
"What?" You look at him. "No gaps in his memory? Nothing?"Β
"Nope," Gojo said, "he remembered what happened in the house, but he thinks he did everything. And then he said something weird."Β
You perk up at that. "What did he say?"Β
Gojo tilts his head. Then, he shrugs.Β
"I forgot." Typical.Β
You pinch your nose bridge. "So, did you tell anyone else about...this?"Β You gesture to yourself.Β
"Wait, you're supposed to be a secret?" You look at him in alarm. "In my defense, I didn't know, but I haven't gotten the chance to tell anyone. After the mission, Suguru and I went to the arcade, and then I kinda' forgot about it."Β
Well, at least Gojo's arrogance works in your favor sometimes. You can't let anyone know, especially anyone connected to the higher-ups. From Geto's memories, you know they don't like anything new. It's best to stay under their radar.Β
"Good, well, from now on, we're keeping it a secret. Got it?"Β
"What are you two keeping a secret?" A new voice pops up. You jump.Β
You know himβat least from Geto's memories. Haibara beams at you. He looks so alive in the sunlight, smiling and with bright eyes.
He'll be dead within a year or so.Β
Gojo takes advantage of your shock. "The bodysnatcher wants me to promise that I won't tell anyone that a curse-user is possessing Suguru's body."Β
"What the hell? You just promised that you wouldn't tell anyone!"Β
"Uh, technically, I didn't promise anything yet." Gojo retaliates. "But okay, fiiiiine.Β I won't tell anyone....except for Haibara." You groan.Β
"What's going on?" Haibara's smile fades. "Wait, Gojo, is this not Geto? Is this person actually a curse-user!?"Β
"I'm not a curse-user." You correct. "I'm not a sorcerer either, for the record."Β
"You just used aΒ curse techniqueΒ toΒ travel back in timeΒ toΒ take over someone's body."Β Gojo enunciates. "Sounds like a sorcerer to me."Β
"Wait, you're a time-traveler, Mr. Not-Geto?" Haibara asks and you are genuinely impressed he's able to keep up.Β
"The nameβs Greeny, Haibara." Gojo supplements. Haibara nods, still a bit unsure.Β
"So...do we fight Greeny?"Β
"It's not my name." You get ignored.Β
"Nah, it's all good. Greeny's harmless. Just a weakling, donβt worry about it."Β Rude, but you donβt think youβd want Gojo to take you as much of a threat, not after knowing what he can do.
"Oh, okay!" Haibara instantly relaxes. The kid's really trusting, huh?Β
"Okay, fine, but no one else can know, got it, Gojo?" This promise doesn't matter. It's not like you're planning on returning to the past anytime soon. As soon as you return to the present, you are leaving Tokyo and escaping the night parade of 100 demons. Fuck that. You don't want to die again.Β
He waves you off. "Yeah, yeah."
He's so insufferable. You don't know who's worse: the genocidal maniac or this brat.Β
"Give me your hand. I want to go home."Β
Haibara looks confused. "Wait, why does Greeny need your hand?"Β
"It's how the curse technique works," Gojo explains. "Greeny gets sent back in time, and then my true-love's touch sends him careening forward into the future." You frown at his comment, but he turns to you before you can say anything.Β
"Which reminds me, Greeny: ever figure out how your technique works?"Β
No way are you telling a kid that their best friend killed you....twice. Instead, you just shrug.Β
"Haven't figured it out yet."Β
Gojo stares at you. "Huh." He responds. "Well, if you ever figure it out, lemme' know."Β
Sure you will. You hold up your hand. Gojo, finally holds his own up. Out of the corner of your eye, Haibara waves. And then you're back in your own body, on December 24th, 2017, 7:06 pm.
You waste no time. You push at the crowd, squeezing through the hoards of people. You need to get out. You need to leave before the death parade starts, before you're trapped in that terrifying cycle of death again.Β
You need to leave.Β
Exorcised. Ingested.Β
No no no. Shut up. This wasn't you. This was Geto's memories.Β
Exorcised. Ingested.Β Β
You need to leave.Β
Exorcised. Ingested.Β
You need to survive.Β
The taste of a cursed spirit no one knows.Β
You stop, right there in the middle of the sidewalk. People glare, cursing as they move around you. They don't know this place will be a bloodbath in a matter of minutes. They'd all die.Β But you could stop it.Β
If only if you hadn't accessed Geto's memories. If only if you hadn't eaten that damn curse. If only if you hadn't sympathized with a murderer. Maybe you'd have the courage to escape your future.Β
But you'd felt that taste. Horrible. If you eat enough, you could go insane. If you were lonely enough, that would do it too.Β
The taste of a cursed spirit no one knows.Β No one except for you.Β
At 8:06 the screams start. The monsters come out to play their song. You close your eyes, forgive Suguru, and you die once more.Β
β΄΅
For once, when you open your eyes, Gojo isnβt there with you.Β
Youβre still on the campus of Jujutsu tech. Suguru was just about to grab his soda from the vending machine. You finish his job. The can feels cold. It feels refreshing on your tongue. Itβs a momentary distraction to the fact that you have no clue what youβre doing.Β
You understand your cursed technique, but you still struggle with the application. Fuck, what did you do? You were utterly fucked. Youβre playing a dangerous game. If you died- if Geto died- here, what would even happen?Β
Β The worst part is that you canβt even think of the hypothetical because thereβs no other choice. You needed to do this. To not only save the people in Tokyo from the Night Parade, but to also save Geto Suguru. The man who has killed you three times now.Β
Getoβs dissent starts to worsen at Riko Amanaiβs death. If you could prevent that from happening, you could probably change history. But Getoβs true fracture begins with the curses themselves.Β They were rotting him from the inside.
You grimace, but you have to do it. You have to eat every single curse that Geto couldnβt swallow down himself.Β
One was coming up. In less than an hour, Yaga will call you and Gojo for a mission. Itβll be a special-grade grave-type curse. Dispatching it will be simple, but Geto would be the one to exorcise it, ingesting the screams of all that the curse devoured. You needed to prepare yourself for that.Β
Maybe you should save some of this soda to wash the taste off later.Β
βGeto!β Someone cheers, you jump, but Haibaraβs already poking his head around the wall. He grins.Β
βHey! Oh, youβre not Geto, arenβt you?β He tilts his head. βGreeny?βΒ
βKeep your voice down,β you whisper, βwait, you can recognize me?βΒ
He nods, after checking to make sure no oneβs around, he says, βyeah, your eyes are different? Itβs hard to explain.β He tells you.Β
Huh. Interesting.Β
βYouβve been gone a while.β Haibara beams. βItβs been a few weeks. Iβm glad youβre back, Gojo was starting to get cranky.βΒ
Itβs probably because he had no one to mess with. Poor him. He has all your sympathies. Ass.Β
βIβm glad to return as his punching back.β You mutter.Β
Haibara shyly shuffles his feet.Β
βSo, are you really from the future?β He asks. βWas Gojo telling the truth?βΒ
You nod. βHaibara, you havenβt told anyone, right?βΒ
βOf course not!β He instantly says. βNot a soul. Not even Nanami, and I tell him everything! Your secretβs safe with me.βΒ
βAnd Gojo, too! I know he doesnβt look very trustworthy, but me and him have kept it under wraps.βΒ
Reluctantly, you canβt help but agree with the kid. Gojo is annoying, but so far, he hasnβt done anything super harmful.Β
βSo anyway, Greeny.β He clears his throat. βConsidering youβre from the future and all. Would you mind telling me what my future will be like?βΒ
You blink at him. He takes it as a sign to continue. βNothing much! I just wanna know what Iβll be doing in 2017. Will I finally be a grade 1 sorcerer?βΒ
You think of Getoβs final memories of Haibara. A child burying another child.Β
βSorry,β you lie through your teeth, βbut I didnβt know you in my future. Again, Iβm not really a sorcerer.βΒ
Haibara nods, disappointed but still very excitable. He asks you about other things about the future, and you try to answer to the best of your ability, but you canβt shake off his dead glass eyes, staring at you from the morgue.Β
βAnother thing, we should have a code word.β Haibara exclaims.Β
You blink. βA code word?βΒ
βIf we ever meet in the future,β he explains, βyβknow, in 'Groundhogβs day', he has to keep explaining whatβs happening repeatedly? In order to prevent that, we should have a secret word between eachother so I instantly know who you are.βΒ
Not the same exact situation, but it sounds like exactly something a child would come up with. You indulge him anyway.Β
βOkay, what did you have in mind?βΒ
βWell, it canβt be anything too crazy, or we might attract unwanted attention.β Haibara puts a hand on his chin in serious thought. You smile.Β
βGot it! If you ever see me, just yell βbrocolli headβ really really loudly. Then Iβll know.β Haibara chirps.Β
βWait, why broccoli head?β
βBecause broccoli heads are green!β Haibara chirps happily.
Youβre starting to learn itβs best not to question his logic.
You nod, very amused. βSure thing, Haibara.β Β
Someone calls out his name. He jumps before he waves to you. You watch as he joins with Nanami. They talk about something you canβt hear. Haibara laughs and you decide it would be a shame if his laugh was lost to death.Β
Gojo finds you eventually. You canβt hide from him forever. You were walking into the school when he caught up with you. Heβd ran there. His breath was slightly ragged.Β
βGreeny, couldnβt get enough last time, huh?β You shoot him a look.Β
βWhat are you talking about? Doesnβt matter, we need to go, the missions coming up.βΒ
Gojoβs smile dips ever so slightly. βHowβd you know about that?βΒ
Itβs probably not a good idea to tell the guy's best friend that youβre possessing that youβve unlocked his memories.Β
βHaibara told me.βΒ
βAh,β He replies, βletβs go then.βΒ
The car ride is different this time around. Less tension. You arenβt as confused. Gojo is seated quietly beside you, watching the scenery go by. The assistant is too preoccupied with belting the radio to notice Gojo's words.Β
βFigured it out yet?β He asks. βYour technique.βΒ
He's persistent about that answer, isn't he? You're sure the only reason Gojo cooperates with you is because he thinks you're inhabiting Suguru's on accident. How would he react if he knew you were doing it intentionally? It's best not to get on the strongestsβ bad side.Β
βOh, not really, but I think itβs random. I canβt seem to find a set pattern. Maybe Suguru calls out to me, somehow?βΒ
βMaybe.β Gojo replies. His time is flat. Anxiety flips through your stomach.Β
βYouβre different this time around,β Gojo says.Β
βAm I?β You ask. βI guess Iβm just more determined today.βΒ
He gives you a look over. "Oh yeah? What for?"Β
"The curse. I'll exorcise it, today."Β
You don't know how you wanted Gojo to react to that, but you're still disappointed when he turns back to the window.Β
"Do whatever, Greeny."Β
In the end, you do swallow the curse. You manage to hold your gags in this time.Β
It's worse than before. It makes sense. This curse was first-grade. Stronger. In terms of taste, it was like curdled blood and mold. You were so grateful for that soda.Β
Gojo only watches with a tilted head.Β
"You're getting better at that."
You give a weak grin.Β
"Practice makes perfect," you reply, "do you think I'll get strong enough to absorb a special grade soon?"Β
He doesn't like your question. You can see it in his stiff expression.Β
"Maybe. Why do you want to swallow up curses, anyway? Last time you were here, you were practically begging to go back."Β
His response wasn't exactly hostile but far from his usual playful attitude. You knew you'd have to confront this eventually. Despite how nonchalant he acted, it's clear Satrou doesn't enjoy watching someone prance around in his friend's body like this. If he starts to dislike you, it could rupture your entire plan. You need his cooperation, more than anything, to save Suguru.Β
A little bit of the truth. Just a bit. It can't hurt, can it?
"Curses taste horrible," you say, looking at the ground. You can still taste the remnants of it, "it's the worst thing in the world. I can't even explain how wrong it feels to eat one. I thought...while I'm in his body...I could maybe help Suguru a little. I could ingest the curses in his stead, so that way, he still gets to absorb it." But it'll lessen the trauma it has on his mental state.Β
You can't see how Gojo feels about that. Those glasses of his cover everything. But you know he's staring at you. The six eyes are taking you apart, observing you whole.Β
"Did you know Suguru in the future?" He asks.Β
"I didn't." The man that killed you. The man that will keep killing you. And you'd forgive him each time.Β
Another beat of silence.
Finally, he just sighs. "You're the kind of person who'll jump in front of a truck to save a kitten, right?"Β
You give a sheepish laugh.
"That isn't a compliment, by the way. You're just really reckless. And maybe stupid, Greeny."Β His tone isn't mean.Β
"My name still isn't Greeny." You tell him.Β
"Oh yeah, what's your name, then?" He's reverted back to that teasing lilt, and it almost makes you relax if you don't note the curiosity underneath.Β
So far, you've been lax giving away information regarding the future, but you don't think you should continue that. What if you're too careless and the future changes in a way you didn't intend? A name, personal information, that could be way too dangerous.Β
"Actually, just call me Greeny. I like that name a lot better."Β
"You complained about it all the time, though?" Gojo argues.Β
"It's starting to grow on me." You grin. "Grow?Β Get it, because you compared me to a plant and-"
"Stop stop, you really are an old man."Β Gojo groans. You just grin wider.Β Then, you grimace.
βI can still taste it.β You complain. βIβd kill for a cigarette right now.β
βI caught our assistant manager smoking a while back,β Satoru suggests. βMaybe you could go and beg him for one.β
You toss him a look. βSuguru doesnβt smoke, and Iβm not giving a teenager a nicotine addiction.β You have found lighters inside Suguruβs pockets, but you have a feeling it isnβt for his own cravings.
"Hey, could you do me a favor?"Β
He gives a wordless hum.
"Maybe after this, could you take Suguru out to a cafe'? I can taste the aftertaste of the curse." You shudder. "Just get him something to wash it down."Β
Also, Suguru couldn't go back to his dorm after this. Suguru dissented because of his fractured relationship with everyone, not just with Satoru. You'd try to bridge the gap between him and his peers as much as you can. You go through Suguru's flip phone, asking Shoko if she wants to join the two.Β
When you're done with that, you snap the phone closed.Β
"Okay, I'm done here. You two have fun, okay?" You raise your hand.Β
Gojo just huffs, amused. "Sure sure. By the way, someone wanted to thank you."Β
You blink at that. "What?"Β
He shakes his head. "Don't worry about it."
He gives you a high-five, and then you're back in 2017 in your own body.Β
Temporarily. So far you figured out that you get sent back an hour before the night parade happens. 8:06. Considering you have a couple more minutes to kill before youβre killed, you reach into your pocket for that cigarette youβve been craving. You pick the first out of the box, cherry burns just out of corner of your eye.
You notice things now. The children giggled to their parents. Old couples gingerly held hands with sweet smiles. You'd save them, but first, you need to save Suguru.Β
And do really do that, you'd have to save Riko.Β
Easier said than done. You could go back in time, but you can't really controlΒ whenΒ to go back in time. It's been random, but your trips are typically two days away from each other. You can work with that.Β
But in order to get to Riko's death, you'd have to die...a lot. Absorbing curses made Suguru lose his mind, but how well would you fare with dying over and over again?Β
"Hungry?"Β
Someone looms over you. A woman. She's pretty, with short hair and bangs. In her hand, she holds a bag of chips.Β
"The vending machine gave me an extra." She gives a laugh. She kind of sounds like you. "Would you like one?"Β
"Oh." You take it. "Thanks."Β
"Don't mention it." She trots off into the crowd. You watch her.
A stranger's act of kindness. She didn't even know what would happen to her soon. You grip the bag, it crinkles in your grasp.Β
It didn't matter how well you'd fare with dying over and over again. You'd get over it. So many innocent people depended on you. You can't just abandon them like this.Β
You're the kind of person who'll jump in front of a truck to save a kitten, right?Β It's aggravating how accurate he is, honestly.Β
The screams start up again, and you forgive Suguru.Β
β΄΅
It takes a few cycles to finally reach the day Amanai Riko is assassinated. Whenever you deem yourself too early, you often accompany Gojo on a mission and exorcise a special-grade curse. Your overall plan is working, bit by bit. Each time you return, Suguru's memories swarm you. Each curse he remembers as less painful.Β
It's why you get worried when you get there a littleΒ too late.Β
"Something wrong?" Riko asks.Β
You've stopped in the middle of the hallway, and of course, they're looking at you strangely. You know this place. Tengen's barrier is just an elevator ride away. Suguru, Riko, and Miss Kuroi were all almost there.
Fushiguro Toji has already arrived.Β
In the first timeline, Geto leads the girls all the way down to Tengen's barrier. He puts his trust in Gojo. Of course, he would. They're the strongest. And in the end, Gojo does kill Toji.Β
But the kill comes too late. Riko still dies, and the fracturing happens.Β
You thought you'd have more time. If you had arrived a bit earlier, you could have fought with Gojo, and the chances of defeating Toji would have significantly increased.Β
What do you do?
"What's the matter?" Miss Kuroi asks. She's supposed to die today, too.Β
"Sorry, ladies." You smile. "But I need to go back for him."Β
You don't answer their calls, running back up the hallway. The sun's bright, shimmering beautifully in the sky.
It contradicts the blood dripping all over the stone floor.Β
Gojo's lifeless body is draped across the rubble. It's a horrifying sight. Eyes that were once like the sky are just this empty blue. A dead sea. He isn't breathing. You know, if you touched his wrist, you wouldn't feel a heartbeat.Β
"Hate to break it to ya', but the Gojo kid's dead." Toji's right behind you. You can feel him grinning.Β
You know Gojo isn't dead. At least, he won't be dead for a while, but seeing the boy who used to tease you, annoy the shit out of you, laugh at you, be so....it made you freeze. Falter.Β
You were wasting time.Β
"Sorceror killer." You say after a minute. You almost can't bring yourself to turn, toΒ lookΒ at him.Β The man who kills Gojo. The man who could've killed Suguru, but chose not to. "You certainly live up to your name."Β
Toji's grin widens. The only man in the world with zero cursed energy. It'd be awe-inspiring if it weren't so terrifying.Β
It's funny. You weren't afraid of dying, not anymore. You were afraid of failing. Failing when you were so close, when victory was just a blink away.Β
"The flyheads." You mention to the swarms of curses all around you. "That's really smart." It gives you an idea or two.Β
You have Suguru's memories, but they aren't always concrete. You just have snippets. A general idea of what happened within a certain event. It makes sense. Humans can't remember everything.Β
But regarding the memories of Suguru and Fushiguro, everything is crystal clear. It'sΒ almost like you were there when it happened.Β
It also means that you know Suguru, at this current level, won't be able to defeat Fushiguro.Β
But Suguru doesn't need to beat the sorcerer killer; he just needs to hold him off.Β
Currently, Suguru's body contains 368 curses: 3 special grades, 24 grade ones, 33 grade twos, 103 grade threes, and 205 fourth grades.Β
You release all 368 of them.Β
In another timeline, these curses would look to you as something to devour. Today, these curses have a new target.Β
It won't stop Fushiguro. You're not dumb enough to think that. But it should give you time. Hopefully, it'll be enough time.Β
Your knees hurt when you collapse next to the corpse. Gojo's so beautiful, even when he's dead.Β
"Gojo." You shake him. Nothing happens. "You need to wake up.Β Gojo."Β
Nothing happens. You don't know what caused Gojo to become the strongest, Suguru wasn't there. For once, you are blind to the past.Β
"Riko needs you. Wake up. You-you need to go and save her and Miss Kuroi."Β
His body's so cold, and you know he's dead because when you touch his skin, you don't wake up in the present. You push against his body, and he falls limply right back to place. You're sure this sight will haunt you for the rest of your life.Β
"Satoru." You beg. "It's Greeny. Please, please, please wake up."
Β Nothing happens.Β
Everything happens.Β
The brightest blue you've ever seen. It'sΒ heavenly.Β A glow that warms and chills your skin. It takes a while for you to see again. When you do, Satoru is standing.Β
Somehow, his eyes are even brighter. You don't think you're looking at a teenage boy anymore.Β
You're sitting in front of God.Β
"Greeny." he states, voice flat. "You're late."Β
You manage to smile.
"Sorry."Β
Youβve seen Satoru fight before. Heβs always calm, body relaxed as he practically floats in the air. Those fights differed from Suguruβs memoriesβpost Satoruβs awakening. Thereβs always this twinge of desperation. An aftertaste of bloodlust.
But seeing it for yourself is something else entirely. Even with Suguruβs heightened senses, you still canβt follow him. Heβs barely a mirage. One milisecond you can see a blue flash, the next you see nothing.
It's barely a fight. Not this time around. Fushiguro is completely unmatched. There's a flash of purple. And then, it's over.Β
Fushiguro is in shambles. You didn't realize he was human until he started to bleed and shatter. Parentage over labor. It's sobering, in a way.Β
Satoru's mouth moves. You're too far away to hear anything. They stand there for a few more seconds until Fushiguro slumps. Then, he falls.
You wonder when you got so desensitized to death.Β
Gojo stands there. You should let him compress, but the clock is ticking. You need to do one more thing before you can let Suguru go.Β
"You need to go." You say when you're close to him. He doesn't acknowledge you. "Riko's about to enter Tengen's barrier."Β
He looks at you right then. His eyes. They're so bright, but they're strangely lifeless. Like he can't process you, your words.Β
"I can see you now," he says, "it was so foggy before, but now, you're crystal clear."Β
Six eyes look at you. You don't think you're hiding behind Suguru's face anymore.Β
You clear your throat.Β
"Gojo." You remind him. "Riko. You need to stop her."Β
He blinks back into focus, rising from his high.Β
"Oh," he says after a moment, "right."Β
You stop him before he can walk any further. You hold out your hand.Β
"You andΒ Suguru."Β
For the first time in a while, Gojo hesitates to send you back. You wait a couple seconds longer.Β
"Yeah," he finally says.
His skin still feels cold.Β
β΄΅
This death is a lot more painful than the others.Β
The curse that's holding you is more intelligent than its predecessors. It keeps you alive, tearing at your skin, feasting on your flesh. Blood is everywhere. You scream until it rips out your vocal cords. It's almost a mercy to just die.Β
You forgive Suguru.Β
β΄΅
Time skips a lot faster now.Β
You stand in 2006, four months after the death of Fushiguro Toji. It takes a second for Geto's memories to kick in. What you see makes you nearly cry in relief.Β
Gojo and Geto made it in time. You can still remember the tears spilling down Riko's cheeks, the smile on her face when Geto asked her if she wanted to go back. They were safe. They were home, with each other.Β
You did it. You actually managed to pull it off.Β
But you can't celebrate, not yet. From what you can gather from Suguru's memories, Geto defects after four years. You've just held off the eventual.Β
It's nearly the middle of December. The air feels a bit chillier. You stay on that bench where Suguru once occupied. He was finishing his lunch. Usually, he'd eat with Satoru, but Satoru wasn't on campus these days.Β
Right, you weren't finished with your work, yet. There was still one other issue. Suguru went on missions alone these days. Swallowing curses, letting them fester and rot in his body. It's isolating and grueling work. You might have been able to help him with the absorption, but your aide won't be enough to prevent his eventual downfall.Β
You'll have to deal with his natural isolation. To do that, Suguru will have to make friends with people who aren't Satoru.Β
Suguru does have friends, but he's the closest to Satoru. Considering Satoru is getting busier each passing day, Suguru needs to broaden his horizons a bit.Β
It's a good thing this school is filled with such colorful characters.Β
Haibara and Nanami were sitting in the back of the school. From Geto's memories, their dynamic was interesting. Haibara was definitely more outgoing than the two, but Nanami seemed to have a good head on his shoulders. They looked out for each other, in that way.Β
Ah, Shoko was there, too. You haven't seen her since your first day. Her hair's grown longer. It lightly brushes her shoulders now. The cigarette in her hand burns a cherry red.Β
Your reaction is rooted in Suguru's instinct than anything on your part. You reach out, taking the cigarette and stomping on the embers.Β
"You shouldn't smoke in front of kids." You tell her, hoping she didn't read too much into your action.
Shoko scoffs, but to your satisfaction, she doesn't take out another one.Β
"We're just one year below you." Nanami retaliates, but he looks more at ease now that the cigarette's out.Β
"Did you finish lunch already, Geto?" Haibara asks kindly, then he takes a closer look. "Greeny?"Β
You suck air through your teeth, giving Haibara a scathing look. Instead of looking exasperated, Nanami looks confused.Β
"What's Greeny?" Nanami asks, and Haibara weakly laughs.Β
"It's-uh-my new nickname for the tree that's growing over there!" He wildly points to something just behind you. "'Cuz it's so...green!"
"Of course." You note the hint of affection laced within his tone.Β
"When'd you get back?" Haibara recovers with eagerness.Β
"Recently." You grin. "Nice to see you again."Β
"You saw him this morning," Nanami interjects, and you shrug. When he frowns, you know you pulled off a perfect Suguru impression.Β
Suguru melds into the conversation perfectly. Haibara says something funny, Shoko and Suguru agree, Nanami disagrees. It's a lovely little cycle that ends when Nanami grumbles and picks himself up to go. Shoko starts to follow suit when you stop her.Β
"Your hair's nice." You tell her.Β
She hums, grabbing a strand to study it. You can see hints of dark circles beginning to form under her eyes. She looked livelier when you first met her. Curses have been popping up left and right since Fushiguro's death. Everyone is overworked, but Shoko looks like she's getting the brunt of it. She's one of the only people who can use RCT on others, and there aren't many healers on her level.Β All ofΒ the strongestsΒ share one thing in common it seems.Β
"Pretty soon, it'll be longer than yours," Shoko replies. You smile in response.Β
"Where are you going?" You ask.Β
"Dorm," she replies, "I'm behind on paperwork."Β
You had a feeling she always was. You gave a look of sympathy, but misery loves company.Β
"I have some work too," You 'remember' the piles of papers lodged on Suguru's desk, "Maybe we can do it together later. The cafe right next to campus? It'll be my treat."Β
She looks at Suguru. Her eyes are a pretty color.Β
"Sure." She shrugs. "see you then."Β
You feel your heart thump twice in your chest and decide that your work here is done.Β
Haibara stares at Shoko's disappearing back. The forehead flick comes from both you and Suguru.Β
"That hurt." Haibara whines.Β
Good,Β you inwardly think.Β
"Sorry." You tell him.Β He rubs his head, and you wonder if this is how kicking a puppy feels like.Β
Luckily for you, Haibara recovers quickly.Β
"You've been gone for a while." Haibara tilts his head. "What happened?"Β
You can't exactly control your technique, it's more like it has a mind of its own, placing you exactly where you need to be placed. Instead of answering, you sigh, leaning against the wall.Β
"Timeline gimmicks." You tell him tiredly. "It's hard to explain."Β He frowns, but he takes it as an answer.
"Do you know when Gojo's coming back?" You ask. "I think it's time for me to go back again."Β
In previous time travels, you and Haibara tried to see if any physical contact would be enough to send you back. No matter how many times you two high-fived, shook hands, or evenΒ held hands.Β Nothing worked. Only Gojo Satoru could activate your technique. It must have something to do with the amount of cursed energy another person has.Β
βHe should be getting back later this evening.β Haibara muses. βBut Iβll be happy to keep you company!β
It's nice to hear him chatter. If you'd let him, he'd go one and one. But you like hearing him talk about his sister.Β Apparently, sheβs also a sorcerer, and his affection for her makes you smile.
"You remind me a lot of her, actually." He tells you. "Even though, y'know, you're a man." It's enough to get a laugh out of you.Β
βDo you have anyone in your family who can see curses?β Haibaracasks.
βNo,β you answer honestly, βat least, not that I can tell. My dad never spoke of curses or strange powers when I was growing up.β
You think he would have said something; after all, you two were too close to have secrets from each other. Your father was a single man, who took to raising you himself after your mother passed away. He often said you had her laugh.
βMaybe youβre one of a kind,β Haibara suggests.
You agree with him.
Gojo finds you before you can find him. He comes up to you with a grin and a wave.
βHey, long time.β
His sunglasses are tilted down. You can see his eyes. Theyβve lost the mania he had in his fight with Fushiguro. Youβre relieved at that. You still canβt shake off that strange thing he said to you.
Wordlessly, you raise your hand. Satoru frowned.
βYou wanna leave so soon? You just got here.β
βIβve been here for hours,β you tell him, βalso, you arenβt very concerned that someone is using your best friendβs body as a puppet.β
βHeβs been through worse,β Satoru tells you off with a wave. Some friend.
βLetβs go to the arcade,β he suggests.
βDo that with Suguru.β You tell him. βIβm not hanging out with a high schooler.β
βRight right, my bad. I keep forgetting youβre an old man, Greeny.β
β22 is not old,β you say with exasperation, βdidnβt your birthday just pass? Youβre just five years away. Iβll see your attitude change, then.β
He grows quiet. You feel like you messed up somewhere.
βHow did you know about my birthday?β
Fuck, you keep forgetting about keeping Suguruβs memories a secret. It takes everything within you to just relax.
βHaibara told me,β you say, βblabbermouth. You know him.β
βOh.β Gojo replies. βHuh.β
You shuffle your feet. Distantly, you wonder what shoe size Suguru wears.
βHow did your mission go?β
βHorrible,β heβs instantly back to his usual self, whiny and complaint, βand the curse was so ugly too. It was oozing goo everywhere.β
You frown. βSounds gross. But you won, right?β
He doesnβt even answer. You secretly admire his sheer confidence. You certainly werenβt that when you were at his age.
βHowβs Amanai and Miss Kuroi?β You ask.
βSafe.β He tells you. βThe higher-ups werenβt really happy with us after that; pretty sure all these sudden missions are punishments.β He frowns. βBut theyβre fine. Miss Kuroi officially adopted her, so sheβs a Kuroi now, too.β
You smiled. You already knew all that, but itβs nice to hear it.
βYou saved them,β he says.
You laugh, βI didnβt do a thing.β You tell him. βYou and Suguru did all the heavy lifting. I just caused some property damage.β
βYou did.β He replies. βI donβt know how, but things always manage to work out whenever youβre around.β
You donβt like how he phrases that, but you donβt react.
βYou think so? Maybe Iβm lucky.β Itβs supposed to be a joke of some kind. Neither of you laugh.
βYou really donβt know us in the future?β He asks.
Maybe you shouldβve asked Shoko if you could have a cigarette.
βI really didn't,β you say, βHonest, IβI have no idea whatβs happening. Iβm just as lost as you. Hopefully, I can figure out how to control my technique, and you wonβt have to see me again.β
You never stopped feeling guilty for doing this to Suguru. Controlling him. Forcing him to laugh with his friends, make decisions based on your feelings rather than his. But youβre so close. You promise yourself that once you fix everything, youβll never cause someone this much pain again. No matter how many times they kill you.
Satoruβs fists tighten. He looks even more upset at your response.
βThatβs not what Iββ He cuts himself off. You wait. Satoru says nothing more.
βYouβre annoying.β He tells you in the end. Itβs clean and cut, but it sounds like him. More confident, less wavery. βAnd stupid too.β
You canβt help but smile.
βThank you. Am I done entertaining you now? Can I go?β He grumbles, holding up his hand.
βYeah, sure, Greeny.β
β΄΅
You forgive Suguru.
β΄΅
Somethingβs wrong.
You can feel it. Somethingβs wrong.
You look through Getoβs memories. Thereβs nothing. Everythingβs going as it should be. Everything looks perfect. Then, why do you feel so wrong?
Currently, Suguru was finishing excorcising a curse. You absorb it, swallowing down the remnant like itβs a pile of rusted nails but even the disgusting taste isnβt enough to wash away the feeling of dread.
The walls of the hospital was empty. The auxillary managers had already cleared everyone out by the time Suguru had walked in. Maybe it was the silence that added to your stress?
You walk out. Nothing changes. One of the managers comes up to you with a clipboard.
βThe curse was exorcised.β Suguru tells them. βIt wasnβt first grade, it was special grade. It was still disposed of.β
He curses, scribbling something down on his clipboard.
βThe wrong information again.β He hisses to himself. βIf we keep doing this, someone will die. We need more people, weβre way too stretched out.β
Those words are familiar. Hold on.
βWait, what day is it?β You ask the frazzled-looking manager.
Offhandedly, he responds. He says the date so casually, and yet his mere words feel like a bear trap, tightening on your leg.
No. You should have had more time. Why werenβt you given more time?
Nanami and Haibara have probably already been dispatched. You go through Suguruβs phone, finding Haibaraβs contact. It doesnβt go through. Nanami doesnβt pick up either.
You wonβt make it in time. Even using Suguruβs curses, you wonβt be able to reach them until itβs too late. Suguruβs memory of that day is muddled and dark, but Haibaraβs dead corpse laying on the examination table. The pieces of him that Nanami could bring back.
You wouldnβt be fast enough.
He picks up on the second ring.
β...Whatβs up?β
βItβs Haibara.β You spit the words out as fast as you can. βSatoru, you need to go and get him right now, he isnβt going to make itββ
ββGreeny?β The exhaustion in Gojoβs voice is gone. You can hear something rustle behind him.
βSatoru, listen to me.β You beg. βHaibara and Nanami were just dispatched on a mission, but Yu isnβt going to survive it. It wasnβt a second-grade curse; it was a first grade. Please, you have to go and save him before it kills him.β
Itβs silent. It feels like hours have passed when you know itβs just three seconds.
βWeβll talk later, Greeny.β The line clicks.
Youβve lost the trust of the strongest.
β΄΅
The future has changed when you get to campus. Haibaraβs status is still alive. Barely. But heβs still there. Shokoβs currently taking care of him.
Nanami remains quiet the entire time since he returned with Haibaraβs battered body. The only thing you can think of to offer comfort is to pat his shoulder. He barely even registers it. Itβs more for you than for him. Youβre self-soothing, taking care of something else, so you donβt have to recognize your own panic.
If Haibara dies, right here, on this day, everything can change. Everything can go back to the way it was in your original timeline. Haibara, with his sunshine, smiles, and bright eyes. His death is so important, and you canβt even think of him right now.
Gojo Satoru knows youβve been deceiving him.
This is bad. So very bad. If he starts to suspect that you know more than you let on, he might deem you enough of a threat to kill, regardless of whether or not youβre in Suguruβs body. Itβs not like that hasnβt stopped him before.
Gojo Satoru is selfless. Heβs selfless enough to kill his best friend, if he thinks it will save everyone.
But if Gojo kills Geto here and now, would that really be bad?
Youβd lose your path to the past, but the threat to your life would be over. Even if you did die in Suguruβs body, at least the people of Tokyo will be spared the Death Parade. Youβll still get what you want. And it will be much easier than your current plan.
Nanami shuffles behind you and you instantly snap out of it. That wasnβt you. It couldnβt have been you. That same lack of apathy when Fushiguro died in front of you.
It seems like dying over and over again caused you to lose bits of your humanity.
Shoko comes out. Nanami stands up, a tall ball of nervous energy. Shoko removes her mask. Her dark circles have grown even more prominent. Sheβs only 17.
βHeβs still alive.β Nanami sags. βBut he isnβt responsive. Iβve done all that I can.β
She looks at Nanami, and then she canβt anymore.
βIβm sorry.β
βDonβt,β Nanami rasps, the most emotion youβve ever seen from him, βdonβt apologize. It was my fault. I shouldβve taken better care of him.β
You swallow. It wasnβt his fault, you wish you could tell him that it was yours.
You wonder what Haibaraβs younger sister looked like. A spitting image of him, perhaps. Shorter. Darker hair, bigger eyes. Their smiles would look identical. What would she look like when sheβs told her brother died doing the profession he forbade her from doing?
You canβt do that to her. You canβt be the reason she loses her brother the second time.
Youβre not sure if a God is even out there. How could there be? What kind of entity would do something like this to you? Still, you sit on that bench, right outside the room where Haibaraβs body lay, and you pray for a God.
Gojoβs footsteps stop right in front of you.
Itβs hard to get the words out. For a minute, he just stands there.
βDid you exorcise it?β You finally ask.
βYeah.β
You lift your head up to look at him. Even in his school uniform, heβs regal to look at. Like a warrior of the sun, blessed by the moon, sent to vanquish beasts and monsters.
Now, his blood-soaked sword is pointed at you.
Make it quick. You can only think. Just make it quick.
βNot here.β You say.
Nanami was still shaking. Shoko was right beside him. So you stand, you drag yourself away from Haibaraβs fading presence, and Gojo follows behind.
It shouldnβt be this pretty outside. The sun is bright, and the sky is clear. There should be rain. Enough rain to drown the Earth.
βI figured out your technique a while ago, yβknow.β You donβt look at him. You canβt. βDying. Death activates your technique. Each time you die, youβre sent back 12 years in the past.β
You grip the fabric of your uniform until your knuckles turn white. Satoruβs cruel enough to continue.
βBut I never got why your soul kept possessing Suguruβs body. It always felt kindaβ random. Unless he was the one who was killing you. Over and over again.β
βGojo. Stop.β You beg.
βThatβs how your CT works. Every time youβre murdered, you go back in time so you can kill them when theyβre at their most emotionally vulnerable moment. Itβs a pretty powerful technique, all things considered. I might not even stand a chance against it. Assisted suicide, never expected that from you of all people.
But you never do. Each time Suguru kills you, you just come back and try to save him and everyone else your hands can reach. I canβt get why you did that.β
He steps in front of you so you can see him. The God that he is.
βLetβs cut the shit, Greeny. Tell me what future is so bad youβre willing to die over and over again to prevent it.β
The worst outcome you could have ever thought of was standing right in front of you.
Satoru was demanding to know his future.
And...you couldnβt.
Youβre taking in a shaky breath. Itβs not enough oxygen. The sky was close to crumbling, and you still couldnβt breathe.
βThereβs nothing to know.β You try. βThereβs nothing, Iβm fixing itββ
ββby Suguru killing you, or is this considering killing yourself, now?β
βYou donβt understand.β Your voice is cracking, so high-pitched that even Suguruβs vocal cords canβt keep up. βYou donβt get it. You canβt.β
βThen help me understand.β His voice is as ragged as yours, he steps closer, you step back. βTell me why my friend would do something like this to someone.β
It clicks right then. Satoruβs anger isnβt directed at you.
No, itβs directed at Suguru.
Itβs even worse than you thought.
βHeβhe was better than me. He was supposed to be the best out of all of us. I wanna deny it all that I can butβbut I can see the proof right here in front of me. AndβAnd I donβtββ His voice breaks too much to continue.Β
Youβre breaking, too. How many times have you been doing this, over and over again? All alone, with no one to support you. To comfort you.
The words are right there, threatening to bubble out. Itβd be so easy to tell Satoru everything.
And maybe you wouldβve, but then you looked at him.
Despite how disingenuous Satoru acted, you knew he was kind. The kindest person youβve ever met. Heβd sit there and listen, and heβd break every bone in his body to help. Thatβs just how he was.
Satoru was selfless, he was selfless enough to kill his best friend here and now if it meant heβd save the millions in Tokyo.
You canβt put another burden on the strongest.
You canβt do that to a kid.
βItβit isnβt him.β You manage to spit out. βHe isnβt doing it on purpose. Itβs not his fault.
Itβs the curses. They were too much for him; they overtook his body. Suguru couldnβt control them anymore.β
He says nothing. Itβs like youβve put a spell on Gojo somehow, freezing him in place. Satoru canβt do anything but stare at the talking puppet thatβs his best friend.
βHe lost so many people.β You continue. βRiko, Miss Kuroi, Haibara. He couldnβt take it. It was too much. His body succumbed to the curses, and they took over Shinjuku. Thatβs how I keep...β
Itβs okay to lie like this, you justify to yourself. Because the Suguru, you knowβthe one with fake smiles, beady eyes, and a broken expressionβisnβt the one that Satoru knows. Theyβre two completely different people. Yearsβtimelinesβapart from each other. They arenβt the same.
Even then, you forgave both Sugurus a lifetime ago.
Youβd get on your knees if you know that would make a difference. Youβd plead and beg and cry if it would get Satoru to drop it. In the end, you can only stare at him.
βAll Iβm asking is that you trust me.β You whisper. βBelieve that Iβm making this right. Please, Satoru?β
His eyes. You canβt tell what heβs thinking. Heβs gone quiet and dull. The same look he had when he fully awakened his technique. The day he became God.
But heβs not a God. Godβs donβt cry.
He leans ever so closely until his head rests on your shoulder. His body shakes.
βYouβll save him, right?β He asks. Gone, is his aura of confidence and resilience. Heβs nothing more than a shell. If you feel something stain Suguruβs uniform, you say nothing about it.
You smile anyway.
βI will.β You tell the truth. βI will save him.β
You think of something morbidly funny.
βIβll die trying.β
His shoulders shake with quiet, genuine laughter, the kind thatβs wet and sticks to the top of your mouth.
βThatβs fucked up, Greeny.β He whispers.
You hum, reaching up to pat him on the back. It takes another minute before he gathers himself up. His eyes are shiny. Satoru blinks it away.
βHaibara will be okay.β He says with such conviction. βIβll take care of him. Iβll take care of Suguru, too.β
He doesnβt get it, not yet. He doesnβt understand that Shoko and Satoru and Haibara and Nanami need him. Heβll get it soon, though. You managed to put Suguru on the right path.
For now, itβs all you can do.Β
βI know you will.βΒ
He scoffs, right then.Β
βYouβre really annoying, you know that? Next time, donβt piss me off like that. Just tell it to me straight.βΒ
Rely on me. Lean on me.
βIβm sorry,β you say and you truly are, βI wonβt leave you in the dark from now on. I guess I just forgot that I had a friend in 2006.βΒ
His eyes get a little brighter. βItβs actually 2007ββΒ
βShut up.β He laughs and it sounds like him again.Β
You reach out your hand and his grin fades, the tiniest bit. He mirrors you, regardless.Β
This time, you hesitate.
βYou should learn how to be selfish every once in a while.β You tell him. βI wonβt fault you if youβre selfish. I donβt think anyone will.
He doesnβt answer that, but his touch is finally warm.
β΄΅
It hurts. It hurts so much.Β Blood seeps into the pavement. You can hear the curse laughing. It sounds like him.
You forgive Suguru.Β
β΄΅
Itβs today.Β
You can feel it.Β You donβt even have to look at the date to know.
The catalyst for December 24th, 2017.
Suguruβs already dressed. Youβre currently standing in front of a shotty mirror, watching your reflection.
He looks tired. His smileβs a bit muted. You notice a scar you hadnβt seen before. An unregistered special grade curse, Suguruβs memory gives.
Heβs different from when you saw him a year ago, but thereβs still a spark in his eye. You cling to that hope, as hard as you can.
You step out of the room. It isnβt Suguruβs. Heβd rented accommodations with an older woman and her son for the mission. Their place smelled like home. It made your stomach turn.
She smiles when she sees you coming down stairs. She looks kind; she has the eyes of a mother. Youβll never understand how a person who raised children could do something like this to another.
βMr. Geto.β She chirps. βIβm so glad youβre awake! Would you like anything to eat?β
βNo, Iβm fine.β Better get this done sooner than later. βI should be heading back now, anyways.β
Suguru had already absorbed the curse tormenting the village last night. You can feel the sticky aftertaste in your mouth. He should have left the village yesterday, but the people were insistent he stayed one last day as thanks, feeding him all they could.
Now, itβs obvious that it was a way to butter him up for today.
Her smile grows a bit nervous. She shuffles her feet a bit.
βIf it isn't too much.β She starts. βThe head of our village asked if you could look at something.β Her eyes darken into disgust.
You fight to keep your smile.
βOf course. Please, lead the way.β
Itβs worse than you ever could have imagined.
Youβve seen this play out so many times in Suguruβs memories. He reminisces about this moment a lot. Because of that, you knew this scene too, like the back of your hand.
And yet, seeing two children huddled together on the floor. Nothing could prepare you for that.
The village head is saying something. The woman who Suguru roomed with is yelling at the scared kids, but you canβt hear any of that.
Their clothes were dirty and ripped. Their cheeks were hollow, and they looked like they hadnβt eaten for days. Himikoβs eye looks swollen.
The twins.
The first time you saw them, they stepped aside and let Geto kill you. Thereβs something oddly poetic about you being on the other side.
They tremble as they continue to look at you, flinch whenever that woman raises her voice. They must think Suguruβs here to kill them.
Theyβre too young to think like that. Theyβre too young to see the horrors of this world so soon.
Itβs a mistake to look towards the end of their cell. Dirty water and dog food.
How could a human do this to them? How could a mother do this to them?
You feel red. It coarses through your blood, your veins, your soul. It feels like thereβs lava right underneath your skin. Shuddering, tittering anger.
Thereβs more than enough fire to burn down an entire village.
βSuguru,β you think to your companion, your tormentor, βI think Iβm starting to get it now.β
You reach for the bars of the cell. The twins shrink away.
βAh! Mr. Geto, you musnβt get too close to themββ
βIβll take them.β
βWhat?β The head of the village asks.
βThe children.β You straighten yourself up. βIβll take them off your hands.β
Itβs pointless to do anything to these people. Theyβre delusional enough to think that theyβre in the right. By torturing these children, theyβre protecting their own. Itβs fear. Thatβs all it ever was. Even without a curse, itβll fester on and on until this village is nothing but abandoned homes. Thereβs no point to punish these people any further.
If you look at the adults a bit too long, youβre afraid of what youβd do, even without Suguruβs interference. Instead, you focus on Himiko and Nanako, looking into their wary gazes. Their hands are so tiny. You could protect them with your own.
When you got out of this backward village, youβd find them something to eat.
β΄΅
You go to Shoko first.
She looks surprised to see the twins. You canβt imagine why. Still, her voice is calm when she speaks to them, setting both of them up in the clinic room. Since you got them into the car, Nanako and Himiko seemed to calm down. Himiko even told you the name of her doll.
A little while later, Yaga comes for a visit. Heβs the principal now. Usually, his voice is filled with gruff, but heβs oddly gentle when he speaks to them. Nanako cracks a shy smile.
You canβt escape the βweβll talk laterβ look he gives you. Inwardly, you sympathize with Suguru. But a harsh lecture is better than being branded a murderer.
He hasnβt come by, yet. With the twins aided for, you decide to go find him yourself.
Walking through campus feels a little nostalgic. The grounds of the infamous jujutsu technical college are a bright green. Itβs summer again. Youβve met so many colorful characters since your time here. Youβve only seen snippets, mere seconds of their lives, and yet it feels like an entire lifetime.
Heβs sitting on a bench when you finally see him, nursing a drink. He doesnβt acknowledge you. You have to roll your eyes at his childish behavior, plopping down beside him.
βHey.β You say first.
βHeard you adopted two kids,β Satoru says, βNever thought Suguru would be a teen mom, but here we are.β
You laugh, light and breathless. The sky is so pretty today.
βI donβt think heβd have it any other way, personally.β You respond.
He reminisces on your words.
βThis happened before too?β He asked.
It did. It was a lot less of a happy ending, however.
βYeah,β you say regardless, βhe took good care of them last time. Heβll do the same in this timeline too. Iβm sure of it.β
And this time, heβd have help. Shoko, Satoru, his teachers. Theyβd all be there for him. Suguruβs memories havenβt changed yet, but you know the future you step into will be a different one.
βIn any case, Iβm glad I got to see jujutsu tech one last time. Itβs a beautiful campus.β
βYou act like youβre leaving,β Satoru says, uncaring. βYouβll just come back again next month. Or next year.β
You play with your fingers.
βI...wonβt be doing that from now on.β
He pauses. Then, he looks at you.
βWhat?β
You canβt gauge his reaction, but he doesnβt look happy. You find this a bit hard to swallow.
βI fixed the future.β You smile at him. βI finally did it. Suguru wonβt break. Himiko and Nanako wonβt lose their father. You wonβt lose a friend, anymore. Thereβs no reason for me to keep coming back. Youβre all free.β
You phrased the last part as a joke, but Satoru isnβt laughing.
You nod. βI canβt believe it either.β You still canβt believe you accomplished everything you set out to do. A task that seemed so impossible, now youβre standing on the other side of it.
It wasnβt truly over. Not really, but you were able to get Suguru through the worst of it. Now, you were sure Satoru and Shoko would take up your mantel, pushing Suguru through the finish line. Just like heβll do to them.
Satoruβs quiet.
βYou seem happy.β He notes.
βWell, I did just save everyone, I think I deserve to feel a little good about myself.β
For a moment, you want to ask if itβll be okay to visit everyone in the future. To see how Shoko and Suguru and Satoru are doing as adults. You stop yourself. Of course, they wouldnβt want to see you. You needed to stop being so greedy.
This, was more than enough.
βWill you at least tell me your name?β Satoru asks.
βYou know I canβt do that.β You tell him with a smile.
βRight right.β He laughs, it sounds hollow. βTime travel, bullshit. Makes sense.β
βIβll miss you.β You tell him.
He straightens himself up.
βIβll miss you too, old man.β He responds. βYou were a lottaβ fun to mess with.β
For once, you arenβt offended by the old manβ, comment. If anything, it feels somber.
βCan I ask for some advice?β He suddenly asks. βYβknow what they say, ask the old and wise or whatever.β Okay, now he was starting to push it.
βWhat is it?β
Itβs his turn to shuffle with his fingers.
βWhat would you do if...thereβs something you really want, but no matter how fast you run, you just canβt catch up to it?β
You glance at him. He looks earnest. Did something like that even exist for Satoru?
βSomething I canβt catch up to?β You ponder out loud. βI guess Iβd have to make a big enough ruckus to where it has no choice but to look back.β
He frowns. βThat makes no sense. Youβre growing senile.β
You laugh. Youβll miss this brat.
You wish you could stay more. You wish you could ask about Haibara, and Shoko, and Nanami, but the clock is ticking.
Suguruβs getting impatient.
βBye, Satoru.β You reach out your hand.
He scrutinizes it, before clasping it within his own.
βYeah, Greeny.β
Within a blink, youβre back again in the middle of Shinjuku. December 24th, 7:06 pm.
Itβs the same as always. People bustle around you. Childrenβs laughter. Everything always repeats itself, but you donβt think you can ever get sick of it. Youβll savor this peace for as long as you can.
You reach into your pocket, flicking out a lighter and the first cigarette of the box. You donβt know why you always chose this one. Despite outmaneuvering time itself, perhaps itβs within human nature to follow whatβs written stone.
Youβve relived this hour so many times that you can list everything that happens. Down to the exact minute. 7:08- a little girl wearing a red dress walks by. 7:09- a lady with short hair catches your eyes and smiles. 7:14-an old man and woman bicker with each other as they pass you by. 7:21- A little dog sniffs the bench you sit on. 7:34- Two schoolchildren run past you, babbling. 7:45- five construction workers grumble out their grievances. 7:58- a businessman talks loudly on the phone.
You wait. You sit on a bench and wait until 8:06.
Five seconds after 8:06. Twenty seconds after 8:06.
The clock clicks to 8:07.
You were expecting to feel something else. Celebration. Elation. You half-expected to cause a scene and jump for joy right there in the streets of Shinjuku.
None of that comes. Thereβs just a feeling of relief. A weight presses you down, and you slump in your seat.
It was over.
It was finally over.
How long do you stay like that? Hours? Days? When you feel like you can finally breathe again, itβs only 8:12. Time travel warped your sense of time.
You stand up, stretch, feel your bones crack and pop. In the second timeline, you wanted to get a drink to drown your misery of nearly getting killed by a curse and being alone on December 24th. It felt like a lifetime ago when being single was the worst of your problems.
Honestly, youβd stay celibate for the rest of your life if it meant you wouldnβt have to go through that ever again.
Tomorrow, youβll decompress and devolve into hysteria over what happened.
Next week, youβll check yourself into therapy.
Today, you decide to go home and sleep for a couple hundred years.
You must look like a zombie with the way you wobble down the street. Physically, your body is perfectly fine. Youβve suffered no bruises or cuts. Even the numerous times youβve been killed leaves nothing on your skin.
Mentally, youβre in shambles. The indomitable human spirit within you is snuffed out.
The stairs to your flat is your last enemy that you must vanquish before you can reunite with your adoring bed. You cling onto the railing with dazed eyes. You donβt see the curse until youβre right before it.
Distantly, you wonder how often youβve passed a curse and didnβt even realize it. Itβs almost instinct to reach out with your hand, intent on absorbing it.
Nothing happens. You remember you arenβt Suguru anymore.
Itβs a grotesque-looking thing. No eyes, too many hands, a gaping mouth. It turns and looks at you.
Strange. Itsβ smile mirrors the one in the abandoned house.
Adrenaline. You feel it coarse through your veins, meld into your bones, explode in your skin. Youβre stumbling back, nearly tripping down the steps in your haste to get away.
It screeches. Loud and clear and angry and you can almost feel its teeth chomp on your leg, ripping your muscles and skin to mere tatters.
Youβve died before. Youβve been skinned alive before. Youβve been eaten before. Yet, it all amounts to nothing compared to the fear you feel at the thought of the curse catching you.
It canβt have been nothing more than a third grade. If you were taller, larger, special-grade, you could have killed it immediately. But you werenβt, not anymore, you were at the same level as a plant. Useless. Helpless.
A dead man stumbling, tripping, running.
The streets were quiet. You supposed that meant thereβd be fewer casualties. But it didnβt make you feel any better. And even if there were people around, no one would have been able to help you.
Your brain isnβt working as clearly. Fear is the only thing that guides you. Youβre reduced to a rat scampering through a maze. Sooner or later, that rodent reaches a dead end.
The alleyway was blocked off. You felt the rough brick wall scrape your hands and even the feeling of your raw skin couldnβt assuage your heart pumping in your throat. When you whirled your head back, it was right there, and you knew you were dead.
Again.
It might kill you, if itβs feeling generous. It might cut your legs off and watch you bleed, if its feeling kind. It might eat you, if itβs a decent curse.
It shouldnβt be happening. You fixed it. You were supposed to have fixed everything. But clearly you didn't. There must have been some piece of the puzzle that you forgot. You need to go back. You need to fix things, butΒ why do you need to why can't he just leave you aloneβ
You donβt see what happens. One moment, the curse is there. The next it isnβt.
βThose things are so annoying.β The newcomer complains.
No, not new. You know him.
You blink. He grins. Itβs kind. A toothy smile that warms.
βYou alright?β He asks in sympathy. βCurses are pretty scary, arenβt they? Are you hurt?β
Itβs him. You werenβt in 2006. You were in the present, here and now, and he was here with you.
He actually made it.
βMaβam?β He asks.
It wasnβt intentional. You just blurted it out, the promise you made to him. It was a decade for him. Mere hours for you.
βUm, broccoli head...?β And then you instantly regret it.
Haibara Yu takes a minute, eyes squinting like you just grew a new head.
Then, he gasps.
βGreeny?β
β΄΅
A few minutes later, youβre seated at a restaurant. Haibara has not shut up.
ββIβI canβt believe it? Itβs actually you! I thought Iβd never see you again βcuz Gojo said you werenβt gonna be around anymore, andβand then suddenly you pop up outtaβ nowhereβnot that Iβm complainingβ butββ
ββHaibara.β You interrupt. βPlease, slow down.β
He stops himself, right when the server comes with drinks. He shoots the waiter a smile, and then heβs back on you.
βSorry.β He scratches the back of his neck. βIβI got a little excited. And nervous. Itβs just...well, I didnβt expect you to be a girl.β
That might have been your fault. Both Haibara and Gojo kept referring to you as a man, so you decided to roll with it. Earlier, you would have justified it by insisting the less they know about you, the better. Now, you just think you were being petty.
βSo, how youβve been? A whole decade...β You murmur to yourself.
βFine! But what about you?β Haibara asks, concern etched into his eyes. βWhereβd you go?β
Wow, he was actually worried for you. Despite being in Suguruβs body, you didnβt really feel like part of the group Shoko, Gojo, Nanami, and Haibara were part of. You felt like an outsider, being somewhere you didnβt belong. It's because you were an outsider. Nevertheless, itβs nice to know one person missed you.
βThis might be a little hard to believe, but I just came back to 2017 two hours ago.β
Haibara gapes.
βWait, so to you, that whole thing happened, today?β You nod. He leans back in his chair.
βHoly fuck.β You laugh at his awe.
βThanks for saving me, by the way.β You change the topic. βFrom the curse.β
He waves it off. βI was just paying my debt. From what you did for me all those years ago.β
Ah, Gojo must have told him. Oddly enough, Haibara doesn't seem all that perturbed that he shouldnβt exist currently. At the same time, it feels just like Haibara.
Heβs different from when he was younger. Taller. The baby fat is gone. His face is more built, just like the rest of his body. His eyes are less round, but they havenβt lost the spark. A few scars here and there, but heβs all in one piece.
You werenβt able to see what he looked like as an adult from Suguruβs memories, heβd never grown up. But now, you can see it for yourself. You can see the active change you made in his life, to his life.
βHaibaraββ
βYuββ He says seriously. βMy friends call me Yu.β
A smile twitches on your lips.
βTell me about everyone.β You scoot your chair closer. βYou, Suguru. How is everyone doing?β
He perks up at that, clearly delighted to be talking.
βGreat! Everyoneβs doing great! You should totally come visit the school, sometime. Theyβd love to see you. Uh, even if they donβt technically know you, but Iβm sure theyβll love to meet you!β He rambles, and itβs nice to know he hasnβt changed from his younger self.
βLetβs see, Kentoβs teaching the first years. I teach the second yearsββ
ββYouβre a teacher?β
He nods. βWe all are! Except for Shoko, but she has her own thing going on. Anyway, Mimiko and Nanako have become second-grade semi-sorcerors. Isnβt that incredible? Iβm just a first grade semi-sorceror, and at their young ages too! But Suguru wasnβt surprised, he kept saying his girls were prodigies. Oh! You probably want to know about Suguru too, right?β
You nod. Even if you hadnβt done anything, you donβt think that would have stopped his enthusiasm.
βHeβs a teacher too! At least, for right now. Yagaβs been wanting to retire, and there have been talks of Suguru becoming the next principal. Principal Geto has a ring to it, right? Oh, and Shoko is currently planning the wedding. Youβll definitely be invited, of course! She said I could bring a plus-one. Oh, andββ
It goes on like that for hours, you think. Not that you mind. You listen to Yu babble on and on about his friends, his students. He talks about Nanamiβs recent baking addiction, Shokoβs new office cat, Suguruβs favorite tea pot. Itβs a never-ending surge of information.
Eventually, you catch on to the fact that heβs deliberately leaving someone out.
"Yu?" You interrupt him while he's talking about the prank the fourth year pulled on Nanami. "What about Satoru? What's he up to?"Β
Maybe you were overthinking things. Haibara likes to talk; perhaps he forgot to exclude someone else's story in his rants. But then, he grimaces. For the first time in this entire conversation, Haibara is reluctant to talk.Β
"Satoru is..." He winces, and your hands turn into fists.Β
No. No. You were supposed to save everyone. Why hadn't you saved everyone?Β
A warm hand grips your own. You'd been shaking.Β
Yu gives a soft smile, and you remember he's no longer younger than you.Β
"He's not dead." He assures you, but his smile fades. He straightens himself up, and his hand pulls away.Β
"Satoru defected from Jujutsu tech. We don't know where he is."Β
What? You must have misheard him wrong. Satoru wouldn't do that. That's not like him. This is some sick joke.
But there's no teasing grin on Haibara. His face is grave. You hate it more than anything.Β
"It happened when he was a fourth year. No one really knows what happened. Suguru refuses to say anything about it, but I think he's just as confused as the rest of us. It came outta nowhere."Β
Yeah, it definitely came out of nowhere. It's so random. Why would Satoru do that? The last time you saw him, he was so happy. He was smiling; he teased you. What happened? It made no sense.Β
"So, you haven't seen him for nine years?" You ask. "Not even a glimpse?"Β
Yu shakes his head. "Nothing but his residuals. That's how we know he's still alive."Β
Nothing computes in your brain. None of it made any sense. You saved Suguru. That was supposed to make everyone happy, including Satoru. Why would he turn around and do this? Defecting made no sense.
"We've actually been tasked to execute him. Since heβs been branded a curse user, all four of us. " Yu laughs with no humor. "Isn't that insane? I don't think any one of us could even fathom doing that, even if it were possible."Β
It wasn't possible. Gojo was the strongest. Nothing could go toe to toe with him.Β Once he put his mind to something, no one could stop him.
But maybe you could.Β
You're shutting that idea down immediately. You were done. You were done with dying and time-travel and strange powers. You wanted it all to be over. It'd be so easy to thank Haibara for the nice meal, to go home and sleep this entire day off. Satoru dug his own grave, he can go lay in it. You weren't responsible for someone else's actions.Β You wouldnβt. You canβt do that another time.
You're the kind of person who'll jump in front of a truck to save a kitten, right?
You hate that brat so much.Β
You close your eyes. Take in a breath. Then, you open them.Β
"Haibara?" You ask. "Did Gojo tell you how my technique worked?"Β
He shakes his head. You grimace because convincing him might take a while.
"Okay, well, I'll need you to do a tiny favor for me."
β΄΅
"What the fuck is wrong with you?"
"Oh, you're back already?" Satoru says casually, turning back to gaze at you. "I just left today. How did you convince Haibara to snap your neck? That guy cries after killing a mosquito.β
Youβd caught him just as he was leaving campus. Yuβs body was less athletic than Suguruβs. Your breath was slightly ragged, pulled down by minor exhaustion.
It doesnβt weigh down your frustration for Gojo Satoru. The biggest pain in your ass youβve ever met.
βShut up.β You snap. βJust answer the question.β
βWe havenβt seen each other for a year and thatβs how you react?β Satoru ignores you. βThatβs mean, Greeny. How βbout we discuss my treason over steak. Haibara can pay.β
βSatoru.β You beg, βWhy are you doing this? Whatβs the point? Why is everyone happy with their life except for you?β
That seems to get him. His posture stiffens ever so slightly. You can see him work his jaw. He finally drops his act.
βYou didnβt have to come back, yβknow.β He murmurs quietly. βYou couldβve just stayed in the future. Like you said, Greeny, everyoneβs happy with their life. 4 outtaβ five. Thatβs a passing grade.β
For once, you wish you could possess him. You wished you could open his brain and peer into his memories until he finally made sense.
βI could never leave you behind like that.β You say the truth just as quietly. βIβll die a thousand more deaths than do that.β
He smiles. It looks genuine as it looks painful.
βYeah, I know. I know you, Greeny. Always gottaβ play hero.β He gives a bitter laugh. βThatβs why I defected.β
You stare at him. Heβs a fourth-year now, even taller than before. You arenβt equal to him anymore in this body, now youβre starting to think you never were.
βSatoru.β You start because what heβs saying canβt be the truth. Your heart broke and broke. βDidβdid you leaveβdid you leave everyone for a decade just so Iβd come back? Why would you do that to yourself?β
He doesnβt say anything. Then, he steps forward, just a bit.
βItβs your fault,β Satoru says like itβs instinct to blame you for his actions, βthis was your idea.β
Whatβs he talking about? And then memories of the two of you sitting on that bench just outside of campus.
What would you do if...thereβs something you really want, but no matter how fast you run, you just canβt catch up to it? So thatβs what he meant. You were an idiot.
βThatβs not fair, Satoru,β you say regardless, βIβI neverβI couldnβt expect youβd do this.β
βWhat choice did I fucking have, Greeny?β Thereβs rapid steps and heβs in front of you, desperate and wild. βYouβyou just left me here. You left me alone and I couldnβt even look for you because I know nothing about you. Your face, your eyes, your hair, not even your fucking name! Howβs that fair?β
Itβs true. Itβs all true. As much as you tried to claim you tried to make everyone happy, you only focused on Suguru. And Suguruβs happiness enlisted space from the strongest. In a different timeline, things would be different between them. A button he never left behind. Words Satoru never said. That timeline held too much pain and suffering, so you scrubbed it from history. In this rendition, everything was changed. Suguru had Shoko. Yu had Kento. Who did Satoru have?
You saved Suguru in this timeline. But to save him, you neglected Satoru.
Satoru must have known. He must have known you intentionally distanced Suguru from him, but he allowed it anyway. Satoruβs selfless like that. Too giving. Too Godlike.
But heβs selfish too. Purposefully demeaning himself so he could get one more glimpse of you, uncaring if you went through hell for his sake. Too taking. Too human.
Once, you told him that if he was selfish, just once, you wouldnβt fault him. What a liar you are.
You forgive Satoru.
βIβm sorry.β Haibaraβs voice is like your own. You step closer. His infinity lets you in. βIβm sorry Satoru. I didnβt mean to leave you alone.β
Itβs hard to wrap him in a hug. The bratβs too big. He sinks into your touch like a tiger, filled with dangerous claws, retracted just for your sake. He shakes the tiniest bit; even now, heβs keeping himself as a pinnacle. If you hear a sniffle or two, you donβt comment on it.
Itβs why your heart breaks to tell him the truth.
βI canβt give you my name.β You whisper in his ear. He pulls back. He doesnβt look at you.
βYeah, I know. I know. time-travel bullshitββ
βFor now.β You add. βI canβt do that for now.β
Three pairs of eyes look at you. Youβre not hiding behind Haibara anymore. Youβre not trying to.
βDecember 24th, 2017. 8:06. Tokyo Skytree.β You look at him. βCan you wait until then?β
For you, itβd only be an hour. For Satoru, itβd be a decade.
You expect him to reject it, to yell at you. You decide if he wants to be selfish; youβd let him.
βIf you donβt show up, Iβll turn evil.β You laugh. His grin widens and heβs back again. βIβm serious. Iβll take over the world. Iβll throw the biggest temper tantrum ever.β
βYouβre such a brat.β Thereβs no hostility in your tone. βI will. I promise.β
βIβll save you,β You promise in your head because heβs too prideful to hear it.
βIs it still possible for you to go back?β You ask, the wariness present again. βThe higher ups havenβt taken any action against you, right?β
He shakes his head.
βI think Yaga might yell at me, but other than that.β He shrugs. βTheyβll decide itβs teen rebellion and sweep it under the rug.β
You laugh again. Satoru shoots you a toothy grin.
When you reach out a hand, Satoru mirrors you. He clasps your hand in his. For once, you wonder how theyβll feel on your own.
βSee yaβ later, Greeny.β
A blink. Satoruβs gone. Your hand is empty, and youβre standing in the streets of Shinjuku once again.
β΄΅
December 24th, 2017. 8:06, at the top of the Tokyo Skytree.
Why did you decide on that date and time for all the places? You were so fucking stupid. You needed to stop being so poetic.
Itβs already 7:12 when youβre desperately waving down a taxi. The driver looks disinterested when you blubber out the location. When he tells you itβll cost extra because Sumida City isnβt part of his route, youβre more than happy to fork over the money.
Itβs already 7:35 when you stumble through the interiors of Tokyo Skytree town. Itβs crowded. Fuck, itβs December 24th, of course people would be out and about.
At 7:44, you finally reach the observational building. And then you hit upon a snag.
Itβs closed.
Renovations, the sign reads, accompanied by an irritatingly cute drawing of a cat, please come visit us next week.
Would this excuse be enough to satisfy Satoru? Youβre only human. Surely heβd understand if you couldnβt make it because the entire building was shut down.
Or wait. Was this Satoruβs doing?
You look up at the tower. Lights were still on and flickering. No crowds. No people. No prying eyes.
Let it be known that youβve never trespassed before, until you met Gojo Satoru.
With a guilty conscious, you step over the line. You justify it by convincing yourself you were saving the world because you know Satoru wasnβt joking a decade ago.
The elevators still worked. Thank God. Yet another hint heβs paving the way for you. You made the location, but it feels like youβre a mouse stuck in a human-designed maze. Even though you set up the game, heβs still managed to rig it.
You land on the first deck at 7:52. At 7:56, you reach the second observational deck.
Itβs empty. Youβve never seen the skytree so empty before. Not a single soul is here except for you. Your footsteps echo across the floor. Were you early?
Out the corner of your eye, thereβs a post-it note stuck on the window. A hand-drawn arrow. Up ahead, thereβs another one.
You follow the next, and then the next. All the time you donβt know how to feel about him doing all of this just for an encounter. Something bubbles in your stomach. Youβre pushing it down.
You follow the post-its until thereβs one placed right on top of a door.
Authorized personnel only. Why does this brat continue to test you?
But itβs already 8:03; youβre far too deep to complain.
A service elevator greets you. If you press the button, itβll take you all the way up to the broadcast equipment, the top of the Tokyo Skytree.
Itβs different from the past two elevator rides. The service elevator isnβt all that polished. The wheels squeak a little too dangerously at times. Itβs slower, too.
Thatβs bad, because now youβre starting to think.
That familiar feeling boils within your stomach, again. Youβre anxious. Itβs strange to say, but meeting Satoru through Suguru, meeting Satoru through Yu, it felt like you had a protective shell around yourself. You were free from his judgement, only invoking curiosity.
If you show yourself to him, how would he react? What would he say? Would he get angry that you made him wait a decade for such a blunder? Even worse, what if he doesnβt get angry?
What ifβwhat if heβs disappointed by you?
Cold feet. It freezes your toes. You want to go back. You want the elevator to go back down, you want to go home and hide away.
But you promised Satoru. He deserves answers.
Pathetic answers are better than no answers at all.
Instead of your soul being protected by a sorcerer's body, itβs protected by your own. Youβd steel yourself for whatever comes next. You could melt after.
Itβs windy up here. Thatβs the first thing you notice. Icy wind cuts at your face and your eyes squint so they donβt dry out so quickly. Itβs colder, too; your jacket is nice protection, but nothing helps your vulnerable hands.
But the view. Oh, what a view.
The sea of twinkling lights shines from the city. The sun has set, leaving Tokyo to do nothing but shine. Sheβs gorgeous like sheβs picked the stars from the sky, burying them within her own soul. You could stay there forever, if she let you.
Itβs 8:09. Satoru was late.
Or maybe he just wasnβt planning to show up.
You lean away from the railing. Itβs just like him to make huge gestures and at the last moment, ditch everything. The balloon in your lungs deflates ever so slightly.
And then, you can feel hands.
Around your shoulders, caging you in. Large and warm despite the icy air. You know these hands. Theyβre familiar, even a decade later. His chest presses up against your back. His face settles in the crook of your neck.
His laugh tickles your ear, and you arenβt so cold anymore.
βCaught ya, Greeny.β
(βDid something happen to you, back there in the house?β
"Hm?" Suguru asked.
They were wading through long grass and overgrown weeds. Satoru glances at his friend. Suguru looks fine. His cursed energy has gone back to normal. That's probably good.
"You were just acting weird," Satoru said, "I mean you fell on your ass in front of a curse. Embarrassing."
Suguru huffed, a red hue across his cheeks. "Shut up, don't remind me."
'So he remembered,' Satoru thinks, 'didn't expect that.'
They're almost to the car when Suguru speaks again.
"Actually, I did feel a little strange," he says, "I felt like I wasn't really all there. There was this voice, guiding me along."
"Really?" Satoru shivers. "That sounds creepy."
So the entity within Suguru was a bad thing after all. He should try to get rid of it if it ever comes back. It might take a complex spell or something-
"Not really." Suguru said. "It's hard to explain, but it felt....nice."
Anya is live and ready to show you everything. Watch her strip, dance, and perform exclusive shows just for you. Interact in real-time and make your fantasies come true.
β Live Streamingβ Interactive Chatβ Private Showsβ HD Quality
Anya is LIVE right now
FREE
Free to watch β’ No registration required β’ HD streaming
A Helping Hand
summary: Satoru needs help taking care of Megumi and Tsumiki.
warnings: very brief suggestive themes near the end that may lead to a spicy part 2
pairing: Satoru Gojo x reader
ΰ¨ΰ§ friends to lovers; mutual pining; domestic fluff; canon divergence - both Gojo and reader are over 18 when Gojo takes in the Fushiguro siblings.
word count: 3.8k
"Not everyone can handle that much sugar, Gojo." you deadpanned as soon as you answered your ringing phone, eyes still glued to the paperwork you had neglected finishing until the very last minute. "Some of us are prone to get cavities you know... or diabetes."
You smiled at hearing his laughter from the other end of the line, grateful he wasn't in the room to tease you about your affectionate expression, "Hello to you too, sunshine"
"Like I said, if you want to try that new bakery at Nihonbashi go bother Shoko. Yaga has been pestering me about handing over my papers on time for the past few days and I'm already behind on it."
"Oh! I had nearly forgotten about that place. I heard they have the best strawberry shortcakes in Tokyo! I'm definitely taking you there this week, paperwork can wait." Gojo mused with a soft hum, "that's not why I'm calling though."
"Um-hum. What issue do you need my help with then?" You dropped your pen, yielding on getting any work done while on the phone with your troublesome friend.
"I resent that. Sometimes people call their friends just to catch up or something like that!"
You pushed the swivel chair away from the desk you had been leaning over for the past hour and put one leg up, resting your elbow on your knee, "except they're not you."
"Are you implying I'm not a good friend?" Satoru gasped dramatically, "you wound me, woman!"
"Gojo."
"What?"
"Get to the point"
He sighs, "fine. I need your help."
"Ha! I knew it!" you snapped your fingers at his admission and smirked to yourself, pleased with being able to read Satoru to a T.
"Yeah, yeah. Whatever. Just get to the address I'm sending you." you could nearly hear the eye roll in his tone.
"What? Hold on, I never agreed to-" your leg slid back down, your sock clad foot dropping to the ground with a muffled thud as you slid forward in your seat, free hand grasping onto the arm rest.
"See you soon, sweets!" he hang up before you had time to counter any further.
You hadn't even put the phone down when your heard two successive chimes, announcing incoming messages from none other than Satoru Gojo himself consisting of the address he had promised followed by one short instruction:
"...bastard." you mumble the insult under your breath even if he can't hear. The knowledge that he knew you would follow his command despite your earlier resistance making you drop your weight back in the chair dejectedly.
γγ+γγγγ+γγγγ+γγγγ
It takes you nearly two hours, what with having to appropriately dress yourself before leaving your room, taking the train from Tokyo to Saitama and finally a bus until you made it to the nearest stop to the location Gojo had "requested" your presence at.
The address led you into a path of uneven, light-colored stone slabs, bestrewed with patches of moss and grass - an obvious sign of the minimal maintenance kept over the time - that winds between rows of low-rise visibly weathered residential buildings on either side, with peeling paint, small cracks and walls darkened from exposure.
You compared the number on the side of building to the message's one more time, trying to figure out what was Satoru's goal sending you to the scanty suburban neighborhood you stood at. You check your surroundings, expanding your senses for any signs, but nothing really stood out for you.
"There you are! C'mon in, slowpoke. Get up here. We've been waiting long enough for you!"
... we?
You looked up at the voice calling out onto to spot Gojo waving enthusiastically from his spot leaning at the protective iron bars of the narrow balcony above.
Overhanging gutters and pipes snake across the building, along with electrical wiring. The wooden eaves and narrow balconies seem to have endured years of use in a slightly chaotic but familiar urban atmosphere.
Satoru didn't give you time to form a response before diving back inside, disappearing from your view.
You shake your head incredulously and quickly head to the door underneath the balcony.
The entrance led to a narrow staircase barely illuminated by flickering yellow fixtures and a slightly ajar wooden door at the end of it. You climbed up the stairs two at a time in your haste.
Before you even thought of knocking the door was pulled open, revealing Gojo and, behind him, a much better illuminated ambiance than the one you stood in.
The inside of the house was small, the furniture simple, an obviously lived in place if the strewed pieces of clothing, books and toys were weighted in. A living room and a tiny kitchen with a conjoint laundry separated by a counter only made up the space you could see and a door led further into the apartment, probably into a corridor with more doors or directly into an ensuite bed and bathroom.
"What the fu-"
"Shhh!!" He snapped, hand pressing over your mouth to stop you from finishing your sentence, "watch your language, sweets. We have tiny ears in the room."
You glanced over his shoulder again, this time taking notice of the two children sat on the worn out green(ish) three-seat couch. Your widened eyes only made Satoru smile as his hand dropped from your face.
"I know cuss words too, you know." the boy voiced with a bored expression from his spot, clearing having guessed on what you have been about to say before the interruption.
"Of course you do, little adult." Satoru spoke with a chuckle, peered over his shoulder and returning to you in a whisper: "can you believe he is a first grader? The boy looks and sounds like he could do my taxes for me!"
"Wha- what is the meaning of this, Gojo?" You questioned once the surprise eased up, trying to look into his eyes for an explanation through the dark lenses of his glasses.
"These are Toji Fushiguro's kids."
"Actually, I'm not really related to him." the girl chimed in quietly, waving meekly when you looked her way.
"Are you gonna make her stay at the door, Gojo?"
"You're totally right, little guy! How inconsiderate of me." He stepped aside, bowing at the waist and doing a grand gesture with his arm. "Would you like to come in, milady?"
"Shut up, dork." You giggled in spite of yourself as you passed him into the place.
"Sweets, meet Tsumiki and Megumi Fushiguro!" Satoru beamed, looking almost proud as he pointed out each kid to you.
"Hey there." You waved with a soft smile, still trying to make sense of the scene in front of you.
Tsumiki smiled politely while Megumi offered you a head nod in acknowledgment. You winced at their lack of response.
"Can we speak privately, Gojo?" you whispered, leaning a bit closer to your friend.
"Right!" He clapped his hands together, the sound echoing in the room and turned the kids again, "would you guys mind go play or something while the grown ups talk?"
Megumi rolled his eyes, but jumped from the couch, waiting until his sister followed suit. "We'll just be in the main room while you talk."
You patiently waited until they were on the other side of the door you had spotted in your first surveyance of the room before crossing your arms over your chest and demanding: "explain. Now."
"Okay, okay. Calm your horses. It's simple, really. I don't think I told you this, but... Toji told me about a son he had sold to then Zenin's before... you know. So, being the good samaritan that I am, I decided to look for said kid and voilΓ ! Here we are."
"That explains nothing, dumbass. Why am I here? Why are you here?"
He sighed, dropping onto the sofa with a dramatic flare that would bring many actors to their knees, head thrown back and one arm slung over his eyes, the appliance making a weird noise at the sudden weight thrown onto it.
"Out with it." You relentlessly pressured for more information. He sat back up, manspreading on the sofa, eyes still hidden under dark lenses when he faced you.
"I asked what he wanted. The boy." there was a seriousness to his tone you didn't hear often.
"Megumi?"
"Yeah. And he wanted to know if his sister would be happy there."
"Hell no! Those bastards treat women like shit! And she doesn't seem to have a lick of cursed energy, so she would probably be treated worse than the dust under their shoes." You shivered at your own observation, concerned for the little girl.
"That's what I said! So... I promised I would take care of things."
"Ok... what does that mean? Have you reached another relative that can take them or what?"
"About that..."
"Gojo."
"They don't have anyone else. Tsumiki's mother and father are gone, as is Megumi's mother. And Toji..."
"Yeah, I know." You paused, pinching the bridge of your nose. "So what? You'll just... adopt them? Gojo, you can barely take care of yourself, imagine not one but two kids?"
"Hey! I'm great at taking care of myself! And no one said anything about adoption. I was thinking maybe more on the line of a sponsor. With the schools endorsement, too. Those old farts will probably be very interested in Megumi's technique." you opened your mouth to comment on it, but Satoru cut you off, "don't worry! I won't let them lay a finger on the boy. I said I would take care of things. And I will."
You uncrossed your arms, kicking lightly at his foot so he would free some space for you on the couch. You couldn't help but smile upon noticing the drop of his infinity to let you hit him. Satoru put his legs closer together and you sat down on the space beside him with a deep sigh. "Still, that's a lot of responsibility to take on." you pointed out softly.
"I know, but I made a promise." He turned his to the side, chin dipping so his eyes could meet your over the rim of his sunglasses, "besides, I have you."
The effect of his eyes on you was instantaneous. Your guard dropping, face softening. "You do." you admitted quietly, but cleared your throat and averted his piercing gaze upon noticing what you had just said. "Fine. How are we doing this?"
"I knew you would come around!" He jumped up and grasped onto your hands to push you up as well, eliciting a chuckle from you.
"What would you even do without me, Satoru?" the tease came naturally and so did his nonchalant answer:
"Wither and die, most likely." Satoru still held onto your hands, face turned to the door where the children hid behind. "Because I have no idea what to do now."
You rolled your eyes, pulling your hands free and lightly slapping his shoulder.
"I assume you're not gonna leave them to fend for themselves, so I'll go around check how's their pantry and other supplies to make a list for you to go shop while I watch them. Restock the house."
He listened attentively, nodding vigorously.
"Then we're gonna have to figure out a schedule to check on them regularly. They seemed to be doing alright alone so far so we know they don't need constant supervision, but someone should always be here to making sure they're fed and, well, taken care of in general." You listed as you went around the room, checking drawers and cabinets and nodding to yourself.
"God. You're brilliant! I don't know how I'll ever repay you for this."
You scoffed lightly, "I'm doing this for them just as much as I'm doing it for you, Gojo."
"Still. You're a real lifesaver."
"Stop with the flattery and write down what we need."
"Yes, mam!" He saluted you playfully.
γγ+γγγγ+γγγγ+γγγγ
You called out for Megumi and Tsumiki after sending Gojo to the store, making him promise not to splurge on sweets, reminding not everyone needed the mental stimuli he did, especially growing children who require a more balanced diet.
You talked to them, made sense of their routine and doings while getting to know them a bit better, finding out they had been living the little money left by Tsumikiβs mother. It was a luck strike that Satoru got to them when he had considering those funds were on its way to end very soon.
They were both way too mature for their age and you silently vowed to yourself to change that. You would do your best to take care of everything else so they could just be kids. It's the least they deserved.
γγ+γγγγ+γγγγ+γγγγ
Things progressed naturally after that day. You bonded with Tsumiki over her love of books and Megumi over his passion for standing up for others.
They were good kids, never require much coddling. Tsumiki was particularly affectionate and, while he was more aloof, you could tell Megumi cared (especially about Tsumiki).
The Elders had acquiesced (not without a very through pushing intimidation from Gojo, of course) with letting you become the official "benefactors" of the Fushiguros.
You took on the role with earnestness, making sure to spend most of your free time with them. Cooking or ordering in, helping with their homework or just talking became routine in your hectic sorcerer lifestyle.
Surprisingly, Satoru also made an effort to be there, but due to his extremely busy schedule it wasn't always a possibility.
There were times neither of you would make it and it you would lead to you apologizing profusely into the phone receiver to one of the siblings (they were always extremely understanding). Other times, Shoko, Nanami or even Yaga would check in on them after your incessant begging.
Your favorite times, rare as they were, happened when yours and Gojo's schedule were simultaneously unoccupied and allowed the both of you to go into the apartment. You could count in one hand the number of times that had happened in the year the two of you had been taking care of the Fushiguro siblings.
Satoru made a point to express his gratitude for your help whenever he could: every time he decided to spoil the kids with expensive gifts, he would get something for you as well. He would drop his infinity to receive your playful blows when he's being exceptionally annoying.
Oftentimes you found his gaze strayed to you or the soft smile on his lips directed at you and wondered if, perhaps, Satoru felt the same you did. If the longing of years wasn't as one sided as you had thought, but then he would make some inappropriate joke and the charged tension would fall. It was probably all in your head anyway.
He still kept some walls up though. Geto Suguru was a difficult subject for both of you. After his defect, Satoru seldom allowed himself to be vulnerable, not that he ever had before, but he become even more guarded afterwards. Still, you were there for him and he was there for you and that was enough.
γγ+γγγγ+γγγγ+γγγγ
"I'm hungry."
"Huh. I thought you were Tsumiki?"
Megumi groan was accompanied with an eye roll, as it usually was when Satoru made his jokes around the house, but Tsumiki giggles always brought a tiny smile to the corner of his lips. "You know what I meant, silly!"
"Was that a dad joke, Satoru?" you playfully hip bumped him as you made it from the counter he leaned on to the stove with the chopped vegetables.
"Ugh. I'm too young and handsome to be a father. It's not my fault their sense of humor is top tier."
"It's really not, Gojo." Megumi pointed out, his eyes never straying from the manga in his hands.
"What do you even know about that?"
"Hey! I'll let you know Megs can be really funny, you just don't get his subtle humor because your head is too big." You gestured around with a wooden spoon, your words bringing more giggles out of Tsumiki and a proud smile to your face.
"My head is perfectly proportionate to my body."
"Of course that's the only part you heard." You peeked over your shoulder finding Tsumiki standing on the other side of the counter. "Dinner is nearly done, Miki."
"Alright. I'll set the table!" the eager preteen rushed out.
"Thank you, dear!" you bellow, attention turning back to stirring the pot of food.
"It smells great by the way." Satoru pointed out, slowly inching closer to you.
"You hungry too?"
"Kinda. I'm more excited for the dessert to be honest."
"Of course you are." You laughed.
"Hey, sweets?" Satoru was right next to you then, licking a swipe of frosting he had gathered on his finger as he passed by the dirty bowl.
"Huh?" You attentively followed his hypnotizing gesture from the corner of your eyes, your arm stopping its movement momentarily as blood rushed to your chest and neck.
"Do you ever regret it?" his question has your focus snapping back into place as you finally allowed yourself to look his way.
"Regret what?"
"You know... taking on the kids." Satoru tried to seem nonchalant, but you know him too well. There's clearly a motive to his sudden approach.
"You having second thoughts, Gojo?" Your tone was playful, but there was an edge of alert to it.
"No! no. I was just wondering. I don't want you to resent me for stealing up your youth or something like that."
The sudden understanding made you freeze. You quickly turned off the burner and fully turned his way.
"Stop with that shit. I could never resent you from bringing me into their lives." You moved towards the sink, washing your hands as you speak, "I love these kids." turning off the faucet, you take one long breath and shift so you're standing face to face, "got it?"
"But don't you want your own family?"
His insistence had you exhaling exasperatedly, "this is my family, Satoru. Tsumiki, Megumi, Shoko, Nanami... you. It may not be conventional, but I wouldn't have it any other way."
You watched as his playful expression softened. Satoru removed the sunglasses covering his eyes and dropped them at the counter to his side, eyes never once leaving yours.
You felt yourself warm up instantaneously, hands clammy and lips dry, but still you tried to keep up the pretense of coolness with an airy jab, "what's that face for, dumbass?"
"That's just my face, sweets. I'm sure you've noticed how beautiful I am before." his voice had taken a lower cadency and for some reasons to seemed to be closer than before, standing impossibly tall in front of you.
"Your ego really is something else." your smile faltered when he simply hummed in response, his unblinking eyes making your head swim and heart flutter dangerously, "stop staring!"
That seemed to snap Satoru out of it as he put one step of distance between you, gaze finally settling down. "Sorry. I know my eyes can be intimidating."
Your hand flew to his without thinking, masking your surprise when you immediately felt his skin instead of the barrier of infinity. You knew you had hit a nerve then and was quick to attempt remediating it.
"Not exactly the word I would use." You murmured, seeking his eyes again. Something flashed in them, something you had seem a few times, but it was always gone so quickly you never really managed to read it.
"What word would you use then?"
"If I wasn't afraid of providing too much fuel to your ego I would probably say something like beautiful. Entrancing. Maybe breathtaking." You listed, thumb caressing the back of his hand back and forth.
"You're making me blush, sweets." His grip tightened to your and he used it to pull you even closer, until your chest was nearly brushing his stomach, neck straining to keep looking up at him.
"Yeah? Who would've thought... the strongest sorcerer reduced to a mess over a few measly compliments." your voice was almost a whisper, worried anything louder would burst this bubble you found yourselves in.
"Nah. Over you." he admitted with a loving smile, one you now recognize he only ever use with you.
"Satoru..."
"God. I love when you say my name."
"Noted." You licked your lips and watched as his stare followed the tiny movement, pupils blowing wider, nearly taking over the striking blue. "What is this, Satoru?"
He finally closed the distance between your bodies, bending down until your faces were only a breath away, arms encircling your waist. Your heart sped up, seemingly ready to burst from your chest.
"Shoko mentioned that one guy from the Zenin clan noticed how good you were with kids when we took Megs there, said something crass about wanting to father to your kids even when he stopped by at the school." his dry chuckle made you shake along with him, "I'm not gonna lie, I wanted to hollow purple his ass as soon as she said that. It made me realize I would end up losing you if I didn't man up and made a move soon. So this is me stopping being a pussy."
"I want to be with you. In any way you'll have me. If you will have me." Satoru admitted quietly. "Your boyfriend, maybe?"
"Just as long as I can be your girlfriend."
You were nearly blinded by his bright responding smile.
And then he bent further down to touch his lips to yours. He wanted to make it romantic, soft, his lips met yours in brief caresses once, twice... and then something snapped.
It's like all those years of yearning led to this moment and Satoru had to have you impossibly closer.
One of his hands held onto your jaw, long fingers touching the back of your neck and the other slowly slowly explored you back, stopping at the stripe of skin where your shirt had ridden up when you threw your arms around his neck. His tongue pushed at the seam of your lips, seeking entrance and who were you to deny Gojo Satoru?
You let out a muffled moan, ready to move it forward when a voice shattered the moment:
You broke apart in an instant, your head pending forward until your forehead rested on his chest, willing your blush to simmer down so you could face the kids.
"Yeah. Shut up, Megumi. I'm trying to score the girl of my dreams here, man!" Satoru joked, but you picked up on the slight quiver to his voice. Then, lower, just for you. "C'mon, sweets. Let's feed the little beasts and put them to sleep so we can finish this."
note: I think we're lacking more fluff pieces for the JJK fandom so I wanted to contribute to it somehow, but I still also want to try my hand at the more sexy bits so expect a part 2 made entirely of smut very soon ;)