Calypso

𝙷𝙰𝚅𝙴 𝚅𝙸𝙾𝙻𝙴𝙽𝚃 𝙴𝙽𝙳𝚂 ⚔︎

𝖼𝖺𝗅𝗒 ⋄ 𝗌𝗁𝖾/𝗁𝖾𝗋 ⋄ 𝗆𝗎𝗅𝗍𝗂𝖿𝖺𝗇𝖽𝗈𝗆 𝗐𝗋𝗂𝗍𝗂𝗇𝗀 𝖻𝗅𝗈𝗀 ⋄ 𝗆𝗂𝗇𝗈𝗋𝗌 𝖽𝗇𝗂

❧ 𝖺𝗅𝗅 𝗋𝖾𝗊𝗎𝖾𝗌𝗍𝗌 : 𝖼𝗅𝗈𝗌𝖾𝖽 ͏

❧ 𝗋𝖾𝖼𝖾𝗇𝗍 𝗐𝗈𝗋𝗄 : 𝗍𝗁𝗂𝗌 𝗂𝗌 𝖿𝖺𝗄𝖾…𝗋𝗂𝗀𝗁𝗍? (𝗀.𝗌)

❧ 𝗆𝖺𝗌𝗍𝖾𝗋𝗅𝗂𝗌𝗍 ⋄ 𝗋𝗎𝗅𝖾𝗌

↠ 𝖽𝗈 𝗇𝗈𝗍 𝗋𝖾𝗉𝗈𝗌𝗍, 𝖼𝗈𝗉𝗒, 𝗈𝗋 𝗌𝗁𝖺𝗋𝖾 𝗆𝗒 𝗐𝗈𝗋𝗄 𝖺𝗇𝗒𝗐𝗁𝖾𝗋𝖾 𝗐/𝗈𝗎𝗍 𝗆𝗒 𝗉𝖾𝗋𝗆𝗂𝗌𝗌𝗂𝗈𝗇. 𝗒𝗈𝗎’𝗋𝖾 𝖿𝗋𝖾𝖾 𝗍𝗈 𝗋𝖾𝖻𝗅𝗈𝗀

pairing: gojo satoru x fem!reader

the arrangement that started it all

❥ warnings/tags: fake dating, swearing, mentions of violence, death, and murder, mentions of threats, ooc gojo, canon divergence, reader w/established backstory, manipulative/abusive clans, potential grammar&punctuation errors, unedited, potential spoilers for anime/manga, arguing, mean gojo

❥ a/n: hi! I decided to kick out a side story to my mini-series. It takes place when they were in high school and agreed to fake date for the first time. It can be read as a stand alone, but it’s still connected to the main storyline (and might make more sense if you’ve read that first). enjoy!

first part ❥ miniseries masterlist

You were convinced that Gojo Satoru’s true purpose in life was to torment you.

It was the only explanation you’d accept at this point.

You met a year ago, when the both of you were first years at jujutsu high, and immediately, you clashed. It was natural—like you two were drawn to each other to hate each other.

He was all cocky smiles and rule-breaking, and you…not so much. All you wanted was to survive long enough to graduate, and to make your clan proud. For sorcerers like you who came from smaller, less powerful clans, you had to work twice as hard to be taken seriously in the jujutsu world.

So when the walking, white-haired disaster waltzed onto school grounds that first day, it was instant hostility between the two of you. And when he learned of your desire to be one of the top students in your class, he went out of his way to try and outperform you academically (he was far too strong to be beaten in terms of cursed technique). He knew the classroom was your strength, he knew academics was where you thrived. And despite clearly not caring for it, he made it his goal to show you that he was better.

Which was why the idiot was currently mocking you from across the classroom, waving around his perfect test score with a toothy grin.

Your eyes twitched as you looked back down at your own paper: 97%. Resisting the urge to crumple up the paper, you jump out of your chair and leave class for lunch.

How did he manage to get a higher score? You’d studied for hours for this exam, even turning down hanging out with Shoko and Nanami to focus on the test material. It irked you. There was no way Gojo had studied as long as you yet this seemed to happen often.

“Heyyy! What’s got ya frowning so much?” His stupid voice rang throughout the hallway, behind you, fueling the anger bubbling under your skin.

“Satoru, enough,” you heard Suguru say.

You stayed facing forward, ignoring them and heading straight to the cafeteria. He kept yelling out things, trying to get a rise out of you, but you weren’t going to give him the satisfaction. He loved when you bit back—it made Gojo keep taunting and messing with you, finding entertainment in your angry reactions. But you refused to be his plaything today.

After grabbing your food, you plopped down on one of the cafeteria tables where Nanami and Haibara were sat. Haibara warmly smiled in greeting and Nanami merely nodded his head. Finally, some peace. You sighed in relief, happy to be away from Gojo’s incessant noise. The first years were much better company sometimes—especially the blond who was poking around at the food on his tray.

❄︎ ❄︎ ❄︎

The steam from the hot shower spilled into the hallway when you opened the door. The hot water had worked wonders on your aching body and limbs, leaving you in the perfect state for sleep.

At this time, the school was dark with barely a single sound to be heard. You quietly made your way to your room, careful to keep your footsteps light so as to not wake your sleeping classmates. But as you rounded the corner, you bumped into Yaga.

The used towel slipped out of your hand as you nearly jumped out of your skin, not expecting to see him—or anyone—at this hour.

“(Y/n), I was looking for you.” He stuck out a hand holding a single white envelope. “This arrived for you. It’s urgent.”

You blinked down at the paper in his hand before glancing up at him. His face was serious like it always was, but behind that, you could see something else slipping through the cracks. Was it uncertainty? Worry?

Your hand hesitantly reached for the envelope. “Uh—thank you.”

He nodded and turned to walk away, but before he made it far, he stopped to glance at you over his shoulder. “No matter what they say or what they imply, you’re a good sorcerer, (y/n).”

What’s that supposed to mean?

Yaga disappeared around another corner without another word, and you’re left standing there confused by interaction. If him showing up late at night, with an envelope from who knows where, wasn’t ominous enough, you were definitely nervous now.

The paper suddenly feels like a weight in your hand, too heavy to flip over—as if it held information powerful enough to derail your life.

“Whatcha’ got there.”

For the second time that night, you jumped, but this time your brain recognized the voice and reacted by instinct, hand flying to land a blow on its owner. You didn’t mean to do that, but it was pretty much automatic at his point.

His arm stopped it though, gently catching around your wrist. “Woah there, I’m just asking a question.”

Ripping your arm from his grasp you narrowed your eyes. “Gojo, what are you doing out here at this time.”

“I live here.” He pointed to the door across the hallway.

No shit, you rolled your eyes. But he should be asleep by now. You spun forward and started for your door again. But Gojo clearly felt like he annoying and followed.

“Hey, you didn’t answer my question.” His head peaked over your shoulder to get a look at the paper in your hand. You stopped abruptly, causing him to bump into your back.

“Will you quit it? It’s nothing.”

“Doesn’t look like nothing to me. It actually looks kind of important.”

Your eyes flew to the envelope. You’d been too nervous to fully take in the envelope, but now it was facing up, staring right at you, and you could no longer ignore it.

Right at the center was a thick seal, locking the contents inside the envelope. The wax seal was a deep red color and contained the initial of your clan, and at the bottom corner was your clan leader’s signature.

For once you agreed with Gojo—it did look important.

“You should open it,” he pushed, rocking back and forth on his heels. You ignored him and tore the flap open. You didn’t know why you decided to open it in front of him—maybe it made it easier, more comforting to have company while you open the envelope, even if the company was the person you disliked most at school.

The thin paper unfurled in your hands, revealing its contents:

(Y/n), you are to attend the upcoming clan meeting, Friday, December 5th at 12PM. This is an official summon. Arrangements have been made for your transportation and arrival.

The words in the letter were final—not a request or a suggestion, but a demand. While it might seem like a regular summon, something about the wording made you believe otherwise. It was bizarre they wanted you to attend to begin with, considering meetings were only regularly attended by the more important members of the clan.

“That’s it? Lameeee. I thought it was gonna say you were kicked out of your clan or something. All that build up for nothing.”

So much for comforting.

You whacked Gojo with the paper. “I bet you’d like that, wouldn’t you?”

“I mean…it’d be a little funny. But I, being the supportive friend I am, would gladly support you.”

“You? Supportive? Hah! Good one. And we,” you signaled back and forth between your bodies, “are not friends.”

“Ok, you’re right. Supportive rival then. Although, we’re not really rivals—you’re not one for me at least. I’m far superior.”

Cocky, self-absorbed asshole. “Don’t you have thousands of calories in desserts to be devouring or something? Leave me alone.” You stomped away, not wanting to listen to his stupid voice any longer.

“I did that about an hour ago actually.”

“Go collapse from a sugar rush then or something!” You yelled back, finally arriving to your room and slamming the door shut behind you.

❄︎ ❄︎ ❄︎

You’re to be married.

Or at least engaged until you graduated.

The guy was from another clan, one that was slightly more established than your own, making this an “advantageous” marriage. But nothing about this was advantageous to you—not when you didn’t want to get married to begin with.

You don’t what you expected from this meeting, but it definitely wasn’t this. The only thing worse was being kicked out of your clan like Gojo had thought, which luckily for you, was the alternative to refusing the arranged marriage.

You stepped onto the school property, walking slowly, barely processing your surroundings. You’d just arrived back from the meeting and going inside sounded like a horrible idea. If anyone tried to talk you right now, you weren’t sure you’d be able to reply.

Instead, you let yourself fall onto the grass, not caring where you dropped. The woods ahead was calm with the familiar sound of cicadas and the soft rustling of leaves. The tree branches gently swayed with the wind, appearing like they were beckoning you in—just like when you were a kid. You used to spend hours staring at the forest outside your home, contemplating running away, wondering what would happen if you just…left. You’d wanted to help people but not in the way jujutsu society dictated. You’d hated the idea of being bound by your clan and the higher ups’ strict rules. That was of course, before you grew up.

You wondered now, if you should’ve just done it. There’d be no attachment to your clan, to its people. No duties to fulfill, no expectations.

Only freedom.

But you’d stayed.

You groaned, throwing yourself backwards so that you lay facing the sky.

What the hell were you going to do?

Your life was just beginning and you were already being married off.

Fantastic.

❄︎ ❄︎ ❄︎

The next morning you’re sat in an empty cafeteria with your head slumped on the table. You couldn’t even eat with how bad your stomach churned, threatening to make you expel its non-existent contents.

It was early and thankfully no one was awake yet. No one but you, who had barely slept last night, thinking of all the ways your life was about to change for the worst.

A sudden flick to the back of your head caused you to pause you to thoughts, but you couldn’t be bothered to check who was there.

Another flick, this time a bit harder.

“You alive?”

Ah, Gojo Satoru. The last person you wanted to see right now.

“Go away.”

“Well, it’s morning and this is the cafeteria.” He said.

“I’m not in the mood. Just go sit far, far away from me…please.”

He whistled and sat on the table bench beside you. “I’m guessin’ the clan meeting didn’t go too well. Did they actually kick you out?”

“Don’t wanna talk about it.”

“Talk about what.” You slightly lifted your head at the sound of Shoko’s voice to see her and Suguru strolling toward your table. You huffed and sat up, scooting away from the white-haired idiot next to you.

“You look like you were resurrected after being dead for a decade.”

“Yeah, thanks, Shoko.” You mumbled.

“Are you ok,” Suguru asked. He was always the kind one, with his soft-spoken voice and calm demeanor. Opposite of Gojo, honestly.

“Not really.”

They stared at you, as if waiting for you to explain. You sighed. There was no point in keeping it a secret; it’s not like you’d be able to hide for long anyway.

But if you were going to tell them, then you wanted to wait for Nanami and Haibara—specifically Nanami, who you may have had a teeny, tiny crush on. He didn’t know, obviously, but with the whole marriage fiasco, any potential relationship with him became impossible and telling him about your arrangement would help you kind of accept that.

As if on cue the last of your classmates entered the cafeteria, collecting their food trays before headed your way after you’d flagged them down.

Once they were seated, you took a deep breath. “So…I received news from my clan…” your breathing faltered slightly. Saying it out loud would make it real. But as much as you hated it, it was real and inescapable. “They’ve set me up in an arranged marriage.” The words tumble out of your mouth fast like poison you were desperate to remove from your body.

Beside you, Gojo’s hand was frozen mid air, holding onto his next bite of food. Suguru and Shoko had their mouths dropped open and Haibara’s eyes were as wide as saucers. Nanami’s were also wide, blinking at you slowly.

Gojo bursted out into laughter, breaking the awkward silence. “What?! You? A wife? I can’t even imagine that,” he managed between laughs. “And I thought Haibara would be the first to get married or maybe Suguru. B-but you? I never would’ve guessed!”

Your fists clenched as you watched him continue to mock you, slapping his knee like it was the funniest thing he’d ever heard. “Are you serious right now Gojo? This is my life we’re talking about and you’re making jokes?” The heavy textbook in front of Nanami was starting to look very tempting.

At your anger he laughed even harder.

Textbook…tempting.

“You’re ridiculous.” You spat.

Haibara cleared his throat and gave you a hesitant smile. “It’s ok, (y/n), if it makes you feel better, I thought you’d be the first to get married. And I’m sure you’d make a great wife!”

Sweet, sweet, Haibara.

Suguru choked down a laugh and Shoko punched his arm with a warning glare.

“Thank you, Haibara. Guess you were right.”

“Are you ok with this,” Shoko asked.

“No, of course not. But I can’t exactly say no.”

Gojo calmed his cackling—that you’d long since tuned out. “Phew…” he wiped tears from his eyes before resting his arms on the table and leaning his head on his hand. “Sorry. I know this is difficult for you, but it was just too funny; I needed that.”

“Can you shut the hell up?”

“Pass. Anyway, I gotta ask…you can say no, you know that right?”

You rolled your eyes. That’s easy for him to say. He could ditch his clan if he wanted and still be vital to jujutsu society. Not only that, but he was filthy rich; he didn’t need support from anyone. “Yeah and be kicked out? I’m sixteen, Gojo, where am I supposed to live?”

“Here at the school, duh. And after you graduate you wouldn’t need your clan anyway.”

“It’s not just about needing my clan. I’d have no money, no connections, no standing in the jujutsu world. And my parents are still there along with all the people I grew up with—the people that care about me. I’d have no family.”

“If they’d shun you for turning down the marriage, they’re not really your family then, are they?” He shrugged.

You froze. Marriage arrangements weren’t as common as before, but they still existed—especially in clans. It was seen as a responsibility, an expectation. “That’s not true. It’s just how clans work, everyone knows that.”

“It being the norm, doesn’t make it right and doesn’t make what I said any less true.”

“He has a point.” Your eyes flickered over to Nanami who had been silent up until now. He was smart—usually the voice of reason. For him to agree with Gojo, well, that was unheard of. “If they care about you, like you care for them, shouldn’t they put your happiness above all else?”

“I…get what you’re saying, but I also think they just want the best for me. Maybe they think that’s what this is.”

Gojo lowered his chin, looking at you above his glasses. “If that makes you feel better, pal. It’s your life.”

You looked to Shoko and Suguru, hoping they’d agree with you, but their eyes darted away, refusing to meet your gaze.

Whatever. It didn’t matter. Getting kicked out of your clan was not and never would be an option. They didn’t understand. The only other person that came from a clan was Gojo, and he was untouchable.

The table croaked as you stood up abruptly and left the cafeteria without another word. You heard Shoko and Suguru call you back but you couldn’t handle the weight of their gazes right now—judging you and your clan. It was too much.

You were alone in this.

❄︎ ❄︎ ❄︎

Shoko found you by the small pond on school grounds. You were sitting with your legs tucked into your chest while your head rested on your knees.

Her light footsteps crushed leaves littered throughout the floor of the woods as she neared. She was one of your closest friends, and you’d anticipated her following you out here.

She sat down and stayed silent, choosing to join you in observing the calm water of the pond, taking in the peaceful sound of moving water.

After a few minutes, you’d had enough, knowing she wasn’t just there to watch the water with you. “Is there something you wanna say?”

Shoko tilted her head to face you, her expression was neutral—bored even, but you could always see through it. “No matter what you decide to do, (y/n), you won’t be alone.”

Your eyes watered and you dropped your head onto her shoulder.

“Thank you, Shoko.”

Not much was said after, rather you’d stayed leaning on her, both of you quiet, knowing more words weren’t going to do much for you in this predicament.

Eventually, Shoko got up and left you at the pond to give you space to think.

The answer was clear—it was the only answer you could choose. You had to marry, you had to make your clan proud. So why did part of you want to say no and risk banishment? Could you stand never seeing your parents again—your home? Your classmates would support you, but would that be enough? Maybe there was a way around it that you hadn’t thought of yet—a way in which you didn’t lose your family nor your freedom.

But also…it was just marriage, wasn’t it? It wasn’t the end of the world. You’d still be a sorcerer, you’d still be yourself. The only difference was that you’d be tied to a man you didn’t even know. Was it worth it—was it worth marrying a stranger to keep your family in your life?

It was—

A harsh tug to the back of your uniform shirt sent you flying backwards, back hitting the dirt floor in a soft thud.

You blinked, registering that you’re no longer staring at the pond but at the grey sky. A familiar face popped into view—white hair and obnoxious sunglasses blocking the sky now. He grinned and stuck out a hand to wave.

You really couldn’t catch a break from this guy.

“What could you possibly want right now?” You sighed.

His smile dropped and he scratched the back of his neck. “Uh—uhm I wanted to…” he looked away from your face to focus on the ground next to you. “…apologize for earlier. I shouldn’t have laughed. It was wrong of me.”

“What did Shoko threaten you with?”

“Is it that obvious?”

“Well, it physically pained you to say that, and you’d never say something like: ‘it was wrong of me.’”

“I knew I should’ve left that out,” he mumbled. “Too bad.” He lightly tapped your leg with the tip of his shoe. “You gonna sit up?”

“It’s actually…kind of comfortable.”

Gojo shrugged and sat down before falling onto his back next to you. “I do feel a tiny bit bad for laughing. But you have to admit it’s a little funny.”

Your lip quirked up. Your fate was decided, might as well laugh about it now. “Maybe just a little…but I honestly thought you’d be the first to get married, with your abilities and all. It seems like your clan would want you to—though you’d make a terrible husband. I’d feel bad for your partner.”

“Hey! Not true. Hundreds of people would disagree with that statement, just sayin’. But it doesn’t matter cause no one can make me do anything, not even my clan.”

“Except for Shoko.”

“Except for Shoko,” he affirmed. “But seriously, they couldn’t force me to anything; it’d be stupid for them to try. Everyone knows what I’m capable of,” he smirked.

Your eyes suddenly widened with a thought. That’s it! He’s your solution!

Despite being only sixteen, Gojo Satoru had already made a name for himself in jujutsu society. Hell, he did that just by being born. Sorcerers of all grades knew him and recognized his abilities—ones that classified him as a special grade sorcerer even at his age.

He was equally respected and feared. Especially by smaller clans like yours.

You flew up off the ground and turned to look down at Gojo, with what you’re sure was a crazed look on your face. He stared up at you behind his glasses in a mix of startle and confusion, his white strands fanned out around his head, sharply contrasting the dirt.

Hmm, he actually looked kind of nice when he wasn’t making your life a living hell.

You couldn’t believe you were going to ask this but…

“Be my boyfriend.”

At that, his eyes widened and he clumsily sat up, his glasses fell down the slope of his nose so he could get a good look at your face to see if you were joking. “Huh?”

“I said, be my boyfriend—please.”

He blinked. “You’re being serious? Why the hell would I do that?”

You frowned. It’s not that you wanted this, not with Gojo—you couldn’t stand him most days—but this would only work with him. “Yes, I’m being serious. I need you to be my boyfriend—well fake boyfriend—so that I don’t have to get married. It’s like you said, everyone knows what you’re capable of. If you’re my boyfriend, my clan wouldn’t dare risk getting on your bad side.”

It was perfect! They’d be way too afraid to upset the Gojo Satoru. The last thing a small clan needed was negative attention from one of the big three clans. And there was still time to cancel your arranged marriage. It wouldn’t be official until you met the other clan and your supposed future husband—something that would be happening within the next months. You had time.

“I don’t that’s a good idea. You and I could never pull off faking being into each other. You naturally scowl every time I come near you!”

“I know…but come on, it’s just a little pretending. If i can do it, I’m sure you can too. Please, Gojo, I—” you gulped, swallowing your pride. “I need…your help. I’m sorry for always being mean to you—not that you don’t deserve it most times,” you muttered under your breath, “but I really need your help.”

He looked absolutely disturbed at your pleas. He obviously had never heard those words from you directed at him. “Uhh…can’t you just use your technique and ya know…shape shift as me instead.”

You stared at him in disbelief. “What? And where would I be, dumbass? They’re going to want to see us together at some point.”

“I don’t know, tell them you’re sick or something.”

“Gojo, please, I’m literally begging you. You know I hate doing this, but I’m desperate. If everything goes well, it would only be for a short amount of time. I just need this marriage thing to blow over.”

“It’ll never work…”

“It will! I know it will. Do you really think I’d be asking you if I didn’t think it would?”

He threw his head back in annoyance. “Ugh…”

“I’ll be nicer to you, I promise. Just please do me this one favor.”

“Gross…I’d rather you didn’t. But if you really, really, really need my help that bad…” he looked at your pleading face and sighed. “Fineee.”

You cheered and grabbed his arm to shake him in happiness. “Thank you, thank you—”

“No way I’m doing this for free though.”

You froze.

Of course he wouldn’t.

“Elaborate.”

“If you want my help,” he smirked, the glint in his eyes telling you that what he was about to ask for, would be a high price. “You have to do two things: One, you do all my homework for the rest of the term so that Yaga stops bugging me about it. And two, you have to admit that I’m the best student—both on the field and in the classroom. Wait, three things actually—you bring me dessert or candy once a week while this is going on.”

Candy. Fine. Easy. But best student yet he wanted you to do his homework? Hilarious.

You sighed, squeezing your eyes shut. It wasn’t great, but it could be worse (like marrying a total stranger worse).

“Deal.”

He stared at you with lopsided smile, waiting.

“You want me to say it now?”

“Duh.”

“God you’re the worst. You, Gojo Satoru, are…the best student on the field and…and…”

“I’m waiting.”

Jerk. He was enjoying this.

“And in the classroom,” you pouted.

“Hehehe,” his phone, that you hadn’t noticed before, was in his hands recording. He quickly saved the video and opened your classmates group chat.

“WHAT THE HELL!” You jumped up and tried to snatch the phone from him but he was quicker, moving to his feet and extending his freakishly long arms far too high for your reach.

“GIVE THAT—DON’T YOU DARE!” You hopped onto his back, climbing and using his head as leverage to desperately reach for the phone.

But his thumb hit the send button and your own phone dinged. “Tooo lateee.”

“I’M GONNA KILL YOU.”

He flashed a toothy grin before disappearing into thin air, leaving you cursing at nothing as you fell to the floor.

You groaned. He was so annoying. The things you would’ve done if you didn’t need him for this.

The day this was over would be the happiest day of your life.

❄︎ ❄︎ ❄︎

Kaito, your clan leader, and your parents stood before you and Gojo, each wearing expressions that could only be described as horrified.

They’d only ever heard of Gojo in whispers and stories from other sorcerers—things about his power and status—so for him to be standing there in front of them, as your boyfriend, well, it had to be scary.

You mustered out a smile and shyly reached for Gojo’s hand. “So you see…that’s why I can’t be placed into the marriage you arranged. Otherwise I would’ve been happy to fulfill my clan duties.”

Gojo barely gripped your hand, letting you loosely carry its weight instead. He wasn’t even looking at your parents or clan leader, he was staring at the ceiling with his mind obviously somewhere else.

Your jaw tightened. He could at least try.

“Right, Satoru?” You squeezed his hand.

He yawned. He actually yawned like being here was a waste of his time. “Mhm. If you marry off my girlfriend, you’ll have me to deal with. You got that?”

Oh my—you were going to kill him. Your future was done for. Anyone with a brain could tell there was no real malice behind his threat.

Kaito nervously chuckled. “I see. Well, our humble clan would never wish to upset you, young Gojo. We are very grateful that you’re here, and that you’re giving your time to our dear (y/n). I’ll…speak to the other clan about the situation, and see what we can do.”

What? Did they really believe it? No, they’re probably not thinking clearly with the future head of Gojo clan in front of them.

“Whatever,” Gojo said lazily, “Just do something or I’ll find the guy myself and kick his ass.”

“Gojo,” you snapped before smiling at Kaito. “He’s kidding—obviously.”

Kaito didn’t smile and your parents had faces of people being held at gunpoint. Maybe this was a bad idea.

“Well, we should go. Thank you, sir, for your time,” you said, ending the meeting.

They awkwardly said their goodbyes, taking their leave, and you and Gojo exited the small house. Once outside, you made sure no one was around before glaring at him.

“You idiot! What was that?”

He shrugged, tugging his hand from your hold. “I don’t know what you mean.”

“We made a deal. You need to uphold your end of it.”

He huffed, walking ahead of you with his long legs. “You should be nicer considering you need my help.”

“I’m doing my part,” you hissed. “I’ve already done your stupid homework this week! But if you want out, I’d rather you just tell me now. I don’t want to have to worry about not being a believable couple because you can’t be bothered to even try! You literally only have to pretend when we’re in front of my clan; it’s not that hard. But if you can’t even do that, then tell me now.”

“A deal is deal—I’m not out. But I never agreed to a certain type of behavior.”

“A certain kind of behavior is expected when in a relationship, Gojo. If me, of all people, can pretend to like you, then I’m sure you can do the same.”

“If you’re not happy, then you’re free to end our deal. See ya back at the school.” With that, he teleported back, leaving you alone outside your clan grounds.

Asshole.

You stomped back to where your driver was parked, mumbling offenses under your breath. You needed him for this to work, yes, but if your clan figured out this was all an act, you don’t even want to think about what they’d do. Right now, they were likely too intimidated by Gojo to think any of this was fake, but if he continued that lazy acting, they’d catch on eventually.

Later that day when you arrived back at the school, you received a text from your parents, asking for you and Gojo to make an appearance at the jujutsu-clan gathering next week.

These happened once in a while. It was a way for all the clans to collaborate and meet about issues regarding sorcerers and curses. While it was serious, it was also an event with lots of food and activities. Sorcerers who weren’t from clans were also invited, making it basically an occasion for all.

You knocked on Gojo’s door to ask him. When it didn’t open, you tried again, and almost immediately the door flew open.

He was in pajamas and his eyes weren’t covered by his usual glasses. His eyebrow was raised as if expecting to see you there. “What?”

“I wanted to see if you were ok going to the clan gathering next week. My parents asked if we could both attend.”

“No.”

“Gojo…”

“I don’t go to those things unless it’s important. Tell them I’m out of town on a mission.” He started closing the door but you quickly stopped it with your shoulder.

“Please stop making me beg for your help. Can’t you just make this easy for the both of us?” You spat. You were tired of his bratty attitude. Sure, you might’ve been pushy, but in the end, he had agreed to this. He’d said no one could force him to do anything, so he was here by his own choice.

He rolled his eyes. “Then don’t. And I don’t understand why I have to do all these things. Your clan has a lot of nerve making demands at me.”

“They’re not, they probably only want to meet you and all. We don’t have to go, but it would help if we did. Just think…the sooner they see and accept our relationship the sooner we can be done with this. I don’t want this anymore than you.”

You could feel the annoyance radiating off him. He was always a pest when it came to you, but he was much worse now. Clearly, he liked making it known when he didn’t want to do things.

“Fuck’s sake. I’ll go but I get to act however I want, got it?”

“Within reason.”

“Sure.”

Your eye twitched. “God you’re such a pain. You make things more difficult than they have to be.”

“Hey, that’s what being in a relationship with Gojo Satoru is like. It’s not for the weak, obviously.”

“Yeah, it’s for the stupid. Figured that one out a long time ago.”

He gave you a tight-lipped smile before closing the door on your face and shouting through the door: “I guess you’d know, right?”

He was going to be the death of you.

I finally decided to write about their past yay! I’ll be adding more short stories about the past — if you have anything you want to see/read for this, feel free to comment or message my inbox. I’m open to ideas/requests (specific to the past).

pairing: gojo satoru x fem!reader

satoru hates how things ended the first time; it’s something he’s always regretted. but now you’ve come back to him again, and he’s determined to mend what he broke—he just hopes you’ll let him

❥ warnings/tags: fake dating/engagement trope, swearing, mentions of murder and violence, canon divergence, ooc gojo, reader w/established backstory, manipulative/abusive clans, grammar&punctuation errors, not edited (yet), potential spoilers, very forward flirting

❥ a/n: this is so so late, I’m sorry. And please don’t hate me but I’m changing the tense. I can’t do present tense anymore. I tried :’)

previous ❥ miniseries masterlist

Torture.

Everything about this little arrangement was complete and utter torture for Satoru. From having to pretend his heart didn’t skip each time you held his hand to how you were adorably sleeping in front of him right now.

He glanced down at you and listened to the soft little huffs you released with each exhale. Your nose would twitch every so often, just like it always did when you slept. It was so cute—he had to resist the urge to tap it.

Torture.

Satoru sighed and ran a hand through his hair. It had barely been a week and he was already this bad. How was he supposed to do this for six more months? Maybe even longer?

The worst part was he couldn’t even be forward with his feelings. If he outright admitted that his feelings had never gone away—that he’d felt the same about you since high school—he’d scare you off for sure. You’d never believe him. Not after what had happened the first time.

When you went your separate ways, he’d forced himself to bottle up those feelings. Satoru had hurt you, and although he’d meant none of what he’d said that day, it would’ve been unfair to you to turn around and say: ‘just kidding. I actually have feelings for you. Forget everything else I just said.’

But now it’d been years and you’d returned, asking for his help again, and it was like universe was giving him a second chance to fix things. Satoru would never force his feelings onto you, but if there was a tiny chance you still felt something for him—that you’d accept his feelings—he was willing to fight for it.

A sleepy groan tore through the silence, causing him to look over at the curled up figure beside him. Your eyes squeezed shut as you stretched an arm behind you, yawning. When you finally opened your eyes and your gaze fell on him, he felt that familiar skip in his heart each time you were near. Your half-closed eyes were blinking at him like he’d eventually disappear with each blink.

Satoru fondly smiled at your sleepy state. If this was what he woke up next to every morning, he was convinced he’d never need anything else in his life.

“What am I doing here?” You asked, voice heavy and raspy.

He chuckled. “You crashed last night, and I didn’t want to wake you up. You seemed pretty tired.”

You rolled onto your back and rubbed at your face. “This is so inappropriate.”

“You keep saying that but I don’t see you rushing to leave.”

You glared at him and placed a finger over his lips. “Shush. I’m barely waking up.”

He opened his mouth in attempt to bite your finger but you quickly moved it away. “Next time.”

“There won’t be a next time.”

“Mhm. If you say so.”

“We should get up. We have students to teach.” You sat up, hopping off the bed and striding to the door without even sparing him a glance.

Mean.

He teleported behind you as you stepped into the hallway but stopped as anruptly came to a halt. His hands fell onto your shoulders to keep himself from bumping into your back and knocking you over. “What’s wr—.”

In front of them was Megumi who’d obviously been passing by. He had an eyebrow raised as his eyes darted between you and Satoru.

“It’s not—we just…it was late and—” you stuttered out.

“It’s fine. I don’t want to know,” the teen said.

“We just fell asleep. Gojo tell him!”

He smirked. “Yep. Just sleeping…in each other’s company.”

Megumi sighed, shaking his head and walking away.

Almost immediately you swiveled around with flaring nostrils and an adorable frown on your face. “Asshole! What was that? That sounded weird as hell.”

He shrugged, pushing you along to the bathrooms. “Nothing I could’ve said would’ve made us look any less suspicious. Come on, now. Go get dressed.”

❄︎ ❄︎ ❄︎

Three months came and went fast.

Each day, you were both practically stalked by Haru, who after each interaction, would write down god knows what in a little notebook he kept in his pocket. Satoru had made it his personal mission to get ahold of the notebook and throw into the lake before the end of the sixth month. That’d be the second happiest day of his life.

Aside from Haru’s stupid notebook, that wasn’t the worst thing Satoru had dealt with these past three months. Not only had he spent each day trying to convince the old geezer that they were a real couple, but Satoru had also been trying to make his feelings apparent to you. If you’d noticed at some point, you hadn’t said anything yet. It was misery, but he supposed he deserved it.

Currently, you were sitting next to him on a picnic table outside the school. You’d been dead silent with your back to the table as you happily tapped away at your phone, oblivious to his suffering. His head rolled to the side as he stared at you, hoping you’d feel his gaze burning into your temple. But alas, you stayed focused on the phone.

He snuck an arm across the table behind you and sighed aloud. When that didn’t seem to catch your attention, he sighed louder.

Again, no reaction.

What the hell is so entertaining on that phone?

Satoru inched closer before plopping his chin on your shoulder in defeat. “Pay attention to me,” he whined.

The corner of your mouth twitched, as you resisted a smile. “I’m doing something, Gojo.”

He groaned. “Obviously. But you haven’t spoken to me at all in the past hour. What could be more important than me?”

You glanced at him from their corner of your eyes with a smirk.

“If you say Nanami, I’m going to file for a divorce.”

You giggled, finally shutting off the damn phone. “We aren’t even married.”

“Yeah, and it’ll never happen if you’re cheating on me with him.”

“It’s not going to happen at all, dummy.”

He huffed. Not yet.

“If you must know…I’m texting my parents. There’s a clan event this weekend, and they want us there.”

Satoru rolled his eyes and groaned. “Can’t we tell them we’re busy or something. We’ve been watched by Haru like a hawk Every. Single. Day. We need a break from your crazy clan members.” Haru was supposed to be leaving for the weekend and Satoru thought it would be the perfect time for you and him to do something together as…friends. Maybe he’d even take you to those hot springs you wanted to visit so badly. But now he knew why Haru was leaving, and now you were both going to be dragged along too.

“It’s actually Kaito’s birthday, so it’s pretty important.”

Of course. He hated clan elders and higher ups; they were always making their lives and shit, everyone else’s problem. “Great…can’t wait to celebrate an old geezer’s one-hundredth birthday.”

You snorted. “He’s turning fifty-five.”

“Doesn’t look like it.”

“Come on, it won’t be so bad. There’ll be lots of food and desserts,” you tried bribe him, poking at his pouting face. He stayed silent and turned away. He could buy hundreds of desserts if he wanted, he didn’t need to go to some event to get them. He felt you scoot closer as you continued to poke his cheek. “I’ll even hold your hand the whole time.”

“Fine, if you insist.”

You smiled and lunged at him, engulfing him in a tight hug. “Thank you, thank you, thank you.”

Satoru chuckled and wrapped his arms around you to pull you closer, and to his surprise, you relaxed in his hold. Lately, you’d been much more comfortable around Satoru—you were less hesitant to act like a couple in public and you weren’t as tense when it’s was just the two of you alone.

Sometimes, it felt like things were slowly going back to the way they used to be. But sometimes, your hesitation would make an appearance, like you were reminding yourself to not get too close—too attached.

So in moments like this, he relished in your affection and enjoyed it while it lasted. He buried his head between your neck and shoulder and stayed there, waiting for you to pull away first. Gods know he wasn’t going to.

“Ah, I see the lovely couple is out enjoyed the beautiful day.”

Fuck’s sake. He was seriously considering using hollow purple on this man.

He was always around, pestering them, ruining their peace. Every time he turned around Haru was standing there with that creepy face of his—beady eyes staring into his soul. Satoru had even started searching for hiding spots throughout the school just to get away from him.

You gently moved away to greet Haru, leaving just your hand atop his much larger one. “Yes, it’s a lovely day out.”

The older man hummed in agreement as his eyes darted between you and Satoru. He was lucky Satoru had his blindfold on or else he’d see the daggers he was glaring at him.

“I assume you’ve heard about Kaito’s birthday celebration? Your presence is requested. Kaito wants it to be your engagement party as well—a sort of official first appearance as an engaged couple.”

Satoru snorted. As if the whole world didn’t know already. It’s been three months since you’d started this thing and gone public. Anyone who didn’t know must be living under a rock.

“I think most people know about our engagement, Haru.” You said.

“Yes, of course, but this would be the first clan event you’d attend together, and since other clans will be in attendance, it’d be a great way for us to present the both of you as engaged.”

“Will the Gojo clan be there too?” You asked, fingers beginning to fiddle with the ring on his hand, an unconscious habit you’d picked up—a nervous one, he’d figured out. And right now, he could tell you were anxious about his clan being there. You’d insisted on informing the Gojo clan and other higher ups about your engagement as a formality, but he kept pushing it off because he could tell you were secretly afraid. The backlash you two had received when you were only “dating” in high school was…immense to say the least. He couldn’t care less, but you? He knew it affected you greatly despite how much you tried to hide it. It was part of the reason he had pushed you away at the end of it all. A life with him meant a life of that and worse—one where you’d be a target for everyone and everything. But it wasn’t just cruel words and scrutinizing gazes from the higher ups you’d have to worry about—no. You’d have to worry about your life too. If the higher ups ever wanted to hurt him, it’d be his closest friends and family they’d go after, making you a primary target.

And that terrified him enough to push you far away from him (along with the fact that his teenage self may have been afraid to confront his feelings for you).

Satoru was stronger now though, and not worried about what the higher ups were capable of. He wasn’t concerned with them. But the backlash…that was unavoidable and bound to be much worse now, which is why he’d held off meeting with them for so long—and would’ve continued to do so if it meant protecting you from them.

Unfortunately, there was no more avoiding it.

He flipped his hand over and interlaced his fingers with yours, giving your soft hand a gentle squeeze. Always gentle.

He’d told people to fuck off back then and he’d do it again now. As long as he was around, he’d do his best to make sure you never had to worry about anyone.

“Yes, the Gojo clan will be attending.” Haru said.

“Lovely,” you muttered.

“Indeed. It’ll be a grand celebration for our clan.”

“Yeah,” Satoru chimed in, “so grand. Now if you don’t mind,” he stood, pulling you up with him, “we’d like to be alone for reasons people like you and Kaito wouldn’t understand.” Your eyes widened and he swallowed down his laughter. He didn’t wait for Haru’s response as he tugged you along, leading you far away from that stalker.

Once you were in some secluded part of the small forest outside the school, you yanked your hand out of his grip. “Gojo! I can’t believe you said that!”

“What? It’s true isn’t it? Plus the guys weird, he needs to learn give us some privacy. He takes his job too seriously.”

“He’s totally writing that in his notebook.” Your lips quirked up before you slumped down against a nearby tree trunk.

“Oh, definitely. He’ll be thinking about that for the next month.” Satoru joined you on the grassy floor. You chuckled, but your gaze had already glazed over, staring at the small pond in the distance.

He nudged your side and pulled down his blindfold. Satoru tried to keep his eyes visible to you whenever he could. He wanted you to feel important and to communicate you were one of the few he felt comfortable being vulnerable around.

“You ok?”

“I don’t know, Gojo, I thought I could do this, but it’s starting to feel like too much. Haru’s watching our every move—he’s probably out there in the trees listening to us as we speak—and now the event with all the clans and the people. Things are going to be different after this and not in a good way.”

“Hey,” he cradled your face in his palms and tilted your head to the side, lightly tapping your cheeks to get you to look at him. “You know I’m head of my clan, right? It’s not like before when they could dictate everything; they listen to me now. And if they say their shit, they’ll have me to deal with.”

“They still have power though, Gojo, especially the elders. And what about the all the other higher ups? It’s just…I know none of this is real,” you whispered, “but they think it is. What if they threaten me or you or even the school. I don’t want to be the reason someone gets hurt.”

“Sweets, no one is going to get hurt. The worst that’ll happen is they berate you and probably me too. So, yes, we’ll deal with a lot of angry old men since our engagement wasn’t technically approved, but that’s it.”

“…and the people?” You asked shyly, dropping your gaze to the ground.

Satoru squeezed your face, making you look like a fish. “If anyone says anything to you, I’ll kick their ass. Don’t worry about my clan, don’t worry about the higher ups, don’t worry about anyone. We’re doing this so you don’t have to marry some crazy Zenin—focus on that.” Satoru carefully pulled your face toward him and placed a kiss atop your head. “We’ll suffer together, ok?”

“Are you ok with all of this? When I asked you to help me, I didn’t think we were going to be watched like some animals in a zoo. I’d understand if you don’t wanna do this anymore.”

“Hey, I don’t go back on my word. I agreed to help you, and that’s what I’m going to do.” Even if he didn’t get you in the end.

You nodded and laid on his chest. “Thank you.”

❄︎ ❄︎ ❄︎

Bright lights were strung between trees, illuminating the clan grounds, in the night.

People were everywhere, laughing happily with their family and friends, holding candies and treats of different colors.

It was a giant festival and one Satoru would’ve found fit to celebrate a real engagement. Instead they were here for an old man’s birthday and their fake engagement.

He had your hand in his, tucked into the pocket of his clothes to shield it from the chilly night. You walked beside him, eyes glimmering with shine of all the lights. You looked so beautiful, a content smile on your face as you took in the celebration around you, standing next to him where he wished you’d always stay.

“Oh look! Kikufuku!” You pointed to a small stand where a few people were handing out little plates of his favorite dessert. Satoru’s eyes widened and he quickly led the two of you to the stand, grabbing way too many of the treats and scoffing them down in seconds.

Once you were done eating your own kikufuku, you continued strolling through the streets with him, relaxed and happy. People were too busy having fun to notice you and Satoru, thankfully, and the event was surprisingly…not bad. He normally hated clan celebrations, but how could he complain right now? He was enjoying his favorite dessert and walking hand-in-hand through with his favorite person through the festive streets. Nothing about this was bad…not yet.

While you were distracted, staring at sparklers that some kids were running around with, Satoru quietly pulled away from your grasp and approached a table where a lady was handing out hand-made, paper flowers. The flowers strewn across the table were all intricate and almost resembled real ones, the only difference being that they were made of various different colors.

Satoru smiled and whispered a request to the lady at the table. She nodded, expertly folding up multicolor paper into a rose and tucking something into the center. For later.

Thanking her, he walked back to you and presented rose, bowing, “My lady.”

“Hm? Oh!” Even in the night, he could see your face turn a light shade of red—something he adored. He liked knowing he could still make you blush.

You took the flower from him and ran your fingers over the paper petals. “It’s so pretty. Thank you.” Gently, you placed the rose into your sweater pocket.

He offered you a genuine smile. One that he hoped you would recognize as real—not the normal lopsided grin he always wore, or the excited toothy smile he gave to everyone. It was warm, kind, rare—meant to express all the things he couldn’t say aloud yet.

The moment was cut short when Satoru noticed a group of people behind you, whispering and pointing in your direction. You hadn’t noticed them yet, still admiring the paper rose in your pocket, so he did what he thought would keep you from seeing them. He grabbed your face and began pressing light kisses on your forehead, each cheek, along your jaw, chin, nose, and…

“Stop it! What’re you doing?” You laughed. Your palm met his mouth before he could continue and he paused for a moment before holding your wrist and placing another kiss on your palm this time.

“Kissing my fiancée, of course.”

The people behind you stared with gaping mouths before they scurried off before you could see them. Mission accomplished. He was such a good fiancé.

The ground crunched beneath your shoes as you suddenly leaned closer to Satoru, grabbing onto his arms and moving your head up towards his own. He stilled, breath hitching. Now he was the one wondering what you were doing.

You reached a hand up and cupped his cheek, warm palm a sharp contrast to his cold face. He leaned into your hand and you softly began caressing the area with your thumb, causing his brain to short circuit. For the first time, he was the one visibly flustered. His ears grew warm before the feeling slowly started to creep onto his face. “What—”

You released his cheek to gently pinch something off the skin there. “Piece of confetti,” you smirked, dangling the wretched, blue paper in front his face before dusting it off and strolling away like you hadn’t just made him forget how to breathe.

This arrangement’s going to be the death of me.

Of course, he didn’t let you get far before capturing you into his side, placing his arm onto your shoulder. “Where do you think you’re going? You promised to hold my hand the wholeeee night, pretty.”

“Hmm? I was just letting you collect yourself. You looked like you needed a minute.”

“Haha. Very funny. I’m gonna get you back for that, sweetie pie.”

“Mhm.”

When he finally looked forward, he felt you tense in his arms at the person sauntering over.”

“There are my guests of honor! I’ve been searching for you two all night!” Kaito clapped. Beside him was Haru who bore a serious expression. Satoru snickered. He was probably still mad about the comment from the other day.

“Kaito,” you bowed your head in acknowledgment. “We’re happy to be here celebrating your birthday.”

“Yes, we’re very happy to be here. How old are you turning again? Eighty-seven, was it?” Gojo smirked.

“Fifty-five.” He spat. “But let us not forget we’re also here to celebrate your engagement.”

“That’s funny actually, I don’t remember anyone mentioning an engagement celebration until after it was planned. You’d think we’d be involved in that, considering it’s our engagement.”

Kaito’s face twitched as he forced his mouth into a smile for Satoru. “We figured it would be a nice surprise. Besides, with all the wedding planning you must be doing, we didn’t want to stress you further with thoughts of an engagement party.”

Yeah, sure. This was just an excuse to force you both to officially announce your engagement. Clans were always quick when it came to this stuff, pressuring couples into making their status known to everyone else. It was especially true in this case, as Satoru had a feeling that Kaito had…other intentions. It was obvious he didn’t fully buy your relationship. So was he trying to make the both you crack under the pressure of the other clans knowing—his own clan knowing?

Whatever the reason was, Satoru wasn’t going to let him win. Since you refused to ditch your clan, he knew your future was at risk here.

“How kind of you. Isn’t that sweet, hun? Your clan must really care about you.”

You nodded in agreement, which is how he knew you were running a million thoughts through your head right now. He sighed and placed a kiss to your temple. “Not as much as I do though.”

Kaito cleared his throat. “Come along, we’re ready to present you to our guests.”

The supposedly fifty-five year old man turned forward and hobbled away with Haru, expecting them to follow.

“We can run now, if we’re quick. They won’t see us.”

“It’d be smarter to teleport.” You pointed out, seemingly coming back to the present.

“Yeah sure, but that’s boring. It’d be way more romantic if we ran off together.”

You throw your head back in laughter and he takes a mental picture of the joyous expression on your face. You’d been so stressed that he hadn’t seen you laugh like that these past couple months. He’d missed it. “Come on,” you urge, calming down and pulling his hand, “he’ll throw a fit if he notices we’re not behind him.”

God, he hated old men.

hi! next chapter will be half gojo’s pov too and maybe even a first fight hehe.

also it’s like 5am, so please excuse my horrendous writing :’) I just wanted to get this out already. anyway, if you have any suggestions, feel free to drop a comment or send a message! byee :)

pairing: gojo satoru x fem!reader

today’s the day! your clan leader’s assistant is set arrive and you and gojo need to make a first good impression as an “engaged couple”. your future depends on it—literally.

❥ warnings/tags: fake dating/engagement trope, swearing, mentions of murder and violence, canon divergence, ooc gojo, reader w/established backstory, manipulative/abusive clans, grammar&punctuation errors, not edited (yet), potential spoilers, very forward flirting

❥ a/n: here’s the next part! It’s a bit shorter this time, but next part will makeup for it—hopefully. Also, for the sake of the story, we’re going to pretend the gojo clan is controlling despite satoru being the head of the clan.

first part ❥ mini-series masterlist ❥ next

The news is out.

Every sorcerer in Japan knows you and the Gojo Satoru are engaged—the amount of notifications coming from your phone can attest to that. You groan and mute the device, tossing it far away from you.

It’s not that you didn't expect this kind of reaction from people, but you had enough to deal with already. To add more to your stress, Kaito’s assistant is scheduled to arrive today, and Gojo is nowhere to be found.

At this point, you must’ve texted him about a thousand messages that contained not-so-friendly words, but the idiot must have his phone off—not that you could really blame him, if his phone sounded anything like yours did a few seconds ago.

Still, he should be here by now; he knows the assistant arrives today. Groaning into your hands, you sit on the couch of the school’s common room, and think about different ways to murder him—painfully.

“What’re you doin’?”

Your head snaps up at an alarming speed to find Gojo’s own head next to yours, his blindfold replaced by his signature sunglasses. Sometimes you think he has no sense of personal space. You push his face away and stand. “Where the hell have you been? Do you know how long I’ve been trying to get ahold of you?”

“I had my phone on silent. No big deal.”

Your eye twitches. “No big deal?” NO BIG DEAL? Kaito’s assistant is getting here today! You know that!”

"Sheesh, I was only gone for a couple hours."

"A couple hours too long."

“Sweetie pie, he’s not supposed to arrive for another four hours.”

“Don’t sweetie pie me,” you hiss, causing him to lift his hands in surrender. “We should be using those four hours to prepare.”

He groans and slumps onto the couch. “Ok. Ok. I’m here now. What do ya want me to do?”

You grab a notebook that’s neatly sitting on the coffee table beside you and toss it to Gojo. You’d mapped out a detailed timeline of your “relationship” and included all the information you felt was important and made him study it. Gojo thought it was unnecessary, claiming he’d do just fine ‘winging it’, but he’s absolutely crazy for thinking that’d be a good idea. One slip up is all it would take for Kaito's assistant to go running back to him with all the proof he'd need to marry you off. He is quite literally looking for any reason to to deem this a fake engagement because he knows something is off about your "relationship" with Gojo; there's no chance in hell he's letting the possibility of a Zenin marriage slip through his fingers.

“Review this.”

“Ughhh. You’ve made me read this three times.”

“And you should read it again. This information needs to be burned into your brain before his assistant arrives.”

“Pretty sure it already is, if my recent dreams are anything to go by,” he mumbles but flips the notebook open, muttering complaints under his breath.

You start pacing again, going over the made-up timeline in your head. We never broke up. Only the students, our closest friends, and Yaga knew about our relationship. Our wedding is planned for a year from now.

“Oh, by the way," Gojo blurts out, interrupting your thoughts, "I made space for your stuff in my room,”

He did what? “Uhm--what?”

“We can’t look like we sleep separate rooms—that’d be suspicious nowadays.”

“I can't sleep in your room; that'd be...inappropriate.”

Gojo chuckles. "You literally used to sleep in my arms in high school when we were 'dating'."

Red blooms across your cheeks and you quickly turn to hide it. "That was different. We—" you paused. How was it different? You knew what you were doing—sleeping in his room, him sleeping in yours. No one was watching…but you did it anyway. He'd show up outside your bedroom door late at night with barely-visible bags under his eyes that somehow made his already perfect face even prettier. You'd step aside to let him in and he'd slump on your bed. Once you joined him, he'd gather you close to his chest and hold you there tightly as if you'd crumble away to dust if he let go.

"Listen, you don't have to actually sleep in my room, it just has to appear like you do. Once everyone is sound asleep, you can sneak back into your own room."

He does have a point. It might’ve been traditional to sleep separately, in the past, but it definitely isn't the norm anymore.

Although hesitant, you agree. It's something you had overlooked. “Anything else I’m missing?” You drop onto the cushion next to him.

He grins. “Well, you probably shouldn’t call me Gojo anymore when we're around others. Satoru or a cute pet name would make more sense. I can offer a few ideas if you want.”

“I’m sure you have plenty.”

“Let’s see—how about snugglebug? Or there’s also tater tot, gummy bear, honeybutt, baby—”

“Yeah…I think I’ll stick to Satoru.” You roll your eyes, fighting down the growing smile on your face. At least he's creative.

“Booooring. How are we supposed to stand out if you only call me my first name. We're practically a celebrity couple in the sorcerer world. We have to be kind of strange; it's like a celebrity requirement."

"Well, you have the strange part down, that's for sure," you mumble. You ignore his whining response when a sudden gleam bounces off his finger and you recall the ring sitting there. “Hey…why are you wearing a ring too?”

“Hm?” He glances down at his finger. “Oh, I wanted us to have matching rings—thought it would show that we’re serious.”

“Can I see it?”

He slips the band off his finger, dropping it onto your waiting hand. He watches carefully as you inspect the piece of jewelry. The ring is similar to yours, but a bit more simple. It lacks a gemstone, and rather than the band itself twisting to resemble tree branches, his has branches engraved around it. You run your finger along the indentation of the carving, admiring the amount of detail there. The rings are so stunning that part of you hates they’re going to go to waste at the end of all this. Rings as beautiful as these should be cherished—they should be a symbol for a bond between two people who truly love each other. Not a prop in some fake performance you orchestrated.

You frown. “Why did you pick these rings?”

“I told you I’d pick something expensive. Did you really think I was going to let you walk around with anything short of striking? Come on now, can’t have people thinking I’m a bad fiancé.”

“Hmm...it's not rings I'd be worried about.”

“Hey! I’ve been a fantastic fiancé so far. Ask anyone. But you know..." he wiggles his eyebrows as he leans close, "I'm an even better husband."

"Oh…" you laugh, reaching up to flick his forehead. "And you know that from experience?" He catches your hand before you can move away.

“Sweetie, someone like me doesn’t need experience. I’d be the best husband without even trying.” Bringing your captured hand to his mouth, he places a gentle kiss to your knuckles as if trying to convince you.

“I don’t know about best…." you smirk. "Nanami exists.”

His eyes widen and his jaw drops. He clutches your hand to his chest, cradling it there. “Nanami?! What’s this? Should I be worried you two are gonna run off together?"

Giggling, you pull away from his hold and hand over the ring. He slides it back over his finger so fast, you'd think he'd been without for years and was desperate to have it returned to its rightful place on his hand.

“It's possible; he’s very dreamy. I guess you better be sure to impress me.”

“Oh?” Gojo suddenly takes his glasses off and crawls over to you, caging you between his body and the couch. Eyes widening, you look up at him shocked. What the hell is he doing!? He leans down so his face is mere inches from yours—his warm breath fanning over you with each exhale. His scent and the heat radiating off his body makes you dizzy once again, your strength waning with each second that passes. So much so, you have to fight the urge to draw closer. From this distance, his eyes are even more entrancing. They lure you in, their pull not allowing you to look away—forcing you to focus only on him.

“I’ll do more than that, (y/n).” He whispers. His head moves closer until your noses are touching and you're breathing is shaky. You lose control over yourself as your eyes droop, wanting—no needing—him to come closer.

What are you doing? Your brain screams at you to stop, stop, stop. You know you should move back; it’d be the smart thing to do. No feelings, not again. But just like the many other times around him, your body refuses to comply with your thoughts, and you stay. He made you weak. He always had and you're starting to believe he always will.

He gets impossibly close, his nose brushing against yours as he tilts his head so slow—so painfully slow...

“Sensei!!”

Immediately your head dart to the side, finally snapping out whatever trance he had you under. You blame his hypnotic eyes. That must be how he gets everything he wants. He hesitates for a moment, but eventually pulls himself away.

Yuuji barrels into the room, gasping for air just a second later. His hands are on his knees as catches his breath and gulps. “His car—he’s here!”

❄︎ ❄︎ ❄︎

You nervously play with ring on your finger, as you and Gojo watch the car, carrying the fate of your future, drive up the road outside the school.

The chilly evening air rustles the trees around you, mimicking the scattered thoughts in your head. Gojo's actions from earlier invade your mind, leaving you feeling confused. He had no role to play then; you two were alone. So why do all that? And why were you letting him? Why were you...enjoying it? This can only end one way—the same way it ended last time. Letting him in would hurt you, and he'd walk away without a single care in the world.

You're friends. That's it. When this is done, you'll go your separate ways again.

His hand grabs yours, effortlessly threading your fingers between his. Your heart jumps at his touch, and a stray thought shoots through your head: But I am gonna miss this when its over. Wait, your nose scrunches. No, No, No, bad (y/n). Friends only. This man stomped on your feelings once and he'd do it again in a heartbeat. No getting attached.

You slacken your hold on his hand and convince yourself that its progress. He seems to notice, because his head turns to slightly glance at you. “You ok?”

You nod, keeping your eyes focused ahead.

The car finally comes to a stop and an older man steps out of the passenger side. He’s short, with greying hair, and wrinkled skin. Not exactly who you thought would be Kaito's assistant, but nonetheless, needed to impress.

His eyes land on you, a practiced smile pulling the edges of his lips up like that of a doll's. “Good evening,” he nods. “Thank you for coming to greet me.” The short man strides over to you and bows. “My name is Haru. I’m Kaito’s most trusted assistant. It's a pleasure to meet you both.”

You bow and smile. “Nice to officially meet you too. This is my fiancé,” you gesture to Gojo with your free hand, “Gojo Satoru.”

Haru looks up at Gojo. “Ah, the head of the Gojo clan. I've heard many things about you.”

“Have you now?" Gojo says, a playful lilt in his voice. "All good things I’m sure.”

“Of course." That is definitely not true, knowing how the higher-ups feel about Gojo. But neither of you say anything. "Now, I’m fairly hungry from my journey. Is there food?”

“Yes, dinner should be ready right about now. Let’s head inside.” You tug Gojo’s hand as you start to move, but he stops you tucks your hand into his arm instead, allowing you lean closer to him as you walk back to the school.

“Don’t want you getting cold in this weather,” he smiles and gives a quick peck to your cold nose.

“Silly,” you say, trying to ignore your fluttering stomach.

Let the show begin.

❄︎ ❄︎ ❄︎

The students all help set the table and bring the food out. Apparently it was rare for them to all eat together, leaving that for the special occasions mostly. Today being one of them.

It won’t be like this every night, because Haru is more than capable of feeding himself. You didn't sign up to have him here in the first place, and you definitely aren't going to be his host. But since it’s his first day here, you all agreed this would make the best first impression.

Everyone settles down at the round table, quietly chewing on their food. You and Gojo next to each other while Haru sits across the way. Every so often, he observes you in what you assume is his way of evaluating your relationship. There isn't much to see, really, you and Gojo are eating like everyone else. And unless engaged couples are supposed to act a certain way at the table, then you're not sure what he's watching for.

“So,” Haru starts, breaking the silence “I’d love to hear the story of your proposal, if you don’t mind sharing.” His smile is warm and it almost seems like he’s interested in the story and not just trying to dissect your relationship. If only that were true.

Nobara chokes and coughs into her arm, causing Haru to raise an eyebrow. “Sorry,” she says. “I inhaled some water.”

Yuuji silently laughs into his hand at her response and she smacks his arm. Oh brother.

Quickly, you divert his attention. “Of course. We’d be happy to share! It happened about a month ago—he surprised me with a little getaway to a hot spring. I knew it was for something special since he booked a private bath with a beautiful view, but I assumed it was something work related.” Gojo snickers and you kick his leg under the table. “On our second day there, he made reservations for a private dinner in our room. It was very romantic—candles were lit, soft music was playing in the background—I don’t know how I didn’t see it coming. And right after dessert…that was where he asked me.” You lovingly glance at your fake fiancé, squeezing hand.

“How wonderful. A proposal at a hot spring sounds just perfect.”

You nod in agreement. “Yes, in fact, Satoru plans to take us there again next month. All the wedding-planning stress really takes a toll.”

“I do?” He asks, to which you give him a tight-lipped smile. “Ah, yes, I do. I’d almost forgotten with everything going on.”

You take a sip of your drink and smirk at him from behind the glass, and he offers a fake smile in return. If he gets to play with your feelings, whether he realizes it or not, then he can at least give you a free vacation. “Oh, Haru. Have you seen our rings?”

The ring sparkles on your finger as you put your hand on display for all to see. The students stare in awe and Haru leans in to appreciate its beauty.

“I must say, your ring is truly exquisite. Very good choice, Gojo.”

“I know,” he smiles. Cocky. “Anyway…I’m all worn out. I think it’s time for bed.”

Everyone chimes in, agreeing that it’s late, and the table is quickly cleaned. You wave goodnight to the students and show Haru to his bedroom, where he’ll be staying for the next six months, much to your dismay.

Once you’ve finished washing up, you head down the long hallway and find Gojo leaning against his door, waiting. “Ready for bed, fiancée?”

“I’m starting to think you just like saying that word. I hear it come out of your mouth a hundred times a day.”

“Of course I do. But…it’s reserved for you and only you, fiancée.”

“Oh my gosh, please stop. You’re making me sick.” Yeah, if being flustered qualifies as sick. You push past him and walk into his room. It’s shockingly…neat. You expected it to be messier, if you’re being honest. Instead, it’s rather cozy. His bed is made, nothings thrown on the floor, and he has a small sandalwood-scented candle burning on his nightstand. It’s different than his dorm, but still him at its core.

“You can sit on the bed, if you want. I don’t mind.”Hesitantly, you step toward the bed and right at the edge. Gojo’s eyebrows raise in amusement and he softly laughs. “I mean you can get comfortable. You’re gonna be here for a while.” His tall body crashes onto the bed behind you, stretching his limbs in all directions as he yawns. Being here reminds you of the past, your chest aches just a little at the memories.

None of this has been easy, with your heart constantly yanking you toward him and your mind yanking you away. You knew the risks going into this, but you’d been backed into a corner and desperate. You were sure the feelings were gone forever, that they’d been effectively extinguished by his words, but you were wrong.

You swivel around to find him staring at you expectantly. “Well? Are you gonna lay down?”

“Uhm—”

“I can move to the couch if you want.”

“No, it’s alright. I’m just—I don’t if this is a good idea. Because of—well, you know.” Because last time we got this close, we almost became strangers.

He frowns. “Are you still mad at me…because of that argument?” His voice comes out low—barely louder than a whisper and shaky, like he isn’t sure he wants to hear your answer. You blink at him, surprised by his vulnerability. It’s rare for Gojo to lose control of his emotions, he has always been careful of what he let others see. Gojo would rather slap on a mask and deal with emotions alone. That’s how you know this is serious.

The argument was years ago, back when you were in high school. It destroyed whatever it was that was going on between you and him—well, more so what you thought was going on. You never actually voiced your feelings to him, before that fight. But after? How could you? He made it perfectly clear that your feelings were one-sided, with all he spewed out. It was a nasty fight, really, that started because of a comment so stupid, so minuscule. And while you were both able to forgive each other and save your friendship, you still felt the ache of his words to this day.

What he said had ripped the delicate threads of what you thought was forming between you two. It was fake though. All of it. The soft look in his eyes he only directed at you, the playful kisses that lasted a little too long, the frequent touching, the sweet gestures of someone who paid close attention. It was all just part of a show—one that you’d started, and now know better than to fall for again.

A small smile forms on your face. Regardless, you don’t like seeing him like this, like he’s second away from curling up into a ball and disappearing. “No, that was years ago, dummy. But let’s not talk about that right now. Too tired,” you yawn.

He sighs, but the mental exhaustion of the day is growing heavy and it’d take too much effort to decipher the meaning behind it. Instead, you drop your head on one of his pillows and lay next to him. He looks different in the comfort of his bedroom when he’s finally able to be himself. No glasses resting on his nose or blindfold wrapped around his eyes. His hair—fluffy and mussed—practically inviting your fingers to run through it—it’s what you would’ve done back then.

He turns on his side to face you and holds your sleepy gaze. Unlike you, it seems he’s unable to resist and slowly reaches a hand to caress your head. The touch is delicate like a brushstroke—afraid that he’ll scare you off with one wrong move.

But you succumb to sleep before you can question the motive behind that too.

❥ hellooo! hope you enjoyed this part. next part will be gojo’s pov! we finally get to see what’s going on in his head hehe.

gojo satoru x fem!reader

summary: when your clan informs you about a decision involving your future, you’re left to turn to the only person who can help: your ex school rival, gojo satoru. things are going to be anything but easy, though

❥ status: mini hiatus - estimated update: mid december

❥ warnings/tags: fake dating/engagement trope, swearing, mentions of violence and murder, ooc gojo, canon divergence, reader w/established backstory, manipulative/abusive clans, potential grammar&punctuation errors, oblivious reader, potential spoilers for anime/manga

❥ a/n: hii friends! I’ve decided to move forward with the mini series! the chapters below are chronological but they’ll mostly contain random scenes throughout the story. it will have a definitive finale that wraps up the story, though! :)

chapters:

01 ❥ “this is fake…right?”

when your clan informs you about a decision involving your future, you’re left to turn to the only person who can help: your ex school rival, gojo satoru. things are going to be anything but easy, though

02 ❥ “don’t mess this up”

todays the day! your clan leader’s assistant is set arrive and you and gojo need to make a first good impression as an “engaged couple”. your future depends on it—literally

03 ❥ “these feelings never stopped”

satoru hates how things ended the first time; it’s something he’s always regretted. but now you’ve come back to him again, and he’s determined to mend what he broke—he just hopes you’ll let him

pairing: gojo satoru x fem!reader (I think I mostly left out pronouns though)

when your clan informs you about a decision involving your future, you’re left to turn to the only person who can help: your ex school rival, gojo satoru. things are going to be anything but easy, though.

☽ tags/warnings: fake dating/engagement trope, swearing, mentions of violence, ooc gojo, not edited, canon divergence, reader w/established backstory, manipulative/abusive clans, grammar&punctuation errors

☽ a/n: heyyy friends! this an introduction/background to a (possibly) new mini series I’m thinking of starting. It would be mostly short stories involving this lil’ journey lol. enjoy!

second part ☽ miniseries masterlist

Gojo Satoru and you had a long, long history.

One that extended all the way back to high school, years ago. It was...tumultuous, to put it lightly.

At first, it was just a rivalry—a friendly, academic rivalry that often left you wanting to bang your head against a wooden desk. You don't know when exactly, it began, but Gojo was the living embodiment of chaos, and whenever he saw an opportunity to create trouble for someone, he took it. You just happened to be the classmate that fought back the most, and for him, that was fun.

For you, not so much.

That all changed, of course, maybe not for the best, but that's a story for another time.

Now, you lay on the same grass, at the same school you and Gojo bickered at. But you're both years older and instead of jumping up with fire and adrenaline coursing through your veins, ready to yell in Gojo's face, you stay on the floor melting into the pain.

Gojo, had just brutalized you in a one-on-one fighting demonstration. You never expected to lay a finger on him, but he had practically annihilated you. He'd grown much stronger than when he was sixteen, as had you, but you genuinely weren't prepared for him to treat you like a curse. You almost thought he was trying to exorcise you for a second there.

All of this was to demonstrate some stupid combat maneuvers to his students, that they probably didn't even see from how fast he was moving.

Your arms are shaking as you lift your body up from the grass and onto your knees. Before you can attempt to fully stand, Gojo appears in front of you, that shit-eating grin you’d grown to hate, plastered onto his face. You glare at him, but what you really want to do is rip that smile off his face—violently. You’re about to spit out some very colorful names, when a sudden wave of pain rolls through your body and you’re forced back onto your hands.

Way to look weak in front of everyone, (y/n).

“Wow. I think that’s a new record. Took you down in less than five minutes,” he whistles.

“Why don’t you shut the hell up, cotton head,” you hiss.

“Says the person on the floor right now.”

You resist the urge to lunge at him and take deep breaths. Remember why you’re here, (y/n). Calm down.

He lowers a hand to you and wiggles his fingers, but you swat him away and push yourself up.

“Congrats.” You mumble, dusting off your pants.

He laughs and quickly dismisses his students, leaving you two alone.

“So, what’re really doing here? I know you’re not just here to be my punching bag.”

You roll your eyes. “Could've warned me, you know. But you're right, I…need a favor from you. A big one.” And the only reason you’d agreed to his combat demonstration in the first place: you want to get on his good side. You’re in a slight…predicament and as much as it pains you, you need his help. There’s no one else with as much power as him.

Gojo’s smile widens wickedly. You can see the pride ooze from his face, waiting for the moment he gets to ridicule you for needing him. "The last time you asked for my help, we ended up having to fake a relationship for months.”

You awkwardly grab your arm. “Funny…you mention that.”

Silence drops abruptly between the both of you, only the gentle rustling of leaves moving with the wind keeps the silence from becoming too loud.

His mouth falls open and he stares at you through his blindfold. “Wait…you’re not being serious? Again?”

You nod. Yes, again.

You really, really don't want to do this. But what choice do you have?

The last time this happened you were both second years in high school. You remember receiving a letter from your clan, asking you to attend a meeting—one where they’d spring upon you a life-altering duty, made without your consent and sugar-coated with promises of glory and status this arrangement would bring to the clan: You were to be married to an “influential sorcerer”. But as much as you loved your family and you understood how important a strong alliance could be for a small clans like yours, the last thing you wanted was to be married off to a random person who you’d never met.

You’d barely started your life as a sorcerer, you didn’t want to be tied down so early.

So you swallowed your pride and did the only thing you could think of. You pleaded Gojo, the man who you fought with everyday, to be your fake boyfriend. It had to be him; it wouldn't work any other way. If It had been any other sorcerer, your clan would've still forced you to marry who they'd chosen.

But he was from the Gojo clan. And despite his age, he already had enough power and respect to intimidate your clan leader.

Still, it had to be believable, which ultimately lead to an eventful few months of attending clan events together, and dealing with scornful arguments with the Gojo clan. When it had been long enough, and the sorcerer from your arrangement had been married off to someone else, you two toned it down, only “ending things” publicly after you graduated and went separate ways.

At least that’s the polished version of the story.

You’d been lucky enough to avoid your clan’s gaze all this time, but luck couldn’t last forever, and now they’d set their sights on you again.

This time, you’re to marry a man from the Zenin clan.

How they’d gotten the Zenins to agree to that was beyond you. Sure, your cursed technique was powerful (although reliant on a cursed tool)—a shape-shifting ability that allowed you to temporarily change your appearance and match the physical strength of whoever you changed into—but the three major clans rarely sought alliances or arrangements with smaller ones. Especially not the Zenins. It honestly, makes this whole thing worse. What could they even gain from this alliance? Not only that, but you’ve heard enough horror stories to know that you absolutely cannot marry into their clan. It'd be the end of your life as you know it.

And while you are old enough to deny the arrangement, you’d basically still be telling your clan to fuck off, essentially cutting all ties and basically being shunned by the people you grew up with. It wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world, there are many sorcerers that don't come from clans, but your family is still there. Your friends. Your home. And even though they infuriate you at times, you can't say goodbye to all of that. It’s all you’ve ever known.

So again, you're left with only one solution again. A very self-absorbed, cocky, white-haired jerk of a solution.

“It’s someone from the Zenin clan, supposedly.” You mumble. “They informed me in the letter this time, so I haven’t had the chance to talk to anyone in person.”

Gojo crosses his arms and laughs. “A Zenin? What'd you do to deserve that?"

"Hm, I don't know. Maybe they thought i was becoming too much like you."

"Well if that were true, you definitely wouldn't be in this situation; they'd be way too afraid of you."

Oh my...the urge to hit your head against a desk is coming back. "Can you help me or not?"

Gojo frowns. "You really think they’ll fall for it a second time?”

“I don’t know…we-we can create some kind of story—tell them we’ve been keeping our relationship on the down low all this time, and that we only pretended to break up for safety reasons or something. At this point, I'm willing to try anything.”

“Hmm.” Gojo brings a finger to his chin and pretends to be deep in thought. “You’ve been away from Tokyo for a while though; they’ll be suspicious. And we have to consider our friends and the students. We'll probably have to get them all in on it too.”

You sigh, running a hand through your hair in exasperation. “I can’t marry a Zenin. They’ll probably lock me up in—”

“We’ll have to say we’re engaged.”

You freeze. What? You and Gojo? Engaged? “Uhhh…how…?”

“It’s easy, silly. I’ll buy you a ring—an expensive one of course—we'll tell your clan we’ve been keeping our relationship a secret, like you said, and we'll wait it out. Although, I don’t think your clans going to leave you alone. We might have to keep this up for years this time. Maybe, we should just get ma—”

“You’re right. A fake engagement will be way more believable. But what about the higher-ups? And your clan?”

“I’ll deal with them. Don't. You. Worry.” He taps the top your head lightly with each word.

“Sorry, what were you saying earlier?”

“Can’t remember.”

You shrug. “So, what's your price? I know you’re not doing this out of the kindness of your heart.” Especially not after last time.

Gojo pulls his blindfold down. His eyes meet yours and immediately you look away, trying to fight off the redness slowly creeping onto your face. You never could handle the intensity of his eyes.

“My price is, you work here. As a teacher.”

“Excuse me? You want me to what?” That is the last thing you expected him to say. You thought he'd ask you to help him with some more ass-beating demonstrations, or maybe force you to be his personal assistant for a month. But work as a teacher? How are you supposed to do that?

“You’re a strong sorcerer—not as strong as me—but my students can learn a lot from you. You'd be a valuable...resource.”

Wow, resource. Just what you always dreamed of.

Either way, it’s a major commitment. You’d been traveling throughout Japan for cases, since graduating high school. Sure, in more recent times you’d been wanting to establish roots somewhere, but teaching students was not what you had in mind.

“Are you sure that’s a good idea? I have zero teaching experience.”

“We all gotta start somewhere. And although I’m rarely ever wrong, there’s no way of knowing if you’ll be a successful teacher or if you’ll crash and burn until you actually try.”

“Jeez, Gojo. That’s not exactly helpful.” You sigh and start walking to the school building, already going over all the details in your head. You’re pretty sure you’re about to derail your life, but at least you wouldn’t be reduced to some random Zenin’s stay-at-home spouse. “Fine. I’ll do it. But as soon as this engagement is over, I’m leaving.”

Gojo cheers and wraps an arm around your shoulder. “Come on, fiancée, let’s find Yaga.”

You groan and shake him off, but the way he says fiancé causes your heart flutter. It sounds normal from him, like it’s natural. But you ignore those thoughts. This is only temporary; you can’t risk the same mess as last time.

❄︎ ❄︎ ❄︎

You fiddle with the ring encircling your finger as you wait for your clan leader. With every movement of your hand, the ring glimmers, taking you by surprise. You aren’t used to something being there. Gojo insisted he surprise you with a ring of his choice, claiming he would choose something beautiful…and he was right. The band resembled twisted branches that carefully held a breath-taking gemstone, presenting it like treasure that’d been hidden for centuries. Too bad it’s only for show.

He sits on the chair next to you, slowly tapping on the arm rest. The air is tense, and the room is humid. You feel like it’s trying to suffocate you and with the tapping coming from Gojo, you’re seconds from darting out this room.

Neither of you speak.

Unlike you, Gojo seems relaxed, casually draped over the chair that is much too small for him. His glasses sit low on his nose as his eyes lazily take in the room. His nose occasionally crinkles when he sees something he doesn’t like. He was probably used to the elegant and high-class interiors from his upbringing. Smaller clans were not so…fortunate, with simple, out-of-date furnishings, decorating living areas.

The door finally slides open to reveal your clan leader, Kaito, and surprisingly, your parents too.

You stand at their arrival and bow, Gojo follows, although much slower.

“Welcome, (y/n). Gojo. Lovely to see you again.” Kaito says as he takes a seat across you two. Your parents stay standing beside him with weary expression painted on their faces. It messes with your nerves even more, because it look like they’re expecting bad news from you, when all they want is for you to be a good little clan member.

“Did you receive my letter? I was told you have news for me. Is it regarding that matter?”

You nod and glance at Gojo who sits practically reclined on his chair, without a care in the world. “Yes, I received your letter about my…arrangement.”

“An alliance with the Zenins would be most favorable. Lucky for you, child, they are intrigued by your cursed technique. They acknowledge your usefulness.”

Jeez, it sounds like you’re some kind of object. “As...honored as I am...there’s a bit of a problem. I can’t accept this arrangement because I’m—we,” you hesitate as you notice your parents faces. Disappointment. They stare at you like they knew you'd do this. Like they always did. Growing up, you knew you weren't the child they dreamed of. No matter what you did—what you do—it never felt like enough for them. But they are your family, and despite how they make you feel, a part of you can't help but yearn for their acceptance.

A hand suddenly grabs yours, ripping you out of your thoughts, and lifts it up, presenting the engagement ring to your clan leader. “We’re engaged!” Gojo exclaims, with a finality in his voice that eases your nerves. Your eyes catch onto something that shines on his own finger.

A ring.

Gojo is wearing an engagement ring.

When did he get that? Or the bigger question: why did he get that?

You don’t get a chance to think about it any longer, as his hand gives yours a soft squeeze and you snap back into focus. “Right. Yes, we’re getting married.”

Your parents and clan leader stare at you both with wide eyes. Your mom speaks first, taking a step toward you. “But—I thought you went your separate ways after high school. What do you mean you're engaged?”

Gojo smirks. “We kept things under wraps, Mrs., for safety. Love is a dangerous in this world, but we’re older now and experienced enough to be able to be able to handle it—publicly.”

Your father's brows pull together, tightly, the creases forming between them prominent. "How could you keep this a secret from us? We are your parents." So why haven't you called in months? Are you only my parents when its convenient? When I do something that makes me worthy of being called your child? Anger boils in you at his audacity.

The words you want to say won't do you any good here though, so you take a deep inhale and swallow them. There's a gentle swipe at the back of your hand, just barely there, you almost think you're imagining it until you remember you’re still holding Gojo’s hand. You give his hand a squeeze in thanks and look your father in his eyes.

"We didn't want to risk others finding out, father." Simple. Definitive. But you hope he catches the hidden sentiment behind that: I don't trust you to keep my secrets.

Your clan elder raises an eyebrow as his gaze shifts back and forth between you and Gojo.

“This is the truth?” He asks

“Of course, Sir.”

“Well, I must say, a marriage with a sorcerer from the Gojo clan would be even more beneficial than one with the Zenins—that is, if it’s real.”

Gojo laughs and you shoot him a glare. Not helpful. “I’m not sure what you mean, Sir.”

“It’s only that it’s odd for someone with such a status like Gojo here, to willingly marry, well, someone with your humble background. I can’t imagine the Gojo clan is happy with this. Surely they know?”

The room falls silent. What the hell is he saying? Your humble background is this clan.

Gojo suddenly sits up. “I can make my own decisions.” he says in a tone that should sound calm. But anyone with ears can spot the undernote of venom in his voice. “I can marry whoever I want; I don’t need my clans permission. Do you actually think they can stop me? Cause I’d love to see them try.”

“It wasn’t my intention to offend you. We only worry for (y/n)’s safety and happiness—as you do, I'm sure.”

Hah. If they cared at all about your safety and happiness, they wouldn’t be trying to marry you off to a Zenin.

“More than you, apparently," Gojo snickers.

"I'm one of the strongest sorcerers to come out of this humble clan, and Satoru is the strongest sorcerer of this generation. I’ll be perfectly fine," you say.

Kaito observes you for a long moment. “Very well. But I have one condition before I can reverse the arrangement with the Zenins.”

“What is it?” You subconsciously grasp Gojo’s hand tighter.

“I get to send one of my closest assistants to live at the school for six months and observe you two this time. If everything seems normal to him, and the wedding plans are coming along, I’ll drop the arrangement. If there’s anything off about your…relationship, then you must marry the Zenin sorcerer.”

Six months!? You knew you were going to have to drag this out for a while, but now someone's going to be watching your every move? There goes your sanity for the next half year. “That's not necessary; I doubt they’re willing to wait that long. I think three months will do.” You nervously laugh.

Your clan leader smiles. “Oh, they’ll be patient. The Zenin sorcerer is quite fixated on your cursed technique.”

This is starting to sound more and more like a nightmare, really. “I still don’t th—”

“Great. Easy. (Y/n)’s just been hired as a teacher, so it’ll be perfect.” Gojo grins. His eyes are swimming with chaos that he’s clearly dying to unleash. “Me and my little pumpkin are head over heels in love, so you can tell the Zenin’s they’re going to be waiting a looong time.”

Yeah, until you announce the wedding is off.

“Then you have nothing to worry about.” Kaito stands up and nods at you. “Expect my assistant to arrive at the school early next week. I’ll be waiting to hear good news.”

Your gaze trails him until he exits the room. Somehow, you think his idea of good news is not the same as yours. Your mother and father barely spare you a glance before following Kaito. A frown falls onto your face as they leave. They’d grown so distant.

Standing up, you sigh as you head for the door. Behind you, Gojo’s footsteps echo throughout the hollow room. Outside, you feel like you can breathe again. None of that went how you wanted. Not at all.

“They’ll be watching us closely from now on." Gojo says. "We should act like an engaged couple.”

“And what does that entail?” You snort. He’s right though. People are going to want proof.

“Come on, we’ve done this before,” he teases. “Don't tell me you forgot how? We were so good too—had everyone believing we were madly in love.”

Believing. It wasn't all just pretend back then, not for you. You thought it had been the same for Gojo too.

“We weren’t faking an engagement before. This is completely different.”

“Not entirely. But worry not, sweetie pie, I’ll be happy to guide you. For starters, we should be holding hands whenever we’re out in public.”

“That sounds horrible.”

“Maybe, but we’re about to be the talk of the century in the jujutsu world. Gotta give them a good show, sweets. A believable one.”

The eyes of your clan members are already glued to you walk past them, piercing into your skulls and watching—waiting. Sounds of whispers travel with the breeze and buzz in your ears like incessant mosquitoes. Finally giving in, you reach for his hand and lock your fingers together. Gojo smiles and gently rubs at the back of your hand with his thumb. He takes it one step further by bringing your intertwined hands up to his lips and pressing a kiss to the back of yours and then one to the ring on your finger, all the while maintaining eye contact.

Even though it’s for show, you feel your body grow warm and your pulse quicken. Your stomach turns into a swirl of nerves, much like a pile of leaves being thrown into a million directions by the wind. How is he so good at this?

The whispering grows louder around you, mixed in with gasps and quiet squeals. At least someone’s buying it. Kaito, on the other hand, clearly had his suspicions.

You lean closer to Gojo. “Kaito doesn’t believe us,” you whisper. “And what happens when we drop the act? You heard what he said. My husband-to-be is willing to wait.”

“I'm your husband-to-be, sweets. And whoever this sorcerer is, he won’t be waiting as long as he claims. The Zenin clan is anything but patient; they’ll be breathing down the poor guy’s neck until he cracks and moves on. Just trust me, will ya?”

A groan rumbles throughout your chest. “I hope so.”

“I gotta ask though...do you never want to marry? Is that why you keep avoiding your clan’s arrangements.”

“It’s not that I don’t want to marry anyone, it’s just…I’d like to be able to choose who I marry. I mean it’s not some outlandish desire, it’s 2018, for crying out loud. I want to marry for love not for what I can gain from the other person.”

“I figured. Just curious.” He hums and turns to face forward.

❄︎ ❄︎ ❄︎

You’re pacing back and forth across the small common room of the high school. Gojo had just spoken to Megumi over the phone, asking him to gather everyone and meet him here, which brings you to why you’re pacing. The students are about to find out about your little scheme and it has you nervous, to say the least.

So much can go wrong. All it would take is one little slip up, and your future was over. Doomed.

But Kaito’s assistant would be arriving next week, and the students had to be ready.

“Will you relax?” Gojo has his head tilted over the edge of the couch, and his body is slumped on the cushions. Clearly, this isn’t affecting him as much as it is you. Then again, nothing bothered him.

“Sorry, it’s not like the rest of my life is at risk or anything.” You hiss.

His head lifts up and he slightly pulls down his blindfold to reveal one of his eyes. “I get it, but if you act like that in front of Kaito’s guy, he’s definitely gonna know something’s up. Come sit.” He pats the space next to him enthusiastically.

Despite, still feeling anxious about the whole situation, you stride over to the couch and drop onto the cushion beside him with a huff. Immediately he puts his arm around you and tugs your body into his side. Your mind is telling you to push him away, don’t get close, don’t get attached. But your body won’t cooperate. Instead, you find yourself leaning into him, placing a hand on his chest, and shutting your eyes. It was like your body was on autopilot, reacting purely off memories from a not-so distant past.

You exhale softly, being lulled to sleep by his warmth and his scent—something earthy with a hint of citrus. His hand is firm on your back, and it feels reassuring, like he’s trying to tell you that everything is going to be ok. You didn’t even realize how tired you were, being so preoccupied with everything to notice.

You can’t help but start to drift off as his presence silences your mind. But before you can completely let go, surrendering to much needed sleep, a door opens and a chorus of laughter spills into the room, making you jolt up. You reluctantly move away from Gojo and sit up straight. In the corner of your eye, you can see him still watching you, but you resist acknowledging him. You shouldn’t have let him grab you.

You’re better than this (Y/n). You’re past this.

“Sensei! We’re here for the extremely secret and important news you have for us!” Yuuji yells.

You side eye Gojo. “Is that seriously what you called it?”

He shrugs, “I’m not wrong.” He claps once and stands up. “Alright, my dear students, (y/n) and I have an announcement to make.” Gojo glances at you, “do you want to tell them or should I?”

Sighing, you nod at him. “Go ahead.”

That’s all he needs. He yanks down his blind fold and sticks his hand out in front of everyone. “We’re engaged!”

Shocked gasps and wide eyes fill the room. Megumi blinks, but says nothing. Nobara’s mouth hangs open, and Yuuji is clapping like a child at a birthday party. Maki, Panda, and Toge all stare dumbfounded.

Your head snaps to Gojo. “The hell? Don’t say it like that!”

“Congratulations!” Yuuji runs up to hug you, then skips over to Gojo for a fist bump.

“Congrats…I guess?” Nobara says, still very obviously confused.

“I didn’t even know you guys were dating.” Megumi chimes in.

“That’s because we’re not. It’s a fake engagement,” you glare. “Gojo should’ve started with that.”

That seemed to make it worse as now everyone’s faces morphed into one of deep confusion.

“Boo. You’re no fun.”

Ignoring him, you continue what he clearly isn’t capable of saying. “My clan is trying to arrange a marriage for me and to avoid it, Gojo and I are pretending to be engaged. We need help from all from you.”

You briefly explain the situation and thankfully, the students agree to help. You’ve fabricated the perfect story, and now you have people who can attest to your fake relationship. All that’s left is passing the test.

“One more thing,” Gojo says. “My little mochi, my honey bunny, my fiancée—”

“We get it.” Megumi groans while Nobara and Yuuji pretend to vomit.

Maki’s face wrinkles in disgust. “If you’re going to act this way around us from now on, you’re going to see less of me.”

You chuckle at their reactions. Maybe being a teacher won’t be so bad.

“What I was going to say before I was so rudely interrupted, is that my fiancée has accepted a job as a teacher here at our school. We’ll both be teaching you all from now on.”

“Thank goodness. Someone sane.” Maki says.

“Hey!” Gojo pouts. “I’m perfectly sane. I’ll have you know, this fake dating thing was not my idea. It was the idea of the person you claim is ‘sane’.” He points to you.

You shake your head and laugh. Everything seems lighter right now. The students are content with the news, hugging and welcoming you with their bright grins and cheers. You can’t help but join them in their excitement, because maybe something good can come out of this.

You make eye contact with Gojo and mouth a silent ‘thank you’, to which he nods, extending a hand out to you:

“Let’s break the news to the rest of the world, shall we?”