one day, while megumi and maki were sparring, and the others were watching, but not quite, lost in their own little worlds. inumaki was talking in his rice-ball language with panda and yuta, while yuji was chatting with nobara.

it was once megumi and maki had stopped to catch their breath when yuji had noticed the absence of their tall, blindfolded sensei.

"guys, where is gojo sensei? i don't think he's been here the entire afternoon"

maki shrugged, "its this weird habit he has. always disappears to heaven knows where on tuesday afternoons"

"then, i say we follow him next time! just to see where he goes"

everyone looked around, similar skeptical expressions on their faces, until inumaki uttered a simple "salmon", nodding his head.

it was decided. the mystery of gojo satoru's tuesday disappearances would finally be solved.

when tuesday came again, all of them followed satoru as he left the school, right when the clock struck two. at first, he seemed to be just taking a stroll, but then he rounded a corner and stepped into a small, hidden bakery.

it was cozy, sandwiched between two other stores, but standing out in its own way. the outside of the shop was painted a green-ish blue, with vines running across the window panes. a small sign through the window read "we're open now!"

crouching down and getting weird looks from the people passing by, the entire group peered through the window.

and there he was, gojo satoru, the man, the mystery and with him were....two girls?!

the two girls sat across him on a table in the corner, laughing at whatever nonsense their teacher was spewing (which were maki's exact words). they looked around their age; one with light brown hair and the other with a much darker, coffee-like brown.

their teacher's usual blindfold had been swapped for light blue sunglasses, effortlessly sitting on the the bridge of his nose.

"who...?" yuji never completed his question, but answers followed anyway.

"definitely not a lover or anything. gojo sensei is weird but he isn't creepy. those two are like half his age" someone said from behind him, but he didn't get to process who as a new appeared before them.

then, from behind them, came a man undoing his apron, taking the seat beside their sensei. he had amethyst eyes, and his long hair was half up in a bun. gojo had puckered his lips for the other man, but he swatted his head, placing a kiss on his cheek instead, and pushing his sliding glasses up.

yuji had never seen this man, though, yuta sure had.

he almost, almost yelled, "is that...geto-san-?!", before maki slapped her hand over his mouth with such force that the entire group huddling near the window toppled on the ground.

almost immediately, they saw gojo's figure looming over them, while the long-haired man, geto, followed him.

"didn't know you brought your kids too, satoru," he remarked lazily, an arm slung over gojo's shoulder.

one by one, they stood up, looking like guilty little kids, except for some, like maki, who simply rolled her eyes when she was offered an arm to stand up, and megumi, who had somehow never fallen down in the first place.

"you've met 'gumi already" fushiguro knew?! almost instantly, all heads turned to his direction but he simply shrugged.

"and yuta. that is maki, toge and panda. these are the new kids; nobara and the pink haired one is yuji"

greetings were exchanged, and eventually, the entire group was ushered into the cozy bakery. the sweet smell of vanilla, cinnamon and other treats engulfed them as they took a seat. they greeted the two girls they saw through the window; who introduced themselves as nanako and mimiko, geto's adopted daughters. they learnt that geto owned this bakery, as he had started it after quitting being a sorceror.

as the group dissolved into mindless chatter, yuji, again, noticed the absence of the two adults.

"where are they both?"

"oh, probably making out" nanako said simply, sipping on some water.

"WHAT?!"

all heads turned towards him now.

nobara tried gently, as gentle as she was anyway, "yuji...you can't be this oblivious, right?" when the perpexled expression of his didn't change, she sighed, "they're lovers, obviously"

"WHAT?! b-but, i thought he had something going on with utahime sensei"

maki snorted. "please, the amount of times i've caught ieiri-san and her, i can assure that there is nothing between her and gojo sensei"

yuji was going to have a stroke. or an aneurysm; if he got one more piece of shocking news.

but luckily, geto-san and his sensei came to his rescue, and with a lot of baked treats. if these were the benefits of dating geto-san, yuji would personally kill gojo sensei if he ever broke the baker's heart.

© sxturn-to-mxrs | Not to be reposted, translated or copied on any platform

as the story goes, your mother had went into labour while your father was at work, and she had to be rushed into the nearest hospital; everything was going against how your father had planned. and your planning-loving father was sweating buckets by the time he rushed to the hospital, not even in his car. your father had ran to the hospital, and into an almost closing elevator.

luckily, a calm toji fushiguro, who recognised the my-wife-is-giving-birth-for-the-first-time-and-everything-has-went-haywire look on your father's face, stopped the doors from closing. your father panted a thank you before leaning against the cool metal walls of the elevator to catch his breath.

"don't worry, everythin's gonna turn out 'right," toji had said, giving your father a pat on the shoulder. your father just raised an eyebrow, confused, his face flushed from running.

"my wife's giving birth too. went into labour jus' an hour ago" toji explains, and your father nods in understanding. the elevator doors open with a ding! and both men step onto the pristine white marble floors.

coincidentally, they learn later, that both of their wives were in adjacent rooms. and megumi had been born just 5 minutes after your mother had given birth to you.

as they say, you both were written in the stars.

inseparable is a word most would use to describe you and megumi. as soon as you had learnt to walk, you were walking to the fushiguro's house through the back door in the fence your fathers had made. you loved megumi's sea urchin-like hair, and he loved when you put bows in them, despite how much he denied it.

you would go to their house after brushing your teeth and spend the entire day there, coming back only at night. and on other days, megumi would be at yours. sometimes, you didn't even bother coming back home, and just fell asleep on the couch. toji would then carry you to megumi's bedroom; and you'd wake up in his room, wondering how you even got there.

"magic. i've heard fairies visit kids at night," was what your best friend would say. maybe it was magic.

you believed a little in magic, or how else would someone explain how you both seemed to like the same things, have similar hobbies, and fit together like lock and key? it was magical that you had found someone on the same wavelength as you, and you had found it at such an young age.

toji had called it "sharing brain-cells". your mother had said it was because you were such a good kid in your past life. whatever it was, you were grateful.

you were grateful that megumi patiently listened to you while he coloured and you went off about something random or something you had read about. you were grateful that during lunch in school, he always set aside his dino-nuggets because you were in love with them. how his crayons were arranged in a rainbow pattern because you liked them that way.

you were grateful the way he would panic when you scraped your knee on the playground, and held your hand while his mother treated the wound with antiseptic. how his grip on your hand would tighten a fraction when you hissed in discomfort and how the frown on his face would not go away until a band-aid had been placed.

you were so thankful for your best friend, you hadn't noticed when that gratitude had turned to something warmer. something that bloomed in your chest every time megumi used to draw you beside him in his drawings, holding hands. something soft, innocent and warm enough to make your cheeks flush even on the coldest day.

you had always loved megumi fushiguro, even when you didn't know what love was.

you assumed it was a crush, a lot of your girl friends had those on the boys in your class. but they went away, or so you've heard. so, you didn't tell your best friend, who knew everything about you, that you had a teensy crush on him.

it wasn't a big deal right? the feelings would subside, and you'd be back to your normal with megumi.

wrong.

you didn't have a 'teensy' crush on megumi like your 10 year old self had thought.

you were in love with megumi fushiguro, and you still were, in the last year of high school. 17 years of being his best friend, and harbouring feelings for him more than half that time.

you had watched your prickly, but caring, people-hater best friend grow into a handsome prickly, but caring, people-hater best friend. and yeah, that handsome part had also played a part in your attraction towards him, but then again, you had loved him through his pubescent teen phase, so you were actually in love with him. unfortunately.

but under no circumstances could you confess to your best friend, could you? he didn't feel the same way, that was for sure. you knew him inside out, and you knew that you couldn't ruin a two decade long friendship over unrequited feelings.

until kugisaki actually flicked your forehead when you told her about your 'complex' feelings.

"dude, i am actually going to gut you because he couldn't be more obvious" she said, exasperated, even more so at the confused look on your face.

you both were sitting in the cafeteria, for once, without the other two people in your group. megumi and yuji were busy with baseball practice, and you were hungry. so you grabbed nobara, and sat down with your lunch trays on the nearest empty table.

you had met itadori yuji when megumi had taken you to an after party at his house, after they won a match. it wasn't anything extravagant; half of the guys hadn't shown up anyway, and you three had ended up playing mario kart.

you met nobara a month after that, because she had been assigned as your lab partner. you two hit off quickly, and she told you that she knew yuji somehow, which was how you four ended up in a group.

growing up, you didn't have many close female friends, so having nobara by your side was a blessing. sure, megumi was the best-est friend anyone could ask for, but he wasn't really the best person to go for relationship advice, was he? especially if you wanted advice regarding him.

"he's in love with you! honey, my love-radar is never off; its like i have a sixth sense. people have gaydars, and i have gaydars and lovedars" she continued, sipping her fruit juice box.

just as you started to protest, saying that there was no way megumi fushiguro was in love with you, she cut you off.

"no excuses, you gotta confess. its been what, a millennia? since you've been pining over him?" she wiped her mouth with a tissue before crumpling it in her fist. "get over with it, y'know? what is the worst that could happen?"

many things, you would say to nobara if you could. many things could go wrong.

one day past that conversation, your group had gathered for a study session at the yuji's house. after the study session, megumi and you would walk home together, and you would confess to him. you had told nobara about your plan, and she had approved. you had even worn your prettiest outfit and done your hair. subtly, of course, but still noticeable.

you had arrived before megumi, since he was helping some teacher, and were just chatting with nobara while yuji got the snacks when the door opened.

megumi came in first, bundled up in a scarf and a coat, his face flushed. his spiky black hair looked even better today somehow. he greeted yuji and removed his shoes and coat when he stepped in.

and after him, came in a girl you hadn't seen ever before.

her jet black hair framed her heart shaped face like a painting. she had hazel eyes, olive skin and the prettiest smile you had seen. it stretched wide, but still was somehow elegant, and it lit her whole face up.

"guys, this is sakura" megumi introduced her, his hand on her back. he had a smile on his face, and megumi rarely smiled.

it fit her. sakura. she looked like what a cherry blossom tree might if it was human.

"she's in my art class, and she's new here, so i figured i'd introduce her" greetings were exchanged, and then everyone settled down to do their own thing, but you couldn't help but feel a bit dejected.

you caught nobara's eye, who gave you a sympathetic smile and squeezed your hand, which you accepted with a smile of your own.

all it took was one very gorgeous girl to make you insecure, which shouldn't have made you feel like that because you thought you were someone who felt comfortable enough in their own skin.

yeah, you were confident. after all, megumi was your best friend, and maybe sakura was just a classmate to him. maybe it didn't mean that all your chances were doomed.

the plan was still on track, just after a minor reroute.

"hey" the mention of your name snapped you out of your reverie, and to your surprise, it was megumi who had called you.

"i need to talk to you? in private?" was all he said before he was up and on his feet, walking out of yuji's room; you followed him. he looked visibly nervous as he pulled you closer, practically whispering even though it was just the two of you.

then he muttered the dreaded words which crushed your heart into a million, tiny pieces.

"do...do you think sakura likes me?"

you had always loved the stars growing up. though many children wanted a piece of the moon, you had always wanted to hold stars in your palms.

it was your 5th birthday wish, to hold the stars in your tiny hands, and it was also the first time you had experienced heartbreak when your father sadly replied that he couldn't bring the stars down to you.

but then, he had bought you a telescope, and after seeing the night sky so closely, he had patched up your 5 year old self's broken heart.

that tiny girl would've been very happy right now.

the first time you had cried stars was after megumi had asked that dreaded question. you had shrugged, and simply replied that no girl in her right mind would reject him, hoping he couldn't see the saddened look on your face. you had excused yourself home after that, muttering something about your period being early.

the tears dropped the minute you exited yuji's house, breaking into pieces as they hit the pavement below, mirroring your heart. when you heard something like glass breaking, you looked around but saw nothing except shards on the ground. but then a singular tear rolled down your cheek and crystallized into a star before shattering on the concrete beneath your feet.

a quick google search later you learnt that you were a rarity; only a very small percentage of people developed star tears, and it was a sign of love being unrequited.

you cried more after that, and the tears weren't rolling down your cheek anymore. you cried actual crystals, and your cupped your hands over your face, watching the stars gather in your palms.

they were beautiful; refracting light and shining like the very things you would see in the night sky as a child. they were beautiful, but a painful reminder. they didn't hurt, that was the worst part. maybe if it hurt, you could focus on the physical ache instead of the one in your heart.

the distance between you and megumi grew each day. more so, after he asked sakura out. they were glowing together somehow. both were introverted, and liked their peace and quiet, so they understood each other in ways maybe you didn't.

you tried to be happy for megumi, you really did. you tried to be the supportive best friend.

but ache in your heart intensified when megumi held sakura's hand under the table, or when she made him laugh. when megumi chose to sit beside her instead of his usual place beside you.

you knew that he was just trying to enforce boundaries; he had a girlfriend now, but it didn't soothe the ache. you cried more stars, which were honestly a pain to clean.

one day, the four of you were hanging out at the café near school, nobara sitting beside you while the boys sat across you both. sakura had declined the invitation because she wanted to stay back after school, to complete an art project. megumi had offered to stay with her, but she insisted that he hang out with his friends.

what an angel.

nobara's parents had called her half an hour in, and yuji had spotted an old friend, so only megumi and you were left at the table.

normally, it wouldn't matter, because you both had a lot to talk about anyway. you had to tell megumi how you had aced your english essay, and how you got a near perfect score in math. how you and nobara saw a guy promptly face plant himself on a glass door.

but there was a awkward silence hanging between you both right now, one that neither of you knew how to fill. soon, megumi busied himself with his phone, and you followed, opening and closing your calculator app, and entering 2+2 to see if the answer had changed.

then a soft smile bloomed on his face, and he looked up, showing you his phone. you saw a photo of a beautiful painting of a landscape, with a cherry blossom tree as the focus.

"sakura painted this," there was a tone of pride in his voice, "isn't it gorgeous?"

you tried not to, but you nodded anyway. how could you deny it? the painting was gorgeous, and the girl who made it, was even more. they were plain facts.

"she's so..." he continued, but you tuned him out. no use in hearing things that would only hurt you. he would probably go on about how she was so perfect. blah, blah, blah.

you knew you were kind of being an ass, but couldn't he talk about anything that wasn't about his girlfriend? had you run out of things to talk about so quickly that the only way to fill the painfully awkward silence between you both was to listen to him talking about his perfect partner?

you avoided your friends once winter break started, declining their calls and invites to hang out. you didn't even pick up nobara's calls, until one day, a week into the winter break, she showed up at your house.

wife<3

come downstairs quick im waitinggggggggg

me

how'd you get in??

wife<3

broke in thru ur window jk ur mom let me in lmao shes out shopping btw told me to tell you

you groaned, getting up from your bed and dragging yourself downstairs to a very enthusiastic nobara who gave you the longest hug you had in days.

"dude, you look like you've fought a war. what's up?" she sat you down on your couch, sitting herself across you. "i brought the cake you love from that café near school." she placed a slice on a plastic plate before handing it to you with a spoon.

"hm, coffee?" you said before taking a bite. it tasted nothing like coffee cake.

"the cake is literally red"

"its red?" the slice in front of you appeared to be of a murky brown colour, definitely not red.

"what, you went colourblind or something?"

you looked up, and noticed that even nobara's bright face appeared dull. like a grey filter had been put over your eyes. you pointed at the small cat statue on the table in front of you.

"w-what colour is that?"

even nobara's tone was concerned now, her cake slice long abandoned. hesitantly, she spoke up, "its pink, why?"

the cat in front of you was not pink. it was not even magenta, fuchsia or any shade close to pink.

the cat statue in front of you was blue and grey.

the stars started falling out of your eyes when you realised you couldn't see colour anymore.

kugisaki nobara had never held stars. as a child, she had been more fascinated with things on the earth, rather than space stuff. she hadn't felt any pull towards the stars like most children.

she couldn't deny that they were beautiful, though.

one moment she was shoving red velvet cake into her mouth, and the next, she was watching literal stars falling from her best friend's eyes.

they were gorgeous crystals, bouncing off the couch and shattering on the floor. as you cried, nobara watched the stars fall from your eyes, fixated. her jaw was open, and no words came out of her mouth.

after consoling you a little, she could see the exhaustion clouding your eyes, so, she helped you to your room and to your bed. then, she searched. read all that she could: from medical articles to reddit posts.

star tear disease is an extreme medical rarity, where the victim cries shining, crystal-like stars due to unrequited love.

unrequited love.

that word stared back at her. for a moment, all she felt was the sinking realisation, that maybe all this had been her fault. had she not encouraged you and given you the false hope to confess to fushiguro, you wouldn't have landed in a situation like this.

but why were you going colourblind?

in some cases, the star tears may affect the victim's photoreceptors, making them not be able to see colour, and in rare cases, it may cause the victim to go blind.

blind.

you were going to go blind because of one-sided love.

nobara wanted to punch megumi fushiguro, wanted to curse at him for causing her best friend to suffer. maybe megumi had been friends with you for far longer, nobara was fiercely protective of you, because you were one of the brightest and kindest people she had ever met. you were loyal to nobara, from the moment you had just met, and nobara would return that loyalty.

but it was useless telling this to fushiguro. nobara knew what would happen; things between him and sakura would break off, and megumi would rush to be by your side. although, if the love was truly unrequited, it wouldn't cure you. it would just make you both miserable, as megumi was happy with sakura.

nobara was helpless. she felt the universe laughing at her, as she watched you sleep peacefully, and tiny pieces of the stars scattered on the ground.

least she could do was clean it up, she thought.

things only went downhill after that.

your vision only deteriorated; the world was now just black and white, you could see no colour, except if it was a obnoxiously bright neon shade, even then it appeared a very dull shade of the colour.

you stuck to sweatpants and hoodies, because one time you had accidentally paired a green scarf with a red plaid skirt, and looked like a christmas tree. safe to say, you couldn't style anything without consulting nobara.

speaking of nobara, she was your anchor while you were almost drowning. she felt partially responsible for all this, even when you assured her that it wasn't her fault, she still showed up at your house every day after school, and distracted you, making sure you didn't cry more tears and ruined your eyes further.

you cried a lot less, but you were still in love with megumi. you had accepted that maybe you would always be in love with him, and it would always be one-sided. you just had to live with that.

and you were. you were having more fun nowadays, going to different cafes all over your city, with your best friend (nobara), and trying desserts with weird names with your best friend (nobara), cut your hair impulsively while your best friend (nobara) supported you through it.

soon, it was almost the end of winter break, and you hadn't seen megumi once, even though he lived next door.

then he ruined everything by texting you.

gumi :)

hey kugisaki told me you're alive

you hesitated for a second, but you replied. you did miss him after all, though he was the reason the world appeared dull to you now.

me

yeah unfortunately im alive whats up?

gumi :)

im in front of ur room can i come in?

your eyes widened, as you shot up from your bed, trying to tidy up as quick as you could. you shoved the glass fragments into a corner, placing your dustbin in front of it.

"i can hear you, y'know?," megumi's voice came through the other side of the door, an amused air to it. you grumbled, opening the door after considering jumping out the window to avoid him.

17 years later, and megumi fushiguro still took your breath away. although you couldn't see any colours, he was still the brightest thing in your room. he looked like he had ran, sweat clinging to his forehead, but he was still effortlessly perfect.

"why are you here?" you couldn't stop the resentment from crawling into your voice. it had took him two weeks to check in with you, when you were missing all your hangouts? wasn't he worried? probably not, you thought bitterly. he was busy with his girlfriend.

he looked slightly taken aback, but he recovered in a split second. "im just here 'cause you've been ditching us for two whole weeks" he says and steps in uninvited, flopping himself on your bed.

"took you long enough"

he winces at that, an apologetic look on his face. "sakura had this art workshop she wanted us to do together. it was a week long."

you couldn't stop yourself from asking the question sitting on the tip of your tongue. "are...are you happy with her, 'gumi?"

he hesitated, but nodded anyway, although there was a look on his face that told you he wasn't sure. he was not telling you something, and he wouldn't.

so you nodded back, a small smile on your face, "then i'm happy for you, fushiguro"

??? (we haven't named this gc)(insert cool name)

no.1 dumbass

guys hangout @ my house, 5 pm @[your name] YOU HAVE TO BE THERE idc if ur not there im going to ur house n kidnapping u nobara's gonna help me

wifey<3

never said that but it would be nice if my bsf was there im like a wife waiting for her husband to return from war i can't handle these two alone @[your name] pls come

me

i'll see i need to complete some assignments #professionalprocrastinatorproblems

gumi :)

sakura's invited right?

no.1 dumbass

sure

gumi :) added unknown number

gumi :)

it is easier this way can't keep switching chats in class

unknown number

hi guys

no.1 dumbass

hiiiiiiiiii

wifey<3

hello

no.1 dumbass

why is nobara texting like she's writing the constitution never have i ever seen her type hello who are you and what have you done with our kugisaki

wifey<3

🖕

me

not gonna make it 2night guys the project's due at 8 and i haven't started

_

there was no project due at 8. you just couldn't see anything past three feet.

it was terrifying, losing your vision. you longed to see the stars, not just hold them in your palms.

nobara had come before going to yuji's, but you had turned her away, not wanting her to know that you couldn't see anymore. that you were slowly going blind, all over a boy.

if there was an award for the most pathetic way to lose their sight, you would be the winner.

so you promised her that if your project ended early, you would stop by, and sent her away

nobara couldn't help but glare at sakura, especially since she was clinging to megumi more than usual. and megumi was looking expectantly at the door, which pissed her off more.

didn't he have a girlfriend to entertain?

when she got a text, saying that you would be there in 10, nobara ensured that she would be the first to greet you. she wrapped you in a hug as you whispered near her ear, "is somebody behind you?"

her heart dropped. you couldn't even see megumi standing at the end of the room. she whispered his name back and you nodded, before letting her go.

you gave megumi an awkward side hug before following nobara closely because you couldn't navigate on your own.

just as you plopped on the couch next to yuji, who hugged you like an overexcited puppy, claiming that he had missed you terribly, you heard her voice.

"we haven't talked much, [name], but i hope we do today. i'd love to get to know megumi's friend," said sakura, although you couldn't see her because she sat all the way on the other end of the couch. you nodded, before yuji continued whatever story he had been narrating.

it was fun. you had fun; you talked to nobara, laughed with yuji and even exchanged some words with sakura, but not megumi. you couldn't see it, but the heartbreak was evident on his face.

while sakura was talking to yuji, you heard megumi ask you, "did you cut your hair?"

"yeah, impulsive decision. nobara and i went shopping, and i wanted a haircut"

you couldn't see him, but you assumed he nodded. "you never told me"

"you never asked, fushiguro" you said simply, before turning to yuji to ask for some water.

eventually, sakura had to leave, so megumi went off to see her to the door while nobara helped yuji clean up the plates. you tried scrolling on your phone, but stopped soon, since your eyes were drying out.

maybe you should get those eyedrops nobara had told you about. they supposedly delayed the blindness, but you were already halfway there. you didn't even notice megumi taking yuji's place from beside you, though he didn't initiate any conversation, until a minute later.

"look," he turned his phone towards you, "isn't this painting nice? sakura made it"

but he held his phone at the distance where your vision blurred, and you couldn't make out what exactly was in the painting. all you saw were murky yellowish-browns and blues.

so you nodded, putting a smile on your face. "yeah, the yellow really stands out"

for a moment, he didn't speak, and you tried moving closer, but his voice cut through.

"...there isn't any yellow on here"

you felt a sinking feeling in the pit of your stomach, and a nervous chuckle broke through, trying to diffuse the situation.

"joking. i was joking. of course," you pointed at where you thought he was holding his phone, "there isn't any yellow"

"that is not where my phone is"

"another joke. i should go see where yuji and nobara are. maybe they killed each other or something; its so quiet." you stood up, trying to navigate to anywhere except where megumi sat. but before you could move, he caught onto your wrist.

"what's going on?"

just as you thought you were doomed, nobara entered the room, yuji on her heel. you shook off megumi's grip off your wrist, and practically ran to hide behind nobara.

her confusion was instant.

"what's going on?"

"that is what i asked!" megumi took a step towards you, but you cowered behind nobara further, so she held out a hand as a warning for him to stop.

"do you know anything?" this time, he asked yuji, who also shook his head, a skeptic expression on his face,

"she- i showed her one of sakura's paintings on my phone, and she pointed out a colour that wasn't even there! then she pointed to somewhere where she thought my phone was, but it was on my lap"

"is this a prank or something? 'cause it isn't funny, okay? i know you don't like her, but you could at least look interested while im talking to you."

he hadn't caught onto that part where you were going blind, but he was completely misunderstanding it. so you tried responding, but he cut you right off.

"it isn't like that-"

"is that that hard to be happy for me for five seconds? you're a shitty friend, you know that, right?"

"shut up, fushiguro! just shut the hell up!" nobara burst out, her voice louder than megumi's or yours. "you don't even know what you're talking about"

"then enlighten me, since you've clearly replaced me as the best friend," he snarked, his voice sharp and mocking.

you could see the anger rising in nobara's expression; her fists balling, and her mouth set in a grim line. you laid a hand on her shoulder, trying to stop her.

"nobara, don't. please"

"you won't ever be mad at him, will you? so, i'll have to do in on your behalf"

"what the hell is going on?!" said yuji, clearly exasperated with the tension rising in the air.

"what? i literally just showed her a photo-"

"she can't see it, you idiot! she can't see the damn photo! she couldn't see colours at first, and now she can't see anything past this couch!"

"w-what do you mean can't see-"

but a sudden realisation flickered over yuji's face and he asked hesitantly, as if he wished it wasn't true, "you've got it, haven't you?" he asked you directly, a somber expression on his face.

"what has she got, itadori?"

when you nodded, yuji turned to the raven-haired boy and spoke in a monotone voice, devoid of his usual charm. "she's got star tears"

"star tears?! isn't that, like so rare? but who-"

finally, you spoke up, this time standing beside nobara instead of behind her. "you, 'gumi. i'm in love with you"

megumi had left after your confession while you broke down, yuji and nobara comforting you to their best abilities. after a while, though, you passed out on his couch, too drained to go home.

in the morning, you woke up, instantly reaching for your phone while trying to blink your bleary eyes away.

you tried calling out for your friends, but it seemed like you were alone in the house. so, you checked your group chat, being instantly bombarded with a ton of messages.

??? (we haven't named this gc)(insert cool name)

unknown number

fuck you [name] idk what u told my bf to make him come to my house and fucking break up w me

wife<3

you have some nerve msging here ur begging to become a public spectacle atp and if u want to fight, fight me its been ages since i've beat up a bitch

no.1 dumbass

guys pls don't do this here idk fight in ur dms pls

unknown number

why? don't want @[your name] to see? well she should deal with it she's a homewrecker breaking up ppl's relationships

gumi :)

don't

unknown number

don't what? don't call ur precious bsf out? if shes soooo in love w you she can put on her big girl pants and tell it to u face to face not act like a immature wimp

no.1 dumbass

a. its "an immature wimp" b. don't act so high n mighty when ur the one who's still texting her ex fushiguro told me how hung up on him you still are and that despite multiple arguments, you won't stop texting him

wife<3

LMAOOO fr?

unknown number

my ex was twice the man you and megumi will ever be

no.1 dumbass

then go back to him no one wants u here anyway

no.1 dumbass removed unknown number

gumi :)

i'm so sorry guys

_

the phone fell flat on your face. ouch.

then it started ringing. nobara's photo lit up the screen as you picked the call up.

"hello?" you said hoarsely, still groggy from your sleep

"hi, how are you feeling?"

"like i just fought two wars and lost. where are you both?"

"we went to pick up breakfast. we'll be there in, like, 15? also, don't check the group chat, it'll just give you an headache"

"..."

"you have already, haven't you?" she sighed wearily, you imagined her shaking her head like a tired mother of 3, "anyways, wait for us, we'll be there shortly" the line hung up.

you sat on the couch, scrolling mindlessly on your phone. you caught on your reflection when one video refused to load. your eyes were puffy, and your face was a bit swollen. your hair was all messed up. probably from all the crying you did last night.

but, there weren't any crystals or shards on the floor. maybe yuji and nobara had cleaned up already.

and in five minutes, the front door bell rang. that was quick, you thought, getting up to open the door.

but instead of your pink and brown haired friends, you saw a mop of spiky black hair.

megumi.

this time, you could see him, properly. see his eyes, red rimmed and wide, as if seeing you for the first time; the lines on his face, and the way he somehow looked five years older in a week. it had been an emotional wreck of a night, after all.

the first thing he did, was hug you. you hugged him back, wrapping your arms around his neck, and inhaling the smell that was so distinctly his.

then he stepped away from you and you noticed the tears streaming down his face. silently, almost unnoticeable unless someone was really paying attention.

"i'm sorry, god, im so sorry. i- i never meant to hurt you. because of me, you almost lost your sight," he rambled, and never in your life had you seen megumi lose his composure like this. you cupped his face, trying to tell him that it was okay, and it wasn't his fault.

"but it was! i never even liked sakura! i was just scared...so scared that i was in love with you, so i said asked out the first girl who showed any semblance of interest"

you paused. wait what?

he chuckled, although it was devoid of any humour, "she wasn't even that serious y'know? she was talking to her ex, and we had a whole argument about it, and she told me that she wasn't you, and i wasn't her ex. we'd both have to settle with each other because the people we wanted didn't want us"

"but then after last night, god, i couldn't pretend any longer. couldn't pretend any longer that i wasn't in love with you. i love you, i love you so much, and i always have. i don't know why i'm telling you this when-"

one of your hands fisted his t-shirt and crashed his lips on yours.

at first he froze. his eyes widened, and he held his hands up like he was in a hostage situation instead of kissing the girl he was in love with.

but then once he caught up with what was happening, his hands were on your waist, kissing you back, with a stupid grin on his face. soon, you too were grinning, and the kiss broke off because you two were smiling too hard.

then you whispered, your thumb tracing the line of his jaw, "i can see you" the world wasn't grey anymore; the deep blue of his eyes was so sharp, it almost hurt. "the colours are back, 'gumi. they're back"

he leaned his forehead against yours, closing his eyes and letting out a shaky exhale. "and i'll make sure they never fade again. i love you"

you smiled, pulling back slightly to look at his face again.

"i love you too, you idiot. but lets be clear, you're on thin ice, fushiguro. if you don't buy all of our lunches for the entirety of the next month, nobara might kill you before i do."

he just laughed, a real, genuine laugh. "only next month? i thought you'd at least say three months or more."

"how about a year?" a third voice piped up from the doorway, and nobara stepped inside with four coffee cups in her hands somehow, while yuji was holding a million something bags.

"she made me buy the whole store in the name of breakfast" was all he said, kicking the door shut with his heel as he struggled with the bags.

"and next time we're using your money" she warned.

megumi just rolled his eyes, and shook his head, his arm still wrapped around your waist.

in the end, maybe you really were written in the stars.

© sxturn-to-mxrs | Not to be reposted, translated or copied on any platform

_

loving satoru meant loving all the people in his life. whether it be the brooding, but gentlemanly nanami or the overworked shoko, or the ghost of suguru geto which haunted satoru almost every night.

it meant listening to the stories he told, hating his clan with him, eating sweets with him until it was nauseating.

it meant loving the tiny boy named megumi who satoru had brought home one day and said "he's family now"

so megumi became part of your unconventional family even though megumi kept you both at arm's distance. you both never let his brooding nature make it awkward; always cracking your bad jokes without fail.

and slowly, megumi cracked a smile when you gagged after a particularly mushy thing satoru said. the smiles turned more genuine, and into some form of laughter. megumi read beside you while you binged your shows, and joined while satoru and you drank tea, occasionally making a snarky comeback and making you laugh.

you became the parent he never had; not in the traditional sense; but in the way that you knew his favourite food, some gossip from his school he begrudgingly told you and in the way that he trusted only you to bandage the wounds he wanted to hide from satoru.

sometimes you catch satoru crying over you and gumi, especially when he was younger and you used to fuss about him. he thanked you for loving him, but you clasped his hands in yours and thanked him for letting you. for trusting you with the responsibility of your family.

your family was made up of some broken individuals but you patched each other up with love.

then came bright-eyed yuji who was not so different from a golden retriever, and nobara, who eventually warmed up to you like a cat. you loved your three not-quite-adopted-children, and you loved satoru. life couldn't get much better, right?

_

it couldn't get better, but it could go worse.

love didn't patch satoru up that day.

the morning of the mission, satoru wasn't his usual self. his bright blue eyes seemed darker. but you gave him the optimism he didn't have that morning and kissed him.

he kissed you back like it was his last. you wished he hadn't.

the house was empty. all of the people you loved were fighting for death, and you sat helplessly on the couch of your apartment, because satoru had made you promise that you would be far, far away from the fight, wishing for a miracle. only a miracle could bring them all back.

but satoru had promised, promised that he would bring back himself and megumi, into your arms. said he was the strongest.

and satoru was your miracle. so you believed him. you sat in the comfort of your home, while the love of your life was fighting the king of curses. you just sat home and prayed to whichever god was listening for a white haired idiot, your white haired idiot to stumble through your door again.

_

you don't know who delivered the message. maybe you will, someday, but now, you only remember the words. four words that tilted your world upside down.

satoru gojo was dead.

the strongest sorcerer in the world had died. no; he had been killed. died made it seem like he had simply ceased to be, but your satoru was too full of life for that

you don't know when the tears started falling, only that they never stopped. you wished you would choke on them and go wherever he was. you wished for death; for your organs to fail or your heart to stop beating. who was it beating for now, anyway?

so many wishes, none fulfilled.

nobody returned home that day, or many days after and you remained on the couch, hoping someone would.

you stayed on the couch for a long, long time.

The girl — your date — sat across from you with a dazzling smile, almost as bright as his, but not quite. Her eyes were also blue (oh, you hated your life right now), but darker than his, and her hair was platinum blonde — almost white if the light hit just right. It was like every person you met felt dull in comparison to the man you had loved, because he was the moon who effortlessly outshined every star that tried to twinkle brighter than him. You couldn’t help but compare everyone to him.

But you forced him out of your thoughts, focusing on your date. Gigi — that was her name, as far as you could recall. Gigi Scott. You cursed the universe for making the one girl you finally liked have the same initials as your ex.

Despite that, it was fun with her. You talked and laughed and got drunk; she kissed you against the wall of the restaurant, her hand sliding to your waist. Your eyes fell shut as her lips latched onto your neck, tilting your head to the side to give her more access.

That was until she called you a nickname. The same nickname he used to call you.

The hands that were clutching the fabric of her shirt froze uncomfortably in place; even your breath got stuck in your throat. She felt your body go rigid and pulled back, concern filling her eyes.

The last straw was her bringing your knuckles to her lips and pressing a featherlight kiss onto them. It was twisted — she did it exactly like he used to. Her dark blue eyes seemed lighter now, the same comforting smile on her lips. She kissed you where he used to kiss, called your name like he did.

Muttering a feeble apology, you fled. Everything reminded you of him — everyone. You saw him when you looked up at the night sky, when you watched movies you both had watched together, when you ate something he had cooked for you while you were crashing at his place. You saw him in everyone’s smile, everyone’s eyes; you remembered him when you saw the small convenience store selling mochi or a little boy eating blue-colored ice cream.

It was stupid; Gigi was nice. She was funny, loud, and gorgeous, but she was too much like someone who had broken your heart. You knew how the story would go. You’d get in her car, and she’d flash you an easy smile before kissing you again, still smiling against your lips. More kisses, until you’d recline in your seats, flushed and grinning. You’d talk, and so would she — until your throats were hoarse and your eyes drooping.

She’d visit you in between your classes, sneaking in a kiss in the hallway. She’d make you homemade lunches with little notes and memorise your coffee order. She’d make you playlists and wear a hair tie around her wrist just in case you forgot. She’d fawn over you in front of her friends and cover you with a blanket when you fell asleep on the couch. She’d always be the first one to comment and like your posts, and pretend to have a heart attack every time you started to leave without kissing her in the morning.

She’d say her I love you’s when you both were basking in the afterglow, the sun peeking through the windows. She’d hold you while you cried with snotty tears and reassure you that you were still the prettiest girl she had seen, even with your mascara smudged. She’d hold your hair back when you threw up from drinking too much.

And when you were in too deep — too in love — she’d leave.

One day, you’d return from your classes to find your dorm empty, almost lifeless. You’d text her a where r u? and it would be left on delivered. Her friends would tell you — after two whole days of you freaking out over whether she was alive or not — that she had moved. Not to another city, not another state, but countries. She hadn’t even bothered to tell you — not even a text.

She had just left you with a broken heart and a hell of a lot of feelings.

You would spend days crying, blaming him, then yourself, then the universe. The tears would dry out, and you’d try to move on — but you’d see her everywhere. She’d haunt you.

You knew how it would go, because it was exactly how it went with Gojo Satoru.

rachel elizabeth dare had been in love exactly two times in her life.

the first was in elementary school; with the nice blonde boy with hazel eyes who gave her candy when she fell down and bruised her knee.

the second was with the boy who stabbed her for sneezing at hoover dam.

having a crush on percy jackson was no surprise, given how perfect he was. rachel was more concerned for those who didn't like him at first glance.

falling in love with him was like being dunked into cold water.

when she found percy at goode high school and wrote her number on his hand (while getting glared by a blonde), she didn't mean anything by it. nothing romantic of course.

everything changed in the labyrinth though.

when she asked percy to hang out, it was inherently romantic.

when he drove them both to south shore, rachel attempted to convince him to go to st. thomas with her. and her parents, but it'd be just the two of them. her heart sunk a little when he declined, but she understood. understood that he had the responsibility of the whole world on his shoulders. understood that he couldn't pick her over the war. that didn't stop the slight resentment in her heart, though.

flirting with percy jackson was hard when he didn't realise that half the world was in love with him. so when they stood over the shoreline, she decided to go for it, kissing him and making him realise that she was in fact, in love with him. before percy chose the war over her, again.

rachel had done many daring things for her loved ones, sure, but flying over to a frozen new york in a helicopter for a boy who she knew wouldn't leave her camp life for her was a new one. where she nearly died, barely saved by the blonde, annabeth, who seemed to only glare at her.

the one who actually saved her was hestia.

when hestia told her to let go of her 'distractions', rachel had an epiphany. she wasn't in love with percy, she was in love with the world percy came from. he chose war over her and she chose herself.

rachel elizabeth dare had been in love only once in her life.

©sxturn-to-mxrs | Not to be reposted, translated or copied on any platform

tags: @moondust-on-the-hijabi @thx-sunsxts-addrxss @rxsewqter

@queenie-blackthorn @txna-blxckthorn @lxstletter

Percy Jackson was not okay. And that was terrifying.

He sat under the shower, the water falling around him in a dome-like shape; never touching his skin. As if the water didn't want to cleanse him. Maybe he had so much blood on his hands that even the water couldn't clean it.

Get up. He tried to will himself. Get up, everyone is waiting for you. He wish they didn't. He wished they saw what kind of monster he was; a sinner and not the saint everyone thought he was.

On some days, Percy wished Annabeth didn't fall into Tartarus with him. Maybe if he was alone in that pit, he'd wouldn't be alive right now. Maybe everyone would be happier.

His mom wouldn't have to worry herself over whether he was alive every few days. His sister won't have to live with a murderer of a brother. Annabeth won't have to stay with a person who could lose control at any moment now. Grover won't have to call a freak his best friend.

Most they'd do is cry. Mourn. Few days, Few years at most. Then they'd move on. Camp half-blood would get another hero, Annabeth would get another partner, Grover would get another best friend. Sally would still have one child.

"Seaweed brain? you in there?" He heard Annabeth's voice from outside the door, slightly muffled. He didn't want her to see him right now. So broken. No, he was supposed to be the strong one.

"Y-yeah. In here!"

"You okay? Can I come in?" Annabeth saw right through him. Dammit, why did she know him so well?

Taking the silence as an answer, Annabeth slowly twisted the door knob, muttering a small 'coming in', peeking into the bathroom.

What she saw, broke her heart into shards, every one of them poking her uncomfortably. The shower glass was fogged and her Percy was on the floor, knees to his chest, staring at gods know where.

His eyes were a unsettling shade of green.

Not his usual sea-green; the shade that was more comforting to her than any home she had. No, this was a horrifying shade. Blank, dark and void of his usual cheerfulness.

"It won't touch me," he looked up to the shower-head "The water won't touch me." his voice was hoarse, like he had screamed too much, cried too much. "Do I have so much blood on my hands that I don't deserve to be cleaned?"

Annabeth wanted to sob. Hold him and sob. Tell him that no, it wasn't his fault. Nothing was his fault. It was the gods and their stupid plans. It was the gods, always.

Instead she turned off the shower, helping him stand up and brought him to sit on his bed. She soaked a towel in some water, carefully wiping the blood off his face.

This time the water touched him. Cleaned him.

"I'm sorry, Annie" he mumbled quietly; words she never wanted to hear again.

"If you say 'sorry' one more time, I'm going to eat all of Sally's cookies" she chuckled, teasing him, even though tears threatened to fall from her eyes.

"It's not your fault, seaweed brain. Never. It will never be your fault."

"It is though. I'm a murderer, a monster, a freak. I scared you in Tartarus. I've killed more people than my age. I don't deserve what I have"

"You didn't choose to kill people, did you? The gods, the fates, they made you do it. I know that you'd never choose to hurt people if your had a choice. But you didn't Percy. And its not your fault. And in Tartarus, even though I was scared, I know it was necessary. I know you did it to save us. And I know because you promised me, you won't do it again. You're not a murderer, a monster, a freak; you're a kid, Percy. A kid who's gone through too much shit."

Warm tears stained both of their faces, as they sobbed together, Percy on the bed, Annabeth kneeling on the floor. Her arms' were wrapped around his torso and his, around her neck.

Maybe not right now, but Percy Jackson was going to be okay.

©reyna-obsessed | Not to be reposted, translated or copied on any platform

tags: @moondust-on-the-hijabi @thx-sunsxts-addrxss @rxsewqter

@queenie-blackthorn @txna-blxckthorn @lxstletter

"Gray?", you called out sleepily, half awake, but fully aware of the warm, shirtless body beside you. Grayson's hand was firmly wrapped around your waist, pulling your back even closer to his chest, if that was possible.

"You feel hot", you continued, propping on your elbows to look at his face properly. His normally perfect hair was dishevelled, but he still managed to look perfect. The kind of perfection which gave you butterflies.

"I know you find me hot, darling, but it isn't a reason to break our peaceful slumber in the middle of the night, is it?", Grayson answered, half annoyed, half amused, his voice even deeper than usual. He opened his eyes to look at you properly, running his hand through his hair.

"Not like that!", you gasped, as your cheeks burned red. "I'm saying, I think you have a fever."

"What?", your boyfriend asked with pure confusion painted all over his face. He looked absolutely adorable; it was an extremely rare sight.

"A Hawthorne doesn't get sick", he scoffed, as if you had told a dad joke. He was now fully awake and fully annoyed.

"Being a Hawthorne doesn't mean you're immune to diseases", you countered, exasperated, which was justified due to his utterly ridiculous statement. "Unless your sadistic psychopathic grandpa altered your genes to make you immune. Wouldn't be surprising, actually."

Grayson threw you a look and you rolled your eyes. You put your palm flat on his forehead and flinched back.

"You're burning!", you said, concerned, lines etching on your forehead. You stood up and rummaged through the bed-side table, and retrieved a thermometer with a victorious smile.

"Here", you tossed it to him. "Take your temperature, I'll be right back with some medicine."

You quickly ran and brought the paracetamol with a glass of water. He protested, but swallowed it once you glared at him. Yes, the all feared Grayson Hawthorne folded at your one glance.

"Now rest up", you ordered, getting into bed beside him, sitting up against the headboard. He took your hand and patted his head. You sighed, moving his head onto your lap, running your fingers through his hair, just how he liked it.

"Who would think that Grayson Davenport Hawthorne cannot sleep without his girlfriend playing with his hair", you giggled and he blushed from embarrassment. Oh, how you wanted to snap a picture right there and then, and then trade it with Jameson or Xander for some "Hawthorne gossip".

"Oh shut it", he mumbled as he snuggled closer to you, drifting asleep.

©reyna-obsessed | Not to be reposted, translated or copied on any platform

The thief, who had already stolen her heart, looked at her with a love struck grin. Standing up, he cupped her cheeks and rested his forehead on hers.

“I missed you too much to care about falling and getting caught, wise girl”, he whispered lowly, his voice only audible to her, “And, as a professional thief, these are insignificant risks”

“You really are a seaweed brain.” she shook her head, giggling.

“Jokes aside, Annie”, his voice suddenly had an urgent undertone as he ushered her to sit down, taking a seat beside her himself, “I don’t want to sneak in anymore. I don’t want to meet in secret. I don’t want you to meet any other suitors when I know that I’m the one who has your heart-”

She paused, processing what he had just said. Does he mean-

“-I want to reveal our relationship. I love you and you love me, what’s stopping us?”, he took her hands in his, a hopeful expression on his face.

She pulled her hands back, exasperated. “I’m the heir, the princess. If they found out that I love someone who isn’t a prince, they’ll kill you!” her heart broke at Percy’s dejected expression, but what she said was the truth.

“But I don’t care about what they say or do! We’ll find a way; like we always have”, he looked at her again; his sea-green eyes pleading, voice cracking, “Please?”

“You don’t care, but I do!”, she didn’t recognize the tone she was using, too furious, too loud and seething like venom on her tongue, “I’m not like you. I’m not a thief. I have responsibilities; unlike you I can’t run away from my problems.”

She took a deep breath, trying to think level-head again, failing as she noticed the wounded expression on Percy’s face. “You and me; it’s forbidden. The world wasn’t created equal”, her voice dropped dangerously low.

“Yes it was”, Jaw clenched, eyes blood-shot, his voice hoarse, “then someone decided they were better.”

Percy Jackson left through the same window he had entered through, leaving Annabeth Chase sitting on her bed, regretting the entire conversation.

©reyna-obsessed | Not to be reposted, translated or copied on any platform

tags: @that-multi-fandom-hijabi @loife1m @moondust-on-the-hijabi @summersblossoms @queenie-blackthorn @tinadablackthorn