symbiotic - cxscas - 呪術廻戦 (2024)

Chapter 1

Chapter Text

“Better hurry up, Geto-sensei, or you’ll be late for your date!” Zenin Maki intentionally shouts loud enough for everyone in the courtyard to hear.

A couple of snickers can be heard from other students, followed by Panda’s scolding that falls on deaf ears. Suguru ended class early for them and this is how they repay him. He won’t be as gracious next time; he will.

He waves his students goodbye and playfully cuts his eyes at Maki who is making finger hearts at him and calling him a love bird. According to his students, he always smiles more on days like today.

That’s why they and some of his colleagues are convinced that he’s seeing someone romantically. Despite the endless teasing, it is most certainly not a
date. He is single, and he intends to stay that way.

It’s just that once a month, he meets up with an old friend to catch up and share a drink or two. To beat the Tokyo traffic — because he has to travel like a civilian outside of working hours — he ends class early on the days that he plans to meet up with his friend. His students, the observant little sh*ts, started to take note of this pattern and ultimately concluded that their favorite teacher has a girlfriend.

If they knew that his alleged “date” was a 6’4 man who is undeniably the strongest sorcerer in the world, what would they say then?

“Sorry, I’m late!” Suguru says as he slides into the booth across from his friend. “Traffic is crazy.”

Gojo Satoru, current head of the Gojo Family, and a former classmate of his, waves a dismissive hand. “It’s fine,” he says, smiling. Since they’re in public, his eyes are covered by dark, designer shades instead of the white bandages he normally wears. “Why didn’t you bum a ride off your giant pigeon?”

“How many times do I need to tell you that it’s not a giant pigeon? We’ve been over this since high school, Four Eyes!”

“I have six,” Satoru corrects in that smug way that drives Suguru crazy. “And they tell me that you brought me a gift.”

The package Suguru fruitlessly hid inside his jacket seems to burn hot once attention is drawn to it.

Feigning ignorance, Suguru smiles at a passing server and pretends to look around the bar to avoid Satoru’s all-seeing gaze.

Knowing Satoru, their orders have already been placed. He knows what Suguru likes and vice versa. This isn’t their usual spot so he hopes the small plates are good.

“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” he says with a hint of laissez-faire. A subject change is in order. “Haibara and Nanami were sent to Hokkaido. Know anything about that?”

“Are you still friends with me just for insider information, Suguru?”

There are three major families who, for centuries, have operated in the shadows to support the Jujutsu Society. They are known to produce some of the strongest and most talented sorcerers with unique Cursed Techniques.

Due to a recent, unanimous vote, the Gojo family was selected to act as a liaison between the families and the Jujutsu schools. That means that Satoru knows all of the juicy gossip that the Higher Ups keep secret from lowly teachers like Suguru. Even with his high ranking and unique technique, he’s just a cog in the massive wheel.

Satoru, on the other hand, is practically the wheel.

“Come on,” Suguru says, propping his elbows on the table and resting his chin in his hands. He bats his eyelashes in a coquettish way just to be annoying. “What’s in Hokkaido?”

“If anything of importance was in Hokkaido, do you think they’d send those two?”

Suguru gets offended on behalf of his colleagues. “They’ve improved a lot over the years,” he says, knowing how Satoru looks down on those weaker than him. “You’d know that if you were around.”

Their server stops by their table with small plates, consisting of finger food, and a pitcher of beer and a pitcher of water.

Suguru thanks her and starts to pour them a beer. Satoru is a lightweight so he doesn’t fill his cup. Then he distributes their food, being careful to put any red peppers on his plate instead of Satoru’s because he knows he dislikes them and only orders them for him.

While he works, Satoru quietly watches him.

“Okay,” Suguru says when he’s done, nodding at his work. “All good”

Satoru chuckles softly. “Thanks, Mom.” He jokes.

He’s always calling Suguru that. It’s been annoying since the first time he said it. Now here they are years later and Suguru still hasn’t grown fond of it.

“Maybe if you weren’t a helpless toddler, I wouldn’t have to sort out everything all the time,” Suguru says. Then he remembers his previous thoughts. “Anyway, you can’t bash them when you aren’t around to see their improvement.”

“I don’t need to be around to see it,” Satoru says, taking a sip of his beer. He makes a disgusted face at the taste.

Suguru smiles fondly. But quickly frowns at what Satoru said. “It would help if you were. Satoru, we keep losing kids out there…”

“A tale as old as time.”

“Maybe you’ve forgotten what it’s like out there because you’ve traded your uniform for an elder’s robes but Shoko and I see our dead friends every other day.”

Satoru glances down at his attire. He’s wearing a white dress shirt and slacks, looking like a wealthy playboy. “I only wear my robes during meetings or when I visit the school.”

“You’re being willfully obtuse on purpose. Cut it out.”

“I hear you. I do. I’m not sitting on my ass all day. I’m out in the field too.”

“Doing what? What assignment is so high level that they’d send freaking Iron Man?”

Satoru laughs at the nickname Suguru gave him years ago. Back when he went from Suguru’s equal to his superior seemingly overnight. Their friendship suffered momentarily but they bounced back; somewhat.

Suguru still feels like an outsider in their own friendship at times.

“I’m on a personal assignment,” Satoru says cryptically. “Not even the Higher Ups know about it.”

“Yet you’re telling me.”

“You’re my one and only best friend. Why wouldn’t I?”

“What’s the assignment?”

“I can’t give details.”

Suguru huffs in annoyance, feeling like a child who can’t have his way. He hates this feeling. Hates the way it seems like he’s begging to hang or fit in.

He just wants to know why Satoru is too busy to help him at the school or see him more than once a month.

They used to spend every waking morning of every day together and sometimes fell asleep side by side. He knows that people change, they grow and with that their interests develop. Suguru decided to be a teacher because he wanted to help others while Satoru left the school prior to graduation and never officially completed his studies; not that he needed to.

He chose to return to the clan he despised and sit at the head of it over their promise to stay together forever.

Suguru just wants to know what changed.

Satoru reaches across the table and touches Suguru’s hand, setting the skin on fire from the heat of his palm. “Suguru,” he says in a low voice, “trust me.”

And just like that Suguru is pacified.

He drops it altogether. For now, at least.

They eventually drain the pitcher. Satoru surprisingly finishes it off with a big chug. His cheeks and ears are red when they leave the bar hours later. It’s raining, and Suguru curses because he forgot his umbrella and the jacket he’s wearing doesn’t have a hood on it.

Satoru moves closer to him, and instantly the rain no longer touches Suguru. He watches the droplets silently fall all around them as though they were being repelled.

“Show off,” Suguru says with a smile. “Isn’t it risky using Infinity in public?”

“No one will notice,” Satoru says. “They’ll convince themselves they’re just seeing things.”

Suguru needs a crash course on all of Satoru’s abilities, honestly. Shortly after his “glo’ up” as Shoko calls it, Satoru left school and they didn’t see or hear anything about him until he popped up one day looking and acting differently.

The most noticeable change was Satoru’s staggering size. He looks like he’s been juicing during that leave of absence. Perhaps the power surge added muscle mass to his scrawny form.

“Let me take you back,” Satoru says, stepping off into a dark alley.

Suguru is not the one to turn down a free and swift ride home. He steps into the alley with Satoru without question. When Satoru takes hold of his hand, he instinctively closes his eyes because if he doesn’t he’ll feel dizzy when they reach the other side.

In the blink of an eye, they're standing outside of Suguru’s private living quarters that reside on the edge of school grounds, well within the perimeter of the protective shield.

The home is a one bedroom traditional abode with everything he needs to live comfortably during his limited leisure time.

“Shoko’s probably still working,” Suguru says as he and Satoru stand on the front steps outside. “You should go speak.”

“Can’t. I have to head out of town when I leave here.”

Suguru nods in understanding. “You shouldn’t have drank so much then.” He tilts his chin to look at Satoru better. The height difference is still something to get used to. “And here…” He removes the package of sweets from his pocket. “Your gift.”

The lack of “I knew it!” or some other smug response is surprising. Satoru takes the package of candy and puts it in his pocket without a word.

Before Suguru can demand a “thanks” for going out of his way to pick up Satoru’s favorite taffy from the only store that sells that brand, Satoru is backing him against the door of his home and pinning him there with his big body.

Suguru is 6’2 and can lift triple his body mass on a slow day. Yet Satoru has him pinned here like he’s some twig. He hates how much he doesn’t hate this unexpected move.

They’ve never been this close before; intentionally.

“Satoru?”

“Just in case I don’t make it back,” Satoru whispers as he leans in. He pulls the hair tie out of Suguru’s top knot and holds on to it right before closing the small distance.

If Suguru wanted to avoid the kiss, he could have, easily. But for the second time in a span of a minute, Satoru catches him completely off guard and leaves him frozen in place.

Satoru’s palms and fingertips are calloused, serving as a reminder that unlike the Higher Ups, he actually gets his hands dirty. His lips, which are one of his best facial features, are soft yet firm to show that this isn’t the impulsive actions of a drunk man.

Knowing Satoru, he knew before they agreed on a time and place to meet that he would kiss Suguru just as he knew Suguru would allow it. He brings another hand up to cup the other side of Suguru’s face, idly stroking his cheek with his thumb in such a delicate way that Suguru wonders how long Satoru has loved him.

Of course, the thought is fleeting.

Satoru doesn’t love him, not in that way, and vice versa. They’re best friends, and in this world where children are born to die in an endless cycle, having someone to depend on is necessary.

That is all it is, Suguru mentally repeats that to himself as the kiss persists and evolves. He opens his mouth wider for Satoru’s tongue, and sucks on Satoru’s upper lip, groaning while he does so. And Satoru presses him harder into the door, making the wood creak beneath the weight of them.

Suguru doesn’t want it to end but he also doesn’t want to explain to Yaga why he needs to replace his door. But before he can pull away, Satoru beats him to it.

He stares at Suguru, at his parted mouth and swollen lips, and looks as if he’s physically holding himself back from taking things to new heights.

Instead, he just leaves.

He leaves so quickly that Suguru still has his hands raised and fisted. During the kiss, he was holding on to the front of Satoru’s shirt to ground himself. Now he’s standing here, pants tight in the front, lips tingling, and head empty; no thoughts.

When he eventually snaps out of his trance and walks inside his house. He realizes that Satoru stole his hair tie.

And my first kiss!

It’s not by choice nor force that Geto Suguru is a virgin at the age of twenty-seven really.

He isn’t opposed to having sex and he knows he could pursue anyone successfully if he put forth the effort.

Opportunity has just never presented itself.

When he was younger he did have some hesitancy concerning intimacy. Putting it plainly, his childhood, his upbringing, and his time at the school shaped his views on intimacy a great deal. He has always been too afraid to get attached to another due to the high chance of the romance ending tragically. He doesn’t think he could relate with a non-sorcerer enough to bother approaching them romantically.

Sorcerers are an option but with their numbers being low and work never-ending, he doesn’t have the time to form a relationship with any of them on a deeper level.

The one person Suguru may have seen a future with hasn’t been an option for ten years.

When Satoru just up and left without a word, that rekindled Suguru’s abandonment issues from childhood. He always says that it’s not a big deal and he forgave Satoru after chewing him out, of course.

But deep down inside it still bothers him that the person he saw as his dearest friend didn’t consider his feelings on the matter.

Suguru was content with never experiencing sexual or romantic intimacy. Morbidly, he had always thought he would die before turning thirty anyway. Even as a child, he couldn't picture himself as an adult and at times it feels like he’s on borrowed time. He could have died without ever experiencing a kiss and would have been fine.

But now Satoru has him rethinking some of his past avoidance of the topic.

Absently, he touches his lips and thinks about the way Satoru kissed him last night. He’s supposed to be monitoring his students’ drills to assess their progress for the upcoming Goodwill Event but he’s been distracted all morning.

As a teenager, Satoru was notoriously playful and didn’t take anything seriously. Had this been high school Satoru, Suguru wouldn’t be this hard pressed because he’d take it as some sort of prank.

This Satoru — this god-like figure who favors his teenage version in only hair and eye coloring — is not an impulsive brat. He’s the respected and feared head of the most prestigious sorcerer family and the strongest of them all. He could probably obliterate the world with a snap of his finger.

Suguru’s neck burns. Is it normal to think of his best friend as hot? The nerve of him to ask that when he was just tonguing down his best friend last night.

“Just in case I don’t make it back…”

And what in the hell did that mean?

Currently, there isn’t a registered curse that is more powerful than Satoru. Every assignment is a walk in the park for him. Could there finally be a threat to the Jujutsu world that even Satoru is not a match for?

Suguru’s heart throbs painfully in his chest. He should’ve gone with Satoru if that’s the case.

“Geto-sensei!” One of his students, Panda, howls in pain. “Maki-san doesn’t play fair!” He clutches his arm and a fat tear rolls down his fuzzy face.

Maki walks up to them carrying a bamboo rod on her shoulders. “Cry Baby,” she snickers. She looks at Suguru and fixes her face. “I promise I didn't mean to hit him that hard, Geto-sensei.”

“I told you both to practice with the training dummies,” Suguru says, putting all thoughts about Satoru and kisses in the back of his head. “Since you appear bored, spar with me.”

Panda, Maki, and even Inumaki, his other student, lose the color in their faces. That’s saying a lot because Panda is…well a Panda; one of Yaga’s creations, and there isn't any color in his face to drain. None of them want to spar with Suguru because they swear that even his soft hits are too painful.

He excels at Martial Arts despite most sorcerers relying heavily on their technique.

Maki relies on hand-to-hand combat because she lacks a Cursed Technique. But she makes up for that with brute strength and the skillful use of a Cursed Tool; weapons imbued with Cursed Technique.

Sometimes Suguru spars with her outside of classes. But she knows that he’s in one of his ‘moods’ so sparring with him now will be hell.

“Sensei, can we run laps instead?” Panda suggests.

Beside him, Maki face palms.

Suguru smirks. “Sure,” he says. “50 laps around the whole school. I’ll know if you make shortcuts too.”

“Idiot,” Maki says, hitting Panda in his sore shoulder.

“Get to it,” Suguru says, blowing the whistle he keeps around his neck during classes. It’s bewitched so no matter where they are on campus, they can hear him blow it. “If you finish before noon I’ll treat you all to lunch!” He grins.

He watches the trio begrudgingly begin their laps. If they were non-sorcerers they would never achieve that goal without collapsing by the third lap because the campus is massive. But they can manage.

To clear his head, he sits on a flat top rock in the training yard, legs crossed in a Lotus Pose and his eyes closed. Taking deep breaths, he expels all thoughts about kissing Satoru because he won’t be able to focus on anything else until he does.

He convinces himself that the kiss was a spur of the moment sort of thing, and that Satoru was drunk and not thinking clearly.

They’ll act like it never happened and move on.

There are far more important things for Suguru to dedicate his thoughts to. Like ensuring his students are strong enough to stay alive out in the field.

“They’ll make a full recovery,” Shoko says as she steps out of the swinging doors of her infirmary. She stops by the small counter to pour herself some coffee. “Give me a sec’ to recharge and I’ll heal you next.”

Suguru hasn’t even looked at the large cut on his left arm. The fabric of his sleeve is torn and wet with blood. He doesn’t care.

“Why in the f*ck did Yaga send them there?! He knew I was on a solo assignment!”

“Lower your voice. Your kids are resting.”

Clenching his jaw, Suguru starts to angrily bounce his right leg up and down.

If he didn’t get back from his assignment when he did, all of his students would be dead. The thought makes his eyes sting and burn with furious tears.

They were sent to an abandoned hospital under the pretense of exorcising a couple of low level spirits that a third grader with a Ouija Board could’ve handled.

Instead, a grade one curse was waiting for them.

Despite them being second years, they were inexperienced and outclassed. There hasn’t been a lot of high level curses lately for them to gain experience. Things have been relatively chill.

Most of the casualties they’ve been having has sadly been self inflicted or accidental. Some students can’t take the mental strain, understably so. Others get too co*cky and careless and pay the tragic price.

Suguru wishes they had more teachers because he believes that sorcerers need more individual attention.

When one student begins to excel swiftly and another starts to fall behind, it is difficult as a teacher to pay attention to them closely while also being sent on assignments. He hates to make excuses but that’s the truth. They’re too overextended.

“Hey, Geto, wait!” Shoko shouts after him. “Let me look at your arm!”

Ignoring her, he leaps from rooftop to rooftop with his injured arm hanging limp at his side. He had to practically rip Inumaki out of the curse’s jaws before he devoured the boy. In the process, he sustained his only injury. Suguru was so ticked off that he killed the damn curse without adding it to his collection.

Doing so would’ve given him a crazy surge in power, no doubt. It’s above him. He’s too pissed to care.

Yaga is going to have a piece of his mind. The f*cking Higher Ups too if that’s what it takes to be heard.

“…I need him monitored closely at all times. Perhaps the thing that made him will come looking…”

Suguru stops himself from leaping over to the next building when he sees Satoru flanked by two no-names from the Gojo clan.

They’re under the main pavilion in front of Yaga’s office talking to the Assistant Director, Ijichi Kiyotaka. He doesn't bother making his presence visibly known because he knows Satoru sensed him approaching miles away.

Not bothering with any subtlety, Suguru jumps down beside them.

Annoyingly, it’s right then that he remembers that he hasn’t seen Satoru in over a month. Not since they kissed. His ears burn at the thought.

“Where’s Yaga?” Suguru asks Ijichi, purposefully not looking at Satoru.

“Geto-san, you’re bleeding…” Ijichi looks horrified as if he hasn’t seen blood or a dead body before.

Suguru sighs and tries to walk into the building but Satoru touches his bleeding arm and examines it.

“It’s broken,” he says, his jaw clenching. “Suguru, why didn’t you let Shoko—”

“I’ll deal with it later!” Suguru wondered why he couldn’t feel his arm when he was on his way over here. He’s broken an arm before. No big deal. “I need to see Yaga.”

“He’s busy,” Satoru says. He glances at the two men from his clan to dismiss them. “He’s with a new student.”

Suguru watches the two clan representatives walk away. Whenever Satoru stops by the school he always does so alone. If they’re here something big must be going down.

“Thank you Ijichi-san. I will leave the boy in your care,” Satoru says.

“What is his name?” Ijichi asks.

“Itadori Yuji,” Satoru says. “All of his known relatives are dead. The Gojo clan will cover any necessary finances until…” He looks at Ijichi knowingly.

Ijichi bows without a word and walks into the main building.

“What was all of that about?” Suguru asks.

Satoru touches the small of his back and starts to gently nudge him in the direction he came from. “You need your arm looked at,” he says.

“Why are you acting like it was blown off?”

The energy that ripples off of Satoru when he says that is electric and threatening. “Suguru,” he says sternly, “stop being so damn stubborn.”

Had Suguru known that comment would piss Satoru off like this…well, he would have still said it because he does shamelessly enjoy getting under Satoru’s skin from time to time. But he doesn’t see what he said as something to get upset about.

Satoru seems personally offended by it though.

That’s the only reason Suguru allows Satoru to take him back to Shoko. He doesn’t even make a joke about Satoru wearing his clan robes today. They’re pristine and white with six, sapphire orbs in a circle with a beautiful crane in the center placed on the left breast.

It’s the Gojo family’s emblem.

“Who is Itadori Yuji?” Suguru asks as they walk.

“A young boy with no talent or important family name,” Satoru says in a dead voice; he’s exhausted. “But he may be tied to the thing I’m searching for.”

“Thing?”

Satoru says nothing.

Well, that’s annoying.

Everyone is testing Suguru today. Then when he snaps, he’ll be the bad guy though, right?

He makes his annoyance known while Shoko heals his arm. But because she didn’t do anything to warrant a stank attitude from him, his anger dims and he just ends up looking like a kid who hates getting shots at the Doctor’s office.

After Shoko puts a sling on him, Satoru helps him off the table despite him being more than capable of jumping down on his own. He’s been a special grade sorcerer since his third year of high school.

Why is Satoru, someone he has beaten in hand to hand combat on numerous occasions, treating him like an invalid now?

“Rest up,” Shoko says, giving him a paper bag filled with her homemade meds. “Take tomorrow off.”

Suguru’s not doing that, and they both know it.

He’ll return in the morning to check on his students. Panda is being restored by Yaga since his injuries are beyond Shoko. So, Suguru will go see him too after he curses his creator out.

“I’ll take you home,” Satoru says as they’re leaving the infirmary.

“I can take myself, Satoru. Why are you acting like a Mother Hen?”

“Do I need to pick you up and carry you over my shoulder?”

Suguru stops walking. “Try it,” he challenges. “I can beat you with one arm.” A pause. “And turn off Infinity! That’s cheating!”

Satoru looks amused. “It’s never active around you unless it’s raining,” he says.

The confession leaves Suguru dumbfounded. Taking advantage of his stupor, Satoru quickly lifts him up with one arm and blinks them away from the area.

A second later they’re on Suguru’s door step, and Suguru’s ass is being held up by Satoru’s muscular forearm while his uninjured arm is wrapped around his neck. He wiggles himself free and scowls at Satoru who looks very pleased with himself for pulling that off.

“Go away,” Suguru says, brushing past Satoru to open his front door.

“Can I have some tea?” Satoru asks, already walking in and removing his shoes and putting on a pair of guest slippers that only he has ever used.

“Chamomile or Jasmine?”

“Jasmine.”

Suguru has been injured too many times to count so he manages just fine with a simple task like tea brewing. But when they’re seated at the low table in his reading area, Satoru pours for them both.

They sit and sip their tea in silence while Suguru tries to think of anything but kissing Satoru. He tried to forget all about that and for a time he was able to stop obsessing over it. With Satoru sitting across from him, he can’t help but think about it.

“Satoru,” Suguru starts, “why did you kiss me that day?”

“Because I was afraid I would never see you again.”

No matter what, when they’re alone like this the truth eventually comes out.

“Explain.”

Satoru stares at the tea cup. He’s wearing his infused bandages today so Suguru can’t catch a glimpse of his blue eyes like he can when he wears his shades.

“For the past decade, I’ve been trying to track down a creature that has the ability to possess corpses,” Satoru says, staring at Suguru now. “I thought I had finally caught its scent and was uncertain what the outcome of our fight would be.”

This is the first time Suguru is hearing about any of this. That would mean that when Satoru left school, he started to hunt this creature. But what drove him to do that? So many new questions arise.

“Does this creature have a name?”

“Kenjaku...” Satoru waits as if to see if the name rings a bell to Suguru.

Suguru blinks. “Who in the f*ck is that?” He knows all of the registered high level curses. That name isn’t in the database. “Satoru, if you’re tracking something you think is too strong even for you then let me help.”

“No.” The word is spoken with finality and an edge of coldness. “You can’t go anywhere near that thing, Suguru.”

For someone who has constantly been told that he is no longer Satoru’s equal and that he doesn’t belong in Satoru’s world due to being born to an insignificant family, hearing that refusal hurts Suguru in a way he can’t verbally express. It doesn’t matter that he possesses a technique that the Main Families covet or that he is considered an anomaly in their society because there is no recordings of a Curse Manipulator existing before him.

He is still not good enough.

“You think I’m weak,” Suguru says plainly. “I never thought you of all people would think that of me, Satoru.”

“I know you’re not weak, Suguru. This thing…it feeds off the strong.”

“And yet you’re the exception though, right?”

“I actually don’t know. I’m trying to learn more about it.”

“Then why are you putting yourself at risk?”

“Better me than you.”

Suguru sighs loudly, seeing this as Gojo Satoru just being arrogant. He doesn’t even know why he bothers at this point. Satoru has always done what he wanted and moved on his own accord. They’re not the Strongest Duo anymore, and Suguru needs to let the past go.

They’re different people now.

Satoru has an important role to play, always has, and Suguru is tired of being a supporting cast member in his life.

“I should get some rest,” Suguru says, feeling drained in every aspect. “I’ll see you when I see you.”

Satoru puts his tea cup down and he crawls around the table to where Suguru is seated. “Don’t be mad at me,” he says, sounding uncharacteristically small and timid. “Suguru, I know how frustrating this is but please, please, trust that I’m doing this for you.”

Suguru’s eyes water but he doesn’t cry when Satoru hugs his side and rests his head on his shoulder. He’s been afraid of losing his best friend for years now and it just feels like Satoru is slipping further and further away from him.

The kiss gave him hope, he’ll admit.

Even if he had yet to sort out his feelings for Satoru, rather they be platonic or romantic, he would have accepted Satoru’s feelings for him and patiently waited for his own to develop just to remain by his side until death tore them apart. He likes to think that wouldn’t have stopped him, either.

“I can’t keep doing this with you, Satoru,” Suguru says, swallowing hard to keep from crying. “You abandoned me ten years ago, came back without explanation, and since then you’ve been withholding things from me and shutting me out. It doesn’t feel good. You say it’s for me but why do you keep hurting me this way?”

“Hurting you is the last thing I want, Suguru,” Satoru says, lifting his head. He continues holding Suguru, savoring it while he can. “But I have to continue on this path or all will be lost.”

Another cryptic response.

This isn’t going to change, Suguru tells himself. Better to sever the tie while the wound is still fresh so he can properly heal.

Suguru pulls away from Satoru. “I hope you accomplish your goals, Satoru. Truly, I do.” He closes his heart to prevent himself from backing down. “Our paths are no longer joined so let’s go our separate ways.”

Satoru reaches out to touch him but drops his hand in defeat. He has always been bad with words when it comes to his emotions so it’s unsurprising when he leaves without saying anything.

Doesn’t mean it doesn’t hurt.

If a friendship breakup is this brutal, Suguru will avoid a romantic relationship forever because he never wants to experience something like this again.

For the first time since he was probably a teen, he cries himself to sleep that night. He doesn’t even think he cried at all when Satoru ghosted him in high school. Well, he did but he likes to act like it never happened.

Weirdly enough, the grief is so bad his sleep is disrupted throughout the night by strange nightmares about his arm being blown off and a shadow with a grinning face sawing his head open while he’s very much alive, and doing experiments on him.

Every time he wakes up, he’s drenched in sweat and his body hurts all over. He chalks it all up to PTSD from past assignments plus the end of his friendship with Satoru. He is truly going through it.

One would think an adult who has seen comrades die would brush this off and get over it quickly. Instead, he doesn’t go and curse Yaga out the next day as planned and he calls Shoko to check on his students instead of going to see them in person. He doesn’t want anyone to know that he’s been bawling his eyes out and unintentionally starving himself because he doesn’t have an appetite.

The day after, Suguru pulls himself together as best he can and goes to the infirmary with ‘Get Well Soon’ care packages for each student.

They’re still sedated but their stats are looking better than they did the day before last. Suguru will be more at ease when they’re fully recovered though.

Next, he has to drop off a care package for Panda. He can also speak with Yaga. His anger has dimmed some so he will not curse him out too harshly. But he wants to express his irritation with how careless the school can be with these kids.

“We have a mandatory staff meeting,” Shoko says when Suguru is walking out of the infirmary. “Starts now.”

“That’s sudden.”

Suguru leaves the care package in her office for safekeeping and they take the lift in the building to the lower floor where all of their staff meetings are held just three floors above Master Tengen’s quarters.

He only missed a day of work and already they’re having their first staff meeting in months.

Most important updates or missiles are sent via encrypted email or text message. Holding a meeting is too inconveniencing because most of them are on assignments all over the place.

With a glance around the packed space, Suguru can see that everyone was called back. Some people from their sister-school in Kyoto are also here. Even the evasive Tsukumo Yuki is in attendance. He purposely avoids making eye contact with her. She made a pass at him years ago and he was tempted to take her up on her offer. But then Satoru came back…

Suguru doesn’t want to think about him. It makes his chest hurt.

Soon, Yaga steps up to the podium and the room quiets down. “I won’t beat around the bush with why I asked you all here today.” He lowers his head and grips the podium like he’s trying to keep his cool. “Effective immediately, I will be stepping down as principle of Tokyo Jujutsu High.”

Collective gasps of surprise fill the room, and before anyone can ask the reason behind the sudden change or ask who his replacement will be, someone joins him on stage. The moment Suguru sees Satoru wearing a uniform that looks eerily similar to his own and a black eye mask to compliment the uniform, he knows that he isn’t going to like what Yaga says next.

“Gojo Satoru will take up the position, also effective today,” he says. “Panda and I will take up residence in Kyoto. Thank you all.” He walks off without a glance at Satoru who takes the podium behind him.

“I see some familiar faces in the crowd,” Satoru says in that fake cheery voice he does just to piss people off. “Surprised to see some of you managed to live this long. Wow, is that Utahime?” He laughs. “I guess the curses are pretty weak these days~”

Suguru thinks he hears Utahime curse belligerently from across the room while Mei Mei snickers.

This is giving him serious flashbacks.

Then suddenly, the atmosphere in the room shifts, making the hairs on everyone’s neck stand on end. Silence blankets the room and some people even get in a fighting stance because their instincts tell them to.

Nothing is scarier than Satoru when he’s being dead serious. Anyone who falls for that fake nice crap is in for a rude awakening with him as their boss now.

“Okay, fun’s over,” Satoru says without a hint of amusem*nt. “Things will be changing around here. I will be holding a meeting with each of you individually to discuss your future at my school. Until then, you’re all dismissed.”

Slowly, people begin to file out, muttering about how they miss Yaga already. They had it easy with Yaga for sure. They won’t have that luxury with Satoru.

Suguru stands there, glaring at Satoru who stares back at him. Even with his eyes covered, he knows Satoru’s eyes are glued to him and only him.

“Welp,” Shoko says, taking a cigarette out and lighting it. “At least things will be a lot more interesting around here.”

Satoru smirks at Suguru, and Suguru glares harder.

Chapter 2

Chapter Text

“What’s your angle, Satoru?”

“In regards to…”

“Stealing Yaga’s job, insulting a majority of the staff, and…” Suguru contemplates throwing in the last point due to its lack of importance overall. But f*ck it. “And your uniform.”

“I didn't steal Yaga’s job. It was a majority rule. The staff members I insulted were long overdue for an honest evaluation and as for my attire, I just thought this look suited me.”

Suguru remembers them wearing the same style of uniform jacket when they were in high school.

When Suguru graduated he changed his pants to the standard, straight leg look, but kept the same style of uniform jacket. Satoru is wearing the exact same thing.

“I thought you hated this place,” Suguru says, deeming the clothing discussion the least of his concerns. “Now you’re running the show. What changed?”

“Seeing that we are no longer friends and that is something I would only disclose to a friend, I am not answering that.” Satoru opens a manila folder and flips through the papers. “You’re the top teacher at this institution and your students are showing great signs of improvement…”

So, this is how it’s going to be now?

Fine, Suguru thinks.

Things will be better this way. Besides, he was the one who ended things. He has to live with that.

“…that’s why I’m reassigning you to the new first years that begin classes next Monday.”

Suguru is positive that he misheard that. “Excuse me?”

“Which part confused you?”

“The part where you demoted me to first years.”

“It’s not a demotion.”

Then why does it feel as though Suguru is being punished? He doesn’t want to believe that Satoru would be petty or vindictive but this is what it feels like to him.

“Bullsh*t!” Suguru shouts.

Satoru sighs as though this entire conversation is draining him. “Geto-san, you have one of two options. Accept this reassignment and continue to take on solo assignments when instructed or leave.”

Suguru tries to disregard the ache in his chest that appeared the moment Satoru addressed him that way to no avail.

“Geto-san?” Suguru repeats, half irate and half shocked. “I see.” He stands up and places the flat of his hand on the desk and leans in Satoru’s face. “I quit. I’d like my last check wired to me, Gojo-san.”

He leaves before Satoru can say another word because he doesn’t think he would have been able to leave with his dignity intact if Satoru had nonchalantly responded to his resignation. He hates that this is where their relationship stands now but he’ll live; he hopes.

His meeting was scheduled last so the courtyard is empty and everything is silent when he steps outside.

If his arm wasn’t still healing, he would have slapped Satoru for addressing him that way.

f*cking Geto-san; he’s never called him that. Even when they first met. Satoru called him ‘Bangs’ for a full week before switching to Suguru.

Back at his place, Suguru stands in the small genkan and looks around, feeling at a complete loss.

Ever since he was brought to the school, he has lived within its borders. The entirety of his life, the parts that matter, are encapsulated here along with his memories — both good and bad — of Satoru.

Suguru blames himself for becoming too emotionally dependent on others. People are fickle as that is their nature. He can hardly be upset.

Perhaps it is time to leave and put everything behind him. The hardest part will be finding a place for himself amongst the non-sorcerer population. He’s never had a dream job, and just started to teach because work is limited for sorcerers.

He doesn’t even know what else he’s good at, honestly. None of his expertise applies to blue collar nor white collar work. He could become a mercenary but that soulless work may push him too far.

Years of seeing friends and acquaintances die has altered his brain’s chemistry. Anymore dehumanizing work and there’s no telling how he’ll turn out.

Suguru tries to think of anything else he can do. There has to be something.

As a child, his main concern was finding new ways to ignore the strange and terrifying things he saw. He had no time to imagine himself in different career paths.

Some children wanted to be doctors or firefighters. Suguru just wanted to be normal and not lonely all the time.

That first wish never came true but he found a place to fit in and belong. Now he’s going to leave it all behind because his feelings are hurt.

How pathetic.

Satoru stares at the blood splatters and the outline of the special grade’s body he disintegrated, feeling nothing but disappointment.

Another lead that took him nowhere.

Shoving his hands inside his pockets, he fast travels from the dilapidated warehouse back to the underground bunker that holds all of his deepest, darkest secrets.

He stands in front of a wall that’s covered in polaroids, notes, and maps all connected by a web of red thread.

Ten years worth of endless research lies before him. He started to construct it the moment he arrived in this timeline.

The wall collage once brought Satoru happiness, even pride. Now whenever he looks at what he’s been wasting his second chance on, he gets overwhelmed with sickening guilt and self-hatred.

Extending his hand, he burns everything related to the last lead he followed up on. He looks at the other burned notes from past clues that lead nowhere.

There are hundreds of burnt holes on the walls that serve as constant reminders of his failings.

And that was the last one.

There is no trace of Kenjaku in this timeline it seems.

Satoru has tried to bait the entity, on several occasions, with the corpses of fallen high level sorcerers. He didn’t kill them himself.

The sorcerers died out in the field and he moved in to obtain the body before the schools did, and he held off on cremating them and performing the necessary rites to rid their body of cursed energy in the hopes that Kenjaku would use them as a host.

Each time, Kenjaku never appeared, and Satoru was left with a new curse to obliterate.

If by some miracle, Kenjaku has ceased to exist somehow, Satoru doesn’t know what he would do.

Obviously, he would be ecstatic to know that this world is free of Kenjaku. On the other hand, that would mean he has wasted years of this life hunting a ghost. Also, some of the things he has done to tamper with fate have corrupted his soul beyond repair.

He would do it all again though. He would do every step the same if it meant seeing Suguru alive and well.

Satoru leaves the bunker, unable to stomach it anymore.

He walks the streets of Tokyo for something to do, not wanting to go to his living quarters on campus or his rooms at the clan compound or even his private home that no one knows about.

The streets are crowded, helping his perpetual loneliness.

In this timeline, the Shibuya incident is less than four months away. Prior to that, the school’s warehouse will be raided during their Goodwill Event with the Kyoto school.

Satoru is confident these key events will still occur because he has successfully intervened in several, repeat events already.

As the principal he’ll be able to properly prepare for both events without someone questioning his authority.

Yaga is a good man but he lacks the grit to do what’s necessary. Satoru almost felt bad about stabbing him in the back and having him fired but Yaga will thank him in the long run. He’ll get to keep his life this time around.

The Higher Ups enjoy the money Satoru keeps flowing in so they give him more leeway than they ever gave Yaga but he doesn’t trust them and will kill them the first time they overstep.

He’s hoping they’ll overstep just to give him an excuse to do what he’s been dreaming about for two lifetimes.

He has worked hard to put himself in positions of power in every aspect of his life.

In the other timeline, he was too obedient, allowing the Higher Ups to send him all over the world to do their bidding. He was too cowardly, never saying how he truly felt in an attempt to unnecessarily guard himself from the one person he wanted to be vulnerable with. He was too complacent and nearly got himself killed for it.

This second time around is strikingly different. He’s different.

If he listed everything he’s done over the years to shape this reality into his ideal version of it, he’d look no better than the curses he annihilates indiscriminately.

But what he does he does for love.

A curse could never relate to him. They are soulless, loveless, wretched beings. If Satoru could rid the world of curses he would do so with a snap of his finger.

Unfortunately, he’s not that powerful.

Not yet anyway.

It’s been two months since Suguru resigned.

Despite keeping a close eye on him, Satoru allows him to think he lives undetected. Suguru can disappear without a trace if he wants to but he seems uncertain of his decision to leave the school even after all this time.

Satoru was counting on that, too.

He knows Suguru has nowhere else to go and that he deeply cares about the students’ well being. He has been using that to keep Suguru right where he wants and needs him for years.

It felt like everything went to sh*t when Suguru left the school. Satoru hates the place — he has his reasons — but for now it’s the safest place for Suguru to be.

When Suguru quit and left the school two months ago, Satoru felt his world tilt on its axis.

An eerie sense of déjà vu hit him, reminding him of a crowded street and unspoken truths. He wanted to chase after him, drop his nonchalant façade for once and beg him to stay.

At the time, he felt like finding and eliminating Kenjaku was his main priority, and any disagreement between him and Suguru could be rectified after he achieved that goal.

But he’s been pushing Suguru away for a fruitless suicide mission, and for what? Just to sleep alone every night, if he sleeps, and fantasize about the life he could be living if he simply allowed himself to live it?

Satoru’s midnight stroll ends with him hovering over the apartment complex Suguru now calls home. He can see him sleeping on a futon, hair wild, limbs stretched all over the place.

He and Suguru are on bad terms, which is something he never wanted. He tried to set Suguru free, valuing his happiness above all else. He tried to pretend he isn’t selfish and greedy, and all that has done is deprive him of the one thing that keeps him going.

He has to fix this, he decides at that moment while he continues to watch Suguru sleep. He has to fix this or another ten years of pining, longing, and despairing will pass him by.

Satoru wants to have his cake and eat it, too. So that’s what he’ll do.

“You’re hard to find when you don’t want to be bothered.”

“That’s the point,” Suguru says.

He doesn’t look up from his task. He keeps circling interesting job openings in the newspaper while his uninvited guest tours his shoebox apartment. The studio is half the size of his former home on school grounds but Suguru believes he can make it work.

Even though it’s been months and he still feels like a visitor in someone else’s home.

“Can you even breathe in this tiny space?” Haibara asks, taking a seat on the stool across from where Suguru is seated. “Is the actual apartment through that door?” He points at the broom closet.

Suguru grits his teeth and gives a tight-lipped smile. “I think minimalism suits me,” he says.

“Is this the only place you could afford?”

Yes.

“How did you find me?”

Suguru would really like to know so he can cover his tracks better. It’s surprising that Haibara, of all people, was able to track him down.

He doesn't like to critique his friends but it’s not a secret that Haibara has maintained the same novice ranking since high school. There is a reason he still needs a partner on his assignments.

“You have a powerful concentration of cursed energy inside of you, Geto. You’re like a beacon.”

Folding the newspaper, Suguru lays it on his lap. Then he clasps his hands and levels Haibara with a flat look. “Do you think that I haven’t found a way to efficiently mask my presence with this technique I have by now?”

Haibara grins nervously. “I took a wild guess?”

“Liar. Who helped you?”

“I promised I wouldn’t rat them out!”

There’s only one person it could be.

No one else can find Suguru when he doesn’t want to be found. It’s even possible that they’ve known where Suguru was from the very start.

“Why didn’t Gojo-san come himself?” Suguru asks.

The corners of Haibara’s mouth turn downward. “Why are you addressing him that way? Are you two fighting? I thought you left because you were upset that Nanami will be teaching your students now.”

“He demoted me and gave my job to Nanami of all…?” Suguru has to bite his tongue before he says something he’ll regret.

Satoru is the one who is always calling Nanami wasted potential. Now he wants that alleged “wasted potential” to take over his class?

“It’s not a demotion, Geto,” Haibara says, sighing. He crosses his arm and gets serious. “There’s a new student. A non-sorcerer with incredible brute strength who we’re teaching to wield Cursed Tools. You’re our strongest Taijutsu user. That’s why Gojo made the change.”

That actually sounds logical, and not vindictive like Suguru assumed. He thought Satoru was being petty and immature but if what Haibara says is true, he’s the petty and immature one.

“Is the new student from one of the families?”

“No.”

That doesn’t make any sense then.

“He’s a non-sorcerer without any ties to one of the families and yet the school accepted him?” Suguru remembers the young boy Gojo brought to the school. “Is it Itadori-kun?”

Haibara nods. “I’ve been teaching him and the two others the basics but they need a real teacher who can teach them how to survive out there.”

Suguru is always the one preaching about that and he has even gotten on Satoru’s case for his lack of participation in the school. Now Satoru is doing more than him.

It goes without saying that Suguru is struggling to find work. Two months have flown by and he’s living off his savings. Soon that will be all dried up and he’ll be sh*t out of luck.

Still, he hates to go crawling back especially after his dramatic exit. He knows his return will give Satoru satisfaction, not because he misses him or because he’ll be happy to see him. He’ll feel smug satisfaction at the fact that Suguru had to come crawling back to “his” school, and that’s enough to make Suguru want to stay put.

“Gojo asked me to come here,” Haibara says, pulling Suguru’s attention back to him. “He worried you would sense his presence and try to run.”

“I would have.” Suguru considers running now. Doing so is easier than facing Satoru again. “I have a new life, Haibara. My teaching days are behind me.”

Fed up, Haibara snatches the newspaper from Suguru and skims his eyes over the circled job listings. “So, what now? You’re going to be a dog walker or a sign holder at some ramen shop? Be serious!”

“Bashing menial labor is very rude. Are you being an elitist?!”

“Stop messing around, Geto!”

“I’m not!”

“You are!”

“Fine!” Suguru says, exasperated. Sending Haibara here was a tactful move. He’s quite persistent. “I’ll come back. I want a pay raise too.”

It doesn’t hurt to negotiate a little.

Haibara’s smile is blinding; he’s very pleased with himself. “Take that up with the Boss. That’s way above my pay raise!”

There are dozens of things that Suguru is not looking forward to when he returns to the school. Having to address Satoru as his ‘Boss’ is definitely one of them.

A few days later, Suguru is walking up the stone pathway to his house with everything he owns inside of a duffle bag he carries on his shoulder.

He didn’t expect any major changes to have occurred during the time he was gone so he isn’t surprised to see that nothing has changed.

Tomorrow, he’ll meet his new students and return to the work he enjoys doing. With any luck Satoru will be off somewhere doing whatever important people do.

He would very much like to not see him anytime soon.

Of course, Suguru knows that life loves to throw a metaphorical pie in his face.

“Hi.”

Suguru stands inside the doorway and watches the last person he wanted to see casually sweeping his floor. He didn’t even sense Satoru's presence, which is annoying.

Without the school uniform jacket on, Satoru’s biceps are hard to ignore, and the way they flex every time he sweeps is distracting. He’s still wearing that black eye covering that Suguru will have to get used to.

“What are you doing?” Suguru asks.

Satoru looks at the broom and then at Suguru again. “Sweeping?” He poses it like a question because it’s obvious that he’s sweeping.

That irritates Suguru because he knows that Satoru knows what his question actually meant.

“Since when do you clean?”

“I wanted to make sure the place was tidy before you came back.”

“That's awfully considerate, and suspicious”

“As the Principal, I’ve gotta’ look out for my staff,” Satoru says as he continues to sweep.

Suguru sets his bag down and changes into slippers. The place smells fresh as though it’s been aired out and there’s no dust, suggesting that Satoru has been cleaning for some time.

He steps further inside, noticing a vase of white and blue flowers in the kitchen.

“Did you buy those flowers?” Suguru asks.

Satoru’s eyebrows furrow and his mouth is set in a line. “If you don’t like them you can toss them out.” He turns his back to him and starts sweeping with more gusto. “I was hoping to be done before you got here.” He sounds flustered.

“So you could avoid me?”

“So you wouldn’t know I was the one to clean. Look, I’ll be out of your hair soon. Let me just finish this up.”

Suguru walks over to the kitchen, stepping around the short half wall that separates it from the small dining area.

“No, stay for tea,” he says. There’s a brown folder on the counter. “Is this my students’ portfolios?”

“Yeah. I figured you’d want to get familiar with them before you start class.”

“Thank you…for cleaning and the flowers and dropping this off for me…”

Satoru starts sweeping at a normal pace again. He looks over his shoulder and smiles. “No problem, Suguru,” he says.

That is as close to an apology that Suguru is going to get, and him allowing Satoru to stay for tea is the closest apology Satoru will get from him.

It’s always been this way between them.

Instead of having heart to heart talks and airing out their grievances with one another, they tend to just return to normal and act like nothing ever happened.

It’s easier that way, Suguru thinks as they sit across from one another, allowing their tea to cool down.

For two emotionally stunted people like them, it’s easy to sweep everything under the rug instead of confronting it head on.

They face some of the most terrifying creatures on a daily basis and yet nothing scares them more than their feelings.

“Where’d you find the twins?” Suguru asks as he flips through the portfolios.

“In a village. They were taken in by the Kamo clan by my request.”

Suguru looks at the accompanying headshots of the two young girls; Nanako and Mimiko Hasaba. A dull ache forms in his chest the longer he stares at their faces. He has this strong urge to protect them though he doesn't understand what he needs to protect them from. He excuses it as a teacher’s instinct.

“And this is the non-sorcerer?” Suguru asks, skimming his eyes over the last profile. “Itadori Yuji.”

He’s a year older than the twins. All three of the children are orphans.

“Yes, I was hoping you could help him use Cursed Tools.” Satoru blows on his tea before having a sip. He put a million sugar cubes in it. “We’re near extinct in a world where curses outnumber us by the thousands. I think it couldn't hurt to train this boy in our ways.”

Suguru won’t argue with that. A person can kill a curse without possessing cursed energy, after all.

“Did you think I was trying to punish you by switching you to first years?”

The question is unexpected because Suguru was under the impression that they were going to continue on as if none of that happened two months ago.

It takes him a while to respond because he considers brushing it off but ultimately decides against it.

“Yes, I thought you were trying to punish me. But you just want to ensure these three are looked after by someone who can train them properly. Right?”

Satoru nods. “And you were right. The school does need my help so that’s why I’m here.”’

What is in the air?

Did Gojo Satoru openly admit that Suguru was right?

Wow. He wishes he could have recorded that.

Since this feels like a rare moment, he has to shamelessly milk it.

“You freaked out when I quit didn’t you?” Suguru asks, his smile cheeky. He pouts and puts on a dramatic air. “Oh, no! What will I do without Suguru?” He laughs at his own antics. “Is that how you were?”

Satoru chuckles and raises his tea cup but doesn’t sip. “I was devastated,” he says in all seriousness. “I worried you’d never speak to me again. You know, you’re my one and only best friend, Suguru.”

Suguru was trying to tease Satoru and get a rise out of him. Now he’s sitting here, looking like an idiot with his mouth ajar and his eyes stinging. He glances away, feeling overly exposed with Satoru looking right at him.

It’s said that Six Eyes can see the very core of a person’s being, every imperfection and every secret is laid bare for the wielder’s omnipotent gaze.

Does that mean that Satoru can see Suguru’s heart fluttering behind his breast bone? He really hopes not.

“That’s not true, Satoru,” Suguru says, putting his tea cup down. He leans over the table and touches Satoru’s hand. “You have Shoko, Nanami, and Haibara…”

“Work acquaintances,” Satoru says dismissively. “You’re my only best friend…the only person who can tolerate me.” He chuckles humorlessly.

“Shoko enjoys her solitude. And Nanami would be nicer if you didn’t tease him all the time. Haibara likes everyone,” he reasons.

“Suguru, I’m not saying this for pity’s sake. I like that it’s just you…” His mouth sets in a firm line, and Suguru knows that it means he's struggling with his next words. “So, next time you leave the school expect me to come with you.” He turns his hand over.

Without realizing it, Suguru immediately clasps Satoru’s hand. He glances down, seeing how Satoru is lightly stroking his knuckles. He should pull his hand away but he doesn’t; he doesn’t want to.

“Okay, Satoru,” he says quietly. “I won’t leave you again as long as you don’t shut me out anymore.”

Satoru squeezes his hand. “You’re the only person I want to let in,” he says, his breath just above a whisper. He leans forward, and their noses nearly touch.

Suguru thinks about that kiss they shared months ago. It was a one time thing done out of fear, according to Satoru. But what if…what if it was actually more than that?

“Welcome back!” two loud voices shout once the door is thrown open.

A second before Shoko, Haibara, and Nanami arrived, they pulled away from one another.

Now they’re acting as if they weren’t seconds away from locking lips, and Suguru hopes they don’t bring it up again. He doesn’t know what came over him just then. Maybe he was just thrown off by how sincere Satoru was.

While Suguru greets their friends, Satoru goes to the bathroom. He stays there long enough for Suguru to worry that he left, but when they’re all around the low dining table setting out the take out food and beers the trio brought, Satoru returns.

He takes the empty place next to Suguru, greeting everyone in the usual chipper way.

Even his aura is different from what it was right before the others arrived. It went from warm like the sun on a cold winter day to neutral, and if Suguru didn’t see and hear Satoru he wouldn’t think he was here at all.

Suguru is just happy that Satoru stayed.

Haibara and Nanami are sitting across from them and Shoko sits at the head of the table in her usual spot when they all hang out.

They all playfully harass Suguru about his two months as a “normal citizen” and he endures a lot of teasing for dramatically quitting but he takes it all in stride.

Because he’s in a very good mood, he drinks every beer Shoko hands him despite knowing she has a knack for getting people piss drunk.

Satoru is there to keep his water cup filled though. He pours for Suguru without Suguru asking him to and he puts food on Suguru’s plate to help him keep his stomach full so that he doesn’t get too drunk.

To Suguru, all of this is just Satoru being a considerate friend as well as a good Boss because Suguru does have to teach tomorrow.

But he doesn’t notice how the others watch them throughout the night.

“Be honest, do you want to f*ck Gojo?”

Speechless, Suguru stares at Haibara’s face that is soon engulfed in a fruity, toxic cloud as he smokes on an e-cigarette. He’s supposed to be quitting but so is Shoko who has been smoking since she was twelve.

So, the chances of either of them going cold turkey is slim to none.

Speaking of Shoko, she’s leaning against the wall of the house next to Haibara, waiting for an answer.

When they asked him to step outside with them he thought they missed him. No. The nosey f*cks want to tick him off.

“What?” Suguru asks, laughing at the ridiculousness of the question. “Where did that come from?”

Haibara gasps and looks over at Shoko. “He so wants to, you were right!”

Shoko holds out her hand, and Haibara grumbles as he takes some bills out of his pocket and hands it over.

“You two made a bet?” Suguru asks, face burning but he’ll blame it on the alcohol. He’s two more beers away from suggesting they end the night at a karaoke bar. So he had to cut himself off. “f*ck you.”

“Sorry, I’m taken,” Haibara says with a cheeky grin. “But I’m positive Gojo would be more than happy to accept your offer.”

“You two are pushing thirty, grow up!”

The two snicker.

They keep smoking and smiling at him like they’re loving every moment of pissing him off. Obviously they are.

Haibara kicks himself off the wall. “You know, Geto, you’re one to talk,” he says, wagging his finger. “You’re pushing thirty too and you’re still pretending that you and Gojo are just friends.”

“We are just friends!”

The memory of Gojo kissing him decides to pop up in his head as soon as he says that.

Afraid that Shoko and Haibara will somehow find out about what transpired, he dismisses the thought. He’s not ashamed that they kissed. He just knows everyone else will make a huge deal about it and make it more than what it is.

Gojo was just worried he would never see him again. He acted out of desperation.

Even as Suguru tries to convince himself that, there’s a tiny, aggravating voice in the back of his head that calls bullsh*t.

“It’s not a bad thing,” Haibara says, patting Suguru’s arm and keeping his hand there as though he were concerned. “Besides, you could use the stress reliever!”

Suguru shrugs Haibara’s hand off him. “Not everyone needs sex to relieve stress,” he says.

Haibara’s mouth drops open and he looks over at Shoko who just laughs behind her hand. “No way,” he says, looking back at Suguru. “You’re actually a virgin? I thought Shoko was pulling my leg!”

“You two have been discussing me a lot, I see. What gives?”

Before Suguru can kick them both off his property and give them the silent treatment that will last a week, Shoko walks over, her hands raised in a placating gesture.

“It was harmless gossip,” she says, touching his shoulders. “Most of us have partnered up or at the very least gotten laid besides you two…well, Gojo has checked off one of those boxes but—”

“Huh? Satoru has had…” He looks around and lowers his voice. “Sex?”

Haibara snorts loudly but hurriedly apologizes when Suguru glares at him.

“Of course he has,” Shoko says as if it’s national news. “Not with anyone from the schools but he definitely has…more than once.”

“How do you even know this?”

“I know everything,” she says cryptically.

Suguru gives her a flat look. “Do you know how much I hate you?” He deadpans.

Shoko pats his cheek. “You love me,” she says. The only reason he doesn’t deny that is because she quickly follows up with a sincere expression. “On a serious note, why do you think he came back?”

“To the school?”

“When he left and ghosted us for years. Then he suddenly came back. He did that for you.”

“He did that for us, Shoko.”

Shoko gives him the same look Satoru gave him earlier before the others arrived and disrupted them. She looks exasperated as well as pitiful. Like she can’t grasp why he fails to see what’s smack in front of him.

The front door of his house swings open as Nanami stumbles out, looking socially drained. It’s a wonder he and Satoru managed to stand one another for this long.

Nanami puts an arm around Haibara and refuses to kiss him because he has “nicotine” breath. But they kiss anyway, and Suguru has to look away.

Public displays of affection have never bothered him to the point where he was filled with resentment this way. Hopefully this is nothing more than a rare occurrence born of frustration with the recent topic of conversation.

Soon, they’re the only two left.

The others stayed long enough to help clean up and then they all went their separate ways.

“I have an extra futon,” Suguru says because even though Satoru can teleport, it’s late. “I’ll put it in my room. You can shower first.”

Satoru nods. He takes the sweatpants and two towels Suguru gives him before walking to the bathroom.

Rolling out the spare futon, Suguru spends a ridiculous amount of time deciding on where to put it. If he puts it right next to his futon that could send the wrong message but if he places it across the room it would seem like he doesn’t really want Satoru to stay.

They haven’t slept over like this since they were in high school so maybe he’s just overthinking things.

It couldn’t hurt to put their futons next to one another. That isn’t the equivalent of saying “hey, Satoru, let’s f*ck.”

He nods to himself as he puts the futon next to his with just a small space between it.

He’s feeling good about the decision until Satoru enters the bedroom with nothing but the borrowed sweatpants on. He had to roll the pants legs up because his legs are long and they look silly on him otherwise.

Water droplets fall from his hair and some droplets roll down his muscular chest. He used to be scrawny in high school with chicken legs; not really.

But now….

Satoru looks over at the futons, and Suguru clears his throat and mutters something about his room not being that big so he couldn't space them out. He grabs a towel and clothes to change into then he speed walks to the shower, feeling like an idiot for acting this way.

This is Haibara’s and Shoko’s fault for messing with his head. He thinks about what Shoko said while he showers, allowing the hot water to cascade over his body and hair and sober him up a little.

Not that it has ever crossed his mind before, but the idea of Satoru having sex is inconceivable. He can’t even picture him— actually, he can picture Satoru sweet talking some woman out of her panties.

Maybe even a guy…

He should have asked Shoko if she knew Satoru’s sexuality but that would have made it seem that he was asking because he was interested in pursuing Satoru and he’s not.

There’s no reason why he can’t simply ask Satoru himself. They’ve faced death together so they should be able to talk about sex.

Suguru towel dries his hair in the bathroom after putting on athletic shorts and a t-shirt that has the sleeves and the sides cut. When he enters his bedroom, Satoru is sitting on his futon with his legs crossed and his mask removed. He’s rubbing his eyes.

“Are they sore?” Suguru asks as he closes the door softly.

“They’re fine.”

He always says that.

“Can I ask you something?” Suguru sits down on his futon across from Satoru, crossing his legs.

Their knees touch but neither of them scoot back or acknowledge the proximity.

“You can ask me anything. No more secrets, remember?”

Suguru is glad Satoru is taking his request seriously. He chuckles to dispel any awkward tension the question may cause.

“We’ve never talked about this so I’m just curious…have you ever hooked up with anyone?”

Satoru doesn’t laugh and crack jokes like Suguru expected. He glances off to the side, smiling somberly. “I wouldn’t call it a hook up,” he says, speaking softly. “I like to think he and I made love…”

He.

He and I.

Why does hearing that hurt so much?

Suguru had hoped Satoru would brag about some woman he hooked up with at a bar while he was out of town on an assignment. A one night stand that was only meant to serve a singular purpose.

That was what he hoped it would be.

Instead, Satoru made love to another man that wasn’t Suguru.

That’s why it hurts, Suguru realizes.

He has no qualms with his best friend being into other guys. That sort of thing never bothered Suguru who was born with an open mind.

He just doesn’t like that Satoru was vulnerable with another. He doesn’t fully understand why he cares this much considering he isn’t supposed to have romantic feelings for Satoru at all.

“Oh, I see,” Suguru says, trying to play it off. “Do you and him still…”

Satoru looks at Suguru. “No. Not anymore,” he says, his eyes remorseful. “It’s in the past. Way in the past.”

“Gotcha.”

“What about you?”

“What about me?”

“Have you ever hooked up with anyone?” Satoru glances away again. “I know when I was absent you got close to some people…”

“Platonically only.”

“So you’ve never…”

“Nope.” Suguru wants to throw out something sassy like how he’s ‘loyal’ but even he has to admit that’s going overboard.

Satoru doesn’t owe him that kind of loyalty, and he shouldn’t require that of his best friend.

“I see,” Satoru says, and he looks almost happy to hear that. “Is there a reason why you haven’t?”

Suguru lays down on his back under the warm duvet. “No particular reason,” he says. “Can you turn the light off?” He turns over, putting his back to Satoru to mask his sour mood. “Night.”

Once the bedroom light is off, Suguru closes his eyes and forces himself to sleep so he doesn’t have to spend all night with these bitter and irrational thoughts.

As he’s drifting off to sleep, however, he swears he feels Satoru combing his fingers through the ends of his hair.

“How can you just let yourself be used like this?”

Slowly, Suguru’s tired eyes open.

His senses are dulled due to him being in an environment he deemed safe so it takes him half a second to feel the crushing weight on his body.

As his vision clears, he can make out Satoru’s still form. He’s on top of Suguru, blue eyes brimming with malice and hatred while he holds a hand against Satoru’s throat. His fingers are forming a symbol that Suguru has seen Satoru make a handful of times.

Enough times to know that Satoru is trying to kill him.

“Satoru?!” Suguru tries to sit up but it feels like the universe is crushing him.

He wants to throw Satoru off but from the dead look in Satoru’s eyes he’ll obliterate him if he makes the wrong move.

Sometimes the night terrors get this bad; they feel too real. Suguru has experienced his fair share but never to the point where he has attacked anyone this way.

It must be something deeply traumatizing for Satoru to react this violently.

“Satoru…it’s me,” Suguru says, opting for a calmer approach. “It’s Suguru.”

“You stole his body…you vile piece of sh*t…you stole his voice too…” His voice is icy and hateful, nothing like it normally is.

Suguru holds his breath.

He’s too afraid to swallow the lump in his throat because even the slightest of movements might end his life. He just continues staring at Satoru, dead in the eye, in hopes that he will see that it’s him and no one else.

Satoru is supposed to be able to see his soul, right?

Then he should be able to see that this is Suguru; his Suguru, his best friend, his partner in crime who used to help him give Yaga hell.

They carried their school during the Goodwill exchanges and saved countless lives together up until Satoru left. They would wait until the campus was deathly quiet to sneak out for late night strolls around the city, and conduct vending machine raids that left their stomachs aching the next day.

The first time they failed to save a civilian they cried together and held each other until they were forced to seperate.

If Suguru ever felt compelled to see what the hype concerning sex is about, it would be Satoru he would want to share that experience with.

Even though Satoru never felt the same and already decided to share that moment with another. He would still choose Satoru.

Satoru frowns down at Suguru.

Carefully, he raises his other hand while keeping his fimgers firmly against Suguru’s throat. Using the other hand, he brushes the hair away from Suguru’s forehead as if searching for something.

“Suguru,” Satoru breathes, rubbing his thumb across Suguru’s forehead. His eyes soften and the tension in his shoulders disappears. “I thought it took you…”

He collapses on top of Suguru, sweating, trembling, and muttering Suguru’s name over and over like a broken hymn.

Suguru holds Satoru against his chest. “I’m safe, Satoru,” he says, petting his hair. “Don’t worry…”

He continues to comfort him until Satoru manages to fall asleep again. Even then, he doesn’t let him go.

Chapter 3

Chapter Text

By all means it shouldn’t come as a shock to Suguru. This is one of the unavoidable results of two, young and healthy people being in close contact with one another.

Then again, if either of them had been awake he doubts this would have happened at all because best friends do not go around getting hard ons from one another.

Even though sorcerers like he and Satoru are gifted enough to sense the difference between a sorcerer, a non sorcerer, and a curse in their sleep, he convinces himself that this is simply a rare occurrence where neither of them realized who the other warm body in the futon was. It could very well be because Satoru, who is incredibly strong, masked his presence while he was asleep.

Okay, yeah, that seems far-fetched and doesn’t make any sense but currently Satoru is laying on top of him, arms around his torso, nose pressed against his neck, and dick touching his dick, so it’s not his fault that he’s incapable of forming a conclusive analysis of the situation.

As awkward as this all is Suguru can’t help but notice how big Satoru is. That can pertain to his height or his body mass but Suguru is referring to his dick, and it is startling that he even notices that without actually touching it.

Satoru’s dick feels big, heavy.

Suguru would be annoyed that it clearly dwarfs his own if he cared about that sort of thing. Part of him even gets excited by the revelation.

But why would that excite him?

Why would his best friend having a big dick excite him?

It’s not like that information benefits him in any way. Now he’s trying to figure out why he had a thought like that but the more he does it the more his mind conjures up images of him and Satoru in more situations like this but with less clothes between them, and the thoughts make his skin heat up more and his head lighter.

“Satoru,” Suguru says timidly. Annoyed by how his voice came out, he deepens it. “Hey, Satoru, you’re kinda' crushing me.” He jokes to alleviate the awkwardness.

Mumbling in his sleep, Satoru turns his face so that his lips are now pressed to Suguru’s neck, and he inhales before exhaling slowly. He makes himself more comfortable while in turn his actions make Suguru’s heartbeat quicken. The slight movement made their dicks rub together as well, and that friction felt good.

Like really good.

Biting his lips, Suguru turns his head, leaning away slightly to avoid their lips making contact.

This close he can see how perfect Satoru truly is. His jawline is sharp, his skin free of blemishes, and his eyelashes are full, looking as if Satoru curls them every morning. To top off his good looks, he’s considered the strongest sorcerer of their era.

Underneath all of that Satoru is still that lonely kid who went out of his way to befriend Suguru during their short time at a summer camp. At the time Suguru had no idea it was for “gifted children” or that Satoru was acting as a recruiter for the school.

Those were the best two weeks of Suguru’s childhood. Before Satoru, everything was dark and bleak. He felt isolated. Then Satoru all but forced him to be his roommate in the small cabin they were assigned and from there their friendship blossomed.

Even when Satoru suddenly left without a word, Suguru couldn’t bring himself to hate or resent him. If anything he was hurt. Sometimes he wants to demand an explanation, but he’s afraid that it’ll make Satoru leave again. He has to have his reasons, after all.

Suguru is in the middle of tracing the outline of Satoru’s lips with his eyes like a good ole’ best friend when Satoru’s eyes flash open. It happens too fast for Suguru to even react. He lays there frozen, holding his breath and waiting for Satoru to address the elephant in the room so that he can deny everything and act as if their dicks aren’t touching.

Instead, Satoru moves closer.

Eyes widening, a blush spreads across Suguru’s face, and his eyes lower.

When he’s smacked in the face by Satoru’s broad chest as Satoru leans over to grab his phone and check the time, he loudly splutters.

“Asshole!”

Satoru chuckles. “Morning,” he says, voice deep and raspy. “What’s for breakfast?”

Annoyed, and embarrassed because he thought that moment was going somewhere else, he shoves Satoru off of him, sending him back to his own futon. While he’s moving hair out of his face he realizes that Satoru could have prevented him from shoving him away yet he didn’t.

“What do you want to eat?” Suguru asks.

“I don’t think you’re offering what I want.”

“French toast with insane amounts of powdered sugar?” Hair out of the way, he opens his eyes and glances over at Satoru who is staring at him with this look. “Huh?”

Thinking something is wrong he glances down at himself, noticing how his shirt is crumpled up, exposing one of his nipples, and his erection is still there. Without meaning to, he looks to see if the same can be said for Satoru and his jaw nearly drops at the sight of a thick bulge practically hanging over Satoru’s hip.

Suguru looks away sharply. “On second thought, I have to do my morning run before classes begin,” he says, voice coming out hoarse. “Shouldn’t the principle get an early start as well?”

Satoru says nothing. He just loudly stares as if trying to compel Suguru to look at him.

While he may be the strongest, and blessed with other gifts, one thing he cannot beat Suguru at is being stubborn as hell.

The silence drags on until the sound of Satoru’s exasperated sigh puts an end to it. “I guess I’ll starve since Suguru is being so mean today,” he says, and Suguru can imagine his fake pout. “So much for hospitality.”

“Get out.”

“Can I put my shirt on at least?”

Suguru is once again reminded of how he woke up and how his face was momentarily smushed against Satoru’s pecs. Having that massive and strong body on top of him felt…

He needs to get this mental disturbance out of his house so that his thoughts can return to normal before he meets his new students.

Before he can opt for a meaner approach Satoru thankfully leaves.

After a long run later, he takes a cold shower and thinks about how curses taste disgusting on the tongue to finally get his erection to go away.

“Geto-sensei, how am I supposed to use this damn thing?!” Itadori’s voice rings out across the clearing, startling the birds that are perched in a nearby tree.

In response, Nanako visibly flinches while her twin, Mimiko, cuts her eyes at him. Day four of the first week of classes is only beginning and it is safe to declare that the twins do not like their classmate Itadori. The feelings are mutual as well.

Suguru maintains his placid expression as he asks the twins to continue sparring. They work well together, and despite their lack of combat experience they match one another’s fighting style perfectly. He would like for all three of his students to synchronize but the personality clashes interfere with that goal.

It’s a work in progress.

“Maybe you’re not suited for Playful Cloud,” Suguru says, extending his hand. “I told you to select something that you had prior experience with.”

Itadori hands the cursed tool over. “I’ve never wielded any weapons before.”

Nanako and Mimiko underwent introductory training during their time with the Kamo clan whereas Itadori is very new to all of this. According to him, he was at a park with friends one night when they were attacked by what he believed to be monsters at the time. All of his friends died while Itadori survived with minor injuries.

A representative from the school found him and the rest is history; or a secret that only Satoru is privy to.

“Forgive me, Itadori-kun,” Suguru says, walking over to the locked cabinet where other cursed tools are stored. “I prefer for students to pick weapons that resonate with them. Since you are new to all of this I should have picked for you.”

Returning Playful Cloud to its shelf, he scans his eyes over the other objects until he finds the best fit. Smiling, he picks up the brass knuckle rings that are feather light yet pack a powerful punch.

“A former student favored these. His name was Hakari Kinji.”

Carefully Itadori accepts the knuckle rings, he weighs them in the palm of his hand, taking note of their lightness before trying them on. The knuckle rings instantly adapt to the size of his fingers, startling Itadori.

Suguru pats him on the back. “See, a perfect fit!”

Itadori blinks and stares at Suguru, a faint blush spreading across his face. “Sensei, thank you.”

That show of gratitude is very sincere for what Suguru deems as a minor aspect of being a teacher. He’s here to help young sorcerers and non-sorcerers as best he can. To him, it is not a task deserving of thanks though it is always nice to hear it.

“I still don’t think I belong here,” Itadori says, staring at the ground with downcast eyes. “I don’t get why my friends died and I lived. It feels undeserved.”

Survivor’s guilt is nothing new to those in their profession.

Friends and colleagues die. The deserving and the undeserving alike experience honorless deaths. It is the harsh reality they all must face. However, Suguru has no intentions of crushing this young boy’s heart any further.

“You lost your grandfather as well recently, right?”

Itadori nods. “He had been sick for a while, it was bound to happen.”

“It’s okay to still be sad about it.” Suguru touches Itadori’s shoulder because sometimes direct contact does help. “You are alive to carry on their memories. This may all seem crazy to you but we save people, isn’t that worth living for?”

The next time Itadori looks at Suguru there is determination in his eyes.

On the first day of class Suguru asked each student what they wanted out of life. All three of his students want to save people and prevent them from losing loved ones the same as them.

As for their more personal — selfish — goals, Nanako wants to make money and Mimiko wants to travel.

Itadori never answered the question even though Suguru told him that it is fine to want things for himself. The more these kids believe they have to fight and nearly die for the sake of others they’ll see less worth in themselves. It’s good to encourage them to be a little selfish.

Suguru, in a way, learned that from Satoru while they were in school.

He asks Itadori the question again, and is pleased to hear an actual answer this time.

“I want to become stronger,” Itadori says.

“And I’ll do my best to help you achieve that.” Suguru looks over to where Nanako and Mimiko are still sparring. “All three of you have potential. It’d be nice if you got along.”

Itadori sucks his teeth. “Sensei,” he drawls, poking his lips out. “They’re little nightmares! I’ve tried to be nice to them!”

“You’re the eldest, Itadori.”

“I guess. But I won’t spar with either of them. They don’t fight fair!”

Suguru has to agree with that. “Well, I guess that means you’ll have to spar with me.”

“Really?” Itadori sizes Suguru up. “No offense, Sensei, but you kind of look like a girl. Not to say that girls can’t fight or anything. I just hit really hard…” he scratches the back of his head.

“I’m sure I’ll be fine but thank you for your concern.”

Following a short trip to the infirmary, Suguru takes his students out for ramen. The twins poke fun at Itadori for the embarrassing loss but they also take pity on him enough to not poke too hard.

Both girls are impressed that Itadori managed to land one hit on Suguru despite how widely outclassed he is so they respect him more. Suguru is too happy to see his students breaking the ice amongst themselves to reveal the truth. The only reason Itadori landed that hit on him was because he noticed Satoru was nearby, and the sight of him distracted him for a split second.

Suguru saw Satoru hovering above the training field, watching them. It was the first time he had stopped by to see how everything was going. But Suguru wasn’t distracted because his “Boss” was there to notate his progress. He was distracted because he can’t look at Satoru without thinking about his big dick.

Thankfully Satoru didn’t linger. He stayed long enough to rattle Suguru’s mind though.

“Sensei, what is your technique?” one of the twins, Nanako, asks.

“Cursed Spirit Manipulation.”

Itadori and the twins blink at him.

Suguru chuckles. “Like the name suggests, I can control cursed spirits I take in.”

“How do you take them in?” Mimiko asks.

This is the part about Suguru’s technique that he hates the most. Absorbing curses; the disgusting taste and the dehumanizing feelings that can arise from the constant ingestion.

It’s something he never vocally complains about, though, figuring he can hardly complain when his technique has saved him on multiple occasions while his allies were unfortunate. He thought that by strengthening his body and martial arts he wouldn’t have to use his technique at all, but that was back when he was young and naïve.

“He eats them,” Itadori says with morbid curiosity instead of disgust. “Right, Sensei?”

Nanako and Mimiko look at Suguru with a look akin to pity in their eyes. To him, the pity is undeserving. He is blessed in a way that others aren’t, or so that is what he often tells himself.

Suguru smiles. “Yes, that’s right, Itadori-kun.” He gestures to their bowls. “If anyone wants another helping please feel free. It’s all on me!”

“Really, Sensei?” Itadori asks excitedly.

“Yup!”

Itadori takes him up on the offer while the twins assure him that they’re full. The subject is soon changed.

Suguru spends the remainder of the outing watching his students interact with one another. Itadori and Nanako have a competitive nature, turning everything into a competition while Mimiko is there to prevent the rivalry from developing into a full on shouting match.

The three of them have more in common than they have realized yet, and Suguru is eager for the kids to make that discovery on their own.

Soon they return to campus and go their separate ways. They’ll have their first assignment tomorrow. There’s an abandoned orphanage that has high reports of strange activity. A representative from the school has already cased the place and determined that it’s a job the three first years can handle. Still, Suguru will chaperone them.

A hot shower is the first thing on Suguru’s list once he gets home. He can already feel the water on his skin, and he’s imagining how great it’ll feel to relax on the sofa and unwind after a long day of teaching. His thoughts are interrupted when he reaches the small walkway that leads up to his abode and sees Satoru standing at his door holding a bouquet of flowers.

Big dick.

The words enter his mind immediately, making his face burn hot. Frowning, he walks up to the door, avoiding Satoru’s face and he takes his key out.

“I’m off the clock,” Suguru says as he unlocks his door. “Is there a reason why my Boss is bothering me after work hours?”

Satoru sounds amused when he says, “Will you refer to me as Boss now?” He steps into the door before Suguru can close it and starts removing his shoes as if he was invited in. “How about Gojo-sama?”

“Not in your dreams.”

“In my dreams you call me something better.”

“And that is?” Suguru hates that he asked that. “Don’t answer that. Are you here to change the flowers out? They’re still fresh.”

Suguru has a green thumb. Taking care of flowers and plants is a soothing pastime. There’s a small garden in the back where he grows his own herbs and spring onions. He accepts the flowers from Satoru regardless and steps into the kitchen to find a vase. While he’s searching his cabinets, he has a passing thought.

Why is Satoru buying him flowers all of a sudden? He has never done that.

Maybe this is Satoru’s way of trying to butter him up to ensure he doesn’t leave the school again. Well, that can’t be the reason because Suguru basically promised not to leave again, and if he does he’s dragging Satoru along.

So, then why?

“How’s the new class?” Satoru asks.

“Going good so far.” Bending over, he opens the bottom cabinets under the sink to look around. “Itadori-kun’s physical strength is strange, though.” His spare vase isn’t in here.

Straightening up, he bumps into Satoru who is standing right behind him now. Suguru should have sensed that. He watches Satoru open the cabinet that's next to the stove and remove a vase.

“Oh, that’s where I put it. Thanks.”

“Other than that, is there anything else about Yūji that raises any alarms?” Satoru asks for seemingly no reason.

“No, not really. Why?”

“He’s an anomaly, that’s all.”

Suguru sniffs the flowers, smiling to himself. These aren’t random flowers picked up from a grocery store.
They’re Forget Me Nots that probably came from a high end floral shop. There was a time when Suguru knew all about flowers and their meanings. While he fills the vase with water, he tries to remember the significance of Forget Me Nots in their culture.

“Any plans for Saturday,” Satoru asks. He’s leaning against the counter that’s adjacent to the sink, filling up the small space with his big body.

The question interrupts Suguru’s pondering. “Not yet. What’s up?”

“Let’s go out.”

Thinking nothing of the question, he easily agrees. His calendar is free as of now. “What did you have in mind? Shoko and Haibara wanted to try that new Korean Barbeque place in Shibuya!”

“Suguru.”

“Huh?” He looks over at Satoru, seeing how his lips are set in a firm line.

The expression is familiar. It reminds Suguru of the way Satoru looked moments before asking him to room with him during their time at summer camp as kids. Suguru has seen this look on Satoru other times throughout their friendship. Because of that he starts to rethink the initial question.

“You want to go out, just you and me?” Suguru asks for clarification.

“Yes.”

“Okay. Did you have something in mind?”

“I’d like to surprise you. Is that okay with you?”

They’ve been on a lot of outings together before. But none of them were surprises. They usually agree on a time and place and meet up. But he doesn’t want to make a big deal out of this.

“Sure, that's fine. Just tell me the time and dress code.”

Satoru relaxes. “I’ll let you know.” He reaches over and takes Suguru’s hair out of its top bun and casually slides the hair tie on his wrist. “Have you eaten yet?”

The action happened so fast that Suguru doesn’t have time to react. “Yeah, I took my class out for ramen.”

“No invite?” He fake pouts.

“You and your endless stomach would have broken my bank. Itadori-kun already has the appetite of three adult men!”

When he saw how much that boy could eat he couldn’t believe his eyes.

“You never pay when you’re with me.”

Suguru opens his mouth to deny that, but it’s true. When they were in high school he did buy Satoru food here and there. As adults, he never pays.

What is he supposed to do with that information? Should he offer to split the bill or pay for some outings? It doesn’t seem like Satoru said that as a way to get him to start pulling his own financial weight when they hang out. What bothers him is that he doesn’t understand the purpose of bringing it up at all if that isn’t the case.

Chuckling softly, Satoru pokes Suguru’s cheek. “Stop overthinking, Suguru,” he says, moving in closer, voice lowering. “I don’t mind it.”

There’s no reason for them to be this close, considering the kitchen is small and they could hear and see one another just fine before the space between them was lessened.

Suguru wants to tell Satoru to back up because the scent of him makes his head fuzzy and his thoughts return to things he doesn’t want to revisit. He assumes that Satoru is unaware of all this and just enjoys invading his personal space as a means to annoy him.

Yet there are times, like now, when Satoru looks at him with such intensity that it doesn’t matter if his eyes are covered. Suguru can still see his gaze perfectly. There isn’t a hint of amusem*nt present.

“I need to shower,” Suguru says, picking up the vase and turning away. “Today was pretty long…”

Satoru remains in the same place, and when Suguru glances over at him he sees how his head is lowered and his mouth is set in a firm line again.

There’s more he wants to say but he can’t find the right words. That’s what the look means.

Despite being highly intelligent and articulate, when it comes to expressing his emotions, Satoru often hits a metaphorical wall.

Usually Suguru prompts him with questions in order to help him express himself better but today he’s too afraid of what Satoru may say. The air around them is different; it has been this way for some time now. He isn’t sure what to make of it either and the unknown stresses him the hell out.

Instead, he pretends not to notice anything.

“I’ll talk to you later then,” Satoru says after moments of tense silence have passed.

“Okay. See you.”

When he leaves, Suguru quietly berates himself for being a coward. More than likely he was just reading too deeply into things. It wouldn’t be the first time.

The dress code for their outing is semi-formal.

There aren’t a lot of options for Suguru to choose from in his wardrobe so he settles for slacks that fit him well and a black button down he’s never worn. He was going to opt for his usual hairstyle, but a certain someone — Satoru — has developed a new habit of stealing his hair ties.

Keeping his hair down, he styles most of it to the side, making a small part to add some definition.

Because he couldn't find any shoes to wear he went out and bought a new pair of leather ankle boots; black of course. To add “color” to his look he switches his usual earrings out for small sterling silver hoops, and puts on a watch of the same metal.

Checking himself out in the full mirror, he’s happy with what he sees. Turning around, he looks over his shoulder to see if his ass looks as great as he thinks it does. He’s correct in that assumption. He’s not necessarily body conscious but he does enjoy seeing the results of his healthy lifestyle.

“You look great.”

Gasping loudly, Suguru raises his eyes from his ass to the top of the mirror and sees Satoru standing behind him. Whipping around, he glares at the intruder partially because he’s embarrassed that he was caught checking himself out like that.

“Satoru, this is trespassing!” He could have been naked, for f*ck’s sake. “I’ve told you to respect boundaries with that ability of yours!”

“Here.” Satoru hands him his leather ankle boots, disregarding him completely. “Traffic is backed up.”

Suguru snatches the boots and puts them on while he continues glaring at Satoru the entire time. It doesn’t help that Satoru looks very good. He’s also wearing slacks but they’re slate gray and his dress shirt is powder blue. Everything fits well, accentuating his ripped body.

No bandages or eye mask today. Only designer shades with a dark tint. Yet his blue eyes are visible over the rim as he smirks at Suguru.

“You smell nice,” Satoru says when Suguru reluctantly hugs him so that he doesn’t get left behind.

Suguru grumbles a thank you.

Satoru chuckles, and it tickles Suguru’s ear.

They leave his bedroom and appear inside of a traditional tea house that overlooks Tokyo bay. The serenity of the tea house’s atmosphere settles over Suguru, bringing a smile to his face as he takes in the simple yet effective décor. They sit at a low table next to an open shoji screen that gives them a view of a manicured lawn that has a singular wisteria tree.

In the distance Suguru can hear someone playing a koto.

“Since you prefer a cup of tea well before your meals,” Satoru says as he rings a bell that hangs over the table to summon their server, “I thought we’d enjoy a cup as well as a nice view.”

Satoru is something else when he’s being thoughtful. Charming is the word. Suguru is charmed by him. Smiling, he glances away to stare at the scenery.

“Is this Hama Rikyu?” he asks.

“Yes. This is one of your favorite parks, right?”

Suguru nods.

Their server comes. She’s a middle aged woman with a kind smile. They order a pot of Ginger tea for Suguru mainly, and raspberry macaroons for Satoru. While they wait they make small talk about their week.

As one would imagine, Satoru’s days are spent in meetings with either his clan or the Higher Ups. He describes the work as sleep-inducing, and even Suguru has to agree that it sounds very boring. Occasionally Satoru goes to investigate threats that require more expertise than what the students are capable of as of now.

“Your students had their first assignment?” Satoru asks once he’s done relaying his week.

“They worked as a team to exorcise their first curse,” Suguru says, beaming like a proud parent. “I was worried at first cause they bickered a lot and when Mimiko suffered a mild injury I almost jumped in to help…”

He swore to the students that they would need to get serious because he wasn’t going to lend them a hand and would only observe from afar. The moment Mimiko took a hit, he nearly forgot all about that. Luckily, Itadori acted fast. He was able to grab her without her taking more damage and regroup with Nanako. After that, the three made Suguru very proud with their quick thinking and teamwork.

“I knew you’d do well with them,” Satoru says. He picks up a macaroon, staring at it. “I want you and Nanami to work together next week to train all the students for the exchange.”

That’s a given.

However, Satoru continues. “I want them well acquainted with the techniques of every Kyoto student, and a planned form to protect Yūji if needed.”

“Am I missing something?”

“He isn’t backed by any of the families. You know how kids are.”

Well, that is true. It can be difficult for students who lack the proper network, but he doesn’t believe anyone will target Itadori for it.

“How’s the garden coming along?”

Suguru decides not to dissect Satoru’s intentions. Besides, it’s a good suggestion considering out of all of the students Itadori would be perceived as the easiest target despite that not being the case at all.

“I’m thinking of expanding it,” Suguru says. “I want to start growing tomatoes…”

For the remainder of their time at the tea house, Suguru does all of the talking. Anytime he tries to give Satoru the floor, the attention is back on him. He’s not talking about anything worthwhile yet Satoru is absorbed in the conversation, making commentary here and there. This isn’t anything new. Any time they hang out Suguru does most of the talking.

It’s just that now he’s starting to take note of that.

“We’re not teleporting?”

Satoru walks out the tea house first as a limousine rolls to a stop in front of him. “I figured we could take a more scenic route,” he says.

A chauffeur exits the limousine to open the back door for them. Satoru extends his arm, gesturing for Suguru to get in first. Assuming this is a driver from the Gojo clan and this gesture is nothing special considering who Satoru is, Suguru gets in without complaint.

The scenic route is very much appreciated, too. Suguru honestly can’t recall the last time he just admired the city. He stares out of the window most of the ride, watching as they pass buildings and people.

A family catches his eye, bringing a serene smile to his face. The two children are laughing as they hold hands. Moments like these remind him why he loves being a sorcerer and carries on with such a thankless task. Humanity is worth protecting.

Sometimes it is easy to lose sight of that. He wonders if Satoru needs a break and a change of scenery. Maybe that’s why he asked Suguru to hang out today.

“A steakhouse?” Suguru asks as the limo stops. One look at the sleek building lets him know that this won’t be a cheap meal. “Satoru, are you sure you don’t want to eat somewhere else?”

“We have reservations.”

And that’s that. Satoru speaks with a tone of finality, leaving no room for Suguru to protest. The chauffeur opens the door, and a hostess is there to greet them before they enter the restaurant. She addresses Satoru with an air of familiarity. As do the other staff members that they pass on their way to the private room Satoru reserved.

There aren’t a lot of people at the restaurant, and those who are present look like money.

A low table covered in black and gold plates, and polished silverware awaits them inside of a dimly lit room. Suguru sits down first and is surprised when Satoru sits next to him instead of across from him.

“They have the best steak in Tokyo,” Satoru says as he pours what smells like plum wine for Suguru.

“I bet the menus don’t have prices.”

“Indulge a little.” He puts his arm around Suguru’s waist, leaning in to playfully nuzzle his cheek. “Lighten up, Suguru!”

Suguru laughs because he remembers Satoru doing this same thing when they were in high school when he would try to convince him to go along with his antics. Secretly, he likes getting into sh*t with Satoru.

Technically it’s not a secret because Satoru is well aware.

“Fine, not my wallet,” he says, taking the cup of wine and drinking. The second it hits his tongue he’s humming from how good it tastes. “The quality of this…”

“Amazing right? It’s one of the few alcoholic beverages I can tolerate.” He drinks from his own cup.

His arm is no longer around Suguru’s waist but his hand rests on his lower back. Suguru is hyperaware of its presence yet he doesn’t shove Satoru away or make a comment about it because it feels like it belongs there.

They sample a little bit of everything from the menu but the main highlight is the grilled steak. Suguru actually moans after his first bite of it, uncaring about the way Satoru halts to stare at him. He has another bite, muffling his moan this time around, and Satoru looks away.

“It’s good, huh?” he asks in between bites.

Suguru washes it down with more plum wine, and just as he imagined it pairs very well. “Mmhm!” He smiles and starts to subconsciously rock from side to side as he continues to eat.

He used to have a weird relationship with food in his younger years but his friends —mainly Satoru — helped him overcome that. He has yet to break his habit of having a cup of ginger tea before big meals but at least he’s not starving himself.

Satoru keeps his cup and his plate full throughout the night. At times, he’ll stop eating entirely just to watch as Suguru does his little happy rock and eat and drink to his heart’s content. By the time Suguru realizes he’s been dancing he’s too tipsy to care.

“Try it with this sauce,” Satoru says, dipping a piece of steak in a red chili sauce. He offers it to Suguru, using the same fork he's been using this whole time.

Without a thought, Suguru leans over and eats the piece of steak. This time he can’t contain his moan. There are so many flavors bursting inside of his mouth, all delicious. Another piece of steak dipped in the sauce is offered and he gratefully accepts.

Satoru looks happy to feed him. He rubs Suguru’s lower back and continues to watch him throughout the night.

Eventually the good food and wine begins to lull Suguru into a sleep coma ever so slowly.

The floor is cushioned and the lights are low, looking like a great place for a nap but since this is an upscale place he tries to resist. Thankfully, Satoru ends up giving him the green light to lay down because his face is red and he’s visibly drunk by this point.

“Sorry,” Suguru says, laughing. He’s laying on the floor with his head next to Satoru’s thigh and his eyes are closed to make the room stop spinning. “You know wine makes me sleepy…”

“It’s fine. This is partially why I reserved a private room.”

Suguru opens his eyes when he feels heat on his body. The wine already has him hot but now Satoru is leaning over him with one arm that keeps him close. He’s looking right at Suguru. He even removed his shades.

“Are your eyes okay?” Suguru asks, reaching up to touch Satoru’s face.

“You’re the only one who ever asks me that.”

“Sorry.”

“Don’t be.”

Overwhelmed with an emotion he can’t explain, Suguru hugs Satoru’s arm. “I’m happy you came back,” he says, closing his eyes and sighing contentedly. He remembers the way he felt when Satoru disappeared. “For a week straight, I cried myself to sleep when I realized you were gone…”

Satoru’s entire body stiffens but he remains silent.

Once that secret is out in the open, the feelings it invoked are difficult to suppress. Suguru fears he might cry so he clenches his eyes tightly.

“I still waited for you to come back,” he continues. “Every day, I waited. Everyone else moved on but I couldn’t…I couldn’t move on from you. You’re my best friend…the first person who told me my technique was cool instead of gross…”

Suguru hugs Satoru’s arm tighter, afraid he’ll slip away again.

An image enters his mind at that moment of two people on a busy sidewalk. The storefront of the nearby establishments are blurry as are the faces of the two people who stand out amongst the crowd. He doesn’t exactly know what this memory is about nor can he tell if this memory belongs to him.

“Is that how you felt?” Suguru asks, not understanding the question or his reason for asking it. He’s beginning to drift off to sleep. “Is that how you felt when I left you in Shinjuku? Did it hurt like that?”

As Suguru continues to drift off he can feel Satoru caressing his face.

Somehow, hours later, Suguru wakes up at home on his futon. He’s still dressed but his boots are off. On his phone there’s a single text from Satoru, thanking him for an enjoyable and memorable evening.

“You know that’s called a date, right?”

Stopping mid-sip, Suguru lowers his water bottle to stare blankly at Shoko who is sitting across from him doing a lazy Lotus pose. It’s Sunday morning and they just finished a Yoga session in the small yard next to his abode.

When she inquired about his weekend, he didn't expect this to be her conclusion of the outing he had with Satoru.

“No it wasn’t,” he says, snorting. He has some water. “Satoru and I hang out all the time.”

“Clearly this time was different.”

“It wasn’t a date, Shoko.”

Exasperated, Shoko lets down her messy top bun and shakes her hair out. “I guess you can’t have it all,” she says, more so to herself. “Good looks, great manners, and a great ass, a strong technique to top it off. Of course you’d have to be dense with all that going for you…”

“Are you referring to me?” Frowning, he leans forward to poke her shoulder. “Hey, what gives?”

Shoko swats his hand away playfully. “You’re frustratingly cute, that’s all.”

“And you’re annoying.”

“Go find a mirror and tell yourself that.”

Suguru pulls a face, and then he laughs because she got him good. “Whatever,” he says, shrugging. He’ll get her next time. “Remember the other night when you seemed quite confident in the fact that Satoru had gotten laid before?”

Yeah…” Shoko is already smiling. “Been on your mind, huh?”

“I’m just curious as to how you knew that.”

“Lucky guess.”

“f*ck off.”

“Seriously. I made a lucky guess, per usual, and it turns out I was right!” She laughs, proud of herself. “Just like I knew you were a hot virgin.”

Suguru groans. “Why does that even matter?”

“It doesn’t. You and Satoru want to bone each other so you should get it over with and free us all from the overwhelming sexual tension between you two.”

“You are making sh*t up now!” He laughs.

“Ask Haibara. Hell, even ask Nanami!” Shoko touches his shoulders, giving him a shake. She looks like she wants to fondly strangle him. “Either you are dense as hell or in denial. Satoru wants you as his clan wife.”

“A clan wife?!”

“Okay, I’m pulling your leg with that. Maybe! But he wants you, Geto, and you want him. He took you on a date to prove it, and you think it was a friendly outing.”

“That’s because it was.” Even he doesn’t sound as convinced anymore. Perhaps he never was convinced that it was meant to be nothing more than a friendly outing. “Then why didn’t he call it a date?”

“How did he propose the outing to you?”

Because he wants to prove to her that she’s reaching, he tells her how that day went. He starts with the random visit to his house, which isn’t unusual as Satoru often visits him unannounced. He even mentions the flowers because to him Satoru is ever mindful of one of his favorite hobbies. As for the way Satoru suggested the outing…

“Let’s go out?” Shoko asks in disbelief. “Let’s go out?!” She says, louder. “No wonder you’re clueless. Gojo lacks charm where it matters at times.” She pinches the bridge of her nose in annoyance.

“See? It was just a friendly outing!”

“What kind of flowers did he get you?”

Suguru sighs, growing tired of this. He knows that there is nothing romantic going on between him and Satoru. He just needs everyone else to get that through their heads. Ever since high school they’ve been closer than they are with others, that’s all.

“Forget Me Nots,” he says. “Everyone knows I like blue flowers though. There aren’t many options to choose from either.”

Quietly, Shoko takes out her phone. She's typing fast on the keypad as if she’s on a mission. While she does that, Suguru remembers that prior to Satoru asking him to hang out he was in the middle of trying to recall the significance of Forget Me Nots.

If he remembers correctly they mean…

“True love.” Shoko shows him the article on her phone. “What more do you need, idiot?”

With that proof smack right in front of him, Suguru is left speechless.

Satoru loves him.

Romantically.

And Suguru needs to finally admit that he loves Satoru in that way too.

Chapter 4

Chapter Text

For undisclosed reasons, the Goodwill Exchange has been postponed.

By no means will their preparations for the event end, as their ultimate goal is to prepare their students for whatever life may bring. Curses are the main enemy they face but it is possible that Curse Users — sorcerers who use their techniques for malintent — will be their opponents as well.

Suguru and Nanami take two hours out of each day training their classes as a group, allowing the students to build off of each other’s strengths and weaknesses.

Throughout the dual classes, Suguru takes intensive notes to document the needs of each child in terms of their development because he would like to sit down with them and discuss their improvement once the training has wrapped up.

“I was never cut out for this sh*t,” Nanami says during lunch one day.

Their students are sitting over in the grass eating the bentos Suguru made for them that morning. He’s been going overboard lately in an attempt to avoid his feelings. Keeping himself busy is his go-to coping mechanism and it’s been working like a charm.

Suguru glances over at Nanami. “What sh*t?” he asks. They’re sitting at a stone bench with their own bentos; Nanami’s was made by Haibara.

“Teaching.”

This is a topic they’ve discussed before during one of their many outings as a group.

Becoming a teacher for them is never about having the skill sets or necessarily the passion for it. With them being as short staffed as they are, the options are slim.

Either they take the selfish, freelance route or they work for the school on commission or they become a teacher. With Suguru being one of the few special grades he can juggle two tasks somewhat easily. His main concern is his students being sent on assignments outside of their experience range while he’s away.

That worries him more than anything.

“I don’t think any of us wanted this,” Suguru says, staring at the students. “Well, maybe Utahime wanted to be a teacher but the rest of us went where we were needed.”

“Is that why Gojo is here?” Nanami asks, sighing. “Doesn’t seem likely. From what I remember, he was always self-centered and arrogant.”

Suguru knows that to be true. High school Satoru was a piece of work. In regards to Nanami and everyone else, the mature version of Satoru is only seen in glimpses. It took a while for Satoru to hang out with everyone once he came back. Even still, this is Suguru’s best friend they’re talking about.

“He cares more than he acts. That’s just how he is.” He is always compelled to defend Satoru even when he knows someone is making a valid point. “And he’s here now because he knows the students need him.”

Nanami looks at Suguru, his expression unreadable. “Hm,” is all he says on that matter. “I am honestly surprised that you stayed here this long. You left that one time but you came right back.”

“Where else would I go?” Suguru laughs. “Do you think I’d go off and get some job as a salaryman or something?”

“I’ve thought about it before.” Lowering his gaze, he smiles thoughtfully. “Haibara wouldn’t allow that, though. You know how he is.”

“I do.”

“But after Gojo left, I always thought you would go after him.”

The thought did cross Suguru’s mind quite often.

When he tried to reach out with his senses to get an idea of where Satoru was, he couldn’t find him. It was as if Satoru didn’t exist at all. In his mind, he saw that as Satoru’s way of saying that he didn’t want to be found, that he wanted to be left alone and as much as that hurt, he decided to let it go.

Suguru doesn’t disclose any of this to Nanami. He intends to allow the conversation to sizzle out but Nanami speaks again.

“I suppose that’s why you stayed,” he says, standing up and stretching. Lunchtime is over. “You were hoping he’d come back for you someday.”

Those words sting even though they aren’t meant to. Because that is exactly why Suguru stayed at the school even though the grueling work partnered with his technique caused him a lot of stress.

He stayed with the hope that Satoru would come back for him.

For a man who prefers silence and solitude, Nanami sure knows how to ruin the mood with his talking. Suguru was doing fine centering his thoughts on any- and everything other than Satoru. Now during the remainder of class his mind is elsewhere.

Satoru has been out of town all week, making it easier for Suguru to act as if he has not come to the realization that their “outing” last Saturday was actually a date.

As much as Suguru is glad for the space he does miss Satoru. They spoke on the phone briefly Wednesday night. It was a long day so Suguru ended up dozing off on the phone. Instead of hanging up, Satoru stayed on the line until Suguru woke up and ended the call.

At the time it felt like a normal check up. Satoru is technically his Boss. It’s not strange for him to want an update. But as he reflects on it, he thinks Satoru called to hear his voice.

“Sensei, pink or yellow?” Nanako asks, holding the two cardigans up.

Blinking himself out of his stupor, Suguru examines the cardigans, looking between them and Nanako’s face to ensure he makes the best choice.

“Yellow,” he decides. “The color brings out your eyes and complements your hair!” He smiles.

Nodding, Nanako puts the pink cardigan away. “This is just the one I wanted!” She skips away to show her sister who is trying to decide between two dresses; both are black.

Since it’s Friday and the students have been given their first allowance from the school they asked Suguru to take them to the mall. He has a free schedule and would like to not be alone with his own thoughts so he happily agreed. While the twins continue to shop, he steps across the way to the shoe store where Itadori is looking for a new pair of sneakers.

“Any luck?” Suguru asks.

Itadori is holding a pair of red sneakers that look identical to the pair he already owns. “I want these but they don’t have them in my size.”

“Did you ask an Associate to check in the back?”

“You can do that?”

Suguru laughs. “Yeah, follow me.”

Finding a sale’s associate is easy. Kindly, Suguru asks the woman if she can check the back of the store for Itadori’s size while Itadori stands behind him and peeks over his shoulder. He thinks Itadori didn’t want to bother or inconvenience anyone, which is understandable.

Thankfully the shoes do come in Itadori’s size. After loudly thanking Suguru and giving him a big side hug, he heads over to the register to pay for the shoes. Before he can swipe his card, however, Suguru swipes his own card without explanation.

“Okay, let’s see if the twins are ready!” He coolly walks off.

“Sensei, you didn’t have to do that!” Itadori rushes up beside him. “Since I have my own money and all.”

“Well now you can use the money to buy something else you want,” he says. “Work has been slow these days so the school won’t pay you as much for now.” He explains.

That is partially the reason. In truth, Suguru just likes to spoil his students. Itadori accepts his explanation and thanks him for the shoes.

They find the twins waiting in line with a few items. Suguru pays for everything, and the girls happily squeal and link their arms with his while Itadori is left to carry all the bags. He grumbles about it but maintains the peace since he’s the eldest and all.

“You three have tomorrow off,” Suguru says later when they’re back on campus. “Do as you please but remember to not leave campus after curfew.”

“Yes, Sensei!” the three say in unison as they depart to their dorms.

On Suguru’s way to his place, Shoko calls and tells him that Utahime will be visiting and that they all want to go out.

Clubbing sounds like a Haibara and Shoko idea yet she makes it seem as if it’s Utahime’s and Nanami’s idea as well, making Suguru the odd man out if he suggests another activity. He could decline altogether but he’ll never hear the end of it.

Honestly, he’ll accept the distraction. If he goes home he’ll be alone and anytime he’s alone his thoughts are no longer in his control.

Suguru lets Shoko know he’ll meet up with them later.

“How was your trip?” Ijichi asks. These days there’s a perpetual nervous sweat bead on his temple.

Satoru continues staring out the limosuine’s tinted window, watching as the private airport disappears from his immediate sight. “Exciting,” he deadpans.

There’s nothing more thrilling than doing the school’s dirty work. In order to exist, unbothered, alongside non-sorcerers their school has a secret contract with the Japanese government. Being from one of the Big Three, Satoru knew something like this existed yet he never knew the nasty details until he took over the Tokyo school.

Even Yaga wasn’t aware. The Higher Ups never trusted — feared — him enough to be transparent about the institution he was recruiting kids into.

“Well, it’s good to have you back. The Higher Ups were becoming anxious.”

“I’ve been keeping up my end of our arrangement. They have nothing to worry about.” He isn’t going to kill them or anything; not yet.

“Are you going to the clan compound or to campus?”

The last place Satoru wants to go is to his clan compound. Ijichi should know that by now.

Marriage is once again a popular topic of discussion. In order to ensure his clan’s longevity and the continuous incarnation of Six Eyes and Limitless, he needs to procreate. There are other relatives who could possibly conceive the next bearer down the line but as clan head the pressure is solely on his shoulders.

Centuries worth of technological advances and yet he is incapable of impregnating Suguru. How unfortunate.

“I’ll take it from here,” Satoru says, teleporting from the back of the limousine to Suguru’s front door.

Sadly, Suguru isn’t home, which is odd because it’s 1AM on a Friday night. His “old man” has a bed time that he sticks to for the most part. That means that someone — Shoko — has dragged him out of the house. He wonders if this is a sign that he should follow. Maybe he’s not meant to see Suguru tonight.

They haven’t seen each other in days following what he thought was an amazing date. But Suguru has made no comment on it, and he’s too emotionally stunted to bring it up. He has seriously tried to work on that as he knows that his inability to be open about his feelings until it was literally too late played a role in Suguru’s descent.

It startled him when Suguru spoke of an event he should have zero memory of as it never occured in this timeline yet he chalked it up to soul memory or some other concept based in assumption only. He would use himself as a basis for proving any theories on this concept but it’s complicated.

Finding Suguru is relatively easy. He’s very in tune with Suguru’s soul, after all.

The group is at a two-story nightclub that’s packed to the rafters. Satoru is under dressed, wearing only a tight, black t-shirt and tailored pants but he puts a wad of bills in the bouncer’s pocket, and that’s that.

Utahime is in town. She and Shoko are sandwiching Suguru on the dance floor. All three are clearly drunk so he’ll overlook their touchiness. He knows the women aren’t interested in Suguru, not seriously.

Everyone would like to f*ck Suguru which is a harsh truth he had to accept in two lifetimes, but it’s nothing anyone is actively trying. Not anymore, at least.

Satoru stands on the second floor balcony, watching as Shoko is touching Suguru’s hips and Utahime has her arms around his neck.

Although Suguru’s outfit is simple it still draws too much attention to him.

The way the sleeveless shirt and pleated pants fit highlights his muscles, subtle curves, and the nice ass he wore baggy pants to hide in high school. Suguru’s hair is down, just the way Satoru prefers, and he keeps rubbing his fingers through it and tousling it as he winds his hips like a f*cking snake.

It’s infuriating how well he dances because Satoru isn’t the one who gets to feel up on him while he does so.

Eventually, Shoko and Utahime ditch the dance floor for the bar. A good song is playing so Suguru sticks around. As much as Satoru would love to join him, he’s content watching Suguru dance by himself.

He isn’t the only admirer, unfortunately. Some guy strolls up to Suguru, whispering in his ear and making him laugh with whatever he’s saying. The slimy piece of sh*t touches Suguru’s hip, and it pisses Satoru off to no end that the touch is allowed. Why didn’t Suguru push him away?

His ears begin ringing and his vision darkens once the two start dancing. The guy’s a twink with a scrawny little neck Satoru could snap with barely any effort. Suguru dances behind him, hands on his hips to guide his body because the irritating f*ck can’t keep up with him.

What would happen if Satoru fired off a Red at the guy’s head? Would Suguru hate him?

Tearing his eyes away, Satoru takes a deep breath to get his anger under control. He’s always been possessive of Suguru. It’s one of the many things that will never change. In his eyes, Suguru is his. Be it romantic or platonic, they’re exclusive to one another.

If it were up to him…

No, he won’t admit that. Then again, what does he have to lose? He jumped time lines and played god just to see Suguru again.

No reason to act like he’s not obsessed.

Suguru made him this way. He entered his life, brightened up the place and filled that void in his heart, and then he left. Not on his own accord. A lot of sh*t built up to it but to sum it all up, he left Satoru. He went off and found a new family, and as much as Satoru wanted to drag his ass back and force him to stay, he let him go. Because that’s what you do when you love a person, right? You let them go.

If Suguru wants to be with this no rhythm having twink then so be it. As long as he’s happy. As long as the world Satoru has created for him is one where he can smile from the bottom of his heart he’ll let the twink live.

Satoru looks at the dance floor again. The two are now facing one another, whispering in each other’s ears. Suguru has a permanent smile and blush on his face because he’s drunk. As naturally charming as he is, he’s inexperienced with the dating scene, but he’ll get the hang of it fast. Soon the two will be going on dates and taking things to the next level.

Soon, Suguru will belong to someone else.

“f*ck this,” Satoru says to himself.

To hell with being the bigger person. That sh*t has never worked for him.

His name is Jun.

Or maybe it’s Jin?

Suguru can’t remember.

They all did three rounds of shots to kick the night off, and every time he went to the bar to get himself a drink someone paid for him. With everyone being so “nice” he drank more than intended. Now he’s drunk and dancing with Jun-Jin because it feels nice to have a warm body to grind on when he’s buzzed like this.

No amount of alcohol will make him not think about Satoru, though. He even messed up earlier.

A song he used to like came on, and he excitedly tapped Jun-Jin on the shoulder to say, “Satoru, do you remember when we would listen to this all the time?”

Jun-Jin wants him bad. Because instead of being pissed that he was called someone else he just smiled and nodded along.

This isn’t the first time a guy has shown interest in him. When he was in his early twenties older guys would hit on him at bars all the time; older women too. He’s used to being hit on, honestly. But he never entertains anyone, seeing as it being better for them both.

Suguru is drunk enough to admit to himself that if he were to ever date or f*ck anyone other than Satoru he would spend the entirety of the encouter or the relationship comparing the person to his best friend. He knows that isn’t fair to anyone. That’s why he never bothers.

Jun-Jin is cute. He called Suguru a “Daddy” when he first approached him, and Suguru laughed because it was the funniest thing anyone has ever said to him. He didn’t know what to say so he didn't say anything but he thinks his silence was taken as an agreement because Jun-Jin keeps calling him that and making it clear that he wants them to leave the club together.

This guy wants Suguru to bend him over — his words, not Suguru’s — and Suguru is thinking about what sexual positions Satoru prefers.

Does Satoru like bending people over? Does he like to look them in the face instead? Is he open to anything?

Does Satoru like to be bent over?

Suguru snorts to himself. For some reason, he can’t picture that. He isn’t sure why. Maybe Satoru would only allow someone he trusts to do that.

Would Suguru like to be bent over by someone?

His drunk brain conjures a memory of Satoru’s big dick in sweatpants. What would it be like to touch it or have it inside of him? He starts sweating. Suddenly, his skin is too hot and clammy, and he needs some fresh air. The heat becomes stifling when he senses Satoru behind him.

“Leave,” Satoru says, putting his arms around Suguru’s waist and tugging him away from Jun-Jin, closer to his broad chest.

Even though he didn’t shout, Jun-Jin can sense the danger. Non-sorcerers have the instinct needed to recognize certain threats, and Satoru has the kind of aura that can make anyone sh*t themselves.

Jun-Jin spares Suguru one last glance before hurriedly walking away.

“Rude,” Suguru says, holding back his excitement. He’s happy that Satoru is here. “Why’d you send Jun-Jin-san away?”

Satoru rests his chin on his shoulder. Their faces touch, the skin on skin contact is subtle yet effective.

“You would have preferred he stayed?”

The energy Satoru is giving off should make Suguru consider his words carefully so as not to stir the pot any further, but he can’t resist. He may have been the more mature between the two in high school, however, there were a lot of antics that he willingly participated in. Sometimes trouble is fun, gives him a rush.

“He was cute,” Suguru says, smiling when Satoru squeezes his waist tighter. “He wanted me to bend him over but I think I may want it the other way arou—”

Satoru lifts him up and carries him off the dance floor. People move out of their way because they don’t want to get trampled over by the 6’4 asshole. There’s a dark corner behind a see-through partition where people can sit and drink. Satoru takes him there and all but slams him on the seat.

“Ouch,” Suguru says with a fake pout. It didn’t hurt at all. He looks up at Satoru who is standing over him. “Are you really jealous?”

To answer his question, Satoru puts a hand around his throat and leans down to kiss him. Being damn near choked and tongue kissed like this without warning is something he should be upset about, right? Nope. He fists his hands in Satoru’s hair and returns the kiss the moment their lips meet. This is obviously a bad idea because they have yet to discuss what they are in terms of their relationship.

Suguru will blame it on the alcohol. He has some level of awareness right now but to save face he’ll act otherwise. It’s f*cked up to do. Cowardly, even. But he wants to kiss Satoru without it being the end of the world or something they need to have an intervention about afterwards.

The hand drops from his throat, moving to the back of his head. Satoru cups it and shoves his tongue in deeper, groaning. He acts like he wants to take more than he’s being offered, and Suguru has half a mind to just give him whatever he wants. Satoru is a great kisser, too, unsurprisingly. He’s good at everything so that tells Suguru that if he ever allows things to escalate it’ll at least be worth it.

“Satoru,” Suguru moans his name as he sucks on his bottom lip, being a tease. “Take me home.”

Pulling away, Satoru looks at his face to see if he really wants this. “You’re drunk,” he says. Despite that, he takes Suguru by the hand. “Close your eyes.”

Suguru closes his eyes.

Feeling cool air on his skin a second later, he opens his eyes to find them standing in his genkan. They remove their shoes, and Satoru kisses him again, pressing him against the door and putting a knee between his thighs to rub the bulge in his pants that he didn’t even know was there. He whimpers from the friction, startled by how good it feels.

“Tell me stop,” Satoru whispers. He slides his hands up Suguru’s shirt, rubbing his abs and moving up to pinch his nipples. He curses. “Suguru…just say the word. I’ll back off…”

Why should they stop?

They both want this, and if they do this now while he’s drunk he’ll have the perfect excuse to go through with it and an even better excuse for when it’s all over and they have to face their actions. Because being perfectly honest Suguru doesn’t think they can have more than this; sex.

Satoru will have to marry some woman from his clan. That’s been understood ever since high school. They can’t be like Nanami and Haibara who can get away with being roommates in a one bedroom apartment. At most, they can have a brief moment in the sun.

It’s good enough knowing that Satoru wants to f*ck him. Kind of. Whatever. He’ll live.

“Don’t stop,” Suguru says, sucking on Satoru’s neck. He cups his dick, moaning appreciatively from how thick and hot it is. “Go a little easy on me though.” He jokes. “Since it’s my first time and all. Your dick is huge, you know?”

Satoru touches his face, kissing him sweetly, and it surprises him. “You’re drunk, Suguru,” he says, speaking softly. “I’d always hoped it’d be special.” Chuckling, he hugs Suguru. “And call me romantic but I’d like for you to be sober when it happens.”

This side of Satoru is relatively new. He had his sincere moments in the past but it was never like this. Initially, he thought Satoru acted this way to overcompensate. He felt bad for abandoning him without a word so now he’s extra doting, is what he assumed. But at times it feels as if Satoru is apologetic for a graver offense.

And sometimes it feels as if this Satoru is completely different from the Satoru he once knew. It’s an instinctual feeling more than anything.

People change as they grow, but this feels like much more than that.

That’s neither here nor there, though. Suguru has a goal to accomplish and it’s looking like Satoru isn’t on the same page as him for tonight.

“It doesn’t need to be special,” Suguru says. “People hook up all the time. It’s nothing.”

“Nothing?” Satoru leans back and looks at him. “You think I just want to hook up with you?”

“It’s okay if that’s all it is, that’s what I mean. We’re adults who are attracted to one another, and it’s something we both want.”

“This isn’t what I want, Suguru. I don’t want some ‘hook up’ with you, I want…” He cuts himself short, huffing in frustration. “Nevermind.”

Satoru drops his arms from around him and steps away. The mood changes entirely, going from heated to icy cold. Quietly, Satoru nudges him to the kitchen and makes him sit at the table while he grabs him some water. He has him drink it. Once he’s done, he’s nudged into his bedroom.

The silence is tense. Suguru keeps his head lowered to avoid Satoru’s gaze. Usually when he knows Satoru is pissed off he likes to goad him into a fight.

Sometimes an altercation helps Satoru blow off steam and better his mood. That won’t work tonight.

Satoru is really pissed.

“Arms up.”

Obediently, Suguru lifts his arms. His shirt is removed first and then his pants. Left in only a pair of briefs, he cups his hot face and tries to think of something to say that will dispel this weird tension but he comes up short.

“Shower, get some sleep,” Satoru says as he walks out of the room, hands fisted, and back ramrod straight. “Night.”

“Night,” Suguru says, eyes watering.

The front door slams.

Thankfully the door isn’t ripped off the hinges. Any damages to the home will come out of his check.

No hangover in the morning. But he doesn’t feel one hundred percent, either. He can remember everything from last night which only makes him feel worse. His poor attempt at getting Satoru to mindlessly f*ck him failed horrifically, and now he worries their friendship will suffer for it.

Dragging himself out of bed, he takes another shower because last night he just stood under the hot water pitifully until he was too sleepy to stand. This time he wants to incorporate soap, and shampoo for his hair, thinking that a deep cleanse will help him detox. He’ll find something to busy himself with so he doesn't have to think.

Putting on some jogging shorts and a cropped shirt he cut on his own, Suguru towel dries his hair and walks to the kitchen to make tea.

There’s a casem*nt window above the sink that has a great view of his garden. He’s admiring the ripening vegetables when he sees a shirtless man carrying a bag of soil down a small row of spring onions.

“Satoru?!” Suguru puts the tea kettle down and uses the back door to step outside. “Satoru, what are you doing?”

The sun is beaming today, making the strongest sorcerer actually break a sweat.

He should be able to repel the heat, no? Suguru isn’t too sure on that, and the only reason he’s thinking about it at all is because he doesn't want to hyperfocus on the fact that Satoru’s ripped torso is bare and covered in sweat. His light wash blue jeans are hanging low on his hips as if to draw attention to the perfect V-cut, and his back muscles are flexing as he tosses the soil on the ground and kneels to cup it open with a pocket knife.

“You wanted to expand your garden and add tomatoes, right?” From the looks of it, Satoru has already built a raised planter. “That’s what I’m doing.”

Placing a hand on his chest, Suguru can feel his heart rapidly fluttering like the wings of a hummingbird.

Speechless is an understatement. He can’t even form a coherent thought let alone a sensible sentence or statement that accurately conveys how moved he is at this moment.

Satoru doesn’t have any gardening experience but he’s the kind of rare individual who can read or watch a tutorial once and become an expert at something. He knows what he’s doing so Suguru doesn’t bother with any pointers. He just goes back inside and gets that tea started, and he decides to make them breakfast as well. He throws on an apron and ties his hair up. The task takes longer than needed because he keeps staring out the window to watch Satoru work.

His skin has the faintest tan on it and beads of sweat are rolling down his spine. There’s something mesmerizing about the way the muscles in his body coil from the slightest movements, and how diligently he’s working for Suguru. Without being asked to do it.

This is something Suguru has wanted to do for a while now but could never find the time to commit to it. It’s a very sweet gesture from Satoru that he cannot ignore.

Friends help each other and surprise each other here and there but this doesn’t feel like a friendly act of service.

“I made chilled Hibiscus tea,” Suguru says, offering Satoru the cold glass. “Breakfast is ready, too. Come eat.”

Satoru stands and wipes his forehead with the back of his hand. His nipples are a very light shade of brown whereas Suguru’s are dark brown. He doesn’t know why the colors of their nipples matter.

“I’m done here.” Satoru removes his gloves and puts them in his back pocket. Accepting the tea, he gulps it down, making his Adam’s Apple move in a way that should not be considered sexy yet it is. “Can I have the food to go? I have to meet with the clan’s councilmen.”

“Yeah, sure.”

Suguru takes the empty glass and returns to the kitchen where he packs a bento for Satoru. Midway through he realizes how domestic this all is. He’s like a dutiful wife packing a meal for his husband’s lunch to ensure he’s well fed during his taxing day of being the breadwinner of the household.

That should be enough to snap him out of it yet he leans into it more. He takes out a notepad that he bought cause the two kittens in the top corner made him think of Nanako and Mimiko and he writes a thank you note for Satoru and wishes him a great day. He places it on top of the bento so when Satoru unwraps it he’ll see it.

“Here you go,” Suguru hands over the bento, masking his disappointment of the lack of bare chest this time around.

Satoru put his shirt back on and he tidied up the place instead of leaving the tools and empty bag of soil laying around. He thanks Suguru for the bento and tells him he’ll talk to him later.

Then he leaves.

Suguru is a little put out because he thinks a kiss would have been a nice end to the fantasy.

But now it’s time to return to the reality where they’re only friends and that’s all they can ever be because Satoru will end up married to some woman with kids running around the clan compound while Suguru ends up dying alone.

Since Utahime is still in town, Suguru joins her and Shoko on a day out in Shinjuku.

They do some shopping, eat way too much, and he takes a ton of pictures of the two. A movie, dinner, and a nightcap at one of their favorite bars wraps up the outing. It’s late when he heads back to the school.

Too late for any first years to leave campus without a chaperone.

Suguru had a few beers tonight and he’s exhausted in a good way but he becomes energized when he sees Nanako and Mimiko jumping over the side wall that is close to a small wooded area. There’s a bus stop right on the other side so a lot of students use this area to sneak out; he did it often when he was a first year because his friends are delinquents.

“Girls,” Suguru says, appearing right in front of them before they can enter the woods. Without considering his actions, he places a hand on his hip and raises his eyebrow disapprovingly. “It’s way past curfew.”

Nanako squeaks and Mimiko covers her mouth to muffle her own gasp. They’re both wearing short dresses with the new cardigans he bought them yesterday. Frowning, he walks over and removes Nanako’s cardigan to tie it around her waist then he does the same thing to Mimiko.

“Sensei, we can explain!” Nanako says, blushing furiously at being caught.

“I was your age once. I know how it is.” Suguru crosses his arms and stares down at the girls. He attempts a serious glare but who in the hell is he kidding? He drops the stern act. “What was so important that you two had to break the rules?”

Mimiko opens her mouth to answer but Nanako lightly elbows her in the side to quiet her. He knows the twins are very close and have trouble trusting people due to their upbringing before they were sent to the Kamo clan. He read their case file so he knows what happened to them in their village.

That’s why he tries to dote on them when he can and encourages them and Itadori to be friendly. These girls, all of his students really, need a lot of love and care, that’s all.

“Were you trying to meet up with boys?” Suguru asks, knowingly.

“Not to do anything bad!” Nanako speaks up. “We were invited to a party!”

“A party where?”

Mimiko gives him the address.

“Absolutely not!” Suguru shakes his head. He knows that area. It’s where the university students hang out. “You girls are too young for college parties. I want the name of the boys who approached you. They should stay the hell away from girls your age!”

His face is hot and his hands are fisted. If he could, he’d find those “boys” and give them a good shake until their pea brains fell out of their big heads.

As Nanako said, Suguru doesn’t think they were trying to do anything bad. They’re young and went from living in the countryside at a secluded clan compound to living in the city. They want to explore, and experience normal teenage life.

Sadly, he’s afraid of the intentions of others. He explains that to them so that they understand that he isn’t mad at them nor has he reached a point in his life where he no longer gets it.

“Sorry, Sensei,” the girls say with their heads bowed.

Sighing, Suguru pats their heads affectionately. “It’s okay but please do not try this again. I will have to write you up and report it to your benefactors at the Kamo clan.” And these infractions can hinder their promotions in the future. “As for you, Itadori-kun, you can come out now.”

The twins pop their heads up in surprise. Out of the shadows of the lining woods, Itadori steps out. Judging by his sweat pants and plain white t-shirt he was not in on the sneaking out plan.

“I wanted to make sure they didn’t get hurt,” Itadori says, glancing away to hide his faint blush. “I was gonna follow at a distance.”

Suguru smiles. “See, girls! A lot of people care about you and want you to be careful.”

“Thanks, Itadori,” Mimiko says, bowing.

Nanako doesn’t say anything but it’s obvious she feels embarrassed about all this. So, Suguru won’t drag it out any longer.

“Well since we’re all up, I guess that means we can get an early start on training!” Suguru grins.

His students groan and begin to complain.

Suguru laughs. “Just kidding!” He looks at Itadori. “Go change. We’re going out as a class. Consider this a spontaneous field trip.”

“Where?” Itadori asks.

“Karaoke!”

-•-

They book a room at a small Karaoke bar that isn’t too far from the school. Since the place is kind of lowkey the receptionist doesn’t uphold the no-access rule regarding late night entry for those under the age of eighteen.

Initially, his students are wary because this isn’t their usual idea of fun but Itadori breaks the ice by performing an Old School Hip Hop song with a lot of enthusiasm. In order to reel the twins in, Suguru makes a competition out of it. Whoever has the best overall performance will get a prize.

Feeling pumped up, Nanako performs a pop song while Mimiko acts as her backup dancer. Clearly the girls taught themselves the dance because it’s a really good performance.

“That’s cheating!” Itadori says once the performance is over which is so funny because he was dancing along in his seat the entire time. “I want to go again. Sensei, can you be my backup dancer?”

Another Hip Hop song is chosen and Suguru has to improvise choreo for it. It’s just his luck that he was a teenager in the early 2000s.

Even though his moves are referenced as TikTok dances by the twins, and it hurts to know that the classics have been overrun by half-assed remixes, he’s happy to know he’s considered a cool teacher instead of a corny one; his biggest fear. Doesn’t hurt that he was blessed with rhythm, either.

“Wow, Geto-sensei!” Mimiko says, eyes sparkling. “You dance so well! Can you perform with us next?”

While Itadori flips through the song book, Suguru learns the choreo for a Korean Pop song. Soon, Nanako ropes Itadori into it so he starts to learn it too. The competition aspect of the night is easily forgotten as the three of them band together to learn from Dance Instructor Mimiko who is kind of a Drill Sergeant. She whips them into shape and doesn’t accept anything short of perfection.

In the end, they coordinate well together.

Suguru props his phone on a water pitcher to record their performance for memory’s sake. Nanako and Mimiko lead the song, and that's how Suguru learns the girls taught themselves Korean through music and dramas while Itadori is semi-fluent in English thanks to his grandfather.

“Wow, that’s impressive!” Suguru says as they sit around listening to a random acapella. “I’m fluent in three languages. My friend Satoru is fluent in seven!”

“Is that the new principal?” Mimiko asks.

Suguru nods. “We were classmates.”

“Is he your boyfriend?” Nanako asks.

Itadori does a double take. “Sensei, you and Principal Gojo are dating?!” He does a thumbs up. “Be who you are!” He grins in support.

“Wait, no! We’re not dating!” Suguru’s face is already flushed. Hopefully the disco lights hide it. “Just friends. We’re just friends!”

“But you two went on a date last week,” Itadori casually says as if it’s something everyone is aware of.

Nanako and Mimiko bounce up and down as they scoot closer to Suguru. He has a twin on either side of him. Mimiko is twirling a strand of his hair while Nanako picks up his hand and squeezes it.

“So, how was the date?” Nanako asks. She pinches her brows together. “He better treat you well!”

Mimiko nods. “He better!” she quips.

“It wasn’t a date—”

“That’s what Ijichi-san called it,” Itadori says, cutting him off. “Last Saturday I needed to ask Principal Gojo about something and Ijichi-san said he was out on a date.”

Suguru can’t believe what he’s hearing. If Satoru told Ijichi that it was a date then that means he doesn’t mind others, at least the Assistant Director, knowing that he took him out. And if he doesn’t mind it that means this is serious to him.

“He’s very handsome,” Mimiko quietly says. She smiles at Suguru when he looks at her. “You two make a pretty couple.”

Do they really? Well, they're most certainly not a couple but if they were one, would they look good together?

Suguru used to feel like he didn’t fit with Satoru, aesthetically. High school was an awkward time though.

Now that he’s more comfortable with his body and his technique he does think Mimiko may have a point. They’re both tall yet there’s a height difference big enough for Suguru to have to look up at Satoru to see his face fully, and they’re both strong but Satoru is strong enough to add an extra sense of security when they're together.

“Okay, enough about the love lives of old men,” Itadori says, getting up. “Who’s the winner?”

Suguru isn’t as offended by the “old men” remark as the twins are on his behalf. He can tell that Itadori changed the subject for his sake. The kid is more perceptive than people give him credit for.

“Everyone hasn’t gone yet,” Nanako says, looking at Suguru. “Sensei, you’re up next!”

“I’m not a competitor!“

The nerve of these kids to start booing him.

This is kind of his fault actually. He always encourages them to band together but now they have come together to peer pressure him into embarrassing himself on the mini stage. Seeing that he has nothing to lose he asks his students to pick a song for him. He isn’t Beyonce by any means but he can hold a note.

“This next song,” Suguru says, playing into the theatrics, “is called Midnight Pretenders. Sing along if you know it!”

Unsurprisingly, none of these kids know this damn song. Suguru knows it, though. He knows it all too well. His students selected it at random but he wonders if this was done by the universe. This song, among many others that invoke feelings of longing, were on a playlist he made after Satoru left. He played the hell out of that CD, too. These days he can’t even listen to Plastic Love without feeling nauseous.

Satoru, that f*cking idiot, has ruined him beyond repair. Now he’s back and acting like he wants something real with him when they both know that can never happen.

Gojo Satoru has a future mapped out for him, and it’s just how it is. Suguru doesn’t fit in that plan long term. Once the wife comes and then the kids, his importance in Satoru’s life will wither away.

The more Suguru sings, and actually sounds pretty decent, the more his heart aches. If Satoru knows their relationship is limited then why does he keep making these grand, romantic gestures? Is he being greedy? Or is he willing to go against his clan for Suguru?

Shoko and Nanami pop into his head. They both believe that Satoru returned for him and only him. Now he learns that even Ijichi knows that last Saturday was considered a date.

“Sensei…”

Blinking, a tear rolls down Suguru’s cheek as the song draws to a close. Faking a smile, he wipes it away.

“Nostalgia,” he explains. “You young whippersnappers wouldn’t understand.” He jokes.

His students laugh and get up to circle around him. “I think we all know who the winner is!” Nanako says, looking at the others who nod in agreement. “Congrats, Sensei!!”

“Everyone did a great job. You all are so talented!” Suguru says, feeling like a proud parent. “We’re all winners! I’ll bring the prizes to class Monday!”

-•-

It’s late when they return to campus so he walks his students to the dorms. Once he’s at his place some time later, he showers and gets ready for bed. Not before taking another look at the new addition to his garden. Satoru did a great job. He went out of his way for Suguru even after the nightclub incident.

Seems like the only one who isn’t taking any of this seriously is Suguru. In his defense, he has been in denial for so long that it’s his default. Ten years were spent waiting around for Satoru to pop back up. Now that he’s back one would think Suguru would jump at any chance to make him stay; even entering a relationship in an attempt to emotionally trap him.

Instead, Suguru has been afraid. He’s afraid he’ll wake up in the middle of the night, like last time, and go looking for Satoru just to find Satoru’s room empty and zero trace of him left behind. He even went a long time thinking Satoru was dead and that the school was covering it up. He contemplated killing the Higher Ups in search of his best friend. So, it hurt him to learn that Satoru was actually alive this whole time.

Maybe it would have been different if Satoru had told him he was leaving and gave him the option to join him. But that’s all in the past and even though he’ll never heal from that, Suguru has to quit lying to himself.

Yes, Satoru hurt him.

Yes, Satoru broke his heart.

Despite that, he knows he’s going to always forgive Satoru and allow him back into his life. It’s toxic, it’s codependent as hell, and if it were one of his friends or even his students he would advise them to cut a person like Satoru off for good. Yet he can’t do that for himself, and he doesn’t want to. He tried it once and hated it. He wants Satoru so he’ll keep him for as long as he can.

“Satoru, are you busy?” Suguru tried to sleep but he couldn’t. He needed to see Satoru so he called him. “I’m at home and—”

“What’s up?” Satoru is now standing in his bedroom, shirtless, wearing only a pair of black lounge pants and black socks.

Well, at least he isn’t wearing shoes this time.

Snorting, Suguru ends the call and puts his phone down. He’s sitting up on his futon. Only a lamp is on, casting a warm hue on the room.

“What were you doing?” Suguru asks.

“Thinking about you.”

“You do that often?”

“All the time.”

“Me too…I think about you so much that it drives me crazy.”

Satoru walks over to the futon and sits on the end of it, facing Suguru. He touches his foot through the duvet as if he’ll die if he doesn’t put his hands on him in some way.

“What are we to do about that, Suguru?”

“Have you ever seen Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind?”

“Yeah. Tell me, how did the mind wipe venture work for them?”

Well, he has a point.

“Is that what you want, though? You want to forget I ever existed?” Satoru asks, and he doesn’t sound upset. He’s too calm, though.

There is something eerie about the way Satoru asks that question, and it’s one of those subtle things that makes Suguru question his identity. This is Satoru but is this his Satoru? He knows that sounds crazy but his soul is unsettled right now.

It’s almost as if Satoru means to say that no matter how hard Suguru tries to forget him or escape him, Satoru won’t allow it.

“I couldn't ever forget you if I tried, Satoru. You know that.”

“We both know that. So, now what?” Satoru crawls up the futon, pulls the duvet back, and lays down. “Are we going to keep this cat and mouse game up or will we make it official?” He pulls Suguru down to lay on his chest.

Suguru has to admit that Satoru’s forwardness is very attractive. “What about your clan?” he asks.

“What about them?”

“You’ll have to marry eventually and produce the next heir.”

Satoru idly plays in his hair. “Guess I gotta’ start breeding you early to get your body accustomed to it.”

“Huh?” Suguru’s entire face burns bright red. “I’m not a broodmare! You can’t breed me!”

“As sorcerers we have the ability to speed up our evolution. I was actually doing research on the subject and—”

Suguru puts a hand over Satoru’s mouth. “Stop talking.” The word “breeding” made his insides do this weird clench that was neither good nor bad. Better for them to not discuss it at all. “I don’t know who’s worse, you or Haibara!”

Satoru cups Suguru’s ass. He’s only wearing briefs under his shirt so Satoru has a handful. Dropping his hand, he kisses Satoru because he wants to, and now he can as freely as he wants.

Well, they should probably keep things private for the time being even though his students already know way too much.

“Why?” Satoru asks when Suguru tells him they have to keep things on the low. “Are you ashamed of me, Suguru?” He feigns offense, pouting for added effect.

“Yes, actually.”

“But I want everyone to know. That way people will get over their crush on you.”

Suguru laughs at the crazy man. “No one has a freaking crush on me.” He touches Satoru’s face, admiring the smoothness of his skin.

“Nanami and Haibara want a threesome with you, Yuki calls you the “one who got away” and there are several managers I want to fire because they stare at your ass whenever you stop by the office.”

“You just made all of that up!”

“Monday morning I'm sending out a mass email to let everyone know you’re taken.” Satoru gives his ass a light pat. “All mine.”

Suguru blushes like an idiot. He hides his face in Satoru's chest. “Don’t do that! It’s unprofessional, for starters, and invasive. I’d like to keep my private and personal life separate!”

“Hm, we can do that. For now.”

They haven’t been official for five minutes and already Satoru is being ridiculous. But that’s fine. Suguru is just happy that they’ve reached this point.

It’s his first relationship. Hopefully it doesn’t end in disaster.

Damn, did he just jinx himself?

“Stop overthinking,” Satoru says, kissing the top of Suguru’s head. “It’ll be okay.”

Smiling, Suguru dispels all negativity from his mind. Everything will be okay.

Chapter 5

Chapter Text

“What if someone from the school sees us?” Suguru looks over his shoulders, adjusting the baseball cap and dark shades he’s wearing. “It’s broad daylight!”

Haibara and Shoko shake their heads at his antics, each taking him by the hand to drag him into Wild One; a sex shop in Shibuya. Work has been slow lately, giving them way more free time than they should be allowed because instead of doing anything of value they’re shopping for sex toys.

Sex is a natural part of a healthy adult’s life, Suguru knows that. He isn’t even shrewd; not really. It’s just that he’s a private person. His curiosity could’ve been satisfied by online shopping, under a private browser, with discreet deliveries. They didn’t have to come here.

This is honestly his fault for mentioning his curiosity to Haibara of all people. Of course Haibara told Shoko who then decided it would be a fun idea for them to interrupt Suguru’s peaceful Saturday morning to drag him to this place.

“Purple or red?” Shoko asks, pointing at a display of strap-on dild*s.

Haibara immediately picks purple. Reluctantly, Suguru picks the same.

“They only have red on the shelves. Let me go ask the store clerk if they have more in the back.” Shoko winks at Suguru. “You’re not ready for this section yet. Have Haibara show you the anal plugs.” She pats his cheek.

Suguru swats her hand away. “I’m not getting anything,” he says to her retreating back.

Laughing, Haibara links his arm with Suguru’s and they walk toward the back of the shop. “You can always go into it blind and let Gojo work you open with his fingers and spit.” He stops to look at a vibrator. “That’s how my first time went. It hurt like a bitch, though. I didn’t know how to self heal back then, either.” He still doesn’t have that ability perfected.

The imagery those words fill Suguru’s head with makes him physically recoil. He doesn’t want to think about Nanami’s fingers in Haibara’s ass but in his attempt to discard that from his mind, he ends up thinking about Satoru’s thick and long fingers in his ass. Reflexively, his ass clenches at the phantom intrusion.

“Satoru is big,” Suguru says. “Everywhere.”

His relationship with Satoru remained secret for half a day before Satoru announced it in their small group chat for no reason whatsoever. The first time Satoru initiated a conversation in the chat was to tell everyone that Suguru was off limits. Suguru tried to be mad about it because he specifically asked for it to remain a secret, but their friends barely reacted.

Somehow everyone has always known that Suguru is reserved for Satoru.

“You’re not a flower, Geto,” Haibara says. “He won’t crush you. Not unless you’re into that.”

Suguru blushes. “Knock it off!”

Haibara laughs. “I only say that because I’m into it.” He continues walking toward a wall of anal plugs varying in different sizes and colors. “Before you get into any of that, let’s see if you like penetration at all.”

“Must we discuss this in public?”

“No one is around.”

“Your voice carries.”

“What about this one?” Haibara points at a small blue plug. “This size is beginner friendly.”

“I don’t care. Let’s just get it and leave.”

“I wonder if they have anal trainers. That way you can work your way up!”

Suguru’s neck and face are on fire.

There are certain words that should never be spoken aloud in public. Anal is definitely one of them. He wanted to conduct his own research on this particular subject but his friends believe the best way to learn is through hands-on experience.

While he agrees that’s true for most situations he isn’t as comfortable with shoving things up his ass as much as his drunk mind often makes him believe.

Haibara unlinks their arms to bend down to pick up a black case. Popping it open, his eyes sparkle at the contents. “We’re getting you this one too,” he says.

Suguru looks at the reddish fox tail that’s connected to a chrome anal plug. A matching pair of fox ears are included.

“I’m not buying that,” Suguru deadpans.

“It’s on me.”

“Haibara!”

“Loosen up.” Haibara laughs, standing up with the specialty box. He shows it to Suguru, putting it right in his face. “Get it? Loosen up?” He laughs harder at his own joke.

Unimpressed, Suguru just stares at him.

They get lubricant and condoms next. Eventually, Shoko catches up to them. During her adventure to the back rooms she found a new harness as well. She and Haibara kick up a conversation about light BDSM in the bedroom, and Suguru tries to drown them out by reciting mantras in his head.

Evil prevails, unfortunately.

Apparently, Utahime is a mild sad*st into bondage and Nanami loves roleplaying. Two things Suguru didn’t need to know about his friends.

“I bet Gojo is into some vanilla sh*t,” Shoko says, snickering. “He’s a nerd at heart. Not to say nerds can’t be kinky.”

Satoru is a nerd. Honestly, Suguru is as well, but they have different areas of expertise and interest.

On the surface, Satoru is very cold, detached.

He does genuinely struggle with empathy, but he’s not heartless. He’s very particular about who and what he dedicates his time to, and to most people that selectiveness is deemed problematic for a man considered as the “savior” of the shaman world.

But that’s a title that was thrown at Satoru, he has never claimed it for himself.

Satoru fights like a beast. Very brutal and dominating, merciless and borderline psychotic. He takes joy out of his strength, loves getting his hands bloody when he could kill a curse without a drop of blood spilled.

Suguru assumes Satoru f*cks like he fights. He may have moments of gentle patience, depending on who the person is, but for the most part he’s a force.

He can’t help but wonder how Satoru was with the mystery man he “made love to” and of course thinking about that sours his mood. Jealousy isn’t an emotion he’s familiar with. He would like to pretend he isn’t jealous of this faceless, nameless man who made Satoru wear an expression of fondness when thinking about the one time they made love.

But it burns his insides whenever he thinks about it.

“We’ll leave the rest to you,” Haibara says, handing the black shopping bags over to Suguru. They’re back on campus right outside Suguru’s place. “Have fun exploring!”

Snatching the bags, Suguru hides them behind his back. “Get the f*ck off my property,” he says to his annoying friends. “All of Tokyo knows I’m a virgin now thanks to you two!”

Instead of taking a taxi back to campus, they took the bus. Shoko and Haibara continued their conversation from the sex store and would not shut up about Suguru’s “virgin asshole” needing tender love and care. He wanted to summon a curse to swallow him whole and put an end to his misery.

“Dramatic much?” Shoko teases. Ignoring his glare, she gives him a half hug and an ass slap. “Douche first. Get it nice and squeaky clean.” She grins.

Suguru slips out of the hug. “I’m not talking to either of you for a whole week.” He hurriedly unlocks his door.

“Aww, don’t be like that, Geto!” Haibara laughs. “I want to know how it goes. Text me later!”

“No.”

Suguru slams his door in their faces, the sounds of their laughter following him all the way to his bedroom where he lays on the futon, face down, with the bags of degenerate items all around him.

As f*cked up as it is to admit, Satoru is a better principle than Yaga ever was. Mainly in the sense of properly dividing their slim resources to better suit the high demand.

Minor cases are given to the students, and any assignments that are outside of the city are heavily chaperoned by auxiliary managers. Assignments that require more skill are handed off accordingly, and Satoru is always on call. No matter where he is or what he’s doing, one phone call has him teleporting to the location and covering the slack wherever it’s needed.

Satoru even implemented a new rule that the teachers have to abide by. Students must be briefed before and after an assignment. If any are displaying irregular behavior it has to be escalated to Ijichi who will then conduct an evaluation to gauge the student’s mental health.

“I’m surprised you thought of that,” Suguru admits over dinner one night. It’s nothing special. He cooked, and Satoru came over. “We’re used to the ugliness of sorcery but these kids aren’t.”

“I had you in mind when I came up with it.”

“Me?”

“Yeah.” Satoru reaches across the table with his chopsticks and steals food from Suguru’s plate. “I figured it’d make you smile once you heard about it.”

Suguru did smile when he read that in their updated handbook. The best part of doing group assignments is relying on others. Loneliness can be a prison with an inevitable death sentence. He isn’t sure how he survived after Satoru left. Shoko was there, and with time Nanami and Haibara joined their group, but for a long while Suguru did all of his assignments alone. A large chunk of him felt missing without Satoru there.

“Don’t overdo it.” Suguru says, abandoning the thought before it can fester. No good lingering on the past. “Leave some work for the rest of us.”

“I’m not sure what you’re referring to.”

“You’re leaving us the small fry and going after the higher grades by yourself, Satoru. Do you think I’m stupid?”

“No, I think you’re intelligent and very cute with your hair like that.”

Face burning, Suguru brushes his hand over the butterfly claw clip Mimiko gave him.

Earlier his students were over to help him weed his garden, and since a certain someone is always stealing his hair ties he needed something to put his hair up with. He was going to just twist it around tight enough to hold itself in a bun but the claw clip came in handy. He took a shower and cooked without removing it because he didn’t really notice it.

“Don’t try to distract me,” Suguru says, pointing his chopsticks at Satoru’s smirking face. “I don’t want you to work yourself ragged. Please, rely on me, Satoru.”

“I do rely on you.”

“I haven’t been on a solo assignment since you took over the school.”

“There’s nothing worth your time.”

“Satoru.”

“You really love to say my name, huh?”

Scowling, Suguru returns his attention to his plate. He eats with more force than necessary, stabbing at vegetables and chewing hard. It’s obvious that Satoru is trying to derail the conversation. He wants to handle everything by himself, shouldering all of the weight.

To most, he may be god, but to Suguru he’s his best friend, and his boyfriend, and he wants him to take better care of himself. He doesn’t want to nag, though. He’ll drop it.

Dinner ends. Suguru gathers their empty plates and glasses and heads to the kitchen.

“I picked up cake for dessert. It’s in the fridge.”

There’s only one slice so Satoru helps himself. He leans against the counter, humming quietly while he eats. Suguru starts washing dishes.

“I’ll help,” Satoru says, chewing.

“I’ve got it.”

“Hand me the kettle. I’ll make tea then.”

“It’s fine. I’ll do it when I’m done.”

“Suguru, are you mad at me?”

“Nope.”

Satoru is suddenly behind him, arms wrapping around his midsection, chin resting on his shoulder. “You’re definitely mad at me,” he says, sounding amused. “Tell me what to do to make it better.”

“This kitchen is too damn small for us both to be in here!” Suguru’s entire back is on fire from their closeness.

“Move in with me. My kitchen is huge.”

“I like having my own space. You know that.”

Satoru sneaks a hand under his shirt, rubbing over his toned stomach, tracing a thumb along one side of his V-cut. “My place is big enough for you to have your own space whenever needed,” he says, voice lowering. “I want access to you all the time.”

“That’s too bad.” Suguru turns around and lightly shoves Satoru away before his growing boner becomes impossible to hide. “Finish your cake in the den. I’ll be there in a sec.”

“Banished to the den,” Satoru groans, pouting. He’s way too big for these antics. “My beautiful boyfriend is so cruel!” He goes to the den with his cake.

Sighing, Suguru returns to the dishes. There aren’t a lot of them but he draws it out. It gives him time to get over himself and stop being upset about things out of his control. They’re both stubborn. Once their minds are made up, that’s that. Satoru will continue to do all of the work until he’s physically incapable of doing so.

Suguru will do his part regardless. He’ll support Satoru as best he can.

They, well Suguru mainly, have tea. Satoru has two sips and lets the rest go to waste.

Afterward, Suguru is cornered in the kitchen while trying to tidy up. Satoru presses him into a small corner and kisses him like he’s been dying to do it all night. Once his tongue enters Suguru’s mouth, the tension leaves his body and he melts. He lifts Satoru’s shirt, rubbing over his muscles and smooth skin, happy to have this all to himself.

At least now he does.

“What’s wrong?” Satoru asks quietly, kissing Suguru’s cheek, reaching around to squeeze his ass and push him closer.

Suguru places his hands on Satoru’s broad chest. “I’ve got work in the morning,” he says, and it’s a lame excuse, he knows it. “You too.”

“What does that have to do with what we’re doing right now?” Satoru asks. He cups Suguru’s ass, grinding forward to brush his hardness against him. “I miss you.”

Suguru misses him too.

“You saw me the day before yesterday, Satoru.”

“I want to see you every day. All the time.”

Suguru wishes they could share the same body sometimes.

“You’re needy,” Suguru laughs.

“Obviously. I want and need all of Suguru’s time or I will die.”

They’re the same in that regard but Suguru is too bashful to admit it.

Chuckling, Suguru nudges Satoru away and steps around him. “That’s too bad. I have students who need me more.”

Satoru hoists Suguru up as though he were a sack of potatoes and carries him to the bedroom, ignoring his protests. He’s the only one at the school — in the world — who can do this without getting a limb instinctively ripped off. Suguru’s guard is nonexistent around Satoru and he should probably fix that. If Satoru ever wanted to kill him, Suguru wouldn’t be the wiser until there's a gaping hole in his body.

“Talk to me, baby,” Satoru says.

He has Suguru on the futon arms pinned above his head, thighs wedged wide enough for his body to fit.

Suguru blushes at the pet name. “Ew, don’t call me that!” He doesn’t know if he likes it or not but it’s easier to put an end to it before it becomes a permanent thing. “There’s nothing to talk about.”

“Of course there is. You’re no longer mad at me about the conversation from earlier but now you’re acting weird when I try to cop a feel.”

“If you know me so well then figure it out.”

“Hm, okay.” Satoru lets his arms go but he doesn’t get off him. “You overthink like crazy so during our kiss you reminded yourself of something that ruined your mood. Now what could that be…” He ponders aloud.

Unbelievable.

Can Suguru hide anything from Satoru? For someone who can be emotionally constipated, he’s annoyingly perceptive of Suguru. It wasn’t always this way.

They were close in high school but Suguru was way more Intune with Satoru’s emotions than Satoru was with his. He didn’t fault Satoru for that because he understood that his clan never raised him to be anything more than a weapon. When and how did this major shift occur within Satoru? It had to have been during his time away from the school, and someone had to have impacted him enough to make him want to change.

Was it that mystery man Satoru made love to?

Suguru can’t stand this.

“You know, Suguru,” Satoru starts, “you’re being a hypocrite.”

“Excuse me?”

“All of this talk about us being open with one another and no more secrets yet you won’t tell me what’s bothering you. I think that’s unfair.”

“There’s nothing wrong with me.” Suguru is lying now but he’ll work to ensure that statement becomes true. He’ll get over his fixation on this mystery guy and move on. “Seriously, I’m just tired. Today was long.”

Satoru gets up, moving off of him. He sits at the edge of the futon, head turned away from Suguru. “I’ll be out of town for the next two days,” he says in an empty voice.

He’s talking to Suguru the way he talks to everyone else at the school, and it stings.

“When were you going to tell me that?”

“Tonight. Right now.”

“Where are you going?”

“I really hate when you do that, Suguru.” Satoru looks at him over his shoulder. The disappointment is all over his face. “You preach all the time about openness and honesty yet you hide from me so easily.”

Suguru wants to deny that but he can’t. Not only is he dumbfounded by Satoru’s bluntness, he’s shocked by how much it hurts to have Satoru look at him and speak to him in such a detached way. Defeated, he turns his head, wishing his hair was down so that it could shroud his face from Satoru’s piercing gaze.

A faint electrical surge in the atmosphere lets him know that Satoru has left. He didn’t even say goodbye.

“Sorry it took so long, Gojo-san.”

Satoru takes the engraved wooden box. The aura it exudes would make a lesser man’s knees buckle. He looks at Yūta, noticing the sweat beads on his forehead.

“If this task is too difficult let me know,” he says. He slides the box open, examining the talisman that’s wrapped around the amputated finger.

Yūta straightens up. “I can handle this!” He scratches the back of his neck, casting Satoru a wary glance. “I’m just curious to know what you plan to do once we collect all twenty of them.”

Initially, his plan was rather cruel. It was the depraved plan of a grieving man who was pushed too far. Despite the plan being the most logical, he abandoned it once his mind cleared. He’s entertained several alternatives over the years yet he hasn’t reached a definite decision.

One thing is for certain. He can’t allow Itadori Yūji to consume any of the fingers. It’s bad enough the boy is being used as bait.

“My main goal is to keep Sukuna’s fingers out of the wrong hands,” Satoru says. He closes the box and places it inside an enchanted briefcase that can only be opened with his curse energy. “I’ll wire money to you.”

Yūta nods. “The necromancer told me to head northeast next. She’s been right so far.”

“Old lady Ogami won’t lead you astray.” She and her colleagues fear Satoru too much for that. “Call me if you find anything.”

They go their separate ways; Yūta boards one jet and Satoru boards another. Meeting at the airport is convenient and discreet since Satoru has a private wing at most major airports in the country.

From Hokkaido he flies to Daegu, South Korea.

The six hour flight is long enough for him to nap but sleep never comes easy for him. Only when Suguru is next to him. He’s upset that he left things the way they were before departing. In the past timeline, he swore to himself that if he ever got a second chance he wouldn’t settle for Suguru’s little white lies. He swore to be aggressive, violent if need be, anything to make Suguru never keep the truth from him.

Grief can make a person do and say the craziest things. Satoru wasn’t himself when he made that vow. Actually, he was very much himself when he made that vow which is why he has to abandon it. He can’t trust himself with certain things.

Suguru is headstrong, like him. No one can beat them into submission with their words or their fists. They’ll change when they’re ready to. At most, they can be pushed in the right direction by a select few; each other.

He knows why Suguru bottles everything up inside. It’s a childhood habit. Being born to non-sorcerer parents left him feeling out of place until he met Satoru at the camp. For a long time, Suguru thought he was insane. His parents thought so as well, and they were vocal about it. Somewhere along the way Suguru figured it was better to keep most things to himself.

Their lives brightened when they met. Sadly, in both lifetimes interference occurred and their relationship suffered for it. In the past, it was the Sorcerer Killer who served as the catalyst. In this universe, Satoru is to blame for the disconnect. Sometimes he wonders if they’re even capable of a happy ending.

Instead of bothering with a cab, Satoru teleports to his destination once he lands in Daegu.

The two story family home has two occupants. Only one senses his arrival. Satoru stands on the second floor balcony, waiting.

“I know the house is technically in your name but it’d be nice if you called ahead of time.”

Satoru never thought it possible for Toji to clean up his act. Money can heal surface level flaws and most inner trauma apparently. Perhaps being able to raise his son is what did the trick.

“You know I check in every three months.” To make sure Toji and Megumi stay put. “How’s the training going?”

“Megumi’s not a fighter. He doesn’t love it as much as you and I. But he can hold his own.”

“Hold his own against what though? What’s the highest level he’s exorcized?”

Toji’s reluctance to answer is telling.

“What in the f*ck have you been doing for ten years?” Satoru asks, keeping his voice low as not to draw attention from any passersby.

“Raising my son to be a child, not a soldier. You gave me a second chance. Was I supposed to make him hate me as much as I hate my own father?”

Satoru doesn't want to hear this sh*t, honestly.

When he was Megumi’s benefactor he didn’t do a fantastic job preparing him for the likes of Sukuna or the disaster curses, he’ll admit. Hell, Megumi couldn’t even manage a simple retrieval mission.

Satoru’s failings in the past are attributed to him having far too much on his plate without a clear motivator in sight. He wanted to protect the youth of his students, prevent them from ending up like Suguru, but along the way he cut himself off from others, unable to establish genuine bonds with anyone else. He made himself lonely, and maybe he did that to punish himself. He doesn’t know.

Satoru knows he isn’t cut out for teaching. Parenting isn’t even on his radar. He assumed Toji would make a positive difference in Megumi’s life if he had the tools to be a better man. But he was wrong.

Well, Toji has improved Megumi’s life. It’s just not the kind of improvement they need.

“If Sukuna is somehow reincarnated, he’ll want Megumi as his perfect vessel.” Which is why Satoru keeps Toji and Megumi out of Japan. However, anything can happen. “Megumi needs to be strong enough to prevent possession.”

Ten years ago when Satoru approached Toji, months before the Star Plasma assignment was meant to occur, he terrified the man with his knowledge of the future. Enough for Toji to take the money he offered and leave the country with Megumi and Tsumiki. But as the years passed without incident, Toji stopped watching over his shoulder, and he started to raise Megumi like a normal child minus their occasional training sessions.

Tsumiki is off to college, and her father and brother visit her as often as they can. A picture perfect family without a care in the world.

Satoru should be happy to know that in this lifetime Megumi values himself and can know his father. He hates himself for how unhappy this news has made him.

Has his obsession with preventing the apocalypse truly blackened his heart?

“Has it ever occurred to you that this threat you’ve been paranoid about for a decade doesn’t exist?” Toji asks; surprisingly without any snark. “Look, kid, I get it. You experienced some sh*t that shook you to your core, but you said it yourself that this is a clean slate.”

“The threat does exist. I’ve collected twelve of Sukuna’s fingers.”

“And what of the other being? Kenjaku? Have you gotten any leads on it?”

Not a single one that leads anywhere.

Itadori Yūji is the only solid proof of Kenjaku’s existence that Satoru has. The Hasaba twins lived in the Kamo compound for years but have never reported anything strange to him nor have they seen anyone with stitches on their forehead. He placed them there for that very reason.

Kugisaki Nobara and Zenin Mai are his eyes and ears at the Kyoto school. They’ve been keeping an eye on Mechamaru and are even aware of the location of his actual body. Nothing strange has occurred so far. The first time the girls develop even the smallest suspicion, Satoru will go to Mechamaru directly. He’s just waiting.

If he makes too many moves at once it’ll draw too much attention.

He’s starting to wonder if Kenjaku has somehow caught on to the fact that he’s aware of his existence so he’s being extremely careful.

It’s easier to believe that Kenjaku doesn’t exist in this timeline at all but Satoru can’t shake this foreboding sense of dread. He doesn’t want to be caught off guard again to the point where it has driven him to paranoia.

Perhaps he should open up to Suguru about this.

Toji loudly sighs. “You’re doing all this for someone you love, right?”

Satoru doesn’t answer. He doesn’t need to. Toji was the first person he spoke to when he arrived in this timeline. The first person he saw was Suguru, and he had to stop himself from running into his arms.

Toji knows good and well what drives him.

“Go be with them,” Toji says, patting his back pocket for a pack of cigarettes. “Let me worry about my loved ones. I won’t let anyone or anything harm them.”

It hasn’t even been a month since Satoru decided to put an end to this fruitless hunt and enjoy his time with Suguru. Every time they’re together, however, his fear of losing Suguru multiplies. Seeing his corpse being defiled and misused f*cked him up more than he thought possible. At times, he has to double check to make sure Suguru’s forehead is stitch free

But being with Suguru calms that storm in his heart, makes him whole. Even when they’re on bad terms, because they’re difficult like that, he cherishes their interactions. He’d rather they argue than be separated ever again. He’ll adapt to the fear in time. He won’t allow it to consume him any longer.

It’s easier said than done.

If Kenjaku is out there, Satoru will be ready once he finally makes his move. Nothing, absolutely nothing nor no one, will get in the way of the happiness he has carefully curated for Suguru.

Not even Suguru.

The day is spent cleaning, running errands, and dissociating.

Once evening rolls around Suguru is forced to face his emotions. He has dinner alone, tries to watch a movie but can’t focus on it because of his thoughts about his last interaction with Satoru. They haven’t talked since then.

No calls, no texts. Radio silence.

It was obvious that Satoru was hurt but damn. How can he go out of town without checking in?

Suguru could very easily initiate contact, however, he doesn’t want to bother Satoru if he would rather they not speak at all right now. Besides, he doesn’t think it’s fair to act as if nothing happened. The next time they talk, Suguru needs to be prepared to explain himself or at least acknowledge Satoru’s criticism. He isn’t sure he’s ready to do that, though.

Shoko and Haibara invite him out. He declines because he isn’t in a socializing mood. The only person he wants to talk to is mad at him.

With nothing else to do, Suguru goes out and buys two bottles of wine. Back at his place, he drinks and listens to a city pop vinyl while scrolling aimlessly on social media.

From a private account with the display name ‘Natsu’ he takes a glimpse into the daily lives of non-shamans. They carry on without a clue of how many people — children — put their lives on the line so that they can live as they please.

During the period of Satoru’s absence, and his overworking, Suguru slowly started to despise non-shamans.

It was during the hottest summer of his recollection, shortly after Satoru left, when curses were rampant and gratitude was scarce. Haibara nearly died on an assignment he and Nanami were unprepared for and no one seemed to care but them.

Suguru was angry. He was exhausted and mourning the loss of his best friend. He felt like lashing out at what he saw as the source of all their misery.

Non-shamans.

Curses are born from them, after all. They’re the cause of their own misery yet it’s shamans who bear the burden.

Looking back on that time in his life, Suguru is ashamed of how bitter he was.

He often thinks about how differently his life would have been had he not met those two kids at the park. It was earlier September, during a trip to a village to consume more curses and do his thankless job, when the bus he was on suddenly broke down. He walked to the park across the street to stretch his legs until another bus arrived. Yet he ended up bumping into two kids who were searching for their dad.

Suguru offered to help, not knowing that the search would take up most of the day and lead to his assignment being canceled. According to his handler, the threat in the village had been neutralized. That was the only explanation he received.

Helping those kids look for their dad gave Suguru a much needed break. It felt good doing something other than ingesting curses.

After finding the kids’ father, Suguru swore he sensed Satoru’s curse energy nearby. But no matter how thoroughly he searched, he could never find him. To this day, he believes Satoru was there at the park, watching him from afar. That was what gave him the drive to stay at the school, push through that dark period, and wait for Satoru’s return.

Wherever Megumi and Tsumiki are, Suguru hopes they’re alright. They don’t know it but they saved him that day.

One bottle of wine down.

Suguru has a high tolerance with wine. The only thing is, wine does very strange things to him. He goes through an array of emotions over the span of an hour; nostalgic, resentful, mellow, angry. Randomly he gets the urge to reorganize his closet. That doesn’t last long. He ends up stripping down to his briefs and putting on a white dress shirt Satoru left after using his shower sometime last week. He keeps it unbuttoned. The sleeves are long so his hands disappear inside them.

He puts on a different vinyl from the same genre. The first song makes him want to call Satoru so he skips to the second song.

Calling Satoru is off limits.

For one, he’s tipsy, soon-to-be drunk. Secondly, he doesn’t know what to say. If he wasn’t a f*cking coward he’d say what’s on his mind. He misses Satoru and wishes he was here. He’s sorry he bottles everything up inside, and he’s sorry he’s not the one guy who Satoru made love to.

Satoru left the school — left him — and he found someone else. This person must have been special for Satoru to change because of them. They must have been beautiful too because Satoru wore such an enamored expression when he described their encounter as “making love” which is more significant than a standard hook up.

More wine is indulged. He drinks past his limit but he had a satisfying meal beforehand so he doesn’t get sick. His boredom is suffocating though. Another spark of energy hits him and he returns to his closet to revisit his plans of reorganization. He ends up taking the long neglected black bags from their hiding place behind a shoe rack and he pours the contents on his futon.

Suguru has watched one video on how to properly use the anal plugs. He found it mortifying, and decided that penetration wasn’t for him. But now he’s lonely, bored, and drunk which is a perfect combination for mischief.

He takes another shower and uses a douche to get it all squeaky clean. The wine helps him disregard how strange it all is. After the long shower, he dries off and puts Satoru’s shirt back on because it smells like the expensive cologne he wears on rare occasions. He takes a towel to his room, spreads it out on the futon, and he lays down on his stomach.

The lube is cold. He grimaces as he applies a lot of it to his hole. The tightness of it is alarming. Using his middle finger, he prods at the pert muscles, trying to see if even the tip of his finger can fit. He doesn’t think he enjoys the feeling of being touched back there. In theory, it seems great. Satoru gripping him by the ass and hips, taking pleasure from him, and no one else. It looks amazing on paper.

It’s the actual execution that worries him.

Dropping his hand he considers abandoning this endeavor altogether. There’s just this persistent part of him that won’t be satisfied until he goes full out.

Suguru puts a pillow under his stomach to angle his body better. Then he puts more lube on his middle finger, slathering it over those tiny muscles before slowly pressing in. As a special grade, his body can endure insane amounts of pain so the burning doesn’t bother him. It’s just a lot to get used to. He spends several minutes using his finger to get his body accustomed to the new sensation of being penetrated.

Initially, his thoughts and actions are wholly clinical. From a logical standpoint, the anal plug is too thick for him to simply shove inside. The tip is slimmer but he thinks it’s smarter to use his fingers first.

So, he's not thinking of anything remotely sexual until after he works his finger in up to the second knuckle. He starts wondering how it’d feel to have something bigger so he switches to the blue anal plug. He smears it in lube and adds more to his hole that’s still insanely tight but the muscles have softened a little.

The anal plug is a different ball game. It stretches him wider than his fingers did and the handle allows him to tug on the plug and push it in as much as he pleases.

Suguru turns on his side with one leg bent at the knee and he watches his hand work the plug in and out. His co*ck begins stirring, heat settling in his stomach, and he starts whimpering quietly. He pushes the plug in as deep as it can go, huffing when it doesn’t go as far as he wants. He starts moving his hips, rubbing his co*ck on the pillow, shoving the plug as deep as possible and easing it out, repeating the action, building up a rhythm.

It isn’t enough.

Frustrated, he switches to a bigger plug. This one is a smidge wider with a longer tip. He sits up on his elbow, deepening the arch in his back. This new angle makes his eyes roll whenever the plug is pushed in all the way. The tip is brushing over this place inside of him that makes his co*ck twitch and leak more precum. He doesn’t know why his co*ck is getting wet like this. Sticky cum is smearing on the pillow, getting on his lower stomach but he hasn’t ejacul*ted yet. Every time that secret place is caressed cum just spills out.

Suguru’s ears burn. Ashamed, he buries his face in the sheets but he keeps f*cking himself with the plug, trying to explore that hidden area. He knows it’ll feel way better if he can actually reach it. Barely skimming the surface feels good but he wants more.

The anal plug that’s attached to the fox tail isn’t as long as he needs but it’s slightly thicker. He puts the fluffy ears on first, laughing at the ridiculousness of it all, and he shoves the tail inside next, liking the way it lodges itself inside him. Experimentally, he tugs on the tail, whining from how good that feels. Sitting up on his side, he plays with the tail, staring at his leaking co*ck as it twitches and spurts out cum.

It’s incredibly lewd. Obscene, even.

Suguru wants to take pictures for Satoru.

He left his phone on the kitchen counter. So he has to walk around his house with the anal plug up his ass, the fox tail swaying behind him. He kind of likes how it feels to be semi naked with Satoru’s shirt hanging off his shoulders, sleeves loose, furry tail swinging with each step. He kneels in front of the full mirror in his bedroom, trying to figure out how to pose in ways that will hide his wet co*ck but show off the tail and the fox ears.

A ton of pictures are taken. All of them look great in his drunk mind. He goes back to his futon, curling up on his side, taking the fox cosplay way too seriously, and he tries to figure out the best picture to send Satoru.

There’s one where the dress shirt is hanging off one shoulder and the fabric is covering his co*ck but there’s an obvious bulge there. One of his nipples is exposed, the fox ears are a little lopsided, and he’s holding the tail in his free hand. This is the one, he decides. He sends it to Satoru.

And he waits.

Wherever Satoru is, he'll drop what he’s doing and appear inside the bedroom. He’ll look at Suguru and never think about that other person ever again.

Seconds turn into minutes.

No Satoru.

Frowning, Suguru looks around his empty room in disbelief. Satoru is either fighting or he’s still pissed at him. Those are the only two explanations. Even then, he thinks Satoru is ridiculous enough to put a fight on hold to pop in, tell him he looks sexy, and then leave again. Something. He expects Satoru to say or do something.

This is his first time taking lewd pictures. His first time doing anything like this. Satoru knows him well enough to know he’s never sent anyone a picture like this.

So why isn’t he responding accordingly?

Suguru is being delusional. He can’t expect Satoru to drop everything because he sent a thirst trap.

It hurts though.

If he was sober he would be rational about this. Satoru will respond when he’s available. He isn’t ignoring him.
He doesn’t think he looks stupid dressed like this. He’s just a busy man.

But he isn’t sober so he fills his mind with the worst possible scenarios.

The business trip is cut short.

Satoru planned on staying in South Korea for the full day to check in on his other interests, but this obsession has to stop.

No more temporary pauses just for him to relapse again. He’s done everything in his power up until this point. The rest is up to the universe.

Well, not exactly.

He knows better than to leave something as important as this to chance. He’ll just reel himself in.

Suguru was right. He has been taking care of the high level curses on his own to lessen the workload for everyone else — mainly Suguru who is one of four special grades. When high level curses appear, the work is always placed on Suguru, realistically.

Yūta is helping Satoru collect Sukuna’s fingers.

Yuki is doing her own project as well as a side job for Satoru.

For a time, Satoru wasn’t directly involved with the school, and now he has a million and one things on his plate but he can deal. It’s Suguru who goes into the field with his heart exposed. Sometimes he can turn it off but most times he’s too emotionally invested in the assignment. Instead of trying to change him, Satoru will protect his heart.

And Satoru wasn’t kidding when he said he relies on Suguru as well.

Suguru is the only one who checks on him. The only one who makes sure he eats. At times, he can’t recall if he’s eaten or not, but Suguru always knows. It was Suguru who took his insomnia seriously and did research on healthy remedies. Suguru introduced him to Blush Clock Vines, and since then Satoru keeps a vase of them in his offices and bedrooms at the school, clan compound, and his private home.

He likes how Suguru keeps him grounded, and humbled. He’s Satoru when he’s with Suguru. Not the strongest, not Six Eyes, not the Limitless User whose birth sent evil doers running for the hills.

Just Satoru.

If Suguru doesn’t want to open up to him about every little thing and tell his white lies, Satoru will accept it. He’ll take Suguru as is.

Instead of barging in as he usually does, he decides to knock on the front door when he arrives at Suguru’s house late that night. All of the lights are on so he knows Suguru is awake. He can even hear music playing.

It should go on the record that Satoru tried. When Suguru doesn’t come to the door after a third knock, he resorts to the old way. He stops in the small genkan first and removes his shoes. Two bottles of wine are on the kitchen table and a vinyl is playing.

Wine drunk Suguru is always a treat.

Smiling to himself, Satoru walks to Suguru’s bedroom, expecting to find him in sweats and a t-shirt, knocked out on his futon. What he sees instead makes him suck in a sharp breath.

A sleeping fox is in his boyfriend's place.

Satoru feels like he walked into a p*rno. Bottles of lube, and anal plugs are scattered around Suguru who’s curled up in a fetal position, wearing one of Satoru’s shirts. His long lashes are damp, but knowing Suguru he didn’t cry.

A few tears is all he can manage before he gets annoyed and goes to sleep. But the fact that Suguru was sad enough to do that much is alarming.

“Suguru,” Suguru whispers, kissing the shell of Suguru’s ear. He’s kneeling over him, hands planted on either side of his face. “Wakey, wakey, little fox.” He chuckles.

Suguru wakes up with a low whine, a tired blink, and slight pout. “f*ck you, Satoru,” he mutters. “You left me on read, dickhe*d…”

“You haven’t texted me.”

“I did.”

“Did not.”

“Did too!” Frustrated, Suguru turns over to sit up. Obviously he’s forgotten about the anal plug. He moans when he mistakenly sits on it and collapses on his back. “f*ck!”

Satoru chuckles. He nudges Suguru’s legs open with his knee, wishing the shirt didn’t block his view of Suguru’s co*ck. He touches Suguru’s hip with one hand and takes his phone out with the other.

“See,” he says, showing their message thread. “We haven’t texted in days.”

Suguru raises an arm above his head, patting around for his phone.

Satoru could hand it to him but he’s distracted by the way Suguru’s muscles coil underneath his smooth skin. His brown nipples are hard, looking delectable on his meaty pecs, and the dip in his hips draws a lot of attention to his V cut and his muscular thighs. He desperately needs to see Suguru’s ass right now. He bet it looks good with the anal plug inside. It looks good in general.

It’s toned yet plush with a nice grip on it, perfect for backshots and ass slaps with the way it ripples at the slightest movement…

“See!” Suguru unlocks his phone. Then he frowns. “Oh. I forgot to send the picture…” His blush deepens. “Well…”

“You took pictures for me?”

Suguru puts his phone away. “No,” he says, maintaining his attitude despite it being clear that his message was never ignored. “What are you doing here?”

“I came to see my little fox.”

“Quit that!” Suguru reaches for the fox's ears to rip them off.

“No, no! Keep them on!” Satoru grabs him by the wrists and pins his arms to his sides. He showers him with kisses. “You look really sexy, Suguru. Let me see the pictures you took.”

Suguru grumbles. He’s the cutest when he’s playing hard to get. “They’re embarrassing,” he says, unlocking his phone anyway. “You can’t make fun of a drunk man.”

There’s nothing to make fun. Every photo is a gold mine. Satoru zooms in on a couple of them, neck burning, pants tightening. He sends all of them to himself for safekeeping.

“I had no idea you could be so lewd, Suguru.” Satoru looks from the phone to Suguru who is blushing mad. “Where’d you get all this stuff from?” He puts their phones away and lays on top of Suguru, kissing his neck and chin, grinding his erection against his stomach.

Suguru hugs his neck. “Haibara,” he says, his words slurring. He’s still drunk.

Damn. That means Satoru is limited tonight.

Wait a minute.

Haibara bought all this?

Stiffening, he looks at Suguru and touches his chin. “Why is another man buying you sex toys, Suguru?” He nips Suguru’s chin and smooths his hands down his sides possessively. “Is there something I should know?”

“I got it for you. I was training for you…”

“Training?”

“My ass…that’s what those are for.” He blindly points to where he thinks the pile of anal plugs are. He’s way off but Satoru gets the gist. “They’re for ass training or something.”

Satoru laughs. “Anal trainers. That’s what they’re called.” He smooths Suguru’s hair away from his face, kissing him on every visible surface. “You’re trying to get ready for me?”

“Duh. Your dick is huge.”

“You’re blessed as well.”

“Yeah but you’re like blessed tenfold. I’m not sitting on that thing without preparing first.”

“I know how to make sure you’re well prepared, Suguru. You could have told me you were curious. I would have happily trained your ass.” He smirks.

Suguru frowns, glancing off to the side. “I wanted to impress you, I guess,” he says, closing his eyes and sighing. “I wanted to be better than them.”

“Them?”

“Don’t make me repeat it. I’m embarrassed enough as is.”

“Suguru, are you jealous?”

Opening his eyes, Suguru stares at Satoru’s face for several seconds, saying nothing. There’s a bit of clarity in his eyes as if the question has sobered him somewhat. He closes his eyes again, and Satoru masks his disappointment.

“I’ll get you some water. You should sleep this off—”

“I’m jealous,” Suguru blurts out, looking relieved to have finally voiced that. “I want to know who they are, Satoru. Who is the guy you decided was worth your time more than me?”

Blinking owlish, Satoru snorts. “Wait, you’re jealous about that?” This is what’s been bothering Suguru this whole time? He has to hold in his laughter. “Suguru, listen—”

In that moment, Suguru reminds him why out of both the Tokyo and the Kyoto schools there is only one person who can win a hand to hand fight against even the strongest of curses and curse users. Suguru pulls a move on him as fast as lightning, reversing their positions so that Satoru is pinned on the futon, wide eyed and winded, and Suguru is straddling him. His fox ears and tail are still in place, making Satoru’s heart and co*ck throb at the same maddening pace.

Suguru’s face is flushed and his eyes are wet but he doesn’t shed any tears. There’s the faintest hint of insanity in his eyes when he asks, “Who are they?”

“Suguru.”

“Tell me, Satoru! Why did you leave me without a word? Was it to be with them? You brought me to the school, promised me we’d be the strongest and then you just ditched me and left me all alone when you found a new toy to occupy your time!”

“You’re not a toy to me. You never were.”

“Had you asked me to leave with you, I would have. You could have taken me with you!”

“I did what I thought was best for you.”

“Who said I wanted that? Who said I wanted what was best for me? I wanted to be by your side. I only wanted that!”

This conversation is giving Satoru Deja Vu.

Years after their confrontation in Shinjuku, Suguru shouted similar things at him inside of an abandoned church; the same place where they made love for the first and last time. That year following Riko’s death, Suguru was drowning in his loneliness. He felt abandoned, discarded.

They went from the strongest duo to Satoru entering a league of his own where his only contender was an ancient being who had yet to reincarnate. He never thought Suguru would break because he thought highly of him. Everyone else was weak or barely getting by.

Not Suguru. He was — he is — the equal Satoru chose. When Satoru came to this timeline, he didn’t want to be without Suguru for a single moment, but he distanced himself as a way to keep Suguru safe. He interfered here and there, ensuring Suguru kept his head above water, but watching from the shadows wasn’t enough it seems.

Satoru cups Suguru’s face. “I’m sorry, Suguru. I’m sorry I abandoned you,” he says with full sincerity. “Had you came with me, you never would have forged your own path. You know that.”

“Who was it?” Suguru asks because that’s what bothers him most of all. “Who was my replacement?”

“They don’t exist.”

“Liar.”

“That’s your title, not mine.”

Suguru is his beautiful liar, his mess. He wouldn’t want him any other way.

Sighing heavily, Suguru brushes off the comment. He has tunnel vision.“Who was it? Tell me. It’s not like I’m going to track them down and kill them." That sounded very convincing; not. "I just want to know.”

“It was you, Suguru. That man I made love to, the one you’re jealous of, is you.”

Suguru loses half of his anger. He blinks, utterly confused. “Don’t bullsh*t me.”

“I’m not.” Satoru pulls Suguru down, caging him against his chest. He can feel the way Suguru’s shoulders sag and his body relaxes. “You know you’re the only one.”

“Did we have drunk sex and it slipped my mind?”

“It’s more complicated than that?”

“Do you promise to explain it to me when the room isn’t spinning?” Too much movement and yelling has caught up with him. “I’m never drinking again.” He groans.

Satoru chuckles. “Only if you remember to ask me about it.” The thing about wine drunk Suguru is, he never remembers anything the following day. Satoru doesn't think Suguru will ever be ready for the truth about him or them. “Then yeah, baby, I’ll explain everything.”

“I don’t like that pet name.”

“Yes you do.”

“Don’t use it in front of our friends.”

“Anything for my fox.”

“Satoru!”

Chuckling, Satoru kisses Suguru’s temple. “You really do love saying my name, don’t you?” he asks.

Of course that’s when Suguru decides it’s time to sleep his drunkenness off.

Chapter 6

Chapter Text

Scattered images of foreign memories have haunted his dreams for four nights now.

Each time, the dreams begin the same. He is suspended in an endless void, surrounded by an unendurable darkness until gradually his body sinks to what he assumes is the bottom of a profound cavity in the earth.

The closer he draws to the bottom, a white light begins to spread toward him as if reaching out. The darkness clings to him, feeling like a hundred tiny hands tugging on him from every direction, preventing him from reaching the light.

Yet the light persists and eventually prevails, growing brighter, unavoidable. With increasing speed, his body collides with the light, and his vision is illuminated by an array of colors until he crashes into the body of his teen self. No longer is he a viewer on this voyage but an active participant.

Every night he’s thrown into a random scenario. None of the dreams have been linear. Some of them are barely coherent. Despite most of the memories being foreign to him there are familiar ones.

Late night visits to the vending machine, sneaking out in the dead of night just to aimlessly stroll around the city, and riling up Principal Yaga until his head metaphorically explodes, leading to a week’s worth of detention bundled up into a sucker punch that leaves them flying halfway across the courtyard.

These are fond, cherished memories that Suguru is very familiar with.

What stands out to him is a shaggy-haired older man with cold, dead eyes butchering Satoru right before his eyes and casually announcing the death of his one and only best friend with a look akin to pride. What stands out to him is that same talentless “monkey” making light work of his strongest curses moments later.

What stands out to him is a pure white room blanketed in the blood of a dead teenage girl, the eerie smiles on the faces of middle aged, wrinkled men as they celebrate her demise, and the blank stare on Satoru’s face as he asks Suguru if they should kill them all.

Yes.

Suguru always wants to give that answer but his dream self never allows the word to reach his lips. It stays on his tongue, at the very tip, trapped there.

Instead, he says no, and he foolishly convinces Satoru to leave that place with him and try to forget all of that ever happened. And while it appears Satoru takes his advice in earnest, it’s Suguru who inevitably never lets the situation go, not until it consumes him from the inside out, leaving him altered and shattered.

On the fifth night, the dream starts the same as always yet for once Suguru isn’t thrown into the body of his teenage self.

Instead, he’s the same age as he is now, dressed in the remnants of what appears to be a monk’s attire, battered and bloody, clutching to the shoulder that once held his right arm, back pressed against a brick wall as Satoru slowly approaches him.

“You’re late as usual, Satoru…”

Satoru’s words are muffled as though he were trapped under water but in the dream Suguru can hear him loud and perfectly clear. Initially, the words are received with shock and a mixture of mild confusion. Gradually, a fond smile spreads across Suguru’s face as his vision is filled with a bright red light.

. . .

Eyes flying open, Suguru sits up in bed, needing a moment to take in his surroundings. His brain is foggy as if someone has been tinkering with it.

Bare, beige walls, the low buzz of a high-end fan blowing from one corner of the large bedroom, and a hulking, warm, half-naked body at his side. That’s right. He’s staying with Satoru tonight.

After dinner earlier, Satoru teleported them to one of his private homes in the Minato ward for a nightcap that started with kisses and ended with tame fondling since Suguru was too exhausted to continue.

Sleep has been rough for him all week, and he’s been training with his students for next weekend’s exchange event. The exhaustion is nothing he can’t handle but he would like to be in top shape in order to give his students the individual attention they deserve. He’s performing their evaluations in a few days and he would like to not look and sound like a zombie when doing so considering they’ve all worked so hard.

With an incoherent mumble, Satoru tosses an arm around Suguru’s waist and drags him back down to his level, making his head hit the pillow with a soft thud. Before Suguru can express any shock or scold him, Satoru has a leg draped over him as well, pinning him in place.

“Stay,” Satoru grumbles. “I’ll have you back in time for class, worrywart.”

While Suguru does normally get up hours before he has to, this isn’t the case right now. That dream rattled him more than the past ones have.

“I need to take a leak,” Suguru whispers as he tries to pry himself away. It’s not a full lie. “I won’t run away.” He chuckles.

At first it doesn’t seem like Satoru is going to free him, but he raises his arm for Suguru to scoot to freedom. He’s never been to this place before so he has trouble finding the bathroom, and either Satoru has fallen asleep again or he enjoys hearing Suguru bump into sh*t because he doesn’t offer him any guidance.

Definitely the latter. Boyfriend or not, Satoru is still very much an asshole. Good thing Suguru finds what he needs regardless of his host’s negligence.

After handling his business and washing his hands, he places his palms on the granite sink and stares at nothing. His eyes lose focus as his mind replays the last seconds of his dream on a loop.

The dreams are a well-kept secret but with this recent one he’s wondering if he should bring it up to Satoru. There’s no mistaking the bright red light that flashed seconds before he woke up.

Red is one of Satoru’s techniques.

It’s a deadly one, too.

Why would Satoru ever use Red on him though? Why would he attack him at all? Was Satoru the reason why he was missing an arm in the dream?

Even when they sparred during high school it never escalated to that point. Suguru always threatened to unleash his curses and Satoru acted as if he would unleash his own technique but it always ended with hand to hand; and Suguru winning. So, the dream doesn’t make any sense to him at all. Perhaps the dream is metaphorical.

Satoru would never harm him physically, however, he is more than capable of harming Suguru emotionally. It’s one of the risks of dating; a risk of relationships in general. Any situation that allows another person to witness him in vulnerable states comes with a chance of heartbreak.

Tonight’s dream could simply be a reflection of Suguru’s inner fears regarding their new relationship.

Sighing, Suguru shakes his head to dismiss those thoughts before they evolve into a spiral. None of it matters.

As strange and confusing as these dreams are, ultimately they’re nothing more than the conjurings of his twisted mind. This wouldn’t be the first time he’s had a series of strange dreams. He remembers being plagued with night terrors for months after Satoru left. Perhaps the dreams or nightmares are simply products of stress.

There’s plenty for him to be stressed about, too.

If his students don’t do well during the exchange it’ll take another year before they can even be considered for a promotion.

They used to promote solely based on recommendation but after Satoru took over as principal he highlighted how problematic that system could be given how there are some shamans (Mei Mei) who can be bought.

The last thing they need is an unqualified student being promoted into a higher rank and sent on a mission they can’t handle. That’s how kids end up dead, and the school ends up short staffed in the long run.

The new system is far better. Not only is the Goodwill Exchange a way for the students from each sister school to meet their fellow peers, it gives each of them a chance to show off, improve and learn.
Second and third years are the only ones with the chance to move up the ranks while the first years’ names are given for the “consideration” of a future promotion.

If they continue on the right track, improve before their second year, and leave a lasting impression during the exchange, then they will be promoted.

This also gives the students time to develop their techniques without feeling as though there is a finish line they need to rush toward, resulting in less pressure being applied to them.

Smiling to himself, Suguru returns to bed. He stares at Satoru’s sleeping form with a fond expression as he thinks about how seriously Satoru is taking his job as principal. He initially thought Satoru took on this role as a way to get under his skin and rattle him, but he can tell that Satoru is doing this because he cares about the students.

Suguru snuggles close to Satoru’s side, feeling whole again when his arm drapes over him and he’s surrounded by Satoru’s warmth. He wishes everyone at the school could know how kindhearted Satoru truly is. Then again he enjoys being the only one to see this genuine side to him.

With time, he drifts off to sleep, and thankfully, the remainder of the night is peaceful.

"Of course I only booted Yaga out and took over as principal for Suguru," Satoru casually says as he doodles on the confidential document he's being briefed on. "I'm not ashamed to admit that."

Slowly closing his eyes, Ijichi drops his head, shoulders slumping in defeat. "Gojo-san, I do hope your bluntness is a reflection of how comfortable you are around me and not a reflection of your lack of care on this matter." He lifts his head, peeking a bespectacled eye through his fringe. "Right?"

Full attention on his current task, Satoru shakes his head. "Nope!" he says, grinning at the details he's adding to the doodle. "This is the exact same thing I told Yaga when I convinced him to step down. Why else would I want to become principal?" He doesn't care to hear an answer to the question so he changes the subject. "Have you done all that I've asked?"

Ijichi glances at the confidential document Satoru is defiling. "Sir, everything you requested is right there on that paper staring you right in the face."

Satoru barely glanced at the words on the paper before the spirit of Michelangelo possessed him and he started working on what he feels is his Magnum Opus.

Calling it a doodle is insulting at this point, considering how much thought and effort he's putting into the piece. This deserves to be hung up in the Louvre for millions of admirers to see.

"...is that Geto-san wearing fox ears?" Ijichi asks, leaning over to look at the drawing.

Taking the pencil, Satoru flicks Ijichi's forehead, knocking him clean out of his seat. He frowns. He could've sworn he held back just now. He didn't think Ijichi would fall all over the place like that.
See, this is why he told this guy to become a taxi driver. He's far too helpless to last a single second out in the field.

"Answer my question," Satoru says, taking one last look at his art of Foxguru — a name he is very proud of coming up with on the fly— before folding the paper and tucking it away in his clan robes for safekeeping. "Did you do what I asked?"

Clutching his bruised forehead, Ijichi curses as he struggles to stand. His knees buckle like that of a newborn doe so he plops down on his knees instead. "The Higher Ups have given their approval for the Exchange event to take place in Kyoto this year." He sighs pitifully, eyes watering as he sniffles. "Did you have to hit me so hard?"

"Did they question my request to have the location changed at the last minute?" he asks, purposefully disregarding the silly question Ijichi posed. He wishes he could completely disregard the sniffling as well. The sound of grown men crying really is aggravating. "I'm surprised they approved at all."

The location switch isn’t due to anything nefarious. Satoru’s just curious to know how things will play out this time around with the event held at Kyoto instead of Tokyo. However, everything he does has the Higher Ups clutching their rotten pearls.

For some reason they act as if at any given moment he’ll pop in on them and start ripping their scalps off. And while the imagery of that is quite pleasing, Satoru still has his uses for them.
Thankfully, Ijichi is serious once more. No more damn sniffling.

"I could tell they were hesitant to agree to it. They don't like being in the dark about anything," he says gravely. "Do you think they will send spies to follow us in Kyoto?"

Undoubtedly.

As much as the Higher Ups fear Satoru they distrust him as well, and have more than likely already assigned one of their lap dogs to spy on him.

If Ijichi had the spine for it, Satoru would suspect him. Outside of Suguru there is no one else who is ever around him enough to report anything of significance back to those geriatric f*cks. But Ijichi, if nothing else, is loyal and dependable.

“They’ll hand the task off to Gakuganji,” Satoru says matter-of-factly. “A little birdie has told me how much he loathes me.”

Not that Satoru needs to be told that by anyone. It’s a fact he’s always known in this timeline and the past one.

“The Kugisaki girl?” Ijichi asks.

Satoru nods. “Nobara will keep an eye on Gakuganji while he keeps an eye on me.” He thinks of the reason why he recruited Nobara and enrolled her at Kyoto in the first place. “She found the location of Mechamaru's real body during her first week there. The girl’s got skills.”

Money is Nobara’s main motivator, honestly, but that doesn’t negate the fact that aside from the Hasaba twins she’s one of his best informants.

When he approached her two years ago she was eager to leave the countryside, but not eager enough to follow some stranger.

Satoru revealed things to her about the answers she’s been seeking and that earned her trust; partially. Using children to act as double agents may seem cruel but Satoru strategically placed them where he knew they would excel.

“Nobara and Mai bicker nonstop but they’re a dangerous duo,” Satoru says, removing his bandages to rub his tired eyes. “Suguru’s girls will have to bring their ‘A’ game to Kyoto.” He chuckles. “But I know he’ll make sure they’re ready.”

Suguru has done a great job ensuring his students have the academic profiles of each Kyoto student memorized. He isn't going to send his students anywhere unprepared if he can help it.

“The way you often speak of the Hasaba twins in relation to Geto-san makes it sound as if he fathered them,” Ijichi chuckles.
Old habits, Satoru thinks.

That was the case in the past timeline. Suguru went from his mother-hennish best friend to “Papa Geto” seemingly overnight. How envious it made Satoru should be studied. He was never jealous of how Suguru settled into fatherhood so easily or how he went out and found people who loved and respected him even in death.

What made Satoru boil with jealousy was that those people, even those girls, got to be around Suguru when the most he could get was random run-ins that lasted half a second, and a singular rough quickie in an abandoned church in the span of a decade. Satoru envied Suguru’s family because of the time they got to spend with him.

And it’s shameful of him to admit that he nearly prevented the twins from meeting Suguru in this timeline. The initial plan had been to intercept Suguru on his way to that wretched village, rescue the girls from those cages, and place them someplace safe yet far away from where Suguru would ever be. He didn’t want a single person in the way this time around, and that even extended to the blameless toddlers.

Satoru knows that’s insane, and a new low even for him, but he wasn’t in his right mind back then.

Well, he was more himself than ever. What he means is, he was mourning, he was desperate, and he was angry. So f*cking angry at everyone, but mostly himself. When he first arrived in this timeline he did a lot of things he’s not proud of to ensure Suguru’s happiness, but he won’t dig that grave just now.

After ensuring Toji would keep his end of the bargain and lead Suguru on a wild goose chase around the city with the help of his kids, Satoru went to the village.

One look.

All it took was one look at those battered girls in that cage for Satoru to understand why someone like Suguru was pushed well past his limit. It was cruel. It was inhumane. It was vile and vicious. The older men who were “guarding” that cage didn’t care if those girls were the cause of the deaths in the village or not. Their filthy minds were elsewhere.
Satoru doesn’t think he has to dig deeper into the implications of what he means by that either.

He left that place with the girls in tow, physically disgusted by the entire encounter. The way they clung to him as he took them far away from that place, staring at him hopelessly as they shivered in his arms.

Suguru had every right.

And back then, in that dead timeline, Satoru swore had he been with Suguru none of that would have happened. He would have reminded Suguru that he placed too much faith in the weak, that he was disappointed in humanity because of how much he valued those spineless worms. Had he only accepted their flaws, and their place as the world’s weakest predators he never would have snapped.

Or so Satoru thought.

Now he believes that if he had been there with Suguru they would have slaughtered the whole damn village together.

“Should we call it a night, Gojo-san,” Ijichi asks, glancing down at his wristwatch. “You have a meeting bright and early tomorrow.”

Satoru is grateful for the mental disruption. He was having a great day — a great week actually — and he wants to end it on a sweet note.

Absently, he touches the side of his robe where the drawing of his foxy boyfriend is and he smiles to himself. “Yeah, let’s call it a night.”

He wants to catch his “old man” before his bedtime hits.

“Don’t be shy, my Little Fox!”

“I told you not to call me that!” Suguru grumbles as he pokes his head in the doorway of the bedroom, keeping the rest of his body out of view. “Behave or I’ll take this crap off!”

All he needs is one, semi-good reason, and he’s abandoning the idea that was born from a temporary lapse in judgment.

Despite being an obvious empty threat, Suguru’s words aren't taken lightly by Satoru who immediately wipes the smile off his face though he fails to empty the mirth from his eyes. Suguru will accept that much, knowing that if Satoru looked at him with a passive expression while he’s dressed like this he would end up unleashing a hoard of curses on him to save face.

School alarms be damned.

“Do you want me to cover my eyes?” Satoru offers, placing his hands on his face. “Better?”

Actually, this might be better. That way Suguru doesn’t have to suffer the embarrassment of clutching himself with both hands and tiptoeing into the bedroom like some stereotypical blushing maiden.

Of course Suguru knows he’s being a tad dramatic about all of this.

He and Satoru used to shower together, though, he never blatantly checked the other out, and that was during a time when they were strictly friends. At least it was that way for him. He thinks.

Regardless, this shouldn’t be as anxiety-inducing as it is. Suguru doesn’t even view himself as bashful or easily flustered. He’s quite confident, and daring when he wants to be. It’s just that this whole get-up is ridiculous.

But Satoru likes it a lot, and Suguru has a habit of spoiling him.

With a deep breath, Suguru swallows down his nerves. “You better not peek,” he says, stepping around the wall. Abruptly, he halts. Something just occurred to him. “Hold up! You can still see me!”

The delayed realization that even with his eyes covered, Satoru can still see more than enough, sends the insufferable Six Eyes user into a laughing fit.

Satoru’s massive body doubles over as he clutches his abdomen and lets out the most obnoxious laugh known to a man.

How can someone so good looking sound like a dehydrated hyena?

Suguru grumbles a curse and stomps off to the bathroom to enact the promised punishment. No more sexy fox costume for the cackling hyena.

Standing in front of the bathroom mirror, he takes one look at himself and he wants to bang his head on the sink. He looks so ridiculous. Isn’t he tired of allowing Satoru to rope him into crap like this?

Turning around, he pushes the bathroom door close so he can sulk in complete privacy.

“Aww, don’t be like that, Suguru!” Satoru catches him from behind before the door closes. Circling his arms around Suguru’s waist, he kisses his neck. “You’re just really cute when you get worked up like this!”

“I wonder how cute I’ll be with my entire foot up your ass!” The bright blush on his face isn’t doing him any favors. It doesn’t matter how incensed he sounds. “I can’t believe I even agreed to put this on again.”

He was pestered about it endlessly throughout the day.

During morning lessons with his students, he kept receiving random facts about foxes from Satoru via text, and throughout the school he had to rip up doodles of foxes that Satoru drew with the sole intent of him seeing them. When Suguru confronted Satoru, he was practically coerced into wearing this costume again as it’s the “only way” to put an end to the shenanigans.

Apparently ever since Satoru saw him in his “true fox form” the other night, it’s the only thing he can think about. The only way to end this is for Suguru to show his true form once more.

Yes, this is the logic of a man pushing thirty. Satoru is a joke.

“You make it sound as if I forced you,” Satoru says, resting his chin on Suguru’s shoulder. His hands have moved to Suguru’s hips, and he thinks Suguru doesn’t know what he’s up to.

Suguru’s state of undress versus Satoru being fully clothed has to be some kind of power play. He should be used to it. The imbalance already exists outside of this moment, in their relationship as a whole, and Suguru isn’t delusional enough to believe otherwise.

However, that doesn’t mean that he has to let Satoru have his way all the time.

“Harassing me all day is what exactly?” Suguru asks, not allowing their proximity to stray him from the main topic at hand. “You’re abusing your authority, Principal Gojo!”

With a low chuckle, Satoru plants a kiss on Suguru’s shoulder while his right hand smoothes over his hip bone and down his upper thigh. “Fun facts and doodles are aggressive and intimidating now?” he simpers, voice dropping an octave. “Has becoming a teacher made you sensitive?”

The word “harassment” was definitely misused intentionally. Under no circ*mstances can Suguru openly admit that he enjoyed the random fox facts or that he wanted to keep one of the fox doodles and only shredded them all because he knew Satoru was watching from afar. No matter what he can’t let this idiot know he finds him endearing when he gets this way.

Ever since high school, the antics that annoyed everyone else were oddly charming to Suguru who kept Satoru in check if things went too far, and Satoru allowed himself to be reined in despite them both being well aware of their differing social and economical class and notoriety within the Shaman world.

Back then it didn’t matter if only they believed that they were total equals.

Had Suguru been around when Satoru reached the pinnacle of his power, he likes to think that their dynamic would have remained unchanged. Nothing would have come between them. Ever.

Suguru grabs Satoru by the wrist once his hand starts lowering further, snapping back to reality. “Your privileges have been revoked!” He shoves the wandering hand away. “Get out!”

“Even though you’re hard and leaking on the floor?”

Of course Satoru would draw attention to the obvious erection Suguru has been trying to ignore this entire time. There’s a plug up his ass that stimulates him every time he so much as shifts his weight from one foot to the other and a hot guy breathing down his neck. He never stood a chance in not becoming erect. This was bound to happen.

Doesn’t make it any less mortifying though. They both watch as more precum gathers at the head and slowly drips on the floor, adding to the small puddle that’s been accumulating throughout their conversation.

The tips of Suguru’s ears burn crimson. “It just does that,” he offers lamely, giving a half-assed shrug in an attempt to convey nonchalance. He’s anything but nonchalant right now and they both know it.

“It just does that.” Satoru repeats, half-mocking, half-something else that’s neither good nor bad. “You’re telling me that you walk around every day getting wet on impulse, Suguru?”

Why did Satoru have to phrase it like that? The imagery is enough to send Suguru into cardiac arrest.

“Don’t word it like th —” A low, gravely moan cuts the sentence short. Words catching in his throat, Suguru swallows hard to dismiss whatever he was about to say.

Satoru’s hand feels insanely good wrapped around Suguru’s erection, tight at the tip, calloused thumb smearing pre cum as it steadily leaks out. Satoru’s other hand skims up his side, dancing across his ribcage and his pecs before pinching his left nipple and giving it a light twist.

Head dropping, Suguru’s hair falls around his face, blocking out his surroundings, making it seem as if he’s in a dim room all alone aside from the hand that’s jacking him off in slow, teasing strokes.

“You look really good like this,” Satoru groans in Suguru’s ear in such an obscene way, pressing his large body against his back and moving his hips as though he was already inside of him. Suguru almost wishes that was the case, but the persistent movement shoves the fox plug deeper inside of him, giving him a taste of what he’s craving. Enough to hold him over for now. “My slu*tty little fox…”

The instant co*ck twitch silences any rebuttal Suguru could’ve made. No use in pretending he didn’t like being called that when his dick is betraying him like this. Playing into it, he pushes back, grinding his ass and the fox tail against Satoru’s own erection, driving them both crazy with the added friction. Suguru moans while he does it, smiling at the way Satoru curses and groans his name. Even though the plug doesn’t quite reach his prostate, it does just enough to make his co*ck twitch and leak more than it previously did.

Tightening his grip, Satoru strokes Suguru faster while his other hand grabs the fox plug.

Suguru has to hold on to the sink as Satoru jacks him off and f*cks him with the plug in tandem, making his toes curl and his co*ck leak like a runny faucet. The more it happens, the less flustered he is about having this kind of quirk. He guesses this is the equivalent to squirting or something along those lines.

Whatever it is, Satoru loves it so much. He keeps begging Suguru to keep doing it and he gets so excited every time hot, sticky cum spurts on his hand, creating a bigger mess each time. Using his larger body he presses Suguru into the sink so that his upper body is resting on it, a nice arch is in his back, and his ass is right where he wants it.

For a split second, Suguru thinks Satoru is going to f*ck him just like this, in his small bathroom, on the sink without any lube or prepping. He needs a psych evaluation to determine why the idea of that gets him excited and leaking because it would more than likely hurt like pure hell, considering he’s never done anal and Satoru’s dick is massive.

Instead, Satoru kneels behind him, spreads him open with both hands planted firmly on his ass and he drags his tongue over his clenched hole, making his knees bump against the sink cabinets. Startled, Suguru tries to wiggle out of Satoru’s forceful hold, but Satoru grips his cheeks tighter, nails scratching the supple flesh, and he shoves his head and tongue in deeper, breaching the rim.

Suguru c*ms immediately, screaming Satoru’s name in a mortified yet mystified manner.

Weakly glancing over his shoulder, he sees how Satoru’s blue eyes are wide open and staring right at him as his tongue continues to nudge against the rim, trying to breach it once more. Even though this is beyond vulgar, Suguru pushes his ass back and starts to rock his hips, trying to get more of Satoru’s tongue inside of him. He almost grabs the back of Satoru’s head and holds him in place when he thinks Satoru is going to stop, but luckily Satoru only pauses to rub Suguru with his thumb before using his tongue and the digit to slowly work him open.

Sighing, Suguru relaxes and fully gives in to the pleasure. He props himself up with his elbows and stares at the mirror, mesmerized by both the blissful expression in his glazed eyes and the way Satoru’s head slightly bobs as he tongue-f*cks him. His co*ck is hard again, spilling cum on the floor. Gripping it, he slowly thrusts into his palm, making a game out of it when Satoru frustratingly groans every time his prize is taken away from him for even a second.

With a mischievous smirk befitting of his newfound fox persona, Suguru increases the number of times he pulls away to thrust into his hand, going from back and forth to back and forth.

Each time, Satoru’s groan is deeper, more incensed until he gives up altogether. Suguru flashes a victorious grin in the mirror when Satoru stands, but the smile bleeds away once Satoru unbuckles his pants and pulls them down. His co*ck is erect, standing at full attention, and whatever mental measurement Suguru took of it a while ago is forfeited due to the wild inaccuracy of it.

Satoru must have been only semi-erect that morning when Suguru woke up to their dicks touching because he’s way bigger than he previously thought.

The fox ears on Suguru’s head would deflate if they were real. Instead the headband is tilted to the side, making the ears look lopsided as he watches Satoru grab him by the hips and pull him off the sink. Yelping, he tries to pull away but Satoru hugs his waist and hoists him up so that their bodies are touching. He kisses Suguru’s neck, sweetly, ripe with affection.

“We’re not going that far yet,” he says, wiping sem*n off Suguru’s co*ck to stroke himself with it, using it as lubricant. “I want your first time to be special.” He smiles.

Suguru knows Satoru is only partially teasing. He knows that’s something he really wants to do for Suguru. It’s very romantic of him even though Suguru would probably be fine with being bent over the small sink for his first time. For now, he leaves it alone since he’s curious to see what Satoru has in mind in the meantime.

“Hug my neck, Suguru…”

Keeping his back to Satoru’s chest, Suguru reaches behind his head to circle his arms around Satoru’s neck. The action draws attention to his muscular body and the curves on his waist that he once tried to hide in his adolescence.

Entranced, he watches Satoru’s long fingers dance along his abdomen, taking a beeline to his right nipple as he pushes his co*ck between his joined thighs. Understanding his objective, Suguru is sure to keep his thighs tight, and in order to achieve that he has to lean his upper body further back and angle his lower half forward. Like this he can perfectly see Satoru’s co*ck peeping in and out of his thighs and the way his own co*ck bounces with each impact of their bodies, flopping uselessly and squirting cum.

“Such a pretty and fat co*ck,” Satoru says, sucking on Suguru’s earlobe as he f*cks his thighs with a steady rhythm. “What a waste. I’m sure there are a lot of women and men saddened by losing their chance of you f*cking them with this…” He slams his hips hard, until his entire co*ck is showing through the space it carved between Suguru’s reddened thighs, holding himself there as if to show off. “Instead, all it’s going to do is sit here, looking pretty and leaking cum…” Chuckling, he slides his co*ck out and slams it back in, repeating the action of holding it there and slowly sliding out until it’s out of view.

Dazedly, Suguru thinks about how it almost looks like he has two dicks. That’s the kind of sh*t someone who has org*smed multiple times would think. His brain is numb, his eyes cross every time Satoru’s co*ck rubs against his co*ck, and he whimpers with each nip at his ear, neck, or shoulder. Satoru drinks in every reaction, his eyes never leaving the mirror, and why would they when he has such a grand view of how he’s wrecking Suguru without even penetrating him?

“My little fox is so lewd,” Satoru says, grinning. With one arm he grabs Suguru by the neck, his hold as gentle as a force of nature like him can manage, and he hoists Suguru up further until he’s damn near on his tippy toes.

Mercilessly, he f*cks Suguru’s thighs.

The constant impact of their bodies sounds like claps of thunder. If Suguru was a non-shaman — no, if he was anything but a special grade he thinks this would have shattered his bones. How thrilling is it to be handled like this by the pinnacle of power in their society and not crumble into pieces? How ego-boosting is it to know that he’s the only one who can satisfy Satoru in this way — in any and every way?

Suguru org*sms just from the thought of it, startling Satoru by the suddenness and intensity of it.

“f*ck, baby! You’re so hot!” Satoru groans, his thrusts losing rhythm yet gaining in intensity as he nears his own completion. “Suguru, look at me! Please…look at me!”

Hearing Satoru beg like this is new. Basking in it, Suguru lifts his head, looking right at Satoru, lopsided fox ears and all.

Satoru doesn’t last another second. And unsurprisingly, even his org*sms are powerful and intense. Suguru is left wondering what would happen if Satoru let out a load this big inside of him? This kind of superhuman sperm could even impregnate a man.

Damn. Why did his insides clench in such a delicious way at the thought of that? Suguru stares at the bathroom tile, at the combined mess they’ve made, and he laughs softly.

“We’re so gross,” he tiredly says.

With a grunt of agreement, Satoru sags forward. The action causes Suguru to lay on the sink with his heavy boyfriend pinning him down.

“Don’t you dare fall asleep, Satoru!” Suguru weakly nudges him off because he wants a nap too. “Let’s clean the floor first and shower…”

“I can teleport my maid here.”

Suguru lifts his head, turning around to glare at Satoru. “You will not put that poor woman through this!” Cleaning up candy wrappers from a grown man’s bedside table is enough. “Go get the mop or you’ll never see my fox form again!”

He can’t believe he used the term “fox form” unironically.

Regardless, it works like a charm. With a pout, Satoru goes to get the mop. Surprisingly, he starts the shower for Suguru and has him get in first while he cleans up the mess himself. It’s small, very much bare minimum, but things like this remind Suguru that Satoru has matured a lot over the years.

. . .

They shower together once Satoru is done with the clean up, taking turns washing each other’s backs and stealing kisses in between.

Satoru came here after a clan meeting so Suguru steps out to hand wash his fancy clan robes while Satoru is forced to act like a civilian and take the bus to the grocery store. Naturally they’ve worked up an appetite so they spend the remainder of the evening cooking together.

The kitchen is small like the rest of the abode yet they move around it with ease, something that can only be accomplished with a high level of comfortability and finesse.

Satoru never cared for cooking but he’s a diligent student who follows Suguru’s patient instructions as they work together to create a meal they both can enjoy. Savory for Suguru with touches of sweetness for Satoru.

They both enjoy chicken, though in different ways, so they make it the way they like without any fuss, without any bickering. As always, they get along quite well when it’s just the two of them and neither of them are hiding or putting up fronts.

“Sit. Have your tea,” Satoru says, gently touching the small of Suguru’s back, “I’ll finish up.”

Nodding, Suguru sits at the table where a piping hot cup of ginger tea is waiting for him. Since his hair ties have yet to return from the void, he's left with the pink butterfly clip Mimiko lent him to keep his hair pinned up. He wonders if it’s time to cut his hair, do something different for a change, as he watches Satoru plate their food.

While his robes are drying, Satoru is left shirtless, wearing only a pair of sweats he left here the other day. A blue oven towel is slung over his shoulder to complete the look.

Gojo Satoru has been domesticated, Suguru thinks with a fond smile.

Not that Satoru was ever a dog who needed to be leashed. He does a great job of deceiving people with his looks and the way he carries himself in public.

Anyone who truly knows him knows that he only has a heart for one person. Not one person at a time, but one person ever, and Suguru sometimes can’t believe that person is him.

“Does it taste okay?” Satoru asks sometime later while they eat. He looks at the grilled vegetables he prepared. “I think I used too much salt…”

Smiling, Suguru kisses Satoru’s cheek. “It’s perfect, don’t worry,” he says, and he means it. “You didn’t use too much salt.”

It’s as if Suguru confessed his undying love with the way Satoru’s entire face lights up. He kisses Suguru back, on the cheek and along his jawline. “You really should consider moving in with me,” he says. “My kitchen is bigger.” He winks. “The bathroom, too.”

Feigning annoyance, Suguru elbows his side. “Of course you’d take it there.” He can’t help but laugh despite himself. “I like my space but I’m not opposed to a bigger kitchen.”

“Then I’ll buy you a new apartment. Off campus.”

“I like living on school grounds. My students have easier access to me.”

“And that’s the problem. You deserve to have a life separated from this place.”

That almost sounds convincing. “You just want me all to yourself.” He teases.

Satoru shrugs. “And? What’s wrong with that?”

Unbelievable. Does this man have any shame?

Apparently not because after dinner when Suguru asks Satoru if he wants dessert Satoru answers by eating his ass on the couch.

“Okay, when’s the wedding?” Haibara asks with a toothy grin. “Oh, Geto, you better milk that millionaire for all he’s worth! Hire a celebrity singer, thousands of white and blue roses, and—“

Suguru raises a hand. “Slow your roll. Who said anything about a wedding?” He looks away from Haibara to make sure none of his students overheard the trigger word.

Wedding.

That is the one word that would have the three of them running over here head first to begin an onslaught of questions.

Bad enough any time they catch Suguru staring off into space or smiling to himself, they start teasing him about his relationship with Satoru. And he isn’t sure when or how it happened but all of them have reached the point where they’re comfortable enough to tease him. Maybe he is too lenient with them about certain things.

With the exchange vastly approaching he does have limits with his leniency. His students are free to visit his abode, with permission first, and help him with his garden, and he doesn’t mind taking them on outings outside of campus or them asking non-intrusive questions about his relationship. However, what he isn’t lenient about is them slacking in their training.

The second years will tell anyone who will listen that Suguru is a secret drill sergeant. While he does want a positive relationship with all of his students, he doesn't think they should slack too much as one day they will be faced with a life or death situation. It is the inevitable future of all students at the school.

Suguru would rather they be overworked than dead. Truthfully, he wishes they didn’t have to live this life at all, that there was a world where curses didn’t exist and these kids could go to a normal school and have the healthy experiences that kids their age are meant to. Sadly, this is their reality.

“Again!” Suguru shouts across the clearing as soon as his students struggle to walk outside of the cursed-riddled forest the school uses as a training ground. “Push through your exhaustion and run the course again!”

“But Sensei!” Yuji and Nanako whine in unison.

Mimiko expresses her own despair with a heavy drop of her head and shoulders.

“But nothing!” Suguru shouts back. “Do it again!”

Pitifully, the trio trudges back into the forest to start the course over for the fifth time. On the bright side it takes less time for them to clear it with each run, meaning they are improving. As bad as Suguru feels for pushing them this hard, he needs them to know how to keep going even when exhaustion seeps in their bones. There are some curses that don’t disappear with a talisman and a snap of a finger.

If only it was that easy all the time.

“Hm, maybe after the exchange I can take them to an amusem*nt park,” Suguru thinks aloud.

Haibara nods excitedly. “Yeah, that’d be cool! Maybe the Kyoto kids can come too!” He takes out his phone. “Utahime would be all for it. But that geezer…” Rolling his eyes, he mouths the name, ‘Gakuganji’ as if everyone doesn’t know who the dreaded geezer is.

Regardless, Suguru stretches out his senses to be doubly sure that there aren’t any birdies eavesdropping.

It’s no secret that Gakuganji has a habit of sending spies out weeks before the exchanges. The old man takes these scrimmages seriously. They’re like the World Cup to him.

On a more serious note, it’s rumored that Gakuganji’s ultimate goal is to merge the schools with himself as the sole principal which would eventually lead to their society of shamans operating as a monarchy with the main families as Gakuganji’s loyal knights, the Higher Ups obsolete, and the others as his servants. He may have accomplished that with Yaga in the picture, but he won’t fare as well with Satoru as his main obstacle.

“And what is his deal with you?” Haibara asks, finally lowering his voice for a change. “He’s been weirdly obsessed with you since your second year. At least it seemed that way when Nanami and I joined the school…”

An indescribable chill trickles down Suguru’s spine as he laughs off Haibara’s suspicions. “He just wanted me to transfer to Kyoto very badly at one point,” he says, thinking back to the handful of times Gakuganji has propositioned him on the subject. “The man really likes to win those Goodwill Exchanges. He thinks I’d make a difference.”

“Seemed like more than that,” Haibara says, refusing to abandon his suspicions. “Sometimes…” Looking around, he leans closer to Suguru and whispers. “It looked as if he wanted your body.”

“Haibara, please,” Suguru chuckles. “That rumor about him liking younger partners was a rumor Mei Mei made for sh*ts and giggles!”

Haibara sighs. “No, not like that.” A pause. “Well, maybe. But, no, he looks at you like he wants to be you! Like he wants a second chance at the glory years, but with you as his meat suit or something.” He shrugs, feeling at a loss. “I don’t know how to explain it! But after Gojo left, I told Nanami I wanted us to guard you the next time Gakuganji visited the campus. That guy creeps me out!”

The sentiment warms Suguru’s heart. He puts his hand on Haibara’s shoulder. “Aww, you wanted to protect your Senpai, Haibara-chan?”

Despite how much Haibara has grown into a confident sorcerer, he still blushes whenever Suguru reverts back to their high school way of addressing one another.

“Of course!” Haibara says, fist pumping, eyes sparkling like that of a Shiba Inu receiving well-deserved head pats. “I wasn’t going to let that walking corpse harm you!”

Suguru laughs and ruffles Haibara’s hair affectionately. “Thank you. You’re such a good and dutiful Kohai!”

“He’s going to jack off to this later,” Nanami says in a dull tone as he joins them on the blanket they’re sitting on. He sits in between them as if to prevent his boyfriend from jumping into Suguru’s lap. “They were out of Cola,” he says, handing Haibara a fruity soda.

Blushing mad, Haibara snatches the can from Nanami’s hand. “I was gonna’ at least have you f*ck me while I reminisced on this,” he hisses.

Blankly, Nanami continues looking to where his students are entering the cursed forest to begin their own training course. “The humiliation of being exposed like this turns you on even more,” he says in that same deadpan.

“Nanami!” Haibara scolds, face the color of a pomegranate.

Feeling like an oddball, Suguru scoots away from the couple and pretends as if he didn’t hear any of that.

The two have been into kinky sh*t since high school, and even though their relationship isn’t open, necessarily, they do discuss people they’d like to have a threesome with or thought about f*cking before they became exclusive.

Apparently Satoru wasn’t lying when he said the two have had thoughts of having a threesome with Suguru.

Well, they've missed their chance.

Suguru likes to be committed to one person, and he knows himself too well to even joke about sharing Satoru with anyone. He wants Satoru all to himself, and he expects Satoru to behave the same way about him.

The couple continues to bicker — half concealed foreplay — while Suguru uses one of his smaller curses to monitor the progress of his students undetected. The cursed forest is well away from the school’s main structures and the alarms will only be triggered by high grade threats during this time so Suguru wants to be sure nothing unexpected has occurred.

With the mention of Gakuganji came the uneasiness in the pit of Suguru’s stomach. He wasn’t lying when he said Gakuganji used to want him to transfer to Kyoto, nor was he blowing air when he said he believes that’s all the old man wanted from him. However, after what Haibara told him he’s beginning to revisit some of their past encounters through a different lens.

Suguru never wanted to believe that Gakuganji’s looks of interest had sexual connotations so he brushed every interaction aside and never told anyone about it, not even Satoru. It surprised him to know that Haibara and Nanami had picked up on it at all.

A small part of him thought Satoru noticed as well because a few days before he left the school, Satoru made a comment about it in passing. They never had a chance to dive deeper into it, and it’s not something Suguru has thought to bring up now that they’ve reconciled.

As he continues to zone out, Suguru brushes a finger across his forehead, mimicking the way Gakuganji once touched him there.

“Geto-sensei!! Can we please rest now?!”

Dropping his hand, Suguru blinks owlishly before looking down at his stopwatch. The kids cleared the training course ten minutes faster than the previous time. They’re beating every record he secretly sets for them.

Masking a proud smile, Suguru tilts his head contemplatively. “Hm, let’s see,” he says, purposefully teasing. He sees how defeated the three look, and his heart can’t take it. “You three did an amazing job this morning! Go rest for a few hours, eat, and be back for our group session with Nanami-sensei's class.”

None of his students stick around to chat. They haul ass off the training grounds, making even Nanami chuckle.

“You’ve really whipped them into shape,” Nanami says, nodding appreciatively. “I’ll have to make sure my class doesn’t embarrass them in Kyoto.”

“Your class used to be my class, remember,” Suguru says pointedly. “They’ll be ready!”

Nanami nods before getting up and casually stretching. “Call me if any of them try to sneak off before my timer goes off,” he says, handing his watch to Haibara. “I’ve got a job to do for your principal.”

Suguru frowns. “Satoru is sending you on an assignment?”

“Apparently so,” Nanami says as he walks off. “There's been a ruckus at a movie theater. High school kids. All dead.”

There are more questions Suguru wants to ask but he doesn’t want to hold Nanami up. He’ll just ask Satoru about it when they meet up later.

Besides, he doubts it’s anything too crazy. Things have been relatively tame as of late, and if the job is easy enough for Satoru to send Nanami instead of going himself then there’s nothing to worry about.