( Geto certainly didn't believe he'd stumble out of his teens with two wards but here he is. Mass murderer, zealot, accidental father figure. )
You keep them alive and you hope the rest works itself out. Snacks always help.
Or you could just not and stay paralysed by fear. I'm not going to tell you what to do. I already have enough people needing that. But if Satoru can then why not you?
[ Gojo worries him by taking on too much and Geto is now making him worry by not asking for enough. He has too much single mom energy scolding him right now and Nanami wants to rebel. ]
Do I need to teach? I think he likes it. I don't know if I would feel that way.
What makes you smile? This is something the brunette asked when the podcast talk slowed down. I remember that part. It made me wonder if they had asked you that before.
I think he likes having people forced to listen to him.
( Says the cult leader. A beat, and then. )
I guess he's changed, I'm sure he has. Maybe we've all had to grow up. I hope he gets to live in a world where he doesn't have to lose any of them.
( Which is once again balancing on the knife-edge of things they shouldn't talk about. Geto would force that loss if he thought it was the only other available option. )
You don't need to, no.
What are the kids like? For non-scheming purposes, I promise. I'm just curious.
And I don't know. The girls? Even if I don't know what they're talking about half the time. They make it worth it. Not sure how I feel about the whole followers sleeping with old schoolmates for information though. Not that I think that's entirely what that was. But give me their names and I can make sure it won't happen again.
Mm. He likes the attention. He also likes the kids.
They're enthusiastic. They think too much. About the future and about themselves, but they enjoy learning. You can tell when he's with them that they all get along.
It's familiar.
[ He refuses to say it reminds him of how things used to be. He won't say that. Just like he won't let Geto or Gojo keep losing those close to them as long as he's still alive. That much he can still do for them. ]
I didn't say there was anything wrong with it. If you want something from me, you can ask. I'm not hiding anything.
[ Whether Geto believes him or not, Nanami still considers him a friend. If the cult followers decide to target him for their leader's sake, well, they'll certainly have their hands full. But maybe he won't avoid that either. Maybe he deserves the scars. ]
I'm glad you have them. They seem happy too.
[ Gojo has his students and Geto has his small self-made family. They really are alike, huh?
( Familiar. He lets it sit in the pit of his stomach with all the other bitterness he's consumed, the roiling unhappiness, the desperate disgust. He doesn't regret what he's done, but there's ... loss. Gojo Satoru is a phantom limb, something he always finds himself reaching for before forgetting it's gone. It doesn't hurt less. He isn't sure he ever expects it to.
Also he's not stupid, he knows avoidance. A different tact then. )
If you could be doing anything right now, what would it be?
[ If he could, Nanami would protect them. It’s difficult when both Geto and Gojo seem determined to keep chasing their own destruction. Hurting others and hurting themselves. It’s easy to pass blame when there’s already been so much loss, but Nanami can’t bring himself to blame either of them after the suffering they already went through.
He keeps drifting in and out of their fields, finding excuses to check in on both. Gojo is easy, but Geto… sometimes he has to go looking. Sometimes he ends up making dumb decisions just to hear about him. ]
Anything… I’d like to see the beach. Maybe travel more.
[ He never will. Those are just absent dreams that bubble up now and then, unfulfilled wishes from another life. But getting to do things for himself and escape the role of sorcerer for a time wouldn’t be bad. He agrees at least that they burn out too quickly, being forced into missions too often with little preparation. It would be nice to do something else. ]
I mean aside from the mountain of responsibility? But maybe you need to be more selfish.
( He certainly understands the appeal. How long ago was it that he and Satoru lingered on some beachside to give a doomed girl just a single second more of life? Maybe they should have stayed there. )
[ It's easier not to miss something he's never experienced. The dream is nice, it's tempting, but without tasting it once, Nanami will never know how much he's missing. He can work under those mountains of responsibilities and hold on to the "one day" promise until it won't carry him any further. He knows what he's doing, what this curse is, but he doesn't try to fight it. ]
You could go too, you know.
[ Geto and his family. They could just leave and find somewhere remote and be happy. Gojo would like that, knowing someone got something better out of their broken group. If one of them managed to do that, then wouldn't that be better for all of them? ]
( It's a nice dream, but that's all it can be. There's no disappearing into obscurity for Geto Suguru, he has too much blood on his hands for that, he is too powerful for that. He simply has to keep going until he succeeds or is stopped. )
Heh. Maybe in another life. Besides, I think the seaside would be too sedate for Nanako. She likes the city too much, and Mimiko likes what her sister likes. I'd be outnumbered.
[ Neither of them could really give up their lives. As nice as it sounds, there's already been too many sacrifices and losses for any of them to disappear into that fantasy escape. They would all come back eventually no matter how much they tried to escape. But. ]
You could make it a short trip. Show me what it's like.
( He knows what he's doing is right, that's not the point. Someone like Nanami should find it repulsive either way. It would be easier on them both if he just gave in to that. )
You'd be better off avoiding me like everyone else.
Besides, I promised you a postcard. I don't want anyone thinking I'm a man who goes back on their word. Can't do that if we're avoiding each other, right?
They're really not giving a good idea of the recruitment process here.
( He should be mortified by it, but a part of him just wishes he could tell Satoru. They'd have laughed about it once upon a time. )
Sometimes we hand out free coffee, that's the usual kind of boon. But did it work? Should I expect you? I don't really want to get my kesa dirty, so we should keep it civil.
I figured that wasn't the case. They were just excited to show you off. I guess I gave them the impression I was interested.
[ He guesses. Honestly, Gojo will likely hear about this later. Because Nanami can't seem to pull himself out of either of their spheres. Both of these men, charismatic and terrifying. Honestly if they were working together no one would stand a chance against them. ]
Will you be there? I was promised you even take private interviews.
( It's either late enough at night that he can joke about it, or that Nanami has settled some of his defensive edges throughout the conversation. Geto isn't entirely sure which. Usually he appreciates the forward thinking of his followers, they need more people, it's just --.
Odd.
He tries to imagine catching the eye of someone he knows in one of those meetings, isn't sure exactly how he'd feel about it. )
I go to as many as I can. There always needs to be a face to the campaign. And usually if someone tells me there's a potential recruit that needs a more personal touch I go, yeah. But you don't need to jump through so many hoops.
[ Is it a bad idea? Probably. He knows what he'll be getting into, and walking right into the lion's den is risky, but he can't stop himself. Maybe he does want to see Geto, and he's in the unique position to do so under the higher up's radar. Doesn't Gojo want to know how he's doing?
[ He was definitely paying more attention than he'll admit. Sleeping with his followers is one thing, but being constantly distracted by discussions of Geto himself is too much of an admission. ]
Next Wednesday. Since I have an invitation, I don't want to waste it.
[ No one can predict the future. If they had just done things differently, maybe they would have better lives, but it's easy to say that after the fact. Suffering always has a way of coloring judgment. ]
( Casually adding stop giving her ammo under the Shoko headed note. )
Ugh, fine.
I guess I'll live to see another day. But don't think you got out of it that easy. You absolutely have to take care of him if I die. I'll haunt you both so I'll know!
You do realize we're both jujutsu users and can exorcise curses, right? Or would you come back as some sort of Catholic ghost, like those American horror movies?
( Moments after that's sent there's a knock at the window. The window that's too high for a normal person but a curse user sitting atop a manta ray? Absolutely fine. He waves cheerfully, backlit by the city and the night's lights, motioning with his phone in one hand before he goes back to typing. )
[ The awkward way Nanami is sprawled out on the hotel bed, hair damp and still naked, makes a comical scene, but he does get up to open the window without a shred of shame. That could be because he's too exhausted for it, or maybe he's resigned himself to the mess he's made. ]
You really came to the window.
[ Somehow he didn't expect that. Still a little flushed from drinking, he runs a hand through his hair. ]
( He hops inside easily enough, immediately opening a hole in the air to bring through the worm-like curse he uses as an inventory cache. It vomits forth a bag that Geto tugs open, pulling out a spare change of clothes free. He's not exactly embarrassed by Nanami's nakedness, nor is gawking like someone they both know would. Instead he's calm and mild. )
I didn't want to talk to anyone.
( Monkeys, but he's being discerning, how nice! ) Is there a minibar?
[ Which wouldn't be that bad, but he's cold from waking up waterlogged and not having enough morale left in him to do anything about it. He takes the spare clothes with a look of muted relief, still recovering from the combination of booze and exhaustion.
Having Geto come find him might be embarrassing, but it is easier than having Gojo show up and make fun of him for letting himself slip like this. He nods and gestures to the little fridge he hadn't bothered to open. ]
It's not a bad room.
[ Is that more depressing? Maybe that young man was actually nice. He sits at the edge of the bed, finally giving Geto a more focused look. ]
( He keeps his gaze firmly on Nanami's face, searching it for a long second before he turns his back and heads over to the minibar. He's not wearing his robes, instead the outfit is something similar to the clothes in the other man's hands, sneakers squeaking a little when he crouches in front of the fridge to rifle through it. )
You want to explain exactly what happened? With maybe a little more coherence this time, I'm confused on the exact details.
( A bottle of water gets pulled out, Geto uncaring for the sensor or the maybe charge. He's certainly not paying it, maybe the monkey Nanami came here with left a card, maybe not. But he tosses the drink onto the bed beside the other sorcerer, taking a soda for himself that he opens with a crank of noise. )
[ Putting on clean clothes feels better. It's clear after Geto gives him a good look. The tired, miserable lines of defeat leave Nanami's face and smooth out into a softer relief. The exhaustion fading to comfortably tired. ]
There aren't that many details. It was a bad night and I decided to stay out and drink some. I wasn't planning on meeting someone, but at the time...
[ At the time he was so perfectly wasted that the young man's flirting had actually managed to feel nostalgic and inviting, drawing him out of his typical cold indifference he used for defense. But it was also because he was so miserable in the first place that he'd been that open, and in that half-coherent state, everything had fallen apart. ]
I should have been more firm about not wanting to hookup. I wasn't in much of a mood to begin with, but it didn't seem like it could hurt. If you really want to know, I probably tripped.
[ In the most pathetic ending he could have. But he wasn't that hurt and nothing truly bad had happened to him. If anything, he probably scared some random young man out of approaching older men. That gets a dry laugh out of Nanami. He lifts his head, smiling with conflict at the irony of once again depending on his former senior after a bad night. ]
Why would that matter? It was my own fault. I should clean it up.
( As with most hotel rooms, there's a little table and chairs tucked away in the corner. Geto makes his way to one, sinking into the plush upholstery, spread knees, one elbow resting on his thigh as he cups his chin and peers over at the other man. He can kind of understand all of the self-flagellation now, the anxious remnants of too much alcohol and poor choices. He hums, sips his soda, shrugs one shoulder. )
I don't know what to tell you, Nanami. I'm not that cruel that I'd ignore a friend in distress either way. Besides, I wasn't doing anything.
( No meetings, the girls tucked into bed and safe already. )
[ It's a rare night where Nanami tried once again to break out of his usual sheltering routine and show some vulnerability, only to end up with a headache and disappointment in himself. The attempted one night stand is not his finest hour, but once he's dressed and has some water in him to clear his head, he can appreciate Geto's rescue. ]
No, I'm glad you came.
[ Probably more than he knows. Not only because it spares him the misery of walking home in dirty clothes later, but because he likes the company. It makes him feel more human after that botched evening drinking. ]
You're not going to give me some wise advice for this?
[ He still apparently has some dry humor left intact. ]
( A shrug, another sip of his soda. ) Sometimes I wish I could get so drunk the only problem I'd face is keeping my balance in the shower, so really, I can't judge you.
( He has to be careful though, has to keep his cool, and his head, and his temper. There's too much at stake that sometimes he finds even sleep hard. But it would be nice, he thinks, to have a momentary lapse. )
[ Nanami sighs deeply as he rubs a hand over his face. It was a ridiculous gamble and hindsight is always 20/20, but if falling in the shower and screwing up a potential hookup means he ultimately ended up spending this time with Geto... maybe it's not really that bad. Despite everything, he can't help but think that. In this man's presence, his nostalgia makes everything feel lighter. ]
Give me some advice. You don't have to google. Tell me what you really think of me.
[ He can take it. He owes him already for coming at all. Nanami takes a drink of the water, letting his shoulders slouch as his body catches up to the relaxing weight of relief tugging on them. ]
( He keeps his tone even, easy. Nanami did ask and Geto isn't being particularly cruel. ) And tired, sad, used up. ( Okay, maybe a little cruel but that's just his nature nowadays. ) But I don't think it's necessarily your fault. It's just how things have gone.
( The loss of Haibara is a ghost not easily exorcised. Geto still thinks about it more often than not, he can only imagine what it must be like for Nanami. He toys with the soda can in his hands for want of something better to do. )
But you're not infallible. I think you need to remember that.
[ The cruelty is expected. It still hurts, bites somewhere deep and unreachable in his core, making it twinge with cold. But instead of arguing or snapping back, Nanami just utters a dry half-laugh of amusement. It's wry, but accepting, swallowing up those words. Used up. Well. That's probably not wrong. ]
You think that's sad? Isn't that just the same as everyone else?
[ He's already caught a glimpse of the end. He can feel it, anticipates it bearing down on him, and whether that's tomorrow or a lucky few years forward, Nanami has already accepted the inevitable fate of being consumed by his ghost. He had tried to run at one point, tried to aim for a second chance at a better life, a feeling of completion, but slowly over time he had simply stopped running. There wasn't any point to it. Or maybe the longing to reunite with that warm smile had finally convinced him that he had to go back to it. The price of getting to feel that comfort again might be returning to the life they both left, but he can't keep himself from wanting it. ]
I can't forget it.
[ It's the curse that he carried home with Haibara's corpse. The knowledge of how truly limited he is. Not strong enough to save the one life he would have traded for his own, and as Geto says, there's really nothing that could be done. Chasing after the impossible goal of becoming another monster was the best he could manage at the time. ]
But I'm still alive for now. I think I managed pretty well for being used up.
( Leaning back in the chair, Geto lifts a hand, presses his thumb to the space between his brows. ) I didn't mean to. I think it's admirable you keep going. I think anyone would be the same, in your shoes. I saw it in the cards for myself back then, why do you think I left?
( There were naturally a myriad of reasons then, but the bone weary sadness had been a part of it. Knowing he would have to keep going until he was killed, knowing that nothing and no one would ever be able to stop it. It still has its claws in him some days, the swinging pendulum of his moods dropping without warning. He does a better job at hiding it, though maybe the only reason he can see it in Nanami now is because it's in him too. )
I'm not going to shame you for trying to escape it in any way you have to, so if you're looking for that you might have to ask someone else. You could probably choose better partners, if only because the monkeys don't deserve you, but that's whatever. It's just sex. ( A grin. ) Just don't procreate, mm?
[ That is a bold lie. He almost doesn't hide the fact it hits that particular nerve that sitting at the morgue had, leaning forward and resting his elbows on his thighs so he can stare down at the water bottle in his hand. Unlike that time, his back still holds a straight line, is shoulders able to bear a little more of the crushing reality these days. Eventually it will all go numb. When there's nothing left of him but the sorcerer, he won't even blink at comments like that. So what if he's already burnt out? ]
Admirable? Don't be ridiculous.
[ He wishes Geto would mock him for the pathetic turn the night has taken. It's a well-earned reminder that seeking to escape their lives will only bring the curse after him. That he, like the other sorcerers, is a curse to others as well. He may use it to help when he can, but anything more than his function is simply unnecessary. It causes problems. Creates fear. Geto gives him a playful warning, and Nanami can't stop the derisive noise that comes in response as he lifts his head. ]
Aren't you assuming too much? I don't intend on starting a relationship. You're the one I should worry about.
( Mock affronted, wide eyes, a hand coming up to touch his chest. ) Ah, Nanami, I'm not that kind of girl. ( A fluttering of eyelashes, as playful as a razor's edge. ) And I'm very unlikely to knock anybody up.
( Besides which, he is a paranoid bastard. It's almost funny. Maybe he's a little envious of his old friend, knowing that he would never be able to put aside his own thoughts long enough to relax. )
You're harder on yourself than you need to be. Maybe you do need to be less alone.
[ It's not the same and he knows that, but Nanami isn't going to get the chance. He won't allow himself to leave behind a broken family or children that might be cursed into the next generation. As much as he wants to connect to someone, he won't even leave behind a lover who might actually miss him when he's gone. No one to mourn what might have been like he mourned before. Although after this fiasco, maybe he should give up on empty physical escapes too. ]
You're right. You probably have your hands full as it is. But you seem to be popular enough.
[ Collecting lost souls, perhaps, but they do seem to like him. Geto has that much at least. Nanami is following Gojo's path, both keeping to their isolation. ]
If I were harder on myself I wouldn't be here at all. I should have told him to leave me alone.
[ His stupid soft spot for warm smiles betrayed him again. ]
I offer people a safety they wouldn't have been afforded otherwise.
( Easy enough, still good natured. The curse users on the outskirts, with their less palatable natures. The jujutsu sorcerers forgotten or discarded by the higher ups. Those without a place in the world. No matter how often he gets painted as truly villainous he thinks he's doing some good. At least with his family. He tries. Someone has to. A pause, and then very carefully. )
All you'd have to do is say the word. ( He knows he's going to be denied, but he thinks the offer is important regardless. ) We have space.
( He keeps it casual, taking another sip of his drink. He knows the answer either way, it won't stop him coming when Nanami calls either way. )
Although everyone is very much in each other's business. That might dampen your style somewhat.
[ He can still see that optimistic ideal buried deep under the curse user's bitterness. Geto still want to help others like himself. He wants to save the people he thinks need saving. Maybe it means even more to him now, because it isn't something he was told needs to be done, but something he decided for himself. Even though he and Gojo have chosen different paths in achieving their goals, Nanami can see how alike they really are--desperate to rescue the ones that are abused by those above them.
It makes him smile. A soft, tired expression of fondness he rarely shows. When he burns out and leaves behind nothing but the smear of a corpse, at least those two will still be looking out for the next generation. That's what he chooses to believe. Because who can defeat them? It's okay to believe in that much, right? ]
Heh. I appreciate your offer, but if I go missing, then no one will be able to keep certain problems in order.
[ He doesn't want Gojo to be alone. That's the answer, sad as it is. At least Geto has found something kind, and that sets Nanami's mind at more ease, but Gojo still needs them. ]
Also, I don't like sharing.
[ That part isn't true, but maybe he's being selfish about finally having Geto's company. ]
( He shifts a little, reading between the lines. It's not that he never thinks about Gojo Satoru, it's just that he tries very hard not to. He'd made it look as easy as he could, leaving, had forced himself through the steps with the air of a man who'd found enlightenment. It had been a very good act, one he keeps up even now. He tells himself that the wound has long healed, but sometimes, moments like now, he moves wrong and the pain lances through him again. He wants to say something about it, wants maybe to ask about him, or to tell Nanami he's glad that at least one of them didn't up and leave. But he can't quite unglue his tongue from the roof of his mouth and instead he lets out a breath, half-shuddering. )
Well, the offers there. But just because you've said no doesn't mean you can't call on me if situations like this ever arise again.
( Because who is he to lecture a man on poor decisions? )
Or if you need company that won't leave you soaking and bruised in a bathroom.
[ That small movement and sigh, uncomfortable but quiet, says more than an actual answer would have. Nanami knows that it wasn't easy for Geto. He might be smiling and playful, like Gojo often is, but the scars are there. None of them walked away without some lasting pain, and he can see that in Geto's posture even now.
Nanami stands and crosses the room to stand by Geto, resting his hand on his shoulder. Just because he feels the need to look after Gojo doesn't mean he has no regard for Geto. They are friends, whether awkward or distant, and sometimes Geto needs support as much as Nanami does. And as much as he believes in his decision to go back, he understands Geto's choices as well. Unlike their superiors, he can't really blame him for his path. ]
Are you going to rescue me?
[ He sounds slightly amused, but warm. ]
Thank you. Maybe I needed the bruises. But I'm glad you came to get me.
( He blinks up at Nanami for a second, expression complicated before it smooths out. )
I could, if you wanted. It wouldn't even have to look like your choice, if that's what you'd be worried about. I do a lot of terrible things, what's kidnap on to of that?
( It would be an act, like most things are. Geto is almost certain he could play it well though, the villainous curse user spiriting away the best and brightest of jujutsu society. Still, he knows Nanami, knows the goodness of his heart despite how badly he seems to think of himself. So instead he grins again. )
Ah, well you would too, wouldn't you? Any time you need it.
[ The suggestion for some reason strikes him as funny. The world's most terrifying curse user, the feared criminal, offering to rescue the 7:3 Sorcerer from his tedious, depressing life. There's something kind in that gesture that still sounds like the Geto he went to school with, and Nanami does smile at that. ]
Wouldn't that ruin your reputation? Your followers would question why you were bothering with keeping someone like me around.
[ How could it be anything but a merciful gesture? Something to help a sorcerer that has chosen what Geto's group sees as the wrong side. He does like that image, though. The idea of Geto trying to kidnap him is more amusing than bad. ]
I would. Any time you call, I'll answer.
[ As long as he can. Even if it means balancing his life against even more complications, Nanami will never be the one to leave his remaining friends behind. ]
It's not a dictatorship. ( An easy shrug, Geto leaning back in his chair so that he can look better up at Nanami, smile careless. ) And it isn't the kind of family to judge each other harshly. They'd know I'd have my reasons, and besides, we're on the same side.
( It isn't quite as black and white as most people would have suggested. Geto wants to protect his fellow sorcerers, he's just tired of trying to chip away at a monumental task. If he has to take extreme measures to do so then he will. Somebody has to, he's gotten better at playing the victim. )
But mm, maybe we can agree on that instead. If you need a break you call me. Even if it's to sit in some dingy bar and glower at anyone I think inappropriate. ( Grin widening, teeth showing. ) I've been told I'm very picky, but maybe you need someone like that. I'd rather that than you end up hurt, anyway.
[ That's almost friendly. An invitation for company between a proper sorcerer and a curse user who should be enemies, fighting on opposite sides of that divide in society. In a way, it feels like some kind of validation that their past connections still survived, that they managed to make it past their tragedies and keep going, despite everything else falling apart. ]
What if you need a break? Will you call me to help you?
[ Of course there's danger in keeping contact like this for both of them, but Nanami doesn't doubt his decision this time. The last thing he wants is the regret of not taking an opportunity while he still has it. ]
I'm not the only one that needs backup.
[ Even if he's the one who has bad taste in people apparently. ]
( Instinct wants him to shrug it off, to joke, to deny the fact that he could ever feel pressure in the first place? What good is what he's done if he's not entirely one hundred percent confident in it? Admitting to the strain feels like it would mean he isn't. It's clear he's deeply pondering it, but then he must come to some sort of conclusion because his smile turns a little bittersweet, but real for it. )
All right, if I promise to then you have to as well.
( He trusts Nanami. No matter what Geto has done, that won't change. )
This is very emotionally mature of us. Who would have thought we could manage? ( Of course he immediately has to put a little distance between himself and his feelings. ) Now. Do you want me to take you somewhere else? We could fly, but if you've had a bit to drink you might not like it much.
[ Nanami waits, and at first he isn't sure Geto will agree to open up to him. He knows how much that his trust was burned, how hard it has to be to trust anyone after believing the entire world has been lying to you your whole life. He doesn't blame Geto for feeling betrayed, and he also wouldn't blame him for viewing Nanami as nothing more than an obstacle. A tool of the society he hates that deserves to be destroyed along with it rather than a friend he once trusted.
But the answer he gets is much gentler. It sounds like the Geto Suguru that he used to look up to, that Haibara always bragged about showing off to. Nanami has to turn his gaze away as he feels his chest tighten. He doesn't want Geto to see him any more vulnerable than he already has. ]
Mm. Can you take me somewhere I don't know? Get us lost somewhere.
[ It's the kind of stupid, reckless thing the other friend of theirs would do, something that neither Nanami or Geto would normally approve of, acting without carefully thought out plans and preparation. But Nanami is feeling more raw than usual and makes that spur of the moment request, asking Geto for an escape from his responsible decisions even if it's just temporary. ]
( He doesn't think it's an entirely odd request. In fact, he's a little surprised it's taken Nanami this long to voice it. It gives Geto motivation though, and he rises from the seat, clapping the other man on the shoulder with one warm, broad palm. )
All right, figure out if you need to take anything with us. We'll leave the way I came. ( Via the curse that still lingers beyond the window, obediently waiting. Geto finishes his soda, crunches the can in one hand to toss in a nearby wastebin, looking around the room himself just in case his friend misses something. Then he's heading to open the window again. )
Don't worry, my flying's a lot better these days. ( An inside joke, teasing. He'd been easily convinced to show off as a youth, they must all remember some near misses. ) You learn to go slower with children.
[ No matter how frustrated or lonely he might get, Nanami's main strength has always been his stubborn resilience. His practical nature simply refuses to see the point in giving up, and over the years he's managed to hone is ability to ignore tedious problems and people and simply move forward, even if that meant falling into a rut of routine.
But when he's finally offered a chance to escape some of that constant discontent, when Geto lets him admit that what he really wants is something good, something beyond the illusion of "just okay" to be functional, Nanami can't hold back. He retrieves his damp clothes and follows his former classmate to the window like they are kids again, sneaking out in a way Nanami wouldn't have suggested when he was an actual student. ]
You'd better not drop me. Don't show off just because it's been a while.
[ Or maybe he should show off and make Nanami's heart speed up a little. Maybe he'll like feeling the rush again. He doesn't want to admit that, but he does flush faintly as he follows him onto the back of the waiting curse. ]
( A grin, the flash of teeth. He would. He is just as prone to boasting now as he was back then, perhaps even a little more now that he's shrugged off the aura of studious good boy he'd been so desperate to project in his youth. Still, Nanami is trusting him and he's not altogether an asshole, so he waits until the other sorcerer is aboard the curse, smile gentling. )
You can hold onto me if you want.
( The girls do, he doesn't mind it.
And then he's steering the stingray curse away from the open window and up, slow and steady above the building tops, the city a glittering jewel below them. )
[ He shouldn't think about the feeling that washes over him at that sly grin. The same warm, slightly buzzing feeling he felt in the bar hours earlier, spurring him to make stupid decisions for vague promises his body knows but his mind refuses to think about. He shouldn't let his eyes linger on the sharp white of Geto's smile and wonder what it feels like on skin--so he doesn't. At least not too long, he thinks, after climbing onto the curse's back. It already feels like an escape to step out of that window, leaving behind the hotel room and his mistakes.
But he's not about to cling to Geto like a child. Nanami keeps his balance, watching the city become a distant cluster of lights as they rise further away, drawing an appreciative breath at the scene as the buildings morph into something else the higher they go. ]
( He has to pitch his voice a little louder, but at least this high up the sound of traffic isn't too much that it drowns him out. He throws Nanami a glance over his shoulder with a shrug of it. ) It's surprisingly calming. No one can see me up here, and I don't have to deal with crowds. The girls used to like it when they were younger too, so on nights no one could sleep we'd take the sting ray and go flying. ( Nightmares had been more common in the early days, on all fronts. Geto had fumbled through parenthood as best as he could, offering reprieve wherever possible. ) They prefer the pelican now though, the wind can't mess their hair up in the bird.
[ He's not sure when he last felt good about any technique. He does his job because he wants to protect people, but Nanami doesn't enjoy using curse energy any more than an office worker likes completing contracts. There's some satisfaction in achieving good results, but it isn't fun or beautiful or fulfilling.
Riding high above the city and feeling the wind blow against him feels good. The lights are beautiful, and he almost manages to smile. Geto talks about taking the girls out at night like it was pleasant for them, and in a way, he's almost jealous. If he had that innocent outlook, would using curse techniques feel any different to him. ]
If you say that, aren't you comparing me to them? Does that mean you want to adopt me?
( A snort of laughter, the sting ray climbing a little higher in a slow elegant arc, Geto's hands pressed to its back but mostly still. )
I could. You'd be less work than two teenage girls, that's for you. You seem like a strict routine haver and trying to get them to stick to one is an uphill battle I'm absolutely losing. But don't let them fool you, it isn't all treats and bullying me into submission! I can be fierce when I want to be.
( It's a little funny, the impassioned way he announces himself, like he isn't famed for being cruel, for being ruthless. The dichotomy of it should rankle a little. But then he's always been fairly bad at denying the people he cares about. Even Satoru never got the full force of his ire. Geto chose to walk away instead, so they could never truly be enemies.
[ The flight and the casual talk feels almost like a dream, a piece of what might have been if things had turned out differently for all of them. What if the higher ups had actually looked out for them and given them the lives they needed when they were younger? Would they all have remained innocent friends?
No, of course not. Life isn't that simple or easy no matter how much support they have. Nanami gives Geto a wry smile, taking in what his former classmate has become. The most terrifying curse user of their time, an indulgent young parent, and also a man willing to rescue him for the sake of old memories. What a mess. ]
You don't have to pay me. If you want me to do you favors, you just have to ask. Make sure they're not too tedious--and try to keep them outside of normal work hours.
( There's an amused light in his face when he speaks, something almost cheeky about the way he all but purrs it. ) Ah, Nanami, what kind of favours do people often ask of you if those are the prerequisite?
( The curse clears the tops of the buildings now, the people below barely noticeable beyond tiny pinpricks. The higher they go the looser his shoulders become, the less the chokehold of his emotions become. He tips his face up towards the dark night sky, the twinkling of stars, offering an easier smile this time. )
I'll bear it in mind. You do the same. Don't work yourself into a state in the morning, I don't think any less of you now, and I won't if it happens again. Besides, it's been nice. Being useful in a different way.
And no, not really. I could always try. Fleece you for money like everyone else, but if you had any you'd take a vacation so I don't really think that would work.
For what it's worth, I don't blame you for what you've done. We were trained to be weapons, ready to kill at the drop of a hat. It should hardly come as a surprise when you did exactly that.
( But ah, that's not entirely fair. Not when Nanami is being serious. )
I don't think I can, nor that I would want to. I refuse to leave my family behind and with things forever unchanging? No. It's for the better this way.
[ Ieiri and Gojo. especially Gojo who's working himself ragged, chasing after Geto's shadow. but there's also the kids. the little monsters their strongest has collected in order to change their world order. should he tell Geto that? how all their broken hearts are hard at work to make sure nobody is ever lost the way they lost the most human of them all? ]
The kids need support. They're all remarkable in their own way, little monsters like you and Gojo, but they're still just kids.
( It's one of those nights then, heart pulsing like a bruise. Geto finds he doesn't mind it, he's always been a nostalgic beast. He just usually avoids anyone that can inspire it. )
You know I'm glad?
I'm not too far gone to not recognise that there's still good there. It's not all rotten. The next generation can be better than ours, that's always been the point. That's all I wanted.
[ it would be better with Geto around. the kids are strong and excitable enough, have limitless potential from what Nanami has seen so far. what they lack are good role models. people with ideals and beliefs that go beyond their self-interest.
in the weeks after Haibara, Geto had played a huge role in keeping Nanami sane. even though they were still kids, Geto seemed to be the only one to look past his own heartbreak and still see his friends. Nanami's always admired that about his senpai, and suspected the ability to see beyond one's own grief and heartbreak was what broke Geto in the end. ]
( The question draws him up short. A part of Geto, instinctive and a little fierce, wants to say yes immediately. The clear lines he's drawn between the person he was and the person he is have been distinct enough that the answer feels glaring. But he takes a moment anyway. Nanami has always been better at seeing through people's bullshit. He's surprised that hasn't changed much. He wonders if he does the same to Satoru.
The reply comes, typed and then re-typed. )
I think so.
I feel lighter now.
( Maybe that might turn out to be a problem in the end. For now, he's needed. That matters. )
[ lighter. that's all they can hope for. to not feel weighed and dragged down by grief and regret. to find those small singular moments that break the cycle of violence and degradation.
if Geto has managed, there's hope for the rest yet. ]
[ he can almost hear Geto's voice, the melodic up and down. it has always been a source of calm for Nanami's forever disgruntled teenage self. minutes pass, not even dots to indicate he's typing.
what would make him feel lighter? he thought leaving would do the trick, but here he is, back with the school and their sordid business. ]
( That part had been frustrating too, the weaponization of child soldiers. He doubts either Nanami or Gojo allow it to happen quite as strongly these days, but old habits are ingrained. He may be the world's worst curse user but he is also, unfortunately, a mother hen. )
It can't all be surviving. That's the quickest way to not.
[ does Geto really thing his showing up would be more troublesome than his absence? if he wanted to come back. if he really wanted to, his miscreant friends would move heaven and earth to make it possible. ]
( Ah, he thinks he hit a nerve there. And unfortunately not even one aimed for. But unlike his other unruly counterpart, Geto knows when to leave well enough alone. )
Good night, Nanami.
chatroom: THE HOBOS (3) / some canon semi-divergent au
Okay but I don't know your shoe size You have to pick Or if you let me buy them I saw these ones that have little lights when you walk How cool is that??
( His presence will be felt before he announces himself, he isn't hiding himself away today. Bang on time there will be a polite knock, and Geto will be at Gojo's apartment door, dressed down for the day in loose-fitted clothing, sweat pants and sliders, a worn tshirt stretched over his chest. He even has a gift ( cupcakes, bright blue frosting ) tucked in the crook of his arm, because there's not enough of a world shift to shake the good behaviour from him.
The door opens, Geto's smile slides into place. )
Mm. You look all right for a man who's brain should be smouldering. ( His head tips to one side, bangs falling briefly into his eyes. Today his hair is in a ponytail. There is a Badtz-maru clip in the back of it that he's forgotten to remove. It makes him look younger, less nefarious. If he's trying to fake it til you make it, then maybe it's working. )
Are you going to let me in, Satoru?
IT WILL COME BACK everything about this page is *chefs kiss*
[ without any concealment technique, he could recognize getou suguru from across the city. maybe across the country. so the door swings open before he has a chance to knock, and gojou raises his brows at the casual wear and the suspicious box at his side. both, unexpected. ]
[ he's not sure why, but part of him had expected getou to show up in his full monk's ensemble, despite the casual nature of the visit.]
Don't worry, it's already cooking now. We're having it for dinner, in fact! [ he does meant to let him in, but the ponytail... it's new, and distracting. gojou wonders if all the weight of wearing it up gives him headaches, and when he decided to change it. the clip must be something from those girls they rarely discuss but gojou knows exist from the files. cute. ]
Ah, right. Come in, make yourself comfortable. [ he steps out of the way, closes the door and swings the lock closed after getou is through the threshold, letting infinity flicker off almost immediately and pulling his glasses off, setting them on the counter top as he moves into the kitchen to pull the food out. ] I got noodles for us! I didn't think your tastes had probably changed much, but there's enough to share if you don't like anything.
geto deserves a hozier song as much as anyone else
( He pauses at the door to toe off his sliders, uses the edge of his foot to line them up neatly by the door. Then on socked feet he follows Gojo further in, towards the kitchen where he can leave the cupcakes on the side. ) I like noodles more than I like brains, I haven't changed that much. Unless you're telling me you don't like sweets anymore and I have to re-evaluate everything. I thought you'd like these better than flowers.
( One hip against the counter top, cocked very carefully. It feels strange and it doesn't. He isn't sure which he should be more concerned about. That he's a little nervous, or that they can share the space without wanting to kill each other. )
It smells good either way, so I don't think you've chosen wrong.
he deserves it MORE than anyone else. damage gets done gives me major stsg feels.
[ still so polite and proper in those little ways, when gojou is still just as keen to toss his boots anywhere once he kicks them off after a long day. some things don't change, he supposes, linger for a moment on the neatly placed slides next to boots haphazardly tipped onto their sides. ]
[ getou assures him his taste in food hasn't changed much, which is a relief, oddly. there's more anxiety in what's different than what's the same, for gojou. he can't quite say why. ]
You didn't have to bring anything. [ he says it, but he's already flipping the lid of the box and dipping a finger into frosting before sticking it into his mouth with an eager hum. the fear of being unknown to one another dissipating quickly as he sucks it clean with a pop. ]
Thank you. [ he praises before turning and fishing the containers of broth along with a tray of tempura and takoyaki out of the oven without gloves and hisses at the heat. ] Ouch! Okay there's that... [chatty as ever as he pulls the noodles, drinks and sides out of the otherwise empty fridge to set on the counter as well, next to empty bowls and chopsticks. ] Help yourself. This place is great, I try to stop by whenever I'm on this side of town. They've got a matcha tiramisu that's to die for, but I'm glad I decided against it tonight.
( No comment on shoving his finger in the cupcakes, Gojo is known for that. He's not even surprised. )
Do you not own an oven glove?
( Probably not. He still casts a gaze about the kitchen to try and find one, makes a mental note to buy one and leave it for him. Maybe a silly novelty one. Something childish so that he actually uses it. ) That does sound nice. I don't remember the last time I had dessert. Some ice cream a few weeks back, maybe. It wasn't great. ( He comes closer, hovering nearby. ) Is that takoyaki?
( It smells good, his stomach rumbles and he laughs, helplessly. )
Are we eating in here? Do you want me to carry something?
Hm? Oh, probably not. It's a miracle there are even bowls and chopsticks. [ gojou glances around the kitchen with a hum, like this is some mysterious location they've been transported to and not his kitchen that he owns. ]
[ getou drifts over to look at the takoyaki and the corners of his mouth tug up - a good pick after all. he remembers getou liking it and feels a shimmer of pride at choosing well. ] I remember stealing one of yours and dropping it on your kimono at the summer festival in our first year. I think you made me buy you three more as punishment.
[ gojou laughs at that, and at getou's rumbling stomach. he only pauses at the question, a thoughtful look flashing over his expression. ] Ah. I've never actually eaten a meal here, so... why don't we sit in the living room and be comfortable. [ he's never liked formality, after growing up in the Gojo family, so he's more than happy to grab half the bowls and trays, balancing them precariously and taking them over to the low coffee table. ]
Edited (don't have my html shortcuts on this computera;edofijadofj) 2025-06-25 16:02 (UTC)
i'm going to add it to my stsg spotify playlist RIGHT NOW
Three, and then you stole a second anyway. The stain never came out, my mom had to -. ( His teeth click, the only blip. ) Well, that's when I stopped wearing light clothing, I think. You were a hazard to anything that wasn't black or black adjacent. A good thing it suited me.
( He'll bring the drinks then, pausing only to rifle through the cupboards for glasses, sauntering out like he belongs there. )
It's very tidy. ( It doesn't suit him, is what he doesn't say. But he's taking the floor beside the table anyway, crossing his legs with his back against the couch. ) How often are you here?
I was entitled to the second, by that point! You and Shoko ate all the rest in front of me!
[ gojou doesn't react or linger on it at all, lets the slip up pass into the ether like everything else they've chosen to ignore to be here. it isn't his ghost to be haunted by - is it? it occurs to him he's never visited their graves, suguru's parents. he wonders if suguru ever has. ] That's a little bit of an exaggeration, don't you think? I wore white all the time and it was fine!
[ mostly because he tended to dump things on everyone else while gesturing around wildly. ]
I'd say I cleaned to impress you but it pretty much just looks like this. [ gojou sets the food down and flops onto the floor next to him, too automatic, but it would be weirder to move away, wouldn't it? he pauses and looks around... ] Mm. Maybe once a month. Once every couple of months, during the summer when it's busy. I have quarters at the school, and it's easier for me to squeeze in sleep there. [ this place is too quiet, he doesn't say. at least at the school, he can still pretend he's coming home to something. ]
( The strange compound where he lives with everyone else is probably very tidy, but the rooms he shares between himself and the girls less so. ) I don't mind it, the first apartment we had the girls were too scared to make any mess, and that worried me then. But now they leave their belongings everywhere. I trip over bags and coats more often than I don't. My room and office are fine, sometimes the living area can last a few days after I fix it up, but the overspill inevitably happens.
( He opens Gojo's drink for him, pours it into the glass like a habit, sliding it over the table. Then he starts dishing up for the both of them, also automatically. )
What are yours like?
( Yours could mean anything. The students. Megumi. The girl. It's mild, it's not aiming any particular direction. He is behaving. )
I'm sure it's much cleaner without me leaving manga and candy wrappers around. [ he teases, watching getou pour his drink and serve their food like ti's normal. like they haven't been apart for years. mess is just proof of a life well-lived. that's what he's always thought - it's good to be too busy living and enjoying those around you to worry about constant tidiness. he hated it growing up - the static, pristine nature of everything, all the time, existing in a doll house. he remembers the manic joy of decorating his dorm with posters and magazine clippings, photos of getou and shoko, fortunes from shrines and plushes won at arcades. he doesn't spend enough time in his quarters at the school or here to leave any real mark on them now. ]
Mm sounds like proof that you're doing well by them. I would have had my knuckles smacked if I left a coat or a game on the floor growing up.
[he relaxes back against the couch and drinks some of his milk tea, extra sweet as usual. ] Well, I can't exactly police them like a parent, but mostly they don't need it. Megumi's quite tidy. His sister too, from looking after themselves as children I assume. The first years are a little wilder, I'm not sure how seriously they take me. [ gojou snorts, taking his bowl when getou offers it with a soft thanks. ]
So, how was being a teen dad? You always did like having something to take care of, huh.
( He's never quite liked the tales of Gojo's upbringing. Back when they were young it used to baffle him. He'd never really been envious about the wealth, it hadn't exactly impressed him, but in the beginning he'd always thought there'd be more in it, more kindness because cost didn't mean anything, more experience. When he'd learnt how narrow it was, how cold, he'd been sad about it. He'd tried to add things to it, fun, care, warmth. He hopes it made a difference. )
You don't consider yourself their parent? Megumi, I mean. His sister.
( The question comes unbidden, food halfway to his mouth before he remembers he's meant to be eating. After he's swallowed -. )
It was terrifying, actually. They were -. ( A pause. ) - It wasn't very good to start. They weren't scared of me, but they thought anything they did might change my mind on them. We shared a single room apartment. It was noisy. But it was better than where they were, so.
( He tried.
He tried very hard. If anything he probably tried too hard. Seventeen and cutting matted hair in a McDonald's bathroom. Wiping tears at night. )
[ he always downplayed it, because who wants to hear about the woes of some rich kid who has everything? who would take it seriously, if he said he'd run away every chance he got just to breathe, to be a kid? it doesn't change that he was miserable, didn't know how to trust, hadn't ever had a friend. getou changed all of that so quickly. even if they butt heads at first. probably more than he knows. ]
[gojou makes a face and scoffs-] I think if I tried telling Megumi I was his dad now he'd bite me. Nah, it's not like they live with me or anything I'm more like... a guardian, I guess. After that deadbeat Fushiguro left them on their own they figured it out and Megumi's pretty wary of adults. But I go over and check on them, make sure they have food and clothes and all of that, take them out for sweets, and I'm working on Megumi's technique with him already.
[ he slurps some of his noodles, watches getou as he explains what it was like - and gojou isn't sure what he expected, really. he isn't with megumi and tsumiki full time like that, they don't depend on him. he doesn't have to share a room or get them ready for school... maybe in another life, if getou had stayed, they'd all share one big place with all the kids. ]
I'm proud of you for saving them, Suguru. [even if the rest was-] They're lucky to have you as a parent.
They call me Geto-sama, I'm not - well. ( He doesn't get called dad, not like that. Mimiko and Nanako remember their parents. They know what they've lost. But it works for them, whatever they have made with each other. If he hovers like a parent and they don't balk at it then it's fine. ) I understand it, I still think it counts. If they don't have anyone else, then you're as close as they can get. A guardian is better than nothing, no?
( He blinks in a way that used to mean Gojo's words mean something to him, a too fast flutter as he gets his emotions under control. )
It's better now. They have room to breathe. We moved out of the apartment when I got things more firmly under control, and they like the others. I don't ask them to do anything that they wouldn't like. They can go where they want, and do what they want, and they often do. It's a shame. I think they'd probably vastly enjoy bullying Fushiguro-san. ( Progress, no hiccup on the name. He still dreams of Toji, sometimes. ) They'd probably have bullied you too, actually. It would have been unfair.
( A quick grin, sharp with mirth. )
Or drained your bank balance dry. One or the other.
Geto-sama??? Not Papa Geto?? Shame, that'd be cute. [ gojou munches on a daikon, humming at that. ] I guess. Better than the asshole they had before, for sure. [ gojou doesn't have nightmares of toji - there's no reason to fear what he killed himself. but he doesn't tell getou - or anyone - that he's spent most of his free time for the past few years researching and hunting down every weapon that has some advantage against limitless and destroying them, one by one. because when he does have nightmares, it's of a blade popping the bubble of infinity before sinking into his throat. ]
[it says a lot, that despite geto's own convictions and morals about the world now he hasn't raised the kids the same way. hasn't cut them all off from human society. he used to do it with gojou, too, guiding him but letting him make his own choices, ultimately. ]
Man that'd be great. He needs some fuckin bullying, that brat. You wouldn't believe the way he talks to everyone, like a little punk! We should move them all in together and let them straighten each other out.
[ gojou snorts, grinning back. ] Sounds fine to me. Better use of the Gojo money than my family's ever made of it. And I'd have someone to drag to crepes and collab cafes who wouldn't call them lame. Tch!
what if i care little for canon and just make my own decisions what then
( Something goes sharply tight in his chest, a spasm of pain along with the realisation that he could have simply asked for help. Privately Geto thinks the village was an inevitable thing, he'd been wavering for too long, desperately overcome by his own emotions and the futility thereof. He certainly wouldn't have changed anything either. He loves his girls, even if they called him Geto-sama, he loves them and there isn't a universe he can conceive where he does not make the decisions he did in taking them. But after? If he'd left the village and found someplace to call Satoru, and he'd picked up, if Geto had asked would he have come? Would it have been better to have someone there with him?
He remembers the blood on his hands, knows that he couldn't have called. Not really. )
Do you -? ( A hum, he takes drink to give himself more time, swallows down a sweet mouthful. ) - You could meet them. Not now. But later. Once we've decided this is a good idea. They wouldn't tell anyone, they wouldn't care to. They might not be nice to you, but they're - you'd probably find it funny. They're protective.
[ he's wondered the same thing for years with no real answer. why getou just didn't pick up the damn phone and call him. before the village, hell after the village, even. there's no universe where gojou wouldn't have picked up, wouldn't have shown up, and helped him deal with whatever had been done at that point. he'd been on that same precipice at the cult headquarters; he knows what teetering on that edge feels like. ]
[ it doens't matter now - they handled it the best they could, didn't they? ]
Meet them? [ gojou sets down his chopsticks, thick with noodles and halfway to his mouth, because he's... shocked. when getou had offered to come and let him sleep, when he'd accepted... gojou never thought it would be more than that. a quiet, secret thing that happened once and maybe never again. instead, getou is offering a door into the family he made. yet another family gojou assumed he had no place in. ]
[ he smiles, and marvels at the warmth that bubbles up in his chest. the invitation alone is probably more than he deserves. ] Well, I'm sure with enough crepes and shopping trips to Harajuku I could win them over.
( He's not sure exactly which of them he should worry about. The girls aren't exactly greedy, but he's encouraged them in asking for things. If they had Gojo's wallet backing them -. ) Maybe something small, first. Crepes, like you said. You can come with us for tea, maybe. It would be easier if they were given the space to get to know you, they know we were friends, so it's not like they'd think you were a complete stranger. But they're aware that not all sorcerers are on the same page, so it might take them a while to trust you.
( It's something he told them about, early on, half afraid someone might come along and try and take them. He thinks they're strong girls, and they're smart, they'd start understanding the dynamic. Maybe too well. Who knows? )
You told them about me? [ he's never going to get another bite in at this rate. he's not sure why he assumed that getou had scrubbed all trace of gojou from his life. when he'd left that picture of them all together on the night stand gojou just assumed he was leaving everything behind with it. ]
[ it's unfair, to feel like the earth's shifted on its axis when really this is how it was all along. a world between them that didn't need to be there. ]
It's fine, I'm great with kids now... mostly. [ he waves it off, takes a long drink of his milk tea. if they ever decide to introduce all of the kids... he'll have to see what to do about Tsumiki. Megumi won't go many places without her, so it might be difficult but, that's a bridge to cross down the road. ]
[ he sets his drink down and leans in to bump getou's shoulder gently with his own. ] I'd like to meet them. Whenever you think it's right. [ when he pulls back, it isn't quite as far. ] We'll go somewhere noisy and fun like Takeshita street. Have you shown off your claw machine skills to them yet? I still have some of the plushies you won me!
( He'd meant to, is the thing. A clean cut. But there's no shoring himself up against his own mind, and the girls had learned about Gojo by degrees. Sometimes a name called in the middle of a nightmare when they'd shared close quarters, or a muttered statement in the grocery store when he'd picked up the wrong cereal, a Satoru liked this one sometimes, or a helpless fondness that welled inside of him. They don't ask often. He thinks they know it isn't something he likes to let himself ponder. )
Don't look at me like that. ( Is what Geto settles on, nudging him into action. ) Eat something, idiot. You want a full belly and you want to sleep, if you keep asking me questions you'll get neither.
( But -. )
I haven't. Arcades are usually too noisy now. But maybe if you were there then it would be fine.
[ he isn't sure he'll sleep for the next month with all of this swirling around in him. he feels sixteen again - experiencing everything good the world had to offer for the first time at the hands of getou suguru. ]
[ but maybe if you were there then it would be fine. ]
[ even though getou just told him not to, he stares at him, disarmed entirely. the words strike him somewhere too deep in his chest, even in a body that knows the plunge of real steel through muscle and bone. ]
[ he finally turns back to his ramen, only manages to stare at it. ] Yeah. It's always fine if we're together.
[ his heart skips a beat, and gojou wonders if he's just dreaming again. but when he tips his face toward getou, his bangs brush against getou's forehead. ]
I'm picking something hard, to make you work for it.
( Because they were taking them, weren't they? It's only a little teasing, something sweetly sentimental about it. )
All right, the hardest. ( He can always cheat if he has to. He has small-ish curses now. They could climb into the machine and he could feel smug and proud of it. A tiny little show of impish power. ) If you want a rehearsal, we can go by ourselves, I suppose.
It's just a question of balance. ( And watching until a bunch of other people have put enough money into the machines before swooping in. He knows how to play the game. ) It sounds like fun.
( A little wistful. )
Keep eating, you. I did have a mission here today.
( He keeps his entire body still, half afraid that Gojo might move if he so much as twitches. )
People listen to me now, you know. They do what I say without questioning it. Maybe I've gone mad with power. ( Well, he's gone mad with something. Today is not one of those days where it peeks through, but it's there. Maybe they both needed the break. Maybe this is for the best. ) Someone should keep me humble.
( Except not, because he does want Gojo to eat and sleep. That's the point of this. )
Without questioning it, huh? [ gojou slurps a helping of noodles before letting his head tip back onto getou's shoulder, peering up at him. ]
You were never humble, then or now. [ he snorts, grinning that lopsided grin. ] You still need an unruly brat in your life, so all that obedience doesn't go to your head.
Why would I need an unruly brat when there's already you?
( It is a terrible idea in a series of terrible ideas. Geto should not be here, he does not have the right to be here. He walked away from Gojo all those years ago in a desperate attempt to spare him somehow, now this. Now he's here, basking in his company, letting it all seem as though no time has passed. What does that make him? What right does he have to go back on his convictions? )
Aish, it's fine. There'll always be pushbacks in a world like this. I'm not getting too big for my boots. ( One would argue being a genocidal cultist is, in fact, too big for his boots. Oh well. ) You don't have to worry.
Yeah, and look what happened without me. You walk around wearing a monk's getup and letting people worship you. You need me around so you don't get any weirder.
[ he hums, and it's a gentle tease, even though he knows that there's something darker under all of getou's showmanship. he knows who he is and what he does. it shouldn't be okay - he shouldn't be okay with it but. ]
[he knows a few different choices and they could be in opposite positions. or on the run together. ]
[ instead, they're here together after all this time. ] Suguru?
( His laughter is silent, though Gojo will feel it. )
There's nothing wrong with my outfit, it's traditional. ( And also, a gojo-kesa, because Geto is nothing if not terribly obvious even when he's ignoring his own feelings. Still, he puts his chopsticks down, tilts his head towards Gojo, hair brushing the top of his head. )
[ he noticed - the gojo-kesa wasn't subtle, and he's seen those photos of the scrolls hanging around getou's cult compound love to the strong. it's something, but it doesn't feel like enough. ]
I miss you. [ it isn't the whole of what he wants to say - i love you, i'm sorry, but it's a start. ]
( Easier than saying that he does too, that he feels like half of him has been missing all these years. It was something he forced himself to ignore, but here, the absense is glaring. )
Are you finished eating? Do you have a bed here? I can stay and clean up and guard the place, you can get some rest.
[ he could let getou stay and tidy up after dinner, sit watch on the couch while he sleeps in what's technically his bedroom. ]
[instead, he watches getou for a long moment before setting his bowl down and flopping right down into his lap. his arms wind around getou's waist and even if it's too familiar, gojou buries his face into getou's stomach and exhales. he thinks half the tension in his head melts just from that. ]
( It's so typically Gojo to do that Geto doesn't even consider pushing him off. Instead he merely reaches to the couch behind him to get a cushion, wedge it in the space between furniture and himself. )
And you said I'm the demanding one. I can't clean up like this.
( He can cover things though, maybe that will help. He busies himself with it for a second, and then as if unbidden his hand drops away from the table to bury fingers in his old friend's hair. )
[ mumbled against the loose fabric of getou's shirt, he sighs softly against. each pet of his hair has him humming happily, tension leaking out of his neck and shoulders when getou's fingers brush the short, sheared undercut. ]
That twists something in his chest, a sharp desperate little feeling. Instead of speaking more, he falls silent, fingers sliding to briefly cover Satoru's eyes with the palm of his hand. Let it be easier, let him rest. That's what he's here for, isn't it? To give his old friend the chance for a break. )
[ and - he wants to stay awake, he does. he'd forgo sleep for days to sit and catch up more with suguru. make him laugh, be teased mercilessly like no time has passed at all. pretend, just for a night, this is their life and things are okay. the way they should be.
but he's always felt safest sleeping near getou, even if he's a man most people would be too terrified to let their guard down with, now. it's not long before he's curled up against him, breaths evening out, no trace of infinity anywhere between them.
( Gojo sleeps, Geto lets him sleep, and then when he wakes up again the parting is a little less strange, a little more sweet. Promises are made, plans hatched. He shows up at their appointed meeting time as he says he would, dressed casually again in loose trousers and a t-shirt with some anime character on, hair up in its half bun. He's carrying two drinks, one slightly more neon than the other, and when he sees Gojo on the street he raises it in greeting cheerfully. )
Do you still like to rot your teeth, Satoru? ( A cheerful, boyish greeting. ) I thought you might, so I picked for you. Mimiko likes this one anyway, I think it's grape?
( Ice cold and sweet, his own slightly more bitter. He passes it over anyway, his gaze on Gojo's face and his covered eyes. )
[ he doesn't have a headache for a week straight. they bid goodbye, and he wonders if it means anything to getou to be the place the strongest sorcerer of the modern age feels safe enough to rest his head, in spite of it all. ]
[ maybe it does, because getou shows up to their date, drinks in hand. he had to have gone into a shop with humans to order it and been fawned over by the girls in the process. ]
Suguru. [ a warm smile, before he pulls the covering off his eyes, hair falling around them like a blanket of snow. ] I could run my technique without it, these days, but I never shook the sweet tooth. [ he takes a long sip of it through the straw, eyes crinkling at the corners. ]
So at least one of your kids didn't inherit your old man tastes. Good!
[ gojou falls into step with him, dressed in dark jeans and a white tee, pristine white sneakers to match. ] Better, now. [ after a full night's sleep or upon meeting getou again, he doesn't specify. ] You look good with your hair like that, did I ever tell you?
( He snorts, and it's amused even as his gaze never leaves the unnatural hue of Gojo's eyes, his own far too earnest for the time and the place. ) The three of you all say the same things, do you know that?
( Not that he's ever minded the gentle teasing. From Gojo it's habit, from the girls it's a sign of their comfort with him. In a world where so many people are ( rightfully ) afraid of him, it says something maybe that there is a small circle willing to tease. Or compliment, apparently. It flusters him for a brief second, eyes lifting away, vague colour returning to his cheeks, one hand lifting to push some of said hair behind his shoulder. )
It feels better mostly down. The hair ties had started to give me a headache. ( And then, because he knows he doesn't really have to justify it. ) I'm glad you like it. I'd wondered if you might.
What, that there's an old man trapped in that body? [ he grins and bumps shoulders with getou, laughing as they walk on together toward the arcade. ]
Mmm. [ gojou hums, chews on the straw a little as his eyes scan the streets and skys ahead of them. ] I always thought you looked good with it down. The bun was too straight-laced for how you really are, anyway.
[ something gojou doens't seem to have a problem with, not because he agrees with all of getou's choices and actions... but because he understands them, at least in retrospect. at the time it seemed impossible to accept the reality of what his best friend had done. now the only thing he can't accept is why getou never turned to him at any point. gojou's own failing, or both of theirs, it doesn't matter now. all there is is to accept what's right in front of him. ]
No need to be embarrassed. [ he grins, sly. ] A cool guy complimenting you is enough to fluster you these days? Should I touch it and whisper that it suits you like they do in manga?
( His face twists into an old expression, play-pretend disdain, his eyebrows arching towards said hairline. ) When you find me a cool guy, Satoru, then maybe I'll answer you.
( His teeth catch the edge of his straw, holding it in place as he grins. It makes him look mischievous, even a little older. Like there's the promise of something. It feels too natural to fall into old habits, the teasing. He even leans closer to bump their elbows together - or possibly the space around his elbow, considering they're on a busy street. If infinity's up ( and it better be ) he won't be offended. He'll just sip on his drink. )
All right, remember you're going to win me prizes. Let's go.
Tch! You won’t meet anyone cooler than me and you know it. [ he sticks out his tongue, then takes another long sip from the straw, exhaling and smacking his lips noisily. ]
[ if infinity flickers just a moment, just long enough for getou to touch him, well, it’s fine isn’t it? he’s scanned the area for curses and other curse users and found nothing. Getou wouldn’t let anything happen to him. ]
Ehh?! You’re going senile! You said you’d win me prizes like before! [ he makes a fuss, and it feels like the first time he’s gotten to do it in a while where he knows he’ll be ultimately indulged, if teased a little first. and he continues to whine and protest until they toss their drinks and enter the arcade, where if all falls away when he sees a giant cinnamaroll plush. ]
[ he hasn’t had anything like it since school, and he really has no place for something so childish, but. he clears his throat and looks around, shoving his hands in his pockets. ] So! What should we try first?
( He does not miss the way Gojo's focus narrows down so tightly on the gigantic plushie, because despite how many things he has to focus on now, devoting part of his attention to his old friend is easy, natural, like falling into an already formed groove. Still, he hums, hovering near the open entrance and letting his gaze scan the waiting room, the crowds of people, the lights and the machines and the noise. Tension has crept into his shoulders, but that's nothing he cannot handle himself. )
Is that what I said?
( Voice affecting playful distraction, but then he's moving, a straight line to the token machine. He pulls his wallet from his pocket, a battered thing with a polaroid of two tiny little girls in the id slot, feeding his notes into the machine and using a tub to collect the output. Then he flashes Gojo a bright, wicked smile and strides straight on back to the cinnamoroll machine. )
Hold this.
( His token tub, he means, fishing two out as Gojo takes it. )
[ it is what he said - and despite his teasing he seems committed to the job already, getting out a number of bills out of a dingy wallet. does he need a new one? gojou could maybe find one to win here. ]
Eh? Suguru? [ when he turns Getou has already honed in on the machine Gojou looked at before - damn. he forgot no blindfold. He’s too easy to read like this, and he hates that these days. when he reaches getou’s side the bucket is shoved into his hands. gripped, but forgotten, in the wake of that dazzling smile. oh. ]
That’s a bit ambitious for someone so rusty, isn’t it? [ he could protest it, but Getou seems so pleased with himself already. a playful tease will do. ]
What's the point in doing something if I'm not going to go all out?
( Because unfortunately they have egos to match, it can't be helped. As much as he's changed in life there's still a part of him that's a competitive shithead, and he eyes up the machine speculatively. )
And I'm nothing if not a Sanrio wrangler now. ( #Fatherhood. The machine whirs to life with a coin in the slot, bright lights and noise. Geto's face creases into concentration, his attention rapt. The first attempt fails, naturally, and then so does the second. He holds a hand out for another token. )
Mmm I guess you’re right. [ a small, amused smile curls at the edges of his mouth. he hands Getou another token, settles in to watch him attempt to get the blue and white monstrosity. ]
[ he should give it to getou’s kids if he manages to succeed, probably, despite his quickly forming attachment to the creature Getou hasn’t even won yet. gojou watches the crinkle of Getou’s brows, the grit of his jaw in concentration. ]
[ did he ever tell Getou how good looking he was when they were young? not directly, he’s sure. maybe indirectly. calling him the type of guy you’d find in a beauty salon, but in another life Getou could have been a model or an actor. a tv personality maybe. ]
Gah! You almost had it that time! [ he curses in time with Getou, blinking and laughing as he passes over another coin. ] I think I owe you dinner for all your hard work.
You can take me to the hole in the wall we used to get dumplings at. It's still there, I saw it last week.
( He didn't go, because he has fussy little quirks about eating food prepared by humans these days. He'll only do it if it's for someone else. Mostly his daughters, and now by extension Gojo. He's gotten a little better at not eating his stomach churn when he does too. It should be fine.
The third token fails, so does the fourth, Geto blows out a breath, considers cheating. He eyes up the machine thoughtfully. )
You'd think with bigger toys the claw would be stronger, but I suppose that's the point. It's rigged. ( He's going to win regardless. ) The one at the back, do we think?
Is it? I probably haven't been there since the last time we went. [ he hums, a little bittersweet. he's taken his students to many of the places they frequented as kids, to share that joy, but some spots he hasn't ventured back to. it's nice, that there are some things that are still just theirs. ]
They keep the claw strength the same, since they want you to win using the angles to get it through dividers on the bottom... maybe if you try lifting its leg?
[ the attendants will come adjust it to make it easier once you've tried enough times and give you hints, but he's sure getou won't want help from them. ] Mm. The back towards the top? Probably. If you could shift it it'd probably topple down and go through from its own weight.
[ he hands getou another coin, leans up against his back to peek over a shoulder and watch. ]
Geto squares his shoulders, face creasing into a look of outright determination. Then he goes for the one Gojo had just pointed out. The claw clasps the leg easily, pulling it up by the grip and taking it an inch or two closer to the exit. It falls just short, a grumpy, childish noise dragged from the curse user's mouth. )
I've got it.
( Cinnamoroll, you piece of shit. He has a man to impress.
But he takes another coin, slots it in, leans against the console and goes for the same toy. This time the claw seizes around the body, lifting more solidly. The tension in Geto's arms vibrates a little. And then - it tumbles out, a wild grin spreading on his face as he ducks to retrieve it, boyishly holding it out to Gojo with an air of rampant victory. )
[ he could watch this all day and not get tired of it - getou squaring his shoulders and narrowing his eyes like they're about to take on a curse... all to win him an arcade toy. there's something impossibly charming about it, and he laughs brightly when the next failure draws that frustrated noise out of him. ]
Are you sure? If you need to cheat I won't judge you~ [ he would, and getou knows it because he quickly says he's got it and surges into another attempt. gojou leans in close to the glass, eyes wide. ] Come on, come on...!
[ and then the toy tumbles down into the bin and he gasps, shooting up straight and clapping his hands together. ] You did it! [ he blinks when getou hands it to him, eyes shimmering. he holds it like it might break or turn to smoke if he grips it too tightly before looking up at getou with a blinding smile. ] Thanks, Suguru!
[ he almost reaches for his cellphone but thinks better of it - getou probably doesn't want digital proof of their date. so then... gojou looks around, grins mischievously and drags getou over to a photobooth, shoving him and cinnamaroll in before punching coins into the booth and hopping inside, pressed up against him. he takes cinamaroll back and hugs it tightly before the flash goes off, making a peace sign for the camera. ] Smile!
He finds his own lips curving up into a mirror, faltering in surprise when he's tugged along, shoved into a photobooth like he's not actively the jujutsu world's current biggest threat. It's a little quieter inside, the curtain blocking out a lot of noise and light, and squished up against Gojo it's easy to believe it's just the two of them. He'll allow the indulgence, fingers held up in his own little sign, eyes crinkling at the corner from the width of his smile.
A picture is taken, the warning for the next counting down. ) Wait, Mimiko and Nanako do this - ( Holding his hand up in the shape of half a heart, hoping Gojo will do the same. ) Like that.
I like to be traditional, you know that. ( And the motto love to the strong is just a coincidence, of course. But he stills as Gojo wraps an arm around his waist, lips twitching into helpless amusement. ) Handy.
( The address is easily delivered, a little further out of the city than maybe Gojo is expecting. There's a reason he uses curses to get everywhere. He lifts a careful eyebrow, hand settling on the arm. )
Can you manage that far? I have a big bird now, plenty of room in the beak for you.
[ what, did he think gojou wouldn't notice? they both have their little love letters to one another, don't they. ]
You like a bit of showmanship, too. [ he hums, tipping his head to the side as if he's considering the question seriously. he guesses getou did leave before he'd mastered teleportation over long distances, so he has no way of knowing what gojou's capable of these days. ]
I think it should be fine! [ he chirps, clapping his hands together. only a split second separates the moments they're standing in the private room and their feet touching down lightly on the pavement at the cross roads closest to the back gate of the shrine. ]
Next time we can try your bird out. [ and then he sighs, ] I still miss Rainbow Dragon.
( It's briefly jarring, a blink and you miss it shifting of space. He'd been there when Gojo had started mastering it, and he hadn't necessarily liked it then either. Not that he thought the skill was abhorrent or anything. It always just confused the senses. Here and now he takes his time to fuss with his kimono, like the blip might have mussed it, hands careful as he glances to the shrine. )
You've gotten better.
( Mild, and a little distracted, but then he's taking Gojo's hand in his own and tugging him very carefully down a side alley. His friend will notice the curse attached to one of the walls, a being made mostly of eyes that flutters thick lashes once and then seems satisfied. There's an unassuming gate down here, a little keypad attached. He taps in the code easily, body relaxed for the most part. )
Through here. We'll have to be quiet. The girls sometimes keep odd hours at the weekends.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
→ stresspoint
What does anyone?
( Geto certainly didn't believe he'd stumble out of his teens with two wards but here he is. Mass murderer, zealot, accidental father figure. )
You keep them alive and you hope the rest works itself out. Snacks always help.
Or you could just not and stay paralysed by fear. I'm not going to tell you what to do. I already have enough people needing that. But if Satoru can then why not you?
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[ Geto, please. ]
I don't know. Why does that matter if
I'd rather talk about the blowjobs.
[ Gojo worries him by taking on too much and Geto is now making him worry by not asking for enough. He has too much single mom energy scolding him right now and Nanami wants to rebel. ]
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Okay, sure.
Tell me more about the blowjobs. At least until you wanna finish that thought.
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I don't know if I would feel that way.
What makes you smile? This is something the brunette asked when the podcast talk slowed down.
I remember that part. It made me wonder if they had asked you that before.
[ Or if anyone had. ]
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( Says the cult leader. A beat, and then. )
I guess he's changed, I'm sure he has. Maybe we've all had to grow up. I hope he gets to live in a world where he doesn't have to lose any of them.
( Which is once again balancing on the knife-edge of things they shouldn't talk about. Geto would force that loss if he thought it was the only other available option. )
You don't need to, no.
What are the kids like? For non-scheming purposes, I promise. I'm just curious.
And I don't know. The girls? Even if I don't know what they're talking about half the time. They make it worth it. Not sure how I feel about the whole followers sleeping with old schoolmates for information though. Not that I think that's entirely what that was. But give me their names and I can make sure it won't happen again.
What about you? What makes you smile nowadays?
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They're enthusiastic. They think too much. About the future and about themselves, but they enjoy learning. You can tell when he's with them that they all get along.
It's familiar.
[ He refuses to say it reminds him of how things used to be. He won't say that. Just like he won't let Geto or Gojo keep losing those close to them as long as he's still alive. That much he can still do for them. ]
I didn't say there was anything wrong with it. If you want something from me, you can ask. I'm not hiding anything.
[ Whether Geto believes him or not, Nanami still considers him a friend. If the cult followers decide to target him for their leader's sake, well, they'll certainly have their hands full. But maybe he won't avoid that either. Maybe he deserves the scars. ]
I'm glad you have them. They seem happy too.
[ Gojo has his students and Geto has his small self-made family. They really are alike, huh?
He lets the other question slip away. ]
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Also he's not stupid, he knows avoidance. A different tact then. )
If you could be doing anything right now, what would it be?
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He keeps drifting in and out of their fields, finding excuses to check in on both. Gojo is easy, but Geto… sometimes he has to go looking. Sometimes he ends up making dumb decisions just to hear about him. ]
Anything… I’d like to see the beach. Maybe travel more.
[ He never will. Those are just absent dreams that bubble up now and then, unfulfilled wishes from another life. But getting to do things for himself and escape the role of sorcerer for a time wouldn’t be bad. He agrees at least that they burn out too quickly, being forced into missions too often with little preparation. It would be nice to do something else. ]
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What could stop you?
I mean aside from the mountain of responsibility? But maybe you need to be more selfish.
( He certainly understands the appeal. How long ago was it that he and Satoru lingered on some beachside to give a doomed girl just a single second more of life? Maybe they should have stayed there. )
You could send me a postcard.
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[ It's easier not to miss something he's never experienced. The dream is nice, it's tempting, but without tasting it once, Nanami will never know how much he's missing. He can work under those mountains of responsibilities and hold on to the "one day" promise until it won't carry him any further. He knows what he's doing, what this curse is, but he doesn't try to fight it. ]
You could go too, you know.
[ Geto and his family. They could just leave and find somewhere remote and be happy. Gojo would like that, knowing someone got something better out of their broken group. If one of them managed to do that, then wouldn't that be better for all of them? ]
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( It's a nice dream, but that's all it can be. There's no disappearing into obscurity for Geto Suguru, he has too much blood on his hands for that, he is too powerful for that. He simply has to keep going until he succeeds or is stopped. )
Heh. Maybe in another life. Besides, I think the seaside would be too sedate for Nanako. She likes the city too much, and Mimiko likes what her sister likes. I'd be outnumbered.
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You could make it a short trip.
Show me what it's like.
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You gonna put it on the fridge?
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As a note from an old friend.
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Okay, Nanami. I'll send you a postcard.
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To answer your other question: I think I'd like that. Hearing from you.
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( He knows what he's doing is right, that's not the point. Someone like Nanami should find it repulsive either way. It would be easier on them both if he just gave in to that. )
You'd be better off avoiding me like everyone else.
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[ He knows how to keep boundaries. He's doing it for Gojo too. ]
I won't force you. But I can understand.
[ As painful as it is, as much as it might come back to hurt him later, Nanami can't bring himself to hate or judge Geto. ]
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( Someone has to be. )
Besides, I promised you a postcard. I don't want anyone thinking I'm a man who goes back on their word. Can't do that if we're avoiding each other, right?
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Your followers invited me to one of their meetings. They were sure you would show up.
[ He doesn't necessarily believe that. ]
You can still send the postcard.
oops forgot to finish a sentence
( He should be mortified by it, but a part of him just wishes he could tell Satoru. They'd have laughed about it once upon a time. )
Sometimes we hand out free coffee, that's the usual kind of boon. But did it work? Should I expect you? I don't really want to get my kesa dirty, so we should keep it civil.
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[ He guesses. Honestly, Gojo will likely hear about this later. Because Nanami can't seem to pull himself out of either of their spheres. Both of these men, charismatic and terrifying. Honestly if they were working together no one would stand a chance against them. ]
Will you be there? I was promised you even take private interviews.
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( It's either late enough at night that he can joke about it, or that Nanami has settled some of his defensive edges throughout the conversation. Geto isn't entirely sure which. Usually he appreciates the forward thinking of his followers, they need more people, it's just --.
Odd.
He tries to imagine catching the eye of someone he knows in one of those meetings, isn't sure exactly how he'd feel about it. )
I go to as many as I can. There always needs to be a face to the campaign. And usually if someone tells me there's a potential recruit that needs a more personal touch I go, yeah. But you don't need to jump through so many hoops.
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[ Is it a bad idea? Probably. He knows what he'll be getting into, and walking right into the lion's den is risky, but he can't stop himself. Maybe he does want to see Geto, and he's in the unique position to do so under the higher up's radar. Doesn't Gojo want to know how he's doing?
It's fine. It's all fine. ]
What would I need to do?
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Just tell me which one you're going to. I'll be there. No strings, no herculean tasks.
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[ He was definitely paying more attention than he'll admit. Sleeping with his followers is one thing, but being constantly distracted by discussions of Geto himself is too much of an admission. ]
Next Wednesday. Since I have an invitation, I don't want to waste it.
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The donation plate gets passed around, what you do with that information is up to you.
Next Wednesday then.
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I'm not helping fund that. I just want to talk.
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Fine, bring me something sweet. That's an offering, right? And then after we can talk.
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All right. I'll bring an offering.
[ For him, not his cause. For his old friend. ]
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I'll see you next Wednesday, try not to be late.
( And until then, Nanami might want to keep an eye out for tasteful postcards that aren't signed appearing in his mailbox. )
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[ He remains dry, but he's going to keep those postcards carefully saved. ]
→ iware
I know Shoko's.
( Because she's the one they're likely to need the most. )
What about all the girls who give you their numbers? Do you memorise those?
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i dont need to know them
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nanami
yaga's except he doesnt know its me
i don't need to know your mother's, she calls me
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Actually, don't answer that.
( And then, immediately after. )
She doesn't, does she? You were kidding, right?
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( :| )
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your mother's always saying you should be better about your temper
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THAT WAS A BLOOD PACT
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I'd start running now. She's hungover. Her judgement will be swift.
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i dont care
im not scared of her
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The blood pact was incidental.
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is it really my fault if she can't help herself?
most girls can't
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and then you ruined it
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You're the one judging my looks. Should've known. You're flaky. 😪
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i've never fumbled anything in my life
my game has game
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That's why you had drinks thrown on you by three different girls just last week.
( Good thing he has infinity, otherwise Geto would have been subjected to the whining. )
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they were ugly anyway
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( Not Geto's type, but he wouldn't say ugly per say. )
It was the way you did it. No tact.
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waste of energy honestly
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why would i ever stoop to being normal??
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( Well, genuinely. )
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why are you still here
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I'm not suicidal.
( He's keeping a wide berth, minding his own business, the sensible options. )
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Wait, which one of us is evil?
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of all people
i know what you've done
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What did I do?
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What do you know about the wind chimes?
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i'll tell shoko
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What windchimes?
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you scaled a wall!!
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That wasn't me.
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IT
WASSSS
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That was evil!Suguru.
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we did that ritual with the alcohol and everything and we banished him
you remember
that was before the windchimes!!
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Who knows what his next crime will be?
→ moedred
Which one? That he's not better than you? I said he was an idiot, not incapable.
ty im so tired of proving i am human
even if he was, i'd kick his ass for sure
it kept making me do maths and i was like pls stop
mine kept asking me if the sky is blue what color is it
surely even robots know about the do u know the colour of the sky post
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WHATEVER you magic types are all the same.
always acting so high and mighty
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I assume there's a reason for that.
Do you know many "magic types"?
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unfortunately
can't seem to get away from ur stank
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Stank?
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you smell
nobody ever told u that before?
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but that's not what i'm referring to
all magi smell rotten, like blood.
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We spill it more than normal humans.
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history just keeps repeating itself
none of you will ever learn
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i have absolutely zero faith in you
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( 🤗 )
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→ fwooip
You leave me and my carefully curated snack list out of this, Shoko!!
( How To Win Friends & Influence People, the Geto Suguru way. )
Besides, he'll be fine.
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[ She is going to tease the hell out of him. Sorry buddy!! ]
You say that now.
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Ugh, fine.
I guess I'll live to see another day. But don't think you got out of it that easy. You absolutely have to take care of him if I die. I'll haunt you both so I'll know!
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You do realize we're both jujutsu users and can exorcise curses, right?
Or would you come back as some sort of Catholic ghost, like those American horror movies?
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And you have to be sure, no being like "oh he's dead" and I'm just momentarily unconscious!
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You'd put everything back in the right place anyway. But I'd just rather you didn't.
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Some of them anyway. The important ones.
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( Vaguely. He pays attention in most classes anyway. At least as long as Satoru isn't distracting him. )
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Well, there's always that.
( Moments after that's sent there's a knock at the window. The window that's too high for a normal person but a curse user sitting atop a manta ray? Absolutely fine. He waves cheerfully, backlit by the city and the night's lights, motioning with his phone in one hand before he goes back to typing. )
Open up.
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You really came to the window.
[ Somehow he didn't expect that. Still a little flushed from drinking, he runs a hand through his hair. ]
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( He hops inside easily enough, immediately opening a hole in the air to bring through the worm-like curse he uses as an inventory cache. It vomits forth a bag that Geto tugs open, pulling out a spare change of clothes free. He's not exactly embarrassed by Nanami's nakedness, nor is gawking like someone they both know would. Instead he's calm and mild. )
I didn't want to talk to anyone.
( Monkeys, but he's being discerning, how nice! ) Is there a minibar?
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[ Which wouldn't be that bad, but he's cold from waking up waterlogged and not having enough morale left in him to do anything about it. He takes the spare clothes with a look of muted relief, still recovering from the combination of booze and exhaustion.
Having Geto come find him might be embarrassing, but it is easier than having Gojo show up and make fun of him for letting himself slip like this. He nods and gestures to the little fridge he hadn't bothered to open. ]
It's not a bad room.
[ Is that more depressing? Maybe that young man was actually nice. He sits at the edge of the bed, finally giving Geto a more focused look. ]
Thank you. For answering.
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You want to explain exactly what happened? With maybe a little more coherence this time, I'm confused on the exact details.
( A bottle of water gets pulled out, Geto uncaring for the sensor or the maybe charge. He's certainly not paying it, maybe the monkey Nanami came here with left a card, maybe not. But he tosses the drink onto the bed beside the other sorcerer, taking a soda for himself that he opens with a crank of noise. )
And why wouldn't I? You needed help.
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There aren't that many details. It was a bad night and I decided to stay out and drink some. I wasn't planning on meeting someone, but at the time...
[ At the time he was so perfectly wasted that the young man's flirting had actually managed to feel nostalgic and inviting, drawing him out of his typical cold indifference he used for defense. But it was also because he was so miserable in the first place that he'd been that open, and in that half-coherent state, everything had fallen apart. ]
I should have been more firm about not wanting to hookup. I wasn't in much of a mood to begin with, but it didn't seem like it could hurt. If you really want to know, I probably tripped.
[ In the most pathetic ending he could have. But he wasn't that hurt and nothing truly bad had happened to him. If anything, he probably scared some random young man out of approaching older men. That gets a dry laugh out of Nanami. He lifts his head, smiling with conflict at the irony of once again depending on his former senior after a bad night. ]
Why would that matter? It was my own fault. I should clean it up.
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I don't know what to tell you, Nanami. I'm not that cruel that I'd ignore a friend in distress either way. Besides, I wasn't doing anything.
( No meetings, the girls tucked into bed and safe already. )
Would you have preferred me not to come?
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No, I'm glad you came.
[ Probably more than he knows. Not only because it spares him the misery of walking home in dirty clothes later, but because he likes the company. It makes him feel more human after that botched evening drinking. ]
You're not going to give me some wise advice for this?
[ He still apparently has some dry humor left intact. ]
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( A shrug, another sip of his soda. ) Sometimes I wish I could get so drunk the only problem I'd face is keeping my balance in the shower, so really, I can't judge you.
( He has to be careful though, has to keep his cool, and his head, and his temper. There's too much at stake that sometimes he finds even sleep hard. But it would be nice, he thinks, to have a momentary lapse. )
Do you want wise advice? I can google.
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Give me some advice. You don't have to google. Tell me what you really think of me.
[ He can take it. He owes him already for coming at all. Nanami takes a drink of the water, letting his shoulders slouch as his body catches up to the relaxing weight of relief tugging on them. ]
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( He keeps his tone even, easy. Nanami did ask and Geto isn't being particularly cruel. ) And tired, sad, used up. ( Okay, maybe a little cruel but that's just his nature nowadays. ) But I don't think it's necessarily your fault. It's just how things have gone.
( The loss of Haibara is a ghost not easily exorcised. Geto still thinks about it more often than not, he can only imagine what it must be like for Nanami. He toys with the soda can in his hands for want of something better to do. )
But you're not infallible. I think you need to remember that.
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You think that's sad? Isn't that just the same as everyone else?
[ He's already caught a glimpse of the end. He can feel it, anticipates it bearing down on him, and whether that's tomorrow or a lucky few years forward, Nanami has already accepted the inevitable fate of being consumed by his ghost. He had tried to run at one point, tried to aim for a second chance at a better life, a feeling of completion, but slowly over time he had simply stopped running. There wasn't any point to it. Or maybe the longing to reunite with that warm smile had finally convinced him that he had to go back to it. The price of getting to feel that comfort again might be returning to the life they both left, but he can't keep himself from wanting it. ]
I can't forget it.
[ It's the curse that he carried home with Haibara's corpse. The knowledge of how truly limited he is. Not strong enough to save the one life he would have traded for his own, and as Geto says, there's really nothing that could be done. Chasing after the impossible goal of becoming another monster was the best he could manage at the time. ]
But I'm still alive for now. I think I managed pretty well for being used up.
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I've upset you.
( Leaning back in the chair, Geto lifts a hand, presses his thumb to the space between his brows. ) I didn't mean to. I think it's admirable you keep going. I think anyone would be the same, in your shoes. I saw it in the cards for myself back then, why do you think I left?
( There were naturally a myriad of reasons then, but the bone weary sadness had been a part of it. Knowing he would have to keep going until he was killed, knowing that nothing and no one would ever be able to stop it. It still has its claws in him some days, the swinging pendulum of his moods dropping without warning. He does a better job at hiding it, though maybe the only reason he can see it in Nanami now is because it's in him too. )
I'm not going to shame you for trying to escape it in any way you have to, so if you're looking for that you might have to ask someone else. You could probably choose better partners, if only because the monkeys don't deserve you, but that's whatever. It's just sex. ( A grin. ) Just don't procreate, mm?
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[ That is a bold lie. He almost doesn't hide the fact it hits that particular nerve that sitting at the morgue had, leaning forward and resting his elbows on his thighs so he can stare down at the water bottle in his hand. Unlike that time, his back still holds a straight line, is shoulders able to bear a little more of the crushing reality these days. Eventually it will all go numb. When there's nothing left of him but the sorcerer, he won't even blink at comments like that. So what if he's already burnt out? ]
Admirable? Don't be ridiculous.
[ He wishes Geto would mock him for the pathetic turn the night has taken. It's a well-earned reminder that seeking to escape their lives will only bring the curse after him. That he, like the other sorcerers, is a curse to others as well. He may use it to help when he can, but anything more than his function is simply unnecessary. It causes problems. Creates fear. Geto gives him a playful warning, and Nanami can't stop the derisive noise that comes in response as he lifts his head. ]
Aren't you assuming too much? I don't intend on starting a relationship. You're the one I should worry about.
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( Mock affronted, wide eyes, a hand coming up to touch his chest. ) Ah, Nanami, I'm not that kind of girl. ( A fluttering of eyelashes, as playful as a razor's edge. ) And I'm very unlikely to knock anybody up.
( Besides which, he is a paranoid bastard. It's almost funny. Maybe he's a little envious of his old friend, knowing that he would never be able to put aside his own thoughts long enough to relax. )
You're harder on yourself than you need to be. Maybe you do need to be less alone.
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[ It's not the same and he knows that, but Nanami isn't going to get the chance. He won't allow himself to leave behind a broken family or children that might be cursed into the next generation. As much as he wants to connect to someone, he won't even leave behind a lover who might actually miss him when he's gone. No one to mourn what might have been like he mourned before. Although after this fiasco, maybe he should give up on empty physical escapes too. ]
You're right. You probably have your hands full as it is. But you seem to be popular enough.
[ Collecting lost souls, perhaps, but they do seem to like him. Geto has that much at least. Nanami is following Gojo's path, both keeping to their isolation. ]
If I were harder on myself I wouldn't be here at all. I should have told him to leave me alone.
[ His stupid soft spot for warm smiles betrayed him again. ]
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( Easy enough, still good natured. The curse users on the outskirts, with their less palatable natures. The jujutsu sorcerers forgotten or discarded by the higher ups. Those without a place in the world. No matter how often he gets painted as truly villainous he thinks he's doing some good. At least with his family. He tries. Someone has to. A pause, and then very carefully. )
All you'd have to do is say the word. ( He knows he's going to be denied, but he thinks the offer is important regardless. ) We have space.
( He keeps it casual, taking another sip of his drink. He knows the answer either way, it won't stop him coming when Nanami calls either way. )
Although everyone is very much in each other's business. That might dampen your style somewhat.
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[ He can still see that optimistic ideal buried deep under the curse user's bitterness. Geto still want to help others like himself. He wants to save the people he thinks need saving. Maybe it means even more to him now, because it isn't something he was told needs to be done, but something he decided for himself. Even though he and Gojo have chosen different paths in achieving their goals, Nanami can see how alike they really are--desperate to rescue the ones that are abused by those above them.
It makes him smile. A soft, tired expression of fondness he rarely shows. When he burns out and leaves behind nothing but the smear of a corpse, at least those two will still be looking out for the next generation. That's what he chooses to believe. Because who can defeat them? It's okay to believe in that much, right? ]
Heh. I appreciate your offer, but if I go missing, then no one will be able to keep certain problems in order.
[ He doesn't want Gojo to be alone. That's the answer, sad as it is. At least Geto has found something kind, and that sets Nanami's mind at more ease, but Gojo still needs them. ]
Also, I don't like sharing.
[ That part isn't true, but maybe he's being selfish about finally having Geto's company. ]
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Well, the offers there. But just because you've said no doesn't mean you can't call on me if situations like this ever arise again.
( Because who is he to lecture a man on poor decisions? )
Or if you need company that won't leave you soaking and bruised in a bathroom.
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Nanami stands and crosses the room to stand by Geto, resting his hand on his shoulder. Just because he feels the need to look after Gojo doesn't mean he has no regard for Geto. They are friends, whether awkward or distant, and sometimes Geto needs support as much as Nanami does. And as much as he believes in his decision to go back, he understands Geto's choices as well. Unlike their superiors, he can't really blame him for his path. ]
Are you going to rescue me?
[ He sounds slightly amused, but warm. ]
Thank you. Maybe I needed the bruises. But I'm glad you came to get me.
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I could, if you wanted. It wouldn't even have to look like your choice, if that's what you'd be worried about. I do a lot of terrible things, what's kidnap on to of that?
( It would be an act, like most things are. Geto is almost certain he could play it well though, the villainous curse user spiriting away the best and brightest of jujutsu society. Still, he knows Nanami, knows the goodness of his heart despite how badly he seems to think of himself. So instead he grins again. )
Ah, well you would too, wouldn't you? Any time you need it.
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Wouldn't that ruin your reputation? Your followers would question why you were bothering with keeping someone like me around.
[ How could it be anything but a merciful gesture? Something to help a sorcerer that has chosen what Geto's group sees as the wrong side. He does like that image, though. The idea of Geto trying to kidnap him is more amusing than bad. ]
I would. Any time you call, I'll answer.
[ As long as he can. Even if it means balancing his life against even more complications, Nanami will never be the one to leave his remaining friends behind. ]
Maybe... occasionally. For a night now and then.
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( It isn't quite as black and white as most people would have suggested. Geto wants to protect his fellow sorcerers, he's just tired of trying to chip away at a monumental task. If he has to take extreme measures to do so then he will. Somebody has to, he's gotten better at playing the victim. )
But mm, maybe we can agree on that instead. If you need a break you call me. Even if it's to sit in some dingy bar and glower at anyone I think inappropriate. ( Grin widening, teeth showing. ) I've been told I'm very picky, but maybe you need someone like that. I'd rather that than you end up hurt, anyway.
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[ That's almost friendly. An invitation for company between a proper sorcerer and a curse user who should be enemies, fighting on opposite sides of that divide in society. In a way, it feels like some kind of validation that their past connections still survived, that they managed to make it past their tragedies and keep going, despite everything else falling apart. ]
What if you need a break? Will you call me to help you?
[ Of course there's danger in keeping contact like this for both of them, but Nanami doesn't doubt his decision this time. The last thing he wants is the regret of not taking an opportunity while he still has it. ]
I'm not the only one that needs backup.
[ Even if he's the one who has bad taste in people apparently. ]
why did i write victim instead of villain asghjka
All right, if I promise to then you have to as well.
( He trusts Nanami. No matter what Geto has done, that won't change. )
This is very emotionally mature of us. Who would have thought we could manage? ( Of course he immediately has to put a little distance between himself and his feelings. ) Now. Do you want me to take you somewhere else? We could fly, but if you've had a bit to drink you might not like it much.
he's a victim of society!
But the answer he gets is much gentler. It sounds like the Geto Suguru that he used to look up to, that Haibara always bragged about showing off to. Nanami has to turn his gaze away as he feels his chest tighten. He doesn't want Geto to see him any more vulnerable than he already has. ]
Mm. Can you take me somewhere I don't know? Get us lost somewhere.
[ It's the kind of stupid, reckless thing the other friend of theirs would do, something that neither Nanami or Geto would normally approve of, acting without carefully thought out plans and preparation. But Nanami is feeling more raw than usual and makes that spur of the moment request, asking Geto for an escape from his responsible decisions even if it's just temporary. ]
😭
( He doesn't think it's an entirely odd request. In fact, he's a little surprised it's taken Nanami this long to voice it. It gives Geto motivation though, and he rises from the seat, clapping the other man on the shoulder with one warm, broad palm. )
All right, figure out if you need to take anything with us. We'll leave the way I came. ( Via the curse that still lingers beyond the window, obediently waiting. Geto finishes his soda, crunches the can in one hand to toss in a nearby wastebin, looking around the room himself just in case his friend misses something. Then he's heading to open the window again. )
Don't worry, my flying's a lot better these days. ( An inside joke, teasing. He'd been easily convinced to show off as a youth, they must all remember some near misses. ) You learn to go slower with children.
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But when he's finally offered a chance to escape some of that constant discontent, when Geto lets him admit that what he really wants is something good, something beyond the illusion of "just okay" to be functional, Nanami can't hold back. He retrieves his damp clothes and follows his former classmate to the window like they are kids again, sneaking out in a way Nanami wouldn't have suggested when he was an actual student. ]
You'd better not drop me. Don't show off just because it's been a while.
[ Or maybe he should show off and make Nanami's heart speed up a little. Maybe he'll like feeling the rush again. He doesn't want to admit that, but he does flush faintly as he follows him onto the back of the waiting curse. ]
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( A grin, the flash of teeth. He would. He is just as prone to boasting now as he was back then, perhaps even a little more now that he's shrugged off the aura of studious good boy he'd been so desperate to project in his youth. Still, Nanami is trusting him and he's not altogether an asshole, so he waits until the other sorcerer is aboard the curse, smile gentling. )
You can hold onto me if you want.
( The girls do, he doesn't mind it.
And then he's steering the stingray curse away from the open window and up, slow and steady above the building tops, the city a glittering jewel below them. )
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[ He shouldn't think about the feeling that washes over him at that sly grin. The same warm, slightly buzzing feeling he felt in the bar hours earlier, spurring him to make stupid decisions for vague promises his body knows but his mind refuses to think about. He shouldn't let his eyes linger on the sharp white of Geto's smile and wonder what it feels like on skin--so he doesn't. At least not too long, he thinks, after climbing onto the curse's back. It already feels like an escape to step out of that window, leaving behind the hotel room and his mistakes.
But he's not about to cling to Geto like a child. Nanami keeps his balance, watching the city become a distant cluster of lights as they rise further away, drawing an appreciative breath at the scene as the buildings morph into something else the higher they go. ]
Do you do this a lot?
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( He has to pitch his voice a little louder, but at least this high up the sound of traffic isn't too much that it drowns him out. He throws Nanami a glance over his shoulder with a shrug of it. ) It's surprisingly calming. No one can see me up here, and I don't have to deal with crowds. The girls used to like it when they were younger too, so on nights no one could sleep we'd take the sting ray and go flying. ( Nightmares had been more common in the early days, on all fronts. Geto had fumbled through parenthood as best as he could, offering reprieve wherever possible. ) They prefer the pelican now though, the wind can't mess their hair up in the bird.
( A pause, and then a huff. )
Yours looks fine, by the way.
( Helpful. )
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Riding high above the city and feeling the wind blow against him feels good. The lights are beautiful, and he almost manages to smile. Geto talks about taking the girls out at night like it was pleasant for them, and in a way, he's almost jealous. If he had that innocent outlook, would using curse techniques feel any different to him. ]
If you say that, aren't you comparing me to them? Does that mean you want to adopt me?
[ See? He has humor. Kind of. ]
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I could. You'd be less work than two teenage girls, that's for you. You seem like a strict routine haver and trying to get them to stick to one is an uphill battle I'm absolutely losing. But don't let them fool you, it isn't all treats and bullying me into submission! I can be fierce when I want to be.
( It's a little funny, the impassioned way he announces himself, like he isn't famed for being cruel, for being ruthless. The dichotomy of it should rankle a little. But then he's always been fairly bad at denying the people he cares about. Even Satoru never got the full force of his ire. Geto chose to walk away instead, so they could never truly be enemies.
A sigh, dramatic and for effect. )
You can barter for an allowance, I suppose.
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No, of course not. Life isn't that simple or easy no matter how much support they have. Nanami gives Geto a wry smile, taking in what his former classmate has become. The most terrifying curse user of their time, an indulgent young parent, and also a man willing to rescue him for the sake of old memories. What a mess. ]
You don't have to pay me. If you want me to do you favors, you just have to ask. Make sure they're not too tedious--and try to keep them outside of normal work hours.
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( There's an amused light in his face when he speaks, something almost cheeky about the way he all but purrs it. ) Ah, Nanami, what kind of favours do people often ask of you if those are the prerequisite?
( The curse clears the tops of the buildings now, the people below barely noticeable beyond tiny pinpricks. The higher they go the looser his shoulders become, the less the chokehold of his emotions become. He tips his face up towards the dark night sky, the twinkling of stars, offering an easier smile this time. )
I'll bear it in mind. You do the same. Don't work yourself into a state in the morning, I don't think any less of you now, and I won't if it happens again. Besides, it's been nice. Being useful in a different way.
→ tokakujuho
I'm sorry, did you expect that to fade with time?
oisjiash, sorry! I was going to move it too! 😆
But I should know better, I guess.
no no it's fine!! unless u have somewhere u'd rather it be lmao
Anyway, it's funny. Don't be sore. I'm not even upset you've practically called me stinky and ugly so you can take a little trolling.
I was failing the how many body parts questions lol
Is that how you treat your minions, too?
i'm always so sure i'm getting it right and then i don't and i'm like, am i a robot??
And no, not really. I could always try. Fleece you for money like everyone else, but if you had any you'd take a vacation so I don't really think that would work.
same orz
What happens when you've squeezed them dry?
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We send them to live their remaining days out on some farm somewhere.
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How long are you going to keep that up?
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But if that is the future you're striving for, what I think doesn't really matter.
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Nobody has been lying, Nanami. I've done everything they've said I've done. Isn't that enough to convince you?
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I know you've done it.
You're capable, we're all capable.
It's what they raised us to be.
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I'd do it again.
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We were trained to be weapons, ready to kill at the drop of a hat.
It should hardly come as a surprise when you did exactly that.
Could you see yourself returning some day?
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( But ah, that's not entirely fair. Not when Nanami is being serious. )
I don't think I can, nor that I would want to. I refuse to leave my family behind and with things forever unchanging? No. It's for the better this way.
Would you ever leave? Properly, I mean.
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There's nothing there.
[ Ieiri and Gojo. especially Gojo who's working himself ragged, chasing after Geto's shadow. but there's also the kids. the little monsters their strongest has collected in order to change their world order. should he tell Geto that? how all their broken hearts are hard at work to make sure nobody is ever lost the way they lost the most human of them all? ]
The kids need support.
They're all remarkable in their own way, little monsters like you and Gojo, but they're still just kids.
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You know I'm glad?
I'm not too far gone to not recognise that there's still good there. It's not all rotten. The next generation can be better than ours, that's always been the point. That's all I wanted.
stares at next generation's current state🥺
in the weeks after Haibara, Geto had played a huge role in keeping Nanami sane. even though they were still kids, Geto seemed to be the only one to look past his own heartbreak and still see his friends. Nanami's always admired that about his senpai, and suspected the ability to see beyond one's own grief and heartbreak was what broke Geto in the end. ]
Are you happier now?
With your family?
LMAO i know fuck.
The reply comes, typed and then re-typed. )
I think so.
I feel lighter now.
( Maybe that might turn out to be a problem in the end. For now, he's needed. That matters. )
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if Geto has managed, there's hope for the rest yet. ]
Good.
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What would make you feel lighter?
( Genuinely curious. )
The kids help, don't they?
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what would make him feel lighter? he thought leaving would do the trick, but here he is, back with the school and their sordid business. ]
That is not really a priority of mine, Geto-san.
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( That part had been frustrating too, the weaponization of child soldiers. He doubts either Nanami or Gojo allow it to happen quite as strongly these days, but old habits are ingrained. He may be the world's worst curse user but he is also, unfortunately, a mother hen. )
It can't all be surviving. That's the quickest way to not.
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But thank you.
For your concern.
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Hm, I'm sure. Don't make me worry about you, Nanami. I might end up showing up again, think of the trouble that would cause!
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There is no need to be so dramatic.
[ does Geto really thing his showing up would be more troublesome than his absence? if he wanted to come back. if he really wanted to, his miscreant friends would move heaven and earth to make it possible. ]
I am quite well, I assure you.
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Make sure it stays that way. You're just as important as anyone else.
But fine, fine. I'll leave it be. The girls have told me I can be overbearing.
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[ that is an appropriate answer to an uncomfortable topic, right? if anything it shows their common little shithead roots. ]
Well, it's better to have that kind of parent than one who doesn't care at all.
They'll realise that when they're older.
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( 😪 )
It's the hair, isn't it?
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Fathers are generally absent.
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My ego could be bruised.
( ... )
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I'll ask Ieiri to get in touch and say something nice about your hair.
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She's grown hers out now.
It will be fine.
Probably.
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I'll take your word for it. But I'm sure she'd still just call me out so I'll pass.
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Though I think she'd like to hear from you sometime.
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Stubborn ass.
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Aren't we all, in our own way? Maybe it's part of a jujutsu sorcerer's genetic makeup.
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Everyone else aside from you two is perfectly reasonable.
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( :C )
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( Wow. )
I'm leaving him at the side of the road if that's the case.
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He's fine, isn't he? He got over it.
( In the same way that Geto did. Everyone's fine, nobody is fucked up. )
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[ and Geto thinks they're not the same?? ]
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Don't give up so easily, Geto-san.
We haven't.
[ not a single one of them in spite of it all. ]
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It just doesn't include the care and feeding of feral old friends. You'll have to keep it up for me.
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We're just talking.
It doesn't have to mean anything.
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Because it doesn't.
( Stubborn. )
Tell me something else.
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You're quite demanding.
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I'm not your secretary.
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She's much nicer to me than you are.
( 🥺 )
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[ nicer doesn't mean anything. she didn't even tell her boss he was walking around stinky! ]
Well, if you give me her number, I'll be nice to her.
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She *is* looking for a partner, though I'm afraid she'd eat you alive.
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I'm too young for that kind of commitment.
Besides, I'm not a family man so, aside from being cannibalised, this would never work.
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To anyone.
Good night, Geto-san.
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Good night, Nanami.
chatroom: THE HOBOS (3) / some canon semi-divergent au
Suguru..............................
Are you mad at me
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It's not like you've done anything in the past 45 minutes have you?
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Haha! Yeah I don't know
Maybe the shoe missing is still making you mad
Though it's not missing it must have been digested by Suguru's curse now
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You have to pick
Or if you let me buy them
I saw these ones that have little lights when you walk
How cool is that??
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suguru tell satoru he's not allowed to get light up shoes
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[ he's just repeating a line he saw on the internet ]
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She'll get a crush on me
And then what am I going to do?
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besides, you've survived this far with girls getting crushes on you.
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What do I get as a prize?
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Why the hell do we have detention? I'm not even on campus!
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Something something about you not keeping me in line
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I mean it was your idea
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He's typing.
...
Still typing
... )
NOW?
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SUGURU................
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But why the hell does Shoko have detention too?
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Satoru wants a presentttttttttt
Oh
Don't ask me that
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why the hell am i involved? i have better things to do than go to detection
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It's not my fault he never chooses the right time.
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You should get smacked
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My bad, Suguru
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....
ah I answered my own question
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We should go out to dinner after.
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( He wasted it on gashapon and cola, like a fool. )
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he can afford it
and we deserve it
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maybe get some snacks to store away for the next time satoru lands us in detention
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but smart idea
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And then there's no fun to be had in an empty 7-11. Unless he could use it to prank someone I guess.
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Fine, I'll tell him.
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Maybe spitting in Suguru's tea
Stealing your shirt
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and stop stealing my shirts, you stretch them out too much. fucker.
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Suguru tell her
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→ infinitease
( His presence will be felt before he announces himself, he isn't hiding himself away today. Bang on time there will be a polite knock, and Geto will be at Gojo's apartment door, dressed down for the day in loose-fitted clothing, sweat pants and sliders, a worn tshirt stretched over his chest. He even has a gift ( cupcakes, bright blue frosting ) tucked in the crook of his arm, because there's not enough of a world shift to shake the good behaviour from him.
The door opens, Geto's smile slides into place. )
Mm. You look all right for a man who's brain should be smouldering. ( His head tips to one side, bangs falling briefly into his eyes. Today his hair is in a ponytail. There is a Badtz-maru clip in the back of it that he's forgotten to remove. It makes him look younger, less nefarious. If he's trying to fake it til you make it, then maybe it's working. )
Are you going to let me in, Satoru?
IT WILL COME BACK everything about this page is *chefs kiss*
[ he's not sure why, but part of him had expected getou to show up in his full monk's ensemble, despite the casual nature of the visit.]
Don't worry, it's already cooking now. We're having it for dinner, in fact! [ he does meant to let him in, but the ponytail... it's new, and distracting. gojou wonders if all the weight of wearing it up gives him headaches, and when he decided to change it. the clip must be something from those girls they rarely discuss but gojou knows exist from the files. cute. ]
Ah, right. Come in, make yourself comfortable. [ he steps out of the way, closes the door and swings the lock closed after getou is through the threshold, letting infinity flicker off almost immediately and pulling his glasses off, setting them on the counter top as he moves into the kitchen to pull the food out. ] I got noodles for us! I didn't think your tastes had probably changed much, but there's enough to share if you don't like anything.
geto deserves a hozier song as much as anyone else
( One hip against the counter top, cocked very carefully. It feels strange and it doesn't. He isn't sure which he should be more concerned about. That he's a little nervous, or that they can share the space without wanting to kill each other. )
It smells good either way, so I don't think you've chosen wrong.
he deserves it MORE than anyone else. damage gets done gives me major stsg feels.
[ getou assures him his taste in food hasn't changed much, which is a relief, oddly. there's more anxiety in what's different than what's the same, for gojou. he can't quite say why. ]
You didn't have to bring anything. [ he says it, but he's already flipping the lid of the box and dipping a finger into frosting before sticking it into his mouth with an eager hum. the fear of being unknown to one another dissipating quickly as he sucks it clean with a pop. ]
Thank you. [ he praises before turning and fishing the containers of broth along with a tray of tempura and takoyaki out of the oven without gloves and hisses at the heat. ] Ouch! Okay there's that... [chatty as ever as he pulls the noodles, drinks and sides out of the otherwise empty fridge to set on the counter as well, next to empty bowls and chopsticks. ] Help yourself. This place is great, I try to stop by whenever I'm on this side of town. They've got a matcha tiramisu that's to die for, but I'm glad I decided against it tonight.
ow ur so right ;; i'm in pain
Do you not own an oven glove?
( Probably not. He still casts a gaze about the kitchen to try and find one, makes a mental note to buy one and leave it for him. Maybe a silly novelty one. Something childish so that he actually uses it. ) That does sound nice. I don't remember the last time I had dessert. Some ice cream a few weeks back, maybe. It wasn't great. ( He comes closer, hovering nearby. ) Is that takoyaki?
( It smells good, his stomach rumbles and he laughs, helplessly. )
Are we eating in here? Do you want me to carry something?
gets me right in the feels EVERY time
[ getou drifts over to look at the takoyaki and the corners of his mouth tug up - a good pick after all. he remembers getou liking it and feels a shimmer of pride at choosing well. ] I remember stealing one of yours and dropping it on your kimono at the summer festival in our first year. I think you made me buy you three more as punishment.
[ gojou laughs at that, and at getou's rumbling stomach. he only pauses at the question, a thoughtful look flashing over his expression. ] Ah. I've never actually eaten a meal here, so... why don't we sit in the living room and be comfortable. [ he's never liked formality, after growing up in the Gojo family, so he's more than happy to grab half the bowls and trays, balancing them precariously and taking them over to the low coffee table. ]
i'm going to add it to my stsg spotify playlist RIGHT NOW
( An oven glove and dish towels then. )
Three, and then you stole a second anyway. The stain never came out, my mom had to -. ( His teeth click, the only blip. ) Well, that's when I stopped wearing light clothing, I think. You were a hazard to anything that wasn't black or black adjacent. A good thing it suited me.
( He'll bring the drinks then, pausing only to rifle through the cupboards for glasses, sauntering out like he belongs there. )
It's very tidy. ( It doesn't suit him, is what he doesn't say. But he's taking the floor beside the table anyway, crossing his legs with his back against the couch. ) How often are you here?
well now you have to share
[ gojou doesn't react or linger on it at all, lets the slip up pass into the ether like everything else they've chosen to ignore to be here. it isn't his ghost to be haunted by - is it? it occurs to him he's never visited their graves, suguru's parents. he wonders if suguru ever has. ] That's a little bit of an exaggeration, don't you think? I wore white all the time and it was fine!
[ mostly because he tended to dump things on everyone else while gesturing around wildly. ]
I'd say I cleaned to impress you but it pretty much just looks like this. [ gojou sets the food down and flops onto the floor next to him, too automatic, but it would be weirder to move away, wouldn't it? he pauses and looks around... ] Mm. Maybe once a month. Once every couple of months, during the summer when it's busy. I have quarters at the school, and it's easier for me to squeeze in sleep there. [ this place is too quiet, he doesn't say. at least at the school, he can still pretend he's coming home to something. ]
i'll send u a pm!!!
( The strange compound where he lives with everyone else is probably very tidy, but the rooms he shares between himself and the girls less so. ) I don't mind it, the first apartment we had the girls were too scared to make any mess, and that worried me then. But now they leave their belongings everywhere. I trip over bags and coats more often than I don't. My room and office are fine, sometimes the living area can last a few days after I fix it up, but the overspill inevitably happens.
( He opens Gojo's drink for him, pours it into the glass like a habit, sliding it over the table. Then he starts dishing up for the both of them, also automatically. )
What are yours like?
( Yours could mean anything. The students. Megumi. The girl. It's mild, it's not aiming any particular direction. He is behaving. )
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Mm sounds like proof that you're doing well by them. I would have had my knuckles smacked if I left a coat or a game on the floor growing up.
[he relaxes back against the couch and drinks some of his milk tea, extra sweet as usual. ] Well, I can't exactly police them like a parent, but mostly they don't need it. Megumi's quite tidy. His sister too, from looking after themselves as children I assume. The first years are a little wilder, I'm not sure how seriously they take me. [ gojou snorts, taking his bowl when getou offers it with a soft thanks. ]
So, how was being a teen dad? You always did like having something to take care of, huh.
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You don't consider yourself their parent? Megumi, I mean. His sister.
( The question comes unbidden, food halfway to his mouth before he remembers he's meant to be eating. After he's swallowed -. )
It was terrifying, actually. They were -. ( A pause. ) - It wasn't very good to start. They weren't scared of me, but they thought anything they did might change my mind on them. We shared a single room apartment. It was noisy. But it was better than where they were, so.
( He tried.
He tried very hard. If anything he probably tried too hard. Seventeen and cutting matted hair in a McDonald's bathroom. Wiping tears at night. )
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[gojou makes a face and scoffs-] I think if I tried telling Megumi I was his dad now he'd bite me. Nah, it's not like they live with me or anything I'm more like... a guardian, I guess. After that deadbeat Fushiguro left them on their own they figured it out and Megumi's pretty wary of adults. But I go over and check on them, make sure they have food and clothes and all of that, take them out for sweets, and I'm working on Megumi's technique with him already.
[ he slurps some of his noodles, watches getou as he explains what it was like - and gojou isn't sure what he expected, really. he isn't with megumi and tsumiki full time like that, they don't depend on him. he doesn't have to share a room or get them ready for school... maybe in another life, if getou had stayed, they'd all share one big place with all the kids. ]
I'm proud of you for saving them, Suguru. [even if the rest was-] They're lucky to have you as a parent.
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( He blinks in a way that used to mean Gojo's words mean something to him, a too fast flutter as he gets his emotions under control. )
It's better now. They have room to breathe. We moved out of the apartment when I got things more firmly under control, and they like the others. I don't ask them to do anything that they wouldn't like. They can go where they want, and do what they want, and they often do. It's a shame. I think they'd probably vastly enjoy bullying Fushiguro-san. ( Progress, no hiccup on the name. He still dreams of Toji, sometimes. ) They'd probably have bullied you too, actually. It would have been unfair.
( A quick grin, sharp with mirth. )
Or drained your bank balance dry. One or the other.
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[it says a lot, that despite geto's own convictions and morals about the world now he hasn't raised the kids the same way. hasn't cut them all off from human society. he used to do it with gojou, too, guiding him but letting him make his own choices, ultimately. ]
Man that'd be great. He needs some fuckin bullying, that brat. You wouldn't believe the way he talks to everyone, like a little punk! We should move them all in together and let them straighten each other out.
[ gojou snorts, grinning back. ] Sounds fine to me. Better use of the Gojo money than my family's ever made of it. And I'd have someone to drag to crepes and collab cafes who wouldn't call them lame. Tch!
what if i care little for canon and just make my own decisions what then
He remembers the blood on his hands, knows that he couldn't have called. Not really. )
Do you -? ( A hum, he takes drink to give himself more time, swallows down a sweet mouthful. ) - You could meet them. Not now. But later. Once we've decided this is a good idea. They wouldn't tell anyone, they wouldn't care to. They might not be nice to you, but they're - you'd probably find it funny. They're protective.
sign me tf UP my guy let's GO
[ it doens't matter now - they handled it the best they could, didn't they? ]
Meet them? [ gojou sets down his chopsticks, thick with noodles and halfway to his mouth, because he's... shocked. when getou had offered to come and let him sleep, when he'd accepted... gojou never thought it would be more than that. a quiet, secret thing that happened once and maybe never again. instead, getou is offering a door into the family he made. yet another family gojou assumed he had no place in. ]
[ he smiles, and marvels at the warmth that bubbles up in his chest. the invitation alone is probably more than he deserves. ] Well, I'm sure with enough crepes and shopping trips to Harajuku I could win them over.
🙌🏻🙌🏻🙌🏻🙌🏻
( He's not sure exactly which of them he should worry about. The girls aren't exactly greedy, but he's encouraged them in asking for things. If they had Gojo's wallet backing them -. ) Maybe something small, first. Crepes, like you said. You can come with us for tea, maybe. It would be easier if they were given the space to get to know you, they know we were friends, so it's not like they'd think you were a complete stranger. But they're aware that not all sorcerers are on the same page, so it might take them a while to trust you.
( It's something he told them about, early on, half afraid someone might come along and try and take them. He thinks they're strong girls, and they're smart, they'd start understanding the dynamic. Maybe too well. Who knows? )
It's just an idea.
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[ it's unfair, to feel like the earth's shifted on its axis when really this is how it was all along. a world between them that didn't need to be there. ]
It's fine, I'm great with kids now... mostly. [ he waves it off, takes a long drink of his milk tea. if they ever decide to introduce all of the kids... he'll have to see what to do about Tsumiki. Megumi won't go many places without her, so it might be difficult but, that's a bridge to cross down the road. ]
[ he sets his drink down and leans in to bump getou's shoulder gently with his own. ] I'd like to meet them. Whenever you think it's right. [ when he pulls back, it isn't quite as far. ] We'll go somewhere noisy and fun like Takeshita street. Have you shown off your claw machine skills to them yet? I still have some of the plushies you won me!
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Don't look at me like that. ( Is what Geto settles on, nudging him into action. ) Eat something, idiot. You want a full belly and you want to sleep, if you keep asking me questions you'll get neither.
( But -. )
I haven't. Arcades are usually too noisy now. But maybe if you were there then it would be fine.
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[ but maybe if you were there then it would be fine. ]
[ even though getou just told him not to, he stares at him, disarmed entirely. the words strike him somewhere too deep in his chest, even in a body that knows the plunge of real steel through muscle and bone. ]
[ he finally turns back to his ramen, only manages to stare at it. ] Yeah. It's always fine if we're together.
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I'll win you something new.
( Claw machines can't have gotten more difficult, he's sure of it. )
You can pick the machine.
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[ his heart skips a beat, and gojou wonders if he's just dreaming again. but when he tips his face toward getou, his bangs brush against getou's forehead. ]
I'm picking something hard, to make you work for it.
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( Because they were taking them, weren't they? It's only a little teasing, something sweetly sentimental about it. )
All right, the hardest. ( He can always cheat if he has to. He has small-ish curses now. They could climb into the machine and he could feel smug and proud of it. A tiny little show of impish power. ) If you want a rehearsal, we can go by ourselves, I suppose.
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[ as long as getou doesn't get too preoccupied with the kids to win gojou his prize. ]
Oh? I get a private preview all to myself? It can be a trial run so you don't have to cheat in front of the kids.
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( Says the man who just thought about it. )
It's just a question of balance. ( And watching until a bunch of other people have put enough money into the machines before swooping in. He knows how to play the game. ) It sounds like fun.
( A little wistful. )
Keep eating, you. I did have a mission here today.
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[ he gives a little huff at being ordered around, but picks up his bowl and shovels another hefty serving into his mouth. ]
You're as bossy as ever. [ said as he leans over and slumps right up against getou's shoulder while he eats. ]
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( He keeps his entire body still, half afraid that Gojo might move if he so much as twitches. )
People listen to me now, you know. They do what I say without questioning it. Maybe I've gone mad with power. ( Well, he's gone mad with something. Today is not one of those days where it peeks through, but it's there. Maybe they both needed the break. Maybe this is for the best. ) Someone should keep me humble.
( Except not, because he does want Gojo to eat and sleep. That's the point of this. )
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You were never humble, then or now. [ he snorts, grinning that lopsided grin. ] You still need an unruly brat in your life, so all that obedience doesn't go to your head.
[ he'll volunteer, if there's no one else. ]
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( It is a terrible idea in a series of terrible ideas. Geto should not be here, he does not have the right to be here. He walked away from Gojo all those years ago in a desperate attempt to spare him somehow, now this. Now he's here, basking in his company, letting it all seem as though no time has passed. What does that make him? What right does he have to go back on his convictions? )
Aish, it's fine. There'll always be pushbacks in a world like this. I'm not getting too big for my boots. ( One would argue being a genocidal cultist is, in fact, too big for his boots. Oh well. ) You don't have to worry.
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[ he hums, and it's a gentle tease, even though he knows that there's something darker under all of getou's showmanship. he knows who he is and what he does. it shouldn't be okay - he shouldn't be okay with it but. ]
[he knows a few different choices and they could be in opposite positions. or on the run together. ]
[ instead, they're here together after all this time. ] Suguru?
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There's nothing wrong with my outfit, it's traditional. ( And also, a gojo-kesa, because Geto is nothing if not terribly obvious even when he's ignoring his own feelings. Still, he puts his chopsticks down, tilts his head towards Gojo, hair brushing the top of his head. )
Mm?
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I miss you. [ it isn't the whole of what he wants to say - i love you, i'm sorry, but it's a start. ]
I'm glad you came.
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( Easier than saying that he does too, that he feels like half of him has been missing all these years. It was something he forced himself to ignore, but here, the absense is glaring. )
Are you finished eating? Do you have a bed here? I can stay and clean up and guard the place, you can get some rest.
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[instead, he watches getou for a long moment before setting his bowl down and flopping right down into his lap. his arms wind around getou's waist and even if it's too familiar, gojou buries his face into getou's stomach and exhales. he thinks half the tension in his head melts just from that. ]
Mm'fine here.
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And you said I'm the demanding one. I can't clean up like this.
( He can cover things though, maybe that will help. He busies himself with it for a second, and then as if unbidden his hand drops away from the table to bury fingers in his old friend's hair. )
You're going to get a bad back, Satoru.
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[ something a younger him would have said, too, uncaring for anything except what they're doing in the present moment. ]
[ he's more than happy to sacrifice leftovers, especially the second getou's hand comes to bury in his hair, pushing into the touch greedily. ]
I have reverse cursed technique running 24/7 so my brain doesn't cook, remember?
... but we can move to the couch or the bed if you need it.
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You're already comfy, it's fine.
( He's busy petting him either way. )
At least for a little while, and then the bed. You want to actually get some good from resting.
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[ mumbled against the loose fabric of getou's shirt, he sighs softly against. each pet of his hair has him humming happily, tension leaking out of his neck and shoulders when getou's fingers brush the short, sheared undercut. ]
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That twists something in his chest, a sharp desperate little feeling. Instead of speaking more, he falls silent, fingers sliding to briefly cover Satoru's eyes with the palm of his hand. Let it be easier, let him rest. That's what he's here for, isn't it? To give his old friend the chance for a break. )
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but he's always felt safest sleeping near getou, even if he's a man most people would be too terrified to let their guard down with, now. it's not long before he's curled up against him, breaths evening out, no trace of infinity anywhere between them.
time skipping ~
Do you still like to rot your teeth, Satoru? ( A cheerful, boyish greeting. ) I thought you might, so I picked for you. Mimiko likes this one anyway, I think it's grape?
( Ice cold and sweet, his own slightly more bitter. He passes it over anyway, his gaze on Gojo's face and his covered eyes. )
How are you?
thank you for the skip!!
[ maybe it does, because getou shows up to their date, drinks in hand. he had to have gone into a shop with humans to order it and been fawned over by the girls in the process. ]
Suguru. [ a warm smile, before he pulls the covering off his eyes, hair falling around them like a blanket of snow. ] I could run my technique without it, these days, but I never shook the sweet tooth. [ he takes a long sip of it through the straw, eyes crinkling at the corners. ]
So at least one of your kids didn't inherit your old man tastes. Good!
[ gojou falls into step with him, dressed in dark jeans and a white tee, pristine white sneakers to match. ] Better, now. [ after a full night's sleep or upon meeting getou again, he doesn't specify. ] You look good with your hair like that, did I ever tell you?
yw 🥰🥰🥰
( Not that he's ever minded the gentle teasing. From Gojo it's habit, from the girls it's a sign of their comfort with him. In a world where so many people are ( rightfully ) afraid of him, it says something maybe that there is a small circle willing to tease. Or compliment, apparently. It flusters him for a brief second, eyes lifting away, vague colour returning to his cheeks, one hand lifting to push some of said hair behind his shoulder. )
It feels better mostly down. The hair ties had started to give me a headache. ( And then, because he knows he doesn't really have to justify it. ) I'm glad you like it. I'd wondered if you might.
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Mmm. [ gojou hums, chews on the straw a little as his eyes scan the streets and skys ahead of them. ] I always thought you looked good with it down. The bun was too straight-laced for how you really are, anyway.
[ something gojou doens't seem to have a problem with, not because he agrees with all of getou's choices and actions... but because he understands them, at least in retrospect. at the time it seemed impossible to accept the reality of what his best friend had done. now the only thing he can't accept is why getou never turned to him at any point. gojou's own failing, or both of theirs, it doesn't matter now. all there is is to accept what's right in front of him. ]
No need to be embarrassed. [ he grins, sly. ] A cool guy complimenting you is enough to fluster you these days? Should I touch it and whisper that it suits you like they do in manga?
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( His face twists into an old expression, play-pretend disdain, his eyebrows arching towards said hairline. ) When you find me a cool guy, Satoru, then maybe I'll answer you.
( His teeth catch the edge of his straw, holding it in place as he grins. It makes him look mischievous, even a little older. Like there's the promise of something. It feels too natural to fall into old habits, the teasing. He even leans closer to bump their elbows together - or possibly the space around his elbow, considering they're on a busy street. If infinity's up ( and it better be ) he won't be offended. He'll just sip on his drink. )
All right, remember you're going to win me prizes. Let's go.
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[ he sticks out his tongue, then takes another long sip from the straw, exhaling and smacking his lips noisily. ]
[ if infinity flickers just a moment, just long enough for getou to touch him, well, it’s fine isn’t it? he’s scanned the area for curses and other curse users and found nothing. Getou wouldn’t let anything happen to him. ]
Ehh?! You’re going senile! You said you’d win me prizes like before! [ he makes a fuss, and it feels like the first time he’s gotten to do it in a while where he knows he’ll be ultimately indulged, if teased a little first. and he continues to whine and protest until they toss their drinks and enter the arcade, where if all falls away when he sees a giant cinnamaroll plush. ]
[ he hasn’t had anything like it since school, and he really has no place for something so childish, but. he clears his throat and looks around, shoving his hands in his pockets. ] So! What should we try first?
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Is that what I said?
( Voice affecting playful distraction, but then he's moving, a straight line to the token machine. He pulls his wallet from his pocket, a battered thing with a polaroid of two tiny little girls in the id slot, feeding his notes into the machine and using a tub to collect the output. Then he flashes Gojo a bright, wicked smile and strides straight on back to the cinnamoroll machine. )
Hold this.
( His token tub, he means, fishing two out as Gojo takes it. )
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Eh? Suguru? [ when he turns Getou has already honed in on the machine Gojou looked at before - damn. he forgot no blindfold. He’s too easy to read like this, and he hates that these days. when he reaches getou’s side the bucket is shoved into his hands. gripped, but forgotten, in the wake of that dazzling smile. oh. ]
That’s a bit ambitious for someone so rusty, isn’t it? [ he could protest it, but Getou seems so pleased with himself already. a playful tease will do. ]
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( Because unfortunately they have egos to match, it can't be helped. As much as he's changed in life there's still a part of him that's a competitive shithead, and he eyes up the machine speculatively. )
And I'm nothing if not a Sanrio wrangler now. ( #Fatherhood. The machine whirs to life with a coin in the slot, bright lights and noise. Geto's face creases into concentration, his attention rapt. The first attempt fails, naturally, and then so does the second. He holds a hand out for another token. )
Hit me.
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[ he should give it to getou’s kids if he manages to succeed, probably, despite his quickly forming attachment to the creature Getou hasn’t even won yet. gojou watches the crinkle of Getou’s brows, the grit of his jaw in concentration. ]
[ did he ever tell Getou how good looking he was when they were young? not directly, he’s sure. maybe indirectly. calling him the type of guy you’d find in a beauty salon, but in another life Getou could have been a model or an actor. a tv personality maybe. ]
Gah! You almost had it that time! [ he curses in time with Getou, blinking and laughing as he passes over another coin. ] I think I owe you dinner for all your hard work.
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( He didn't go, because he has fussy little quirks about eating food prepared by humans these days. He'll only do it if it's for someone else. Mostly his daughters, and now by extension Gojo. He's gotten a little better at not eating his stomach churn when he does too. It should be fine.
The third token fails, so does the fourth, Geto blows out a breath, considers cheating. He eyes up the machine thoughtfully. )
You'd think with bigger toys the claw would be stronger, but I suppose that's the point. It's rigged. ( He's going to win regardless. ) The one at the back, do we think?
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They keep the claw strength the same, since they want you to win using the angles to get it through dividers on the bottom... maybe if you try lifting its leg?
[ the attendants will come adjust it to make it easier once you've tried enough times and give you hints, but he's sure getou won't want help from them. ] Mm. The back towards the top? Probably. If you could shift it it'd probably topple down and go through from its own weight.
[ he hands getou another coin, leans up against his back to peek over a shoulder and watch. ]
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Geto squares his shoulders, face creasing into a look of outright determination. Then he goes for the one Gojo had just pointed out. The claw clasps the leg easily, pulling it up by the grip and taking it an inch or two closer to the exit. It falls just short, a grumpy, childish noise dragged from the curse user's mouth. )
I've got it.
( Cinnamoroll, you piece of shit. He has a man to impress.
But he takes another coin, slots it in, leans against the console and goes for the same toy. This time the claw seizes around the body, lifting more solidly. The tension in Geto's arms vibrates a little. And then - it tumbles out, a wild grin spreading on his face as he ducks to retrieve it, boyishly holding it out to Gojo with an air of rampant victory. )
For you, Satoru.
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Are you sure? If you need to cheat I won't judge you~ [ he would, and getou knows it because he quickly says he's got it and surges into another attempt. gojou leans in close to the glass, eyes wide. ] Come on, come on...!
[ and then the toy tumbles down into the bin and he gasps, shooting up straight and clapping his hands together. ] You did it! [ he blinks when getou hands it to him, eyes shimmering. he holds it like it might break or turn to smoke if he grips it too tightly before looking up at getou with a blinding smile. ] Thanks, Suguru!
[ he almost reaches for his cellphone but thinks better of it - getou probably doesn't want digital proof of their date. so then... gojou looks around, grins mischievously and drags getou over to a photobooth, shoving him and cinnamaroll in before punching coins into the booth and hopping inside, pressed up against him. he takes cinamaroll back and hugs it tightly before the flash goes off, making a peace sign for the camera. ] Smile!
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He finds his own lips curving up into a mirror, faltering in surprise when he's tugged along, shoved into a photobooth like he's not actively the jujutsu world's current biggest threat. It's a little quieter inside, the curtain blocking out a lot of noise and light, and squished up against Gojo it's easy to believe it's just the two of them. He'll allow the indulgence, fingers held up in his own little sign, eyes crinkling at the corner from the width of his smile.
A picture is taken, the warning for the next counting down. ) Wait, Mimiko and Nanako do this - ( Holding his hand up in the shape of half a heart, hoping Gojo will do the same. ) Like that.
→ infinitease
( The blush is instantaneous. #busted )
I like to be traditional, you know that. ( And the motto love to the strong is just a coincidence, of course. But he stills as Gojo wraps an arm around his waist, lips twitching into helpless amusement. ) Handy.
( The address is easily delivered, a little further out of the city than maybe Gojo is expecting. There's a reason he uses curses to get everywhere. He lifts a careful eyebrow, hand settling on the arm. )
Can you manage that far? I have a big bird now, plenty of room in the beak for you.
thank you thank you!
You like a bit of showmanship, too. [ he hums, tipping his head to the side as if he's considering the question seriously. he guesses getou did leave before he'd mastered teleportation over long distances, so he has no way of knowing what gojou's capable of these days. ]
I think it should be fine! [ he chirps, clapping his hands together. only a split second separates the moments they're standing in the private room and their feet touching down lightly on the pavement at the cross roads closest to the back gate of the shrine. ]
Next time we can try your bird out. [ and then he sighs, ] I still miss Rainbow Dragon.
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You've gotten better.
( Mild, and a little distracted, but then he's taking Gojo's hand in his own and tugging him very carefully down a side alley. His friend will notice the curse attached to one of the walls, a being made mostly of eyes that flutters thick lashes once and then seems satisfied. There's an unassuming gate down here, a little keypad attached. He taps in the code easily, body relaxed for the most part. )
Through here. We'll have to be quiet. The girls sometimes keep odd hours at the weekends.