( 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.
[ gojou is ready to push into the next pose when getou tells him to wait and offers his hand up in a half heart, with the explanation that the girls do this. ]
[ it's bittersweet. knowing someone else is showing getou these things, and that despite that, getou is sharing them with him even after all this time. gojou mirrors his hand with getou's, leaning in until their shoulders touch for the next photo. ]
I'm sure they'd be thrilled to know you're learning from them. [ he looks over at getou, eyes soft. ] What should we do for the next one?
[ gojou throws an arm around getou's shoulders, pressing their cheeks together and holding cinamaroll up under their chins. ]
The countdown isn't very long, there's not a lot of time to think. It would be easy to let it just be this, the two of them pressed together. And yet the choice feels natural. He only smiles, waiting until the last second to turn and press his lips to Gojo's cheek, cinnamoroll squished briefly between them. The light flashes, he pulls back with a laugh. )
Cute.
( Voice warm, delight coursing. )
I always wanted to do that when you'd drag me in here.
[ he's already prepared for what it will be, or so he thinks, and then he feels the warmth of lips against his cheek, soft exhale over his skin. his eyes will probably be saucers in the photo, but by the time he turns getou has already pulled back, laughing at his surprise. ]
[ always, huh? ]
[ there's one more frame left and well, why not? if they're doing things they've always wanted to. he crowds in, cups getou's face in his palms and kisses him. he tastes like the remnants of the drink earlier, subtly sweet and earthy. he doesn't linger too long, pulling away a beat after the light flashes. his heart's pounding so hard it could push right out of his chest, he thinks. ]
( The moment feels too sweet. His hands press to Cinnamoroll instead of anywhere else, half afraid that if he reaches out he'll not be able to let go again. The smug self-assuredness from before has faded into a slightly pleased pinking of his cheeks, his lips parted as he breathes. )
Oh?
( A desperate, frantic attempt at regaining some composure, but the photobooth is warm and strangely lit and he wants to kiss Gojo again. )
You'll have to tell me about them some time. ( A whirr from somewhere, a beep. ) We should get the pictures.
Yeah. Probably. [ they should get the pictures, and get out of the booth to make room for actual kids who probably want to use it, but gojou doesn't sense anyone waiting outside and everything is warm and lit in neon purple and pink, and he thinks getou might be blushing even without the lights. ]
[ but he doesn't move, just lets his hands smooth down getou's neck, dip into dark hair and tug him back in for another kiss. ]
[ it's too easy to get lost in the slide of his lips against getou's, satin of his hair, let a hand slip down and grip getou's hip until the screench of a child nearby jolts gojou out of it, snapping back with pink cheeks and wide eyes. gojou clears his throat, stumbles out of the booth to grab the pictures, all nervous, frenetic energy until he looks at them and everything softens at the edges. ]
We're cute. [ he grins a little sheepishly and turns them to show getou as he emerges. ]
( He emerges from the booth like a man witnessing light for the first time, blinking helplessly at Gojo for a second before his gaze falls on the photos. The way his heart skips a beat feels foolish, for all that he is now and all that he's done, but it's not something he can help, not really. )
Cute.
( They are. Star-struck and helplessly in love. He can see that from here. It settles badly inside of him, all that wasted potential. It means he crosses the distance more slowly, still holding Cinnamoroll for Gojo, a little furrow between his brows. Another child yells, Geto reaches out to take the photos and tuck them carefully into his old friend's pocket. )
Keep them safe. We can't have the world knowing you make such a sweet face. You'll never get peace.
IM SO SORRY LIFE EXPLODED AANSDKAMSNS. I exist again if you wanna continue anything!!
You’re the one with a reputation to keep, Mr. Cult Leader.
[ getou’s hand falls after patting them against his chest, and he brushes their knuckles together, feather-light, hooking his little finger around getou’s just for a moment. those blue eyes never leave him, curious and calculating a million different possibilities every second. ]
It’s fine. No one but you was gonna see it anyway. [ it’s a face only Getou could pull out of him, but if he wants it to be just for them, it’s fine. Gojou doesn’t need the world to know about this. this night is already more than he thought he’d ever get to feel again. ]
Come on. What am I winning you? Just cause you got mine early doesn’t mean you’re getting out of our date so easy.
( He's meant to be better than this. He's meant to be stronger than his pesky feelings, more able to keep them at bay. Maybe letting Gojo back into his life was a mistake, hadn't he thought that scorching the earth behind him would be better? He was supposed to stick to it. Because there's something tight and terrible in his chest when Gojo looks at him, something twisting uncomfortably at just the slightest brush of their hands. All the background noise around them fades - and he's usually so aware, so honed in on all the filth around him - to the point where it's just them.
Geto misses him. He misses him so much it feels like a wound.
His jaw tightens briefly, eyes fathomless. Then he sighs, gaze flickering away. ) I want a Pokémon.
[ Getou pauses and stares at him for a moment, and Gojou feels like he can't move. Wonders if some other shoe is about to drop, and then Getou's eyes flicker off and the tension bleeds away into arcade noise. ]
Yeah? [ it's cute. ]
[ Gojou grabs his hand and tugs him up to the next floor. It's quieter here, and they have more space to wander the aisles and look at all the figures and plush in the machines. ]
Pick whatever you want, I'll win it for you. [ he's watching getou out of the corner of his eye, what starts as reading body language and ends with him just admiring getou. the way he's filled out and sharpened with age, grown into what were always handsome features. ]
( He finds a claw machine meeting his exactly standards, turns to lean against the glass one one shoulder, arms crossed against his chest. There's a sea of fat, dark coloured plushies inside, and Geto smiles. )
The Gengar, please.
( He lifts a hand, taps a painted nail against the glass. )
[ gojou pauses when getou finds the claw machine he wants, and wonders at the casual way he leans up against it and folds his arms over his chest like he does this all the time, and hasn't forsaken the human world to run a cult. ]
He is pretty fat.
[ god he's cute. gojou walks over and digs in his pockets for the tokens, pushing a few in and biting at his lower lip as he leans close to the glass, eyes sharp. ]
( He makes an appropriately pleased noise, all but fluttering his eyelashes, something semi-playful and almost flirtatious in the way he gives his old friend a once over. )
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.
Seamless, right? [ when he was in school, it had still be short distances, and it was difficult to do - resulting in an often jarring, bumpy ride along for anyone else or anything he tried to move on his own. ]
[ he's pleased with the praise, a bit more pep in his step as he follows getou down the side alley, fingers lacing together. just a curse to watch the gate on top of the veil and wards? old school, but getou always has been, and it suits him, to trust his curses and himself to protect his home over all else. ]
[ well, and a keypad, apparently. so even getou suguru embraces a little bit of technology. ] I'll can behave, when the situation calls for it.
[ he gives getou's hand a squeeze, following him through the gate. he could look around, get a lay of the compound... but really, he only wants to look at getou. the way his hair falls now that it's longer and heavier, the broadness of his shoulders. there's a little tension, but not as much as he'd expect. ]
( He sneaks Gojo a glance, a singular black eyebrow arching as he lets those eyes drift over him. )
Hopefully not for the whole night.
( Flirting right there and then despite his caution, though he doesn't give his old friend the chance to retaliate, just tugs him through another door and into the building. It's dark inside, somewhere a television blares with bright, american voices. Geto glances briefly towards the sound but instead of leading Gojo that way he takes the route away, throw a winding little hall and towards his bedroom. They make it unscathed, uncaught. He only lets his breath out when he's pulled the other man through, leaning past him to lock the door with a laugh, low and throaty. )
Did that remind you of all the times we had to sneak back into the dorms, or is it just me?
[ gojou doesn't have a chance to trip over his words, so his feet will have to do, stumbling a little as getou yanks him inside the threshold. probably in ignorance of the brilliant pink color of gojou's cheeks, too. it shouldn't surprise him, getou was always great at flirting when he bothered to do it, but observing it and receiving it are clearly a world apart. ]
[ he keeps his comments to himself as they slip down narrow hallways to a room at the end. gojou lets himself be pulled through the sliding door, watching getou's face as he laughs and reminisces. it's the first time he's seen all the tension melt out of those broad shoulders all night. ]
Everyone assumed I was the one dragging you out and getting you into trouble, but you suggested we sneak out or dodge our handler to get noodles half the time. [ if it was to placate gojou with late-night conbini runs, well, that's really besides the point. ]
[ getou still has him cornered between the door and himself, so gojou takes advantage of the proximity and leans in to press a kiss to the corner of getou's mouth. ] Never got to end with a kiss, though.
You could tell them now. They'd probably believe you. Add it to my veritable list of crimes.
( The kiss is sweet, he feels it prickling against his skin as they both breathe. He pulls back to look at Gojo in the dark of his room, the windows half shuttered and no lights on. He could put one on, he thinks, but then he finds he likes the mood of it. )
Satoru -.
( A start, a stop. His tone has shifted between one breathe and the next, gone low and tender instead of teasing. His hands fall against his old friend's hips, rucking the fabric of his yukata beneath greedy fingers. When he leans in this time it's with a kiss far more intent, pressing the other man against the door so his mouth can capture his, a desperation unfolding in his chest. It doesn't take long for the kiss to turn needy, he licks his way into Gojo's mouth with determination, chasing the faintest taste of the soju from behind his teeth. )
[ it’s easier in the dark, even though he can see anything it could try to hide anyway, he can feel Getou relax in the blanket of it. hands on his hips ruck up the fabric of his kimono, and gojou’s find themselves tangling in that dark hair as he surges into the kiss. ]
[ getou pushes him up against the door and it elicits a sharp gasp, low exhale as their hips press flush together. ] Suguru.
[ he cups getou’s jaw, palm sliding down the column of his neck and skimming the skin peeking out of the collar of his kimono, thumb brushing along the line of his collar bone before gojou’s palm is dragging down getou’s chest, tracing every curve and dip, the sharp jut of ribs and plane of his toned stomach before he grips at his waist. a body he never had a chance to explore this way when they were young, one he’s hungry to learn now. ]
( He laughs without meaning to, a startled huff of sound that sounds boyish, briefly shy. He makes up for it by letting his mouth drag against the line of Gojo's jaw, nosing up to just below his ear so his lips can press against his pulse point. It means his words are muffled, lips forming the words against skin. )
Do you want to go to bed with me, Satoru?
( An old purr, but shaped into something new. He drags his teeth there after, lightly, just enough to be something. )
Because that's where compliments like that get you.
( Teasing, but he hooks fingers into fabric and tugs ever so slightly, taking a step back like he'll lead him if he's given the go-to. )
[ things he never imagined actually hearing from getou’s lips, pressed against his skin or anywhere else. but it’s a high too good not to chase to hear that shy laugh, breathless and warm. it’s how he remembers getou at the best of times. ]
Do you invite everyone who tells you how good you look into your bed - or just me? [ he lets Getou tug him toward, eyes lidded and low as he follows him over to the futon. ]
Be aware there’s really only one right answer. [ now and in general, as gojou’s fingers wind in getou’s belt and tug at it, loosening it. that dark kimono goes a little also around getou’s waist, and gojou’s eyes follow it, the strip of skin peeking out between the loosened neckline inspiring a flush high in his cheeks. ]
( There's very little severity in it, his eyes sparkle in the dim light of his bedroom, catlike amusement. ) Ah, Satoru, no need to worry. I'm very discerning.
( He talks a big game, plays at the pantomime villain, pretends to be the seductress, but he's always had a soft, evasive heart and there's never been anyone clever enough to catch it. Or anyone else , maybe. Because there had been Gojo Satoru, and if Geto had thought about kissing him as a teenager then he's sure he's on an extensive list. He sinks down onto the futon slowly, hands shifting to Gojo's hips and tugging him in close, head tipped upwards to smile at him through a slant of light. )
Come here.
( Coaxing, drawing the other man down with him and then promptly rolling him onto his back atop of sheets that smell like Geto, hair falling over his shoulder to hide them behind the curtain of it. )
What about you, mm? Do I have to fight off other contenders? I could do it.
[ and all of it's relieved in an instant by getou suguru beckoning him closer. just a tug of his hips and a soft invitation is enough to chase any thoughts of someone else from the shadowy corners of the years they've been apart. ]
[ gojou lets himself be pinned to the futon, sinks into curtained darkness that feels like a safehaven and smells like getou's hair, his skin, his cursed energy. even in the dark, there's something luminous about his eyes that casts the faintest reflection in getou's. ]
Contenders? [ he snorts. there's no helping the hand that reaches up to tuck a strand of hair behind getou's ear, grazing a thumb over the gauge in his ear. ] None. The eyes or the blindfold creep them all out too much.
[ he's always been too much for anyone else. maybe he'd care more, if he had any interest in anyone but getou. ]
ok i *think* he's still wearing the blindfold, right? i ctrl+f'd
( He rests on his elbows, hand cupping Gojo's cheek, thumb stroking under the fabric of said blindfold. ) I think they're beautiful, Satoru. I would have looked at them more if it didn't hurt you to have them exposed.
( He leans in, still sweeping his touch along the sharp curve of a cheekbone, mouth brushing against Gojo's softly, a facsimile of a kiss. A tease for the sake of it, something to say a quiet hello. )
Do you want to keep it on now? Or can I take it off?
[ it isn't really about the eyes - or the blindfold - just that gojou as a concept and as a person is too much for most people to handle in more than small doses. it's always been like that, kept at arm's length, until high school. shoko wouldn't say she thinks of him that way, sure, but they're grown and busy now. ]
[ even back then, attention from anyone wasn't the same as attention from getou. ] It seemed like you didn't want to look at them much after Amanai.
[ their lips graze and gojou sighs, feels some of the tension melt out of his shoulders. he presses his cheek against getou's hand in mutual greeting, wonders when the last time he felt secure outside of infinity was. he doesn't think he can recall the last time, specifically. ]
( He stills at the mention of Amanai, his whole body twitching once. It always feels like a shock, the memory. That makes sense considering how she died though, if he closes his eyes he can still hear the gunshot ricochet. It means his fingers pause against Gojo's cheek, his voice going deceptively light. )
I don't think I wanted to look at anything after, Satoru.
( There's so much they didn't say. It crowds now at the back of his throat like a curse that won't go down well, an insistent choking edge. He breathes, in through his nose, out through his mouth, finds the edge of the bandage and tugs. Those eyes look up at him, and Geto sighs. )
[gojou blinks once to let his eyes adjust to the dark, silver hair falling into his face. it isn't easy to look getou in the eye when it comes to this. ]
[ he sighs, grips getou's wrist and brushes a thumb over the vein on the underside. ] No. I'm the one who was avoiding it.
[ he covers getou's hand with his own, pressing it against his cheek and leaning into it, needy, apologetic as much as he can manage the emotion. better than when he was 17, at least. ]
( A noise, helpless. He leans closer so that they're barely a breath away from each other, hair falling into Gojo's face, tickling along his jaw. )
What for? We're here now. Let's not talk about it any more.
( As though to will the silence into existence he closes the gap, presses their mouths together again. The kiss is no less hungry despite their brief interlude, teeth dig into the plushness of his bottom lip and tug ever so slightly, tongue dragging over the indent he leaves behind as a swift apology. )
[ he doesn’t hesitate to press into it, cupping suguru’s face, smoothing equally soft palms over Getou’s skin, down his jaw, along the column of his neck and lets his fingers slip beneath the collar of that dark kimono, teasing each knot of his spine in eager exploration. ]
[ getou’s filled out here - well, everywhere, and he’s dying to get his hands on him. his mouth too, judging by the way he surges into the kiss, licks into his mouth the moment getou’s teeth relent. ]
[ Gojou wants to talk about everything, be able to tell one another’s every thought the way they could when they were young and fearless. he settles for the taste of sake on getou’s tongue, tugs that collar up and then down to reveal one shoulder, then another, almost reverent whenever he grazes skin. the urge to rip it open and admire everything waiting below getou’s kimono is strong. ]
[ He settles for a handful of that ink spill hair again and gives it a tug when they crash into the kiss again. ]
( The hand in his hair gets a noise in reward, a low, eager little sound that reverberates around the kiss. He'd always wondered whether he'd like it or not. Had known from Gojo's habit of tugging on his fringe that it sparked something inside of him, but not the extent. Here and now, fire licks deep in his belly, a gust of laughter in the kiss when they part and surge back together, his own hands skating over a muscular chest and sinking into the firmness of a waist. He wants too many things. He wants everything.
He breaks away with a breathless gasp, eyes bright in the dark. )
I want to put my mouth on you.
( Almost bare chested, hair mussed, mouth curved up into a smirk and his fingertips skating against the fold of fabric, slipping inside to squeeze a pec. )
[ he's too wrapped up in the slide of getou's mouth against his and the hands that wander down his chest and ribs, settle at his waist for the request to register at first. that silky laugh has shivers running up his skin underneath the thin kimono almost as easily as his touch, and when he pulls back gojou looks drunk on it. ]
Hm? [ the question finally processes and heat floods through him, shooting down in his belly and creeping into his cheeks all the way up to his ears. it shouldn't take him off guard considering their current position, but he still feels like he's on unsure footing.]
[ getou was always the only one who could manage it. he shakes himself out it enough to press another kiss against getou's mouth, sliding a palm up along his ribs to press against his spine. ]
Yeah, okay.
had to watch a kimono undressing YouTube video and i still have no idea so let's gooooo
( Pleased, a little breathlessly relieved. The hand underneath the kimono creeps further, disordering the no longer neat line of his clothing, but then it retreats to do everything properly, the sash and the ties and his clever fingers working. )
Help me, mm? ( A sly glance upwards, eyelashes fanning, mouth twitching into amusement. ) Aren't you the one who always says you can get undressed the fastest, Satoru? I'm not feeling very patient.
thank goodness getou's not in his gojo-kesa ad;oifjd
I haven't said that since school. [ mumbled petulantly as his eyes skitter off to find something other than that sly smile to look at. still, his hand reaches back to undo the knot of his sash, tugging it open until it falls slack. another tug and the inner tie at his waist slips open, leaving his kimono loose for getou's taking. ]
So eager to get your mouth on me but your hands don't work? [ he teases despite the flutter of his chest that goes in time with the flutter of getou's long, dark lashes. gojou has the distinct sensation of being in over his head - a foreign thing nowadays. ]
[ gojou finally meets that warm, honeyed gaze. he can feel heat radiating up to the tip of his ears, but there's no helping it when this is the very stuff of his teenage fantasies. ]
we have to concoct elaborate reasons for him not to be in every thread now
ooc: ok help what do u want him wearing under it? some kind of pants + shirt combo thing? i keep googling and i know nothing.
They'll be busy soon enough.
( Still teasing, still barely a purr. But his hands press against Gojo's side again, broad and warm over his undergarments. The outer layers of the kimono are spread out around him like flower petals, and that's very pretty too. He wishes, briefly, that he'd thought to put on a light. Though there's something appealing about the closeness, the dark that shelters them.
Nothing can reach them here.
He ducks closer, mouth against that pink earlobe. )
ooc: you’re gonna love this but he’s probably only got normal underwear on! if it were formal kimono he’d have the under layers but I imagine they’re in something more akin to yukata which a lot of men just go nude under.
Shut up. [ he exhales, breath ghosting over getou’s bare shoulder and as one hand tangles in his hair, cupping his head to keep him close. ]
[ his whole body feels warm and shivery, and each touch is a wave that crashes over him, excitement, anxiety, comfort from that familiar voice brings him. his mouth drags over getou’s jaw, pressing his forehead to getou’s temple. ]
Suguru… Come on and touch me already. [ he tugs at the fabric belt at getou’s waist, pulling it loose. ] Or I’ll get impatient.
if u see any spelling mistakes in the following just know w porn i have to close my eyes and send
( Sly, but Geto does at least stop teasing long enough to place his hands against Gojo's clavicle, drag the calloused tips of his fingers all the way down. His chest is bare and it's been so long since he saw all that skin on show, since they were this close, and he used to have to resist the urge to touch - doesn't now. So a thumb sweeping over a nipple, circling the shape of it so that it buds beneath his touch, nail running light over the peak. He ducks closer, hair trailing against skin, and pulls that ripe cherry of it between his lips, sucking lightly.
A hunger yawns, a new greed.
When he pulls away it's with a wet sound, immediately descending on the other to tease it into the same shape, fingers worming their way to the waistband of Gojo's underwear. There's heat against his forearm, he drags a painted nail over the bulge present, another ravenous noise tugged from him against Gojo's chest. His eyes flash in the dim light, and then all at once he's moving to divest his old friend from the rest of his barriers, squirming so he can settle between his thighs, one leg thrown over a shoulder and Geto's semi-nervous laughter drifting over an erect cock. )
Fuck. ( Uncharacteristically shaken, his mouth watering. Fingers curl around the length, pump once. ) You feel so warm, Satoru.
[ he's on the way back from his first-ever away mission on his own, not even a gojo satoru in sight. it doesn't mean the trip was without adults, however, and this particular adult has megumi itching to get within cellphone signal range immediately. ]
nanami-san chaperoned today. asked after you.
Edited (HTML YOU HAD ONE JOB) 2025-08-10 21:07 (UTC)
[ it got very hairy, of course. megumi may have been mistaken for geto's own blood, their temperaments easily mirroring one another, but he's gojo satoru's spawn in mind, heart, and irritating behaviours through and through. it took him the better part of the mission to convince nanami to go after the curse separately, only to get blindsided immediately the moment the older man gave him permission.
in his defence, the curse had been waiting for them to be separated, a weakness of its ability limiting it to attacks one on one. not to his defence, the curse correctly guessed which of them would break off first, leaving nanami to play catch up with the plan megumi had concocted in his head.
he deserved the sternly worded lecture at the end. he's also buffering his pride, just a little, before the next round with his fathers. ]
i got thrown around a few times, but it wasn't too bad.
[ his arm is in a sling. it's by the grace of luck that his fingers are unaffected, or he'll be effectively unable to summon any shikigami. ]
i hurt my shoulder, though. i'm seeing ieiri-san at the school, then ijichi-san will drive me home.
( He is no longer ignoring Nanami. He is texting him for details immediately. He will blow up that man's phone with a speed and aggression usually only rivalled by his very best friend. And Shoko too, who'll probably give Megumi the most pitying glance of her life the minute they lock eyes again. Unfortunately for everyone involved, Geto worries. )
[ perhaps next time he'll just pretend to have lost his phone. gojo-san can afford to buy him a new one every time, the man's always itching to burn money. ]
it's fine. it really is fine, geto-san. it's a clean fracture, and i landed badly anyway so it's my fault in the first place.
[ he'll eat crow as he deserves, given how his youthful hubris led him to endanger not just himself but nanami as well. hence the buffering, the hedging. he knows he's at fault for his condition, and the adults have good reason to be upset.
he could have died trying to prove a point.
still, it sucks. between geto suguru and gojo satoru, megumi hates disappointing geto more. ]
it could only attack in one direction, and only moved counter-clockwise. i had the rabbits run at and around the curse in different directions to figure out the pattern, but it was smarter than i thought it was. it was waiting for us to separate.
( He could lecture. He's sorely tempted to. But Megumi is a good boy, with a big heart, and a lot to prove, and Geto understands that a little too well. So instead he taps his nail against his phone, holding back his sigh. )
The first time that happened to me a curse knocked me into the Sumida. I almost drowned. Satoru fished me out and laughed for an hour while I choked up river water. It happens. As long as you remember that you got lucky this time, and to be more cautious next, then it isn't really worth beating yourself up over.
You were clever, figuring it out. It sounds like you did well even though you got hurt.
i got hurt. it almost got nanami-san hurt. i don't think that's good enough.
[ it's what gojo-san will say too, megumi just knows it. geto-san is more considerate, which always jars megumi somewhat, but megumi fully believes the man would agree to gojo-san some extent, too. the mark of a successful mission is when no one gets hurt. when everyone survives. a win that costs someone's life is not a real win.
as long as you remember that you got lucky this time.
this time is doing a lot of the heavy lifting when it shouldn't. ]
gojo-san shouldn't have laughed at you for almost drowning, though. that was a jerk move.
( One day he might figure out a way to stop Megumi from beating himself up, but as he hasn't found it yet he's just going to blithely climb over it. He's not joining in on the self-flagellation. He'll probably do something later to try and ease some of it. Maybe a nicer dinner. Maybe something to draw Megumi out of his head. )
It was.
But then again, he is a jerk. Which is why we both know not to listen to him too closely, yes?
[ it's a half-hearted thing, his reply. little escapes a man like gojo satoru, same as it wouldn't with someone like geto suguru. different speeds and perceptions, perhaps, but they're opposing sides of the same double-edged blade. megumi should already know better than to dodge the cut. he'll get his red lines no matter what, whether or not it's intended. ]
it's still a successful mission, in the end. so that's good. right?
[ reinforce the good, shuck off the bad. do it for yourself like you keep being encouraged to do. ]
We'll work on it. You can train with me this week.
( Whether or not that is a threat is entirely to be decided. He'll still need to get details from Shoko, and from Nanami, but usually the girls all end up vouching for Megumi and really, Geto isn't interested in being an unyielding taskmaster. Maybe he'll just exhaust him a little as punishment. )
And I'd like to see your report too. Even if you think Satoru will tell me it.
[ bright side: training with geto-san probably won't drag megumi to the very brink of death. he'll take it for what it is. ]
i've started writing it up on my phone.
[ little notes on both the work tablet and his notes app; he'll outline it further when he gets in. megumi likes to handwrite his reports from time to time, keeping practice with his characters and pen strokes. it can be so easy to rely on easy; easy writing, easy techniques, easy outs. he always has to remind himself that life is worth taking the more difficult path for. ]
[ the elders. they carry the same weight as saying the garbage, hearing gojo-san tell it, and megumi can't blame him. his few interactions with the elders from his zen'in family prove to him how unsavory and unpleasant they can get. ]
thank you.
and please don't tell tsumiki. i know she'll worry even more than she already does.
Maybe next time you'll recall their wrath, and how much torment you'll have to endure while in that sling. You know there's no summoning in the living room, so you'll be defenceless.
Because sometimes I think you place too little importance on yourself. I'm not trying to be cruel, Megumi. I just want you to know that your absence would be felt. Not just by your shikigami.
How would you feel if it were one of us? If I started talking about it so blithely? Wouldn't it worry you? Or Tsumiki? Nanako? Mimiko? Satoru? Our family would not simply stumble without you. It would be a wound we'd never heal from. That's why we want you to be careful. Not because it makes your missions less precise, but because we love you.
unlocking RCT means that he can heal the fatigue in his body and the damage in his brain that comes from not sleeping more than three or four hours at night, but all the human parts of him still protest. and it's worse after days like this -- back-to-back missions, then a bit of cleanup on overtime after another sorcerer bit off more than they could chew out in the field. the curses themselves hadn't been anything worth mentioning, but --
tired. (eyes burning and gritty, a crackling thunderstorm at the edges of his skull that warns of the impending headache, thoughts moving so slowly that it feels like he's about to squeeze them through concrete.)
it's why he waves off ijichi's offer to drive him back to campus and decides to just teleport instead. it'll let him fall face first into bed even faster, and --
maybe it's just because he's tired enough for his targeting to be an issue. or maybe it's because he's tired enough for his subconscious to grab at the steering wheel and drag him where he wants to be, because.
satoru blinks, disoriented. it takes him a moment to realize what he's done -- that he missed his own dorm and managed to teleport himself in the middle of suguru's, instead. it's so dark in the room that he'd almost believe it was empty, but... no. the six eyes is enough to let him see suguru's cursed energy, and if he squints, he can pick out the shape of the other boy under the blankets.
... he should go. teleport to his own dorm, keep from waking suguru up if he's actually getting some sleep, focus on getting some rest himself, but. ]
... Suguru? [ soft. uncertain. it makes him sound like a stranger, even to himself. ]
It comes more fitfully these days. His brain isn't a kind companion, nightmares have become the norm and they throw his failure into bright relief any time he thinks he might rest. Look, here, it says the places where you failed. The things you've lost. A never-ending highlight reel. Though that's even if he manages to fall off into it, with his stomach a nesting knot of anxiety, whatever is inside of him writhing in a sickly pulse. Sleep is a stranger. He is a stranger. He hates the nighttime now.
So it does not take him long to rouse. Maybe he's already there when the air shifts, or maybe it's the first call of his name, but Geto's wriggling to a sitting position almost instinctively, blankets tossed aside so he can blink blankly into the space around him. His hair is a mess, his body sweaty, t-shirt sticking. But his voice stays soft, low, concerned. ) Satoru?
( Is this another nightmare? No, it doesn't feel like one. He can't smell blood. )
Are you all right? ( Anxiety tightens, he makes to rise. ) Has something happened?
[ there's no reasonable explanation for the ache in his chest, but there it is. just the sight of suguru, clothes rumpled and hair mussed from sleep, is all it takes for the feeling to wriggle underneath his ribs and make a home for itself there. maybe it's why he can't stop himself from taking a step forward, helpless as if he's being tugged by some greater gravitational force. ]
Huh? [ blinking again, reaching up to scrub the grit from one eye with the back of his hand. ] Oh. Yeah, I'm --
I was trying to teleport into my dorm. I guess I missed, huh? [ and now he should turn and go. let suguru go back to sleep, because maybe sleep will fix the dark hollows under the other boy's eyes, or the way he looks at satoru like he's looking through him instead of seeing him at all.
but his feet stay rooted here, unwilling to listen. ] ... I didn't mean to wake you up.
Something twinges behind his ribs. He frowns in the dark, forgetting that his friend could see it. A hand lifts from the blankets and then falls back, unsure. His tongue tries forming words. Would it be kinder to let Gojo go to his own room? Yes, absolutely. He wanted to go there, didn't he? And yet it's been days, they've texted, on-and-off, but when was the last time they saw each other? When was the last time that terrible straining tension wasn't pulled taut?
He'd missed. )
That's okay, I wasn't really --. ( Sleeping? ) Hey, do you want to sit down? Here. I'll move ... ( A quiet shuffling sound, unusually messy sheets pulled aside. ) Was your mission okay? Are you sure nothing happened?
[ it's funny, but only in the way that's not really funny at all. when's the last time things have felt this awkward between them? as long as satoru can remember, he and suguru have always fit like two puzzle places notching into place.
but honestly? satoru doesn't even care. he'd put up with any amount of awkward, any amount of uncomfortable, if it's he and suguru just being able to talk again.
as soon as the offer is made, he's moving forward to find a spot on the bed beside suguru, almost like he's afraid he'll lose the chance if he hesitates. ]
Nah, it went the way most of 'em do. Whole lotta nothin' for a teeny tiny bit of excitement. [ leaning in, bumping their shoulders together. ] What about yours?
( There shoulders brush and something slots terribly into place. He's half worried he might cry from the awful relief, is only marginally surprised when his voice doesn't shake. )
Mm, fine. Same old. ( He consumed a curse and told no one. He half thinks to confess to Gojo, tell him that the numbers on file no longer match the one's inside of him, that he swallows them down as rote now and does not think. Instead he leans a little heavier against his shoulder, opens his mouth, closes it. ) Okay.
(Okay.
Infinity is not keeping him away. He can sense heat. He can feel the slump of shoulders. )
Stay there. I'm getting you a t-shirt. Actually, take your uniform off. ( Focus, old habits, well-trod pathways. He feels it rise inside of him like an anxiety. He wants this to feel the same. He makes to stand, follow through on his word. ) Weren't you supposed to be driven back? Why did you teleport?
[ satoru groans like being fussed over is some kind of trial he's being forced to endure, but it's a half-hearted protest at best. in reality, something jumps in his chest -- hope? relief?
the proof is in the way he's already moving to obey, shimmying the jacket over his head and then starting to pluck open the buttons of the shirt underneath. ] You kidding? Trying to sleep in the backseat sucks. My legs never fit, and --
[ a pause, blinking. because he's realizing for the first time that it never used to be a problem when they were on missions together; he could slouch all his weight up against suguru and sleep with no trouble at all. ]
( He finds his softest t-shirt by touch alone, doesn't think to put on the light. )
That's because your legs are freakishly long. ( Without heat and despite the fact that they're similar heights. He comes back to hand over the shirt, taking Gojo's school jacket to hang it neatly on his nearby chair. ) Teleporting's cool when you're not tired enough to forget a limb, ah Satoru.
( He has to fight the urge to sweep white hair out of the other boy's eyes, instead he reaches out to take his sunglasses and fold them carefully up, put them safely aside. )
[ there it is again, that stupid squeezing ache in his chest. and just because suguru reaches out to carefully take the sunglasses off his face -- like he still knows that he's one of the only people allowed to touch them, like maybe the distance between them was really nothing after all. (just the summer heat.) ]
Stop fussing, mom. [ softly, voice laden with fondness. reaching out to tug at suguru's shirt, a silent demand for him to get back in bed already. ] Promise all my freakishly-sized limbs are still firmly stuck to me.
I'm letting those freakishly long limbs into my bed.
( Still, he hesitates. Crosses his arms over his chest as though to hold himself in place. )
I could take the floor.
( And then, aware that it's strange, aware that it's new, all in a rush. ) You're tired. You sound tired. And I haven't been sleeping well. I don't want to keep you up if you could get some actual rest before they send you out on another mission -. ( An odd note creeps in, frustrated. He takes a breath, tries to settle himself. ) I don't mind.
[ oh. there it is again. that stupid distance, the feeling that he and suguru are standing on either side of a gap that keeps widening inch by inch.
there's a part of him, some kneejerk instinct, that wants to pull away from it so he doesn't have to look at it more closely than this. (because satoru was supposed to be one half of the strongest, because he told suguru to go on ahead and let him handle the sorcerer killer, and --)
but the larger part of him is just desperate not to lose this, and that's what makes him start shaking his head before suguru even finishes speaking. ] Don't --
[ stumbling over it, chewing on the inside of his cheek. ] ... we don't have to talk or anything. You can go back to sleep, if you want. I just --
[ the words stick to the back of his throat again; he doesn't know how to put any of this into words. ]
( The exhaustion washes over him then, blinking into the dark. Gojo is a blurry shadow and Geto cannot possibly know what his face is doing, and yet something twinges either way. )
Okay.
( Okay, what? Gojo said don't and he doesn't even know what that means, but he feels ill with fear and the room is close and dark. ) Get in, move over.
( Does he sound frantic? Maybe. He's climbing into bed without really giving Gojo much time to do as he's demanded, limbs knocking together, hands yanking the blankets up and over them like something terrible might happen if it isn't immediate. Maybe something might. He ends up on his side facing the other boy, eyes wide in the dark and no better sight for it. That's fine. He's fine. They're both fine. )
If I keep you up you have to tell me. All right? I don't want to make it worse.
[ it happens almost too quickly for satoru to even be relieved -- there's just that awful feeling of distance, and then suddenly suguru is crowding into his space so fast that it nearly bowls satoru over. it's something of a scramble to wriggle back in time to make space for him, tugging the borrowed t-shirt over his head just in time for suguru to yank the blankets up over both of them.
and then --
that.
satoru's brow knits at the sound of the words, the idea that any sliver of suguru in his proximity could be anything but an immediate improvement. ] ... not gonna happen. Being around you is the only thing that makes stuff better, sometimes.
[ and he wriggles himself a little closer, letting their knees bump under the blankets, reaching out to twine the other boy's bangs around two of his fingers. ] Suguru. You sure you're okay?
He almost laughs, swallows it down audibly instead. Gojo touches him though, their knees bumping, fingers playing with a lock of his hair, and he thinks about how hard it is to pretend. He thought he was doing it for the best, that he might have become something more like an awful weight, an anchor unasked for. He doesn't quite know what to do when it's asked outright. )
I'm -. ( His voice quietens, fingers sliding across the sheets to press against Gojo's sternum. ) I don't know.
( It feels a little like a bloodletting, his fingers flattening until his entire palm can be pressed to where the sword went through. Beneath his touch he can feel heat. He's here, he's real, he's alive. His words drop to a whisper, low like a confession though somehow strangely steady. )
Actually, I think there's something wrong with me. ( The same hand slides higher, up to where he can feel a heartbeat. ) Satoru, I don't really know what to do.
[ it's the first time anyone's touched him since everything that happens. the last thing to reach him had been the spear the sorcerer killed used to cut him down; keeping infinity up has become an ingrained habit ever since, but that's never been an obstacle for suguru, has it?
he breathes. in and then out, so focused on that simple point of contact that it takes him a long minute to process the rest of the words. but once he does, his brow knits as he lets the sound of them settle, and -- ]
Okay. [ leaning into that hand pressed against his heartbeat, brushing the other boy's hair back away from his face. ] Then we'll figure it out.
[ together. you and me. the way they always do -- the way they always did. ] What is it? Somethin' with your technique?
( It comes hesitantly, haltingly. His voice is barely a whisper, but it's late and just the two of them so it feels better for the quiet. Geto chews on his bottom lip and tries to figure out how he might explain it, the emptiness, the gnawing gaps where surety had once sat. He doesn't want his friend to be disappointed in him. He doesn't want him to be disgusted. )
I don't know. Maybe? ( Is it? He's been swallowing filth and expecting himself to be okay with it for years now. Could it be connected? ) Does it feel fair, Satoru? Running yourself ragged for everyone?
... not what satoru was expecting to hear. not because the idea itself is all that shocking, but because suguru's always been so... steady? in his beliefs, in the constellation of moral convictions he's always charting out for satoru, in whatever greater good makes all the day to day bullshit worth it. ]
Not really. [ none of the shame of a confession, just the same honesty suguru always gets. ] I get pissed off about it, sometimes. Especially when I'd rather sleep in, or play a video game, or...
Once again Geto feels stuck inside his own body. Weighed down by the rot of it, imprisoned inside of his bones. He wishes, futilely, that he could crack open his skull just to peer inside and divine his own real feelings. He doesn't know what he wants to say, nor if the things that queue up are the truth. He hates that he can't figure that out. )
Yeah. ( Lamely what he settles on, palm flat against Gojo's chest. ) But we have to, right? That's the point. There's no one else.
[ with a stubborn kind of insistence, leaning close enough to bump their foreheads together like that'll help make sure the words stick. ] People always wanna act like we signed on some kinda dotted line just by being born, y'know? And the geezers up at the top act like they can call the shots just 'cause that's the way it's always been.
I don't care about any of that stuff. [ sure, his view has shifted plenty since he first set foot in tokyo, but the core of it's the same. he likes being a sorcerer. he likes pushing himself to get stronger, discovering new ways to utilize his technique, finding that one-in-a-million opponent that offers up some kind of challenge. ] What do you want, Suguru?
( It's repetitive, it's dumb. He kind of hates it. )
I know what I'm supposed to say. I'm supposed to want to keep going, because it's my duty, because I'm one of the only people who can, and what else is there but doing your very best for the world around you? It's what's expected, isn't it? We have to save people. It doesn't matter what it costs. Anything else is selfish. But -. ( He twitches, like a flinch. It feels sacrilegious to say anything beyond what he has. ) - but I don't want to do it if I have to lose everything to keep going.
( He breathes, the gust of it against Gojo's cheek. The truth sits there between them, and Geto keeps his eyes closed. )
He told me you were dead. The sorcerer killer. He told me he killed you.
that's all it takes to bring it back -- the white noise of applause all around him, the weight of amanai's corpse in his arms, the detached certainty of connecting the fact that suguru isn't here with the knowledge that suguru would've never left her alone. ]
... yeah. [ and for once, his voice is small. ] When I found her, I --
I thought you were gone. And I -- [ he stumbles over it. not at the thought of confessing it to suguru, but at the idea that saying them aloud might turn that narrow brush into something real. ] ... it felt like nothing mattered anymore.
I thought about killing them. Everyone in that room. [ with a detached sort of unselfconsciousness, the way someone else might describe running an errand. ] But I couldn't even decide. It felt like they deserved to die, but it didn't feel like them dying would fix anything, and --
None of it meant anything if it meant I was stuck in a world without you in it, y'know?
(It didn't feel like them dying would fix anything.
It scratches something in his brain, some unthought idea, some terrible conjecture. Geto shies away from it almost immediately, fixes his attention on Gojo instead, on the way his voice sounds, on how terrible it is. He doesn't even think before he's drawing him closer, wrapping the pair of them up until they're entangled under the blankets, Geto's chin on top of his skull, and a hand splayed against his spine, knees knocking. )
I told her we'd save her. ( His pulse flutters sickly. ) And he shot her. But even then it didn't feel like the worst thing, you know? Because I didn't understand. How he was there. It wasn't until he said that you -. ( He thinks he's shaking, buries his hands against his friend to try and soothe some of it out. ) - all I kept thinking was that it wasn't fair. Why was it us? Why is it always just us?
( He presses his face into snowy-white hair, his next words coming mumbled. )
I don't want you to die for anyone else, Satoru. I don't want your life wasted on something we don't even have a say in. I don't want to do it anymore.
[ suguru draws him closer, and satoru goes easily. melting against the lines of the other boy's body like it's something he was born knowing how to do, like the trick of fitting together is etched as deep inside him as his cursed technique. he throws an arm over suguru as the other boy curls into him, traces his fingertips up and down the broad plane of his back. ]
Okay. [ like it's easy, because it is. choosing suguru is the easiest thing in the world. ] Then we're not doing it.
[ having (freakishly) long arms comes with all kinds of benefits! like the way he can lean just a little and swat at the place suguru keeps his phone plugged in and charging on the desk next to his bed. then he's dragging it closer, unlocking it, squinting when the brightness of the screen washes over him, and tapping out something rapidly before suguru even gets the chance to protest.
after that? powering it off and tossing it haphazardly over his shoulder in the general direction of the bed. ] There. We're both off for the rest of the week. Won't kill 'em to sort out their own problems for a few days.
( Immediately he tries to scramble for it, but they're all entwined together and his heart isn't exactly in it. Instead he sinks back into the sheets, limbs heavy, voice mystified. ) I don't think we're allowed to do that, Satoru.
( It doesn't fix the problem anyway. Someone else has to take the load, someone else has to stand in his place. He just wishes it were simpler. He wishes he weren't afraid. There's something coming for him and he doesn't exactly know how to stand it down. )
Why not? [ with a snort, rubbing his cheek against the worn-soft material of suguru's shirt. ] What're they gonna do, lecture us?
[ ... he's also glossing over that last question, because if he spells out exactly how rude the text he just sent from suguru's phone was, it'll probably kick off a wrestling match for the phone. ]
Hey. [ bumping his forehead into suguru's shoulder. ] If Amanai told us that she didn't want to be the Star Plasma Vessel, would you have told her she had to? [ it's not really a question when he already knows the answer. ] Why's it only different when it comes to you?
( Small, and a little lost. He doesn't quite like remembering the hope on her face. ) She changed her mind. I told her we'd talked about it. We were so close to just turning around, Satoru. To getting out of there. But it is different. If I don't fight then they'll make you pick up my share of it, and that isn't fair either. You're exhausted, and we barely see each other now, and I keep telling myself it's fine because at least you're alive, and I'm helping. What if I didn't help? You're not actually a god.
( He lifts a hand, runs fingers through white hair. It isn't a criticism. )
there's a part of satoru that wishes he could put those words back, to make it so that he never heard them, because knowing hurts. it's a creature that digs into him with claws and teeth, trying to claw under the cage of his ribs to the most tender places below.
she didn't want to. they were going to turn around.
but they didn't, they couldn't, because satoru couldn't stop the sorcerer killer from getting through. and that's the root cause of all of this, right? suguru can't trust him enough to rest when he needs to and let satoru pick up the slack, because satoru let him down when it counted -- ]
I miss you too. [ and even muffled into the other boy's shoulder, there's no hiding the way his voice comes out thick and cracking. ]
He wishes they were still in Okinawa, back before all of this started, where things were simple and sweet and life still felt kind. He feels like he's become something that is insurmountable, a terrible, tragic burden that Gojo has to trail behind him. He feels like a failure. He shouldn't be letting himself take comfort in sharing a bed, he shouldn't be allowed to have something good.
So he stares at the shadows in his room and tries to think, thoughts all thorny and muddled up. )
Maybe they could let us take missions together again. Maybe that would work.
[ get it together. satoru's got to get it together.
if he wants to keep up with suguru, if he still wants them to be the strongest together, he's got to get a grip on it. how can suguru depend on him if something like this is enough to make him crumble?
don't think about it. don't think about amanai. don't think about we were so close to just turning around. don't think about the first bite of the inverted spear of heaven into the tender skin of his throat. don't think about it. don't think.
focus on getting strong, faster, sharper, smarter. that's --
but the last bit makes him jerk, startled enough to pull his head away from suguru's shoulder so that he can look directly at him. forgetting the prickling burn that means his eyes will be red-rimmed from tears he's refusing to cry, just -- ]
( Theres something about Gojo's voice, something small and unlike him, sharp enough of a difference that Geto reaches for him, palm warm against his face. )
If I have to fight then I want to fight with you. I know I'm letting you down, but I'll find a way. I don't want you to have to do it all alone, Satoru, that isn't fair. So I'll get over it, I promise. I just --. I just ...
( Nerves lick up his spine, sink their teeth in. )
No! [ ack. wait. shaking his head, desperation clawing up the back of his throat. ] I mean, no, obviously I want to take missions with you. Doing it alone sucks compared to what it's like when we're together, I just --
[ swallowing. hard. eyes flickering away from suguru's face, something as unfamiliar as shame roiling in his stomach. ] ... I messed up. I told you I had it covered, and I --
[ his fingers curl in the material of suguru's shirt, a tremor creeping up his spine. ] I thought --
Wait, no. You didn't. You did everything you could have. You were running on fumes, Satoru, and we both thought it was safe. It should have been. ( His throat clicks as he swallows the harsh lump in it, holding on like it's a lifeline. ) We had to do everything on our own. We always have to. And you were -. You almost -.
( He takes a breath, shaky. )
I know everyone else treats you like you're indestructible, but you're seventeen. They just let you do all the work and they hide, and I hate it. ( Genuine anger filters through. ) I don't want them to use you all up. I wish I could figure a way out.
[ another shake of his head, stubbornly refusing to let suguru wrench this guilt away from him. ]
But I told you I'd take care of it. [ there's a ragged edge to his voice, a hitch to the next breath he sucks in. ] You didn't want to split up. You only did it because you trusted me, and --
( He scrambles for Gojo's hands in the dark, holding them tight enough their bones creak together. )
No.
( He sounds desperate. )
I still trust you. I trust you more than anyone in this place. I trust you with my life. You did what you could, you were overworked, you were exhausted. We were on school grounds. We should have been safe. Satoru, is this why you've been taking all these missions? Is this why you don't rest?
[ it's almost terrifying to be seen like this. it'd be unbearable if it were anyone else; anger is his defense mechanism against vulnerability, and there's not a single other living soul who could pry satoru open this way and not be met with teeth and claws.
but this is suguru. suguru.
and satoru can barely even remember what it was like to not have all his most tender, secret places belong to him. ]
I wanted to get stronger -- [ his eyes are burning with something that might be tears, and there's a tremor in his hands where suguru is clutching at them. ] I -- I'm gonna make sure it doesn't happen again --
He's been so blind. All Geto has known was the bottom of the pit he'd fallen into, he hadn't been able to peer out long enough to see that Gojo was stuck in one too. He hates it, hates himself, hates the whole world. His hands shake when he lifts one wipe away the tears on his best friend's face. )
It would kill me if you wore yourself too thin trying to protect me. ( Like a secret. ) I don't think it would be worth living on if you did.
[ it's an instant, instinctive denial, but. then satoru snaps his mouth shut just as quickly, disarmed by the tender way suguru thumbs that traitorous tear away.
because it's not about this summer, not really. it's about all of it; a weight so heavy it's been wedging them slowly apart. and he can't ask suguru to be a little more selfish if he's not willing to make the same concession. ]
Not gonna happen. [ another shuddering breath, and then he bumps their foreheads together again. ] You and me? We're the strongest. Together.
We're taking the rest of the week off, okay? And after that, no more solo missions for either of us. I'm taking missions with you, or I'm not taking 'em at all.
[ it doesn't fix the core of the problem, but it's a start. foundation first, then they can start chipping away at the rest of it. ]
( He doesn't know if it's that simple. He isn't sure they'll even let them. But a part of him wants to believe it when Gojo lays things out like that. Like they're irrefutable, unchangeable. Like the two of them get to dictate the path they're on. )
Okay.
( All at once the exhaustion hits, Geto wriggles closer for wont of a better solution, curling the two of them together like they're too parts of a whole underneath his blanket. ) Okay, we can do that. That sounds like a good plan, Satoru. But we're not doing anything tomorrow, okay? Sleep. Food. You need to rest. I need to rest. Let's just do that and not think about anything else just yet, okay?
[ funny how something this simple feels like they’re clawing back something important. satoru suggests some lofty goal, and suguru grounds it into into the shape of something more achievable.
a reminder to sleep, to eat, to rest. the unspoken belief that they need to.
and it feels as natural as anything when suguru curls back up close and warm against him, when satoru throws an arm back over him and tangles their legs together under the blankets. ]
I missed you. [ it’s a soft, warm thing, murmured almost like a confession. ] I don’t want to do any of this without you either.
( He'd longed for his friend like it was a physical absence. As though something had been carved out and he'd been walking around with the leftover wound. It's why he speaks now, quiet voice a gust of air against Gojo's skin, face hidden away in the dark. ) I thought I was holding you back. I thought maybe it was better if I didn't cling, because you were working so hard and that's what you wanted. I'm sorry, Satoru. I didn't see that you needed me too.
( It's something he forgets. His own impact. That no one else will watch out for the stumble, because no one else believes it exists. But what else is he built for if not to be there to catch Gojo Satoru when he needs it? )
[ it’s the last bit that drags a little sigh out of him; the kind of relief that comes from someone who realizes they’re finally able to shelter from the storm.
he squeezes his arm around suguru a little more tightly in response, butting his head into the other boy’s shoulder in a gesture that’s (almost) cute enough to be called a nuzzle. ]
We’ve got each other. [ affirming it back to him, cementing it like an oath. ] No chance we can’t figure out all the rest of it, right? ‘cause we’re the strongest.
( And maybe it doesn't matter if he doesn't feel like it. Maybe all he really needs is Gojo Satoru at his side, no physical divide, no mental one either. It feels better now they're here, and maybe tomorrow they might have to shrug off cuddling in bed, but for now Geto will let himself have this. If he can't have anything else at all, at least let there be this. )
Go to sleep, Satoru. We can fix the world tomorrow, okay? After - ( And here, a yawn. It's late enough to warrant it, and maybe the emotional toll has already started weighing. ) - breakfast, at least. I'll make something.
[ suguru makes a sleepy, snuffling noise, and maybe it’s strange that something so simple can wrap its fingers around satoru’s heart and squeeze, but he’s already so used to suguru having access to all the most tender, human parts of himself that it barely seems worth remarking upon. ] And no fussing allowed when I load ‘em up with all the good stuff.
[ tipping his head enough to be able to press a sleepy kiss to suguru’s temple, too drowsy to even acknowledge the gesture to himself. ] G’night, Suguru.
( It comes out fondly, friendly, and then Gojo tips the scales a little by pressing his lips to Geto's temple, and he has to blink furiously there in the dark and hope the sudden beating of his heart is not felt. Stupid, they're stupid, he'd forgotten --.
Ah, but that's going to haunt him.
Wisely he keeps quiet, runs a hand up and down Gojo's back instead. Eventually he'll fall asleep, but at least for now there's this. That's all he needs. )
suguru remember that parenting book you bought which i'm totally gonna get around to reading btw definitely eventually at some point ANYWAY did it have advice on barking
ok well if i was gonna bark at someone it'd def be the wheezy bags of bones trying to call the shots and you're always there when they wanna gripe at me
Is it? He thinks about calling his mother to ask, but decides against that pretty quick. He's already avoiding having to explain why he's shacked up with four kids. )
Otosan likes to tell people I wanted to be a bunny when I was three, so I don't think it's too problematic.
WHAT SERIOUSLY do you have pics of sugu-bunny did you hop everywhere i can't believe you passed down furry genes to the kids lmfao i'm texting your mom and asking for deets
Okay, check those pizza vouchers. Are they still in date? Maybe a little bribery can work.
( And he knows they could use Gojo's money even if they weren't but a part of him is oddly defensive of doing this right. It would be too easy to let the other boy take the brunt of it. Geto can't allow that. Which means vouchers, using his own money. )
I said we can talk about it as a family, Megumi. But you know we have to make sure everyone is all right with it, and that we have all our bases covered.
[ the problem with this approach is that, out of the four kids under the geto-gojo household, megumi fully inherited gojo satoru's sheer force of will. all he's hearing right now is permission to terrorise his sisters. ]
then i can ask everyone else? if i get the votes, can i put forth my options?
( Have they done THE WORST JOB at parenting? Maybe. )
Tell everyone I want a list from each of you as to the pros and cons of dog ownership. Also what responsibility might go to which child. And be prepared for some kickback on type of pet. Nana's been feeding the alley cat.
to either of your names. it would cut down on a lot of the questions we get when we're out. especially from the rude folks.
[ he's gotten enough questions about either parent picking him up from the school. it doesn't bother him, it doesn't, but it gets frustrating to keep dismissing the same questions over and over from people who have no business asking. ]
my dad left when i was three. mikki's mom left when she was five. i'm pretty sure she took my father's money with her when she left. how are they important?
![[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?
no subject
[ 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. ]
no subject
Okay, sure.
Tell me more about the blowjobs. At least until you wanna finish that thought.
no subject
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. ]
no subject
( 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?
no subject
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. ]
no subject
Also he's not stupid, he knows avoidance. A different tact then. )
If you could be doing anything right now, what would it be?
no subject
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. ]
no subject
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.
no subject
[ 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? ]
no subject
( 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.
no subject
You could make it a short trip.
Show me what it's like.
no subject
You gonna put it on the fridge?
no subject
As a note from an old friend.
no subject
Okay, Nanami. I'll send you a postcard.
no subject
To answer your other question: I think I'd like that. Hearing from you.
no subject
( 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.
no subject
[ 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. ]
no subject
( 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?
no subject
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.
no subject
[ 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.
no subject
( 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.
no subject
[ 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?
no subject
Just tell me which one you're going to. I'll be there. No strings, no herculean tasks.
no subject
[ 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 subject
The donation plate gets passed around, what you do with that information is up to you.
Next Wednesday then.
no subject
I'm not helping fund that. I just want to talk.
no subject
Fine, bring me something sweet. That's an offering, right? And then after we can talk.
no subject
All right. I'll bring an offering.
[ For him, not his cause. For his old friend. ]
no subject
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. )
no subject
[ 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?
no subject
i dont need to know them
no subject
no subject
nanami
yaga's except he doesnt know its me
i don't need to know your mother's, she calls me
no subject
Actually, don't answer that.
( And then, immediately after. )
She doesn't, does she? You were kidding, right?
no subject
no subject
( :| )
no subject
no subject
no subject
your mother's always saying you should be better about your temper
no subject
no subject
THAT WAS A BLOOD PACT
no subject
I'd start running now. She's hungover. Her judgement will be swift.
no subject
i dont care
im not scared of her
no subject
The blood pact was incidental.
no subject
no subject
no subject
is it really my fault if she can't help herself?
most girls can't
no subject
no subject
no subject
no subject
no subject
no subject
no subject
no subject
no subject
no subject
and then you ruined it
no subject
You're the one judging my looks. Should've known. You're flaky. 😪
no subject
no subject
no subject
i've never fumbled anything in my life
my game has game
no subject
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. )
no subject
they were ugly anyway
no subject
( Not Geto's type, but he wouldn't say ugly per say. )
It was the way you did it. No tact.
no subject
waste of energy honestly
no subject
no subject
why would i ever stoop to being normal??
no subject
( Well, genuinely. )
no subject
no subject
no subject
why are you still here
no subject
I'm not suicidal.
( He's keeping a wide berth, minding his own business, the sensible options. )
no subject
no subject
Wait, which one of us is evil?
no subject
no subject
no subject
of all people
i know what you've done
no subject
What did I do?
no subject
no subject
What do you know about the wind chimes?
no subject
i'll tell shoko
no subject
no subject
no subject
What windchimes?
no subject
you scaled a wall!!
no subject
That wasn't me.
no subject
IT
WASSSS
no subject
That was evil!Suguru.
no subject
we did that ritual with the alcohol and everything and we banished him
you remember
that was before the windchimes!!
no subject
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
no subject
WHATEVER you magic types are all the same.
always acting so high and mighty
no subject
I assume there's a reason for that.
Do you know many "magic types"?
no subject
unfortunately
can't seem to get away from ur stank
no subject
Stank?
no subject
you smell
nobody ever told u that before?
no subject
no subject
but that's not what i'm referring to
all magi smell rotten, like blood.
no subject
We spill it more than normal humans.
no subject
history just keeps repeating itself
none of you will ever learn
no subject
no subject
no subject
no subject
i have absolutely zero faith in you
no subject
( 🤗 )
no subject
no subject
no subject
no subject
→ 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.
no subject
[ She is going to tease the hell out of him. Sorry buddy!! ]
You say that now.
no subject
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!
no subject
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?
no subject
no subject
no subject
no subject
no subject
And you have to be sure, no being like "oh he's dead" and I'm just momentarily unconscious!
no subject
no subject
no subject
no subject
no subject
no subject
You'd put everything back in the right place anyway. But I'd just rather you didn't.
no subject
no subject
Some of them anyway. The important ones.
no subject
no subject
( Vaguely. He pays attention in most classes anyway. At least as long as Satoru isn't distracting him. )
→ stresspoint
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.
no subject
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. ]
no subject
( 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?
no subject
[ 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.
no subject
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.
no subject
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.
no subject
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?
no subject
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. ]
no subject
( 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.
no subject
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. ]
no subject
( 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.
no subject
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.
no subject
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?
no subject
[ 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.
no subject
( 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.
no subject
[ 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. ]
no subject
( 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.
no subject
[ 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. ]
no subject
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.
no subject
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.
no subject
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.
no subject
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.
no subject
( 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.
no subject
[ 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.
no subject
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. ]
no subject
( 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. )
no subject
[ 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?
no subject
( 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. )
no subject
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. ]
no subject
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.
no subject
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.
no subject
( 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?
no subject
We send them to live their remaining days out on some farm somewhere.
no subject
How long are you going to keep that up?
no subject
no subject
no subject
no subject
no subject
no subject
But if that is the future you're striving for, what I think doesn't really matter.
no subject
Nobody has been lying, Nanami. I've done everything they've said I've done. Isn't that enough to convince you?
no subject
I know you've done it.
You're capable, we're all capable.
It's what they raised us to be.
no subject
I'd do it again.
no subject
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?
no subject
( 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.
no subject
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.
no subject
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. )
no subject
if Geto has managed, there's hope for the rest yet. ]
Good.
no subject
What would make you feel lighter?
( Genuinely curious. )
The kids help, don't they?
no subject
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.
no subject
( 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.
no subject
But thank you.
For your concern.
no subject
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!
no subject
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.
no subject
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.
no subject
[ 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.
no subject
( 😪 )
It's the hair, isn't it?
no subject
Fathers are generally absent.
no subject
My ego could be bruised.
( ... )
no subject
I'll ask Ieiri to get in touch and say something nice about your hair.
no subject
no subject
She's grown hers out now.
It will be fine.
Probably.
no subject
I'll take your word for it. But I'm sure she'd still just call me out so I'll pass.
no subject
Though I think she'd like to hear from you sometime.
no subject
no subject
Stubborn ass.
no subject
Aren't we all, in our own way? Maybe it's part of a jujutsu sorcerer's genetic makeup.
no subject
Everyone else aside from you two is perfectly reasonable.
no subject
( :C )
no subject
no subject
( Wow. )
I'm leaving him at the side of the road if that's the case.
no subject
no subject
He's fine, isn't he? He got over it.
( In the same way that Geto did. Everyone's fine, nobody is fucked up. )
no subject
[ and Geto thinks they're not the same?? ]
no subject
no subject
Don't give up so easily, Geto-san.
We haven't.
[ not a single one of them in spite of it all. ]
no subject
It just doesn't include the care and feeding of feral old friends. You'll have to keep it up for me.
no subject
no subject
no subject
We're just talking.
It doesn't have to mean anything.
no subject
Because it doesn't.
( Stubborn. )
Tell me something else.
no subject
You're quite demanding.
no subject
no subject
I'm not your secretary.
no subject
She's much nicer to me than you are.
( 🥺 )
no subject
[ 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.
no subject
She *is* looking for a partner, though I'm afraid she'd eat you alive.
no subject
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.
no subject
no subject
To anyone.
Good night, Geto-san.
no subject
Good night, Nanami.
chatroom: THE HOBOS (3) / some canon semi-divergent au
Suguru..............................
Are you mad at me
no subject
It's not like you've done anything in the past 45 minutes have you?
no subject
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
no subject
no subject
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??
no subject
suguru tell satoru he's not allowed to get light up shoes
no subject
[ he's just repeating a line he saw on the internet ]
no subject
no subject
She'll get a crush on me
And then what am I going to do?
no subject
besides, you've survived this far with girls getting crushes on you.
no subject
What do I get as a prize?
no subject
Why the hell do we have detention? I'm not even on campus!
no subject
Something something about you not keeping me in line
no subject
no subject
I mean it was your idea
no subject
no subject
no subject
He's typing.
...
Still typing
... )
NOW?
no subject
SUGURU................
no subject
no subject
no subject
But why the hell does Shoko have detention too?
no subject
Satoru wants a presentttttttttt
Oh
Don't ask me that
no subject
no subject
no subject
why the hell am i involved? i have better things to do than go to detection
no subject
no subject
no subject
no subject
no subject
It's not my fault he never chooses the right time.
no subject
no subject
no subject
You should get smacked
no subject
no subject
My bad, Suguru
no subject
no subject
no subject
no subject
no subject
no subject
no subject
no subject
no subject
no subject
no subject
no subject
no subject
no subject
no subject
no subject
....
ah I answered my own question
no subject
no subject
no subject
no subject
no subject
no subject
We should go out to dinner after.
no subject
( He wasted it on gashapon and cola, like a fool. )
no subject
no subject
no subject
he can afford it
and we deserve it
no subject
no subject
maybe get some snacks to store away for the next time satoru lands us in detention
no subject
no subject
no subject
no subject
but smart idea
no subject
no subject
no subject
And then there's no fun to be had in an empty 7-11. Unless he could use it to prank someone I guess.
no subject
no subject
no subject
no subject
no subject
no subject
no subject
no subject
no subject
no subject
Fine, I'll tell him.
no subject
no subject
no subject
no subject
no subject
no subject
Maybe spitting in Suguru's tea
Stealing your shirt
no subject
and stop stealing my shirts, you stretch them out too much. fucker.
no subject
Suguru tell her
no subject
→ 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. )
no subject
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.
no subject
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. )
no subject
[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.
no subject
( 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.
no subject
[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.
no subject
[ 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!
no subject
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.
no subject
[ 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.
no subject
I'll win you something new.
( Claw machines can't have gotten more difficult, he's sure of it. )
You can pick the machine.
no subject
[ 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.
no subject
( 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.
no subject
[ 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.
no subject
( 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.
no subject
[ 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. ]
no subject
( 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. )
no subject
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. ]
no subject
( 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.
no subject
[ 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?
no subject
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?
no subject
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.
no subject
( 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.
no subject
[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.
no subject
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.
no subject
[ 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.
no subject
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.
no subject
[ 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. ]
no subject
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. )
no subject
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.
no subject
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?
no subject
( 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.
no subject
[ 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?
no subject
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. )
no subject
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. ]
no subject
( 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.
no subject
[ 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.
no subject
( 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?
no subject
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. ]
no subject
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.
no subject
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!
no subject
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.
no subject
[ it's bittersweet. knowing someone else is showing getou these things, and that despite that, getou is sharing them with him even after all this time. gojou mirrors his hand with getou's, leaning in until their shoulders touch for the next photo. ]
I'm sure they'd be thrilled to know you're learning from them. [ he looks over at getou, eyes soft. ] What should we do for the next one?
[ gojou throws an arm around getou's shoulders, pressing their cheeks together and holding cinamaroll up under their chins. ]
no subject
The countdown isn't very long, there's not a lot of time to think. It would be easy to let it just be this, the two of them pressed together. And yet the choice feels natural. He only smiles, waiting until the last second to turn and press his lips to Gojo's cheek, cinnamoroll squished briefly between them. The light flashes, he pulls back with a laugh. )
Cute.
( Voice warm, delight coursing. )
I always wanted to do that when you'd drag me in here.
no subject
[ always, huh? ]
[ there's one more frame left and well, why not? if they're doing things they've always wanted to. he crowds in, cups getou's face in his palms and kisses him. he tastes like the remnants of the drink earlier, subtly sweet and earthy. he doesn't linger too long, pulling away a beat after the light flashes. his heart's pounding so hard it could push right out of his chest, he thinks. ]
There are things I wanted to do, too.
no subject
Oh?
( A desperate, frantic attempt at regaining some composure, but the photobooth is warm and strangely lit and he wants to kiss Gojo again. )
You'll have to tell me about them some time. ( A whirr from somewhere, a beep. ) We should get the pictures.
no subject
[ but he doesn't move, just lets his hands smooth down getou's neck, dip into dark hair and tug him back in for another kiss. ]
[ it's too easy to get lost in the slide of his lips against getou's, satin of his hair, let a hand slip down and grip getou's hip until the screench of a child nearby jolts gojou out of it, snapping back with pink cheeks and wide eyes. gojou clears his throat, stumbles out of the booth to grab the pictures, all nervous, frenetic energy until he looks at them and everything softens at the edges. ]
We're cute. [ he grins a little sheepishly and turns them to show getou as he emerges. ]
no subject
Cute.
( They are. Star-struck and helplessly in love. He can see that from here. It settles badly inside of him, all that wasted potential. It means he crosses the distance more slowly, still holding Cinnamoroll for Gojo, a little furrow between his brows. Another child yells, Geto reaches out to take the photos and tuck them carefully into his old friend's pocket. )
Keep them safe. We can't have the world knowing you make such a sweet face. You'll never get peace.
IM SO SORRY LIFE EXPLODED AANSDKAMSNS. I exist again if you wanna continue anything!!
[ getou’s hand falls after patting them against his chest, and he brushes their knuckles together, feather-light, hooking his little finger around getou’s just for a moment. those blue eyes never leave him, curious and calculating a million different possibilities every second. ]
It’s fine. No one but you was gonna see it anyway. [ it’s a face only Getou could pull out of him, but if he wants it to be just for them, it’s fine. Gojou doesn’t need the world to know about this. this night is already more than he thought he’d ever get to feel again. ]
Come on. What am I winning you? Just cause you got mine early doesn’t mean you’re getting out of our date so easy.
🥰🥰🥰
Geto misses him. He misses him so much it feels like a wound.
His jaw tightens briefly, eyes fathomless. Then he sighs, gaze flickering away. ) I want a Pokémon.
( Childish, semi-stubborn, but playing along. )
A plushie though. Let's look.
no subject
Yeah? [ it's cute. ]
[ Gojou grabs his hand and tugs him up to the next floor. It's quieter here, and they have more space to wander the aisles and look at all the figures and plush in the machines. ]
Pick whatever you want, I'll win it for you. [ he's watching getou out of the corner of his eye, what starts as reading body language and ends with him just admiring getou. the way he's filled out and sharpened with age, grown into what were always handsome features. ]
[ he missed this. him. all of it. ]
no subject
The Gengar, please.
( He lifts a hand, taps a painted nail against the glass. )
That one. He's the fattest.
no subject
He is pretty fat.
[ god he's cute. gojou walks over and digs in his pockets for the tokens, pushing a few in and biting at his lower lip as he leans close to the glass, eyes sharp. ]
Watch. I won't even use limitless.
no subject
Impress me.
( All the way flirtatious then. )
I know you can.
→ 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.
no subject
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.
no subject
[ he's pleased with the praise, a bit more pep in his step as he follows getou down the side alley, fingers lacing together. just a curse to watch the gate on top of the veil and wards? old school, but getou always has been, and it suits him, to trust his curses and himself to protect his home over all else. ]
[ well, and a keypad, apparently. so even getou suguru embraces a little bit of technology. ] I'll can behave, when the situation calls for it.
[ he gives getou's hand a squeeze, following him through the gate. he could look around, get a lay of the compound... but really, he only wants to look at getou. the way his hair falls now that it's longer and heavier, the broadness of his shoulders. there's a little tension, but not as much as he'd expect. ]
no subject
( He sneaks Gojo a glance, a singular black eyebrow arching as he lets those eyes drift over him. )
Hopefully not for the whole night.
( Flirting right there and then despite his caution, though he doesn't give his old friend the chance to retaliate, just tugs him through another door and into the building. It's dark inside, somewhere a television blares with bright, american voices. Geto glances briefly towards the sound but instead of leading Gojo that way he takes the route away, throw a winding little hall and towards his bedroom. They make it unscathed, uncaught. He only lets his breath out when he's pulled the other man through, leaning past him to lock the door with a laugh, low and throaty. )
Did that remind you of all the times we had to sneak back into the dorms, or is it just me?
no subject
[ he keeps his comments to himself as they slip down narrow hallways to a room at the end. gojou lets himself be pulled through the sliding door, watching getou's face as he laughs and reminisces. it's the first time he's seen all the tension melt out of those broad shoulders all night. ]
Everyone assumed I was the one dragging you out and getting you into trouble, but you suggested we sneak out or dodge our handler to get noodles half the time. [ if it was to placate gojou with late-night conbini runs, well, that's really besides the point. ]
[ getou still has him cornered between the door and himself, so gojou takes advantage of the proximity and leans in to press a kiss to the corner of getou's mouth. ] Never got to end with a kiss, though.
no subject
( The kiss is sweet, he feels it prickling against his skin as they both breathe. He pulls back to look at Gojo in the dark of his room, the windows half shuttered and no lights on. He could put one on, he thinks, but then he finds he likes the mood of it. )
Satoru -.
( A start, a stop. His tone has shifted between one breathe and the next, gone low and tender instead of teasing. His hands fall against his old friend's hips, rucking the fabric of his yukata beneath greedy fingers. When he leans in this time it's with a kiss far more intent, pressing the other man against the door so his mouth can capture his, a desperation unfolding in his chest. It doesn't take long for the kiss to turn needy, he licks his way into Gojo's mouth with determination, chasing the faintest taste of the soju from behind his teeth. )
no subject
[ getou pushes him up against the door and it elicits a sharp gasp, low exhale as their hips press flush together. ] Suguru.
[ he cups getou’s jaw, palm sliding down the column of his neck and skimming the skin peeking out of the collar of his kimono, thumb brushing along the line of his collar bone before gojou’s palm is dragging down getou’s chest, tracing every curve and dip, the sharp jut of ribs and plane of his toned stomach before he grips at his waist. a body he never had a chance to explore this way when they were young, one he’s hungry to learn now. ]
You’re beautiful.
no subject
Do you want to go to bed with me, Satoru?
( An old purr, but shaped into something new. He drags his teeth there after, lightly, just enough to be something. )
Because that's where compliments like that get you.
( Teasing, but he hooks fingers into fabric and tugs ever so slightly, taking a step back like he'll lead him if he's given the go-to. )
no subject
Do you invite everyone who tells you how good you look into your bed - or just me? [ he lets Getou tug him toward, eyes lidded and low as he follows him over to the futon. ]
Be aware there’s really only one right answer. [ now and in general, as gojou’s fingers wind in getou’s belt and tug at it, loosening it. that dark kimono goes a little also around getou’s waist, and gojou’s eyes follow it, the strip of skin peeking out between the loosened neckline inspiring a flush high in his cheeks. ]
no subject
( There's very little severity in it, his eyes sparkle in the dim light of his bedroom, catlike amusement. ) Ah, Satoru, no need to worry. I'm very discerning.
( He talks a big game, plays at the pantomime villain, pretends to be the seductress, but he's always had a soft, evasive heart and there's never been anyone clever enough to catch it. Or anyone else , maybe. Because there had been Gojo Satoru, and if Geto had thought about kissing him as a teenager then he's sure he's on an extensive list. He sinks down onto the futon slowly, hands shifting to Gojo's hips and tugging him in close, head tipped upwards to smile at him through a slant of light. )
Come here.
( Coaxing, drawing the other man down with him and then promptly rolling him onto his back atop of sheets that smell like Geto, hair falling over his shoulder to hide them behind the curtain of it. )
What about you, mm? Do I have to fight off other contenders? I could do it.
no subject
[ and all of it's relieved in an instant by getou suguru beckoning him closer. just a tug of his hips and a soft invitation is enough to chase any thoughts of someone else from the shadowy corners of the years they've been apart. ]
[ gojou lets himself be pinned to the futon, sinks into curtained darkness that feels like a safehaven and smells like getou's hair, his skin, his cursed energy. even in the dark, there's something luminous about his eyes that casts the faintest reflection in getou's. ]
Contenders? [ he snorts. there's no helping the hand that reaches up to tuck a strand of hair behind getou's ear, grazing a thumb over the gauge in his ear. ] None. The eyes or the blindfold creep them all out too much.
[ he's always been too much for anyone else. maybe he'd care more, if he had any interest in anyone but getou. ]
ok i *think* he's still wearing the blindfold, right? i ctrl+f'd
( He rests on his elbows, hand cupping Gojo's cheek, thumb stroking under the fabric of said blindfold. ) I think they're beautiful, Satoru. I would have looked at them more if it didn't hurt you to have them exposed.
( He leans in, still sweeping his touch along the sharp curve of a cheekbone, mouth brushing against Gojo's softly, a facsimile of a kiss. A tease for the sake of it, something to say a quiet hello. )
Do you want to keep it on now? Or can I take it off?
i think so!!
[ even back then, attention from anyone wasn't the same as attention from getou. ] It seemed like you didn't want to look at them much after Amanai.
[ their lips graze and gojou sighs, feels some of the tension melt out of his shoulders. he presses his cheek against getou's hand in mutual greeting, wonders when the last time he felt secure outside of infinity was. he doesn't think he can recall the last time, specifically. ]
You can take it off.
god he's derailing it oh no
I don't think I wanted to look at anything after, Satoru.
( There's so much they didn't say. It crowds now at the back of his throat like a curse that won't go down well, an insistent choking edge. He breathes, in through his nose, out through his mouth, finds the edge of the bandage and tugs. Those eyes look up at him, and Geto sighs. )
Do you think you were the only one I avoided?
he loves to stick his foot in his mouth
[ he sighs, grips getou's wrist and brushes a thumb over the vein on the underside. ] No. I'm the one who was avoiding it.
[ he covers getou's hand with his own, pressing it against his cheek and leaning into it, needy, apologetic as much as he can manage the emotion. better than when he was 17, at least. ]
Forgive me.
no subject
( A noise, helpless. He leans closer so that they're barely a breath away from each other, hair falling into Gojo's face, tickling along his jaw. )
What for? We're here now. Let's not talk about it any more.
( As though to will the silence into existence he closes the gap, presses their mouths together again. The kiss is no less hungry despite their brief interlude, teeth dig into the plushness of his bottom lip and tug ever so slightly, tongue dragging over the indent he leaves behind as a swift apology. )
no subject
[ getou’s filled out here - well, everywhere, and he’s dying to get his hands on him. his mouth too, judging by the way he surges into the kiss, licks into his mouth the moment getou’s teeth relent. ]
[ Gojou wants to talk about everything, be able to tell one another’s every thought the way they could when they were young and fearless. he settles for the taste of sake on getou’s tongue, tugs that collar up and then down to reveal one shoulder, then another, almost reverent whenever he grazes skin. the urge to rip it open and admire everything waiting below getou’s kimono is strong. ]
[ He settles for a handful of that ink spill hair again and gives it a tug when they crash into the kiss again. ]
no subject
He breaks away with a breathless gasp, eyes bright in the dark. )
I want to put my mouth on you.
( Almost bare chested, hair mussed, mouth curved up into a smirk and his fingertips skating against the fold of fabric, slipping inside to squeeze a pec. )
Will you let me, Satoru?
no subject
Hm? [ the question finally processes and heat floods through him, shooting down in his belly and creeping into his cheeks all the way up to his ears. it shouldn't take him off guard considering their current position, but he still feels like he's on unsure footing.]
[ getou was always the only one who could manage it. he shakes himself out it enough to press another kiss against getou's mouth, sliding a palm up along his ribs to press against his spine. ]
Yeah, okay.
had to watch a kimono undressing YouTube video and i still have no idea so let's gooooo
( Pleased, a little breathlessly relieved. The hand underneath the kimono creeps further, disordering the no longer neat line of his clothing, but then it retreats to do everything properly, the sash and the ties and his clever fingers working. )
Help me, mm? ( A sly glance upwards, eyelashes fanning, mouth twitching into amusement. ) Aren't you the one who always says you can get undressed the fastest, Satoru? I'm not feeling very patient.
thank goodness getou's not in his gojo-kesa ad;oifjd
So eager to get your mouth on me but your hands don't work? [ he teases despite the flutter of his chest that goes in time with the flutter of getou's long, dark lashes. gojou has the distinct sensation of being in over his head - a foreign thing nowadays. ]
[ gojou finally meets that warm, honeyed gaze. he can feel heat radiating up to the tip of his ears, but there's no helping it when this is the very stuff of his teenage fantasies. ]
we have to concoct elaborate reasons for him not to be in every thread now
They'll be busy soon enough.
( Still teasing, still barely a purr. But his hands press against Gojo's side again, broad and warm over his undergarments. The outer layers of the kimono are spread out around him like flower petals, and that's very pretty too. He wishes, briefly, that he'd thought to put on a light. Though there's something appealing about the closeness, the dark that shelters them.
Nothing can reach them here.
He ducks closer, mouth against that pink earlobe. )
You're cute like this, Satoru.
he’ll do it but he will complain about it
Shut up. [ he exhales, breath ghosting over getou’s bare shoulder and as one hand tangles in his hair, cupping his head to keep him close. ]
[ his whole body feels warm and shivery, and each touch is a wave that crashes over him, excitement, anxiety, comfort from that familiar voice brings him. his mouth drags over getou’s jaw, pressing his forehead to getou’s temple. ]
Suguru… Come on and touch me already. [ he tugs at the fabric belt at getou’s waist, pulling it loose. ] Or I’ll get impatient.
if u see any spelling mistakes in the following just know w porn i have to close my eyes and send
You don't want me to compliment you?
( Sly, but Geto does at least stop teasing long enough to place his hands against Gojo's clavicle, drag the calloused tips of his fingers all the way down. His chest is bare and it's been so long since he saw all that skin on show, since they were this close, and he used to have to resist the urge to touch - doesn't now. So a thumb sweeping over a nipple, circling the shape of it so that it buds beneath his touch, nail running light over the peak. He ducks closer, hair trailing against skin, and pulls that ripe cherry of it between his lips, sucking lightly.
A hunger yawns, a new greed.
When he pulls away it's with a wet sound, immediately descending on the other to tease it into the same shape, fingers worming their way to the waistband of Gojo's underwear. There's heat against his forearm, he drags a painted nail over the bulge present, another ravenous noise tugged from him against Gojo's chest. His eyes flash in the dim light, and then all at once he's moving to divest his old friend from the rest of his barriers, squirming so he can settle between his thighs, one leg thrown over a shoulder and Geto's semi-nervous laughter drifting over an erect cock. )
Fuck. ( Uncharacteristically shaken, his mouth watering. Fingers curl around the length, pump once. ) You feel so warm, Satoru.
quick and easy start for the dads au;
nanami-san chaperoned today. asked after you.
idk what you mean this is canon to me
I'm ignoring him because he won't give me a recipe.
But that's not important right now.
How did it go?
truly tbh
in his defence, the curse had been waiting for them to be separated, a weakness of its ability limiting it to attacks one on one. not to his defence, the curse correctly guessed which of them would break off first, leaving nanami to play catch up with the plan megumi had concocted in his head.
he deserved the sternly worded lecture at the end. he's also buffering his pride, just a little, before the next round with his fathers. ]
i got thrown around a few times, but it wasn't too bad.
[ his arm is in a sling. it's by the grace of luck that his fingers are unaffected, or he'll be effectively unable to summon any shikigami. ]
i hurt my shoulder, though. i'm seeing ieiri-san at the school, then ijichi-san will drive me home.
no subject
How badly? I can come and get you.
no subject
it's fine. it really is fine, geto-san. it's a clean fracture, and i landed badly anyway so it's my fault in the first place.
no subject
...
Fine.
( This is NOT over. )
You exorcised the curse?
no subject
nanami-san exorcised it.
[ he'll eat crow as he deserves, given how his youthful hubris led him to endanger not just himself but nanami as well. hence the buffering, the hedging. he knows he's at fault for his condition, and the adults have good reason to be upset.
he could have died trying to prove a point.
still, it sucks. between geto suguru and gojo satoru, megumi hates disappointing geto more. ]
it could only attack in one direction, and only moved counter-clockwise. i had the rabbits run at and around the curse in different directions to figure out the pattern, but it was smarter than i thought it was. it was waiting for us to separate.
no subject
The first time that happened to me a curse knocked me into the Sumida. I almost drowned. Satoru fished me out and laughed for an hour while I choked up river water. It happens. As long as you remember that you got lucky this time, and to be more cautious next, then it isn't really worth beating yourself up over.
You were clever, figuring it out. It sounds like you did well even though you got hurt.
no subject
[ it's what gojo-san will say too, megumi just knows it. geto-san is more considerate, which always jars megumi somewhat, but megumi fully believes the man would agree to gojo-san some extent, too. the mark of a successful mission is when no one gets hurt. when everyone survives. a win that costs someone's life is not a real win.
as long as you remember that you got lucky this time.
this time is doing a lot of the heavy lifting when it shouldn't. ]
gojo-san shouldn't have laughed at you for almost drowning, though. that was a jerk move.
no subject
It was.
But then again, he is a jerk. Which is why we both know not to listen to him too closely, yes?
no subject
[ it's a half-hearted thing, his reply. little escapes a man like gojo satoru, same as it wouldn't with someone like geto suguru. different speeds and perceptions, perhaps, but they're opposing sides of the same double-edged blade. megumi should already know better than to dodge the cut. he'll get his red lines no matter what, whether or not it's intended. ]
it's still a successful mission, in the end. so that's good. right?
[ reinforce the good, shuck off the bad. do it for yourself like you keep being encouraged to do. ]
you're right. no one died.
[ it's not an invitation to try, try again. ]
no subject
( Whether or not that is a threat is entirely to be decided. He'll still need to get details from Shoko, and from Nanami, but usually the girls all end up vouching for Megumi and really, Geto isn't interested in being an unyielding taskmaster. Maybe he'll just exhaust him a little as punishment. )
And I'd like to see your report too. Even if you think Satoru will tell me it.
no subject
i've started writing it up on my phone.
[ little notes on both the work tablet and his notes app; he'll outline it further when he gets in. megumi likes to handwrite his reports from time to time, keeping practice with his characters and pen strokes. it can be so easy to rely on easy; easy writing, easy techniques, easy outs. he always has to remind himself that life is worth taking the more difficult path for. ]
how much trouble am i in, geto-san? like, really.
no subject
( Unless he has to speak to the Elders about it, then maybe ... )
I'll talk to him first.
no subject
thank you.
and please don't tell tsumiki. i know she'll worry even more than she already does.
no subject
( They're like bloodhounds, all three. )
no subject
can i just hide in my room until i'm healed? i'll even take a break from school like i'm supposed to.
gojo-san is one thing, i'm never hearing the end of it if my sisters do, too.
no subject
no subject
i'll face them soon. better now than later, right? it usually gets worse if i wait.
no subject
Maybe next time you'll recall their wrath, and how much torment you'll have to endure while in that sling. You know there's no summoning in the living room, so you'll be defenceless.
no subject
well it's an unfair rule! i'm the only one with shikigami, how is that fair at all? nanako portals objects back and forth all the time.
no subject
( :) )
no subject
if i get the dogs and the rabbits house-trained can i please summon them at home?
[ nue's out of the question entirely; for one, she's too big. for another, she'll absolutely fry all the electronics indoors. ]
no subject
( The answer is yes, but unfortunately he cannot fold that quickly. The four of them already run roughshod over him. He can't deny them much at all. )
no subject
i'll look up bunny beds and dog leashes. thank you.
no subject
Now if only you could summon a cat so the girls will stop asking.
no subject
[ and also he has to exorcise it first, which... work in progress! ]
no subject
no subject
[ the dogs sit on you, megumi. ]
no subject
no subject
no subject
Probably neither will the dogs.
no subject
if i die won't the dogs also be released back into the... wherever shikigami come from?
i would be freeing them from indentured servitude.
no subject
Maybe he should ask Shoko for that therapist number she keeps trying to palm off on him. )
There's probably no biscuits in the void.
no subject
i also wouldn't be around to give them biscuits. would they remember me when the next ten shadows user is born?
no subject
But you're fond of them, aren't you? Why are you so eager to cast them aside?
no subject
you know that isn't what i mean when
geto-san.
[ this is distressing. even the idea of causing his dogs to think he doesn't want them — it stresses him out. ]
why would you say this?
no subject
Because sometimes I think you place too little importance on yourself. I'm not trying to be cruel, Megumi. I just want you to know that your absence would be felt. Not just by your shikigami.
How would you feel if it were one of us? If I started talking about it so blithely? Wouldn't it worry you? Or Tsumiki? Nanako? Mimiko? Satoru? Our family would not simply stumble without you. It would be a wound we'd never heal from. That's why we want you to be careful. Not because it makes your missions less precise, but because we love you.
no subject
unlocking RCT means that he can heal the fatigue in his body and the damage in his brain that comes from not sleeping more than three or four hours at night, but all the human parts of him still protest. and it's worse after days like this -- back-to-back missions, then a bit of cleanup on overtime after another sorcerer bit off more than they could chew out in the field. the curses themselves hadn't been anything worth mentioning, but --
tired. (eyes burning and gritty, a crackling thunderstorm at the edges of his skull that warns of the impending headache, thoughts moving so slowly that it feels like he's about to squeeze them through concrete.)
it's why he waves off ijichi's offer to drive him back to campus and decides to just teleport instead. it'll let him fall face first into bed even faster, and --
maybe it's just because he's tired enough for his targeting to be an issue. or maybe it's because he's tired enough for his subconscious to grab at the steering wheel and drag him where he wants to be, because.
satoru blinks, disoriented. it takes him a moment to realize what he's done -- that he missed his own dorm and managed to teleport himself in the middle of suguru's, instead. it's so dark in the room that he'd almost believe it was empty, but... no. the six eyes is enough to let him see suguru's cursed energy, and if he squints, he can pick out the shape of the other boy under the blankets.
... he should go. teleport to his own dorm, keep from waking suguru up if he's actually getting some sleep, focus on getting some rest himself, but. ]
... Suguru? [ soft. uncertain. it makes him sound like a stranger, even to himself. ]
no subject
It comes more fitfully these days. His brain isn't a kind companion, nightmares have become the norm and they throw his failure into bright relief any time he thinks he might rest. Look, here, it says the places where you failed. The things you've lost. A never-ending highlight reel. Though that's even if he manages to fall off into it, with his stomach a nesting knot of anxiety, whatever is inside of him writhing in a sickly pulse. Sleep is a stranger. He is a stranger. He hates the nighttime now.
So it does not take him long to rouse. Maybe he's already there when the air shifts, or maybe it's the first call of his name, but Geto's wriggling to a sitting position almost instinctively, blankets tossed aside so he can blink blankly into the space around him. His hair is a mess, his body sweaty, t-shirt sticking. But his voice stays soft, low, concerned. ) Satoru?
( Is this another nightmare? No, it doesn't feel like one. He can't smell blood. )
Are you all right? ( Anxiety tightens, he makes to rise. ) Has something happened?
no subject
Huh? [ blinking again, reaching up to scrub the grit from one eye with the back of his hand. ] Oh. Yeah, I'm --
I was trying to teleport into my dorm. I guess I missed, huh? [ and now he should turn and go. let suguru go back to sleep, because maybe sleep will fix the dark hollows under the other boy's eyes, or the way he looks at satoru like he's looking through him instead of seeing him at all.
but his feet stay rooted here, unwilling to listen. ] ... I didn't mean to wake you up.
no subject
Something twinges behind his ribs. He frowns in the dark, forgetting that his friend could see it. A hand lifts from the blankets and then falls back, unsure. His tongue tries forming words. Would it be kinder to let Gojo go to his own room? Yes, absolutely. He wanted to go there, didn't he? And yet it's been days, they've texted, on-and-off, but when was the last time they saw each other? When was the last time that terrible straining tension wasn't pulled taut?
He'd missed. )
That's okay, I wasn't really --. ( Sleeping? ) Hey, do you want to sit down? Here. I'll move ... ( A quiet shuffling sound, unusually messy sheets pulled aside. ) Was your mission okay? Are you sure nothing happened?
no subject
but honestly? satoru doesn't even care. he'd put up with any amount of awkward, any amount of uncomfortable, if it's he and suguru just being able to talk again.
as soon as the offer is made, he's moving forward to find a spot on the bed beside suguru, almost like he's afraid he'll lose the chance if he hesitates. ]
Nah, it went the way most of 'em do. Whole lotta nothin' for a teeny tiny bit of excitement. [ leaning in, bumping their shoulders together. ] What about yours?
no subject
Mm, fine. Same old. ( He consumed a curse and told no one. He half thinks to confess to Gojo, tell him that the numbers on file no longer match the one's inside of him, that he swallows them down as rote now and does not think. Instead he leans a little heavier against his shoulder, opens his mouth, closes it. ) Okay.
( Okay.
Infinity is not keeping him away. He can sense heat. He can feel the slump of shoulders. )
Stay there. I'm getting you a t-shirt. Actually, take your uniform off. ( Focus, old habits, well-trod pathways. He feels it rise inside of him like an anxiety. He wants this to feel the same. He makes to stand, follow through on his word. ) Weren't you supposed to be driven back? Why did you teleport?
no subject
the proof is in the way he's already moving to obey, shimmying the jacket over his head and then starting to pluck open the buttons of the shirt underneath. ] You kidding? Trying to sleep in the backseat sucks. My legs never fit, and --
[ a pause, blinking. because he's realizing for the first time that it never used to be a problem when they were on missions together; he could slouch all his weight up against suguru and sleep with no trouble at all. ]
... teleporting's cooler, anyway.
no subject
That's because your legs are freakishly long. ( Without heat and despite the fact that they're similar heights. He comes back to hand over the shirt, taking Gojo's school jacket to hang it neatly on his nearby chair. ) Teleporting's cool when you're not tired enough to forget a limb, ah Satoru.
( He has to fight the urge to sweep white hair out of the other boy's eyes, instead he reaches out to take his sunglasses and fold them carefully up, put them safely aside. )
Do you need anything else?
no subject
Stop fussing, mom. [ softly, voice laden with fondness. reaching out to tug at suguru's shirt, a silent demand for him to get back in bed already. ] Promise all my freakishly-sized limbs are still firmly stuck to me.
no subject
( Still, he hesitates. Crosses his arms over his chest as though to hold himself in place. )
I could take the floor.
( And then, aware that it's strange, aware that it's new, all in a rush. ) You're tired. You sound tired. And I haven't been sleeping well. I don't want to keep you up if you could get some actual rest before they send you out on another mission -. ( An odd note creeps in, frustrated. He takes a breath, tries to settle himself. ) I don't mind.
no subject
there's a part of him, some kneejerk instinct, that wants to pull away from it so he doesn't have to look at it more closely than this. (because satoru was supposed to be one half of the strongest, because he told suguru to go on ahead and let him handle the sorcerer killer, and --)
but the larger part of him is just desperate not to lose this, and that's what makes him start shaking his head before suguru even finishes speaking. ] Don't --
[ stumbling over it, chewing on the inside of his cheek. ] ... we don't have to talk or anything. You can go back to sleep, if you want. I just --
[ the words stick to the back of his throat again; he doesn't know how to put any of this into words. ]
no subject
Okay.
( Okay, what? Gojo said don't and he doesn't even know what that means, but he feels ill with fear and the room is close and dark. ) Get in, move over.
( Does he sound frantic? Maybe. He's climbing into bed without really giving Gojo much time to do as he's demanded, limbs knocking together, hands yanking the blankets up and over them like something terrible might happen if it isn't immediate. Maybe something might. He ends up on his side facing the other boy, eyes wide in the dark and no better sight for it. That's fine. He's fine. They're both fine. )
If I keep you up you have to tell me. All right? I don't want to make it worse.
no subject
and then --
that.
satoru's brow knits at the sound of the words, the idea that any sliver of suguru in his proximity could be anything but an immediate improvement. ] ... not gonna happen. Being around you is the only thing that makes stuff better, sometimes.
[ and he wriggles himself a little closer, letting their knees bump under the blankets, reaching out to twine the other boy's bangs around two of his fingers. ] Suguru. You sure you're okay?
no subject
He almost laughs, swallows it down audibly instead. Gojo touches him though, their knees bumping, fingers playing with a lock of his hair, and he thinks about how hard it is to pretend. He thought he was doing it for the best, that he might have become something more like an awful weight, an anchor unasked for. He doesn't quite know what to do when it's asked outright. )
I'm -. ( His voice quietens, fingers sliding across the sheets to press against Gojo's sternum. ) I don't know.
( It feels a little like a bloodletting, his fingers flattening until his entire palm can be pressed to where the sword went through. Beneath his touch he can feel heat. He's here, he's real, he's alive. His words drop to a whisper, low like a confession though somehow strangely steady. )
Actually, I think there's something wrong with me. ( The same hand slides higher, up to where he can feel a heartbeat. ) Satoru, I don't really know what to do.
no subject
he breathes. in and then out, so focused on that simple point of contact that it takes him a long minute to process the rest of the words. but once he does, his brow knits as he lets the sound of them settle, and -- ]
Okay. [ leaning into that hand pressed against his heartbeat, brushing the other boy's hair back away from his face. ] Then we'll figure it out.
[ together. you and me. the way they always do -- the way they always did. ] What is it? Somethin' with your technique?
no subject
( It comes hesitantly, haltingly. His voice is barely a whisper, but it's late and just the two of them so it feels better for the quiet. Geto chews on his bottom lip and tries to figure out how he might explain it, the emptiness, the gnawing gaps where surety had once sat. He doesn't want his friend to be disappointed in him. He doesn't want him to be disgusted. )
I don't know. Maybe? ( Is it? He's been swallowing filth and expecting himself to be okay with it for years now. Could it be connected? ) Does it feel fair, Satoru? Running yourself ragged for everyone?
no subject
... not what satoru was expecting to hear. not because the idea itself is all that shocking, but because suguru's always been so... steady? in his beliefs, in the constellation of moral convictions he's always charting out for satoru, in whatever greater good makes all the day to day bullshit worth it. ]
Not really. [ none of the shame of a confession, just the same honesty suguru always gets. ] I get pissed off about it, sometimes. Especially when I'd rather sleep in, or play a video game, or...
... y'know, hang out with you.
no subject
It is also not entirely helpful.
Once again Geto feels stuck inside his own body. Weighed down by the rot of it, imprisoned inside of his bones. He wishes, futilely, that he could crack open his skull just to peer inside and divine his own real feelings. He doesn't know what he wants to say, nor if the things that queue up are the truth. He hates that he can't figure that out. )
Yeah. ( Lamely what he settles on, palm flat against Gojo's chest. ) But we have to, right? That's the point. There's no one else.
( Oh, he wants to cry. He can feel it. )
no subject
[ with a stubborn kind of insistence, leaning close enough to bump their foreheads together like that'll help make sure the words stick. ] People always wanna act like we signed on some kinda dotted line just by being born, y'know? And the geezers up at the top act like they can call the shots just 'cause that's the way it's always been.
I don't care about any of that stuff. [ sure, his view has shifted plenty since he first set foot in tokyo, but the core of it's the same. he likes being a sorcerer. he likes pushing himself to get stronger, discovering new ways to utilize his technique, finding that one-in-a-million opponent that offers up some kind of challenge. ] What do you want, Suguru?
no subject
I don't know.
( It's repetitive, it's dumb. He kind of hates it. )
I know what I'm supposed to say. I'm supposed to want to keep going, because it's my duty, because I'm one of the only people who can, and what else is there but doing your very best for the world around you? It's what's expected, isn't it? We have to save people. It doesn't matter what it costs. Anything else is selfish. But -. ( He twitches, like a flinch. It feels sacrilegious to say anything beyond what he has. ) - but I don't want to do it if I have to lose everything to keep going.
( He breathes, the gust of it against Gojo's cheek. The truth sits there between them, and Geto keeps his eyes closed. )
He told me you were dead. The sorcerer killer. He told me he killed you.
no subject
he told me you were dead.
he told me he killed you.
that's all it takes to bring it back -- the white noise of applause all around him, the weight of amanai's corpse in his arms, the detached certainty of connecting the fact that suguru isn't here with the knowledge that suguru would've never left her alone. ]
... yeah. [ and for once, his voice is small. ] When I found her, I --
I thought you were gone. And I -- [ he stumbles over it. not at the thought of confessing it to suguru, but at the idea that saying them aloud might turn that narrow brush into something real. ] ... it felt like nothing mattered anymore.
I thought about killing them. Everyone in that room. [ with a detached sort of unselfconsciousness, the way someone else might describe running an errand. ] But I couldn't even decide. It felt like they deserved to die, but it didn't feel like them dying would fix anything, and --
None of it meant anything if it meant I was stuck in a world without you in it, y'know?
no subject
It scratches something in his brain, some unthought idea, some terrible conjecture. Geto shies away from it almost immediately, fixes his attention on Gojo instead, on the way his voice sounds, on how terrible it is. He doesn't even think before he's drawing him closer, wrapping the pair of them up until they're entangled under the blankets, Geto's chin on top of his skull, and a hand splayed against his spine, knees knocking. )
I told her we'd save her. ( His pulse flutters sickly. ) And he shot her. But even then it didn't feel like the worst thing, you know? Because I didn't understand. How he was there. It wasn't until he said that you -. ( He thinks he's shaking, buries his hands against his friend to try and soothe some of it out. ) - all I kept thinking was that it wasn't fair. Why was it us? Why is it always just us?
( He presses his face into snowy-white hair, his next words coming mumbled. )
I don't want you to die for anyone else, Satoru. I don't want your life wasted on something we don't even have a say in. I don't want to do it anymore.
no subject
Okay. [ like it's easy, because it is. choosing suguru is the easiest thing in the world. ] Then we're not doing it.
[ having (freakishly) long arms comes with all kinds of benefits! like the way he can lean just a little and swat at the place suguru keeps his phone plugged in and charging on the desk next to his bed. then he's dragging it closer, unlocking it, squinting when the brightness of the screen washes over him, and tapping out something rapidly before suguru even gets the chance to protest.
after that? powering it off and tossing it haphazardly over his shoulder in the general direction of the bed. ] There. We're both off for the rest of the week. Won't kill 'em to sort out their own problems for a few days.
no subject
( Immediately he tries to scramble for it, but they're all entwined together and his heart isn't exactly in it. Instead he sinks back into the sheets, limbs heavy, voice mystified. ) I don't think we're allowed to do that, Satoru.
( It doesn't fix the problem anyway. Someone else has to take the load, someone else has to stand in his place. He just wishes it were simpler. He wishes he weren't afraid. There's something coming for him and he doesn't exactly know how to stand it down. )
What did you say?
no subject
[ ... he's also glossing over that last question, because if he spells out exactly how rude the text he just sent from suguru's phone was, it'll probably kick off a wrestling match for the phone. ]
Hey. [ bumping his forehead into suguru's shoulder. ] If Amanai told us that she didn't want to be the Star Plasma Vessel, would you have told her she had to? [ it's not really a question when he already knows the answer. ] Why's it only different when it comes to you?
no subject
( Small, and a little lost. He doesn't quite like remembering the hope on her face. ) She changed her mind. I told her we'd talked about it. We were so close to just turning around, Satoru. To getting out of there. But it is different. If I don't fight then they'll make you pick up my share of it, and that isn't fair either. You're exhausted, and we barely see each other now, and I keep telling myself it's fine because at least you're alive, and I'm helping. What if I didn't help? You're not actually a god.
( He lifts a hand, runs fingers through white hair. It isn't a criticism. )
I miss you. I miss when it felt simple.
no subject
there's a part of satoru that wishes he could put those words back, to make it so that he never heard them, because knowing hurts. it's a creature that digs into him with claws and teeth, trying to claw under the cage of his ribs to the most tender places below.
she didn't want to. they were going to turn around.
but they didn't, they couldn't, because satoru couldn't stop the sorcerer killer from getting through. and that's the root cause of all of this, right? suguru can't trust him enough to rest when he needs to and let satoru pick up the slack, because satoru let him down when it counted -- ]
I miss you too. [ and even muffled into the other boy's shoulder, there's no hiding the way his voice comes out thick and cracking. ]
no subject
He wishes they were still in Okinawa, back before all of this started, where things were simple and sweet and life still felt kind. He feels like he's become something that is insurmountable, a terrible, tragic burden that Gojo has to trail behind him. He feels like a failure. He shouldn't be letting himself take comfort in sharing a bed, he shouldn't be allowed to have something good.
So he stares at the shadows in his room and tries to think, thoughts all thorny and muddled up. )
Maybe they could let us take missions together again. Maybe that would work.
no subject
if he wants to keep up with suguru, if he still wants them to be the strongest together, he's got to get a grip on it. how can suguru depend on him if something like this is enough to make him crumble?
don't think about it. don't think about amanai. don't think about we were so close to just turning around. don't think about the first bite of the inverted spear of heaven into the tender skin of his throat. don't think about it. don't think.
focus on getting strong, faster, sharper, smarter. that's --
but the last bit makes him jerk, startled enough to pull his head away from suguru's shoulder so that he can look directly at him. forgetting the prickling burn that means his eyes will be red-rimmed from tears he's refusing to cry, just -- ]
You still want to? Take missions together?
no subject
( Theres something about Gojo's voice, something small and unlike him, sharp enough of a difference that Geto reaches for him, palm warm against his face. )
If I have to fight then I want to fight with you. I know I'm letting you down, but I'll find a way. I don't want you to have to do it all alone, Satoru, that isn't fair. So I'll get over it, I promise. I just --. I just ...
( Nerves lick up his spine, sink their teeth in. )
Do you not want to?
no subject
[ swallowing. hard. eyes flickering away from suguru's face, something as unfamiliar as shame roiling in his stomach. ] ... I messed up. I told you I had it covered, and I --
[ his fingers curl in the material of suguru's shirt, a tremor creeping up his spine. ] I thought --
no subject
( His voice goes tight, pinched. )
Wait, no. You didn't. You did everything you could have. You were running on fumes, Satoru, and we both thought it was safe. It should have been. ( His throat clicks as he swallows the harsh lump in it, holding on like it's a lifeline. ) We had to do everything on our own. We always have to. And you were -. You almost -.
( He takes a breath, shaky. )
I know everyone else treats you like you're indestructible, but you're seventeen. They just let you do all the work and they hide, and I hate it. ( Genuine anger filters through. ) I don't want them to use you all up. I wish I could figure a way out.
no subject
But I told you I'd take care of it. [ there's a ragged edge to his voice, a hitch to the next breath he sucks in. ] You didn't want to split up. You only did it because you trusted me, and --
[ it could've gotten you killed. ]
no subject
No.
( He sounds desperate. )
I still trust you. I trust you more than anyone in this place. I trust you with my life. You did what you could, you were overworked, you were exhausted. We were on school grounds. We should have been safe. Satoru, is this why you've been taking all these missions? Is this why you don't rest?
no subject
[ it's almost terrifying to be seen like this. it'd be unbearable if it were anyone else; anger is his defense mechanism against vulnerability, and there's not a single other living soul who could pry satoru open this way and not be met with teeth and claws.
but this is suguru. suguru.
and satoru can barely even remember what it was like to not have all his most tender, secret places belong to him. ]
I wanted to get stronger -- [ his eyes are burning with something that might be tears, and there's a tremor in his hands where suguru is clutching at them. ] I -- I'm gonna make sure it doesn't happen again --
no subject
He's been so blind. All Geto has known was the bottom of the pit he'd fallen into, he hadn't been able to peer out long enough to see that Gojo was stuck in one too. He hates it, hates himself, hates the whole world. His hands shake when he lifts one wipe away the tears on his best friend's face. )
It would kill me if you wore yourself too thin trying to protect me. ( Like a secret. ) I don't think it would be worth living on if you did.
( Are they stuck then? He doesn't know. )
I don't want that, Satoru.
no subject
[ it's an instant, instinctive denial, but. then satoru snaps his mouth shut just as quickly, disarmed by the tender way suguru thumbs that traitorous tear away.
because it's not about this summer, not really. it's about all of it; a weight so heavy it's been wedging them slowly apart. and he can't ask suguru to be a little more selfish if he's not willing to make the same concession. ]
Not gonna happen. [ another shuddering breath, and then he bumps their foreheads together again. ] You and me? We're the strongest. Together.
We're taking the rest of the week off, okay? And after that, no more solo missions for either of us. I'm taking missions with you, or I'm not taking 'em at all.
[ it doesn't fix the core of the problem, but it's a start. foundation first, then they can start chipping away at the rest of it. ]
no subject
Okay.
( All at once the exhaustion hits, Geto wriggles closer for wont of a better solution, curling the two of them together like they're too parts of a whole underneath his blanket. ) Okay, we can do that. That sounds like a good plan, Satoru. But we're not doing anything tomorrow, okay? Sleep. Food. You need to rest. I need to rest. Let's just do that and not think about anything else just yet, okay?
no subject
a reminder to sleep, to eat, to rest. the unspoken belief that they need to.
and it feels as natural as anything when suguru curls back up close and warm against him, when satoru throws an arm back over him and tangles their legs together under the blankets. ]
I missed you. [ it’s a soft, warm thing, murmured almost like a confession. ] I don’t want to do any of this without you either.
no subject
( He'd longed for his friend like it was a physical absence. As though something had been carved out and he'd been walking around with the leftover wound. It's why he speaks now, quiet voice a gust of air against Gojo's skin, face hidden away in the dark. ) I thought I was holding you back. I thought maybe it was better if I didn't cling, because you were working so hard and that's what you wanted. I'm sorry, Satoru. I didn't see that you needed me too.
( It's something he forgets. His own impact. That no one else will watch out for the stumble, because no one else believes it exists. But what else is he built for if not to be there to catch Gojo Satoru when he needs it? )
We're going to be fine now. We've got each other.
no subject
he squeezes his arm around suguru a little more tightly in response, butting his head into the other boy’s shoulder in a gesture that’s (almost) cute enough to be called a nuzzle. ]
We’ve got each other. [ affirming it back to him, cementing it like an oath. ] No chance we can’t figure out all the rest of it, right? ‘cause we’re the strongest.
no subject
( And maybe it doesn't matter if he doesn't feel like it. Maybe all he really needs is Gojo Satoru at his side, no physical divide, no mental one either. It feels better now they're here, and maybe tomorrow they might have to shrug off cuddling in bed, but for now Geto will let himself have this. If he can't have anything else at all, at least let there be this. )
Go to sleep, Satoru. We can fix the world tomorrow, okay? After - ( And here, a yawn. It's late enough to warrant it, and maybe the emotional toll has already started weighing. ) - breakfast, at least. I'll make something.
( More sleepy snuffling, more wriggling closer. )
Okay?
no subject
[ suguru makes a sleepy, snuffling noise, and maybe it’s strange that something so simple can wrap its fingers around satoru’s heart and squeeze, but he’s already so used to suguru having access to all the most tender, human parts of himself that it barely seems worth remarking upon. ] And no fussing allowed when I load ‘em up with all the good stuff.
[ tipping his head enough to be able to press a sleepy kiss to suguru’s temple, too drowsy to even acknowledge the gesture to himself. ] G’night, Suguru.
no subject
( It comes out fondly, friendly, and then Gojo tips the scales a little by pressing his lips to Geto's temple, and he has to blink furiously there in the dark and hope the sudden beating of his heart is not felt. Stupid, they're stupid, he'd forgotten --.
Ah, but that's going to haunt him.
Wisely he keeps quiet, runs a hand up and down Gojo's back instead. Eventually he'll fall asleep, but at least for now there's this. That's all he needs. )
dads au
remember that parenting book you bought
which i'm totally gonna get around to reading btw
definitely
eventually
at some point
ANYWAY
did it have advice on barking
oh my god
Don't bark at the children, Satoru. I didn't think you'd need a book to tell you that.
no subject
no subject
1/2
if i was gonna bark at someone
it'd def be the wheezy bags of bones trying to call the shots
and you're always there when they wanna gripe at me
no subject
nana and megs got into it
then he chased her down the hall
barking
is that like a sit in timeout sorta thing
or do we gotta call someone
no subject
Is it? He thinks about calling his mother to ask, but decides against that pretty quick. He's already avoiding having to explain why he's shacked up with four kids. )
Otosan likes to tell people I wanted to be a bunny when I was three, so I don't think it's too problematic.
They're not biting each other?
1/2
SERIOUSLY
do you have pics of sugu-bunny
did you hop everywhere
i can't believe you passed down furry genes to the kids lmfao
i'm texting your mom and asking for deets
no subject
h/o
[ brief pause in the flow of messages, and then: ]
ok nvm
i tried asking
but my ears weren't designed for whatever octave she's yelling in
no subject
no subject
but i think it's just kind of a team effort (｡>﹏<)
no subject
Do you want me to ask the grandma at the 7-11?
1/2
that we gotta chop megs' head off to test him for rabies
but i like your blended family optimism
no subject
not her!!!!!
she's already so judgy whenever i buy snacks
no subject
How the fuck do the kids know about testing for rabies?!
no subject
letting them watch those nature shows was better than anime
no one ever chopped anyone's head off in digimon ( •̀⤙•́ )
no subject
no subject
are you coming home soon
this single parent shit can kick rocks
no subject
I shouldn't be long.
And didn't you say it would be easy?
no subject
maybe i just miss you
sooooooooooooo much
i might keel over if i don't see your weird bangs soon
no subject
Do we need anything brought back? Kibble? Bowls? Collars?
no subject
our only son is following in your furry footsteps
and you're cracking jokes
no subject
Try teaching him tricks.
no subject
you get to go to the parent-teacher conference this time
when he decides to bark in class
no subject
( He's kidding, he thinks school is important. He just has to remember Gojo their first year to remind himself of that. )
no subject
no subject
no subject
no subject
A few months. But mama encouraged it. You know what she's like. All my denim overalls had bunnies on them.
no subject
ok ok
maybe we're looking at this all wrong
this could be a super secret 10S training technique
no subject
1/2
who knows!!!
no subject
tho
that means we've got 9 more phases of this to go through
no subject
Though if he goes through a bunny one we have to take pictures.
no subject
when do you think we'll hit the weird bangs era
no subject
1/2
WHO
no subject
to pick up chicks
that's so sleazy
no subject
I wasn't.
She wanted that hello kitty gacha and because I'm a nice person I took her!!?
Also stop calling me the mom!!!!
no subject
kinky
no subject
What's wrong with you?!
no subject
no subject
I'm not calling you daddy either!
no subject
i'm gonna have to ask shoko for advice on lezzing out or w/e
no subject
She'll kill you and I don't think I could be a single parent of four. That's so many children to wrangle, Satoru.
no subject
i'm the one wrangling AS WE SPEAK
no subject
( He's kidding. )
Okay, check those pizza vouchers. Are they still in date? Maybe a little bribery can work.
( And he knows they could use Gojo's money even if they weren't but a part of him is oddly defensive of doing this right. It would be too easy to let the other boy take the brunt of it. Geto can't allow that. Which means vouchers, using his own money. )
no subject
MOM IS BRINGING HOME PIZZA!!!!!!!
no subject
no subject
if you can pick it up on the way back
i'm never letting you leave again once you come back through the door just fyi
no subject
( The vouchers are important. He is checking his wallet. )
If yes I can pick up. You just have to put the order in. And please, remember they are children and they can share. We ate pizza for days last time.
no subject
we don't have to send vouchers via carrier pigeon anymore
i know i'm blowing your small town boy mind rn
no subject
no subject
no subject
₍ᐢ. ̫.ᐢ₎
i'm here again
no subject
no subject
[ he's saying the p word. very serious. ]
no subject
I'm not saying no, Megumi. Only we should think about it as a family. We can talk about it over dinner. A dog is a big responsibility.
( And there's already four children between two teenagers. Could they handle a dog? ... Could a curse walk it? No, they'd be afraid. Damn. )
no subject
i can present my case. we have a yard. aren't there dog breeds that are highly socialised? we could get one of those.
[ presentation decks are quickly becoming as weaponised as cursed energy in this household. ]
no subject
no subject
no subject
no subject
no subject
no subject
please. i'll be responsible.
no subject
no subject
then i can ask everyone else? if i get the votes, can i put forth my options?
[ what kind of child talks like this, really ]
no subject
Tell everyone I want a list from each of you as to the pros and cons of dog ownership. Also what responsibility might go to which child. And be prepared for some kickback on type of pet. Nana's been feeding the alley cat.
no subject
so i have my work cut out for me.
[ mission: get a dog received. ]
what if we just get a tiger.
no subject
No, I like my kitchen clean.
no subject
the shikigami are already large enough. kuro and shiro are the size of two gojos each.
no subject
no subject
[ ...hmm. ]
i can stock up on pee pads.
no subject
no subject
i guess that's fair. we can get very loud sometimes.
yes dogs, no tigers? what about an elephant?
no subject
A real elephant? Do we need a bigger house? That's one way to find new neighbours.
no subject
maybe it doesn't help that neither of you look old enough to have had kids.
why don't you both have our names changed?
no subject
To what?
no subject
[ he's gotten enough questions about either parent picking him up from the school. it doesn't bother him, it doesn't, but it gets frustrating to keep dismissing the same questions over and over from people who have no business asking. ]
no subject
( Oh. )
I suppose neither of us really wanted to overstep. You had families before. That's still important.
no subject
no subject
no subject
neither of you are planning on having biological children.
no subject
I think our family's big enough.
( He will be adopting Yuta the minute they find him though. Yuji too, by way of association. )
Do you want more siblings?
no subject
[ three girls against one emo boy, he never stood a chance. ]
no subject
no subject
no subject
no subject
no subject
I've been focused elsewhere.
no subject
maybe we could work on it together? my domain is unstable, too. it's always flooded.
no subject
Though wouldn't you prefer Satoru? He took to it quickly.
no subject
[ it's what megumi imagines standing in a singularity would feel like. ]
besides, you can meet the other shikigami in my domain.
no subject
All right. When? After the Great Dog Debate?
no subject
no subject
( • ᴖ • ｡)
( Megumi raised by dumb and dumber. )
no subject
they are cute but they also die pretty randomly.
[ what a depressing child. ]
no subject
Do you have preferences?