Chapter Text
It was fun being roommates with Yuuji. The easy smiles, the generous touches and care. Satoru wanted them all.
Yuuji makes him feel normal. Even when nothing about him, nothing about this was normal. Yuuji reminds him of the good times. The calm before the storm. The stolen moments. The small things.
He wanted everything that this Yuuji could give him.
This Yuuji.
This and that him…since when had it stopped feeling like there was a difference between them?
What a stupid thought. Of course, it's still him.
He was in essence, Itadori Yuuji himself. So full of life.
And so open towards him.
Who loves like Itadori Yuuji?
It's almost like the sweets that Satoru likes to indulge in.
Yuuji was addictive and warm towards him. Always.
It’s almost easy to pretend that he wasn’t dead.
He paused at the graphic scene in the manga he was reading when he heard Yuuji call his name.
“Want the usual spicy curry?” Yuuji asked him from the kitchen area. And Satoru answers back, a mischievous smirk on his face.
“Yes, mommy!”
Yuuji's face scrunches up like he ate a lemon slice.
“Stop that!”
Satoru chuckles loudly.
It was always fun riling him up.
Afternoon heat or not, he likes how the other man turns beet red at his harmless teasing.
“Fine, fine. Anything you cook is great anyway.” And he means it. He sees how Yuuji's gaze softens with his words and holds back a satisfied smirk.
Keep on smiling for me.
Satoru leafed through the manga on Yuuji's shelves before cataloguing the things he noticed about Yuuji so far. The things he should have paid attention to from the start.
He had no scars. Not the ones he had grown used to before. At least the ones that his clothes couldn't hide.
And wasn't he grateful for that?
No traces of the King of curses in his body.
In fact, there was no curse energy in him at all.
Or anyone. It was strange.
All his life, cursed energy was everywhere. His sight had forced him to bear witness to it from his conception. And now it's gone.
Except for himself.
It made Satoru think that if it weren't for his six eyes, he wouldn't have found this place.
A fluke.
But it was a good thing. The burden of the information coming through his brain was lesser. The burden was lesser.
A paradise for the miserable Gojo revered as the strongest.
Satoru's eyes fell on the photo album that was slipped in right next to the manga that he skimmed and paused. Before flicking to a random page.
It was a solo picture of Yuuji throwing a peace sign and laughing at the person behind the camera.
He looked so happy.
It almost felt unfair.
Satoru's eyes couldn't tear away from the date.
March 20, 2023. And the number 25.
Yuuji's birthday…
It didn't take him long to realize it was Yuuji's age 3 years ago.
“Hey, Yuuji, how old are you anyway?”
“28!”
He’s the same age as me…
Satoru wanted to laugh.
He doesn't remember celebrating Yuuji with just pure enjoyment, without the literal guillotine waiting to claim the boy's throat. Without Sukuna’s corrosive energy tingling with Yuuji's.
Satoru clenched his teeth. His breaths began to shallow.
Everything started to feel heavy. His eyes became focused on one single person like a tunnel vision.
Yuuji. Yuuji. Yuuji.
My output is stable, so why—?
Yuuji was the same age as Satoru (and wasn't that a realization, that this man managed to live a fuller life than what was given to him back home—
This shouldn't bother me. No, he's not dead. He's in front of me—)
“Food’s ready!”
Satoru heaves a few calming breaths before going to the dining area and decides to watch Yuuji work his way around the kitchen. Just watch him like he used to.
He didn't appreciate these moments enough back then.
It was all fast paced. One thing and the next.
He's here. He's alive. He came back. He's not dead. He's not.
Satoru was aware that this couldn't be healthy. But he indulges in it anyway.
This Yuuji was taller than the 18 year old him could ever be. The one that would never get past that age.
He's alive here. He never died.
He had more smile lines. Lighter, unburdened brown eyes that Satoru couldn't stop looking at, couldn't stop wishing would look back at him. Yuuji looked up from the bowl of fruit salad he was trying to plate together while letting the curry simmer on the stove. He does one of Satoru’s favorite things: he smiles.
“Is something the matter?”
“Nah, it’s nothing. Just watching something interesting.” And Satoru meant it.
This would have been him if it weren't for that finger. He thought it bittersweet.
This would have been him if he didn't meet us.
If he didn't meet me.
Satoru thinks about the alternative. Of actually going through with his promise. To be there when Yuuji takes his last breath.
He wasn't planning to cut his life short at all. He had plans after plans to see to it that Yuuji lived his life to the fullest.
But he didn't consider Yuuji's thoughts on the matter.
And now.
He's go—
“Satoru.”
Satoru looks up from his reverie and finds Yuuji staring back at him with concern and attention.
“Yeah, Yuuji?” He couldn't help but smile.
You saved me from my thoughts again.
“Eat. The food's going to get cold.” The reminder made the smell of the food reach Satoru's nostrils and his mouth waters.
“Okay, mommy!” Yuuji’s face scrunched up at his teasing and even ended up tossing a table napkin on his face, that he dodged with just a tilt of his head.
“You're weird!” Satoru ends up bursting out in laughter at the look on Yuuji's face.
Ah, this is…so much fun.
The photo album was shoved back to its place on the shelf.
If only Satoru flipped to the next page, he would have realized that another ghost of his is much closer than he thinks.
“Yuuji-kun, I'm gonna go home for a sec. But I'll be right back so you don't miss me too much. Aren't I so considerate?!” Satoru beams, as if expecting praise for his act of properly (?) saying a farewell.
Yuuji shakes his head in amusement before chuckling.
“At least you let me know this time. Just know my doors are always open for you, Satoru.” Yuuji shared a grin with him before Satoru activates the technique that got him traversing both realities. Yuuji qatches him with a sense of awe. “I really can't get used to you doing this magic stuff.”
That's what Satoru hears last before he goes back to his Japan. He doesn't want to admit it, but a small fear flickers in chest when he comes back to sensing normal amount of curded energy in in his surroundings.
I'll come back. I promise I will. That would not be the last.
Satoru plasters his signature grin and boxes that fear somewhere in the void and takes his surroundings. The crisp air of Jujutsu High greets him.
“Tadaima.”
Satoru carries the grin with him even when he goes back to Jujutsu High dorms to check his cute, little students.
“Oi, what are you smiling for stupid sensei?”
“What she said.” Megumi echoed back.
The cheer was there…but they were more withdrawn. Someone was missing. And he knows who it is. The triad now dyad looks at him, unimpressed.
“Why is he zoning out all of a sudden?” Kugisaki tries to bump Satoru’s head with her hammer and makes a ‘tch’ sound when his limitless stops any bodily harm that was starting to form in the girl’s head.
“Beats me. I don't want to know whatever goes on in his head.”
Satoru would have whined about how they were talking about him right in front of his face except he had come to a realization. After weeks of going back and forth to be beside him…
Telling Megumi and Nobara about Yuuji never crossed his mind.
He should.
They were also important to him. The one he lost. The one he—
Satoru cuts the thought before it could grow into something more.
“Ehh, why'd you wanna know anyway?” Satoru's smile became more strained.
No.
It can wait.
A part of him wants this for himself.
“I'm just happy to see both of you! Can't I do that? Don't you miss me?”
“You wish.” Kugisaki grunts before they go to their next mission. A mission that needs no supervision, but Satoru tags along anyway.
It took him until dusk for his regular cleaning job as a curse janitor (cleaning up the elders’ messes and jobs only he could do) before he thought of coming back to the Jujutsu High dorms.
He goes directly to his destination. And only stopped when he stopped at one door.
The door he had been too…averse to open. Suguru's room. And then, Yuuji's room.
He sardonically thinks the room is cursed before he turns the knob and gets in.
What greets him is a young adult's room. Souvenirs arranged neatly on the table, pictures of them (even Satoru had one in a baseball uniform during the 30th Annual Kyoto Sister-School Goodwill Event), Todo even had one where Yuuji and him were in the middle of fistbumping.
“What made you do it? You were smiling a lot weren't you?” Satoru said out loud to no one. He sighs, before he walks around the room.
It wasn't as dusty as he thought he would be. Seems like someone cleans this place regularly.
It's probably either of those two. I'm betting it's Megumi. Satoru thought fondly.
There were some socks scattered on the floor, but other than that, it was organized. He sees one celebrity poster before he reaches what he came for.
“Found it.”
Yuuji was daydreaming when he felt a cold can of soda pressed against his cheek.
“Suguru. Come on, man.” Yuuji rolls his eyes in amusement before saying a quiet thank you when the man just gave him a teasing look. It was the same soda he likes. “How are the kids doing?”
“The usual. They're fighting over who gets to partner with Megumi-kun.”
“The little urchin kid? How cute.”
“It's not what you think.” Suguru chuckles before smiling. “The girls, Nanako especially, want to fight him because he pissed her off. I tried to scold them but you know how they are.”
“What, he ignored Mimiko, didn't he? I don't think she likes that at all. She's pretty sensitive when it comes to Mimiko.”
Yuuji remembers one instance when he only noticed Mimiko was there all along after an hour of talking to Suguru. And Nanako took offense for her twin.
What happened next was a few days of Nanako glaring daggers at Yuuji's head like she wanted him dead and some foiled attempts of her kicking him on the shins, thanks to Suguru.
Suguru's protective little daughter, that one. They were guarded back when Suguru found them first and adopted them. But they've since warmed up to Yuuji along the years.
“Well, they're just kids. They're going to figure it out. But that’s really not what you want to say, don’t you?” Yuuji snorted.
“Whatever do you mean, Itadori Yuuji? Aren’t you watching too many detective dramas?”
Detective Conan doesn't count. Satoru made me watch it! Yuuji wanted to protest before keeping those thoughts to himself.
“So, any other reason why you came up to me just now?” Yuuji raised a playful brow before taking a sip of his soda. “I know you.”
“And what exactly do you think I'm here for huh?” Suguru raises an eyebrow. He gives Yuuji his full attention, his eyes looking a little too innocent.
“You tell me.” Yuuji seems to where this was going.
“Bah, whatever. It's just that I noticed something different about you lately. Call it curiosity if you want.” Suguru says, carefully thinking about his next words.
“I just think you have someone you're not telling me about.”
Yuuji's eyes twitched.
“You've changed Yuuji. You're keeping secrets from me now?” Suguru plays it off as teasing but it still made it gave Yuuji the message.
Like you'd believe me if I'm housing a sorceror!
“What, that's not true! I tell you everything!”
Suguru gives him a look. The I got you figured out kind.
Uh-oh.
“I mean, fine, well not everything, everything but I don't hide things from you. I'm literally an open book!”
“But you forget that I have known you for years. And the way you're acting right now, means something. So tell me. No secrets, remember?”
“Seeing, is pushing it—okay, okay fine! The one I told you about months ago. Er…we're sorta, kinda, maybe—?”
“Just spit it out. I won't get mad.” Suguru says softly, as if cajoling Yuuji to speak his mind.
Here goes nothing.
“I've been living with them for months now. There I said it. It's really not what you think, Suguru! This isn't like last time, okay? This is different I promise.” Yuuji says hastily before allowing himself to breathe.
“Are you…mad?” When Yuuji finally looked at the other man's face, there were no traces of anger or anything that indicated a violent reaction.
He just looked relieved.
If not a bit in disbelief.
“Mad? Yuuji…you're the one who’s mad. I told you last time not to let people in, especially strangers. You're too nice and they could take advantage of you.”
“But they're nice!”
“You always think people are nice, Yuuji.”
Well, Suguru isn't exactly wrong.
Seeing that the conversation wasn't going anywhere, Suguru ends up sighing in resignation.
“You know what, that's just how you are. You're a very kind person Yuuji. And I don’t want you to change. You know I'm always here for you.”
“Suguru…”
“But I need to meet this person. Capiche?”
“Ah, what now?”
“Yuuji.”
“Nope!”
“Yuuji, I'm really going to get mad.”
“Just not now Suguru!”
Yuuji ends up running away from Suguru that day.
If he starts digging, Satoru and I are screwed. How am I even going to explain everything to Suguru?!
Yuuji ended up exhausted when he got home and ended up slumping down his couch before he could get back to his bedroom.
Thankfully, Suguru knew how to respect his boundaries.
But he was still curious.
And that was one of Suguru's predominant traits.
Man, I'll just think about that when it happens.
Yuuji groans before shifting on the couch with a sigh.
He feels a poke on his cheek and ends up groggily opening his eyes to a familiar gaze.
“You okay Yuuji?”
Yuuji opened his eyes and looked up to sky blue eyes looking down at him. Upside down.
Yuuji smiles.
It’s been two days since Satoru left. And now he’s here.
Yuuji felt self-conscious for a second before rubbing his eyes “Hi.” He utters softly, before holding back a yawn. He tries to sit up but Satoru tells him it was fine. “You just got back?”
“Well, yeah. My students got bored of me so I left. So we can spend time together! Yeah?”
“I’m a bit tired, Satoru…” He yawned before closing his eyes. “Maybe later.”
He feels more than hears Satoru's response when the couch dips on someone's weight until he feels a hand snake around his waist and he couldn't but jolt and open his eyes in alarm. “Satoru??! What are you doing?”
He feels his chin on his shoulder and how the couch suddenly feels cramped with their tangled limbs.
“Let's cuddle then. You don't mind right?” Satoru's voice sent tingles behind his ear. His cologne invades his senses and Yuuji felt strange.
I mind! Yuuji thought inwardly, conscious at the heat emitting from Satoru's body and gulped.
“I-I guess not.”
This is normal. This is just how Satoru is. Of course.
There was no need to overthink.
“Just…fine. I move a lot.” He lets him know before feeling him shift behind him, making him the little spoon and he feels the underside of his neck tickle when he feels Satoru rest his face on the crook of his neck.
This is normal. This is normal. I can do this.
Yuuji desperately controls his breathing before forcing himself to relax.
“You're warm.” Yuuji stops himself from shivering at Satoru's whisper and grunts a response before pretending to be a log.
The fatigue fades fast. Satoru must have felt his tenseness. The white haired man chuckles.
“Just stay calm. I'm not going to do anything.” Satoru reassures him but it does the opposite.
Yuuji's cheeks warmed.
Fuck.
“You are close, you know. It just surprised me.” Yuuji said weakly when he felt large hands on his navel.
“It’s just two guys spooning. Nothing more. Is there anything wrong with that? Let’s just sleep like we plan to.” Satoru said blasely before letting out a satisfied sigh.
Easy for you to say!
Satoru takes in Yuuji’s warm, warm body in his hands. His limitless was down. And the feeling of skin against his own took a greater effect on a person like Satoru whose whole life revolved on sitting on a throne above the rest.
“Satoru…aren't you uncomfortable?” Yuuji asks hesitantly. He seems to be holding back the urge to fidget on his side.
Satoru doesn't hold back his smile.
“Hm…I'm right where I want to be. Why? Are you uncomfortable, Yuuji?” Satoru asks while clinging onto Yuuji's torso.
Whether Yuuji was aware of it or not, Satoru knows exactly what he was doing. And he knows exactly what he wants.
He wants this. More than anything else right now.
“Don't! Bring the question back to me…ugh. Fine…it's, it's okay.” He feels Yuuji's fluster and embarrassment.
This is real. He's with me. I'm not dreaming.
Satoru feels warm up to his tippy toes when he feels Yuuji close to him.
It seems the days he spent with Yuuji had brought a change in Satoru.
He was starting to look forward to days ahead of him again.
At first, there were times where he felt way out of his depth. Times when his limitless couldn't save him.
He thought he was untouchable. But Yuuji had something about him that made even Satoru crack.
“Satoru?”
The one thing that Satoru didn't calculate while rooming with Yuuji was the overflowing affection that Satoru he held to the oblivious man.
The predicament that had been pushed behind because of simultaneous problems and pests are coming back to the forefront without the interruptions. Without any more excuses.
Satoru doesn't see Itadori Yuuji as his student.
Itadori Yuuji was not the vessel to be monitored.
Itadori Yuuji was Itadori Yuuji. And Gojo Satoru was one enamored by his existence.
He learns this just after he teleported back from work. And when he chanced upon Yujji just coming out of the shower, Gojo Satoru felt stupefied with the realization that he wasn't an exception to the feeling of the world slowing down.
To Yuuji of all people.
Fuck. Was all Satoru could say in his head when Yuuji turns around coming out with water dribbling down his body like some kind of greek god.
It didn't help that his eyes had to focus on every single droplet in high resolution.
“Why are you all red? Are you okay?”
Yuuji was busy wiping his hair with a towel to noticed Satoru’s little dilemma.
“I think—” blood rushed out of his nose when he stepped closer. “—I need a minute.”
And disappeared from his sight towards his own bedroom.
“Weird…” Yuuji muttered briefly before thinking that it was just Satoru’s usual self, before proceeding to towel himself dry.
On the other side, Satoru was not having a good time in the shower.
He was starting to come to terms with his Yuuji's death.
But this?
Satoru didn't realize how dangerous it was to have prolonged exposure to Yuuji.
This complicates things.
He eyes his baggy pants and let the cold shower help him regain his sanity.
The fact that his brain doesn't easily forget didn't help. His vision was too clear that moment it hadn't stopped replaying in his head.
Fuck.
“I need to get a grip.” He groaned as the chill of the water cascaded down his throat. His limitless off and his hand coming down to fix his big problem.
Because Yuuji was starting to look like himself and not the ghost that had been haunting his nights.
Satoru had a while to think about things since that happened.
And he wouldn't have come this far if he wasn't decisive.
“You're so warm, Yuuji…”
Satoru tries not to laugh when he feels Yuuji buzz in embarrassment.
You make it so easy. He thinks in amusement and more honesty than he realizes.
“Let's just stay like this.”