a/n: i created this so people can have easy access to the chapters! i'll be updating this from time to time whenever i finish each one. every chapter post will have the same summary and description, but i'll be sure to put a little link to the previous chapters before it so there's no confusion for new readers~
“she was very old, though she did not know it, and she was no longer the careless color of sea foam but rather the color of snow falling on a moonlit night. “
a/n: i created this so people can have easy access to the chapters! i'll be updating this from time to time whenever i finish each one. every chapter post will have the same summary and description, but i'll be sure to put a little link to the previous chapters before it so there's no confusion for new readers~
summary: is he truly aware of how different he is?
warnings: angst! reader and gojo are students at jujustu high, everyone is safe!!! comfort, fluff, mentions of violence. i broke my heart a little. can be seen as foreshadowing but you didn’t hear that from me.
a/n: inspired by “not strong enough” by boy genius. i fear this is my new favorite.
demeaning is what you would call this.
watching, in something you can only describe as jealousy, as gojo satoru walks back towards you, a shit-eating grin present on his face.
it’s like this often.
infantilization would be an exaggeration. satoru doesn’t baby you per-say, but there is clearly a conscious effort made to make sure you are always behind him. he leads. he attacks. he succeeds.
and then you’re back at square one. walking together, back to jujustu high as satoru rambles about arbitrary topics. missions with him end quickly. he asks, - or, more accurately - orders, you to stay back as he takes less than a minute in exorcising whatever curses are ahead. you never question him as to why you’re always paired together. you know he has something to do with it.
“you hungry?” he smiles, an arm comfortably rested across your shoulders. he subconsciously guides you as you walk along the pavement.
you spare a quick glance at him. he looks content, that expression of satisfaction feeling somewhat bothersome to you at the moment.
“not really…” you mumble, eyes trailing off as you looked at the buildings beside the two of you.
you wonder as to why you’re beside him. not in the literal sense - you already know he’s here by pure will. but, what was the point of missions, of jujustu, when all you did was stay back and observe? you gave up any chance of a normal life for this.
you feel satoru looking at you.
you contemplate for a little, choosing to avoid his eyes. defeatedley, you briefly close yours.
your voice is quiet as you speak. you wonder if he even hears you, your voice muffled under the busy street noise.
"this has to stop, gojo."
the rest of the walk is silent.
•••
your abilities could never amount to satoru.
he had everyone beat - effortlessly, really. there was no process of acceptance for it. you couldn’t mourn the loss of something you could never have.
the god himself, picked from the heavens and placed into your world. clouding your senses, leaving only the thought of him in your head. he was impossible to ignore. the brightest of people that made you feel so incredibly dull.
he was beautiful. ethereal and worshipped. you knew you loved him, pathetically so.
it was obvious that some amount of affection was mutual. he was constantly around you, where he had clearly stated - out loud - that it was where he preferred to be. you basked in his presence.
“what movie?”
your eyes scan the two discs in satoru’s hands. a horror and a thriller. judging by the intense covers of both, you had a suspicion that they weren’t too different.
“options seem… limited.” you mumble, a soft smile on your face as you watch him in amusement. you quickly learned that satoru never really flocked towards a certain genre. he could easily watch an action movie and jump straight into a depressive drama.
“option one it is!” he grins, turning back to the TV, pressing play almost immediately after the disc is inserted. you wonder how he was always so hyper. he could be thrown a boulder the size of the earth and not seem affected. it worried you at times.
you move a little to the side of your bed, making room for him. this was a bit of a routine. a class, training, or mission would be over and the two of you would naturally be in your room afterwards, talking or watching whatever movies saturo would randomly bring.
you loved it. whatever it was. you couldn’t tell.
“have you seen this one?” you asked, heart briefly stopping as you register the feeling of his head resting comfortably in your lap. he’s so casual about it. a hand is gently placed on your thigh.
“no, i just got it last week.” he replies, glancing up at you. his glasses are off. the blue is almost frightening, too compelling to look back at. you refrain.
you hum in response, learning back against the wall as your eyes follow the bright screen ahead. you try your best to ignore the boy in your lap. it works for a bit.
there’s three pokes on your thigh about half-way through the movie.
looking down, you raise a brow at satoru.
he smiles, pleased at your attention.
“who’s more likely to die in a horror movie - me or you?”
you scoff, head tilting back up to pay attention to the movie again. you’re painfully reminded that satoru can be a little clueless at times. he’s an idiot.
“hey,” he whines, poking your side this time, eliciting a slap on the wrist from you. “i’m serious!”
you knew he meant for the question to be fun - he probably asked it because he was tired of the silence. but he was oblivious, you noticed. maybe dense. it had been a long day, you doubt he meant any harm. but, you also couldn’t help but feel he is slightly taunting you. tormenting because he knows how easy of an answer that is. a hand is raised, and you carefully brush his hair out if his face.
“you would outlive all of us, satoru.”
silence comes again.
you feel the hand on your thigh retreat, and suddenly satoru sits up.
you don’t mean for your words to come out as harshly as they do. you’re blunt at times, and it makes you feel guilty. couldn’t you humor him a little - reply back with a smile that is equally as playful? but you can’t compare to him. you don’t have the luxury to be so high-spirited all of the time.
you’re forced to look at him now, his eyes staring you down. the movie is on low volume, dialogue from the characters coming out as low hums. you’ve never seen satoru like this. he’s without a smile, and his lips are downcast in a small frown.
“i don’t want that.”
his voice sounds almost defeated, as if it’s an admission to a thought he hides from. you realize that the conversation has moved past a silly theoretical question and on to something real.
“i hate the thought of that.” satoru elaborates, closing his eyes briefly.
he’s gifted, of course. he’s aware. gojo satoru takes his confidence everywhere because he can. he allows himself to brag, because what else can he do? he can’t hide his strength. everyone knows what he is capable of. he’s not “normal.” he can’t be. when the world calls, he’s there. he puts himself in an incredible amount of danger and is never afraid because he knows he will be okay.
you can’t flaunt your strength the same, and he’s painfully aware of it. he doesn’t mean to belittle you. in all honesty, he hopes it never comes across as that, but he knows it does. you’re not weak, but why fight when he could save you? why risk it? if anything, he would take a beating for you a hundred times over. he’d give his life.
but there’s something so isolating about his abilities. again, he’s different. unrelatable, retired from any chance at normality. more-so than you. for as long as he lives, he will feel the need to protect. the fight is never over. a “god” is what he gets called the most. it’s usually playful, a joke. but hidden in those words is the reality of constant expectations he is forced to meet. a god.
“i know i can be…” satoru trails off, shifting slightly as he crosses his legs. “suffocating.”
in all honesty, since your last mission, he hadn’t stopped thinking about your words. or the look on your face.
this has to stop.
you had looked crushed. it made his heart sink.
in this world of pure danger and inevitable loss, satoru tries to keep his worries at bay. protecting you is a natural response. a weakness is pointless if it is never reached.
and he hated to admit it. an achilles heel placed directly on gojo satoru, the strongest. it made him sick.
“no, you’re not.” you quietly reply, shaking your head. you’re lying through your teeth, but you find that you really dislike serious satoru. it scares you. perhaps there’s a reason he is rarely like this. it feels as though the walls are caving in, and he’s being pushed closer to you, overwhelming you with his entire being. gojo satoru being serious feels unnatural. it’s uncomfortable. but it’s something new. a side you’ve never seen before, and you secretly thank the world that he lets you witness it.
he sends you a pointed look, a bitter chuckle leaving his lips. “don’t do that.”
you slowly nod, smiling slightly. “sorry.”
the dynamic is like this. you obey him, constantly. you’re one of his worshippers. you don’t realize that satoru ultimately does the same thing with you.
he stares at you with fondness in his eyes.
he loves you. and he thinks he has for a long time now.
but what is a god if they let themselves feel so… mortal? he can act the part. he’s defeated everything he’s touched. he’s feared, and simultaneously adored.
so why can’t he let himself have you so easily?
“i guess i’m just-“
satoru takes in a sharp breath, and your stomach drops as you watch his head bow down, evading your eyes. he doesn’t speak for a while, and you assume he is silently asking to drop the topic.
until his shoulders slump, and you can see them start to tremble.
gojo satoru was not a god.
he was mortal, human. as much as the world seemed to think he wasn’t. he tried to convince himself of the same, but it evidently proved to be useless.
you don’t say a word to him, reaching out and letting him bury his face in your shoulder. you can feel him suppressing his emotions the best he can, hyper-aware of the way you fail to feel him breathe against you.
when you turn to kiss his cheek with a feather-like touch, all composure is lost. you feel a stifled sob escape him.
satoru is mortified at the thought of losing you - losing anybody. he realized it when he finally registered how deeply he cared for you.
would being “the strongest” suffice?
he wish he could see the future.
he knows he’s been wrong. but more importantly, utterly selfish. you never asked to be loved by him. or protected. satoru easily gives into his own desires, ignorant as to how it affects those around him.
if the world saw satoru as a god, then he saw you as the most breathtaking angel.
you were more than worthy of his attention. he put you on a pedestal, out-ranking all he’s done in his life. he could live a thousand lifetimes and still want you just as badly. he wonders if that’s normal - if what he feels for you should be as strong as it is. should he be physically affected? sometimes he senses his heart pounding, the sensation intense enough to make him sick.
but he reminds himself that it’s the best kind of feeling.
how many times has he sat next to you, leaning his entire body on yours as he not-so-discreetly searches for your warmth? your touch. he’ll gladly fill his senses with only thoughts of you.
satoru’s head tilts up from it’s place on your shoulder, and he kisses you messily.
gojo satoru is selfish. and he’ll accept it.
if this lifetime is the only one he is meant to spend with you, then fuck it. fuck it all. he will let himself be greedy.
his hands are in your hair, and he attempts to pour out every little bit of emotion he has in his scrambled brain. he can’t think clearly. all he knows is that you’re kissing him back, and he’s fighting the biggest smile.
it’s heavenly.
you part from him after a while, lips swollen and face flushed.
satoru isn’t much better, his breath staggered and pupils dilated.
he attempts to lean in again, but a gentle hand on his chest stops him. satoru blinks, watching you as you let out a small laugh. you feel relieved. as if the heaviest weight has been lifted off your shoulders, and you are free and liberated.
you’re somewhat in disbelief.
this ethereal being has confessed to you. an emotion that is so incredibly mutual. reciprocated to only the strongest amount. a love so infinite that it nearly drove you mad.
satoru smiles. it intensifies.
your laugh is contagious, and suddenly the two of you are unable to catch your breath, faces pink from hope, joy, and love.
satoru will take this.
he can be vulnerable. he must let you be independent. what is a commitment to confirmed infatuation without trust?
he can let himself be human. what a miserable life it’d be without you.
a last unicorn au where gojo is the last unicorn and you stumble across him being held prisoner by mommy fortuna and you help him find the other unicorns
