suguru stared—respectfully, of course. he couldn't help but drink in the way the dress settled over your body, complementing your skin so prettily and swooping out with the softest skirt he'd ever seen. the pins in your hair caught on fragments of light every time you turned your head. he memorised the way your lashes curled when you blinked up at him, painted lips arching in a shy smile.
"is it okay?" the words were nervous.
suguru swallowed thickly, a hand already reaching out for your waist to drag you towards him. "gorgeous," he whispered, fingers running up your arms. "you're so perfect."
he let his hands wander, from the dip of your waist to the length of your legs, fingers leaving behind warmth like a trail of kisses. suguru was mesmerised, chest fluttering with all the soft emotions akin to when he first fell in love with you.
"we could stay back," he offered absently, his lips pressing butterfly kisses up your throat.
you giggled, swatting away his head as his hair tickled your jaw. "it took you weeks to confirm this dinner reservation, sugu. it would be a waste to miss it."
"yeah, you're right," he sighed into your neck. "when we get back, you're all mine for the night."
"i'm all yours for any night," you said, and he kissed your lips like it was a promise that needed to be sealed.
synopsis: you've hated suguru geto most of your life but a research project together causes old feelings to resurface.
au: academic enemies to lovers !
suguru geto was the bane of your existence.
sure, he was pretty and smart and utterly captivating—but nobody knew of the evil in his heart. they didn't know he printed all his papers right before midterms so there wouldn't be any ink left for you. that he used up all your sephora points on his expensive haircare. how he swiped the last grape-flavoured juice back in first grade. drank it right in front of you. left you thirsty and in tears as you trudged back home with no juice in hand.
you hated him since.
but fate worked in strange ways, so you both ended up applying for the same uni after high school. same major. same acceptance letter. so here you were.
"yo, number two!"
you hated his best friend too, the one who made you sound like a graphite pencil that had rolled too far.
gojo's wide grin came into view. "fancy seeing you here."
"it's a public library," you replied flatly.
"leave her alone, satoru." suguru's chiding voice had an effect similar to scraping nails on a chalkboard. he didn't even look at you, texting someone on his phone. dressed way too comfy—grey sweatshirt and pants that cast him in a soft halo, luscious hair held back by sheer will—to be looking for a fight this early in the weekend. "don't pick on the weak."
"wanna study together?" gojo made it sound like he was doing you a favour. "you got that test coming up, yeah?"
"i'm good, thanks." you had important things to do. assignments and deadlines and existential crises to consider.
"c'mooon, don't be like that," gojo pouted. he tried to wrap his arm around your shoulders but your glare stopped him short. "suguru doesn't mind at all. right?"
you weren't sure why but your eyes found his. strangely, they were already on yours. dark and unreadable. suguru merely raised an eyebrow as if to say, your call.
ten minutes later you were sitting next to gojo. across from suguru. a variety of books opened in front of you. gojo, you thought, couldn't possibly know how to read but he continued to surprise you.
"so, got any plans after this?" gojo wasn't here to study for anything at all, practising a right hand pass instead with an imaginary football.
"none of your business."
"that's a no, huh."
suguru's lips twitched. he wasn't studying either, textbooks spread in front of him to give passers-by the illusion of knowledge. in reality, he was still busy texting whatever dropshipping course he'd invested in. looking annoyingly attractive as he did so.
gojo wasn't easily deterred. "you should join us later, number two. we'll be heading to toji's after this and he's got like, plenty of quiet space you can study in."
"which is what the library's for so, no." you eyed him warily—you didn't know why they both were here, if they already had plans to study at toji's. but that was a thought for another time, so you picked up a pen and flipped open your notes. slipped your headphones on and read the first practice question. tried to ignore the feel of certain eyes tracking your every movement.
suguru hadn't planned on coming to the library. he and satoru were supposed to be at toji's by now, surrounded by cheap soda and half-cooked ramen, but he'd seen you enter the library while they were walking down the street. stray strands framing your pretty face, a frown pulling at your lips as you rummaged for your library pass.
"just need a book," suguru had assured satoru when he suggested they study at the library instead.
gojo had concerns. "but we can't eat in there."
"lunch is on me."
and if anyone asked why the sudden change of heart, suguru would tell them he just felt like it, for no particular reason.
the no particular reason was pulling out her phone now, beckoned by a ping.
"prof yaga just posted the teams for the research project." gojo skimmed through the list. "i got nanami!"
but suguru was watching your face. your scrunched nose, forehead creasing as you silently read your name. again. and again. but no matter how many times you desperately wished for it to change, SUGURU GETO remained neatly slotted next to yours.
"maybe it's a mistake," you muttered to yourself, swiping through the rest of the list. all these students and that's who your professor paired you up with? the guy whose hair was insured for ¥400,000?
"yaga doesn't make mistakes," suguru said, matter-of-factly.
"you'd know a lot about mistakes, wouldn't you?"
"i'm speaking to one now, aren't i?"
gojo waved his hands frantically, trying to diffuse the situation. "heyheyhey you guys, no fighting. it's just a small project. you can be civil about this." he dug an elbow into suguru's side, blue eyes narrowed at him. "right?"
"yeah, sure." he didn't believe it and neither did you.
"i'll ask yaga if he's willing to reconsider the list." your chair scraped against the floor, hands collecting your things from the table. "bye, gojo."
gojo sighed as you left without acknowledging the other boy, the one who could have just kept his mouth shut a little. "why are you like this?"
"like what?"
"like this." gojo motioned at him with an accusatory finger. "you're so annoying around her, dude. like you're purposely trying to get under her skin."
"i have no idea what you're talking about."
he had some idea, though. as satoru went on a rant about being nice to nerds so that he can be spared when they inevitably rule over the world, suguru thought about you. how cute you were when you got all bothered, huffing curses you thought he couldn't hear. those glossy lips always pulling into a frown whenever you spotted him. how your cheeks flushed pink when you were irritated.
and maybe if you hadn't been so busy loathing him, you would've noticed that suguru never checked the list himself the entire while. almost like he already knew who he was paired with.
or like he was the one who convinced yaga to pair you together in the first place.
synopsis: you've hated suguru geto most of your life but a research project together causes old feelings to resurface.
au: academic enemies to lovers !
suguru geto was the bane of your existence.
sure, he was pretty and smart and utterly captivating—but nobody knew of the evil in his heart. they didn't know he printed all his papers right before midterms so there wouldn't be any ink left for you. that he used up all your sephora points on his expensive haircare. how he swiped the last grape-flavoured juice back in first grade. drank it right in front of you. left you thirsty and in tears as you trudged back home with no juice in hand.
you hated him since.
but fate worked in strange ways, so you both ended up applying for the same uni after high school. same major. same acceptance letter. so here you were.
"yo, number two!"
you hated his best friend too, the one who made you sound like a graphite pencil that had rolled too far.
gojo's wide grin came into view. "fancy seeing you here."
"it's a public library," you replied flatly.
"leave her alone, satoru." suguru's chiding voice had an effect similar to scraping nails on a chalkboard. he didn't even look at you, texting someone on his phone. dressed way too comfy—grey sweatshirt and pants that cast him in a soft halo, luscious hair held back by sheer will—to be looking for a fight this early in the weekend. "don't pick on the weak."
"wanna study together?" gojo made it sound like he was doing you a favour. "you got that test coming up, yeah?"
"i'm good, thanks." you had important things to do. assignments and deadlines and existential crises to consider.
"c'mooon, don't be like that," gojo pouted. he tried to wrap his arm around your shoulders but your glare stopped him short. "suguru doesn't mind at all. right?"
you weren't sure why but your eyes found his. strangely, they were already on yours. dark and unreadable. suguru merely raised an eyebrow as if to say, your call.
ten minutes later you were sitting next to gojo. across from suguru. a variety of books opened in front of you. gojo, you thought, couldn't possibly know how to read but he continued to surprise you.
"so, got any plans after this?" gojo wasn't here to study for anything at all, practising a right hand pass instead with an imaginary football.
"none of your business."
"that's a no, huh."
suguru's lips twitched. he wasn't studying either, textbooks spread in front of him to give passers-by the illusion of knowledge. in reality, he was still busy texting whatever dropshipping course he'd invested in. looking annoyingly attractive as he did so.
gojo wasn't easily deterred. "you should join us later, number two. we'll be heading to toji's after this and he's got like, plenty of quiet space you can study in."
"which is what the library's for so, no." you eyed him warily—you didn't know why they both were here, if they already had plans to study at toji's. but that was a thought for another time, so you picked up a pen and flipped open your notes. slipped your headphones on and read the first practice question. tried to ignore the feel of certain eyes tracking your every movement.
suguru hadn't planned on coming to the library. he and satoru were supposed to be at toji's by now, surrounded by cheap soda and half-cooked ramen, but he'd seen you enter the library while they were walking down the street. stray strands framing your pretty face, a frown pulling at your lips as you rummaged for your library pass.
"just need a book," suguru had assured satoru when he suggested they study at the library instead.
gojo had concerns. "but we can't eat in there."
"lunch is on me."
and if anyone asked why the sudden change of heart, suguru would tell them he just felt like it, for no particular reason.
the no particular reason was pulling out her phone now, beckoned by a ping.
"prof yaga just posted the teams for the research project." gojo skimmed through the list. "i got nanami!"
but suguru was watching your face. your scrunched nose, forehead creasing as you silently read your name. again. and again. but no matter how many times you desperately wished for it to change, SUGURU GETO remained neatly slotted next to yours.
"maybe it's a mistake," you muttered to yourself, swiping through the rest of the list. all these students and that's who your professor paired you up with? the guy whose hair was insured for ¥400,000?
"yaga doesn't make mistakes," suguru said, matter-of-factly.
"you'd know a lot about mistakes, wouldn't you?"
"i'm speaking to one now, aren't i?"
gojo waved his hands frantically, trying to diffuse the situation. "heyheyhey you guys, no fighting. it's just a small project. you can be civil about this." he dug an elbow into suguru's side, blue eyes narrowed at him. "right?"
"yeah, sure." he didn't believe it and neither did you.
"i'll ask yaga if he's willing to reconsider the list." your chair scraped against the floor, hands collecting your things from the table. "bye, gojo."
gojo sighed as you left without acknowledging the other boy, the one who could have just kept his mouth shut a little. "why are you like this?"
"like what?"
"like this." gojo motioned at him with an accusatory finger. "you're so annoying around her, dude. like you're purposely trying to get under her skin."
"i have no idea what you're talking about."
he had some idea, though. as satoru went on a rant about being nice to nerds so that he can be spared when they inevitably rule over the world, suguru thought about you. how cute you were when you got all bothered, huffing curses you thought he couldn't hear. those glossy lips always pulling into a frown whenever you spotted him. how your cheeks flushed pink when you were irritated.
and maybe if you hadn't been so busy loathing him, you would've noticed that suguru never checked the list himself the entire while. almost like he already knew who he was paired with.
or like he was the one who convinced yaga to pair you together in the first place.
synopsis: you've hated suguru geto most of your life but a research project together causes old feelings to resurface.
au: academic enemies to lovers !
suguru geto was the bane of your existence.
sure, he was pretty and smart and utterly captivating—but nobody knew of the evil in his heart. they didn't know he printed all his papers right before midterms so there wouldn't be any ink left for you. that he used up all your sephora points on his expensive haircare. how he swiped the last grape-flavoured juice back in first grade. drank it right in front of you. left you thirsty and in tears as you trudged back home with no juice in hand.
you hated him since.
but fate worked in strange ways, so you both ended up applying for the same uni after high school. same major. same acceptance letter. so here you were.
"yo, number two!"
you hated his best friend too, the one who made you sound like a graphite pencil that had rolled too far.
gojo's wide grin came into view. "fancy seeing you here."
"it's a public library," you replied flatly.
"leave her alone, satoru." suguru's chiding voice had an effect similar to scraping nails on a chalkboard. he didn't even look at you, texting someone on his phone. dressed way too comfy—grey sweatshirt and pants that cast him in a soft halo, luscious hair held back by sheer will—to be looking for a fight this early in the weekend. "don't pick on the weak."
"wanna study together?" gojo made it sound like he was doing you a favour. "you got that test coming up, yeah?"
"i'm good, thanks." you had important things to do. assignments and deadlines and existential crises to consider.
"c'mooon, don't be like that," gojo pouted. he tried to wrap his arm around your shoulders but your glare stopped him short. "suguru doesn't mind at all. right?"
you weren't sure why but your eyes found his. strangely, they were already on yours. dark and unreadable. suguru merely raised an eyebrow as if to say, your call.
ten minutes later you were sitting next to gojo. across from suguru. a variety of books opened in front of you. gojo, you thought, couldn't possibly know how to read but he continued to surprise you.
"so, got any plans after this?" gojo wasn't here to study for anything at all, practising a right hand pass instead with an imaginary football.
"none of your business."
"that's a no, huh."
suguru's lips twitched. he wasn't studying either, textbooks spread in front of him to give passers-by the illusion of knowledge. in reality, he was still busy texting whatever dropshipping course he'd invested in. looking annoyingly attractive as he did so.
gojo wasn't easily deterred. "you should join us later, number two. we'll be heading to toji's after this and he's got like, plenty of quiet space you can study in."
"which is what the library's for so, no." you eyed him warily—you didn't know why they both were here, if they already had plans to study at toji's. but that was a thought for another time, so you picked up a pen and flipped open your notes. slipped your headphones on and read the first practice question. tried to ignore the feel of certain eyes tracking your every movement.
suguru hadn't planned on coming to the library. he and satoru were supposed to be at toji's by now, surrounded by cheap soda and half-cooked ramen, but he'd seen you enter the library while they were walking down the street. stray strands framing your pretty face, a frown pulling at your lips as you rummaged for your library pass.
"just need a book," suguru had assured satoru when he suggested they study at the library instead.
gojo had concerns. "but we can't eat in there."
"lunch is on me."
and if anyone asked why the sudden change of heart, suguru would tell them he just felt like it, for no particular reason.
the no particular reason was pulling out her phone now, beckoned by a ping.
"prof yaga just posted the teams for the research project." gojo skimmed through the list. "i got nanami!"
but suguru was watching your face. your scrunched nose, forehead creasing as you silently read your name. again. and again. but no matter how many times you desperately wished for it to change, SUGURU GETO remained neatly slotted next to yours.
"maybe it's a mistake," you muttered to yourself, swiping through the rest of the list. all these students and that's who your professor paired you up with? the guy whose hair was insured for ¥400,000?
"yaga doesn't make mistakes," suguru said, matter-of-factly.
"you'd know a lot about mistakes, wouldn't you?"
"i'm speaking to one now, aren't i?"
gojo waved his hands frantically, trying to diffuse the situation. "heyheyhey you guys, no fighting. it's just a small project. you can be civil about this." he dug an elbow into suguru's side, blue eyes narrowed at him. "right?"
"yeah, sure." he didn't believe it and neither did you.
"i'll ask yaga if he's willing to reconsider the list." your chair scraped against the floor, hands collecting your things from the table. "bye, gojo."
gojo sighed as you left without acknowledging the other boy, the one who could have just kept his mouth shut a little. "why are you like this?"
"like what?"
"like this." gojo motioned at him with an accusatory finger. "you're so annoying around her, dude. like you're purposely trying to get under her skin."
"i have no idea what you're talking about."
he had some idea, though. as satoru went on a rant about being nice to nerds so that he can be spared when they inevitably rule over the world, suguru thought about you. how cute you were when you got all bothered, huffing curses you thought he couldn't hear. those glossy lips always pulling into a frown whenever you spotted him. how your cheeks flushed pink when you were irritated.
and maybe if you hadn't been so busy loathing him, you would've noticed that suguru never checked the list himself the entire while. almost like he already knew who he was paired with.
or like he was the one who convinced yaga to pair you together in the first place.
synopsis: you've hated suguru geto most of your life but a research project together causes old feelings to resurface.
au: academic enemies to lovers !
suguru geto was the bane of your existence.
sure, he was pretty and smart and utterly captivating—but nobody knew of the evil in his heart. they didn't know he printed all his papers right before midterms so there wouldn't be any ink left for you. that he used up all your sephora points on his expensive haircare. how he swiped the last grape-flavoured juice back in first grade. drank it right in front of you. left you thirsty and in tears as you trudged back home with no juice in hand.
you hated him since.
but fate worked in strange ways, so you both ended up applying for the same uni after high school. same major. same acceptance letter. so here you were.
"yo, number two!"
you hated his best friend too, the one who made you sound like a graphite pencil that had rolled too far.
gojo's wide grin came into view. "fancy seeing you here."
"it's a public library," you replied flatly.
"leave her alone, satoru." suguru's chiding voice had an effect similar to scraping nails on a chalkboard. he didn't even look at you, texting someone on his phone. dressed way too comfy—grey sweatshirt and pants that cast him in a soft halo, luscious hair held back by sheer will—to be looking for a fight this early in the weekend. "don't pick on the weak."
"wanna study together?" gojo made it sound like he was doing you a favour. "you got that test coming up, yeah?"
"i'm good, thanks." you had important things to do. assignments and deadlines and existential crises to consider.
"c'mooon, don't be like that," gojo pouted. he tried to wrap his arm around your shoulders but your glare stopped him short. "suguru doesn't mind at all. right?"
you weren't sure why but your eyes found his. strangely, they were already on yours. dark and unreadable. suguru merely raised an eyebrow as if to say, your call.
ten minutes later you were sitting next to gojo. across from suguru. a variety of books opened in front of you. gojo, you thought, couldn't possibly know how to read but he continued to surprise you.
"so, got any plans after this?" gojo wasn't here to study for anything at all, practising a right hand pass instead with an imaginary football.
"none of your business."
"that's a no, huh."
suguru's lips twitched. he wasn't studying either, textbooks spread in front of him to give passers-by the illusion of knowledge. in reality, he was still busy texting whatever dropshipping course he'd invested in. looking annoyingly attractive as he did so.
gojo wasn't easily deterred. "you should join us later, number two. we'll be heading to toji's after this and he's got like, plenty of quiet space you can study in."
"which is what the library's for so, no." you eyed him warily—you didn't know why they both were here, if they already had plans to study at toji's. but that was a thought for another time, so you picked up a pen and flipped open your notes. slipped your headphones on and read the first practice question. tried to ignore the feel of certain eyes tracking your every movement.
suguru hadn't planned on coming to the library. he and satoru were supposed to be at toji's by now, surrounded by cheap soda and half-cooked ramen, but he'd seen you enter the library while they were walking down the street. stray strands framing your pretty face, a frown pulling at your lips as you rummaged for your library pass.
"just need a book," suguru had assured satoru when he suggested they study at the library instead.
gojo had concerns. "but we can't eat in there."
"lunch is on me."
and if anyone asked why the sudden change of heart, suguru would tell them he just felt like it, for no particular reason.
the no particular reason was pulling out her phone now, beckoned by a ping.
"prof yaga just posted the teams for the research project." gojo skimmed through the list. "i got nanami!"
but suguru was watching your face. your scrunched nose, forehead creasing as you silently read your name. again. and again. but no matter how many times you desperately wished for it to change, SUGURU GETO remained neatly slotted next to yours.
"maybe it's a mistake," you muttered to yourself, swiping through the rest of the list. all these students and that's who your professor paired you up with? the guy whose hair was insured for ¥400,000?
"yaga doesn't make mistakes," suguru said, matter-of-factly.
"you'd know a lot about mistakes, wouldn't you?"
"i'm speaking to one now, aren't i?"
gojo waved his hands frantically, trying to diffuse the situation. "heyheyhey you guys, no fighting. it's just a small project. you can be civil about this." he dug an elbow into suguru's side, blue eyes narrowed at him. "right?"
"yeah, sure." he didn't believe it and neither did you.
"i'll ask yaga if he's willing to reconsider the list." your chair scraped against the floor, hands collecting your things from the table. "bye, gojo."
gojo sighed as you left without acknowledging the other boy, the one who could have just kept his mouth shut a little. "why are you like this?"
"like what?"
"like this." gojo motioned at him with an accusatory finger. "you're so annoying around her, dude. like you're purposely trying to get under her skin."
"i have no idea what you're talking about."
he had some idea, though. as satoru went on a rant about being nice to nerds so that he can be spared when they inevitably rule over the world, suguru thought about you. how cute you were when you got all bothered, huffing curses you thought he couldn't hear. those glossy lips always pulling into a frown whenever you spotted him. how your cheeks flushed pink when you were irritated.
and maybe if you hadn't been so busy loathing him, you would've noticed that suguru never checked the list himself the entire while. almost like he already knew who he was paired with.
or like he was the one who convinced yaga to pair you together in the first place.
childhood friends to strangers to meeting frat!geto all over again.
you were ten, all scraped knees and pink princess plasters, when you met suguru geto for the first time.
his family had just moved in next door, and your mum took you along to greet the new neighbours. "be nice," she whispered just before the door opened. "hi, we're from next door! we wanted to welcome you into the neighbourhood!"
"that's so lovely, thank you so much!" a nice lady was smiling at you. "is this your daughter?"
you were staring at the boy behind the nice lady. at his curious eyes, dark hair—and long. you never saw a boy with long hair before. more importantly, you were taller than him. as all friendly neighbourhood tales go, you both soon became friends and grew up together.
twelve, with hands sticky from eating popsicles all summer and new pink plasters on geto's knees.
fourteen, where he was now taller than you and his hair had grown out, tied up into a bun that only you were allowed to mess up.
sixteen, lying on your backs on his rooftop, fingertips not quite touching as he pointed out the constellations to you.
it was the same night he told you he was moving away for his dad's work again.
"we can still talk," suguru said, trying to soften the blow. his voice was much calmer now, smooth with practised lies.
you smiled. "yeah, sure." but you knew better. moving always came with goodbyes.
"i mean it. i'll call you every day. nothing will change."
everything did change.
at first, you both did catch up every day. snippets of your lives spread across hour-long calls. then the calls became much less frequent, texts even less often. stopped entirely on a random tuesday night. he didn't pick up when you called, and thirty-two unread messages were enough of a cue, right?
you had to learn how to move on.
-‘๑’-
your drink sloshed in your cup as you weaved between dancing bodies. frat parties weren't your scene but shoko promised she'd let you be if you attended just the one with her. you were pretty sure she was here to let loose after a difficult week of midterms but hey, so was everyone else.
someone stepped into your path too quickly for you to avoid. your drink splashed on a stranger's jersey-clad chest.
"i am so sorry." you were mortified, actually, already looking around for anything to wipe the spill.
"it's fine! it's kinda my fault, really."
your mouth opened. and snapped shut when your eyes landed on the prettiest blue eyes. the boy you bumped into flashed you a charming smile, almost friendly.
"you new here? i haven't seen you around."
"i transferred last week."
he let out a quiet 'ohhhh'. "my name's satoru but you can call me toru! let me give you a tour of the place, starting with the kitchen so i can wipe this off and replace your drink."
you tried to decline but satoru was impossible to say no to. he was lively, gesturing a lot with his hands as he spoke about everything and nothing at once. he was funny, witty and easy to talk to. you found yourself smiling by the time you reached the kitchen.
"and this is where we keep our soda! choso loves the grape-flavoured ones but i think peach is better and he's lying. and that's the coffee machine, 'cause suguru can't survive without his morning caffeine."
your back stiffened, pulse picking up. old names had a funny way of making the world seem small, pulling your lips down. it could be any suguru, you reasoned. anyone with that name.
right?
you noticed him immediately. near the end of the kitchen, leaning against the counter. a pretty girl talking to him. his head lowered so he could hear her better, shadows obscuring his face. but you knew that hair, the same dark strands you used to twist your fingers through now being pushed back by another.
"...and here's your drink!"
gojo brandished a cup in your face but all you wanted to do right now was leave. puke. scream a little at how unfair it was, that all the ugly emotions you took years to suppress could be undone with a glimpse of dark black hair.
but you weren't a child anymore. so you fixed on a smile, did your best to seem apologetic. "i'm sorry, but i just remembered i have a paper due at midnight. i really need to go."
gojo gasped. "on a saturday night?"
"tragic, i know. thanks for the tour, and for being so sweet about the drink. see you later, yeah?" you waved at him, already stepping out, back into the crowded living room to find shoko and dip. there were many students here, enough for you to go by unnoticed.
but suguru always noticed. "who was that just now?" he asked. he had straightened up the moment his nose picked up a faint whiff of perfume. strangely familiar. by the time he had looked up, nobody was there.
gojo shrugged. "a really cute transfer. totally not your type, though."
suguru rolled his eyes. the girl he was talking to had already left, a freshman who was taking the same classes he did and wanted to know if he still had his old textbooks around. she didn't want to buy any. with the current prices they were going for, he didn't blame her one bit.
"i'm gonna head out."
the night was cool on his skin when he stepped out. suguru's eyes strained in the dark, following the bright outlines of constellations as he breathed in. his head had been hurting all day. suguru focused on counting his breaths, eyes fluttering shut and shoulders loosening with every one—and it would have worked, had that perfume not reappeared.
his eyes snapped open. there you were, a silhouette against the dim party lights as you slipped out of the house. you looked behind your shoulder, maybe to call someone over.
your eyes met his for a second.
suguru was exceptionally good at handling most situations—except this was not most. you were not most. his throat went dry, eyes locked on yours as his tired mind scrambled to come up with something, anything. how do you greet someone you used to share the world with? how do you convey countless emotions in a single line? what do you say to a ghost you no longer know?
nothing. because by the time suguru forced himself out of his thoughts, you had already left.
childhood friends to strangers to meeting frat!geto all over again.
you were ten, all scraped knees and pink princess plasters, when you met suguru geto for the first time.
his family had just moved in next door, and your mum took you along to greet the new neighbours. "be nice," she whispered just before the door opened. "hi, we're from next door! we wanted to welcome you into the neighbourhood!"
"that's so lovely, thank you so much!" a nice lady was smiling at you. "is this your daughter?"
you were staring at the boy behind the nice lady. at his curious eyes, dark hair—and long. you never saw a boy with long hair before. more importantly, you were taller than him. as all friendly neighbourhood tales go, you both soon became friends and grew up together.
twelve, with hands sticky from eating popsicles all summer and new pink plasters on geto's knees.
fourteen, where he was now taller than you and his hair had grown out, tied up into a bun that only you were allowed to mess up.
sixteen, lying on your backs on his rooftop, fingertips not quite touching as he pointed out the constellations to you.
it was the same night he told you he was moving away for his dad's work again.
"we can still talk," suguru said, trying to soften the blow. his voice was much calmer now, smooth with practised lies.
you smiled. "yeah, sure." but you knew better. moving always came with goodbyes.
"i mean it. i'll call you every day. nothing will change."
everything did change.
at first, you both did catch up every day. snippets of your lives spread across hour-long calls. then the calls became much less frequent, texts even less often. stopped entirely on a random tuesday night. he didn't pick up when you called, and thirty-two unread messages were enough of a cue, right?
you had to learn how to move on.
-‘๑’-
your drink sloshed in your cup as you weaved between dancing bodies. frat parties weren't your scene but shoko promised she'd let you be if you attended just the one with her. you were pretty sure she was here to let loose after a difficult week of midterms but hey, so was everyone else.
someone stepped into your path too quickly for you to avoid. your drink splashed on a stranger's jersey-clad chest.
"i am so sorry." you were mortified, actually, already looking around for anything to wipe the spill.
"it's fine! it's kinda my fault, really."
your mouth opened. and snapped shut when your eyes landed on the prettiest blue eyes. the boy you bumped into flashed you a charming smile, almost friendly.
"you new here? i haven't seen you around."
"i transferred last week."
he let out a quiet 'ohhhh'. "my name's satoru but you can call me toru! let me give you a tour of the place, starting with the kitchen so i can wipe this off and replace your drink."
you tried to decline but satoru was impossible to say no to. he was lively, gesturing a lot with his hands as he spoke about everything and nothing at once. he was funny, witty and easy to talk to. you found yourself smiling by the time you reached the kitchen.
"and this is where we keep our soda! choso loves the grape-flavoured ones but i think peach is better and he's lying. and that's the coffee machine, 'cause suguru can't survive without his morning caffeine."
your back stiffened, pulse picking up. old names had a funny way of making the world seem small, pulling your lips down. it could be any suguru, you reasoned. anyone with that name.
right?
you noticed him immediately. near the end of the kitchen, leaning against the counter. a pretty girl talking to him. his head lowered so he could hear her better, shadows obscuring his face. but you knew that hair, the same dark strands you used to twist your fingers through now being pushed back by another.
"...and here's your drink!"
gojo brandished a cup in your face but all you wanted to do right now was leave. puke. scream a little at how unfair it was, that all the ugly emotions you took years to suppress could be undone with a glimpse of dark black hair.
but you weren't a child anymore. so you fixed on a smile, did your best to seem apologetic. "i'm sorry, but i just remembered i have a paper due at midnight. i really need to go."
gojo gasped. "on a saturday night?"
"tragic, i know. thanks for the tour, and for being so sweet about the drink. see you later, yeah?" you waved at him, already stepping out, back into the crowded living room to find shoko and dip. there were many students here, enough for you to go by unnoticed.
but suguru always noticed. "who was that just now?" he asked. he had straightened up the moment his nose picked up a faint whiff of perfume. strangely familiar. by the time he had looked up, nobody was there.
gojo shrugged. "a really cute transfer. totally not your type, though."
suguru rolled his eyes. the girl he was talking to had already left, a freshman who was taking the same classes he did and wanted to know if he still had his old textbooks around. she didn't want to buy any. with the current prices they were going for, he didn't blame her one bit.
"i'm gonna head out."
the night was cool on his skin when he stepped out. suguru's eyes strained in the dark, following the bright outlines of constellations as he breathed in. his head had been hurting all day. suguru focused on counting his breaths, eyes fluttering shut and shoulders loosening with every one—and it would have worked, had that perfume not reappeared.
his eyes snapped open. there you were, a silhouette against the dim party lights as you slipped out of the house. you looked behind your shoulder, maybe to call someone over.
your eyes met his for a second.
suguru was exceptionally good at handling most situations—except this was not most. you were not most. his throat went dry, eyes locked on yours as his tired mind scrambled to come up with something, anything. how do you greet someone you used to share the world with? how do you convey countless emotions in a single line? what do you say to a ghost you no longer know?
nothing. because by the time suguru forced himself out of his thoughts, you had already left.
childhood friends to strangers to meeting frat!geto all over again.
you were ten, all scraped knees and pink princess plasters, when you met suguru geto for the first time.
his family had just moved in next door, and your mum took you along to greet the new neighbours. "be nice," she whispered just before the door opened. "hi, we're from next door! we wanted to welcome you into the neighbourhood!"
"that's so lovely, thank you so much!" a nice lady was smiling at you. "is this your daughter?"
you were staring at the boy behind the nice lady. at his curious eyes, dark hair—and long. you never saw a boy with long hair before. more importantly, you were taller than him. as all friendly neighbourhood tales go, you both soon became friends and grew up together.
twelve, with hands sticky from eating popsicles all summer and new pink plasters on geto's knees.
fourteen, where he was now taller than you and his hair had grown out, tied up into a bun that only you were allowed to mess up.
sixteen, lying on your backs on his rooftop, fingertips not quite touching as he pointed out the constellations to you.
it was the same night he told you he was moving away for his dad's work again.
"we can still talk," suguru said, trying to soften the blow. his voice was much calmer now, smooth with practised lies.
you smiled. "yeah, sure." but you knew better. moving always came with goodbyes.
"i mean it. i'll call you every day. nothing will change."
everything did change.
at first, you both did catch up every day. snippets of your lives spread across hour-long calls. then the calls became much less frequent, texts even less often. stopped entirely on a random tuesday night. he didn't pick up when you called, and thirty-two unread messages were enough of a cue, right?
you had to learn how to move on.
-‘๑’-
your drink sloshed in your cup as you weaved between dancing bodies. frat parties weren't your scene but shoko promised she'd let you be if you attended just the one with her. you were pretty sure she was here to let loose after a difficult week of midterms but hey, so was everyone else.
someone stepped into your path too quickly for you to avoid. your drink splashed on a stranger's jersey-clad chest.
"i am so sorry." you were mortified, actually, already looking around for anything to wipe the spill.
"it's fine! it's kinda my fault, really."
your mouth opened. and snapped shut when your eyes landed on the prettiest blue eyes. the boy you bumped into flashed you a charming smile, almost friendly.
"you new here? i haven't seen you around."
"i transferred last week."
he let out a quiet 'ohhhh'. "my name's satoru but you can call me toru! let me give you a tour of the place, starting with the kitchen so i can wipe this off and replace your drink."
you tried to decline but satoru was impossible to say no to. he was lively, gesturing a lot with his hands as he spoke about everything and nothing at once. he was funny, witty and easy to talk to. you found yourself smiling by the time you reached the kitchen.
"and this is where we keep our soda! choso loves the grape-flavoured ones but i think peach is better and he's lying. and that's the coffee machine, 'cause suguru can't survive without his morning caffeine."
your back stiffened, pulse picking up. old names had a funny way of making the world seem small, pulling your lips down. it could be any suguru, you reasoned. anyone with that name.
right?
you noticed him immediately. near the end of the kitchen, leaning against the counter. a pretty girl talking to him. his head lowered so he could hear her better, shadows obscuring his face. but you knew that hair, the same dark strands you used to twist your fingers through now being pushed back by another.
"...and here's your drink!"
gojo brandished a cup in your face but all you wanted to do right now was leave. puke. scream a little at how unfair it was, that all the ugly emotions you took years to suppress could be undone with a glimpse of dark black hair.
but you weren't a child anymore. so you fixed on a smile, did your best to seem apologetic. "i'm sorry, but i just remembered i have a paper due at midnight. i really need to go."
gojo gasped. "on a saturday night?"
"tragic, i know. thanks for the tour, and for being so sweet about the drink. see you later, yeah?" you waved at him, already stepping out, back into the crowded living room to find shoko and dip. there were many students here, enough for you to go by unnoticed.
but suguru always noticed. "who was that just now?" he asked. he had straightened up the moment his nose picked up a faint whiff of perfume. strangely familiar. by the time he had looked up, nobody was there.
gojo shrugged. "a really cute transfer. totally not your type, though."
suguru rolled his eyes. the girl he was talking to had already left, a freshman who was taking the same classes he did and wanted to know if he still had his old textbooks around. she didn't want to buy any. with the current prices they were going for, he didn't blame her one bit.
"i'm gonna head out."
the night was cool on his skin when he stepped out. suguru's eyes strained in the dark, following the bright outlines of constellations as he breathed in. his head had been hurting all day. suguru focused on counting his breaths, eyes fluttering shut and shoulders loosening with every one—and it would have worked, had that perfume not reappeared.
his eyes snapped open. there you were, a silhouette against the dim party lights as you slipped out of the house. you looked behind your shoulder, maybe to call someone over.
your eyes met his for a second.
suguru was exceptionally good at handling most situations—except this was not most. you were not most. his throat went dry, eyes locked on yours as his tired mind scrambled to come up with something, anything. how do you greet someone you used to share the world with? how do you convey countless emotions in a single line? what do you say to a ghost you no longer know?
nothing. because by the time suguru forced himself out of his thoughts, you had already left.
synopsis: you notice your classmate spiralling after riko's death. he needs a friend—and even a freshman such as yourself would suffice. right?
tw: mentions of depression
**𐙚***𐙚***𐙚***𐙚***𐙚***𐙚***𐙚***𐙚***𐙚***𐙚***𐙚**
freshman year
suguru geto.
you only knew of his name first, and then the boy himself as he took his first steps into jujutsu high. quiet, reserved, and a bit mean at times but you'd come to learn he was just as kind. it didn't take long for you to fall trap to his magnetic charm. the low purr of his voice and low-lidded eyes, silky locks he tied back from his face.
geto barely knew you. sure, he remembered your name but only out of respect, to know who his juniors were. you certainly weren't as close with him as gojo or shoko were.
you didn't mind. you would take what you could, the little glimpses of his smile or small brush of his hand against yours. anything to exist within the same axis, even if you were nothing more than a distant side character in his bright, bright life.
until fushiguro toji happened. that's when everything began to fall apart.
you noticed the way geto withdrew into himself. full-length uniform still on while everyone else switched to shorter clothes in the summer. his features greying like his skin was eating itself into dust. the way he no longer existed but hovered, half-in and half-out of his mind. it went on for months.
you stood outside his dorm, the last glow of twilight settling as you raised a hesitant hand to knock on his door. silence met you first, before a long shuffle approached. the door opened. dull eyes met your stare.
"hey." you tried for a smile but your gaze wandered across his face, the hollow of his cheeks and purple eyebags. "i was just wondering if you're alright?"
"'m fine."
oh. "you look tired."
"i'm fine," geto repeated, unkindly. he couldn't bring himself to be better.
"can i come in?" you were stubborn to a fault.
he was already retreating back into his room. "sure."
you took a step inside. his room was a mess of memories that never happened, pillows strewn across the floor and empty food containers left discarded by the bin. for a second, geto watched your face—were you disgusted? repulsed? he wouldn't know, since you disappeared into the bathroom, and he wouldn't care. if suguru ever wondered if there was a point to having you around instead of one of his closer friends, he never mentioned it.
you appeared shortly after, sleeves rolled up to your elbows. and damp. "i drew you a bath. it's not too cold right now, so it'll feel better."
"didn't ask for one." geto slumped back into his bed. the sheets hadn't been washed in weeks but they were a familiar comfort to him while you were not.
he was startled when a spray of water hit him square in the face.
"get in," you said, cocking the spray bottle like it was a lethal weapon. "this doesn't just work on cats."
in hindsight, maybe there was a better way to approach the situation but hey, it worked! geto's deathly stare on your face might have not faltered, but he was in the bathroom. tugging his clothes off. stepping into the bath slowly, like every step pained him.
and you were still here. "what do you want?" he asked, annoyed. it was the first real emotion you had seen on his face after weeks of weak smiles and fake reassurances.
"nothing," you muttered. he wasn't the same suguru that you remembered, but you couldn't let him rot into himself. what kind of person would that make you? "you stink."
geto scoffed but didn't correct you. to your surprise, he let you wash his hair (after much pleading on your part, since you always wondered if it was as soft as it looked). your hands brought some life back to the dull sheen of his locks as you treated it with utmost care. you forced him to sit down while you opened his curtains, and made sure he dried his hair. you watched him eat every bite of the pasta you had spent hours making, and let him murmur his thanks as you swept away the mess on the floor, shoved his clothes into a washing machine down at the laundry room, planted a pot of fresh dandelions right at the centre of his desk.
you both may have not been close, but you were there for him. you never once expected anything more in return.
you both settled into an odd routine. you, showing up at his door nearly every night because you accidentally made an extra serving of food. geto, frowning as he let you in but you never saw him unlock his door. his room was still messy, yes, but he was putting some effort into taking care of himself. the floor was relatively clean. his laundry was occasionally done. the dandelions thrived.
you thought he was getting better. his smiles came by more freely, his skin less pale than it had been in weeks, and some of the heaviness in his somber gaze had cleared. you genuinely thought you were helping, or doing something right at least, till—
"suguru killed a village last night."
your throat went dry at those words. "why?"
yaga shook his head, grimacing. "i don't know why he did it, but he's on the run. be careful."
you, the one who spent countless days visiting his room and bringing along homecooked meals for him to eat. you, who never took his silences personally and sat next to him instead on days that were heavier for him to bear. you, without a single drop of cursed energy to your name.
so when suguru actually showed up in front of that kfc, hair down and eyes sharper than they'd ever been, it was satoru who stepped in front of you. "go back," he told you, fingers already reaching for his glasses.
how could you ever forget the look in suguru's face when he saw you? an emotion flickered in his eyes—disgust? repulse?
what kind of person did that make you, when you knelt beside him by the bathtub and combed your fingers through his hair?
disposable.
your high school years slowly crumbled into ruin, till nothing was left but distant memories and the mark on your back.
—
note: plot isn't entirely canon compliant bc i really cant remember the plot of jjk or any of their techniques, will edit once i do!
synopsis: you notice your classmate spiralling after riko's death. he needs a friend—and even a freshman such as yourself would suffice. right?
sometimes you found yourself in suguru's room. it was left unlocked, but you weren't surprised. at one point during your strange camaraderie he had always kept his door unlocked for you.
the room was a snapshot in time. his clothes still hung by the door, and his books were still opened in mid-study. magazines scattered on the table. water bottle half-empty. he had taken nothing when he left, they said, but your dandelions were missing.
you left his room for the last time.
-‘๑’-
years passed by. you had settled into a routine, ignoring whispers of the target on your back, the one that geto created the day he let you walk away among sorcerers as an enemy.
you graduated high school and now worked alongside satoru and shoko in maintaining jujutsu society. cleaned up messes for the higher-ups. got orders and carried them out. occasionally reminisced the days when you were younger but you never mentioned a word of knowing geto to anyone. you hadn't known him the way they did. they hadn't known him the way you did.
the clocks always ticked forward. satoru had a new mission for you, an easy one he'd picked up from the higher-ups.
"rogue disappearances in this area. the missing people were always found, though." he grinned at you like it wasn't eerie in the least. "it's a low-grade curse. you can handle it!"
and trusting satoru was why you were in your current situation.
said curse was a monster with teleporting powers. fangs like carved knives. way above your pay grade. each time it had come close to striking you down, you hoped that murky grey portal swirling by its head wasn't leading right into the arctic.
you put up a decent fight, considering your grade. but the curse was wearing you down and your focus was dwindling. backup was taking too long. the curse couldn't bite off any of your limbs but its giant tail managed to catapult you into a discarded bag of construction tools. you felt something sharp bite into your side and tear across your skin, spilling blood.
there was no escape now. when the curse finally did unhinge its massive jaws to swallow your arm, maybe you should have thought twice before taking your chances with the open portal by its head. but it was your arm or nothing, so you leaped into its unknown depths just as you felt its teeth snap around the place your arm had just been.
black. and then white. your vision felt strange, like the images in front of you were purposely distorted. your thoughts couldn't align. you didn't exist here, in this dimension between time and space.
you landed in a strange field. stumbled a few times before your limbs felt attached once again and your head was steady. found yourself staring for a moment. there were birds flitting by large willowy trees. rows and rows of flowers in colours you couldn't name. big, blue skies stretching forever. the scene would have been beautiful if you weren't bleeding to death.
you gingerly touched your side, and grimaced. it felt sticky, which was never a good thing. and it didn't look like there would be a clinic nearby. you were on your own—
"look here!" it was a little girl pointing at you. blond and excited. "she dropped from the sky!"
the other girl she was talking to also looked young. scared, as kids often were. "she could be an alien, nana. we need to be careful."
"or an angel. they drop from the sky too, right?"
"i think we should wait for—"
"hi, i'm nanako! what's your name?"
you blinked, pain hazing your thoughts. you didn't have to respond as the other girl dragged nanako away, pitter patter of feet hurrying away. that was okay. you didn't plan on dying surrounded by strangers anyway.
besides, this wasn't a bad way to go. the grass was soft beneath your fingertips, and if you ignored the gaping wound on your side you could almost pretend everything was alright. the sun was bright. clouds like cotton candy. a breeze rustled your hair. you sunk into the earth, bones weary.
then a voice disturbed your peace.
"this is where you saw an angel, nanako?"
"yes, hurry up! before she goes back to heaven!"
the voice stirred something at the back of your mind. hauntingly familiar. comforting, even. maybe it was the blood loss, making you replay your favourite moments from your tragically short life. the whistle of a kettle rattling on a stove. rain drops catching on your lashes. cool eyes that never rested on yours a moment too long. except now they did.
wait, what?
but no, you weren't hallucinating the eyes staring down at you. ones you hadn't seen in five years but you could never forget the face that visited your dreams every night.
geto's eyes never slid away from yours. "girls, will you go back to the house and bring the medic?"
"but—"
"no but's, nanako. it's really important that you do this, yeah?" his voice was gentle and firm. of course she listened.
the girls disappeared into the horizon, little legs running as fast as they could. the breeze had died down now. it was awfully cold.
"you're turning pale," geto murmured.
you ignored him, staring at the sky instead. how the clouds were turning into a rosy pink. geto didn't push you for answers. instead, he inspected the wound in your side, taking great care not to touch you. you hoped he was disgusted by your blood, as plain and human as it was. the one tainting his pretty robes.
then—to your surprise—he removed them, leaving him in just his undershirt.
"this might hurt." geto pressed the fabric into your wound, eliciting a hiss. he ignored you, continuing to wrap the garment around your waist, pulling it tight to staunch the bleeding. your vision blurred, something sour rising to the back of your throat as he continued to apply pressure on your wound.
your hand dug into his wrist weakly. "let go."
"can't."
you hated him. how he was acting as if the same hands that pressed over your wound weren't the same ones that took the lives of countless others like you. like he wanted you alive just so he could kill you himself.
"stop struggling," geto commanded. his eyes were narrowed, loose strands of hair in his face. his hair was much longer now, grown out with the rest of him. "you're going to bleed all over the place."
"good."
his eyes flashed darkly.
whatever curse he might have unleashed to finish you never arrived as the girls returned, followed by a wiry man with slicked back hair. the medic.
"i'll handle it from here." he took stock of your barely rising chest and drained skin. evaluated the ruined robes of his master draped around your waist. decided you needed immediate attention if you were worth wasting all that expensive silk. "this may not be pleasant to witness."
geto got the message. his eyes met yours a final time. then he nodded, leaving your side to usher the girls away with soft promises. probably more ice cream if they didn't tell a soul about the body they just saw.
the medic snapped on latex gloves. "you must be a peculiar case," were the last words you heard before everything went black.
synopsis: you notice your classmate spiralling after riko's death. he needs a friend—and even a freshman such as yourself would suffice. right?
sometimes you found yourself in suguru's room. it was left unlocked, but you weren't surprised. at one point during your strange camaraderie he had always kept his door unlocked for you.
the room was a snapshot in time. his clothes still hung by the door, and his books were still opened in mid-study. magazines scattered on the table. water bottle half-empty. he had taken nothing when he left, they said, but your dandelions were missing.
you left his room for the last time.
-‘๑’-
years passed by. you had settled into a routine, ignoring whispers of the target on your back, the one that geto created the day he let you walk away among sorcerers as an enemy.
you graduated high school and now worked alongside satoru and shoko in maintaining jujutsu society. cleaned up messes for the higher-ups. got orders and carried them out. occasionally reminisced the days when you were younger but you never mentioned a word of knowing geto to anyone. you hadn't known him the way they did. they hadn't known him the way you did.
the clocks always ticked forward. satoru had a new mission for you, an easy one he'd picked up from the higher-ups.
"rogue disappearances in this area. the missing people were always found, though." he grinned at you like it wasn't eerie in the least. "it's a low-grade curse. you can handle it!"
and trusting satoru was why you were in your current situation.
said curse was a monster with teleporting powers. fangs like carved knives. way above your pay grade. each time it had come close to striking you down, you hoped that murky grey portal swirling by its head wasn't leading right into the arctic.
you put up a decent fight, considering your grade. but the curse was wearing you down and your focus was dwindling. backup was taking too long. the curse couldn't bite off any of your limbs but its giant tail managed to catapult you into a discarded bag of construction tools. you felt something sharp bite into your side and tear across your skin, spilling blood.
there was no escape now. when the curse finally did unhinge its massive jaws to swallow your arm, maybe you should have thought twice before taking your chances with the open portal by its head. but it was your arm or nothing, so you leaped into its unknown depths just as you felt its teeth snap around the place your arm had just been.
black. and then white. your vision felt strange, like the images in front of you were purposely distorted. your thoughts couldn't align. you didn't exist here, in this dimension between time and space.
you landed in a strange field. stumbled a few times before your limbs felt attached once again and your head was steady. found yourself staring for a moment. there were birds flitting by large willowy trees. rows and rows of flowers in colours you couldn't name. big, blue skies stretching forever. the scene would have been beautiful if you weren't bleeding to death.
you gingerly touched your side, and grimaced. it felt sticky, which was never a good thing. and it didn't look like there would be a clinic nearby. you were on your own—
"look here!" it was a little girl pointing at you. blond and excited. "she dropped from the sky!"
the other girl she was talking to also looked young. scared, as kids often were. "she could be an alien, nana. we need to be careful."
"or an angel. they drop from the sky too, right?"
"i think we should wait for—"
"hi, i'm nanako! what's your name?"
you blinked, pain hazing your thoughts. you didn't have to respond as the other girl dragged nanako away, pitter patter of feet hurrying away. that was okay. you didn't plan on dying surrounded by strangers anyway.
besides, this wasn't a bad way to go. the grass was soft beneath your fingertips, and if you ignored the gaping wound on your side you could almost pretend everything was alright. the sun was bright. clouds like cotton candy. a breeze rustled your hair. you sunk into the earth, bones weary.
then a voice disturbed your peace.
"this is where you saw an angel, nanako?"
"yes, hurry up! before she goes back to heaven!"
the voice stirred something at the back of your mind. hauntingly familiar. comforting, even. maybe it was the blood loss, making you replay your favourite moments from your tragically short life. the whistle of a kettle rattling on a stove. rain drops catching on your lashes. cool eyes that never rested on yours a moment too long. except now they did.
wait, what?
but no, you weren't hallucinating the eyes staring down at you. ones you hadn't seen in five years but you could never forget the face that visited your dreams every night.
geto's eyes never slid away from yours. "girls, will you go back to the house and bring the medic?"
"but—"
"no but's, nanako. it's really important that you do this, yeah?" his voice was gentle and firm. of course she listened.
the girls disappeared into the horizon, little legs running as fast as they could. the breeze had died down now. it was awfully cold.
"you're turning pale," geto murmured.
you ignored him, staring at the sky instead. how the clouds were turning into a rosy pink. geto didn't push you for answers. instead, he inspected the wound in your side, taking great care not to touch you. you hoped he was disgusted by your blood, as plain and human as it was. the one tainting his pretty robes.
then—to your surprise—he removed them, leaving him in just his undershirt.
"this might hurt." geto pressed the fabric into your wound, eliciting a hiss. he ignored you, continuing to wrap the garment around your waist, pulling it tight to staunch the bleeding. your vision blurred, something sour rising to the back of your throat as he continued to apply pressure on your wound.
your hand dug into his wrist weakly. "let go."
"can't."
you hated him. how he was acting as if the same hands that pressed over your wound weren't the same ones that took the lives of countless others like you. like he wanted you alive just so he could kill you himself.
"stop struggling," geto commanded. his eyes were narrowed, loose strands of hair in his face. his hair was much longer now, grown out with the rest of him. "you're going to bleed all over the place."
"good."
his eyes flashed darkly.
whatever curse he might have unleashed to finish you never arrived as the girls returned, followed by a wiry man with slicked back hair. the medic.
"i'll handle it from here." he took stock of your barely rising chest and drained skin. evaluated the ruined robes of his master draped around your waist. decided you needed immediate attention if you were worth wasting all that expensive silk. "this may not be pleasant to witness."
geto got the message. his eyes met yours a final time. then he nodded, leaving your side to usher the girls away with soft promises. probably more ice cream if they didn't tell a soul about the body they just saw.
the medic snapped on latex gloves. "you must be a peculiar case," were the last words you heard before everything went black.
biker!suguru who loves late night drives and cruising between cars so of course the first thing he ever learned to ride was a motorbike.
biker!suguru who's always getting furtive glances and napkins covered in lipstick and phone numbers everywhere he goes. it's the motorbike effect, he'll say, but really, it's him.
biker!suguru who's in a rush the day he suddenly swerves to avoid hitting a pedestrian. he ends up hurting his arm and his bike's scratched but more importantly, you're the first by-stander to rush over to him.
biker!suguru who blinks when you whip out a phone to dial 911. "sir, are you okay? does it hurt any where?" he doesn't immediately reply because he's mesmerised. "think i have a concussion," he finally whispers, fuelling your panic.
biker!suguru who uses every bit of your concern to get your details "to thank you properly" before you have to leave his side when the medics arrive.
biker!suguru who's in front of your apartment the next day, tall frame leaning against his motorbike. black leather jacket and helmet tucked under an arm. long hair loosely tied up, a few strands in his pretty face. uninjured.
biker!suguru who shrugs when you accuse him of lying about a concussion but his lips are fighting a smirk. "i really did think i was hallucinating an angel. just wanted to reconfirm."
biker!suguru who sounds like a bad idea but it doesn't hurt to try, right?
biker!suguru who loves late night drives and cruising between cars so of course the first thing he ever learned to ride was a motorbike.
biker!suguru who's always getting furtive glances and napkins covered in lipstick and phone numbers everywhere he goes. it's the motorbike effect, he'll say, but really, it's him.
biker!suguru who's in a rush the day he suddenly swerves to avoid hitting a pedestrian. he ends up hurting his arm and his bike's scratched but more importantly, you're the first by-stander to rush over to him.
biker!suguru who blinks when you whip out a phone to dial 911. "sir, are you okay? does it hurt any where?" he doesn't immediately reply because he's mesmerised. "think i have a concussion," he finally whispers, fuelling your panic.
biker!suguru who uses every bit of your concern to get your details "to thank you properly" before you have to leave his side when the medics arrive.
biker!suguru who's in front of your apartment the next day, tall frame leaning against his motorbike. black leather jacket and helmet tucked under an arm. long hair loosely tied up, a few strands in his pretty face. uninjured.
biker!suguru who shrugs when you accuse him of lying about a concussion but his lips are fighting a smirk. "i really did think i was hallucinating an angel. just wanted to reconfirm."
biker!suguru who sounds like a bad idea but it doesn't hurt to try, right?
bf!suguru who allows you to play with his hair after he's taken a shower, letting you boss him into a tiny stool across your vanity and instructing him to stay still.
bf!suguru who lets you clip his freshly-washed hair back with rhinestone pins, coy eyes following yours as you decide which hairstyle you want to try.
bf!suguru who takes his role as your personal model very seriously as you gather supplies to work magic into his pretty hair, never once complaining about your antics.
bf!suguru who doesn't mind when you tuck yourself into his lap at one point, your legs tired of holding yourself up once an hour has passed by.
bf!suguru who only frowns when you don't let him kiss you, because you're sure it'll mess up the front bangs you've carefully styled.
bf!suguru who steals a kiss from your lips anyway, a self-satisfied smile on his face as you glare at him for ruining your hard work.
bf!suguru who just pulls you closer to his chest and purrs, "go on, angel. i'll behave this time."
"made you soup," was suguru's greeting as he entered the bedroom. dark curtains had been tightly drawn shut over windows, the only source of light spilling from the hall behind suguru as he left the door open. a bowl was placed on the nightstand besides you as suguru approached the lump on the bed. a finger prodded at your cheek, eliciting a muffled groan.
"i know, angel, but you have to eat," suguru replied reasonably. his fingers found your neck, rubbing little circles into your skin. "think you can handle a few bites for me?"
your eyes finally cracked open to glare up at him. "i'm sick," you sniffled, trying to push his hand away but your body was so sore, too tired to obey your commands. "get out, sugu. you're gonna catch a cold too."
a small laugh escaped his throat. "i don't mind." his lips pressed against your forehead, a cool relief to the feverish warmth of your body. "you'll take care of me, yeah?"
"no," you fibbed and his lips curved up. he withdrew his hand and you instantly missed the warmth, the world dulling in the corners before suguru returned with the steaming bowl of soup.
"one bite, angel? please?"
it didn't take a lot of convincing for you to prop yourself up on three pillows, allowing suguru to guide a spoonful of broth to your lips. when you complained it was too hot he'd blow on it gently, and if your eyes watered with every painful swallow, he would murmur a soft apology. warm eyes never left yours as you slowly but surely finished the soup he had made just for you.
"better?" he whispered after you had taken a long gulp of water. you nodded, lying back down on the bed.
"stay with me," you mumbled, fingers clutching his sleeve.
"i thought you didn't want me to get sick," suguru teased but he could never say no to you.
> satoru gojo
if anything was worse than being sick, it was probably letting satoru know that you were sick. currently piled on five too many pillows and armed with enough ibuprofen to sedate a horse, you watched with tired eyes as satoru walked in with yet another armful of meds 'just in case'.
"toru, i told you it's just a cold. i don't need all of this."
"you do," he insisted, dumping the boxes onto a table. "is your fever better? do you need more vitamin c?"
"satoru, i love you but this is too much." you weakly gestured at the mini pharmacy he had created since he first heard your weak, barely imperceptible cough that morning. "it's not that serious."
"but you're sick." satoru was offended by how little you understood the dire consequences of your own ailment. "it is serious."
"not the laxative kind of sick, toru. i don't think that's even useful for a common cold."
blue eyes blinked down at you. "oh."
a sigh escaped your lips but you patted the space next to you. "come here."
satoru immediately dropped everything and obliged, all too willing to let you nestle yourself into his chest and guide his strong arms around your waist. "this helps," you hummed against his throat, cocooned in his warmth. "you feel nice."
a low scoff escaped him but it didn't ease the worry in his chest. the concept (or the actual risks) of getting sick was foreign to satoru and he couldn't let anything happen to you. "are you sure you don't want to take any other meds? what if it gets worse?"
"it won't, toru. you being here is enough."
the words were sweet enough to regain some control over his emotions, pulse slowing in his chest as you settled closer, face tucked in the crook of his neck and–
a bell rang out.
you were startled but the sheepish look on satoru's face had you narrowing your eyes. "what's that?"
a nervous smile appeared on his lips. "the doctor? i asked her to come over and check you."
yeah, it was a long day ahead.
> nanami kento
"how are you feeling, my love?" kento's palm was a nice, warm touch against your brow. it had been two days since you took that first sip of water which didn't cleared away the sore throat, and since then you'd been insisting you were fine and didn't really need to go to the clinic, much to nanami's dismay.
he felt your smile was too weak, eyes hazy with fatigue. "good, kento. don't worry about me."
your words fell on deaf ears because all nanami had done since finding out you were sick was call off work and pull open medical articles, meticulously studying them in hopes of treating your cold. it was just the flu, you had tried explaining to him many times but he had refused to listen.
the stern lines of his face seemed more drawn than usual as he fussed and fretted over your comfort, the temperature of the room, the ache in your body whenever you moved. his hands were made to hold you while you slept, massage your sore muscles, count out the meds he had purchased from the nearest pharmacy.
"does it hurt anywhere?" nanami asked, ever-so serious.
"i'm feeling better today," you said and it was true. you felt more well-rested than you had in weeks. "it was probably just the exam stress catching up to me, from the last module."
"you study too hard," nanami reprimanded, forehead creasing. "are you hungry? what do you want to eat?"
"pasta sounds good." you pretended to think about it. "and a kiss."
soft lips pressed into yours with a tender kiss, his large hand cupping your face. nanami never rushed into things and this was no different. when he finally pulled away, you wished he didn't.
"i'll prepare your lunch. sit back and rest, my love."
> toji fushiguro
you did your best to make sure he didn't know you were sick, but after your fourth sneeze of the minute it was becoming obvious. toji looked up from his tv show, frowning. "what's the matter with ya?"
"nothing." you pinched your nose shut, trying to stifle the next sneeze. "just got allergies."
"ones you didn't have in the three years before this?" he scoffed, standing up from the couch and walking over to you. his warmth enveloped your space immediately as he leaned in to search your face. "you sick or something?"
"or something," you mumbled, scooching away from him. a muscular arm blocked off your path to escape.
"don't lie to me." toji looked annoyed but it was less at you and more at the fact that he didn't catch on earlier that there was something going on with your health. "what's really going on?"
"i'm a bit sick. it'll pass." you shrugged.
"alright." and toji left you standing there, disappearing into your shared bedroom for so long you began to worry he was mad at you. then he reappeared, dressed in a fresh set of clothes and keys in hand.
"let's go to the clinic, princess. i'll drive."
at one point I lost the plot and it shows but thats OK also its so long maybe part 2 later !!
dededos
theartofmadeline
snowghoul
ellievsbear
tangentwithtanner
titsay
origamiaround