sweet talk.
Gojo asks Nanami to take care of Itadori on behalf of him and Geto. (Inspired by the scene at the end of "The Resurrection Puppet", the second chapter of Jujutsu Kaisen's first light novel, Summer of Ashes, Autumn of Dust.)
(Official image via Jujutsu Kaisen: Phantom Parade mobile game.)
˚ʚ♡ɞ˚
“Nanami is actually a softie, right?”
Nanami scowls at Gojo like he just called him a homophobic slur. “Why do you say that so suddenly?”
“You could divide your feelings, but it’s not like you’re okay. An adult has ways to handle the feelings that come from a bad situation, right? That’s why alcohol is a wonder drug!” Gojo holds up his non-alcoholic drink to the warm lights of the bar.
“That’s quite…uninteresting talk, but are you going to continue?”
“I’m really not teasing you at all.”
Nanami doesn’t know how to respond. He glances over at Gojo, but the older man isn’t smiling. It’s easy to tell when Gojo is serious, because it’s so uncommon for him. Nanami looks back down at his beer, not saying anything.
Gojo takes that as an opportunity to keep talking. “There’s a student I want you to look after.”
He stares at him blankly. “What?”
Gojo’s eyebrows draw together, his pretty lips pulling into a severe frown. It’s a rare expression on his face, and Nanami feels off-kilter upon seeing it. “No, scratch that. I need you to look after him. Guide him. Both me and Suguru need you to...” He’s staring at the bottles of alcohol on the shelves behind the bar. Nanami matches his frown.
“Who? Why?”
“Itadori Yuji. You know who he is, right?”
“...I heard that he died.”
“He’s keeping the King of Curses inside of him.” The bartender puts two glasses down in front of them. Gojo must’ve ordered them—they smell sweet, not like alcohol. A sugary golden liquid that carries all the precariousness of their youth, the warmth of the summer sun.
“I’m also really busy, so a chance to talk to you without anyone bothering is somewhat valuable, yeah?” Gojo picks up the mocktail and swirls it in the glass.
Nanami eyes the drink. “I understand that you hate the current sorcery world, but even so, I am a person of regulation. I don’t know what kind of expectations you and Geto-san hold for Sukuna’s vessel. But—”
“Not Sukuna’s vessel. Itadori Yuji.”
“Surely the situation is not so light that you can speak about it without separating the two.”
Gojo doesn’t look up at him. His fingers caress the rim of the glass, drawing a soft ringing sound from it. “He’s a really honest child, you know. The sweetest, most determined kid I’ve ever met. You know Suguru and I—well, Suguru can be polite, but we’re not—” It’s the closest Gojo has ever come to admitting that he and Geto are bad at something.
“Anyway…he has resolution and courage, as well as the decisiveness needed in battle. Even so, there are parts of him that are just too…straightforward. It’s really worrying when a child like that gets his heart broken even once, you know?”
A person can do kind things and not be a kind person. Being a kind person requires a level of emotional maturity that Gojo and Geto don’t have. Despite their growth, they’ve always been at each other’s throats, in each other’s hands—two teenage gods that never truly grew out of their egos. Although they’re getting better at it, they’re not quite there yet.
Nanami doesn’t think he’s a kind person. It seems Gojo and Geto disagree.
“So you’re asking me to come back.”
Gojo finally looks him in the eyes, glittering blue shining at him over the edge of his sunglasses. “Yes. I want to leave him in the care of an adult who understands other people’s pain. Someone like you.” His voice goes quiet. “...Please come back, Nanami.”
He can’t remember the word “please” ever leaving Gojo’s mouth before.
Nanami can be an indecisive person, when it comes to what he wants and who he is. But right now, he’s already made up his mind.
Maybe it’s because he’s got a soft spot for him. Maybe it’s because he’s nostalgic. Maybe it’s because Haibara once told him he was a kind person, despite his prickly demeanor. Maybe it’s because he can taste that indulgent, reckless kiss at sixteen, flavored like chocolate Pocky, when he had long hair and hated Gojo and himself. Maybe it’s because he remembers being hopelessly lost and crushed by the weight of protecting the world.
“...Alright.”
Gojo’s beautiful face splits into a brilliant smile. “I knew I could rely on you, Nanami-kun!” It’s said playfully, but there’s real warmth and affection behind it.
Nanami doesn’t know what to do with it. He swirls his drink and sighs.
“Suguru and I have always liked you because of that,” Gojo says, chuckling. Nanami bristles, the words a little too...
“What do you mean?”
“Nothing, nothing.” He’s smiling to himself like there’s a joke Nanami is missing.
“...You came here just to say such sugary-sweet words?” He sips from his glass, and he doesn’t cringe, even though it’s basically just sugar water.
Gojo downs the drink in one swallow. His eyes twinkle at him like stars. “But you know I love sweet things!”
Nanami has never been able to handle sentimentality. He should just accept the rare vulnerability Gojo has given him, asking for help on the behalf of a kid he cares about, on the behalf of him and Geto, the two strongest sorcerers in the world.
“I’ve never been good with sweets,” he says, though his voice is quieter now.
Gojo’s smile softens. It’s even more uncharacteristic than his serious look earlier, and Nanami can’t meet his gaze. “Then I’ll buy you something with real alcohol as thanks, Nanami-kun.”
The corners of Nanami’s lips quirk up into the tiniest of smiles.
“No, thank you. This is good enough for me.”
el fin. 막.
