“Is Satoru in here?”
You poke a head into the teacher’s lounge, expecting to at least see Ijichi and one other auxiliary manager or personnel lounging, waiting for the coffee to dispense. Instead, you see Megumi, Nobara, and Yuuji hovering over a seated, unmoving Satoru.
Well, Nobara and Yuuji hover. Apprehensively, they peer down at him as if examining some unknown specimen, and the two of them regroup to whisper amongst themselves for a possible explanation. Megumi supervises them, back to the wall across the room, arms crossed, face vaguely suspicious.
Yuuji and Nobara greet you with waves. Megumi straightens when you approach.
“Gojo-sensei wasn’t in class,” is the explanation he offers, eyeing Satoru’s figure. “We thought he was slacking.”
A smile nudges at your lips. “So you thought you’d find him here.”
Satoru is sleeping, gaze shielded by his typical blindfold. You can tell in the almost uncanny stillness of his body. Although his students might not be able to, convinced that a prank is underway. It’s a nostalgic sight. Satoru doesn’t sleep often. Not anymore. Once, he would’ve fallen asleep on your shoulder after a particularly rigorous day while you struggled to support the full weight of his body slumped on your side. Until Suguru yanked him over to his shoulder anyway.
Now he stays awake through the nights, awake when you sleep, awake when you inevitably rise, ready to supply you with an endless amount of good morning!’s and murmured good night’s.
Nobara nods resolutely. “On three.” There’s a hammer in her hand.
Yuuji gulps. “Roger that.”
Megumi pinches the bridge of his nose. Exhales.
The lines of Satoru’s lips imperceptibly twitch.
You slowly walk over to Satoru, and meet the covered line of his sight, his head resting on a slightly reclined cushion.
“Hey,” you greet softly. “It’s rare to see you asleep.”
Satoru pulls his blindfold down to his neck, revealing his open gaze directly on yours. An easy smile curves his lips and softens his expression. “Who said I was sleeping?” He hums. “Just resting my eyes for a bit.”
“So he was sleeping—”
Yuuji’s voice wavers with awe. “You could tell?”
“Yaga-sensei’s looking for you,” you tell him.
Satoru huffs. “That's why you came to find me? Tell him I’m sleeping.” His fingers reach up, brush at your cheek. Nobara gags as Megumi corrals her and Yuuji and drags them out the door. His voice is airily unbothered. “I had a dream.”
The words take you aback. You consider your nightmares to be dreaded, dreamless sleeps to be a relief. Dreams are rare. “Was it a happy one?”
You hope for his sake, it was.
He briefly lowers his eyes, as if caught in a distant memory. “Happy enough," he says, rising to his feet and gazing at you. "But you know, I think I prefer reality."
