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Chapter Text

THOUGH THE TWO OF THEM SEEMED TO KNOW EVERYTHING HAPPENING AROUND THE SCHOOL, NEITHER HAD HEARD A WORD ON THE SCENE BEFORE THEM.

Yaga was standing there with a girl who appeared to be their age. The two of them seemed to be familiar with each other, relaxed as they discussed quietly.

Suguru had noticed first, and even stopped walking, furrowing his eyebrows slightly as he tried to assess the situation.

Satoru, after noticing his friend's abrupt stop, halted as well. He followed his friend's gaze, catching sight of Yaga. Though he focused on the girl and her unfamiliar features. "There's a new student?" Satoru pointed out, tilting his head slightly. His white hair fell into his face, daring to cover his eyes.

Suguru hummed, observing the girl, "Why didn't Yaga tell us?"

The taller male asked, "Think he told Shoko?"

"She would've mentioned it." Suguru brushed off, waiting a few seconds before turning to his friend, "...Right?"

Satoru blinked, "Probably."

The two stared at each other for a moment, and then Satoru was pulling his phone from his pocket and clicking Shoko's contact. As the phone rang, the boys watched the pair. The girl turned from her dorm, saying something to Yaga before looking over her surroundings. Even though they had a few seconds to pretend they hadn't been staring, neither Suguru nor Satoru moved an inch.

"Gojo," Shoko's voice brought him back to reality, "what's up?"

"Hey, Shoko." Satoru started, watching as Yaga and the girl entered her dorm, "Have you heard of a new student?"

"Yeah," Shoko responded as though it was common knowledge, "Yaga told me about her."

Satoru turned to Suguru, his expression making what Shoko said clear as day, "Why didn't you tell us?"

"Why would I?"

Suguru leaned closer to the phone so they could both hear her responses, chiming in, "Have we seen her before?"

"She's from the Kyoto sister-school." Shoko informed after letting out a small breath, "Yaga said she transferred because of discipline."

"Discipline?" Satoru echoed, "What'd she do?"

The girl seemed to be between not wanting to spill any of the information she knew and not caring about the scene, "He didn't elaborate."

Satoru hummed, and the conversation continued like normal. But it was already too late, his interest had been caught.

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In the dorm, Yaga was trying his best to cheer up his newest student. "I know you didn't want to transfer, but this was the best solution."

"Or they could've caught him." She blurted, crossing her arms as she focused upon him.

"They—" Yaga took in a breath, struggling to form an answer. Especially when (F/N) was staring at him the way she was, the exhaustion clear in her eyes, "They tried."

She shook her head, her eyes drifting to look at the room's bleak decorations, "They didn't do anything."

Yaga had been standing by her side since her arrival, and though his presence provided her comfort, she would have preferred not to be in her position at all.

Yaga pursed his lips, "Tomorrow you'll be going on a mission with Suguru Geto and Satoru Gojo."

"Oh yeah?" At the latter name, she blinked, "Does he live up to the rumors?"

Yaga let out a deep sigh, and she felt that was all the answer she needed.

She cracked a small smile at the evident annoyance that came with the male, deciding to give him a break, "What time tomorrow?"

"Later, the car's arriving at seven."

She deadpanned at him, "That's so late."

"You're not a grandma yet."

"But that's when I lie in my bed and play on my phone. That's not socializing hour."

Yaga let out a sigh, shaking his head, certain of one thing; This year was going to be a handful.

Chapter Text

SHE HAD SAID A TOTAL OF THREE WORDS IN THE LAST HOUR.

"Call me (F/N)."

That was it.

Everything else they had learned, or assumed, was from observation. Most of which came from Suguru's careful watch.

She seemed quite timid. She kept to herself, practically pressed against the side of the vehicle to not accidentally brush against Satoru sitting in the middle. She fiddled with her fingers a lot, not even the cursed weapon she had brought along, and she was avoiding eye contact. More specifically, she wouldn't meet Suguru's eye. It bothered him. She would occasionally glance at Satoru, but whenever her eyes drifted to Suguru, they always seemed unfocused—but though they may linger around the car, they never met his eye.

What was so wrong with his eyes that they were impossible to look at? Usually, people had more problems making eye contact with Satoru than with him. If Suguru had cared enough, he might've blurted such a question into the car's air. However, he simply kept his mouth shut, his eyes finally directed to the driver as he and Satoru spoke over the mission.

It was a simple one, a first-grade curse had been causing problems, so they were sent to take care of it.

They were dropped off on the side of a road, near a warehouse that the curse was said to be hiding in. The two males knew well where they were, as they were still in Tokyo, just a more rural area. So, once the car left (with the warning that the driver would be back in an hour) the three began to walk.

(F/N) trailed behind them, a healthy distance between them. That was until she had stopped to look at something a bit away. The two took the moment to talk amongst themselves, although, their words had little relevance to the mission.

"She's quiet." Satoru pointed out, leaning close to his friend subconsciously. They were almost touching shoulders, at least, they would be if his infinity was off.

"Hmm." Suguru hummed in agreement, his response vague, his gaze fixated on her. Satoru's eyes wandered shamelessly over her, taking in every detail of her appearance. His gaze lingered on her legs, his lips twitching into a barely perceptible sly smile. Suguru noticed his friend's wandering gaze and nudged him with an elbow, his expression cool, "Stop ogling." He scolded.

Satoru shrugged nonchalantly, his smile widening into a small grin, "Can you blame me?"

Suguru rolled his eyes, feigning annoyance, "Just focus on the mission." He muttered, trying to redirect Satoru's attention—with no such luck.

Satoru chuckled softly, a playful glint in his eyes, "I can multi-task. I'm quite skilled."

Suguru let out an exasperated sigh, but a hint of amusement flickered across his face.

Before he could make a retort, (F/N) spoke up. Her fingers were raised, lazily fiddling with her lips, "Do you two know where the warehouse is?" She asked, finally speaking to them.

Satoru's smirk widened slightly, his gaze lingering on her slender fingers as they traced her lip. "Yeah, we do."

Suguru cleared his throat, to get his friend to focus on him and stop being so obvious. His sunglasses didn't stop his eyes from being seen entirely. Though maybe from her distance she couldn't see his gaze. He hoped that was the case, or she'd never relax around them, "It's not far from here." He assured, flicking his bang out of his face.

She nodded slowly, focusing back on the sidewalk before her. Suguru and Satoru fell into step beside her, both stealing occasional glances.

It was the latter who couldn't help but make conversation, blurting out, "You're not much of a talker, huh?"

"Hm?" (F/N) turned to him, blinking slightly as though she had been lost in her thoughts, "Oh, not really."

"We heard you were transferred for discipline." Satoru raised a curious eyebrow, dipping his head slightly to try and meet her eye, "You must've been quite the handful if they sent you all the way over here."

She offered a small smile that seemed more like a wince, her eyes focused on the distance, "They were certainly sick of the paperwork." Her eyes caught sight of a large building on the edge of the tall trees, and she was swift to bring attention to it instead, "Is that the warehouse?"

Both males nodded, their gazes shifting to the building, "Yeah, that's it." Suguru confirmed.

They approached the warehouse, its looming presence casting a shadow over them. The trees weren't helping the sudden darkness, as they blocked the light from the streetlamps. Something else she noticed was how quiet it was. Only the sound of the gentle breeze moving the branches around them filled the air. No sound of nature. No birds. No river. Not even the sound of any passing cars on the road. It was unnatural.

A sudden chill ran down (F/N)'s spine, her heartbeat quickening in nervousness despite the confidence she knew she should have, especially with her new classmates.

Satoru's smirk remained, his gaze flicking between her and the building, "Ready?"

Suguru pushed past the two without waiting for a response, making his way to the door, "Let's get this over with."

Her chest was filled with trepidation as she entered behind the male. The warehouse was quiet, even more so than outside. No longer was there a gentle breeze, but a piercing cold, stuffy feeling to the room that made her feel stuck. She grasped the sleeves of her uniform's top, glad to have long sleeves.

She tried to listen as they ventured further into the warehouse, but the only noise that met her ear was the sound of their own footsteps. That and the sound of her heart pounding.

While it was dark in the warehouse there were still lights in the upper parts, moonlight peeking through and illuminating select areas. Mostly higher shelves and boxes. It made her feel uneasy, and suddenly the big name standing beside her didn't make her feel as excited to be on the mission as she had been when speaking to Yaga.

"There it is," Satoru's voice called out, the distance making her suddenly realize that he had drifted from her and Suguru, having followed the cursed energy to the darkest area of the warehouse.

(F/N) followed his stare to the corner of the room. The curse was in the corner; its figure was covered slightly by the shadows. Even then she could see a multitude of eyes peeking at her, from all over the curse's frame.

"Ladies first." Satoru suddenly piped, causing her to turn to him with wide eyes. He was standing there, a bright grin on his face. He seemed so casual that it was as if there was truly no threat.

Suguru shared a cheeky glance with Satoru, giving in swiftly, "We insist," he added on.

She kept her eyes pinned on the curse, her grip tightening on her cursed weapon. It was a medium-sized blade, thin, so it could cut through air as quickly as it did its target. Then, she imbued her cursed energy into the weapon, eyeing the curse as its eyes all began to lock on her at once. She knew it was the moment to strike, so she took in a deep breath. She looked for a target, then, the weapon was thrown out of her hand, flying at the curse and slicing into one of the eyes on the curse's arms.

"Nice shot," Satoru piped, the two males settling for watching off to the side. They were both strangely casual about the situation, their confidence making it seem more like a joke.

The curse let out a pained howl as her weapon struck its mark, stumbling even further into the darkness.

"I can't miss when I'm still controlling it," she informed, moving her hands as she used her technique. Before the two boys knew it, the blade was coming back at them, slicing through another eye on the curse's leg before it landed back in her hand.

Suguru turned to her, a new curiosity unlocked as he questioned, "You control it even after it leaves your hand?"

"I can levitate almost anything if my cursed energy has been imbued into it," she explained shortly.

She must've been too distracted by the conversation as suddenly a figure darted out from the shadows, lunging towards them with uncanny speed. Her eyes widened as the curse pushed past the two males, rushing in front of her before she could blink. Still, she managed to place her hand firmly on the curse, pushing her cursed energy onto it. Then, she managed to focus the energy into flinging the curse across the warehouse, knocking into multiple objects as it harshly landed. The impact echoed loudly within the warehouse, causing a cascade of objects to crash to the ground.

"Damn." Satoru let out a loud whistle, a boyish grin on his face as he looked over the damage done to the shelves. It was quite the mess.

She tightened her lips, feeling an ache in her arms. She swiftly warned, "It'll get back up..."

"We've got it from here," Satoru assured, already moving in front of her.

Suguru followed suit, his expression becoming more resolute, "Just stay close."

The three turned their attention back to the curse as it began to stir once more, its form slowly climbing back to its feet. It had definitely taken some damage from her technique, its movements slightly sluggish as it regained its bearings. Satoru and Suguru immediately fell back into their previous defensive stances, their eyes fixed on the curse with unwavering focus.

After that, (F/N) wasn't too sure what exactly had happened. What she did know, was that Satoru and Suguru were an electric pairing when it came to the battlefield. Yet, sort of enigmatic. She wasn't sure why their techniques worked so well together, or what balanced them out. However, the curse had swiftly been taken care of, the curse hardly being left around long enough to make a short show out of its demise.

As the curse had been successfully exorcised, Satoru couldn't help but let out a satisfied laugh, his ego clearly boosted by his own display. Suguru, on the other hand, rolled his eyes slightly at Satoru's attitude, "Always gotta show off, huh?"

Satoru simply shrugged, "Can't help it." His eyes then focused on (F/N), his gaze lingering on her for a moment, "Besides, I had to put on a good show for our special guest."

She deadpanned at him, "Why do I feel like you always try to show off?"

Satoru feigned a look of pain, placing a hand over his chest as though it had suddenly taken a blow, "What? You look impressed, right?" His act dropped entirely as his playful demeanor returned tenfold, "Admit it. You're impressed."

"Of course I'm impressed," she huffed, "This is nothing like Kyoto." Even though her words held a somber undertone, likely homesick of some sort, a small smile graced her face.

After noticing the expression, Satoru perked up, "There it is. You should smile more. It suits you."

However, (F/N) didn't smile at the compliment. Instead, she became more similar to how she had first appeared, almost shying into herself like an armadillo hiding in its shell. Was she flustered? Satoru's eyes scanned her face, trying to pick up any micro expression that could give her mood away. There was no flush to her cheek, no obvious sign of attraction. If she wasn't flustered, she must be nervous, that much he determined. But why would she be nervous at a simple compliment?

His expression twitched, and he took to teasing to try and gain an answer. Satoru leaned in closer, daring to invade her personal space as a smirk playing at the corners of his lips when he finally met her eye, "Why the sudden shy act? I was just giving a compliment."

"I'm not good with compliments," she returned, returning to a more stoic expression than flustered as she inched away. Her eyes were focused on their surroundings, mostly the breeze coming through the open doors.

"Not good with compliments, huh?" The white-haired male let out a breath, eyes suddenly moving to follow Suguru who was moving towards the exit of the warehouse, "That's a shame. Someone as cute as you should be used to them."

Suguru stopped by the door, glancing over his shoulder to comment, "You just can't help yourself, can you?"

She sweat-dropped, finally focusing on Suguru as she followed him to the door, "Is he always like this?" (F/N) inquired, her voice holding a playful tone.

Suguru nodded, his expression both amused and exasperated, "Unfortunately, yes." He answered, the two of them beginning to walk from the warehouse, not glancing to see if Satoru was following, "He's always like this."

She let out a small laugh, changing the subject before Satoru could complain, "Is the driver where we left them?"

Satoru had caught up quickly, falling in step on the other side of (F/N). As they walked along the sidewalk, his eyes drifted to the area where they were dropped off. "Yeah, they should still be there."

"Took longer than I thought," Suguru hummed, checking the time on his phone. He turned it to show them, and she sighed. It had been two and a half hours since they were picked up, now 9:30pm. "Let's get going."

The white-haired male only let the quiet settle for a few seconds before he spoke up, "Not too bad, newbie."

She furrowed her eyebrows, folding her arms, "I barely did anything."

"Still," Satoru waved off, "you're fun to watch."

"You make it sound weird." Suguru piped, leaning forward to look at Satoru around the girl.

"Stop trying to make me look bad.!" Satoru retorted, not bothering to look around the girl, only glaring over her.

The shorter male didn't even spare him a glance, "You do that yourself."

(F/N) grinned at their banter, shaking her head. While she didn't think it could get worse than Kyoto, it might actually be fun in Tokyo. For the first day in almost a year, she was excited to see what the next day held.

Chapter Text

THOUGH SHE HAD ENDED ON A GOOD NOTE WITH THE MALES YESTERDAY, SHE HAD CHANGED HER JUDGEMENT. They were annoying—Very much so. Mostly Satoru, yet Suguru always tagged along, so he was clumped into the negative feeling alongside his best friend.

Satoru had been pestering (F/N) since she arrived in the classroom, throwing a million questions about her cursed technique. He had even moved his desk closer to hers, leaning over in his chair in an attempt to get in her face. She hadn't known how, but her desk ended up in the middle of his and Suguru's. A strange thing, as she would've assumed they sat right next to each other before she came.

Satoru's latest question was possibly the most annoying; he wanted her to use her technique on him.

"Can you throw me?" Satoru had asked more than eleven times in the last ten minutes, and if he weren't in the classroom she could imagine him lying on his stomach and kicking his feet like a teenage girl.

She had never wanted to see Yaga enter the classroom any more than in that moment. She kept her eyes focused on the chalkboard, not wanting to give Satoru any of the attention he was pleading for.

She didn’t know why the male was so insistent on trying to speak to her. The curiosity in her technique was excusable, but the inquiry’s about little things—like her favorite color, were questionable.

"No." At her swift denial, Satoru let out a loud whine and she rolled her eyes, explaining, "I could try but your cursed energy is greater than mine, so it would require more of my energy."

The explanation did little to deter him, instead, it spurred him on, "So, what I'm hearing is I'm helping you train." He leaned forward, a teasing tone taking over his voice.

She stared at him for a moment, slowly letting out a sigh. In an attempt to change the subject, she brought up the missing student, "Where's Shoko?"

"I'm not sure," Suguru spoke up for the first time in a few minutes. He had settled for simply watching the two interact with attentive eyes. His eyes were now focused on the door, waiting for either their other friend or their teacher to enter. However, both seemed to be taking their time.

(F/N) opened her mouth to ask another question but before she could respond the male to her left spoke up again, his voice much closer than before, "Can you lift me, please?"

When she felt warm breath fan her face, her eyes widened. She turned to look at Satoru and her heart began to pound in her chest when she noticed how close they were, practically touching noses. On instinct, her hand reached out and placed against his chest, her cursed energy flowing between them to toss him backwards.

Satoru went flying off his chair as she leaned back, accidentally brushing against Suguru's side. As Satoru hit the wall, she felt a shiver and sat up straight, realizing she was still pressed against Suguru's side, "Sorry for leaning on you!" she was quick to blurt, jerking back to her seat.

But Suguru only waved her off, his expression unbothered—like he had hardly noticed, "I don't mind." The touch was minimal, and it wasn’t like it had been unpleasant, or unwelcome.

She looked at him, meeting his eye. And how he wished he had seen her gaze yesterday. Sure, she had met his eye later on the drive home when a casual conversation had started, but it was only glances, and it had been dark, only lit by the occasional passing headlight or streetlamp.

But now, it felt like he was stuck, pinned by the window of her soul. The color of them was even more beautiful in the light. He couldn't look away from her, trapped in the color that he had never thought to be so beautiful. That was, until there was a shuffle at the door to the classroom.

The entire scene in the room froze.

"What's going on?" Yaga's voice filled the room and the three awkwardly turned to the doorway.

Satoru, despite recovering from the toss, was grinning as he answered, "Training!" He beamed, seeming delighted that he had annoyed (F/N) enough to use her technique on him, even more so that it had caused an ache in his back. The small pain meant that he had won his battle of bothering her. He basically skipped back to his seat, resuming an innocent expression.

(F/N) looked at the wall and winced, there was a small dent in it. She was swift to turn back to Yaga, hoping he didn't notice.

Yaga only sighed at the three, deciding to move on, "Where's Shoko?" His eyes focused on the empty seat.

Suguru shrugged slightly, "We don't know."

Yaga pursed his lips, moving to his desk, "I guess we'll start and hope she shows up soon."

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Shoko had shown up after a few minutes, having been busy taking a smoke break.

Class had gone by quickly, (F/N) keeping her eyes pinned to her notepad. That was mostly because of the glances from the males around her. Yaga hadn't paid much attention, but she swore that both Suguru and Satoru had been constantly looking at her. A part of her, the more paranoid side, wondered if they were talking about her behind her back.

That thought made her rush out of class, swiftly packing her items and leaving the class. She ignored Yaga's concerned glance as she did so.

She was only about ten steps from the door when she felt two presences on either side of her.

"Have any plans today?" Satoru called out as his arm reached out, wrapping around her shoulder. It was so casual that it almost seemed like he hadn't even thought about doing it before he was. It was a bit strange talking to the males, as it seemed they had instantly warmed up. Even though she knew it wasn't true, she felt like she had known them for years.

"I do." She nodded, keeping her answer short as she focused on in front of them. Though she felt her heartbeat picking up in either anxiety or her inability to calm her fluster-ness at the attractive male’s touch.

Satoru let out a disappointed whine, "What are we supposed to do?"

"Anything else.," she piped, glancing at him with a tired expression.

"We just enjoy your company," Suguru chimed in, hands tucked in his uniform's pockets, "Is that a crime?"

"It should be," her playful retort came out fast.

The white haired male let out a loud boisterous laugh, "Damn, you're really something, you know that?" He pulled his arm from her shoulders, letting it drop to his side.

"I'd love to hang out," she paused, letting the first part linger in the air before she added on, "but, I need to catch up on studies. Your class was a little ahead of Kyoto's, so I'm behind."

"We could help you study," Suguru offered as they neared the female dorms. Even though he was less obvious than the clingy Satoru, he also found himself wanting to learn more about the girl. Call it curiosity for a breath of fresh air.

(F/N) muttered, "You two are more of a distraction than anything."

Satoru, having heard her, gasped dramatically, a hand on his chest. Both actions were ignored by the other two.

While there was a bit of disappointment in his chest, Suguru reluctantly understood. So, a small smile gracing his handsome features, "Understandable. I have notes if you need them."

She returned his smile, shaking her head lightly, "Thank you, but I should be good for now." She didn't want to rely on him, especially so early on in their friendship. She had practically just met him.

After saying their goodbyes, the two males left her side, keeping quiet until they were far enough for her not to hear their words. It was when Satoru glanced back at the girl that he noticed someone had taken their spot in speaking to her. Shoko was now standing beside her, talking to (F/N) with a small, crooked smile.

Satoru's expression went blank at the sight, a hint of annoyance haunting his tone as he blurted, "She told us no, but then goes and talks to her? What's so different?"

"I can name at least three things—" Suguru responded immediately.

"No," Satoru groaned.

"Maybe she's just not ready to hang out with us." The dark-haired male shrugged, finally pulling his hands from his pockets to fold his arms, "Stranger danger."

Satoru brushed off his words, "We're not strangers."

"Don't be dim." Suguru sighed.

The taller male gasped as though he had been slapped, "Dim?!"

Suguru ignored his friend's outburst, instead, his eyes were back on the two girls as he thought aloud, "She doesn't know Shoko, however, she's also not begging her to get thrown across the room."

A bright grin flew on Satoru's face, "It was awesome."

Suguru shook his head at his friend's words. "No wonder she doesn't want to be by us."

"Says you." The other male huffed, nudging his friend's shoulder, "She's fine with you."

The shorter male deadpanned at his friend, slowly asking, "Need I repeat my last point?"

Satoru grumbled something under his breath, finishing it with a dramatic groan, "Whatever."

"We shouldn't overwhelm her," Suguru explained, "especially if you actually want her to enjoy our presence."

"What-ever," he dragged out, practically stomping off in the direction of the male dorms.

Suguru placed his hands into his pockets, a smile cracking on his lips at his friend's attitude. He watched him for a moment before following him.

Chapter Text

A FEW DAYS HAD PASSED, AND (F/N) FOUND HERSELF FAVORING SHOKO'S PRESENCE OUT OF EVERYONE IN THE TOKYO SCHOOL. Unlike her other two classmates, the girl wasn't extremely overwhelming. Shoko was calm, but (F/N) figured that had something to do with the at least a pack of cigarettes she was smoking every day.

So, when Shoko asked her to hang out, she couldn't say no.

The two girls made their way out of the school building, walking to the front of the school’s property. However, Yaga caught the pair just before they managed to leave the school's property.

He called out to them, his eyes focused on Shoko at first, "Can I speak to (F/N) for a moment?"

Shoko shrugged, raising her phone and messing off as she moved to the side, pretending not to listen as she let the two have their moment.

With the girl gone, (F/N) could feel the full impact of the teacher's concerned gaze, "How are you feeling?" Yaga asked, his voice quieter, knowing of Shoko's hustling ear.

"Better," she responded simply. The answer was true. She was better, though where she had come from had been a lot worse, and practically anything was better than that. Despite the dark cloud that seemed to follow her at all times, she had at least been able to smile the last week. That was an improvement.

The man nodded, "If that ever changes, you know you can tell me, right?"

(F/N) gave him a pointed look, reminding him, "You're my emergency contact for a reason."

Yaga let out a breath, his arm reaching out to place a gentle but firm hand on her shoulder, "I mean it though."

"I know you do." She offered a timid smile, seeming to genuinely relax at the man's words. After a few seconds, she brought up, "I called the doctor, my mom's doing good."

"That's good to hear. It's good to see you getting out." (F/N) nodded at Yaga’s words, folding her arms as she glanced at Shoko. "I'm happy it's her, out of all of my students. The other two are something else..."

"They don't seem that bad." She piped while she shrugged, folding her arms.

"They aren't." While it was playful, Yaga didn't seem to want to let go of the two being troublesome. She could only imagined all the issues that had caused for him, "Usually. But it's always the strong ones that cause trouble."

(F/N) pursed her lips, her gaze dropping.

Noticing the moment of quiet between the two, Shoko decided to pipe in. She stayed further away, her hands raised to carry her deadpan voice further, "(F/N), can we get going?"

Said girl perked up, giving Yaga a smile before catching up with the girl, "Yeah."

She and Shoko intertwined their arms and for once, (F/N) thought she might have an enjoyable and peaceful day.

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Meanwhile, back at Jujitsu High, Satoru was set on finding (F/N) to bother. He had yet to see Suguru that day, as it was only morning, but he wasn't waiting for his friend to help with his what some would call "stalking." He called it “expressing his interest”. He didn’t like the girl per se, but there was a part of him who thought it would soon change.

It was interest. Hell, a crush. Just that. Nothing more.

He found himself already trying to seek her out. His eyes gravitated towards her in conversation, his lips twitched upwards at her generally awkward nature. He found himself dubbing her “cute” in his thoughts. He’s always try to touch her (the other day he’d pretended that she had a bug in her hair just so he could subtly run his fingers through it).

Satoru had knocked on (F/n)'s dorm, but no one had answered. So, he couldn't help but use his technique to help him find her.

His Six Eyes looked around the area, catching sight of the girl's cursed energy, noticing that she hadn't been alone when she left. Shoko had been with her. The male hummed to himself, his eyes caught on the energy, following the trail he could see until it met up with another energy, Yaga's. Though, Yaga's path split from the girls', so—

"Satoru," Suguru's voice suddenly rang out in the air, causing the other male to jump slightly. He turned to his friend just as Suguru asked, "What are you doing?"

The white-haired male furrowed his eyebrows slightly as his friend grew closer. Satoru called out, "Why are you by the girl dorms?"

Satoru wondered if his friend was there for the same reason. To spend time with the girl. He couldn’t help but think about his friend. Satoru had never seen him have a crush before. A part of him didn’t know if Suguru could have feelings for someone. But if he was waiting for (F/N) by her dorm…

Suguru tilted his head and stopped a few steps before him. "Why are you?" He returned, his composure showing he wouldn't answer the question until he did.

Satoru was quiet for a few seconds, considering his reply before blurting, "I asked first." Suguru only stared at him. Satoru felt his resolve swiftly crumbling and he turned the other way, happy his sunglasses covered some of his cheeks. A small flush found them as he admitted, "I'm trying to find (F/N)."

"And..?" Suguru prompted, his voice unwavering as he tried to get his friend to spill everything.

"She's with Shoko." Suguru nodded at Satoru's answer, pulling out his phone and clicking on the latter girl's contact. Satoru blinked in bewilderment, "What are you doing?"

Suguru gave the taller male a tired look, turning the phone screen as though it would make Satoru understand more, "Well, do you want to continue to follow their cursed energy like a creep or just ask Shoko where they are?"

"Oh." For a moment, he had forgotten that there could be such a simple solution to finding the missing girl.

The phone rang about five times before Shoko picked it up with a question, "Geto, what's up?"

"Hey, Shoko. Where are you right now?" He swiftly added, "Satoru and I want to hang out."

"I'm out with (F/N)." Shoko paused for a few seconds before adding, "I'd have to ask her if you guys can join."

Suguru hummed, "If you could."

A sigh passed before there was some rushed whispering. The two males glanced at each other in slight concern, trying their hardest to overhear. A small smile grew on his lips as Suguru tried to imagine the other girl's expression at the moment. Whether she was excited or annoyed.

After a few seconds, Shoko's answer came with a sigh, "We're downtown, by KFC."

Before the call went slack, Suguru warned, "We'll be there soon."

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Back with the girls, Shoko hung up the phone with a sigh. She glanced to her left, not too far, where (F/N) was sitting. The two had swiftly grown close, quite literally. (F/N) had her head on the girl's shoulder and her right foot lazily wrapped around Shoko's left ankle. Shoko didn't mind the touch, especially since now they were simply resting there and waiting for the boys.

"Are you sure that you don't mind them coming?" Shoko asked, not wanting to make the girl uncomfortable by adding too many people too fast, "If you don't want them to come, I can tell them not to."

She shook her head, "I don't have a problem with them coming." (F/N) admitted.

Shoko nodded, relieved she didn't have to call the male back with awkward news, "They're pretty chill, once you get over how annoying they are."

"Probably," she laughed to herself, "I just don't really talk to a lot of people so it's a little strange getting to know others."

"You say that, but you're hugging me like a koala," Shoko pointed out.

(F/N) pulled her head back, gazing at her playfully, "...I'll go back to my dorm right now."

"No, no," Shoko ushered her back to her side, "not necessary."

While a quiet took over the pair, (F/N) found herself smiling to herself. She was happy that she had found a friend in Shoko.

A few seconds passed with them simply watching the citizens walk by before Shoko asked, "You haven't met Nanami and Haibara yet, have you?"

Not recognizing the name, (F/N) furrowed her eyebrows, "Who?"

"The second years. I think you'd like them." The other young woman thought for a moment, humming to herself before nodding at her own thoughts, voicing, "Especially Haibara, he's really sweet—"

"(F/N)! Shoko!" Of course, it was Satoru's voice they heard over the passing crowd.

"Sounds like they're here," Shoko mused.

"Couldn't tell," the other girl joked back, nudging Shoko's arm.

Satoru stopped before them, leaning forward slightly, "You miss us?"

"Could've gone longer with my quiet time," (F/N) retorted swiftly, pulling from Shoko to stand.

"Oh!" Satoru was dramatically placing a hand on his chest, reeling as though injured, "How you wound me!"

Suguru ignored his friend's dramatics, instead offering the two girls a small smile, "Have you two eaten yet?"

"We did," Shoko nodded, informing, "we were going to go for a walk."

"Where?" Suguru asked.

"The park down a few blocks," Shoko answered.

"What's it called again?" Satoru chimed in.

The brunette thought to herself for a few seconds before shrugging, "I don't know."

"You don't know?" Satoru called out, tilting his head.

Shoko raised an eyebrow at him, "Do you know?"

The white-haired male blinked a few times before he turned to (F/N), "Do you know?"

She gave him a look, "I hardly know where I am right now."

"Damn." Satoru nodded as if he had forgotten she had only recently transferred, "Good point."

Suguru spoke up, eyes focusing on the sky above them, and the looming sunset, "Let's get going before it gets dark."

The walk to the park was quick and full of conversation. Mostly the two boys were asking about her, and how they hadn't seen her before. Since the first-year students didn't participate, and she had been on a mission the second year, she hadn't been to either of the student exchange games.

If she had been, they would've surely noticed.

A little bit past the tall, looming trees, there was a playground, empty of people as the sky darkened even further. There was the peaceful sound of nature, some birds tweeting and flying between the skinny branches. The sunlight was somewhat blocked, making it seem darker everywhere but on the playground itself where there was an opening in the leaves above it.

Satoru perked up at the sight of the swing set, rushing forward to take a seat on one of the swings, calling out, "(F/N)! Push me!"

She smiled, shaking her head slightly, "No thank you."

"Suguru!" Satoru tried the next closest person, looking at his best friend with pleading eyes, "Push me!"

Not more than five seconds passed before Suguru was declining, "No." He turned, his eyes looking over the trees.

Satoru let out a huff, extending his legs straight into the tanbark, "Please?"

"You're ridiculous," Shoko mused, moving behind the male to push the swing by the chain holding it up. It was a comical sight, the large eighteen-year-old being pushed by the shorter, tired-looking girl.

"I'm never allowed to enjoy myself," Satoru pouted dramatically.

"I'd say you should cry about it, but you already are." Shoko piped, stepping back as Satoru began to swing higher.

Satoru almost face-planted off the swing from how shocked he was at the girl's words, "Shoko!"

"It's getting dark," (F/N) piped, glancing at the sky.

"Oh, we should head back then," Shoko responded first, stepping out of the way of the swing. Satoru's expression went slack as he stopped swinging his legs, jumping off at the next peak.

"We barely got to hang out," Satoru complained, adjusting the sunglasses on his face as they had slipped slightly when he jumped off.

The brunette scrunched her face slightly, "We see each other every day."

"In class." Satoru huffed, "We don't get to talk while Yaga does."

(F/N) looked around the open area, now noticing that Suguru was standing off to the side, his attention in the trees, "If I'm remembering correctly, you were talking while Yaga was." She piped, choosing not to say anything about the other male.

"Which I was scolded for," Satoru reminded, a faux disappointed expression covering his face.

Shoko chimed in, "I'm going to make a hang out with the second years, if you want to come."

"Why?" Satoru deadpanned at her.

"(F/N) hasn't met them." The brunette informed.

"Oh," the white-haired male hummed, "when?"

"Whenever we're all free."

As the two friends began to talk, (F/N) felt a bit secluded. She stood there awkwardly for only a few seconds as a presence came to her side.

Suguru was suddenly nudging her arm, his voice low as he inquired, "Do you like cats?"

The question settled in her mind, and she nodded, "Yeah."

He offered a hand out, and she furrowed her eyebrows while accepting it. (F/N) couldn't help the warmth that she felt spread over her body at the touch. She wasn't able to help her reaction. Suguru was quite cute. He led her to the side of the playground, Shoko and Satoru's voices still chattering as the pair traveled to the edge of the playground. On the tree line, there were two small green eyes peeking through. The pitch-black fur of the small cat blended into the darkness.

She let go of Suguru's hand, not focusing on the lack of warmth like he was as she smiled at the cat, "Aww," she cooed, crouching slowly while extending her hand for the small animal to smell. The feline smelt her, then inched closer.

"It's a shame we're not allowed to have pets," Suguru mentioned, watching the girl as she began to softly pet the animal's fur.

(F/N) piped, "Yaga might let me if I ask."

"You and he are close?" As he continued the conversation, he kept his voice quiet so as not to scare off the animal.

"He's friends with my mom; I've known him since I was younger."

There were two hands on her shoulders, "Really?" Satoru's voice called out, the male's face looming over her shoulder.

She jumped, Satoru holding her in place as she turned to stare at him with wide eyes, "Holy shit!" She let out, her hand moving to cover her mouth.

The cat had run back at the girl's screech, rushing into the trees. When she noticed she frowned, standing and brushing the dirt off her pants.

"What?" Satoru let go of her shoulders, letting the girl stand beside him as he playfully inquired, "Did I scare you?"

"You know you did." (F/N) grumbled, deciding to focus on Suguru who was moving to a stand beside her.

"Sorry sweetheart," he offered a grin, placing a swift, cheeky kiss to her cheek before moving to the path home, "couldn't help myself."

She kept quiet, her cheeks heating up slightly as she watched him with wide eyes. Even though she was quite physically affectionate, she hadn't expected him and Suguru to be also.

Satoru's eyes felt nerve-wreckingly observant as he focused on her expression, focusing on how she avoided eye contact, "Are you blushing?"

She had been kissed on the cheek before, but Satoru wasn't the same as the other people who had done so. He was charming, and attractive, very much so. It threw her off. Her heartbeat was quick as she retorted, "I think I'll go back to Kyoto now." Truly, there was no way she'd head back to Kyoto. Especially with the ongoing trouble she had left behind.

"Impossible," Suguru's large hand reached out to pat on her shoulder. When she looked up to meet his eyes, she saw a warm smile on his lips, "You're stuck with us now." If the words had been said by anyone but Suguru in his calm but playful voice, she may have been unnerved. However, her heart only picked up further, but not from fear.

"What about Friday?" Shoko suddenly piped up.

"What?" The two males asked in unison.

"Hanging out with the second years."

The trio began to chat and (F/N) found herself glad that the topic had changed.

She wasn't sure if she'd be able to handle the two males, not when she could feel the butterflies beginning to form in her stomach.

Chapter Text

SHOKO HAD LATER BROUGHT UP THE SECOND YEARS AGAIN, SAYING SHE WOULD MAKE A HANGOUT FOR EVERYONE. That was why when her phone went off, (F/N) wasn't surprised by the text message asking her to come to the library and bring her notes.

Sitting there alongside Shoko were two males. One was a taller blonde with a large side bang. The other was a shorter male with round brown hair and a bright smile.

Once she got closer, the three turned to her and she felt a pinch of embarrassment before she could even sit, "Sorry I'm late."

"It's fine," Shoko brushed off swiftly, motioning to the seat by her, "you actually beat the other two."

"Good."

As (F/N) put her notebook on the table, Shoko added, "These are the second years."

The brown-haired male was first, leaning forward a bit over the table from his seat across from her. "I'm Haibara!"

The blonde had his lips tightened, seeming a bit nervous all of a sudden. "Nanami."

"I'm (F/N)," she offered a smile, taking in a bit of enthusiasm from Haibara's grin, "it's nice to meet you two."

"So," Haibara piped, his smile calming but his excitement remaining as he questioned, "you're the transfer student? That's so cool. How's Kyoto?"

"It's really nice." She tried to keep an upbeat tone when saying it, but she couldn't fake her excitement around that school with the memories of it haunting her mind.

Noticing her sudden mood switch, the youngest male piped, "We heard about Sae. I'm sorry."

(F/N), for a moment, froze entirely. A scene seemed to play in her mind, an entire relationship—a friendship, beginning to an abrupt end, all flashing before her eyes. Slowly, she snapped into reality, nodding, "Yeah, it's tough."

"I hope he gets found soon."

"I do too—"

"Hey, guys!" Satoru's voice called out in a sing-song voice.

She had never been more relieved to see the white haired male. As he came over, the mood was instantly lifted.

A whine left his throat as he moved to stand behind (F/N), his hands lamely grasping her shoulders as he leaned over her to peer at the papers, a look of disappointment on his face, "Shoko, you said we were hanging out, not studying."

One thing (F/N) didn't like about Jujitsu High was that on top of learning about curses and going on missions, they still had to complete general education. While being quite the nerd himself, Satoru seemed to agree with such.

"We're still together," Shoko shrugged, giving the male a glance out of the side of her eyes.

"But we could be enjoying our time," his hands moved, as if lamely hugging the girl around her shoulders, "not staring at numbers."

She was happy that the male was unable to see her expression in his position because she was certain she was a bit obviously flustered.

"You complain a lot," Suguru piped up, moving to slide into the open spot next to (F/N).

His actions made Satoru's hold go slack, his jaw dropping as well. "Suguru, I was going to sit there," his right arm moved to playfully slap his friend's bicep.

Suguru turned slowly at him, his expression only to be described as "shit-eating" without the acclaimed grin, "What'd I just say?"

Satoru grumbled something before relenting, settling for the seat between Shoko and Nanami.

Once everyone had settled into casual chatter, (F/N) tried to focus on her homework. She was trying to do one of the later assignments Yaga had given her to try and progress her knowledge without study sessions (which she heavily denied wanting). However, she found that she wasn't as successful at teaching herself as she first thought. Now, after scribbling out her incorrect answer, she was glaring at the paper like it had done something personally to her bloodline.

She felt Suguru leaning closer to her, peering at her paper. After a few seconds of judging, she heard his voice come quietly by her ear, "You...kind of suck at this."

She frowned at him dramatically, facing him and slightly backing away when she realized how close he was—about three inches from bumping noses, "I thought you were my friend." She mused, not taking any harm from his words.

It was true unfortunately. She did suck at it.

Suguru didn't even blink before retorting, "It's my duty as your friend to tell you that you suck at this."

(F/N) rolled her eyes, nudging his arm as if telling him to back off before explaining, "There's more catch-up work than I'd prefer. I'm learning topics you had months on in days."

"If you need more help, which..." The male eyed the paper of notes, almost wincing at it, "I believe you do; my door is open. I even helped Satoru with this topic when we learned it."

She was a bit taken aback, her heartbeat quickening as she nodded, "I appreciate it."

Haibara, who had been chattering about his homework with Nanami, piped, "Does anyone remember how to do this?" He turned his paper to face the third years, all of whom recognized the equations.

(F/N) perked up, finding it to be one of the few mathematical formulas she had been good at implementing, "I do!"

"That's surprising," Suguru chimed in, leaning his chin onto his hand as he gave the girl a side eye.

"Shush," she raised her hand, playfully pretending to cover his mouth with the back of her palm. She was so focused on reading the problem on the paper, that she missed Suguru moving closer to her hand until he pressed his lips against it. She swiftly moved her hand back, looking at him with wide eyes. But he only offered an innocent expression.

She tried to ignore him as she helped Haibara, but she could feel his stare lingering. After a minute or two, she could focus on the words on the paper.

Suguru, meanwhile, could not move on.

His lips felt a tingle, a warmth covering his frame as his eyes looked over hers. The way her hair fell over her shoulders. A gleam of genuine care in her eyes as she looked over the assignment. The subtle arch to her back as she subconsciously shifted to fix her posture. When he finally looked up, he met Satoru's eyes. The two of them stared at each other for a moment, a small smirk growing on the taller male's face before he glanced away.

After about twenty or thirty minutes, Satoru decided he had had enough of the library, "I'm hungry," he piped.

"You just got here and you're already hungry?" Shoko piped.

"I didn't eat beforehand," he defended, raising his hands innocently.

"Snacks sound good?" Haibara asked.

"It's getting hotter." Nanami spoke up, "We should get ice cream."

Nanami was right. The days had been growing longer, the night setting later. Summer was upon the students. (F/N) was happy that their uniform wasn't too heavy, the long sleeves were bearable because of the fabric.

Haibara chimed, leaning forward onto the table, "The convenience store down the street sells popsicles."

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"I insist," Satoru said, budging the girl out of the way by simply raising his hand to block her path.

The two of them were at the checkout of the convenience store. The others had already left the store, with the pair having been distracted while making jokes about one of the brand names.

(F/N) pursed her lips, not wanting to owe the man anything, "You don't have to pay for mine—"

"You not wanting me to pay for you only makes me want to pay for you more." Satoru insisted, taking the snacks into his grasp, "And I promise, sweetheart, this is making no dent in my pockets."

"You're very humble," she murmured dryly.

"Of course, I am." The male responded, checking out swiftly and placing their items in a shared bag.

"I was being sarcastic," a small smile found her lips.

"I knew that," Satoru brushed off, handing her the bag.

"Sure, you did." She looked down, her eyes focusing on the ground. Across the store—over by the door, she could feel a strong stare. She looked up, seeing Suguru watching her. She furrowed her eyebrows, unsure why he was staring or why it seemed so intense.

Luckily for her, Satoru wanted her attention back on him. He reached forward, grasping one of the snacks in her bag and pulling it back, "Oh, that's mine." He piped as they started to catch up with the group.

She raised her eyebrows, opening the bag so he had easier access to its contents, "You're the one who put our items together."

"Kill me for wanting to use less plastic." He gasped dramatically, "How dare I dare for the environment?"

(F/N) let out a quick laugh, and his posture straightened like a proud bird. She hardly noticed, instead pointing out, "You know that's what I meant—"

"You want all turtles dead." Satoru huffed, shaking his head as he adjusted his grasp on his snacks. They were outside the store now, seeing the group standing a bit away. She wasn't sure when they had moved.

"That's so morbid." She looked over the objects in his hands, furrowing her eyebrows slightly. She used it as an opportunity to change the topic, "That's all sugar."

"Mostly." Satoru nodded, pausing when he realized the gleam in her eye was not approving, "...You're judging me."

(F/N) shrugged immediately, "A little."

The white haired male shook his head, a hand to his chest as though he was wounded, "There was no hesitation."

She offered him a smile, but then turned to Haibara when she saw him approaching. "Okay," she said after a few moments, nodding at something Haibara said before the pair began to walk away without so much as another word.

Satoru blinked a few times before scrunching his face.

Hold on.

Had he just been left there?

A part of him felt surprise at being so easily brushed off. He was the Satoru Gojo. Who would simply turn their back on him? Who would ignore him in conversation? Who would walk away from him? Who did this girl think she was?

His ego felt like it had taken a massive bruise.

"I don't think I've ever seen you look so confused," Suguru's amused voice piped up as the male stopped by Satoru's side.

Satoru took a few seconds to simply watch her figure as she walked away before speaking lowly, "She just left."

"They're still there," Suguru piped, a bit of amusement dancing in his eyes as though he were amused by his friend's loss.

The four other members of the group were standing around a flower patch, Haibara was pointing at a certain bud in the middle of the patch, saying excitedly to (F/N), "Look! It looks like your hair!"

The four's chatter sizzled out as Satoru clicked his tongue, turning to his friend, "It's not the same."

Suguru hummed, patting his friend's shoulder. "I don't want to be left out, so, join us whenever."

Satoru felt like his feet were glued to the store, ignoring the customers who would grumble as they walked around him leaving the store. He felt stumped. He felt abandoned. Left behind like a forgotten toy. Though the group hadn't gone too far they had continued walking, now by some benches and a vending machine in the shade.

Satoru started, swiftly moving to catch up with the group. However, he halted by the flowers they had been gazing at. Subconsciously, his eyes drifted to the one Haibara had been pointing out. His fingers twitched and he didn't even realize he had been plucking the flower from its spot on the ground until its stem was being twirled between his fingers.

It did look like her hair.

He liked it.

"Gojo!" It was Nanami calling out for him, his hands cupped around his mouth, "Are you coming?"

Satoru snapped out of the trance he had been in, a casual expression on his face as he brushed off his friend's worry, "Of course I am." And then, he tucked the flower into his uniform's pocket, catching up with a quickly growing grin.

Later that night, when he was changing out of his uniform that he realized the flower was still in his possession. And once he had noticed that, he pulled it from his pocket, staring at it in the silence of his room. It wasn't until he was chewing that he realized that he had pulled one of the petals from the flower, and placed it in his mouth. As he began to comprehend his action, he widened his eyes slightly.

Had he really just consumed a flower petal because it looked like (F/N)'s hair? Though the question lingered in his mind, he struggled to feel any shame, or distaste for his own actions.

A part of him wondered if he should tell Suguru, and ask about his opinion on the action. Whether or not he'd do the same.

Though, he didn't care if his friend wouldn't.

(F/N) had been popping up more in his mind recently, ruining his thoughts any time he saw her cursed energy. He would seek it out anywhere, and it overwhelmed him even more than his six eyes usually did.

But he wasn't scared by it.

Because this...it felt right.

Chapter Text

SUGURU HAD AN ITCH IN HIS MIND. An itch that wouldn't leave no matter how much he tried to ignore it.

It terrorized him, haunting his mind during class, when he was training, playing basketball, even on missions when he was supposed to be focused on taking out curses. The last one he went on the second grade curse ended up getting a good hit on him. Luckily Shoko was nearby to patch him up. But when she asked how it had happened, he found himself unable to tell her about his evident distraction. That was what it was. A distraction—one that was becoming dangerous.

He could only hold out for a few more days until he found his feet dragging his body to a room that was becoming a common stop. (F/N)'s. He had never been inside of it, yet he wanted to change that.

However, his steps came a halt when he saw his best friend stood before the door, his hand extended to grasp its handle. "Satoru," he called out quietly, his curiosity coming out clearly, "what are you doing?"

Satoru tightened his lips, keeping quiet, "(F/N)'s out with Haibara. They went to the bakery he keeps talking about."

"You're ignoring my question," Suguru pointed out in a sing-song voice.

Satoru rolled his eyes, his sunglasses slipping down his nose slightly, "I'm not."

Suguru tilted his head, raising an eyebrow as he looked at his friend. A few seconds passed before he called out, "You're sneaking into her room like a creep."

"Yeah?" Satoru huffed, eyes raking over his friend with a dramatically judging gleam, "And what are you doing?"

"Isn't it obvious?" The shorter male nodded his head to the door, "I'm waiting for you to open the door so I can come with."

The two of them simply stared at each other for a moment, contemplating their actions, and their reasonings. Why were they there? Certainly their crushes, whatever lame reasoning Satoru had used not too long ago was all full of shit. It wasn’t simply interest anymore, it was a like. He liked her. And he had a suspicion that Suguru did too.

The two of them shared a look before opening the door and sliding into the room.

The area was more empty than they had expected considering she had been in their school for at least a month. Hardly any decoration on the walls, however the desk was covered. Notes, textbooks, printed diagrams. She had been trying to hard to catch up that she hardly paid any attention to decorating her room.

However it still felt like her. It was where she had relaxed, where she spent her time. And wow—it was filled with her.

But unlike Satoru, who decided laying in her bed and pressing her face to her pillow to soak in her scent was the best way to spend their time (Suguru tried to ignore the sniffing he could hear), Suguru was drawn to the bookshelf.

More specifically, the more obviously loved books on them. There was a slightly worn-down copy of Frankenstein. There were no folded pages, simply some cracks in the spine that showed that it had been read time and time again. He picked it up, flipping through the papers and seeing that there were annotations written in pencil along the sidelines. Her reactions jotted down to be read. Suguru only thought for a few seconds, not giving himself to regret it as he tucked the book into his bag.

"Thief." Satoru's called out immediately, having been watching his friend for the moment. His face half pressed into the pillow case like a depraved man, like he'd die if he wasn't covered in her smell. Even with his intense senses, simply being there wasn't enough.

"Shut up." Suguru retorted, his voice holding no real hostility as he moved to the bedside table, looking over the clock and taking notice of the time. They hadn't been in there long, only about six minutes. It felt like it had been forever since they stepped into the room.

Satoru's eyes followed him, "What if I tell?"

"What if you closed your mouth?" Suguru hummed, his fingers holding chapstick that had been in the drawer, "Would you explode?"

"You're so rude." The male's voice sounded in another area of the room, further away, and Suguru's attention was caught.

The dark-haired male turned, catching sight of Satoru standing by her dresser. He held fabric in between his fingers, and Suguru felt annoyance spike in his chest, "Put the underwear down," he warned.

Satoru shifted his weight to his left leg, pouting as he looked over his shoulder, "But you're also taking something—"

"Down."

"You're lucky I like when you tell me what to do." Satoru dropped the panties back into the drawer, not bothering to close the dresser and instead leaving it wide open, as though he wanted Suguru to see. Suguru only sighed at Satoru, making the male call out, "What? You know it's true."

"You're not taking her underwear," Suguru grumbled as his fingers wrapped around the chapstick, subtly moving it to his pocket before standing straight.

"Fuck that." Satoru huffed, "If I turn my back you'll probably snatch a pair."

"And it still won't end up in your hands," the shorter male retorted, not denying the possibility of him grabbing any of the clothing items himself. While at first a bit of guilt settled in his stomach, his thoughts calling him a creep, he didn't deny it sounded pleasant to have something so personal of hers.

Satoru let out a loud groan, lazily leaning against the wall by the bathroom, "You suck."

"You suck," Suguru returned, rolling his eyes, "now quiet down, will you? You're practically yelling, and her room isn't too far from Shoko's. You're going to get us caught."

Satoru waved off his worries, "We could make up an excuse to Shoko."

"And what if it was Yaga?" Suguru tilted his head, a curious expression on his face, "Hm?" He turned to the sheets, feeling them between his fingers. They were comfortable, and a part of him wanted to follow Satoru's lead and lay in them so he could soak in (F/N)'s scent.

"I'd ask him why he's coming into his student's dorm room." The white-haired male clicked his tongue scoldingly, "Very inappropriate."

When Suguru finally looked back at Satoru, he found him back at the dresser, his fingers lazily draping a different pair with newfound interest. Suguru frowned in irritation, stepping closer to glare, then, "Put the fucking panties down."

"Panties?" Satoru echoed, sounding satisfied by the word, "How vulgar. You naughty boy."

"I think I'll just get it over and rat you out to Yaga myself. I'll get a kick out of watching him beat you up." Suguru gave his friend a judging side eye.

Satoru deadpanned, "He quite literally can't touch me."

"I'm gonna touch you." Suguru grumbled in return.

"Don't threaten me with a good time," the taller male hummed.

Suguru rolled his eyes, deciding to block out his friend's aggravating voice and continue looking for small things that reminded him of (F/N). That was, until he saw Satoru wrapping himself in the girl's robe and shuffling through her desk. Suddenly feeling like a babysitter Suguru ordered, "Get out of her robe. She's going to notice it's misplaced."

Satoru hardly made a move to pull off the garment, "Do we really think she's that observant?"

Suguru stared at him for a moment, slowly growing a grin. "If she were, she would've noticed us staring all the time."

"You're obvious though." Satoru hummed, an innocent expression on his face as he placed the robe back where he had found it in the bathroom. But then he stopped, pressing his face to the fabric. A part of him imagined (F/N) having stepped freshly out of the shower, her bare skin wrapped in the fuzzy clothing items.

Suguru retorted, "Get off my dick, Satoru."

"You wish I were on it." Satoru argued, reluctantly letting go of the fabric when he felt a bit of heat beginning to build lower in his body at his intense thoughts. He couldn't leave her room with an obvious erection, or Suguru might kill him.

"Sometimes I wonder how I put up with you." Suguru piped as soon as his friend left the bathroom.

Satoru moved to the dresser, grasping the fabric of the panties he had been holding earlier. He whistled innocently as he tucked it into his uniform's pockets, "Don't act like you don't love me."

"Shut up." Suguru muttered, keeping her eyes pinned on the bookshelf at photos of her with old friends. They must have been people from Kyoto. One of them was the Sae kid who had gone missing right before her transfer. His eyes lingered on the photo, specifically where Sae was positioned with his arm wrapped around her shoulder, "You didn't even grab me a pair."

Suguru could hear the grin in Satoru's voice as he asked, "Black lace or pink bow?"

Suguru tried to hide the flush that was no doubt growing on his face, his irritation with the photo turning into embarrassment as his friend prodded. "Just grab one," he blurted.

"Don't get flustered." Satoru hummed to himself, looking between the two. Slowly, he grasped a hold of the black lace.

Suguru's eyes flickered back to the clock. They had passed too much time in there. "We should leave."

"I don't want to," the taller male whined, loud and pitch-y. He moved to the chair at her desk, a hard wooden one that wasn't comfortable. He frowned. He'd have to buy her a better chair.

"I don't either." Suguru pursed his lips, feeling like his legs wouldn't move to the door.

"Surely they'll be gone a little longer, right?" Satoru offered.

The other male nodded, "Haibara does get distracted easily."

The two males shared a look, realizing that they might be in over their heads when it came to (F/N). Making excuses to stay her room? Stealing from her? But more importantly; why didn't they feel guilty for it?

﹏︎﹏︎﹏︎﹏︎﹏︎﹏︎﹏︎﹏︎﹏︎﹏︎

The two males slipped out of her room like they had never been in there, Suguru keeping a firm hold on the strap of his backpack as he kept it over his right shoulder.

"She's coming." Suguru pointed out the pair walking through the gate of the school, "She's still with Haibara." In their hands were plastic bags, proving that they had actually gone to the bakery. However, Suguru must've been correct (and Haibara must've gotten distracted) because they were holding bags for other stores.

"When did they get so close?" Satoru hummed, furrowing his eyebrows slightly.

Suguru shrugged, adjusting his bag, suddenly feeling a wave of nervousness flow through him at the sight of her. What if she knew what they had taken? "I think they really clicked the other day." He explained, trying to keep his cool composure, at least in front of Satoru.

"They hardly talked," the white haired male grumbled.

The shorter male waved him off, "You were too busy moping to notice."

"Hey!" (F/N) called out, trying to get the males attention.

"(F/N)." Satoru swiftly grew a grin, his frown vanishing as though it had never existing, "What's up?"

"We got you two something," the girl opened the bag, looking through it as she stopped before the pair. Haibara caught up swiftly, holding just as many bags as her, if not more.

"Well, she bought everything," Haibara chimed, seeming a little embarrassed about the fact.

"He helped pick it out," she waved off, moving some of the items around to other bags. Once everything was settled, she offered the bag to them while explaining, "we got you two a red bean bun and a cinnamon roll."

Warmth filled both of them instantaneously at her bashful expression, the way she was focusing on the ground. She had thought of them when she was out with Haibara. She had gone out of her way to pick them food, despite not knowing their preferences. Surely that meant something, right? The two males shared a glance before focusing back onto her. 

"Aww," Satoru cooed, reaching his hands into the bag and aiming to grasp the cinnamon roll, "thanks."

"At least wash your hands." Suguru piped swiftly, "I don't even know if you have today."

"I wash my hands," Satoru turned to his friend with an annoyed look, his hands moving from the bag.

The shorter male tapped his chin while observing his friend, humming teasingly, "You don't look like you do."

Satoru gasped at him, "What does that mean?"

"Are you two even friends?" She questioned playfully, tilting her head at their bickering, "Or do you hate each others guts?"

"We go back and forth," Satoru mused, knowing that the two had never even had a serious fight.

"Where's Haibara?" Suguru pointed out the missing presence.

"He went to give Nanami his gift. He also took Shoko's." (F/N) informed, offering the bag out to the males, "Um...I'm gonna go study, so have fun not washing your hands."

Satoru took the bag, but not before he teased, "Be quiet, turtle killer."

(F/N) scrunched her face, immediately becoming a bit flustered at his reference, "Would you get off of that?"

"Turtle killer?" Suguru furrowed his eyebrows as he echoed the nickname.

She shook her head, a nervous grin on her face as she warned, "Don't even get him started on that, for your own sanity."

However Satoru was already blurting out his answer, "Our little princess here hates turtles and wants them all to die."

The girl rolled her eyes, starting to walk around them and towards her dorm, "I'm done here."

"Don't leave me with him.!" Satoru was swift to complain.

Suguru gave his friend a "really" expression, reminding, "You're the troublemaker, Gojo."

Satoru paid no mind to his friend, taking a few steps after the girl and raising his volume while insisting, "I'll beg!"

"You just want to be on your knees," Suguru remarked, his tone tired of the males antics.

"Suguru!" Satoru's jaw dropped at his friend, "You horn-dog."

The two males continued to bicker, but (F/N) was shaking her head in laughter and walking away, on her way to her dorm.

After noticing she was far enough to not hear them, Satoru hummed curiously, "You wanna bet to see if she'll notice anything?"

"She won't." Suguru said, his voice confident in such.

Satoru looked at the slightly shorter male, an almost proud grin growing on his face, "Who knew you were such a freak? Sneaking into a girls dorm and stealing her panties."

"Quiet down." Suguru ordered before lowering his voice and retorting, "You did the same thing."

"Excuses," Satoru waved off.

And then both of them were left watching as (F/N) turned the corner to her dorm. Satoru nudged Suguru's arm, and then they were off to the former's room.

Chapter Text

THERE WAS AN AGITATING KNOCK ON SHOKO'S DORM'S DOOR, AND SHE HAD A SUSPICION WHO IT WAS. (F/N) lifted her head from the pillow, tiredly blinking at the door.

"You get it," Shoko only opened one eye to glance at the girl beside her.

(F/N) scrunched her face at her, groggily responding, "It's your dorm."

"Exactly." Shoko closed her eye and dropped her face onto the pillow, waving the girl off, "Ownership relinquishes me from having to open the door."

"That doesn't even make sense," she retorted.

Another knock sounded through the room, sounding more impatient.

"Fine," (F/N) grumbled, slipping from under the covers and trudging to the door. She breathed before cracking it open, peering through the open area. Catching sight of both Satoru and Suguru standing there, she pursed her lips, letting go of the door and stepping back from it so they could come in. "Hey guys," she greeted, rubbing her eyes as she moved back to sit on the bed by Shoko's covered legs.

Satoru entered first, eyes drifting over (F/N)'s tired frame, taking in sight of her pajamas, "Why aren't you in your dorm?"

(F/N) raised an eyebrow at him, "Haven't you heard of a sleepover?"

"Why weren't we invited?" Satoru shifted his weight, a hand moving to his hip. He held a sassy air, though a bit of him seemed genuinely disappointed.

"It's Shoko's dorm." She pointed out, "I won't invite you to someone else's dorm."

Caught by her wording, Suguru piped, "Would you invite us into your dorm?"

"It's too early for this," Shoko responded instead, her arms covering her eyes.

"It's almost noon," Satoru chimed.

Shoko didn't hesitate to respond, "And?"

"We want to train." The white haired male answered, a bit of a whine falling from his lips.

(F/N) furrowed her eyebrows, "Then train?"

"We always train by ourselves. We're bored—" Shoko raised her hand, lamely imitating a speaking motion as the Gojo complained about wanting to train with someone new. (F/N) hid her laugh, but the white-haired male still noticed the distraction and gasped, "You two aren't even listening.!"

"'Cause we didn't ask." Shoko brushed off.

"I'll come," (F/N) laughed at Shoko's brutal words, standing, "just let me get dressed and brush my teeth first."

"At least one of you is kind." Satoru piped up before giving a pointed glare at Shoko.

"Whatever." The brunette sighed as she sat up in the bed, rubbing her eyes, "I have to study."

"You're just going to sit on your phone talking to Utahime," Suguru corrected.

Shoko retorted, "What about it?"

(F/N) moved past the bickering pair, offering Suguru a small smile before stepping out. She heard footsteps following her in the hallway and turned back to see Suguru catching up. "Did you sleep well?" He asked, his calm voice feeling especially soothing in the morning.

"Not really." (F/N) let out a long exhale, explaining, "sleeps like a rock and stole the blanket."

Suguru chuckled, nodding at her words, "Satoru and I make her bring her own blanket when we have sleepovers."

"Sounds about right," she smiled, coming to a stop, "This is my dorm," she pointed lamely at the door before them. Suguru nodded as if he was learning this for the first time, "I'll be right out."

He smiled softly, tilting his head, "I'll be here."

She stared at him for a few seconds, and then her eyes widened slightly and she almost rushed inside, appearing nervous. Suguru was left standing outside, a slightly bewildered expression on his face. Was she flustered? Was that why she looked away? Did she feel the same warmth growing in her chest that he did? Did her heart pick up just like his?

But Satoru's loud steps broke him out of his slight confusion. "Where's (F/N)?" The male whined.

"Changing," Suguru answered.

"And we weren't invited to watch?" The taller male clicked his tongue and shook his head, "A shame."

The dark-haired male deadpanned at his friend, "Keep it in your pants, Satoru."

"Actually," Satoru piped up, "these are your pants."

Suguru narrowed his eyes, taking a step back and observing the male more closely, "Seriously?"

The other male raised his hands innocently, "They're comfortable."

Suguru scrunched his face at the thought of Satoru rummaging through his closet, no doubt messing the items up, "Stay out of my closet," he grumbled.

"You two bicker like a married couple." (F/N) suddenly piped as she opened the door, having heard their arguing from inside.

Satoru was the one to speak up, "We've been inseparable for three years. Can you blame us?"

Taken aback, she blurted, "You've only known each other three years?" The two males were so close, she would've assumed they had known each other their entire lives.

"Less than that. We just clicked. Like this," Satoru twisted his fingers together.

(F/N) let out a hum, "Still, I would've never guessed."

"Don't worry, you'll be just as close with us in no time." The white haired male assured, wrapping an arm around her shoulder as they began to walk. Satoru's words made her feel a flutter in her stomach, a warmth she thought she would never get to feel after him.

Down in the training ground, the trio had settled on the grass.

Suguru was off to the side, hands in his pockets and slightly slouched as he sat criss-cross, watching the two. (F/N) and Satoru stood across from each other, one much more excited than the other. The girl hadn't wanted to leave bed so early, feeling like she had been dragged to the grassy area against her will. She had been taking in a deep breath, trying to come to terms with the beating she already knew she'd face when the words she thought she'd never hear flew out of Satoru's mouth; "Touch me." The male piped, a smile on his face. Suguru shook his head, struggling to fathom the white haired male's vocabulary.

(F/N) stared at him with suspicious eyes, not moving an inch after comprehending his words, "...Not when you make it sound weird."

"No, really," Satoru didn't drop any of the amusement in his voice, but the challenge in it grew, "try to touch me. You can't."

She furrowed her eyebrows, reluctantly raising her hand to try and grasp his shoulder. However, just about two inches from his shirt her hand was stopped. (F/N) widened her eyes, her other hand raised, aiming to press against the opposite area on his other shoulder, but it was also stopped, "Whoa."

"Satoru, turn off your infinity." Suguru scolded, his smooth voice echoing slightly in the open area, "You know that's not fair."

When Satoru turned off his infinity he gave no indication, so (F/N)'s hands both landed on his shoulders. She jumped back, and caught sight of Satoru's cheeky grin, "Whoops."

"That's so cool."

Satoru smiled at her softly. "You ready to get your ass beat again?"

"You two are too much," she sighed.

"You love us," Satoru grinned, standing off to the side, and giving her a smile that held a cocky arrogance to it.

"And yet," she shook her head, stretching her arms up. Satoru snickered, and he watched lazily as her arms extended into the air, and how the fabric of her shirt stretched against her chest. His gaze flicked from her face down to her body, checking over every curve visible in her uniform.

Suguru gave her the same lazy, cocky grin as his friend, "You get lonely without us, admit it," he teased.

"Sure," she agreed dryly, glancing between them and fixing her shirt.

Satoru turned back to the girl, "You ready?" He called out.

"You know it," she responded.

The male chuckled softly at her response, finding it both endearing and amusing. He couldn't help but admire her confidence, even though he knew he was going to kick her ass. "Just don't cry when I wipe the floor with you." Satoru teased, his blue eyes glinting with a challenge.

Satoru took a casual stance, hands in his pockets as he observed her. He was waiting for her to make the first move, taunting, "Come at me."

She tightened her lips, moving her right leg back and her hands up in a defensive posture, "I'm good."

He raised an eyebrow curiously at her defensive stance. It was smart of her, but she was being a bit too cautious for his liking. "You sure you're not afraid of getting your pretty little face messed up?" Satoru mused, circling her in a lazy arc.

Satoru's smirk widened as he noticed her stance change, her leg moving forward in preparation. She sighed, waiting for him to get near his back before she threw a horse kick back. He had been expecting it though. With ease, he swiftly dodged her kick, gracefully stepping to the side. "Nice try," he let out a mocking chuckle, "But if you think something so basic will work on me, I'm afraid you're mistaken."

She smiled, "Well, I don't see you doing anything."

He hummed, "I don't like to show all my cards at once."

The male took a few steps closer, and with a swift and seemingly effortless movement, lunged forward, an attempt to grab her arm and twist it into a lock. He only grasped her wrist when she used her free arm to break his hold on her arm, then swung it up to try and back-fist him in the face. Satoru reacted just in time, his instincts kicking in as he ducked. He had to admit, she was faster than he expected she would be.

Satoru stepped back, his smirk settling into a somewhat satisfied expression, "You're not bad," he admitted, a hint of admiration in his voice. "But you're not strong enough to take me down."

"Not that it's very fair," she retorted, "you're the strongest." She repeated the words she had heard him say which felt like a million times now. He was always bragging about how he and Suguru were the strongest.

Thing was, after seeing him on missions she wasn't even sure if it was his arrogance speaking, or if it was true.

He chuckled softly, his arrogance on full display. "You're damn right I am," he replied.

The male advanced again, his movements lightning quick as he aimed a punch towards her torso. She used her forearm to block the punch, aiming to throw a knee at his midsection since he was still moving closer.

Satoru grunted in surprise as her knee connected with his midsection, the air rushing out of his lungs. He stepped back, a hand instinctively moving to clutch at the area. He gasped, a mixture of pain and amusement in his voice. "You really don't pull your punches, do you?"

"Sorry," she winced, her posture growing timid, "but I thought you were better at blocking."

Satoru noticed her change in demeanor and couldn't help but find it endearing. Was she concerned about harming him? Adorable.

"Don't apologize," he said, his previous arrogance replaced by a gentler tone, "part of training is pushing your limits." Satoru straightened up, his usual grin returning. "Besides," the male added, "I can definitely take more than that."

He wanted to push her further, to see how much she could handle. Her limits were something that intrigued him. Certainly, they had far different ones. No doubt she would give up earlier than he, but he could still test her.

Suddenly, he lunged forward again, his movements quick, precise, and aimed low. His kick was directed towards her legs, intending to knock her off balance.

She reacted quickly, dodging his kick with a graceful sidestep. But Satoru wasn't done yet. He was relentless. He continued his assault, throwing various combinations of punches and kicks, each one aimed to test her reflexes and endurance. Despite his intensity, Satoru was holding back. He knew he could end their fight quickly if he really wanted to, but he was enjoying it.

He continued his barrage of attacks, forcing her to constantly defend and counter. However, Satoru could tell that she was starting to tire, her movements getting slightly sloppy. His voice was laced with a hint of mockery as he piped, "Ready to tap out? I won't think you're weak if you give up."

Despite her fatigue, she gritted her teeth, "Stop talking," she retorted, throwing a harsh right hook that he dodged. She knew she wasn't going to win this fight, but she wasn't going to lose so easily.

Satoru's smirk only widened at her response. He found himself captivated by her unrelenting determination despite her assured loss.

He didn't relent in his attacks, in fact, his movements became even more aggressive. He wanted to see how far he could push her before she finally gave in. She managed to block and dodge some of his attacks, but his strength was overwhelming. She was growing more and more exhausted with each passing minute.

Despite her determination, she found herself struggling to keep her guard up. Her movements were getting slower, "Damnit," she muttered under her breath, realizing she was close to her limit. Then, she blurted, "I'm-I'm done.!" She jumped back, raising her hands.

Satoru chuckled softly, a satisfied smirk on his face as he heard her surrender. He stepped back, his arms dropping as he relaxed, "Finally giving up, hm?" The male teased, amusement dancing in his voice, "Not bad. You lasted longer than I thought you would."

She let out a loud groan, lazily dropping her head back as she took a few steps away from him and then suddenly plopped on the ground. She lay on the grass, staring up at the sunny sky as she tried to catch her breath.

Satoru couldn't help but find her exhausted form endearing. He moved closer until he was a few steps away, looking down at her with an amused grin, "You look like you're about to pass out," the white-haired male mused, "Maybe I went too hard on you." He crouched down next to her, his gaze moving over her form. Satoru couldn't deny that she looked adorable, all sprawled out.

"Well, I also just woke up," she retorted, lamely turning her head to look at him.

Satoru tilted his head, "That's convenient."

Suguru approached them, his tall figure blocking the sun from the two's lower position. A cool shade covered them as he spoke up, "I think you broke her, Satoru."

"Shut up," she grumbled, lazily raising her leg to kick at him. Suguru didn't even move to dodge. He didn't have to; she didn't reach him.

Suguru grew an entertained grin, leaning over her slightly, "Can't handle a little sparring?"

"It's not just sparring," she breathed out, narrowing her eyes at Satoru, "he's insane."

Satoru rolled his eyes at her words, "I'm standing right here, you know."

Suguru chuckled, his gaze turning to Satoru, "She's got a point. You do have a habit of pushing a little too hard," he pointed out.

"I think I died," she huffed, wincing at the ache in her arms from blocking his blows. She melodramatically exclaimed, "I think I'm dead."

"I doubt you're dead," Satoru lightly poked at her cheek and she frowned, swatting at his hand, "But you might feel like you are when you wake up tomorrow."

"It's a shame that you're so tired," Suguru let out a disappointed breath, shaking his head, "I didn't get a turn."

(F/N) understood what he was trying to insinuate. She let out a loud groan, slowly sitting up and preparing herself for another round, "Fine. But go easy on me."

"No such thing." He only extended his hand to her, offering to help her up.

She begrudgingly grasped his hand and allowed him to pull her into a standing position. Although, he didn't let go immediately, keeping a hold of her limb and her frame close. (F/N) furrowed her eyebrows, her frame already feeling heated from the physical exertion she had completed. But now her chest was warm-hot, and her cheeks were flushing.

That was, until Satoru's voice teasingly called out, "Are you two having a moment?" (F/N) practically jumped back from Suguru, the male staying still with a displeased expression as he turned to his friend. Satoru had a hand on his hip, tilting his head as he lowered his sunglasses to peer at them, "If so, I'm feeling left out."

"Shut up," Suguru deadpanned at his friend.

"Let's go," she waved Suguru on, moving to where she had been standing when facing Satoru.

Satoru crossed his arms, folding his arms and staying in his sat position as he watched them both closely, "Don't get too rowdy now," he playfully warned.

Suguru nodded at that, and got into a ready stance, watching as she followed suit, "You ready?" He called out, arrogance coating his tone.

"Come at me," she responded, her hands clenching into fists.

Unlike Satoru, who hadn't wanted to make the first move, Suguru only offered a small grin, "With pleasure."

Then he was lunging at her, aiming for a kick directed towards her hip, ready to knock her off balance. She jumped back to evade it, then lunged forward herself to try and lay a punch to his face.

He swiftly dodged to the side, barely avoiding her fist, "Too slow," he piped.

Suguru then took the opportunity to duck down and tried to sweep her legs out from underneath her. She felt her legs get hit, but she managed to grab hold of his wrist before she fell. He was surprised that she had actually caught hold of his wrist, and his balance was lost. Suguru was pulled down with her as she fell backwards.

She landed on her back on the firm freshly trimmed grass with a groan. The smell of it immediately hit her, but it came with a wave of Suguru's cologne. When she realized why, her eyes widened.

The male was now looming over her, one of his knees on the side of his hip and the other hovering above her frame. His hands were holding him up, beside her face. His eyes were as wide as hers, just as surprised until a pleased look appeared in them.

A few seconds passed before he spoke lowly, "Caught me off guard there."

"...I think I win," she said after a moment, her voice wavering slightly.

Suguru raised his eyebrows, lowering his face slightly. There was something new in his eyes. The gleam darker than before. His bang draped forward, almost brushing against her face, "I don't think this counts as you winning, darling."

At the new proximity, she moved her hands to his shoulders, firmly pushing him off of her and scrambling to a stand. The male stayed sitting, watching her flustered figure with amusement.

A few seconds passed before Satoru, who had been watching them intently, let out an amused laugh, "Damn... That was hot."

Immediately she felt embarrassment fill her, covering her face. "Shut up.!"

"You gotta admit it—" Satoru piped up, cut off by her shaking her head with a loud noise of disagreement.

"I'm done," she retorted instead, turning to head back to the dorms.

Suguru called after her, sounding calm despite his heart pounding so loud he could hear it in his ear, "You barely did anything."

(F/N) didn't look back, picking up her speed, "I did enough!"

"Why do our hangouts always end with you running from us?" Suguru hummed as she made it a bit away. He didn't want her to leave too far.

She retorted, "Maybe that says something about you two."

Thinking of a way to keep her around, Satoru chimed in, "Even though it was short, this was the best training date I've had."

She halted, turning to him with wide eyes, "What?"

"What?" The white-haired male responded innocently, as though what he had said hadn't caused her to begin overthinking everything that had happened during the day. More than she already was.

"Did-" She blurted, "Did you just say this was a date?"

Satoru raised his hands, "I said no such thing."

She gaped, whipping her head to Suguru with her thumb pointed at Satoru, "You hear him?"

"Hear what?" Suguru tilted his head slightly, an innocent smile on his face. He only extended his hand to her, offering to help her up.

"That... You two are evil." She narrowed her eyes, shaking her head before she practically sped-walked back to her dorm, not wanting them to get the last words.

"Gosh." Satoru let out a satisfied breath as though he had been replenished with energy, "Isn't she great?"

Suguru tightened his lips, thinking about how simple it had been to knock her down, "She lost pretty badly though."

Satoru hummed, raising his arms and resting his hands on the back of his head, "She is weak," he lightly ruffled his hair before fixing it, "But...we're also the strongest."

"Still." Suguru seemed to be considering the worst possible scenarios, "We'll have to fix that."

The white-haired male nudged his friend lightly, "We will."

Satoru sounded sure of it.

Because he was.

Chapter Text

SHE WASN'T EXACTLY SURE HOW SHE ENDED UP IN NANAMI'S ROOM. Haibara had come up to her, asking her if she wanted to have a sleepover with him and Nanami. She agreed, but then the two devils on her shoulders appeared and decided they wanted to tag along. And since quite literally everyone else was attending, the invite had been given to Shoko.

Now, all of the third-year students were sitting in the second year's dorm, sprawled around the room. Shoko, Haibara, and Satoru sat on the other side of the room, ignoring the other three as they spoke about a book they had all read.

"All he needed to do was let the Creature be happy with a girl," Nanami sighed, a disappointed expression on his face as he recalled the details of the story of Frankenstein.

(F/N) couldn't help herself, "And why would Frankenstein be concerned about them breeding unless he gave the creature a working dick?"

"Why is that where your mind leads?" Nanami called out, staring at her with an expression that made her aware he was judging her.

(F/N)'s face flushed at the words, but Suguru didn't help her, leaning forward and speaking lowly into her ear, "Get your mind out of the gutter."

A wave of embarrassment brushed over her, "I'm just saying," she grumbled.

He grinned, pulling away and speaking louder, "Why does everyone refer to him as a doctor?" Suguru, hummed, "He didn't even finish school."

(F/N) perked up, lightly nudging Suguru's arm as she mentioned, "I think I've had that exact thought before."

Suguru offered a warm smile, like it were a complete coincidence. He knew that. Because he had read her annotations and had repeated the exact words.

"I want to reread it." Nanami piped, brushing his bangs out of his face as a piece fell before his eye, "It was really good."

"It is a classic," Suguru mused, reaching up and pulling his hair from the tight bun it was in. He wasn't tired, but he was trying to relax. And besides, he noticed that (F/N)'s eyes lingered on him longer when he wore it down—something he had been doing more often because of such.

(F/N) mentioned, "I was actually looking for my copy the other day, but I couldn't find it."

Suguru hummed, tilting his head in faux confusion, "That's so strange."

Satoru, pulling away from his conversation with Haibara (which had been delving into six eyes, focusing on how much detail Satoru truly saw the world in), moved over to the trio, leaning against Suguru's side, "What are you guys talking about?"

"Frankenstein." Nanami answered, "It's American literature."

"I knew that." Satoru piped, narrowing his eyes at the younger male, "I read too, you know."

"Sure, you do," Suguru responded.

Satoru gaped at him, "I do!"

"Right," Suguru went to brush his fingers through his hair only to wince slightly as he hit a knot.

"I have my brush if you need it." Shoko offered after seeing his hand get caught.

"Please," Suguru nodded.

Shoko pulled the brush from her bag, offering it to the male. Suguru began to brush his hair back, but once he hit a knot, his expression twitched with annoyance.

Noticing his irritation, (F/N) pushed down her hesitance and asked, "Do you want me to help?"

Suguru was still for a moment before nodding, handing her the brush as she sat on the edge of the bed. Her legs were criss-crossed as she waited for him to settle before her. The mattress on Nanami's bed went up to her knee when standing, so when Suguru sat against it his mid back. He adjusted his position to be comfortable before her, mentioning, "You don't have to do this, you know..."

"I know." She threaded her fingers between the strands of his hair, pulling any pieces that may have gotten caught between his back and the bed frame, "But I want to. Now stay still."

He couldn't help but crack a small smile, amused at her response. "Yes, ma'am." The words slipped out of his mouth without him even realizing he said them.

He stayed quiet as she continued to brush through his long hair, trying to compose himself. It was getting more difficult to ignore the way his body was reacting to her touch, to her presence. It was like he was being slowly turned to putty in her hands. The worst part was—he had no desire to fight it. His fingers dug into the material of his sweatpants even more, as if he was trying to hold himself back from doing something stupid like reaching out and pulling her onto his lap.

His mind went to dangerous places as he thought about all the different ways he wanted to touch her, to hold her, to kiss her. He was already picturing it all in his head; her hands gripping his hair, his hands roaming all over her body, his lips on hers.

Oh gosh, Suguru struggled to avoid his cheeks flushing.

He was screwed.

"I'm done," she abruptly piped, setting the brush down on the sheets beside her.

Suguru let out a shaky breath, thankful that she'd stopped touching his hair. The combination of her running the brush through his hair and the mental images he was having was seriously messing with his brain. He nodded at her words, running a hand through his now-brushed hair, trying to regain composure. His entire face was still flushed, but he was at least able to speak without his voice cracking anymore, "Took you long enough."

"Shuddup," she huffed, grumbling something about how it would be the last time.

"My turn.!" Satoru's voice called out as the male practically pushed Suguru out of the way, taking the now open slot. He sat with his back to her, his neck strained as he tilted his head back to look up at her expectantly.

"You..." she let out a breath, shaking her head as she begrudgingly grasped the brush off the bed, "Whatever, I guess."

"Your hair isn't even that long—" Nanami piped, eyes narrowed as he looked at the male judgingly.

Satoru whipped his head in the male's direction, defending, "It's long enough to brush!"

(F/N) had raised the brush to begin, but his abrupt movement stopped her. She moved the hand that wasn't holding the brush to grasp onto a chunk of his hair, firmly—but not enough to truly hurt him. She tilted his head back so that he would look up at her, "You're not staying still."

His eyes widened as she tilted his head back, causing him to look up at her. And when she spoke to him in that strict tone, a part of him couldn't help but shiver. Satoru swallowed hard as he met her gaze, his face burning, "Y-You're too much..." He murmured as he returned his head to the normal position, this time staying still.

"Did you just stutter?" Shoko's voice called out.

"Did not." Satoru retorted, not moving his head as he began to feel (F/N)'s fingers parting his hair while she brushed. Now he understood why Suguru had been blushing. It was calming, but he couldn't help but imagine it in other situations.

"Sure," Shoko rolled her eyes at the male. She looked between the two, as if trying to see if something was there. Then her eyes moved to Suguru.

Haibara, who had been leaning on Nanami with his arms crossed, spoke up, "I'm bored."

Shoko spoke up, "We can play a game."

"Ohh!" Satoru perked up, raising his hands as he announced his idea, "Let's go throw eggs at Utahime's house!"

Ignoring his friend, Suguru asked, "What game?"

Haibara thought for a few seconds before offering, "Truth or dare or never have I ever?"

Shoko snorted, "Never have I ever stuttered because (F/N) told me to act right."

Satoru (who was now still sitting by the bed and Suguru as (F/N) moved over to sit by Shoko) stared at her, "Shut up."

Shoko only stuck out her tongue at him.

"Isn't never have I ever a drinking game?" Nanami inquired.

(F/N) pursed her lips, offering, "We have water bottles."

Shoko, to her left, grumbled, "Lame."

"I'll go first!" Haibara blinked a few times, trying to think of a prompt as water bottles were handed out between the group, "Never have I ever... been in a relationship."

Nanami let out a breath, "Is this just for us to talk about how sad our love lives are?"

Haibara deadpanned at his friend, pointing out, "I don't see you drinking."

"Cause I've never been in a relationship," Nanami responded, looking away from the brunette as though embarrassed.

"Mmm," Haibara shook his head teasingly, "sounds sad."

Nanami looked at his friend who had also not drunk, "I did say our love lives—"

Cutting off Nanami, Shoko piped, "Never have I ever..." She thought for a moment, before speaking again. "Never have I ever shoplifted something."

When (F/N) looked up, she scanned everyone in the group's expression. She passed Nanami, who seemed to actually be enjoying himself for once, Haibara who had a wide grin as he recounted a time that he had been caught stealing a keychain for his sister, Shoko who was watching him blab with a fond smile, but stopped on the last two. Satoru and Suguru were sitting close together, the former's hand raised as he whispered in the male's ear.

She pursed her lips, feeling a little left out. She knew the feeling was natural, she had joined their group long after the others met. But when she noticed them looking at her, she swiftly looked away.

"Never have I ever broken a bone." Satoru had said. Haibara and Nanami had.

"Never have I ever trespassed." Suguru started.

Satoru turned his friend slowly, reminding, "Yes you did."

Suguru furrowed his eyebrows, "Huh?"

"In that mission with the elephant?" Satoru explained, tilting his head. His now softer locks fell over his face, blocking his sunglasses' view slightly.

"With the elephant?" (F/N) blinked, caught off guard by the casual phrasing of it.

"Oh, yeah," Suguru nodded, the words seeming to unlock a memory he had forgotten.

(F/N) scrunched her face, "What?"

Satoru casually answered, "We ended up in a zoo after hours."

"Satoru was in the gorilla pen," Suguru mused, a smile crossing his face as he remembered the moment. Satoru had taken it upon himself to challenge the gorilla, not that it was much of a problem with his infinity.

"Anyways." Satoru brushed off, "Next prompt."

(F/N), who was next, blurted, "I'm just supposed to move on from that—?"

Satoru gave her a look, his blue eyes peeking out from behind his sunglasses, "Go on."

(F/N) shook her head, trying to get back on topic, "Never have I ever given someone a fake name."

Satoru and Suguru had, she assumed it was a conjoined prank between them. And surprisingly, Nanami had. In his terms to "scare off an insistent girl."

Shoko was next, her eyes holding a mischievous gleam as she piped, "Never have I ever gotten locked out of my house."

"That was one time!" Haibara cried out, covering his face in embarrassment.

(F/N) flashed a teasing grin at the younger male, "You got locked outside of your house?"

Haibara looked away and sulked, "I don't want to talk about it."

"He went on a walk and didn't have his key and his sister locked the door on him," Nanami explained, a small laugh leaving the male.

"Never have I ever lied to someone in this room." Satoru hummed.

"You're lying right now," Shoko huffed.

"Am not.!" Satoru denied, shaking his head. Shoko drank swiftly, and caught Satoru's eyes, "Hold on. Who did you lie to?"

The girl didn't respond, only saying, "Let's play truth or dare."

"I'll go first," Satoru spoke up, catching the group's attention.

Surprised by his adamant tone, (F/N) nodded approvingly, "Okay."

Satoru focused on Shoko, prying, "Who have you lied to in this room?"

(F/N) deadpanned at him, offering a cheeky look, "You're supposed to ask truth or dare."

"And don't ask me that cause I won't answer," Shoko piped, taking a sip of her water from boredom.

Satoru sighed, not giving up on at least prying something from his friend, "Truth or dare?"

"Truth," Shoko answered with a certain smugness.

The male thought for a few seconds before asking, "Do you have a crush on Utahime?"

Shoko stared at him for a few seconds, her expression giving no indication of her answer, "I don't know."

"You—" Satoru stammered, "You totally know if—!"

"Truth or dare," Suguru interrupted Satoru, his eyes focused on Haibara.

Haibara's eyes gleamed with a determination to impress the older students in the room. He wouldn't back down from an order, "Dare."

"I dare you to..." A small snort escaped Suguru before he said, "Lick your elbow."

(F/N) let out a breath, speaking up, "Don't make him try—"

Haibara was already trying to force his elbow closer to his mouth. Despite the strain, he got pretty close.

"Your turn, (F/N)." The way Suguru said her name was as if it had been bothering him that he hadn't said it in a while.

"Nanami," the girl focused on the quiet male, "truth or dare."

Not wanting to be given a dare for something bothersome like Haibara, Nanami answered, "Truth."

(F/N) thought for a moment before a small smile crossed her face, "What's one thing you love most about yourself?"

"Lame," Satoru called out in a sing-song voice, leaning back onto his hands.

"Shut up," (F/N) scolded immediately, her smile disappearing as she gave Satoru a look that said clearly: Shut up, "I'm enforcing positivity."

After a few seconds, and a flush had settled on his cheeks, Nanami answered, "My smile. My mom would always tell me I have a great one."

The hours continued with a lighter feeling to them.

When it was Satoru's turn again, he focused on (F/N), "Truth or dare."

She didn't think about it, "Truth."

"Ugh," the white haired male complained, "everyone's choosing truth."

"Haibara didn't," Shoko retorted.

"Still," Satoru sighed, acting as though the boredom was physically bothering him.

"Fine," (F/N) let out a breath, "dare."

A smug smirk that showed that he truly hadn't cared about anything he had been saying appeared on his face, "I dare you to kiss the most attractive person in the room."

(F/N)'s eyes stayed on Satoru for a moment before she let out a breath, "Really? This is why everyone's choosing truth."

"Go on." Satoru egged her on, moving forward to nudge her sock with his own foot, "Unless you're scared."

(F/N) grumbled something about "a bunch of bullshit" before she turned to her left. “Hey, Shoko.?”

Shoko raised her eyebrows, “Hey there,” she responded smoothly. She blinked a few times, the look in the other girl's eye becoming apparent. She blurted, “Me—?”

(F/N) raised her hand, cupping Shoko's face as she pulled her closer, to connect their lips. Shoko, who hadn't been expecting this, was surprised, her cheeks heating up. For something that had been so unexpected and rushed, it was oddly sweet, and Shoko found herself leaning into the kiss.

The males all stared at the scene in shock. Satoru hadn’t been expecting it to be anyone but him, but if it wasn’t him, it was Suguru. But Shoko? It was a complete curveball.

Did (F/N) like girls? What about all the times she had flushed when he was near? The times she had said something that could be considered flirting? There was no way he was completely misreading the signs. Surely she was embarrassed about her attraction to him and just didn’t want the others to know. That must’ve been it. Right?

"Okay, okay," Satoru spoke up after a few seconds, trying to break the girls apart from afar, "there are children here."

As soon as it began it was over, and Shoko found herself missing the contact the moment (F/N) pulled away, licking the taste of the other's chapstick off her own. Shoko cleared her throat, untucking her hair from behind her ears to hide her flushed cheeks.

Despite his initial shock at the scene, Haibara was quick to try and tease his friend, “They're talking about you." Haibara called out to Nanami, who was truly younger than he by about nine months.

Nanami furrowed his eyebrows at the other male, "I'm almost 18.!" He responded, seeming to be truly a little upset about the matter.

"Sure," Haibara added on.

(F/N) gave Satoru a look at his somewhat displeased expression, “You instigated it,” she reminded.

"Didn't think you'd kiss her," Satoru grumbled.

"Don't be so arrogant," she responded, leaning closer with a small smirk, "And if you want a kiss, just ask."

Immediately, Satoru went to ask, “Can—"

Suguru picked up a nearby pillow, tossing it at Satoru and hitting his face, "We're not doing this." His tone sounded calm, though there was jealousy in his chest at the thought of anyone, even Satoru, kissing her.

As if he knew what was coming, Nanami was swift to call out, "No pillow fights in my room!"

But he wasn't quick enough to stop Satoru from tossing the pillow back at Suguru.

(F/N) took the moment to speak to Haibara, nudging his arm to draw his attention to her, "How's the bakery girl?"

A few days after knowing Haibara, he had admitted to having a crush on one of the workers in the bakery. That had been why they went the other week. To "coincidentally" bump into her at her place of work.

"Good," Haibara answered shortly, about to continue when Satoru cut him off, leaning over abruptly, his arm moving around (F/N)'s shoulders.

“What are you two talking about?" The male asked, not wanting to be left out of anything else during the night. Suguru was giving him a look, not happy having his spot by (F/N) stolen.

She turned to him, a dry tone as she answered innocently, "Nothing,"

His eyebrows furrowed, his expression twitching from a flash of bewilderment, "What? I'm sure I already know."

Haibara's cheeks were flushed, and (F/N) swiftly diverted attention, "Are we still playing truth or dare?"

Satoru looked over at the girl, his face still close, “Truth or dare."

Remembering the last dare he made her do, (F/N) sighed, answering, "Truth."

The male flashed a grin, "What are you two talking about?"

(F/N) rolled her eyes at his question, "Oh my—"

"Back off my girl," Shoko's voice called out as a pillow was lazily tossed at the white haired male once more.

Satoru scrunched his face at the words immediately, "Your girl?"

It was a joke, he knew that. But still, he couldn't ease the growing pit of unease building at her words. Anyone else calling (F/N) their girl—it just felt wrong. Immensely so. Especially after seeing the two girls kiss. He had never held negative emotions towards Shoko, nothing more than a mild annoyance. However, at the moment he struggled to control his thoughts. He always had too many thoughts, his mind a wild mess of jumbled words, but it was different this time. 

It wasn't annoyance, it was jealousy. And it wasn't easing the more his mind thought about it.

Not noticing the swiftly growing glare to her left, (F/N) mused, "Ladies, ladies, there's enough of me to go around."

Nanami turned to the brunette beside him, “Are we really supposed to believe they're older than us?"

Haibara and Nanami began to make jokes about the older students, mostly the bickering duo, and the room was filled with laughter, and warmth.

If only that could last forever.

Chapter Text

THE TRAIN WAS QUIET AT THE EARLY HOUR. However, the group of friends was the loudest amongst the office workers. Even though it was summer break for the students, their work never stopped.

The train wasn't jam-packed, so most of the group found places to sit. Though, (F/N) and Suguru had decided to stand, settling in front of Shoko and Satoru respectively. (F/N) held on tightly to the handle above her head, trying not to sway too much, "Are you sure your mother is okay with so many visitors?"

"Are you joking?" Suguru brushed off her worries swiftly, tilting his head as he assured, "This is the highlight of her month."

"Yeah, she gets to see me," Satoru piped, a wide grin on his face as he looked at the pair, his eyes flickering between them. His pupils were acting a bit strange as he did so, dilating and then constricting to a dramatic point. He blamed it on the sunrise.

"I'm sure she's more happy to see me." Suguru retorted, deadpanning at the male, "You know? Her son?"

Satoru waved him off, leaning back into the cushion while wearing an arrogant expression, "She loves me."

"I believe last time she referred to you as 'the loud one'," Shoko chimed in, a crooked smile on her face. She reached into her pocket, messing with the packet of cigarettes. While she wouldn't smoke in front of Suguru's mother, she didn't want to be without.

The white haired male kept his posture as though he hadn't heard her comment at all, rebutting, "Which isn't inherently negative."

"Sure." Shoko dryly murmured.

"Hey, Ieiri," (F/N) hummed, holding the hand of the girl with one hand so that her friend could lazily fiddle with her fingers, "are you caught up on the—?"

"Ieiri?" Satoru echoed quickly, furrowing his eyebrows.

She nodded, motioning to the brunette, "After the sleepover she figured we were close enough for first names."

"Literally," he grumbled, his eyes moving to the hold between the girls.

(F/N) smiled, pulling her hand from Shoko's to nudge his arm. The touch left an area of warmth, only exemplified by the heat in the morning air. Tokyo had colder summers than Kyoto, so it was a welcome surprise when she felt the weather.

Shoko drew her attention back to her, asking, "What were you asking before that snowflake cut you off?"

While Satoru narrowed his eyes at Shoko, (F/N) answered, "I was gonna ask if you were caught up on Lesson 2.6."

"I'm not caught up on anything past 2.4." Shoko sheepishly admitted.

"I am." Suguru chimed in.

(F/N) perked up, turning to face the only other friend standing, "Do you think I could borrow your notes?"

The male offered a nod and a smile, "Just come by my dorm and I'll let you copy."

She nodded, already trying to plan out the next day.

Then, the train stopped and they were off to Suguru's house. It was a modest building, one story, three bedrooms. The backyard was the actual showstopper. She couldn't see much from the front of the house, or through the windows of the house, but she at least noticed the vibrant colors.

Once they passed the entrance, it swiftly became obvious that Suguru's mother did have favorites, and that her favorite was Haibara. Upon seeing him she had pinched his cheek, telling him about the food she had made just for him.

If she weren't so nervous about meeting Suguru's mother, (F/N) would've made a teasing joke to Satoru who was still trying, and failing, to catch the woman's attention.

To try and at least calm her nerves, she decided to ask the very male a question, "Gojo, do—" the man let out a grumble at his name and she furrowed her eyebrows at the sound of it. A little bit of concern filled her and she changed topics, asking instead, "Are you okay?"

The male's stoic expression abruptly changed into a grin, "Yeah," Satoru waved off, his voice holding its usual tone as he assured, "always. What's up?"

"Do you..." Too taken aback by the sudden mood change, she furrowed her eyebrows, the question slipping her mind, "uh...I forgot."

"Silly girl," he reached forward, ruffling her hair.

She furrowed her eyebrows at him, moving to brush her hair into shape while grumbling something about boundaries.

Suguru's mother finally moved on from greeting Haibara, her eyes focusing on the girl in the back of the group, "Who's this?"

Feeling the woman's stare—warm but judgmental, something she quickly realized Suguru must've inherited—she tried not to appear flustered. Instead, she smiled and introduced, "Hi, I'm (F/N)."

Immediate recognition passed over the woman's expression, "Ohh, (F/N)." His mother nodded, the name flowing off her tongue as though she had said it many a time, "Suguru told me you transferred from Kyoto."

The younger girl furrowed her eyebrows. Suguru talked about her? She glanced at the male swiftly and saw him already looking at her, an unreadable expression on his face. He didn't give anything away, not even a blink. It only made (F/N) more confused.

His mother, who was not paying attention to the exchange between them, added on, "Are you keeping up?"

She tightened her lips, "I'm behind."

Suguru's mother turned to her son, narrowing her eyes accusingly, "Are you helping her?"

Suguru scratched the back of his neck, seeming to lose a bit of his cool composure in front of his mother, "I keep offering, she says no."

(F/N) added, "But he is going to help me catch up on my notes when we get back."

"Good," even though it was a single word, it was filled with pride. No doubt Suguru's mother was incredibly proud of him. If the warmth in her eyes and smile told anything, it was that she loved him more than anything, "I heard Kyoto's a good school. If I may ask, why did you transfer?"

"Oh," immediately (F/N)'s smile faltered and she waved a nervous hand, "I was just ready for change."

"That's sweet." The woman seemed to catch on to her nervousness with the topic and stood up straighter, "Oh! Suguru! I found another charm for you," his mother kept the warm smile as she moved into the kitchen where she had left the item.

The rest of the group seemed to understand, but (F/N)'s confused expression was caught by Suguru. While the rest moved into the kitchen, he moved to her side and explained, "She gets me lots of trinkets. It's why I have so many on my backpack."

She furrowed her eyebrows, looking over his figure. She noticed his keychain had a large number of charms on it, some of them holding a cuter air, "I never noticed."

He let out a small chuckle, "You don't notice a lot," he pointed out affectionately, his tone not holding even a hint of a tease. He meant it.

Her jaw went slack as she gaped at him, "What does that mean?"

"You know," Suguru changed topics, tilting his head slightly, "you avoid that question like that plague."

Suddenly she felt a chill down her spine. With the others not in the room, the mood seemed to change. It was more personal, more intimate. She could feel his stare, close, lingering a little too long on the little things like the corners of her lips and the crinkles of her eyes. Even worse than watched—She felt seen. Did he know her expressions? Her tells? Her mannerisms?

It felt like he knew everything and more.

"What question?" She questioned, struggling to decide if she was uncomfortable or intrigued by the attention.

"Why you transferred," Suguru answered as though it were obvious.

"It's not a happy story." (F/N) shrugged, admitting quietly, "I don't want to ruin the mood."

Suguru furrowed his eyebrows, glancing over at Satoru (who he had seen lingering in the doorway long ago) to see if he had heard her response. The white haired male had a similar expression. No doubt that both of them were thinking the same thing; What the hell did that mean?

"Come on, the food is ready!"

The two males shared a look, both agreeing they would speak about her words later.

﹏︎﹏︎﹏︎﹏︎﹏︎﹏︎﹏︎﹏︎﹏︎﹏︎

     It was good that they were on summer break, because as the hours got later, Suguru's mother insisted that they stay the night, and they had no real reason to deny her.

Now, the group was all crammed into the living room. Suguru had also slept in the room, keeping his bedroom empty (even though Satoru tried to steal his bed, he was dragged back to the living room like the rest of them).

(F/N) hadn't been able to sleep well for a while, ever since halfway through her second year when it all picked up. So, when she heard rustling and the sound of someone moving in the house, she was immediately awake. She looked around the living room, catching sight of a figure painted in moonlight moving through the house. If she didn't recognize the long dark hair, she might've fallen into a panic attack. But it was just Suguru, the male moving towards the back door. While he tried to be silent, the room was quiet besides the occasional snore and distant train, so his movements stood out.

She saw him opening the back door, sliding out into the backyard with a glance back at the group. For a moment, she swore they made eye contact, his figure surrounded by moonlight like an angel. But then he was into the darkness, not bothering to close the door behind him like he knew she'd follow.

(F/N) scrunched her face slightly, moving to a stand. She felt like she was in a trance, tiredly stepping over the limbs of Shoko and Satoru who had settled beside her as she followed the male to the door.

She stepped outside carefully, her eyes adjusting to the bright light of the moon that cascaded over the area. The backyard had various flowers and vines covering the area, clearly a hobby of Suguru's mother.

"(F/N)?" Suguru's soothing voice lulled. She caught sight of him standing by a small farm grown by his mother in the back corner of his yard, the bright colors dull in the night light.

Her eyebrows furrowed as she trudged over to him, "Why are you awake?" She asked back, crossing her arms tiredly as she settled beside him, observing the crops. His mother had a talent for nature, and she couldn't help but be impressed.

Suguru shrugged, his eyes pinned to the plants, "I don't know if I'm too happy to be home to actually sleep, but I just can't."

She nodded in understanding, "Fun."

His eyes drifted back to the windows of his childhood house. He could feel someone staring. His eyes narrowed before he looked back at the girl. A few seconds of quiet passed before he asked, "You want to see something?"

(F/N) deadpanned at him, calling out, "If you flash me I'm gonna be pissed."

Suguru choked out a surprised laugh, reaching up to cover his mouth as his lips spread into a grin, "I'm not going to flash you."

"Don't cover your smile," she lightly tapped his arm, aiming to knock it from his face, "it's beautiful."

The male stared at her in surprise, seeming not to know how to respond. "You..." He swallowed, looking away in a fluster, "Come on."

He brought her through the side yard so they wouldn't accidentally wake anyone else in the group. They began to walk along the sidewalk, she looking over their surroundings. Though he hadn't been living in the area he still knew his way around without struggle.

"So," she started, keeping her voice quiet so they didn't disturb any of the neighbors, "you're not flashing me but you are kidnapping me."

Taken aback, Suguru recoiled slightly, "No—"

(F/N) gave him a dry look, "This is literally the secondary location."

"You came willingly to the first and second location." Suguru reminded, "That's not kidnapping, darling."

Disappointed that the joke ended, she brushed him off, "Shush."

Suguru's steps halted at an entrance to a dirty path. There were tall trees with messy branches covering a mossy arch. It was dark, and the nature was overgrown, even the bushes along the path that she could see were blocking the path in some parts.

(F/N) glanced at him, "What's this?"

"A park." He answered simply, starting to walk down the shadowed path. She ignored the eerie quiet and followed around him, "My mom used to bring me here a lot when I was younger."

Her eyes looked over the area, "It's pretty," she could see a playground, the chains holding the seats up rusted. There was tan bark all over the area, even past its designated end. The grass they were walking on held some pieces.

"It was." Suguru retorted pessimistically, only seeing what was missing from the area, "The groundskeeper passed away a few years ago, and it's been left behind."

Now the current state of the area made sense. The plants were overgrown, and the weeds bloomed proudly amidst the forgotten area. The trees' branches blocked some of the pathways. (F/N) didn't want him to continue to be negative—it was too early in the morning for that. She found herself responding, "Still, there's beauty in nature reclaiming its land."

"I suppose."

The two looked around, taking it all in. There were some benches under trees, which looked like weeks of leaves piled on them. Did no one ever come to clean up the area?

Suguru nudged her arm, motioning to the swings, "One time, I fell off that swing and got a blackeye."

(F/N) winced, looking at the swing and imagining a much younger Suguru falling from it, "Ouch."

He laughed, remembering what had happened the next day, "My teacher thought I was getting bullied. Made me stay after class to ask about it."

"If anything you would be the bully," she gave him a dry side eye.

The dark-haired male brushed his bang back and offered an innocent smile, "I don't know what you're speaking of."

"Right." Her eyes drifted, looking for anything that might catch her attention. She paused at the sight of a fountain made of a gray stone, "At least this is intact. Look, it's even running."

She moved over to the fountain, carefully sitting on the edge of it. Suguru blurted, "I fell in that once."

"So," she cracked a grin, looking up at him, "do you have any happy memories of this place?"

Suguru smiled at her words, pointing at a larger tree in the middle of the open grass, "My mother would bring me to have picnics under that tree. I wish you could have seen its full glory."

She waved off his worries, "It's beautiful all things despite."

Suguru tightened his lips. She found beauty in the darker things. A part of him wondered if she could look inside him, where he hid his darkest thoughts and desires, and still find some beauty.

He sat beside her on the edge of the fountain, watching her expression for a moment. She looked pleased, calm, it was a nice change. He was glad she had another expression than her usual timid one.

"I'm happy I showed you this," he spoke quietly, struggling to look away. It felt like he was showing her a part of himself deeper than just his childhood. A part of him that none but Satoru had ever seen before. It was more than just a simple garden, it was him peeling back a layer of his skin to show her something deeper, something more intimate of his soul. Perhaps she didn't see it as such yet, but to him it was his youth, and he was letting her see it.

"It's really nice." (F/N) agreed, sitting next to him on the fountain.

They sat only inches apart, and Suguru could practically feel her warmth. It was right there, within reach. He could pull her closer, he could tuck a strand of hair behind her ear, and cup her cheek romantically, connecting their lips. Just the two of them, alone.

The peace only lasted a few minutes before she was checking her phone, "Oh shit, it's 2 in the morning. We should go back."

Suguru was reluctant to move from his spot on the fountain. He didn't want to go back to the house, to have to sleep and lose her presence. "We should..." He trailed off. He basked in the night air, hearing the rustling of the trees. A few seconds later, he offered, "In a few minutes."

Noticing his reluctance, she nodded, "In a few minutes."

﹏︎﹏︎﹏︎﹏︎﹏︎﹏︎﹏︎﹏︎﹏︎﹏︎

     Even though they had been the last to go to bed, Suguru and (F/N) were also the first to wake up.

When she awoke, there were footsteps in the kitchen along with the sound of pans moving. She noticed Suguru there and simply moved forward so that he would notice her. Upon seeing her, his eyes lit up and a smile grew on his lips. "I wanted to cook for my mother,” he said without her needing to prompt.

She blinked a few times, trying to rid any lingering sleepiness, "Can I help?"

“Of course,” Suguru observed her for a moment, taking in her tired expression before his eyes flickered to her hair, "If you fix that rat's nest on your head."

"Oh," she felt a flush come to her face, embarrassment creeping up her frame. She hadn’t even checked to see what she looked like before walking in.

"I'm joking.” He assured, his voice taking on an affectionate tone that she had been hearing quite often lately, “It's quite cute, actually."

"Thanks.” She ignored the surge of butterflies in her stomach, instead asking, “What are we making?"

"I wanted to make tamagoyaki, but she's low on eggs.” He let out a breath, already planning his trip, “I'll have to stop by the store around the corner."

"I could come with," she offered, leaning her elbows onto the counter. Then, Suguru felt a chill similar to last night. They were being watched.

Suguru glanced into the living room, noticing Satoru was now awake, his cursed eyes wide open. His eyes were slightly just above the rim of the glasses, straining as he watched them with his Six Eyes. Suguru could feel the tension, the tingling on his skin. Satoru tilted his head slightly. It wasn't a warning, but almost a plea;

You've been with her all night. It's my turn.

Suguru almost smirked. It had been Satoru watching them last night. He couldn’t hide the way the corners of his lips twisted up as he imagined how insanely jealous the white haired male must’ve been in the moment.

"It's alright," Suguru didn't spend another minute looking at Satoru, turning to (F/N), "I'll be quick. Just try to wake up, I kept you awake so long last night."

"Yeah.” She thought of all the walking they had done, and pointed out, “At least my legs aren't sore."

The dark-haired male cracked a grin, "You make it sound like it's my fault."

(F/N) gave him a pointed look, "It is."

"Right," he reached forward, brushing a stray hair behind her ear. Immediately, despite his overwhelming calm composure, he seemed flustered. He pulled his hand back, his fingers moving into a fist by his side, nails digging into his palm. "Uh, I'll get going."

Then, Suguru was moving outside.

But his spot was immediately replaced.

"What did you mean by that?" Satoru was suddenly in the doorway, arms crossed as he watched her closely.

(F/N) jumped slightly at the abrupt appearance of the male, "What?"

"Your legs are sore.” Satoru’s eyes slowly raked over her frame as though he would notice anything that could give it away. Any marks or any way she was holding her weight, “Did you two...?"

"No!” She shook her head, eyes widening. (F/N) swiftly went to explain, “No! Jeez, Gojo, we just walked to a park and looked around."

Satoru only hummed, his curious stare not wavering despite the way his posture relaxed a little. He was relieved, though still slightly suspicious that something had happened. A kiss, maybe. It felt like Suguru would do anything to get ahead of him, "Hm…”

She looked away from him, cheeks flushed. She felt embarrassed at the accusation, her mind lingering on the thought more than it should’ve. Satoru didn't let her avoid his attention for long however. "You're up early. You usually sleep in."

(F/N) nodded, "You're-You're actually right. How'd you know that?"

Satoru only shrugged, "I pay attention."

"Do you think I'm dense?" She blurted, thinking of Suguru’s previous words.

He raised his eyebrows, his usual grin faltering before it came back, "That's abrupt,” he said, moving forward to lean on the counter across from her.

"Geto made it sound like I'm really oblivious,” (F/N) murmured.

Satoru didn’t give a clear answer, "Do you think you're oblivious?"

She stared at him blankly, "That's not what I asked you."

"I know." Satoru shrugged, moving around the island and leaning closer, "I think you're perfect."

"Right." She turned from him, not letting his attempt to tease her affect her, “Hey, question."

His eyes followed her, "Yes?"

"Why have you been grumbling all weekend?" (F/N) asked, her concern showing.

"Why are you still calling me Gojo?" The male hummed, "Call me Satoru."

She pursed her lips, "Are you sure?"

"I call you by your first name,” he retorted.

"Yeah, but I told you to."

"And now I'm telling you." The male was practically lingering over her, his sides almost touching as he ordered, "Call me Satoru."

She nodded slowly, "If you insist."

Suguru came back to the kitchen, a plastic bag with the ingredients he needed in his hand, eyebrows raised when he noticed the two's proximity. His eyes scanned each of them for a moment as though trying to figure out why she looked flushed, "You two having a moment?" He mused.

"Holy shit!” She raised her eyebrows, pulling from Satoru (who immediately held a disappointed frown that he gave to Suguru), “That was fast."

"Don't change topics,” Suguru scolded, placing the bag on the counter.

(F/N) moved her hands to rub her face, simultaneously hiding her fluster and waking her face up, "Would you two stop asking me that?"

Satoru turned, also leaning on the counter to add on, "Not if you keep leading us on."

She stammered, "I-I'm not—"

"You're making her blush,” Satoru’s grin morphed into a smirk.

"I...” She cleared her throat, trying once again to change topics, “Um, you were really fast."

Suguru’s eyes gleamed with amusement, “I told you it was around the corner."

He had walked the fastest he had ever, not wanting the two to be alone with each other for even a minute. Not when he knew of his friend's attraction to her.

"Can—“ She cleared her throat, saying, “Can we just cook?"

The two males shared a grin before nodding.

Thankfully, the cooking process wasn't filled with as much teasing. Suguru genuinely wanted to cook something nice for his mother.

Once they were finished cooking, the others started to wake up. (F/N) could hear them stirring in the other room, their groggy voices starting conversations.

His mother was the first person to enter the kitchen, "Suguru, you cooked without burning the house down?" His mother's voice came from the doorway.

Suguru pursed his lips, "I had some help."

His mother looked around the room, skipping right over Satoru and focusing on the girl, "(F/N),” the woman cooed, “you're a doll."

"I helped too, Mrs. Geto!" Satoru piped up, a wide grin on his face as he tried to hold the woman’s attention.

Suguru’s mother stared at Satoru blankly, "If you touched anything I'm sure my house would be burnt down."

Satoru held a hand over his chest, pouting, "She's so brutal."

"I've never had one of Suguru's guests make breakfast." The mother had a warm smile on her face.

"I did!" Satoru tried again, raising his hand to draw attention to himself.

"You burnt it." The woman chastised, continuing to compliment the girl instead of wasting any more time on the pouting male, “She's so nice Suguru. You should marry her."

(F/N)'s face flushed and she looked at the woman with wide eyes. "You're very forward,” she blurted, a hand covering her face.

She couldn’t help it, she looked at Suguru.

There was no disgust. No rejection. He didn't say anything, and he didn't even express any body language to show he was off by his mother's words.

But…he looked to be considering it. No way he was actually telling her words as more than a joke, right?

"I'm gonna go wash my face," (F/N) blurted before practically running out of the room.

The two male sets of eyes followed her out of the room, not leaving until she was out of sight.

Chapter Text

THE AIR HAD BEGUN TO COOL ONCE MORE AS SCHOOL SETTLED BACK INTO SESSION. And unfortunately for (F/N), who had hoped the break would help her catch up on all the work, she was often distracted in class.

It was hard to focus when Satoru was constantly leaning over and passing her notes, or when Suguru was staring at her with a gleam she couldn't determine the origin of. She had been correct when she deemed them distractions. With them always by her side, she struggled to keep up with her work.

So, she finally gave in to Suguru's offer of his notes.

It was later in the day when she knocked on Suguru's dorm door. When he answered the door (and had to quickly hide his surprise, his hair a bit messy like he had been lying down) he raised an eyebrow at her. She offered a timid look, her voice quiet, "Hey, can I copy your notes?"

"Of course. I've only offered a million times," he mused, moving out of the way and motioning for her to enter. Once she had, he closed the door after her.

"Thanks." She said as she moved to stand in the room, not knowing where he wanted her to sit, "Satoru never takes any and Ieiri's behind."

The male paused, his eyebrows furrowing. Suguru's attention was caught by Gojo's first name. Since when had she started referring to him by that? He hummed, pretending it was no big deal as he turned to look at her, "What'd you call him?"

(F/N) paid his reaction no mind, explaining, "Satoru told me to call him by his first name at your house. You were at the store."

Suguru scoffed under his breath. Satoru had put a move on her in Suguru's own house?

"Well," he purposely walked close enough to her that their arms brushed as he passed her, "don't leave me out of it."

She furrowed her eyebrows, watching as he took a seat on his bed, "You...?" (F/N) trailed off, wondering if what she was thinking aligned with what he was prompting.

He looked at her, his dark hair falling into his face, "Call me Suguru."

"Okay." She moved over to him, looking over his room as he pulled out his notebook. She had yet to stop standing beside his bedframe, "Oh, I have that copy of Frankenstein too."

The male tried not to tense, hoping she wouldn't notice it was in fact her copy, "I was rereading it because you mentioned it at the sleepover." Suguru subconsciously patted the seat next to him on the bed, and she climbed onto the bed.

"Cool," she nodded, settling into a comfortable position on the bed, almost touching his side. Then, she opened her notebook and began copying.

Suguru found himself watching her as she did so. The small twitch to her nose when she couldn't quite understand his handwriting, the way she bit her cheek slightly in focus, the stray strands of hair that fell over her face. She was captivating. And it was torture.

He thought of what it would mean to call her his. To have her. Hell, he contemplated reaching forward and pulling her into a hug. Though if he did that, he didn't know if he'd be able to let go. Especially not knowing who was outside, always lingering.

A certain white-haired bastard named Satoru.

The male had been bothering him lately. Satoru spoke nonstop of (F/N), of how she was perfect and the hints she gave that meant she certainly liked him back. And while Suguru understood his captivation—damn did Suguru understand—it boiled his blood to see another male so enraptured by her. He spent hours thinking about what would happen if (F/N) fell for Satoru. How both she and Satoru would end up leaving his side if that were the case.

It was unacceptable.

Suguru found his jealousy speaking for him and breaking the quiet sound of her scribbling, "You—" he swallowed, waiting a few seconds before starting again, "You and Satoru seem pretty close lately."

(F/N) glanced over her shoulder at him once he started speaking, nodding before turning back to the page like he hadn't asked anything important (even though it felt like his sanity was tethered to her answer), "We're friends," she answered simply.

"Friends, huh?" He spoke the word lowly as if testing it—it just didn't seem to fit.

"Yeah." She hummed, focusing on one of the diagrams on the page, her hands sketching it out on her own, "I mean, just like us."

Suguru paused, one of his hands stretching behind her frame as he leaned forward slightly, trying to get a better look at her face, "Like us. And... That's what we are. Friends."

(F/N) scrunched her face at his tone, putting the pencil down and turning around to look at him. Her eyes looked over his expression, slowly pointing out, "You sound bitter."

It was Suguru's turn to scrunch his face, denying, "I'm not."

She blinked a few times before shrugging, turning to the paper, and continuing, "Okay," She kept quiet, and seemed a bit tense.

A part of him wondered if she had been expecting more, and he couldn't hold back that gamble. "You sound disappointed." He mused, his lips closer to her ear.

"I don't," she retorted swiftly, used to bickering with the males who she hadn't truly thought of her answer.

"Okay." Suguru shrugged.

(F/N) clicked her tongue, once again putting the pencil down. But this time she didn't look at him immediately, "Are you disappointed?"

He stilled, "About what?"

"Do you want me to..." she almost struggled to get it out, her heartbeat pounding as she felt his presence lingering behind her, "want more?"

Suguru's hand didn't stay behind her, lazily resting on her hip opposite to the one he sat by, his thumb brushing it lazily, "Maybe."

(F/N) frowned at the lack of an answer. She took a few seconds before turning around playfully, saying, "You're distracting me."

Suguru let out a small breath, his voice low as he murmured, "You'll know when I start distracting you."

"Why'd you say it like that?" she flushed, her eyes flickering to his lips.

He saw the way her eyes flickered to his lips, and damn it, it took everything in him not to immediately lean down and crash their lips together, to taste her, to devour her. He hummed, trying to hold back, even if just for a moment, "Say it like what, darling?"

"Vulgar," she looked away, her cheeks heated.

He chuckled at her embarrassed response, his smirk growing even wider. He couldn't resist teasing her, "Vulgar?"

"Shush," she grumbled, not meaning any true harm by the word.

"I think you're the one who needs to quiet down, darling." His hand moved from her waist, tracing up her back, his touch feather-like, making her shiver. Suguru could have let out a groan at her reaction alone—She really was driving him crazy.

(F/N) couldn't help but quietly ask, "Why don't you make me?"

Well...She had asked. Now he had to comply.

His hand moved from her back to the side of her face, cupping it and pulling all of her focus to him. Suguru's thumb brushed her cheek, and suddenly his lips were connected with hers in a firm kiss.

While it wasn't necessarily hesitant, he did seem to be holding himself back. Suguru always appeared sure of himself, but even now he held a calm confidence that sent a shiver down (F/N)'s spine. Suguru wasn't rushing, wasn't being rough, he was tender, passionate, like he was trying to tell her through the kiss alone that he wanted her, and no words could ever express how deeply his heart yearned for her.

The connection didn't last long, but it certainly got the message across.

The pair pulled away after a few seconds, but he didn't move far. Suguru's eyes looked over her face, at her opening eyes that revealed dilated pupils, her hair that had fallen in her face. He had been holding back for so long that all of the pent-up desire was overwhelming him. He wanted to do so much, too much in the moment.

Suguru let her take in a breath before he reached up, tucking some behind her ear before sliding that same hand to the back of her nape, pulling her in once more, this time deeper. Her hands moved subconsciously to his bicep and his hip, grasping the fabric like a lifeline.

Then, he moved their position, instead making it so that her back was pressed into the soft sheets of his bed. He hovered above her on his elbows, not breaking the contact even to breathe.

He was trying to draw it out as long as possible, savoring every second. Because not only was he kissing her, but she was kissing him back. Suguru's heart was pounding with excitement.

It was happening. Surely she felt the same rush of joy in her veins—

The sound of the door opening suddenly pulled Suguru back to reality, shattering the moment he was getting lost in. He was so lost in the kiss, in the taste of her, in the feeling of her body pressed against him, that the sudden interruption was like a cold splash of water.

Especially as (F/N)'s hands pressed against Suguru's shoulders, pushing him up and putting space between them. The male found irritation flooding his entire body.

As Satoru came sauntering into the room, a displeased expression flickered over his face before a teasing one took over. She felt her cheeks warm as she took in the position they were in, pushing Suguru further to the side. The girl moved to the side, sitting up and awkwardly fixing her hair.

"Satoru," Suguru's words came out low, the malicious look in his eye clear to the other male.

Only a few seconds passed before Satoru's voice teased, "Don't stop on my accord."

(F/N) kept her eyes low, trying not to seem embarrassed, as she blurted, "Do you try hard to be the most obnoxious person in Jujitsu High or does it come naturally?"

Satoru let out a loud huff, making his way in front of her and leaning down to her face level, "It's okay for you to be breathtakingly attracted to me without needing to hide it with snark, you know that, right?"

She huffed, fiddling with her pants to try and ignore how fast her heart was pounding, "I wish you'd be quiet."

"I know a way to shut my mouth," he piped, leaning closer.

When she finally looked back towards Satoru, she was taken aback by the proximity. They were practically touching noses, especially because his infinity was off, "You—" she gulped, "you have no sense of personal space."

"Come on," he almost whined, "you already kissed him. It's my turn."

"There's—" Her cheeks heated and she turned her head to glance back at Suguru. She couldn't believe the situation she was in, Satoru's words taking her aback entirely, "There's no turns.!"

"He doesn't mind, let him watch," Satoru assured, his hand reaching up to grasp her chin, directing her eyes back to him. His eyes looked back at her lips, his neediness almost as high as his ego, "Please?"

"You're insufferable," she retorted, her hand grasping his wrist. Yet he didn't loosen his grasp, instead, he used his hold as leverage to draw her closer. Now she was sitting up on her knee near the edge of the bed, and still, she wasn't eye level. It made her heart pound in her chest.

He stopped leaning closer when they were only an inch apart, retorting, "Tell me to stop, and I will."

She stared at him with almost competitive eyes. It felt almost like a game of chicken. Satoru did the same, daring the words to come out of her mouth. But they didn't.

So, Satoru connected the kiss.

Satoru's kiss might not have been slow like Suguru's, but there was an undeniable passion behind it that matched the intensity. The hand holding her chin turned into a softer hold on her cheek, one that wasn't expected from the male. His other hand slid to the small of her back, his frame pushing against the edge of the bed frame so their fronts were almost touching.

Her hands moved to Satoru's shoulders, grasping him tightly—like he would slip away if she lessened it.

She pulled away slightly in surprise as she felt two hands from behind her, Suguru's, suddenly placed on her hips. Satoru didn't let her pull away that easily, instead using his hold on her to regain the proximity, his lips still greedily claiming hers, not giving her a chance to escape.

The tension in the room was suffocating. The air was thick with mixed emotions.

As she broke the kiss, pulling back to catch her breath, Satoru finally let her go, his hands reluctantly falling to his sides. He was still wearing that infuriating smirk of his, clearly enjoying every moment. The kiss, the way Suguru's death glare hadn't left them for a singular moment (hell, he didn't even know if the male had blinked or if he was too busy staring).

Suguru's narrowed eyes took in the sight before him. She was panting slightly, her lips slightly swollen, looking all too damn kissable. A strange conflicted feeling filled him.

He wanted to be the one kissing her, but the sight of Satoru kissing her hadn't entirely irritated him like he expected. Annoyed, because his moment with her had been interrupted, but he didn't want to throttle the male. Suguru met Satoru's eyes, seeing the all too cheeky look on his face. He immediately rolled his eyes. Maybe he wanted to throttle him a little.

Suddenly (F/N) felt all too warm. She could feel Suguru's hands on her, yet to move. Somehow, feeling both of them while she was kissing Satoru had made it better. Her eyes looked down as she tried not to overthink (think at all). Not that it was hard. She could hardly comprehend her thoughts when they were both watching her so carefully.

"Oh, honey," Satoru cooed, leaning down to be eye level as he teased, "you look so nervous."

"Well, I don't exactly kiss my friends," she rushed out, reluctantly looking up to meet his eyes. She moved to the side so she wouldn't be between them, sitting on the edge of the bed.

Satoru tilted his head, "You're not affectionate with your friends?"

"You're always touching everyone," Suguru blinked, recalling all of the times he had seen, and experienced, the girl hanging off of her friends, always one to wrap her arms around theirs or hold their hands.

She shook her, "Not like this.!"

"You kissed Shoko." Satoru pointed out, the image had been burned into his brain.

"It was a dare," she shook her head.

"It's normal to kiss your friends," Satoru brushed off.

"Satoru," Suguru's voice was a warning in it of itself. Suguru swiftly turned to Satoru. It was almost as though Suguru was telling him to keep his mouth shut.

Satoru noticed his friends' look, and apparently decided it was motivation to do the opposite, and blurted, "We've kissed before." Suguru groaned, looking away. "First kiss too." Satoru continued, ignoring his friend's embarrassment, if anything only adding to it as he explained shortly, "We didn't want to be inexperienced."

"I knew you two were close but..." she trailed off, seeming flustered when she thought about it.

Satoru took note of how her face was starting to flush even more. "But what?"

"Nothing.!" She swiftly said, clearing her throat and looking downwards, "I mean, you two can do what you want, it's none of my business," She kept her eyes on her nails as if she was looking at her cuticles, ignoring how it felt like they were closing in.

Satoru chuckled, now tilting his head and trying to catch her eye, "None of your business, huh?"

"Maybe we want to make it your business," Suguru spoke up.

She paused, "What...?" She asked, a bit quieter than she first wished.

When she met his eye, (F/N) wanted to jump back from Suguru just from how nervous his stare made her feel, "You heard me." He spoke smoothly.

She blinked, swallowing thickly, "Oh."

"Yeah..." Satoru grinned, mimicking her tone, "Oh."

They both watched her, waiting for her to respond. While Suguru focused on how nervous she looked sitting there and avoiding eye contact, obviously flustered, Satoru was focusing on her lips again. Oh, how he wanted to kiss her again. He found a new addiction growing. Already he couldn't get it out of his mind.

She suddenly jumped up, off the bed, stepping backwards towards the door. (F/N) looked at them, eyes flickering between both of them as she stammered, "I—You know, I'm just uh, I'm trying to focus on school. A-And myself."

Suguru tilted his head, humming, "Is that a no?"

Satoru raised an eyebrow, cheekily pointing out, "You didn't seem to mind just now."

The girl didn't answer, only walking to the door, "I-I gotta go."

"(F/N)," Suguru's voice called out, sounding all too amused, "wait."

(F/N) pursed her lips, timidly turning around, "What?"

The small smile on his face threatened to grow larger, raising an object in his hand that made her want to slap her forehead in embarrassment, "Your notebook."

She felt her cheeks heat up and she rushed over, grasping the notebook and swiftly moving back to the door, "I—Bye."

The door closed behind her.

A silence settled in her absence, but then two males looked at each other, and a few seconds passed before similar grins grew on both of their faces.

After a few seconds, Satoru asked, "You think we came on too strong?" Even though he asked, he didn't seem truly concerned, like he didn't care if he came on strong unless it made her leave.

"I think we came on just strong enough." Suguru returned, mindlessly organizing his notes as he struggled to get his focus off the thought of her under him, "She certainly understands what we want now. Though...Hard to be confused when she was between us."

Satoru hummed, his fingers raised to press against his lips as though he could pretend they were hers, "Her lips were soft," his words sounded dazed as though he were lost in a memory.

"They were." Suguru nodded after a moment.

The other male groaned, flopping onto the bed beside his friend, "I want to do it again."

"Don't scare her off." The dark-haired male warned, his eyes narrowed as he tried not to think of the possibility of her abandoning them.

"Don't worry." Satoru lightly patted his friend's shoulder, his eyes focusing on the roof of his dorm as he murmured, "Even if she got scared off, she wouldn't get far."

Suguru watched Satoru for a moment, not making a reaction to his words. It didn't matter, Satoru knew he agreed. And he did.

She wouldn't leave them. They wouldn't allow it.

Chapter Text

IT WAS ALL WRONG.

The two males were in the plaza, enjoying the cool fall air. Leaves were falling, but they paid no mind to it. They were sitting on the stairs, Satoru with his head tilted back, elbows resting on the stairs behind him while he stared at the bright sky, and Suguru with his eyes lazily focusing on the tree across the yard.

"She's avoiding us," Satoru spoke, his voice not holding its usual upbeat tone. Instead, it was serious.

Do you know how many topics Suguru had seen the white-haired male be serious about? Practically none. The change in attitude would be unsettling, that was, if Suguru didn't feel the same way.

He kept his cool in front of Satoru however, "She's nervous about her feelings," Suguru responded smoothly, as though he were a hundred percent sure about the fact. And he was...mostly. He knew her well enough to know that even if she was going to reject him—them, she would have likely done it already.

"She's still avoiding us." The other male grumbled, glancing at his friend through his peripheral vision.

Suguru gritted his teeth slightly, trying not to let Satoru's words annoy him, "I know that."

Satoru turned to his friend, "You said we didn't scare her off."

Suguru scrunched his face slightly in annoyance, "I'm not a magical wizard who knows everything."

Satoru, without even considering another response, ordered, "Become one!"

"You could use your brain for once too, you know." Suguru sighed.

"But that's what you're good for." The white-haired male groaned, nudging his friend's arm, "I'm the beauty, you're the brains."

Suguru raised an eyebrow at the male, "Is that why I get more girls?"

"Not important." Satoru brushed him off as though he had said nothing, thinking for a moment before piping, "...Speaking of girls, last Tuesday (F/N) completely ignored me. We were walking towards each other in the hallway, and she made a random right into a classroom I know she doesn't have a class in."

Suguru perked up in interest, "You know her schedule?"

"I'm sure you do too." Suguru did not react to his friend's words, knowing they were true, "Point is, she seems off."

The dark male cracked a teasing grin, "And you're not just saying that because she's ignoring you?"

"No." Satoru deadpanned.

The two males settled into a quiet, both of their minds going wild. The distant sound of birds tweeting was heard, flying just outside the barrier of Jujutsu High. There were students walking a bit away, their voices carrying faintly through the open area.

Satoru was never one to let silence go unfilled however, and was quick to fill it, "How do you think her mission is going?"

Suguru tried to keep his best faith in her, "She can handle herself."

Unable to help himself, Satoru blurted, "Can she?"

In Satoru's mind, it was simple. (F/N) was strong, sure, just not as strong as them. So, she was weak. She needed help, protection, and a watchful eye always keeping track of her. Whenever they were on missions together (which had been quite frequent during her months at Tokyo Jujutsu High), he would linger. Always hovering but in his Satoru way. In a way that seemed overly casual, like he wasn't breathing down her neck out of worry and just trying to show off like usual.

Suguru hummed, his mind drifting back to the girl's recent behavior. He looked at the sky, saying, "She does seem...Off lately."

Satoru clicked his tongue, "You think she's got something going on?"

Suguru sighed, "Hard to know when she only talks to Shoko and Haibara." He turned to his friend, piping, "She doesn't even speak to Yaga in class anymore. The old man's getting so concerned that he asked Shoko if someone was bothering her."

"Asked her?" The white-haired male furrowed his eyebrows, "Not us?"

"He thinks that they're closer." Suguru shrugged, acting as though it didn't bother him.

Satoru pursed his lips, considering, "We could ask Haibara. He'd tell us if something was going on."

Suguru considered it, but added, "He'd tell us but then blab to her immediately."

Satoru nodded, knowing it would probably be best not to upset the girl by asking others about her, "Maybe it's something from her transfer."

"Yeah." His friend agreed before waiting a few seconds, admitting, "I never thought you'd be mature enough to talk with me like this," Suguru mused, "not with her."

"I like surprises," Satoru shrugged, his serious tone coming back, "Besides, you know when to back off. You and no one else."

Suguru raised an eyebrow at his friend, leaning away as though Satoru had a virus. He playfully pointed out, "You kind of sound like you're in love with me."

Satoru scoffed, rolling his eyes, "I'm going to be in love with punching you in the face with my fist if you don't shut up—"

The sound of boots scratching on pavement was heard, the sound of someone stumbling. The two of them turned in bewilderment to the entrance of Jujutsu High, seeing a figure struggling to walk through the tall arch.

It was concerning, but even more so when they recognized the person with ease.

Suguru sat up, narrowing his eyes at the figure, "Is that...?"

"(F/N)!" Satoru barely let out before he was warping forward, hardly hitting where he had tried to land. He had almost knocked into her, his hands moving to hold her biceps, a bit tighter than he expected. "What happened?!" He wasn't loud, but instead quiet. It was a rushed whisper, his voice seemingly unable to grow loud like usual due to the worry controlling him.

The girl appeared relieved by the sight of them, her voice leaving her throat as a rasp, "Special grade," she blurted, simply trying to catch her breath.

"Special grade?" Satoru's eyes widened, looking over the girl. She looked like she had run from wherever her mission had been. Her hair was sticking up wildly in different directions, sweat making her face sheen, her cheeks flushed from exasperation, and her chest heaving from springing. She swallowed, trying to breathe out her nose despite the burn in her throat.

Suguru, who had just caught up, noticed the blood dripping down her leg first.

"Satoru—Get Shoko!" Suguru moved the male out of the way, knowing he could get to the girl quicker with his teleportation.

"Call her just in case she's not in her room," Satoru swiftly ordered. And then he was gone, disappearing into the air like he hadn't been there to start with.

"Hey," Suguru grasped the girl as she stumbled forward, "you're okay."

Her hands were grasping at his clothes to stabilize herself. She shook her head, murmuring, "I'm fine. It's just a scratch."

The male huffed, reaching into his pocket to grasp his phone, dialing Shoko's number. As it rang, he looked at (F/N), noticing her eyes closed and face scrunched, "Hey—You don't get to sleep. Not until we see Shoko."

"I'm not even bleeding," she retorted, despite feeling something dripping on her calf.

"Yes, you are." One of his hands smoothed her hair back, observing some dark spots on her arms, "And I can see bruises already—"

(F/N)'s hands instead tried to push him back. Her exhaustion did little to faze him and he hardly budged as she quietly argued, "I'm fine."

Shoko picked up the phone.

Suguru was swift to ask, "Shoko, where—"

"My dorm." Shoko answered, not wasting any time, "Is she losing a lot of blood?"

So, Satoru had already made it to her.

Suguru looked at the girl, taking notice of the stain on the pants of her uniform, "Kind of."

"Well shit," Shoko huffed, probably asking both males, "should she be in a hospital?"

"Not that much," Suguru corrected, grasping her and moving to start walking with the girl in the direction of the dorms.

Shoko let out a stressed breath, ordering, "Hurry."

The dark-haired male pursed his lips, noticing that (F/N) was leaning on one leg more. She was trying to stay off of her other one, the one with the blood stain, and he thought it better she didn't use it at all, "Is Satoru coming back?"

"He'll help you carry—" Shoko's voice was further from the phone, speaking to Satoru, "wait, Gojo, can you teleport her?"

Satoru hadn't even responded to the girl, instead teleporting back to where they had been standing. When he noticed they had moved, he quickly caught up, grasping the other side of (F/N).

"Can you teleport her?" Suguru asked.

Satoru thought for only a few seconds, his mind running far quicker than he could truly comprehend, "I was able to teleport that turtle," he remembered the only time he had tried to teleport something other than himself.

Suguru's gaze was a warning, eyes narrowing at Satoru, "She's not a turtle."

"I can do it," Satoru blurted, seeming entirely sure of himself without any real evidence.

"Satoru—" (F/N) stammered, once more trying to push from Suguru to walk on her own, "I-I can walk." She found herself unable to even try as Satoru grasped her other arm, keeping her between them.

"You're falling over if we don't hold you." Satoru retorted without even considering her words.

She rolled her eyes. But she was unable to get a response in before Satoru's hands grasped her arms, and then, they were somewhere different. The wind had stopped abruptly, and the natural noises were now muffled because of the walls surrounding them.

They were in Shoko's dorm.

Her legs felt wobbly, and her knees almost gave up underneath her. She held onto the male weakly, but Satoru didn't let her fall. "I got you, sweetheart," he assured, his grasp on her firm enough to keep her pinned against him but not to let her fall.

"Aw shit," Shoko's dry voice called out, "she's getting blood on the ground."

"I'm right here," (F/N) deadpanned at her as Shoko moved closer with a towel, swiftly wiping the liquid before placing it under the girl's foot.

"I know," the brunette deadpanned, grasping more towels, "and you're getting blood on my floor. Why didn't I go out to the courtyard instead?"

Satoru's eyes were on the girl, growing more and more irritated by the minute, "Shoko!"

"I wouldn't talk a lot if I didn't know she'd survive." Shoko sighed, motioning to the chair at the desk, "Hold her still. "

Feeling Satoru's frame envelop her from behind, she frowned, "Ieiri—" she tried to protest as she felt Satoru sit down, his hold on her aiming to pull her on his lap, "This isn't necessary."

"It's okay, (F/N)." She felt Satoru's arm wrap around her waist, carefully pulling her frame upon his as they sat on the chair. She felt a wave of embarrassment come over her as Shoko grasped her leg, lifting it and putting it on her towel-covered lap for easier access.

The wound was rough, jagged. But it wasn't too deep. Shoko looked at it; hell, she might be able to make it not even have a scar.

Then, Shoko started.

It was a very strange feeling, the use of the Reverse Cursed Technique. It was a strange ripple that spread through her, and she found herself scrunching her face uncomfortably. There was a tension, almost unbearable but not yet a pain. She scrunched her face, her hands clenching into fists. Satoru, not that she noticed in the moment, intertwined his fingers with hers so that her nails would pierce into his palms instead of hers. Simultaneously he was in her ear, telling her how good she was doing and how he was there for her.

After a moment Suguru came into the room, trying to play it calm as though he hadn't been running through the hallways of the school to reach Shoko's dorm. "Is she okay?!" He asked.

He took in sight of the scene and his expression fell slack. Her wound, which he truly never got to see, had been mostly healed. The edges of the wounds are being interwoven by Shoko. "She'll be fine," Shoko answered.

The answer seemed not to work for Suguru, "But is she okay now?"

"Ask her," Shoko argued.

Suguru eyed the girl, her position, even though it would have usually made his chest tighten with jealousy hardly mattering in the moment as he asked, "(F/N), darling, are you—?"

"I'm fine.!" (F/N) practically snapped, her head leaned back to lie against Satoru's shoulder. Her eyes drifted to the ceiling, glaring at it as though it were the source of her irritation.

No one spoke after that.

Once Shoko was finished, (F/N) was swift to drop her leg. And though she was comfortable in Satoru's lap, she found the stares of everyone too much and used that motivation to pry herself from Satoru's hold (that he didn't lessen at first, trying to pull her back to him until she actively pushed from him).

She stood, letting out a breath as she plopped onto the bed, her arms spread out. (F/N) didn't care for the not fully dried blood, she could buy the girl new sheets if need be.

After a few seconds of quiet, Shoko asked, "Does Yaga know?"

Suguru, who seemed to be thinking far more clearly than Satoru, who hadn't taken his eyes off of (F/N) (or even blinked since she stood), answered, "Not yet."

Shoko nodded, grasping her phone and moving to the door, "I'll get Yaga."

A piercing silence covered the room upon her exit. (F/N) sat up. She didn’t say anything yet, and neither did the males. She looked at Suguru first, who stood tense. His hands were fists, his eyes narrowed. His hair even appeared a bit messy, some strands sticking out of his usually neat bun. (F/N) then looked over at Satoru, seeing him still sitting in the chair, his hands grasping the arms of the chair insanely tight.

She furrowed her eyebrows at their shared expression, glad there was only the ache of her wound.

Satoru, on the other hand, was anything but glad. His mind was a mess—even more so than usual.

She had been wounded. Her blood was on him. There was even his own blood, coming from his palms where she had unintentionally pierced his skin with her nails. But there was no trace of pain on his expression, not even as he held the hard arms of the chairs so tight he swore they could break.

And sure, her injury had been caused by their job. Their occupation constantly put them in hideous danger which even he as the strongest wouldn't always be able to protect her from.

He wanted to wrap her in bubble wrap and hide her from the world, so she'd never show up injured again. But that wasn't possible, right?

...Right?

(F/N) watched Satoru closely. The small twitch of his expression, as though the thoughts running through his head were nothing peaceful. The furrow of his eyebrows showed the stress.

Before she could voice her worry, there was an interruption.

"(F/N)?!" Yaga's worried voice was loud as he rounded the corner into the room.

"I'm okay," she assured right before the male was pulling her into a tight hug.

Yaga wrapped his arms around her top half, lowering himself to pull her closer, "What happened?" He rushed out, “Shoko didn’t say.”

"It was a special grade." (F/N) murmured, her arms reaching around his frame and accepting the hug. Even though she knew she was safe in Jujutsu High, feeling Yaga’s embrace felt like the final touch. She felt safe. Calm. Relaxed. His hug was like a warm blanket on a snowy day.

"I didn't approve any mission for a special grade, especially a solo one." Yaga furrowed his eyebrows, pulling back from the hug but not yet standing to his full height, “I wouldn't even send you out to face a first grade alone."

(F/N) pursed her lips. Then why had she been against a special grade? She hadn't misjudged it. It was far stronger than her usual opponent.

"Shoko said you got hurt and—" he cut himself off, shaking his head.

"I'm okay.” She assured, her fingers awkwardly fiddling with each other as she tried to play off her earlier fear, “I'm just a little off guard."

“Jeez, kid,” Yaga said, standing, his hands raised and brushing his hair back. He looked like he had grown three new wrinkles just from the short scare, "You scared me half to death."

"Don't die," she murmured, her hands on her knees as she leaned forward, "who would bore me to death with their lectures if you did?"

Yaga only sighed at her words. "I'm glad you're okay,” he shook his head, “but don't do that again."

(F/N) offered a small grin, "I'll try not to."

Chapter Text

SHE WASN'T SURE SHE'D EVER MET A PAIR SO ANNOYING AS GOJO AND GETO. Besides everything, the thing that was so irritating about them was that they seemed never to leave her side.

Ever since her injury a week ago they seemed more insistent on being by her side. No matter where, they were there. It felt like every hour there was a mention of them, whether it was their actual presence by her side or a text from them. Not only did they bother her everywhere outside of her dorm, but the duo had decided that her room was the best place to hang out.

Even when she was studying at her desk, they were behind her messing with her bookcase, like they were now. Though, at first, they kept quiet and listened to her request for them to be quiet while she focused on her studying, their whispering only grew louder.

Abruptly, the loud noise of a hardcover book harshly hitting the wooden floor behind her made her jump.

"Don't drop my stuff," she murmured, too tired to raise her voice. All the studying was draining her. It was feeling harder and harder to keep on top of her work, and she was starting to feel it. She heard their rushed whispering and looked over the pair. Satoru had a mischievous expression. It was suspicious, and a part of her wondered if they had dropped the book on purpose.

"Sorry," Suguru spoke up, and although his words sounded empathetic, his expression showed the hint of amusement that settled on her annoyance. Even though he was by and large less of a problem than Satoru, he was still an eighteen-year-old male.

Satoru, instead, was focused on her form, how she sat crisscross in the wheeled, cushioned chair. He found himself trying to gauge if she was relaxed, "Is that chair comfortable?"

"Yeah," (F/N) pursed her lips, shifting in her seat as she remembered the day he had rolled another one to her room, insisting that she looked like her back hurt because he saw her grab it once, "You didn't have to buy me one."

"Your other one was horrible." The white-haired male huffed, remembering back to when he had snuck into her room and complained about the piece of furniture, "I don't know how your back wasn't killing you all the time."

(F/N) smiled to herself, turning back to the desk to continue scribbling on her notes.

Satoru let out a small huff as she turned her back on him, not appreciating the sight. He moved forward, his arms wrapping around her neck lazily as he pressed his chin to the top of her head, "All you do is study. You never relax."

She frowned as he pulled her back against the chair but settled into his hold nonetheless, "We went to the arcade last week." (F/N) reminded.

Satoru raised an eyebrow, "And I remember you talking about homework during that."

"I remember," Suguru huffed lightly, crossing his arms and carefully leaning back against the tall bookshelf, "You asked for my notes again."

She pushed the desk around, facing the male with her mouth open to retort, "I—"

Satoru hadn't moved from his spot behind her and ended up now facing her front, blocking her view of Suguru and placing his hands on the arms of the chair. The white-haired male shook his head with a small sigh, "You're taking a break," his voice was definitive.

"What?" The female scrunched her face, sitting up in the seat as she asked, "Why?"

"You're overworking yourself..." Satoru grumbled, his gaze, even behind his glasses, showed that his words seemed to deeply unsettle him further than he was showing.

"I'm really not—"

Satoru deadpanned at her, his expression losing its amusement, "Get up."

"No." She challenged as Satoru moved around the chair until he stood behind her. Still, she didn't stop, "I'm going to study—"

Then, Satoru was pushing the chair forward. Since her legs were pulled up, she had no way to stop herself from moving forward, towards the door. "Satoru!" Suguru swiftly scolded, noticing how she was tightly holding the arms of the chair. "Be careful."

"She's fine," Satoru brushed off, reaching forward to pull the door open and stepping out.

"I don't feel fine," she retorted, moving to get out of the chair when Satoru's hands grasped her back, pulling the chair outside the dorm.

Then, in a ridiculous display of immaturity, the pair were then rushing down the hallway. The wheels scratched the cement as she grasped the arms of her chairs, almost screaming.

They passed Shoko's dorm just as the girl was leaving. She caught a glance of them, shaking her head but not asking questions to Suguru who was trailing after them with a small grin.

As they made it to the entrance of the campus, Satoru finally came to a stop and (F/N) could finally catch her breath. She frowned, glancing down at the bottom of her chair. The wheels had many scratches. "Now my wheels are all busted."

"I'll buy you another one," Satoru brushed off her worries immediately, patting her shoulders.

"I don't need another one." (F/N) complained slightly, not wanting to spend unnecessary money. She wasn't rich like Satoru, and his ease with money made her twitch, "I didn't need this one."

He grinned, leaning forward so that he could see his face over her shoulder, "And now you get two. Stop complaining."

She scrunched her face as she ducked past him, standing. He was going to tell her to stop complaining when she was just trying not to waste things? (F/N) opened her mouth to spout an insult of some kind, "You're—"

"Ignore him," Suguru returned, patting her shoulder as he walked by them.

"Where are..." (F/N) sighed, begrudgingly tailing after the male and ignoring Satoru as he lamely pushed the chair to the side, "Where are we even going?"

"Hmm." The white-haired male caught up, having left the chair spinning in the middle of the courtyard, "Sweets sound good—"

"Sweets always sound good to you," she grumbled, still not happy with being dragged...or pushed, to hang out.

Satoru continued as if he hadn't heard her words, "—so, that cafe downtown works."

"Come on, (F/N)," Suguru's voice called out teasingly, the male glancing at her over his shoulder, "don't fall behind. Unless you want to be carried."

She scrunched her face, not even daring to look at the other male, "Don't give Satoru any ideas."

Luckily, Satoru had been too busy daydreaming about the sweets he was going to eat to actually pay attention to their words at the time.

Thankfully, the cafe wasn't too far. A fifteen-minute walk for three fast walkers turned into ten minutes. The cafe was cute and small but not cramped. Only a few tables sat in the middle of the room, the booths to the side looking far more appealing to the trio who wished for privacy.

However, upon entering and settling on a booth in the back the two males started to bicker.

"Sit by me," Suguru ordered, looking at the girl as the trio approached the table.

But she was already being pulled to the other side of the booth by the white-haired male, "Too late." Satoru apologized lamely, his voice slightly too loud for the quiet cafe, "She's with me."

"Satoru," Suguru warned. But a cheeky, almost sadistic smirk crossed Satoru's face before he slid into the booth after her. Suguru's expression turned into a sneer, "You asshole."

"Don't argue," she murmured. Her hands folded in her lap as she sighed, her attention flicking between both males.

"We're not arguing, honey." Satoru assured, nudging her arm with his own, "What are you going to get?" He aimed to direct her attention to the menu.

(F/N) sighed, begrudgingly looking at the menu.

While looking over the items available, she and Suguru began to talk. However? The lack of a voice became swiftly apparent. Since when did Satoru close his mouth? He had been quiet? For once? Was it possible? Was he sick? Did he have a fever?

She looked towards Satoru, noticing him looking at her with a look she couldn't quite identify. (F/N) furrowed her eyebrows, opening her mouth to ask if she had something on her face.

The words didn't get to leave before Suguru interrupted. "Hey," Suguru called out, his foot tapping the side of hers to draw her attention to him instead.

She looked away from Satoru to face the other male, "Yes, Suguru?"

"Question." Suguru grinned like the Cheshire Cat, supposedly taking over the playful mood of the hour since Satoru was off, "Why'd you transfer?"

"Yeah," Satoru nodded, blinking out of his dazed state and adding on, "you said you'd tell us."

(F/N) pursed her lips slightly, her eyes drifting out of the window past the light pink curtains, "It's a long story."

"Good thing we like your voice," Suguru smoothly replied.

She tried to hide her fluster, excusing, "It'll bring the mood down."

"We'll find a way to bring it back up," Satoru responded next.

"You can't tell anyone..." (F/N) said.

"Stop trying to stall—" Satoru huffed but was cut off by the girl.

"I mean it." She said, completely serious. She leaned forward, her voice low, "It doesn't leave this table. Promise."

Finally, their moods sobered. "We promise." Suguru was the one who confirmed, the warning glance he sent Satoru making it clear that he would make sure the white-haired male held up to that.

So, she begrudgingly began to explain just what had happened.

It had been her fifth individual mission of her second year. At least, that's when she believed that it started.

She had been on a mission to kill a first-grade curse (unlike Yaga who tried to keep her in one piece, her old teacher largely sent her against first-grade curses, usually alone). It wasn't the curse that was the issue—she managed to kill it quite easily.

But after that, it seemed everything changed.

(F/N) started to receive love letters, sweet, about small things like the color of her hair and how bright her smile was. The letters would be at her dorm's door, so she thought it was one of her classmates. The letters came in pristine envelopes, white, sealed with a dark blue wax. The wax had a specific symbol she'd never seen before printed on it, a mix of triangles and half-circles.

But then, as time passed, the notes became more aggressive. More...possessive. (F/N) didn't know who was sending them, or why, but it was clear that they had formed some sort of unhealthy attachment to her. Still, she didn't tell anyone. Nothing had been threatened, it was harmless, for now.

During the break before the third year, she had never been more glad to go home. And the notes stopped for a while—which was strange, as all of her classmates knew where she lived. They had been to her home before.

It was peaceful until the week before her return to Jujutsu High. There was a neatly decorated present on her porch, a bright red bow wrapped around it. She remembered opening it hesitantly, opening it. Inside was another letter, and a gift.

The gift was not appreciated. After all, why would she need what must've been dozens of pictures of herself?

She brought it to school when it was back in session, asking her classmates who it was, telling them that the joke was up and that she was scared, because she was. But no one knew who it was. She remembered spending countless nights trying to think of who it was, but no one she knew came to mind.

There was a classmate who was overly friendly, a bit flirty at times, named Sae. But he had confessed to her, and his words had been nothing but sweet. They weren't the words of an obsessed man.

Then, in about a month, she received another package by her dorm's door.

The heart of Sae in what seemed to be a romantic expression. A note, saying that he wouldn't come between them (her and whomever was behind the note) and that he had gifted the heart so she could see the stalker's devotion.

She remembered calling Yaga in shock—the male being the only true adult in her life. Her mother had been in a coma for months, and he would check in on her often despite living in Tokyo. Yaga helped her bring the story to the higher-ups and was transferred to the Tokyo sister school for safety.

"...That's it." She finished quietly, her gaze slowly drifting upwards to look at them.

The look on either of their faces couldn't be described too well. Rage, concern, and an unsettling paranoia that seemed to be creeping in slowly.

Satoru had his face scrunched, his glasses almost falling off his face from how fast he did the motion, "That's it?" He questioned incredulously, not understanding how she could brush off something such as this.

"You haven't heard from him in Tokyo," Suguru asked next, his voice seeming to hold the same confusion Satoru was loudly expressing, "right?"

(F/N) shook her head, going to respond when Satoru spoke up with more questions, "Why wouldn't you tell us this earlier?"

She tightened her lips, "I didn't want to worry you guys—"

"Well," Suguru huffed, a hand rubbing over his face, "now we're worried." His words were slightly muffled by his palm.

She shied slightly, not liking the sudden turn of the conversation. Instead of challenging him like usual she kept quiet, "Sorry."

"Hey," an arm reached around her, Satoru, pulling her into his side. She furrowed her eyebrows—Suguru had mentioned in passing that Satoru always had his infinity on when they were out of Tengen's barrier, so how was she touching him now? Actually, now that she pondered it, he was always touching her no matter their location, "It's okay."

"It's really not." Suguru intervened, his concern showing clearly on his displeased expression, "What if something happened?"

"Yaga knows about it." (F/N) retorted, her voice quiet, "And the Higher Ups—"

Satoru rolled his eyes, blurting, "They don't do shit."

"Quiet, Satoru," Suguru warned, his eyes narrowing when he noticed his friend's voice rising in irritation.

"They don't." She found herself a bit defensive as they pushed, her eyes lowering as she tried not to speak harshly, "But still. You didn't need to know about it."

Satoru's hold began to tighten. "We're your friends." The male spoke lowly, "We need to know about these things."

(F/N) didn't respond. She felt guilty. Why hadn't she told them? Was she being a bad friend—if that was even what they still were? Should she have told them? They had a point, she was technically putting them in danger by being around them...

Her mind continued to spiral, and the two's words didn't help.

"We're here for you." Suguru added on, his voice softer when he noticed her looking down like a shamed pet, "But we can't help you if we don't know."

"Is there anything else?" Satoru huffed, his words sounding playful once more, "Another stalker?"

The girl waited a few seconds, quietly answering, "Nothing but my failing math grade."

With her joke, the mood lightened, but the two males still seemed off. Satoru's jokes lessened and Suguru's smiles seemed more faux. It was clear that her story had upset them, and she couldn't help but blame herself for ruining her only outing of the week. She wished she hadn't spoken.

She was quiet the rest of the time in the cafe, not wanting to respond. Suguru was still slightly tense from the new revelation, but luckily, Satoru had enough conversation for the three of them.

After finishing their dishes, the three walked around Tokyo—the males deciding that the short meal hadn't been enough time out of the dorms for her. In about twenty minutes of looking for somewhere to stop, they came across a bridge that crossed over a calm river. The three of them stood leaning on the railing.

It was a moment of peaceful quiet, even Satoru had his lips closed as he looked over the water. Although, it was interrupted by Suguru's phone buzzing. He lifted it, checking a message, "Shoko's calling me. She wants help with her math."

The male pushed off the railing, beginning to walk away because he believed the other two would immediately follow him.

"Have fun with that." Satoru dismissed, not moving an inch besides turning to look at his friend with a teasing grin.

Suguru furrowed his eyebrows, looking at his friend, "Are you not coming?"

"No." The white-haired male denied, relaxing even further into his position, "I want to watch the view a little longer."

Suguru's eyes flickered from Satoru to the girl, noting that she had pulled away from the railing but not far enough for his liking, "(F/N)?" He called out, practically beckoning her to his side.

Satoru's foot nudged hers, and when she turned, she saw him looking at her with wide, puppy dog eyes, "Don't leave me alone."

She swallowed, looking away from the male to Suguru, responding, "I'll stay. I'm no good with math anyway."

Suguru's gaze traveled between the two, taking in something that (F/N) didn't notice. A sort of bitterness passed through his eyes before he nodded slowly. "I'll be in my dorm. Let me know when you get back."

"One of us will." (F/N) nodded.

With his same displeased expression, Suguru left.

Once he had left their view, Satoru leaned closer. His presence felt like it loomed over her, covering her in a shadow. Quite literally because his tall figure was in the way of the sunset.

Satoru was swift to fill the quiet, "I know you didn't like us teaming up on you." She nodded, but he hadn't even needed any form of confirmation. He was already continuing, "We were just concerned. We care for you." Satoru let out a breath, and when she looked away nervously his hand moved to cup her cheek and pull her focus towards him. "I care for you...more than I can express in words."

She cleared her throat, taken aback by the abrupt words, "You're just saying that—"

"I'm not," he cut in, his words holding a sharpness to them. "I mean it." She only stared at him. Satoru took it as a challenge, "What? You want me to prove it?"

She saw his eyes focusing on her lips and she flushed, "You just want to kiss me."

"I do," he let out a laugh, "desperately," he added. Satoru tried not to let how pathetic he felt seep into his tone.

(F/N) took in a breath, "We're in public."

"Yeah?" He raised his eyebrows, moving closer, "Let them watch."

She frowned, and he tilted his head. With a roll of her eyes, she closed the rest of the distance, connecting their lips. Immediately, Satoru smiled into the kiss, his hand cupping her cheek to hold her still as he deepened it.

Once she needed air, she pulled back, ignoring the pout growing on Satoru's face as he tried to chase her lips. She placed a hand on his chest, keeping him away, "People are looking," she spoke lowly, feeling the stare of the few people on the bridge.

"One more peck!" The male whined, "Please.!"

"Stop—" She groaned, pulling from him entirely, "Don't plead!"

Satoru blinked, uncaring about how she was growing to appear embarrassed by the scene he was causing, "I'll beg!"

(F/N) deadpanned at him, "Stop offering to beg!"

"I will," Satoru piped, his voice becoming a bit too serious.

She furrowed her eyebrows, "I'm starting to think you want to." Satoru didn't respond, and she took that as all she needed. The girl groaned, raising her hands to rub her face, "What am I going to do with you?"

The male only responded with a grin and a list, "Love me? Care for me? Cover me in kisses? Embrace me so that our hearts can beat in synchronization?"

"Shut up." (F/N) only shook her head, her head low to cover her fluster. "Um..."

Satoru tilted his head slightly, noticing the sudden nervousness, "What?"

She swallowed, leaning against the railing as she asked, "What about Suguru?"

"What about him?" At her stern look, he brushed her off, "I'm joking," Satoru assured quietly, almost like it was being forced out through gritting teeth, "nothing changes."

The girl pursed her lips, "It feels like everything is changing."

"It'll be okay." He patted her shoulder a few times before leaving it, "We're both here."

(F/N) swallowed, "Both?"

"Yeah." The male nodded, jokingly saying, "We won't leave even if you have a favorite and his name is Satoru."

"I-I don't have—I mean...I..." She took in a breath, "I... like you both."

Satoru paused.

"Like us?" Slowly, a grin began to creep onto his expression, "Like a friend or like you wanna grab my face and lay a kiss on me?"

(F/N) glanced downwards, shuffling her feet slightly before blurting, "Why say it like that?"

"Well?" Satoru ducked so that he could get a clear look at her embarrassed expression, "Which one is it?"

"Yeah." She turned to look at the people around, not wanting to draw any attention. Luckily, no one seemed to be paying mind to them, "Like like you guys."

A sort of shiver seemed to travel down Satoru's body, and the male felt faint.

She liked him? Liked him? The words echoed through his mind like a chant, a prayer even. Sure, she had mentioned Suguru, and that meant that her focus wasn't entirely on Satoru, but still, it was on him.

She liked him.

She liked him, and it may have been just a crush, but... he could work with that.

ShelikedhimShelikedhimShelikedhimShelikedhim.

Satoru tried to keep his composure—whatever was left of him even though he had already devoted it to him, "Aww... We like you too." He grew closer, teasingly echoing, "Like like."

(F/N) swallowed thickly, "Really...?"

"More than you've noticed." He admitted without even contemplating not saying it, "Really, it's like you pay no attention sometimes."

"You two keep saying that—" she sighed in exasperation, tired of hearing about her apparent naivety.

A few seconds passed before Satoru said (albeit reluctantly), "You should tell him too."

"I..." She tightened her lips, "I will."

Satoru nodded for a moment, a ditzy look on his face as he smiled in a word she could only describe as "dopey." The male reached forward, wrapping his arms around her and murmuring against her hair, "You have no idea how happy I am right now."

(F/N), who was being squished against his chest, begged to differ. Her words vibrated his chest as she mused, "I mean you're squeezing the life out of me, so I think I have an idea."

"Shush." He firmly kissed the top of her head, and she smiled, tucking her face in the crook of his neck.

"Can we go back now?" She asked, her breath coming out hot against his throat.

Satoru didn't seem to want to pull away from her, keeping his arms loosely around her as he asked, "Want me to teleport you?"

(F/N) leaned out of his hold and retorted, "Why don't we just be normal for once and take the train?"

The male grinned, raising his arms challengingly, "Why be normal when I'm Satoru Gojo?"

She shook her head, nudging him before pulling from his hold to begin walking to the station, "Train."

He laughed, shaking his head, "Train it is."

Then, Satoru followed her. He always would.

Chapter Text

THE TRAIN STATION WAS TOO BUSY FOR SATORU TO ENJOY HIS FAREWELL.

(F/N) was leaving for another mission, and although Suguru couldn't come to say goodbye (busy on his own mission that would be finishing just as she left), Satoru had been clinging to her side the past two hours. Before they left Jujutsu High's barrier, he had even hugged her. But along the streets of Tokyo, he had his infinity on and simply walked alongside her, bugging her verbally.

Now that they had stopped before the train, waiting for the others to leave so she could move on, Satoru continued to plead, "Let me go with you."

While he knew very well that he could force his way onto her mission, he didn't want to upset her. He knew how much she enjoyed feeling competent, even though the thoughts in his head screamed that she was too weak to be on his own. He couldn't help it.

"No." She denied swiftly, having turned him down more times in the last ten minutes than she ever had.

Satoru frowned, always too quick to warn, "Don't make me beg—"

"Not this again," she sighed, brushing a hand over her face with an annoyed expression, "I'm going alone. You have to rest for your mission tomorrow."

"I don't need rest," he retorted, "I'll perform anyway."

"Satoru," she shook her head, "I'm fine. You worry too much."

The white-haired male pursed his lips, contemplating for a moment before quietly asking, "No goodbye kiss?"

(F/N) pursed her lips, a bit shy because of all the people around them, "No thanks."

He let out a groan, a sly smile growing on his face as he offered, "A hug then?"

The girl tilted her head, knowing they were quite a bit away from the store's campus, "You turn off your infinity?"

"For you," he responded smoothly, his arms opening as he motioned for her to move into them.

She pursed her lips, begrudgingly moving forward to wrap her arms around his midsection. He didn't hesitate to wrap his arms around her shoulders, pulling her closer. He wanted to feel her pressed against him entirely, no space between them.

Satoru suddenly stiffened as a chill ran down his spine. He felt a strange pressure in his head, one that made his eye twitch. He furrowed his eyebrows, eyes beginning to scan the train station. Why did he feel like he was being watched? Not watched, glared at. His head felt like it was being pressed harshly, like it was trying to be squished like a watermelon.

He caught sight of a male with a baseball hat on, boarding the train further down. Cursed energy emitted from him, strangely similar to (F/N)'s. Satoru's eyes locked onto him, and his grip tightened subconsciously.

"Are you okay?" (F/N) blurted, noticing that he had quietened—and when did he shut his mouth?

His eyebrows raised, trying to play it off casually, "What do you mean? I'm fine," he dragged out the last word.

"Okay..." She didn't seem to believe his words but nodded anyway, knowing he wouldn't be honest, "Um...Just so you know, if you ever want to talk, I'm here."

Truly, Satoru had many things he could open up about, none of which even included the recent fixation with her. The constant pressure on his shoulders to not let everyone down. The weight was crushing him to act as the strongest, even though he was only 18. The lack of a childhood from being seen as a weapon. His inability to truly connect with humans, all but Suguru. His list had only begun.

Her offer—to hear him out—seemed genuine. A part of him dared to lower his sunglasses. To try and look deeper than her skin allowed. He wanted to gaze upon her soul itself, to see how beautiful he knew it would be.

Since he could only stare for a moment, she grew nervous and started to ramble. She appeared a bit embarrassed at his intense gaze, "I-I mean you really don't have to, I understand we're not that close yet—" (F/N) suddenly cleared her throat, her eyes turning to his arm around her shoulder, "Hey, uh, you're holding me a little tight there."

"Sorry," he responded swiftly, pulling away entirely. His infinity went back on, and the growing ache in his head disappeared entirely. He hummed in thought.

It felt like an attack. A weak one...But an attack. His eyes flickered upwards, trying to catch sight of the only person who had stood out long enough to catch his attention (the male with the baseball hat). But he was nowhere to be spotted.

Satoru almost grinned, his mind going wild.

"Are..." (F/N) furrowed her eyebrows in worry, folding her arms, "Are you sure you're okay?"

"Don't worry about me," he waved her worry off, "If anything, worry about yourself. You're the one who ends up in life-threatening situations."

She rolled her eyes, "'Cause you're untouchable."

"I am." He boasted, "Literally."

But then the girl blurted, "That's our job."

Her words seemed to irritate Satoru, and he went quiet.

He frowned, looking back at the girl, but she was already stepping towards the train, "I'll see you later."

Once the train left, and a few seconds passed, the strange feeling left. The suspicion in Satoru's mind only grew.

﹏︎﹏︎﹏︎﹏︎﹏︎﹏︎﹏︎﹏︎﹏︎﹏︎

Back at Jujutsu High, Satoru and Suguru sat inside Satoru's room. It was the same size as Suguru's but it felt more luxurious. While Satoru himself had wanted to have the authentic experience, to not have anything upscaled or nicer than other students, his clan had intervened and gotten him nicer furniture. Furniture that Suguru was sprawled across as though it were his. Satoru was at his desk, filling out his homework without struggle.

"Yaga didn't send her on that mission," Suguru spoke up from the bed, looking through his photo gallery at photos the friend group had taken. Some—most—were of (F/N), of the moments when she would smile at someone when she thought they weren't looking, how she admired her surroundings so carefully even though she always managed to miss details, "I looked through his files—he doesn't even have a record of it."

Satoru hummed, asking into the air, "You think the Higher Ups are pulling strings?"

Suguru poked his tongue into his cheek, thinking aloud, "Why would they try to kill her?"

"I'm not sure." He trailed off, clicking her tongue as he looked up lazily, "Maybe what she said was right, they're tired of the paperwork." Satoru piped, "Sae was killed because of her, right?"

"Not directly," Suguru swiftly corrected, his gaze sharp, warning Satoru not to accuse her of anything in front of him.

Satoru did not shy under his friend's gaze. No—He seemed to revel in it. His resting expression turned into a crooked smile as he hypothesized, "Maybe they see her as a threat because her stalker's unpredictable."

"So, we take care of him." Suguru acted as though the solution was obvious, which it was to him, "At least, we could if we knew who this loser was."

Satoru waited a few seconds before lazily turning to Suguru, only to pause when he saw the expression on his face. After a few seconds of examining him, he blurted, "Why do you look like that?"

The dark-haired male blinked, his contemplative expression fizzling into one of confusion, "Like what?"

Satoru sat up, narrowing his eyes at his friend, "What did you do?"

Suguru waited for just a second too long before answering, "Nothing."

"Tell me." Satoru huffed, his face scrunching, "You know I don't like it when you keep things from me."

Suguru pursed his lips, reluctantly admitting, "I have a curse tailing her."

A grin split across Satoru's face, "You dirty dog," he called out.

"Don't call me that," Suguru's face flushed in embarrassment despite his best efforts. "I'm worried."

"What level?" Satoru asked, like he was talking about the weather and not about stalking their friend.

"Third grade. I didn't want her to notice." He focused, trying to feel his curse's presence. He still felt it, alive, so he tried to relax.

The white haired male nodded in approval, "Good."

"What grade is the curse she's fighting this time?" Suguru asked, wondering.

"Second." Satoru answered, "I confirmed it with Yaga. He's taking a more active stance in her assignment because of last time."

"That's good." A few seconds passed before Suguru's eyes narrowed at Satoru, "Your turn."

Satoru's calm expression faltered, slipping into almost a caught off guard panic, "What?"

Suguru let out a hum, as though he wasn't making the male lose his cool, "You're hiding something," he pointed out.

His friend grew an innocent expression, shaking his head in defiance, "Nu uh."

The dark-haired male's accusing expression and tone didn't disappear, "Satoru."

"You know me too well," Satoru grumbled, folding his arms dramatically.

"Spill," Suguru droned, sounding bored the longer his friend dragged this out.

Satoru stared at him for a few seconds, contemplating before blurting, "I kissed (F/N)."

Geto froze—A few seconds passed, without even a slight reaction. Though externally he seemed like a statue, internally his brain was going a mile per minute. He kissed her? Sure, Suguru had kissed her as well but it was different. Satoru had done that alone, and it had been hidden from Suguru. He felt left out, he felt jealous, he felt envious.

If he had had even a smidge less restraint, he would've jumped at Satoru to attack him.

But his voice came out quiet, composed to the best ability he could muster at the moment. It didn't matter if he appeared calm though, Satoru always knew when he was struggling. And he seemed to know before Suguru could even form the words, "Excuse me?"

"I kissed her." Satoru echoed, leaning forward with a bit of content crossing his expression at Suguru's obvious turmoil. A twisted amusement at his friends' miss.

Suguru clicked his tongue, "When?"

"After you left us last week, on the bridge." His words were so easy, so light, like it was a little topic. Like it wasn't going to wreck Suguru's thoughts the entire day, week—hell, until he was able to get some revenge.

"Asshole," Suguru grumbled, a groan escaping his lips as he raised his hands, brushing them over his face.

Satoru scrunched his face, "You kissed her first."

"I did." Suguru dropped his hands, a grin of his own taking over, "And it was fucking great."

"Suguru," the white haired male whined, dramatically plopping back onto the bed.

Suguru felt some of his irritation leaving him as he knew the tables had turned, and it was Satoru's turn to revel in his anger. He called out, "Jealous?"

"Don't piss me off." Satoru raised a hand, flipping the male off without looking, "You know I am."

A few seconds passed before Suguru sank into his chair. His voice held a different tone, almost a detached one as though he were asking for someone other than himself. "How is this supposed to work?" He trailed off, "Both of us pining after her?"

Satoru reached up, grasping a pillow and tossing it over at his friend, "Give up."

"Give up—" Suguru huffed, catching the pillow and tossing it back (Satoru put up his infinity just to block it, sending him an irritatingly arrogant smirk), "not happening. You know that."

"I know," Satoru responded just as fast. Clearly, neither would be giving up on her, "So? Do we continue to fight or do we work together?"

Suguru raised an eyebrow, "You just wanna kiss me again."

Satoru tried not to let his cheeks flush, "Shut up."

Suguru noticed his friends were flustered but didn't say anything about it. Instead, he asked, "How are we supposed to work together if you dangle kissing her over my head?"

"You've also kissed her." Satoru shrugged.

Suguru pointed out, "You've kissed her twice."

Satoru grew a smirk, "I have to be the best at everything."

His words, or phrasing at least, seemed to strike a chord in Suguru, "She's not some kind of competition."

"I know that." Satoru cheekily added on, "But if she were, I would be winning—I'm her favorite, you know."

Suguru immediately sat up at his words, giving in to Satoru's attempt at a playful bickering session as he retorted, "You're wrong."

"Am not."

"Are too."

Suguru's phone rang, cutting into the dumb argument. He pulled it out, flipping the top open. Satoru, moved to the edge of the bed, asking, "Who's that?"

"Yaga." Suguru answered before accepting the call, "Hello?"

"Geto," Yaga's voice was quiet, as though he were afraid of bothering someone in the same room, "is Gojo with you?"

"Yeah," Suguru glanced at his friend, asking, "What is it?"

"(F/N)'s in the hospital."

Suguru froze for a second, his heart dropping and his thoughts seeming entirely too clear.

"Which one?" The words came out strange.

Yaga said the name of the building and what room she was in, and the phone was hung up without another word—They were on their way.

Chapter Text

THE PAIR HAD BEEN THERE AS SOON AS SATORU HAD GRASPED SUGURU AND TELEPORTED. While Suguru was struggling with the side effects, Satoru was rushing down the hallway—ignoring the demand of the woman behind the counter who told him to slow down.

The males hadn't even checked with her, fearing no consequences as they barreled towards the room. Once they reached the number Yaga had said they finally slowed, their expressions not hiding their concern as they turned the corner. Yaga was in there, sitting up straighter when he saw the two males enter. He stood up, reluctantly moving from the side of the bed, "Don't overwhelm her," he warned, willing to give them space but only if they followed his rules.

"We won't." Suguru assured, for Satoru was already heading into the room, pushing past them like he'd implode if he didn't see her.

The teacher left the room, and the two students took his place. Upon seeing her lying in the bed, their hearts could finally stop pounding a mile per minute. She was okay, living—breathing in front of them.

Satoru lingered by the doorway, as if confused. He furrowed his eyebrows, moving closer to lean against the end of the bedframe while Suguru took the seat beside her. His hand moved forward to grasp hers, "Are you okay?"

(F/N) appeared fine, not too pale, her eye bags weren't exaggerated. "I am," the girl nodded slowly, wincing slightly as her back rubbed on the bed. The two boys' eyes narrowed at the action—so that was where she was injured.

"Fuck," the white haired male let out a deep relieved sigh, "I mean you're getting injured so frequently Yaga's talking about a safe house." Suguru sent Satoru a look at his words, almost confusion before it was masked.

"A safe house?" She furrowed her eyebrows, "He didn't say anything like that to me."

Suguru squeezed her hand, explaining, "Maybe he trusts us to look after you, then."

Satoru joined in, shaking his head, "Feels like you need a bubble wrap around yourself and to never leave our side."

(F/N) deadpanned at them, "Being by you two draws in danger."

"You're right." Satoru hummed, tapping his finger against his chin, "But, maybe you just need to stay by us all the time."

"Yeah, sure," she grumbled sarcastically.

Suguru furrowed his eyebrows in a bit of offense, "It doesn't sound that horrible, does it?"

The girl looked between them, blurting, "I think that's one of the layers of hell."

"Ugh," Satoru rolled his eyes, "so rude."

The dark haired male seemed to lose his amusement as a quiet settled in the room. He brushed his thumb against the back of her palm, inquiring, "What happened?"

"I'm not sure what happened." (F/N) admitted after thinking for a few seconds, "It was going fine, but then..."

"What?" The boys synchronized.

"My cursed technique..." She swallowed thickly, blurting, "It stopped working."

Suguru's eyebrows furrowed, "Stopped?"

"Entirely," the girl nodded.

Satoru seemed to be stuck in thought, quietly asking, "Is it working now?"

"Yeah." (F/N) confirmed, "Working fine."

Satoru's mind drifted back to the cursed energy he had felt before on the train. It had been so similar to hers, yet altered. He wondered if the other user had a similar ability, and maybe, just maybe, that person had been nearby today.

Could someone have cancelled it out?

He didn't speak on his suspicions. He wouldn't in front of her. But later, in the darker hours, he would tell Suguru.

For now, he continued with his questions, "Was there anyone around?"

She furrowed her eyebrows, "Hm?"

"Was the mission secluded?" Satoru clarified.

(F/N) looked down, feeling Suguru comfortingly brushing her skin as she started to explain, "Not entirely. There was a guy our age there, he was really nice. He's who called the hospital."

"Did he happen to touch you?" Suguru turned to his friend with a judging expression. Was Satoru just being a jealous fool like normal or was he actually using his intelligence? The way he was focusing on her arms made him think the latter.

(F/N) furrowed her eyebrows, thinking it better to just answer his questions than inquire about his strange focus, "I fell and he caught me."

Suguru's other hand brushed along top the blankets, lightly feeling her leg, "Are your legs okay?"

"They're mostly sore," she explained, "It's mostly my back."

Satoru's normal grin had settled back on his face, his mood switch seemingly never existed, "I can help massage your legs—"

Suguru whipped his head at the male, "Satoru—"

The white haired male shook his head, clicking his tongue in disappointment, "Stop trying to fight me, Suguru."

"I swear..." Suguru trailed off, shaking his head.

"You just know I win." Satoru blinked for a moment, perking up and blurting, "Beware; for I am fearless, and therefore powerful."

"What the fuck?" Suguru deadpanned at him with the most judging expression ever in existence, "What was that?"

"Did you just quote Frankenstein?" (F/N) tilted her head as she remembered reading the quote somewhere.

"Was that what that was?" Suguru grumbled, raising an eyebrow.

"Yeah," Satoru offered a dramatically shy appearance, fiddling his foot like a flustered school girl, "I mean, you said you liked it so I borrowed Suguru's copy."

(F/N) smiled softly at him, "That's sweet."

Either the fact that Satoru was getting all of her attention or out of sheer bewilderment of his friends abruptness, Suguru continued, "Why quote it? It didn't even flow into your sentence well—"

"I know I'm sweet," Satoru ignored Suguru's dig and winked at the girl before patting her shoulder, "But I've gotta go."

"For what?" Suguru questioned, furrowing his eyebrows.

"Stuff." He answered vaguely, waving as he made his way to the door.

"Satoru," (F/N)'s voice called out.

The male froze immediately, turning around at the door. "Yes?" He dragged the word out long—too long for Suguru's growing irritation with the male's booming voice.

Was she going to ask him to stay? Gosh, he didn't think he'd ever be able to leave her side if she kept looking at him with those pleading eyes.

"Um...Be safe," she withheld her offer for him to stay. Even though she hadn't said the words, Satoru acted like she had. He perked up like a peacock ruffling its feathers.

"Always am, sweetheart." It seemed like he couldn't help himself, and he blurted, "Far more than you apparently."

"You—" she let out a breath, caught between embarrassment and annoyance, "You can't let me have a sweet moment, can you?"

"Nope." Satoru shook his head, eyes narrowing at her frame behind his glasses. He could see cursed energy lingering around her. On her arms. He would venture back to where her mission was, and see if any of it was still there.

Satoru left, and the mood somehow instantly changed.

Suguru had moved closer to the bed without her realizing, his hand moved from her hand to brush the sensitive skin of her inner wrist. "We were worried sick," his voice was low, intimate. His eyes were boring into her with an intensity that made a shiver run up her spine.

"Sorry..." She murmured, unsure what to say when he was looking at her like that, "I didn't want to be here if that makes you feel better."

"Doesn't." He responded immediately, his face sweeping over her expression, taking in every minuscule detail, "But you're okay?"

(F/N) nodded, relaxing at his touch, "I am."

Her phone began to buzz on the side table. She reached over, grasping it with her free hand. "Who is it?" Suguru asked as he watched her read the name.

"Haibara," she answered raising the phone to her ear without answering it yet, "he's called me like eight times since Yaga's been here."

"Did he know before we did?"

"Yeah," she nodded, "I'll make it quick," she assured, squeezing his hand before answering the phone.

Though irritation was settling in his stomach, he was happy to hear her mention him when greeting Haibara.

His eyes swept down.

He looked over her injuries, the dried blood that hadn't been removed during the healing process. The exhaustion in her eyes.

He wouldn't let this happen again.

He wouldn't. Even if he had to do something drastic.

She hung up the phone, and Suguru jumped at the opportunity to hold her attention to him and him alone. Suguru brushed her hair behind her ear, moving closer, "Can I kiss you?"

"I might smell weird," she warned, knowing she had come straight from getting her ass kicked.

"You smell fine," he brushed off, not even taking in another breath to confirm what he already knew. Hell—he loved her scent, especially when she wasn't wearing her light perfume. It would take a lot to destroy it.

She raised an eyebrow, retorting, "Just fine?"

Suguru rolled his eyes playfully, offering, "More than fine."

"Yeah," (F/N) huffed, not believing him, "okay—"

His hand slipped behind her nape, and he pulled her close to close the distance. While her lips were a little chapped, he would never complain about the feeling of their lips molded together. They were perfectly fitting against each other, it was like they were made for each other.

He held her gently but with a firm hand. He didn't want to hurt her further, but still needed to make sure that she felt him. Suguru's thumb lightly brushed the sensitive skin behind her ear and her neck, sending a shiver down her spine.

Suguru pulled away not even an inch, mumbling against her lips, "You're perfect..."

She let out a soft breath, "Says you."

A noise alike a satisfied hum emitted him at her words, and his kisses moved from her lips to the corner of them, then her jawline.

He had barely made it to the neck before a familiar female voice broke through the scene; "Don't get too excited." It was Shoko's monotone voice as teasing, "She's still injured."

(F/N) gasped, pulling back despite Suguru's best attempts (he hadn't wanted to stop, screw Shoko's interruption—she could watch, see what was his), "Ieiri?"

Suguru reluctantly pulled his grasp from (F/N), glancing at the new girl without an attempt of excitement, "Why are you here?"

"To break her out of this horribly bland hospital," Shoko answered, making her way to the side of her bed that Suguru wasn't completely body blocking.

(F/N) grinned, sinking into the bed and being too happy to acknowledge the ache in her back, "Have I ever told you I love you?"

"No," Shoko offered a small smile of her own, "but another kiss would do fine."

"Why does everyone want turns kissing me?" She murmured.

"I was just joking," Shoko assured with a small laugh. Then, she blinked a few times, her mind seeming to connect a few dots, "Everyone...? Have you kissed Gojo too?"

(F/N) froze, shaking her head swiftly, "I-I didn't say that."

"Your face did." Shoko pointed out, tilting her head with a slight smirk, "Are you..." She blinked, brushing her bangs out of her face, "Are you all—?"

(F/N) couldn't mutter more than a pathetic, "Uh..."

Suguru's thumb brushed the back of her palm, speaking up, "It's complicated."

"Unnecessarily so," Shoko raised her eyebrows, "And I have decided now, upon this spot, that I shall not intervene with such information. Unless it's very interesting. Then I must be told immediately."

"If you insist," (F/N) said, looking away with an embarrassed expression.

Shoko smiled at her friend, shaking her head, "You ready?"

"Do we have to?" (F/N) murmured.

"It'll help you recover." Shoko responded, her friend understanding the girl's reluctance after last time, "You'll be less likely to scar." 

She sighed, grumbling, "Let's get it over with." 

Chapter Text

SHE ACTUALLY HAD FRIENDS. Ones that sook her presence out when she was missing. Not only were Satoru and Suguru constantly by her side, watching over her, but others were also sharing their concerns.

First, it had been Nanami.

He had entered her room, dodging Satoru's immediate attempt to tease him with a dumb nickname; "What are you doing here, Nanamin?"

Nanami rolled his eyes at Satoru, instead answering, "I was worried."

"Thanks," (F/N) responded, a small smile on her face as she looked at the younger male.

"No need to worry," Satoru cut in the sweet moment, his hand grasping the girl's knee in a hold that attempted to be comforting but came off more as a sign for Nanami to back off, "We're taking care of her."

Nanami stared blankly at the male, his tone dripping with sarcasm as he responded, "Clearly. I can see you're taking care of her perfectly fine."

"I'm doing well, Nanami.” (F/N)‘s smile grew, “Thank you for checking on me."

Nanami looked down, seeming a bit shy at her words.

The two boys had practically scared Nanami off after that, but he wasn't the last visitor. Haibara had been the next to check up on her.

However, unlike Nanami, Haibara snuck into her dorm with an offer to hang out near Kyoto, she couldn't turn him down. A day out had never sounded more appealing. Especially when he mentioned that he was worried she would turn into a hermit because she hadn't left the school since her return.

They stopped by the bakery before the two left for Kyoto, and it was that building that took up much of the conversation on the train. "You should ask her out." (F/N) piped, glancing out the window to see the sky. It was a cool day, both of them in pants and a t-shirt. It was the first official day of fall.

Haibara pursed his lips, his hands fiddling with each other bashfully, "I don't know..."

She nudged his arm, "She was giving you eyes, man."

He furrowed his eyebrow, "Eyes?"

(F/N) blurted, "She looked like she wanted to jump over the counter and give you a smooch."

Immediately Haibara broke into a fit of laughter, having known but wanting to see what she would come up with to explain such, "That's something my sister would say." He said, looking away from the other rows as other passengers began to look at them and their loudness.

The girl raised her eyebrows in surprise, "I didn't know you had a sister."

"Yeah, she's younger. She wanted to come to Jujutsu High but I told her it was too dangerous." Haibara smiled as he spoke about his sister, a fond look in his eyes, "You know, you kind of remind me of her."

"I’m older,” she blurted, not willing to accept that he could see her more than a friend—especially a sibling. Sure, he was like her younger brother, but it didn’t seem plausible that he felt the same bond between them.

“I know that.” He expressed, rolling her eyes at her taking his words seriously, “But still.”

(F/N) raised an eyebrow, “How so?"

"You're funny, and kind.” Haibara’s voice grew a bit quieter, “I never thought I'd be able to hang out with one of the third years."

She paused, her expression faltering slightly as she spoke up, "I thought you already did?"

"Not as often as you'd think.” He shrugged, eyes drifting lower, “They really only started asking me to hang out when you got here."

(F/N) saw him growing upset and frowned, she nudged him once more before pulling him closer, an arm wrapping around them, "Well, screw them. I’ll hang out with you. I think we’re cool."

"Yeah." Haibara flashed a grin, nodding as he wrapped an arm around the girl's frame, "We’re cool!"

"…Nanami would totally make fun of us for having to proclaim that," (F/N) sighed, thinking about the judgy teen.

“I’m suddenly grateful he’s not here right now,” Haibara blurted, a grin overtaking his expression—one they shared.

They moved off the train when their stop came, the two snickering about anything and everything—especially things that weren't funny. How a bush bent a certain way, the clouds that looked weird, the noise a seagull made. Even though they were a year or so apart in age, it was no doubt that they had grown close.

Their foolishness continued until they reached the pier, the two looking around the area. It was less busy than (F/N) usually saw, and Haibara explained, "Everyone's probably waiting for the fair that comes in every few months. It's really fun!"

"I know," she laughed, tilting her head as she reminded, "I used to live here."

"Oh...Yeah," Haibara trailed off, snapping out of his remembering as he said, "We should drag Nanami out here. I don't know if he's ever been."

(F/N) stayed on the hopeful side, offering, "I'm sure he's not as much as a shut in as we think."

The two shared a look, bursting into laughter.

However, only a few seconds later, Haibara suddenly winced. “Are you okay?" She asked swiftly, her eyebrows furrowing in concern when she noticed his building frown.

"Yeah.” He brushed off the growing sharp pain, not wanting the girl to worry. He wanted to look strong in front of her, letting it be known that a simple ache was making him want to grasp his head and stop moving all together would be to much, “Just a headache I think."

(F/N) pursed her lips, moving forward to almost reach out, "Do you want to sit down?"

"I do," he struggled out. Haibara practically stumbled to a nearby bench, sitting in it tensely as he tightly grasped his head with both hands.

"Are you okay?" She rushed out in concern, following him to the seat. She crouched before him, her hands moving to his shoulders.

Haibara wouldn't even open his eyes, they were scrunched close in pain. Pain that only seemed to be getting worse. "It hurts,” he spoke between gasps.

(F/N) turned her head, trying to look around for anyone who could help them, "We need to get you to the hospit—"

A loud crunch, a horrid sound, the sound of bones snapping and scraping against each other filled her ears. She didn’t see what it was making the noise because she squeezed her eyes shut, feeling something wet splat against her face. That along with the splattered sound of matter hitting the ground.

It sounded quiet now.

Too quiet.

"Haibara?" She scrunched her face, slowly peeling her eyes open to look at Haibara.

Immediately she froze after noticing one vital detail. His head was gone.

She would've said it was "clean" the way nothing was left, but it was the opposite. It had been blown clean off his body like a watermelon squished too hard.

(F/N) stared. It was all she could do really.

This wasn't right. She had to be hallucinating. There was no way that Haibara was actually sat in front of her. Or...what was left of him.

What had even happened? Her eyes looked around, trying to find any person, any curse, anything that could give a hint of what the fuck had happened. But there was nothing.

Nothing but her and the corpse, covered in blood and what looked like brain matter.

(F/N) didn't scream. It was a different reaction. She began to shake. Her heart began to pound. She struggled to breath, to even think. All she could do was look at the sight. She didn't know how long had passed, seconds, minutes, hours, before she pulled out her phone, dialing the number of someone she thought could help her.

"You don't ever call me," Yaga mused, obviously thinking the phone call would be because of something joyful. Usually whenever she called him it was because of something good, usually news about her mother.

"Yaga..." she whispered, swallowing thickly as she looked down at herself. She was covered in blood, having been too close to the impact to really have any clear areas on her, especially her upper half.

Immediately his upbeat tone slipped, turning into concern upon hearing her voice, "Are you okay?"

"He..." she swallowed, not finding any words capable of describing her situation. She couldn’t find any words for anything, really. The girl could only stare at the gore before her, and how it was painted by the vivid light of the sunset.

"(F/N).” His voice was sharp. Loud, worried, “I'm getting concerned. Where are you?”

"The Kyoto pier,” she answered, not even thinking about the vagueness of her answer. Yaga would figure out where she was. He was always there when she needed him.

"What happened?” Yaga tried to get more details about the situation, not liking her tone, “I thought you were with Haibara.”

"H-He’s dead,” saying it seemed to make it real to her, tears began to prickle at her eyes, not waiting at all to start streaming down her face as a sob made her breathing heave, “Haibara, he…”

A few seconds passed, and Yaga was likely trying to comprehend her words, "What?"

"He,” she looked at him, feeling like she couldn’t look away, “It just..." she shook her head, unable to fathom any words.

"Are you safe?" The words were rushed out after her words finished.

"I...” She blinked, sniffling as she looked around. There was the quiet sound of waves crashing in the distance, the seagulls yelling atop building roofs, “Don’t know. I think so…Nothings happened to me."

"Stay where you are.” Yaga ordered, sounding like he was running to wherever he parked his car, “I'm coming."

“Don’t hang up,” she pleaded swiftly, not wanting to be stuck with the eerie quiet of the pier, “don’t leave me.”

“I won’t, honey,” Yaga assured, “I’m here.”

She could only sob as she waited, but true to his word, Yaga never hung up.

﹏︎﹏︎﹏︎﹏︎﹏︎﹏︎﹏︎﹏︎﹏︎﹏︎

    It was long after the news had been broken and the group met up, all crying in the morgue. Sitting at the morgue was hard for her, seeing his body there, knowing that Haibara would never take another breath.

No one had asked her what happened yet.

She didn't know if they would until she stopped looking like she was going to pass out or throw up. What she had seen was horrific, and even though Shoko had tried to...put him back together, hardly meant that she was able to stomach the thought. Shoko had left after hugging the other two, having spent enough time with Haibara after making him look the most presentable she could.

She was sat against the wall, her eyes dry from how much she'd been staring at Haibara's corpse. There was a blanket respectfully covering it, as when he had seen the gore, Nanami had started retching. He had left after a few hours of sitting there, now it was just her.

Satoru and Suguru had shown up later, having no reason to explain their tardiness. Upon entering had only glanced at the body before asking her; "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine." She had brushed off, her voice quiet and throat burning from the sobbing she had done. All the cold air she had gulped down had dried her throat, making it painful to speak.

But now that it had been a few minutes—or more, she didn’t really know what time it was. Whether the sun had set or not—the two males returned to her side, sitting on either side of her.

"Are you okay?" Suguru repeated, his tone holding more of a serious note. He knew she’d likely lie again, and was trying to move around that from the get go.

"I...” She swallowed, shaking her head, “No. I'm not."

"We’re here for you." Satoru enforced, her arm moving to wrap around her frame to pull her into a hug, “I’m here.”

The familiar phrase only brought her back to earlier when Yaga had said the same thing, and she found her body trembling as she tried not to cry. Her hands raised, covering her face as she took in a shaky breath. Satoru pulled her closer, his chin resting on top of her head, “Oh baby…” he cooed.

Suguru moved to the edge of his chair to grow closer, his voice quiet as he offered, “We can ask Yaga to move your dorm in between ours." Though it wasn’t allowed for other genders to be in the other dorms, even for sleepovers (a rule the friends broke often), they were sure they’d be able to convince him to move her there. Especially if they could play on her evident stress.

She didn't feel safe anywhere. They knew that well. And a sick part of their brains wanted to capitalize off of that.

"I can't leave Shoko like that.” She shook her head, still tense in the male’s hold, “And I can't have you two fight my every battle."

"We want to help.” Satoru spoke lowly, his words almost begging, “Let us."

"I...” She cleared her throat, slipping from Satoru’s hold to stand abruptly, shaking her head, “I need to be alone right now."

Satoru scrunched his face as he watched the first few tears slip down her face, "I'd argue the opposite."

"Good thing I know what's best for me." (F/N) spoke a little more harshly than she meant. Once she comprehended her own words, she was raising a hand to her face, "I'm sorry, I'm just..."

"Come here," Suguru murmured, his arms opened wide. She sniffled before practically diving into his arms. Suguru didn’t want her on the floor of the morgue, so he pulled her up to be sideways on his lap. “We got you." Suguru cooed, his hands comfortingly brushing back her hair as she cried into his shoulder.

"I'm sorry," she murmured, desperately so, the words muffled by his chest. The words were detached. Not directed towards them. Though she was speaking aloud, she was speaking to Haibara, "I'm sorry," she echoed, as if the boy could hear her.

Satoru spoke up, “You couldn't have done anything."

She didn’t agree, trying to argue, "I could've—!"

Suguru tightened his grasp slightly, glancing over at Satoru to say, "Maybe we should get you out of here."

(F/N) froze, blinking for a moment before whispering, "Let me say goodbye."

The two males watched her move closer and whisper her final words to Haibara. It would be the last time she saw him until the funeral, if his family decided to have one.

When she was finished, she was tucked underneath their arms as they walked out of the room, then the morgue. She stayed like that until they reached Satoru's dorm. They held her until she finally fell asleep between them, her frame facing Satoru who was glad to have her in his arms. Suguru settled for brushing his hands through her hair, one of his calves tucked between hers.

This stalker scared her to them, and Satoru couldn't help but feel a twisted satisfaction in the fact that she was in his bed, hugging him close with an expression of pain despite her sleeping state.

He was relieved that Haibara wouldn't be in the way anymore, pulling her attention away from them. Even Satoru had been close to acting on impulse of his thoughts, the ones that made him glare at Haibara in jealousy despite the male not even doing anything intentionally.

Though he still had an urge to fulfil, a violent one that needed to emerge. He thought of the stalker again. He almost said something, but didn't.

Luckily, Satoru hadn't been the one to break the quiet. Suguru spoke up, his voice a whisper as to not disturb the resting girl, "Humans don't just explode."

Satoru waited a few seconds before quietly responding, "Unless it was a cursed technique."

Suguru caught on without struggle, pursing his lips as his fingers trailed down her spine, "You think...?"

"I saw cursed energy." Satoru whispered once he was sure she was asleep. "Yaga brought me to the—" his voice wavered slightly as he said the words. Even though he held anger towards his younger friend, he was still his friend, "crime scene... to see if I could pick anything up. It was lingering around the crime scene."

"Who's?" Suguru questioned, though he was sure he knew.

"Her stalker. I'm sure it's him.” Satoru explained, “I saw it before her last mission, and it was lingering on her arms in the hospital."

The dark haired male was quiet for a few seconds before saying, "Make sure, then tell me."

Satoru moved his head, "We'll take care of him, sweetheart." A gentle kiss was laid to her forehead, not matching the tone that held the promise of violence.

Something that would soon come.

Chapter Text

YASHA EMMEIJI. (F/N)'s stalker. That was his name.

Truly, he had been easy to find. Too easy. Satoru had wanted a chase, not to be handed the location of his target's home. But when Satoru could track the cursed energy in the area, it was hardly a competition.

Satoru had done the following between missions, having taken up some of (F/N)'s and Nanami's so they could mourn "properly". He was overworked, but it wasn't like his mind could rest. He was stronger. He could handle more. He didn't need a break like the others did. So, he trailed Yasha to his residence after one of his missions that was in Kyoto. Only a week or two after Haibara's passing. Though he could have found him earlier had he devoted his time to it, he would much rather be cuddled in (F/N)'s arms and helping her feel better.

He found Suguru in the library of Jujutsu High, Yasha haunting his thoughts as he stopped before Suguru with a serious expression, blurting, "I'm sure."

Suguru blinked at his friend, understanding the tone immediately but not knowing what to say. He watched him for a moment, asking, "About?"

"It's him." Satoru started, but held back from saying any more. They were in the library after all, not entirely out of people's ear range. Even though there wasn't another student or librarian anywhere near. "We'll go together."

Understanding who it was based on the vagueness of Satoru's words, Suguru inquired, "Where is he?"

"Asshole lives in a cave like a caveman," Satoru huffed, thinking of the area he had tracked Yasha back to the previous night. The male had had no idea. He didn't know he was being followed, so how did he think he could protect (F/N)? "Wasn't even a nice cave."

The dark-haired male stared at his friend like he had grown two heads, "...A nice cave?"

Satoru rolled his eyes, "Shut up."

Suguru ignored his words and asked, "Where is it?"

"In Kyoto." The white haired male sank into the chair, laying his head atop it while adding, "I don't know if he's lived there forever or if he moved when he started stalking her."

Even if there was no context, there was only one her anyway. Shoko...When was the last time they had hung out with her? No—when was the last time they had without (F/N)? That applied to everyone, though.

Hell, most of the time when the males were hanging by themselves, they were just talking about her. It was like she was a virus on a computer, infecting their minds and corrupting them until they were obsessed. Or perhaps they had done that on their own. Neither cared to check much anymore.

Suguru tapped his fingers on the table a few times before saying, "I want him gone."

"I do too." Satoru agreed, nudging his friend's arm to know that he was there, and he was just as angry,  "We'll do it tonight."

"Where's (F/N)?" Suguru had been in the library, and though he had a few thoughts as to where she might be, he wasn't a hundred percent sure. Something that made him struggle to refrain from texting her and asking how she was, and who she was with anyone.

"Shoko and she are in Nanami's dorm I think. She's having a hard time being alone, and Nanami's taking it hard." Satoru seemed bitter as he grumbled, "She's trying to be there for him even though she can't handle it herself."

Suguru clicked his tongue, already standing from the table and packing his items, "We should go check up on her."

Satoru was jumping to stand, finding no reason to argue with his words, "She's taking it really hard."

"He was like her brother." Suguru reminded, taking a few seconds before saying, "She doesn't have a lot besides us and Yaga. You know that."

A smile began to curl on Satoru's face at those words. Though he felt the same reaction inwardly, Suguru slapped his friend's arm, and the male let out an exaggerated screech of pain, causing the librarian in the distance to shush them. Then, he let out an equally obnoxious, "Sorry!"

"You're going to get us kicked out." Suguru huffed, giving his friend a stern look.

"Then we can go to (F/N) quicker," Satoru retorted.

"We'll stay with her until we leave," Suguru said, nudging his friend before starting for the door.

﹏︎﹏︎﹏︎﹏︎﹏︎﹏︎﹏︎﹏︎﹏︎﹏︎

The cave was truly not a nice cave, to Satoru's disappointment.

From the entrance, in their position covered in the shadows of the night, he could see the stalagmite on the ceiling, the faint lights further inside that you would have to be seeking out to find. Hell, there was a barrier around the area. Though, it wasn't strong enough to stop either Satoru or Suguru.

"When we get inside, let him tire himself." Satoru suggested, lolling his head to glance at Suguru, "We won't have to move a muscle if he's as desperate as I think."

Suguru wouldn't take his eyes from the entrance, "I'll do what I want." 

"You ready?" The white-haired male asked.

Suguru glanced at Satoru, not even responding before he pushed past the dark shadow of the barrier and entered the cave.

Upon venturing inwards only, a little, they came across the lit area. Standing there was a male whom Satoru recognized, but Suguru had never seen. It was the same male from the train station with the moles and buzzcut. He was standing thereby a cluttered table, scribbling in a leather-bound book with a heavyset frown. 

It wasn't hard to guess what happened, and after they had a good enough view of the area, the males decided to step forward, emerging into the light. 

Yasha had noticed them after a few seconds, turning to the pair in bewilderment. After a few seconds, he slowly asked, "How did you find me?"

Satoru dipped his head, his blue eyes peeking over the sunglasses, "You left a trail."

Yasha stared at Satoru for a moment, the realization slowly creeping in. There was a reason it felt like Satoru's stare was going through him. It probably was, "Six Eyes," Yasha almost spat.

"Aw," the white-haired male tilted his head, "you do remember me."

Before Satoru could get out another cheeky comment, or Suguru could even get a word out, the ground below them gave way. Not naturally—Yasha's hands were extended, and he was using his cursed technique to crumble the ground below them.

Satoru's guess, upon deciding to entertain the male and allow himself to drop, was that he had been correct about Yasha having the opposite cursed technique of (F/N). While (F/N) could levitate things, so far Yasha had used his technique to crush, and drop things. Some sort of direct gravity equivalent.

"This is cute," Satoru mused, his eyes looking over the interior.

Suguru's eyes narrowed, his glare hardly pulling from Yasha to make sure there were no threats around them. It seemed the only one was Yasha, "Can we just kill him?"

"Suguru, so impatient." The white-haired male clicked his tongue, maintaining his playful act despite the serious situation, "Where's your need to play with your food?"

"You keep teasing me and you'll be next," Suguru warned. Satoru narrowed his eyes at his friend, taking in the gleam of rage in the dark eyes staring back at him. Suguru didn't hold a scowl, just a serious expression that held not a single drop of amusement.

Suguru was pissed, and Satoru understood why.

He fixed his glasses, pushing them upwards while assuring, "We'll get there. But what's the fun in ending it so quickly? Why not torture him a little?" Satoru waved a hand at his friend, "Let him realize he never had a chance."

"You talk a lot, leech." Yasha's voice was heard from above before a rumble was felt. It was the vibration from the top of the cave spreading downwards. They didn't have time to investigate before the stalagmite was falling towards them at a quick, almost amplified rate.

Satoru hardly flinched as his infinity took the blow. Suguru jumped to the side, dodging the stalagmite right before it would've hit him.

"How does it feel?" Suguru spoke up, the mocking tone echoing through the cavern, "Knowing you'll never kiss her? Hug her?" 

Satoru's voice added in, "Does she even know your name?"

Yasha seemed to hardly hold the composure the other males held onto, practically spitting, “I’ll kill you.!”

Satoru grinned, "Try even getting close."

Successfully enraged, Yasha broke off the remaining stalagmite in one go. Yet still, the two males dodged it when Satoru used his cursed technique: Blue. He knocked the falling stalagmite with it, sending the threat to the other side of the open area. 

Yasha clicked his tongue, "How fucking annoying are you—?"

Yasha barely managed to get the last syllable out before the cave around him was being shredded, bits flying around and slicing into his flesh. The more important part was that his left forearm was missing a decent chunk, having been crushed by Satoru's technique.

He went to move, but Satoru's focus switched to the leg holding his weight. Satoru used his cursed technique to crush his right ankle and below, and Yasha fell to their level. However, his cursed technique was activated. Although he fell harshly, too fast, landing awkwardly, he seemed unfazed by the landing. Like he hadn't fallen at all.

Satoru's eyes focused on the trail of cursed energy from the rock above to the ground below, where Yasha struggled along the broken stalagmite. They rubbed against his new wounds roughly, and he shouted and yelped in pain, struggling to decide which to focus on.

The two males glanced at each other as Yasha thrived on the ground.

It had never truly been a fair fight.

Despite his earlier disagreement with Satoru's plan of letting Yasha tire himself, Suguru hadn't yet summoned a cursed spirit. However, his patience was swiftly dissipating. Suguru stood above Yasha, eyes looking over the male's frame, focusing on the bits of rocks harshly pierced in his wounds, "Stand." He ordered, glaring down at him.

Yasha glared at the male, shouting in pain before biting out, "I don't have a foot!"

"And?" Satoru waved his screams off, insisting, "Stand on the bone. Come on. Up."

"Fuck you.!" Yasha didn't budge, which made the two struggle to contain their anger. 

"Suguru, you said you want him, right? He's all yours. He's pathetic," Satoru sighed. 

"Here. I'll help," Suguru rushed out, moving over to Yasha. Yasha's right hand supported the body as Suguru moved over, yanking him up harshly. "You want to fight? Come on, throw a punch."

Watching Yasha try to land a hit on Suguru was like trying to watch a feral prey try to attack a calm predator who already knew it would win. 

Yasha tried to lay a right hook on the dark-haired male, and Suguru crushed his hand in his grasp. He clicked his tongue, his other hand to grab Yasha's wrist before he twisted, roughly dislocated the limb. With a lame flick of his hand, he knocked Yasha—who was writhing and screaming in pain—to the hard ground.

"You don't deserve one of my strong curses," Suguru clicked his tongue in disappointment.

He summoned the first weak thing he could think of; a swarm of fly heads. 

The small curses flew towards Yasha, pushing him around as though they were bullying him. After a few minutes of watching him struggle with his injuries, Suguru grew irritated by the sound of his screams. "I changed my mind." Suguru's voice coldly cut in, the fly heads disappearing, "You're taking too long."

Yasha could barely catch sight of the beast before he was being harshly eaten alive by the Rainbow Dragon, chewed by the dragon's oversized teeth. The dragon had done a few circles, Yasha's screams of pain echoing through the mouth of the beast until it went quiet with a crunch. After a moment, the curse was absorbed. 

After a few seconds of quiet, Satoru spoke up, "Suguru, are you satisfied?"

Suguru answered after a few seconds of contemplation, "I wish I could kill him again."

"You're vicious." Satoru grinned at his friend's bloody thirst, then glanced at the body.

Suguru's eyes cut to Satoru, his words as sharp as his glare, "You don't feel my anger?"

"I do. I wish I had gotten to mess with him longer. He hardly looked scared. That won't do," Satoru grumbled, walking past the corpse and kicking its face harshly as he did. He kept moving until a thought hit him. He warped to the table on the upper level, looking over the items scattered along it, his eyes catching on one item, "He kept a diary.!" He called out to Suguru below. 

"Could barely handle his voice." Suguru waved off as he looked for anything that could catch his interest, knowing Satoru would snoop anyway, "Sum it up for me."

"I hate reading," Satoru whined. 

And yet, he did it anyway. 

The entries were thankfully dated, starting months ago. 

January 28th, 2005,

At first, I was pissed.

She killed the curse I was trying to use. It was too late to jump into the fight when I first saw her attacking, the curse was weakened too far. So I watched. Quickly, I realized something different about her. Her cursed technique was the direct opposite of mine.

Levitation. Gravity.

Isn't it perfect? We're meant to be.

"I was right." Satoru glanced up, meeting Suguru's eyes.

"What?"

"His technique. It's, in his words, the direct opposite of hers. That day, her technique didn't stop working, it was just canceled out." He grasped the next page, reading. 

Suguru pursed his lips, not liking the sound of such, "Anything else?" 

"He's more boring than we first thought. A curse user working with curses for world domination." Satoru took a few seconds to let out a loud dramatic yawn, "Lame." 

February 6th, 2005,

I started sending her letters. She doesn't know who they're from. She's so cute when she's confused.

February 13th, 2005,

She thinks that they're from Sae. He's getting too close to her. If he dares to get closer, I'll have to deal with him, and I'll do so with a smile.

March 4th, 2005,

I don't think she's happy with my letters. She looks scared, skittish when she sees another envelope by her dorm. I don't know why, I'm just telling her how she makes me feel.

Is it too much? Maybe I should show her.

The papers following that entry were slightly crumpled, paper torn in some areas from the words being scratched out too harshly.

March 11th, 2005,

She's going to be a third year after this break. A part of me wishes I had attended Jujustu, just so I could approach her without her knowing I wasn't supposed to be in her presence. But that's what girls like, right? Forbidden romance? Star-crossed lovers?

March 19th, 2005,

I followed her home. I only found it near the end of her break, but I managed to make a gift for my love. I hope she likes it.

The next entry was marked from the same day.

She didn't like it.

Fucking tossed it on the ground like it didn't mean anything, like I didn't spend hours putting it together. Like I didn't caress every photo, didn't plan them all out.

The next words were scribbled out, like an afterthought that wasn't supposed to be heard.

FuckingbitchIllshowyou—

The next entry was a bit further out, weeks later. 

April 23rd, 2005,

Sae confessed. Put his hands on her and tried to kiss her. My girl knows she's not available, she rejected him, and he damn near looked ready to cry. I've never laughed harder.

But then she hugged him.

The next entry was marked the same day.

I killed him. Tore out his heart. Wrapped it in a box and even wrapped it with a bow.

Is this enough for you? Must I truly profess my love with violence? If it works, I will.

The last entry was right when she had left Tokyo.

April 29th, 2005,

She's gone. She fucking left and I don't know where she is. I'll flip over every fucking rock in this country if I have to. She can't leave me. She can't.

Oh, (F/N)...Just wait until I get my hands on you.

The two males scrunched their faces at the writing. Satoru matched up the date to a few weeks before she first appeared in Tokyo Jujutsu High, so she must've hidden a little between the times.

"He's pathetic." Suguru turned, glaring at the body. 

"Hm... I wish I could've torn him limb from limb after reading that." Satoru clicked his tongue, "Claiming to love her then calling her a bitch..."

Yasha was weak. A thought began to form in Satoru's mind. If Yasha was this weak, and on the day her mission was canceled, he had been able to cancel her out, surely they were close in power rankings. Was (F/N) this weak? A part of him wanted to deny it. Surely she wouldn't be this easy of a fight—Hell, brighter had a scratch on them. But they were the strongest. She wasn't. She needed help, protection.

He hummed. Wasn't she just so cute? Needing his help? He'd make sure to hug her tight when he got back to the dorms.

"That must be where he wrote the letters." Suguru hummed, grasping the stamp.

"What are you doing?" Satoru asked, furrowing his eyebrows at his friend.

"Just in case." Suguru brushed off.

Satoru stared at his friend for a few seconds, trying to guess just what Suguru could need that for. "Just in...?" Then a twisted idea came to mind, one he didn't know if his friend was capable of drafting. Satoru glanced at the table, taking in sight of the materials Yasha had used for the letters.

After a few seconds, he followed Suguru out of the cave. The two males went back to Jujutsu High, arriving in the early morning.

And then, they acted like nothing had happened.