Chapter Text
He caught a glimpse of his reflection in the mirror and absently ran his fingers beneath his tired eyes. Questions gnawed at the edges of his mind about his technique, the choice he knew he would eventually have to face, and the lingering memory of how Satoru had looked at him that night, watching as he swallowed a curse whole.
It wasn’t as if he and Satoru weren’t speaking, they were. But lately, their conversations seemed to tread a razor-thin line between warmth and distance.
Satoru smiled easily, laughed too loudly at jokes that didn’t always deserve it, boasted about his latest mission with a casual slap on the back. But Suguru could see it, the subtle stiffness in his posture, the way his words sometimes seemed like armor rather than connection.
The raw emotion from that night, the anger, the intensity in Satoru’s gaze, had been buried beneath careful jokes and practiced nonchalance. Suguru knew him too well to mistake it for anything other than a defense. Why was his friend being like this? His knuckles whitened where they gripped the edge of the sink, holding himself steady against the weight of everything unspoken.
Needing an outlet, Suguru left his room, intending to seek refuge in the quiet stacks of the library. There was still so much he needed to learn about his ability, so much left unanswered.
But instead, he found himself standing alone in the middle of the training field, breathing in the sharp, cold air. There was no way he could focus on a book right now.
The crisp breeze bit at his skin as he tilted his face toward the waning sunlight. Summer had lost its final hold, and autumn crept in with a chill that sent a shiver down his spine.
Toji’s inventory curse crawled on the ground before him. It still made him feel disgusted but he got down on one knee and pulled Playful Cloud out of it. The stronger the wielder, the stronger the weapon would be, he had read when they were cataloguing the items in the worm-like curse. And he had chosen to keep it.
Without hesitation, he launched into training with it, pushing himself harder and faster. He wanted to feel the ache in his muscles, the burn in his lungs. Soon, the cold faded, replaced by the heat of exertion, sweat beading along his forehead.
This was what he needed. The focus, the physical certainty of each movement. For a while, at least, the world narrowed down to his breathing, his body, and the unrelenting rhythm of practice.
He moved until his muscles burned and his heart pounded hard in his chest. When he stopped the sun was low on the horizon and casting long shadows across the grass. The days were growing shorter.
Silence greeted him, broken only by the steady rhythm of his breathing. He put the weapon away, closed his eyes and centered himself, pulling on the cursed energy within.
When he opened them again, Tamamo-no-Mae stood a few feet away, summoned by his will. Her presence was no less unnerving than before. Twin sets of blank, unblinking eyes fixed on him, and her twisted, ever-grinning mouth made a mockery of a human face, contorting her features into something grotesque and otherworldly.
He had expected her to be challenging, maybe even uncontrollable. But like any other curse, she simply remained still until he gave her a command. At his silent beckoning, she stepped forward, closing the distance between them until she stood inches from his face. In her full form, she towered over him. Her face, or rather, what resembled one, seemed more like a mask than living flesh.
What if I absorbed her? Would he inherit her terrifying ability to possess others? Or was that tied to a different cursed technique entirely?
The question sat heavy in his chest, dark and tempting.
His thoughts were cut short by the sound of a familiar voice carrying across the empty field.
"Yo, Suguru," Satoru called out casually, striding toward him with Megumi trailing behind with his usual scowl in place.
With a resigned sigh, he dismissed Tamamo-no-Mae, her form vanishing in the wind, before her oppressive cursed energy could affect Megumi.
His training had to be confined to this specific part of the school or the barriers would flare up from the foreign energy of his curses, so Satoru always knew where to find him. His technique always seemed to come with complications. He tried not to dwell on it.
“We need your help,” Satoru said, jerking a thumb at Megumi with a grin as they reached the edge of the field.
Suguru instinctively crouched a little, intending to greet Megumi the same way he did the girls, but paused at the boy’s sharp glare. Yeah, definitely not the same approach.
Satoru brought his hand to his mouth stifling a laugh.
“Megumi, wanna show Suguru what we talked about?” Satoru prompted.
The boy let out a small grunt of acknowledgement and stepped forward. He formed a hand sign, his fingers twisting into the shape of a dog’s head and within seconds, two creatures materialized at his sides. They weren’t just dogs. Divine Dogs.
Suguru blinked, hiding his shock with practiced ease. The Ten Shadows Technique. So, the kid had inherited it.
Megumi quickly averted his gaze, a brief flicker of embarrassment crossing his face. Suguru chose to push aside his growing unease, for now.
“Well,” he said, summoning a small curse in the shape of a hound, “I don’t use shikigami the same way, but the idea’s close enough.”
He noticed Megumi’s eyes widened slightly, and couldn’t help the smirk tugging at the corner of his lips.
“I think I might be able to help you practice a little, if you’re up for it.”
“Let’s have a Pokémon battle!” Satoru declared, clapping his hands with far too much enthusiasm.
Both of them turned and shot him matching deadpan glares. He pouted theatrically and slouched on the sidelines with exaggerated despair, watching them from the grass.
Almost an hour passed before Megumi finally dismissed the Divine Dogs, wiping the sweat from his forehead. Suguru hadn’t expected him to maintain them for that long. It was a clear sign of endurance, or stubborn pride.
By then, they had gathered an audience. Nanako and Mimiko had somehow bullied Haibara into sneaking them onto the training field, despite Suguru’s very clear instructions to stay away. He sighed, resigned.
"Remember," Suguru said, keeping his tone gentle, "it’s all about pacing. If you flood them with cursed energy too quickly, you’ll wear yourself out before you even realize it."
Megumi nodded, taking the advice to heart, his eyes lifting to meet Suguru’s. This time carrying a glimmer of something close to respect.
“You should stay over tonight,” Satoru offered brightly. “We can train again tomorrow, if you’d like.”
Megumi’s expression turned into a scowl again, but this time it was softer, almost shy.
“I guess I could stay,” he muttered, rubbing the back of his neck.
Haibara shot him an apologetic look before ushering Megumi and the girls toward the section of the school where the rooms had been specially arranged for the younger students.
Satoru and Suguru stood alone now, the field around them sinking into shadows as the last light of day faded.
"I'm so sorry you had to cut your training short to help Megumi," Satoru said, scratching the back of his head with a sheepish grin, completely unrepentant.
Suguru was concerned and he knew he couldn’t help but let it show on his face. So many conversations left unfinished between them but his growing anger over this wouldn’t let him care enough.
"The Ten Shadows Technique," Suguru started, but the rest of the words seemed to catch in his throat, weighed down by the grim realization that Megumi wouldn’t have the luxury of staying just a student, the way he had quietly hoped for Nanako and Mimiko.
"He’ll probably be promoted to Grade 2 before long," Satoru said instead, almost proud. "He’s a strong kid."
Satoru’s casual tone, the effortless way he brushed it all off, only fueled Suguru’s growing frustration.
"This is the happiest I’ve seen him since I found him," Satoru went on, a small smile tugging at his mouth. "I think he really looks up to you."
A wave of heat rushed through Suguru, quickly followed by a cold that settled deep in his chest. His jaw tightened until it ached.
“How did you find him?” he asked.
Satoru glanced toward Megumi’s direction, making sure he was out of sight before replying. “Toji. Right before he... Well, he told me about him.”
Suguru's brows drew together. “The kind of power that killed the previous holder of both the Six Eyes and the Limitless technique found its way to you?”
“And? You think this is some kind of trap?” Satoru said with a shake of his head. “I don’t think it’s that simple. I don’t think anything about it ever was.”
It was strange, hearing Satoru speak in such a measured and serious way. But one thing was clear, he genuinely wanted to help the kid.
"No, I don’t," Suguru snapped, his words biting. "But if you truly want to help him, why drag him into this? You're throwing him into this knowing the danger he'll face."
Satoru's expression shifted in an instant, like he’d been struck across the face.
"Why are you always this angry?" Satoru shot back, his voice rising, frustration beginning to crack through.
"Angry?" Suguru scoffed, his voice sharp with incredulity. "You think this is about anger? Why should he be put in a position where his life is on the line?"
Satoru’s eyes flared. “I gave him a choice! And he still has one!”
Suguru’s expression darkened. "Not with that kind of power, he doesn’t. Like we didn’t."
Gojo’s jaw tightened, the tension in his face palpable. "You chose this. We both did,” he growled, his tone low but simmering. Without warning, he took a step forward, closing the space between them.
“Sure, and now all powerful Satoru is making moral arguments about it. I thought you said the sense of responsibility belonged to the weak.”
Letting his anger out at Satoru was a bad idea. He felt the thrumming in his veins that told him all the tension between them was finally going to erupt. He watched Satoru come closer, his steps deliberate.
“I thought you cared about those weaker than us. Those drawing together to help one another,” his friend shot back.
More of Satoru’s words surfaced in his mind from the time before they took up the mission to protect Amanai. He knew he had changed after that, they both had. Yet a bitter urge to challenge the truth of that change in his friend stirred inside him, tangled with other memories. The Star Religious Group applauding as they carried Amanai’s body from their church, Toji’s blade tearing him down to the brink of death, Satoru, blood-soaked, suggesting they slaughter everyone around them. It all boiled over.
“Survival of the fittest. Wasn’t that what you said? Looking out for the weak is so exhausting.” He said those words in mocking mimicry of Satoru’s voice. “Do I remember it right?”
"Oh, I see now. Are you wandering around picking these imaginary fights in your own head?” Gojo replied, waving his finger by his temple.
“You are going to get him killed.”
Satoru closed the remaining space between them in a blur of motion and punched him hard in the face. The thud reminded him of the basketball hurled at him back when they first argued about all this. Suguru stood frozen for a moment, thrown by the memory. Back then, it was he who had supported Satoru’s side.
He heard his own voice thick and heavy. "You're going to end up flat on your back."
"I'm surprised you think you're capable of that.”
He lashed out with a sweep of his leg, aiming to knock Satoru off balance, but Satoru simply floated above the attack with ease.
"Oh, so that's how it's going to be," he sneered. “Hiding behind your powers. Tell me, are you the strongest one because you are Gojo Satoru? Or does being the strongest one make you Gojo Satoru?”
He only had a split second to react as Red made the curse he had summoned on instinct explode in front of him. He had aimed straight for his neck. Satoru was out for blood.
Geto had to use everything around him to his advantage if he wanted to defeat him. Thankfully he had his back to the open field.
He let out multiple red centipede-like curses to swarm Satoru’s Infinity and gain distance but then he felt the pull of Blue. Unleashing the heaviest curse in his arsenal to be drawn in by Blue, and hopefully body slam Satoru, he retreated even further. He would have to find a way to turn around soon or he would be cornered.
Satoru blew the curse apart and came at him with incredible speed. Suguru ducked and swung around, so that he had the length of the training area again at his back.
Gojo was irritated, he could see it in his eyes. This was good. Suguru wasn’t overexerting himself. He planned to wear him down and bait him into making a mistake.
“Are we just going to go up and down? I thought you were going to push me at least a little,” Satoru provoked.
He came at him with a brutal strike of fist and Infinity and that's when Suguru unleashed it. Thunder rumbled overhead, and lightning surged from his fingers. The nearby light pole buzzed and crackled before its bulb exploded, tendrils of electricity cascading off Satoru’s protective field, only to be absorbed into the ground. It was a minor curse's technique, one Suguru had absorbed through Uzumaki.
Satoru looked at him with narrowed eyes. He had probably seen the foreign cursed energy coming but there was no outrunning lightning. Suguru could see the faint signs of exertion in his breathing, and that pleased him. He pressed forward, denying Satoru any chance to recover, but Satoru countered in a deadly flash.
Red whistled past his head, slicing through a nearby tree just as his Rainbow Dragon unleashed a fiery barrage from above. Satoru teleported through the flames, reappearing directly in front of him, but Suguru quickly disengaged. Gojo flashed a grin and began to circle around him, almost as if giving him space to recover.
Geto knew their battle was resonating throughout the school. Two S-tier fighters clashing would unleash enough cursed energy to send a wave of fear through everyone. The thought of it was almost exhilarating.
He could feel his shirt soaking with sweat and his breathing was quick. A flick of his mind made Tamamo-no-Mae appear between them and Satoru was gone again. The curse broke into pieces, each one a fox that went after Satoru, who teleported again and again, trying to avoid them and find his way behind Suguru. Big mistake, he should have used his Infinity instead of trying to reach him.
Suguru forced him into a pattern of movement, gaining control over the positioning of the fight by moving the foxes again and again. And there it was, the mistake. Satoru blinked into existence right in front of him and Geto headbatted him hard, putting all his force into the strike. Yet, he never made contact, his body slowing down as he came closer to Satoru’s face.
“Of course,” he said, his voice dripping with irony as he looked him straight in the eye. “Anyone can be the strongest behind a wall.”
His taunt had worked because he felt Satoru’s Infinity dissolve but he had no time to take advantage of that as Satoru slammed him bodily to the ground.
He pinned Suguru down, pressing his shoulders hard into the ground. “I don’t need it to beat you,” he screamed into his face, breathing hard.
His shirt collar had come undone, offering a rare and unguarded view of his pale skin, the subtle curve of his neck, and the hollow where his collarbones met.
For the first time, Satoru was genuinely furious with him. No more half-hearted debates, the mask had shattered, and the chasm between them was laid bare. In a strange, unsettling way, it felt freeing.
Geto trapped his calves with his own and twisted his hips hard reversing their position. “Don’t get too cocky,” he said with a grin, trapping his wrists between his fingers. His body was an arc over Gojo’s.
Satoru tore his arms free with a surprising ease that Suguru wasn’t ready to admit. He expected him to fight back but he let himself remain trapped beneath him.
“Why are you like this?” His friend’s voice twisted up. “I try to stand by you through the ugly and this is what I get?” He could see it in his expression, how he fought an internal battle to articulate his thoughts.
That was not the answer he expected. It didn’t make any sense. He felt the moment changing. Suguru stood up straight, his thighs pressed against Satoru’s thighs where he straddled him.
Around them the training field was strewn with the chaos of their fight. Dirt was tossed about, branches and trees lay broken and scattered, and light poles flickered in the aftermath, their bulbs darkened.
“What do you want?” Satoru snapped. “To kill everyone? Go ahead!”
You could. He didn’t say it. His hands fell at his sides, the weight of his words settling between them.
“Go ahead,” he repeated, his voice quieter now, almost resigned. "I can do this without you anyway." Satoru lifted his head, his eyes burrowing into his own. Strands of hair fell messily across his face and his uniform was dusty.
He stared down at him, his breathing still roughened, and not from exertion.
Geto finally steadied his breathing and felt himself tremble as he held it in and then let it go. He could feel something inside of him shift as the moment settled in.
“What do I want, huh?” His eyes drifted into the distance, unfocused. Suguru couldn't hold Satoru's gaze, not when it was filled with so much pain.
“I just want to protect the people that matter to me. I don't think I even care whether they're sorcerers or not anymore. There's only so much I can do. So I choose to save those I care about.”
He knew it was a selfish thing to say. An ugly truth about himself he wished Satoru would never learn.
Satoru’s gaze softened, he brought his forearm over his eyes with a breath of something like relief. His taut body beneath him relaxed, but the rise and fall of his chest continued. When he finally removed his arm, it seemed as though there was more he wanted to say, but before he could, a voice shattered the heavy silence that hung between them.
"You either stop this right now, or I’m taking you both to the principal," Nanami's calm voice rang out, he stood unfazed by the chaos surrounding him.
Suguru climbed off Satoru and extended a hand to help him up.
“I won this fight,” he told him as he took his hand.
"Yeah, right," Suguru muttered with a grin, brushing his bangs out of his eyes as they both walked away from the wreckage of the field.
"Where have the girls wandered off to this time?" Suguru asked as he approached the training field, his voice casual but tinged with distraction. Satoru and Megumi were already there, locked in what sounded like an argument.
Shoko glanced up at him, her gaze pausing on the red bruise across his jaw. One brow arched. She didn’t offer to heal it, and he didn’t ask.
"They’re off trying to capture a Fly Head to turn it into their shikigami," Shoko said dryly.
Suguru dragged a hand down his face, exhaling in exasperation.
Satoru clapped his hands together with theatrical enthusiasm. "Today, we summon a shikigami through the sacred rite of exorcism and beat it into submission!" he declared, as if announcing the start of some grand ritual.
He had hoped Nanako and Mimiko would be nearby, some convenient excuse to justify his presence, but they were nowhere to be seen. He sighed, shaking his head at himself for even thinking that way. His friend was acting like last night’s fight had never happened. Suguru lingered at the edge of the training field, still torn over whether he should be involved in Megumi’s training at all. It felt like showing up meant silently acknowledging to Satoru that Megumi belonged in this world, that he should be trained as a sorcerer.
Reluctantly, he stepped onto the field and came to stand beside Satoru, who was watching Megumi with a mix of awe and pride that bordered on unsettling. The boy shifted uncomfortably under the weight of it.
"Stop being creepy," Suguru muttered, jabbing Satoru in the ribs with his elbow.
"But this is a sacred moment," Satoru replied, dramatically dabbing at an imaginary tear.
"It’s just a rabbit," Megumi said flatly, clearly unimpressed.
"I wouldn’t call it just a rabbit," Suguru corrected, his tone more serious now. "Remember, you'll have to tame it yourself. If I were you, I’d summon the Divine Dogs first."
He took a few steps back, tugging Satoru with him out of the range of whatever might happen next.
Megumi closed his eyes and focused, carefully arranging his fingers and palms into the shape of a rabbit. He tilted his head slightly, watching the shadow closely and making small adjustments to get the silhouette just right. The hand sign was more deliberate than Suguru expected.
There it was, a small white rabbit stood before Megumi, its nose twitching as it sniffed the air, assessing its surroundings. For a moment, it seemed harmless. Then, without warning, it bolted, darting toward the tree line at the edge of the training field.
Megumi gave chase, his Divine Dogs surging ahead, easily closing the gap. But just as they reached their target, the rabbit's form blurred, and then multiplied.
A white blur exploded outward as hundreds of identical rabbits burst from the trees, swarming the field. The sheer number overwhelmed the shikigami, their forms swallowed by the mass of darting, chittering clones.
Satoru raised an arm, preparing to teleport to Megumi’s side.
“Don’t!” Suguru barked, grabbing his sleeve. “If we use cursed energy, we might get pulled into the ritual.”
“We might?” Satoru echoed, incredulous.
“Better safe than sorry,” Suguru shot back, already sprinting toward the writhing mass of rabbits.
Suguru caught a fleeting glimpse of Megumi weaving through the chaos, his Divine Dogs flanking him as he sprinted after the original rabbit. His small frame gave him an advantage, slipping between the swarming clones with surprising agility.
By the time Satoru and Suguru reached the tree line, they were met with a tidal wave of white fur. The mass of rabbits surged forward, knocking them off their footing and sweeping them back.
Suguru managed to hook an arm around a low-hanging branch, bracing himself against the tide. Beside him, Satoru flailed for balance, trying to ride the surge and keep his eyes on Megumi.
“Megumi!” Satoru shouted, finally grabbing onto a branch of his own. “Stop chasing it! Circ—”
“Let him figure the rest of it out himself!” Suguru half whispered half mouthed to Satoru.
“Ugh. Will all the white fur on me disappear once the rabbit is dismissed?” His friend asked, trying to push as many of the creatures as he could away.
The rush of rabbits suddenly stopped. Every single one of them standing still beneath them.
“You think he figured it out?” Suguru asked, squinting through the trees to catch sight of the boy.
A moment later, Megumi emerged from the brush, cradling a small white rabbit in his arms. A distinct symbol on its belly. As the rabbit looked up at him, all of its duplicates dissolved into shadows, vanishing in an instant.
Suguru and Satoru dropped down from the branches just as Megumi jogged over to meet them, barely able to suppress the pride on his face.
“I had the Divine Dogs flank it and force it to double back toward me,” he said. “Then it just ran right into my arms.”
“This is not the time for a Pokédex entry,” Suguru said dryly, casting a warning glance at Satoru before he could speak.
“Oh, c’mon. Two shikigami down! Only eight to go!” Satoru declared, grinning like a proud parent.
Back at the training field, Nanako gasped with delight. “It’s so cute!”
Megumi allowed the girls to gather around, petting the rabbit with gentle fascination. He’d already dismissed his Divine Dogs, but he held tightly to his newest companion, visibly protective of it. Suguru watched the scene and felt himself smile.
“Girls,” he said, noticing the cage near the tree line. Its talismans fluttered in the breeze, ominously undone. “Where’s the Fly Head?”
Mimiko gave him a sheepish look. “It, um… escaped. Into the boys’ showers.”
Suguru exhaled slowly, closing his eyes.
Meanwhile, Satoru looked positively delighted, like someone had just handed him a birthday cake. “Filling the showers with Fly Heads. Why didn’t I think of that?”
After a long day of chasing rabbits and elusive Fly Heads, they finally collapsed in Satoru’s room, drawn in by his grand plan to stay up all night gaming like it was some sacred mission.
Megumi fell asleep almost instantly, the PSP slipping from his hands and narrowly missing his face as he lay sprawled between them. Satoru chuckled softly, a low, warm sound. Suguru couldn’t help but join in, the tension easing between them under the weight of their sore muscles and the fog of sleepiness. For a moment, there was only the peaceful rhythm of Megumi’s quiet breathing, and a rare, shared calm between the two of them.
Satoru’s eyes had slipped closed. Suguru took a deep breath, intending to get up and make it to his own room but the scent of his friend’s sheets surrounded him. It was just for a moment, he told himself, he just needed another minute. His eyelids grew heavy, then heavier still, until they felt like lead. The hum of the room, the steady silence, and the comfort of being in a familiar place slowly blurred his thoughts, pulling him deeper into the lull of sleep.
Suguru stirred slightly, still curled on his friend's blankets, his eyelids fluttering open just a crack. How long had he been asleep? In the dim light, he caught a glimpse of Satoru lifting Megumi from the middle of the bed. The mattress dipped, then rose again. Soft footsteps padded across the room. He didn't move, half-awake, half-dreaming as the room fell still again, and sleep tried to pull him gently back down.
He remained on his side, eyes half-closed, staring at the dark outline of the desk across the room. He’d only meant to rest for a minute, just until the weariness of the day left him. But now it was late, and the dormitory was quiet, save for the occasional creak of the floor.
The mattress gave a soft protest as he shifted. His heartbeat felt louder in the silence. He should go, leave before his friend comes back, before things get strange. But something kept him rooted there. The conversation they'd avoided all day still hung in the air like fog. Heavy. Waiting.
Closing his eyes again, he let out a slow breath, caught between the urge to leave and the deeper pull to stay. He hadn't realised how tense he was, one hand clutching the sheets as though they might steady the feeling in his chest.
Suguru’s eyes flicked toward the door. He could still get up. Slip out, pretend this was no different than any other time he had fallen asleep in Satoru's room. Go back to his own, close the door and bury this feeling. But it pulled at him like gravity. Some quiet, selfish part of him wanted to stay. Wanted to be there when his friend returned.
His breath caught as footsteps echoed faintly outside the room. The doorknob turned. This was his last chance to leave. Geto didn't know what he was hoping for, what it was that he wanted to happen. But he didn’t move.
His body went still when the door creaked open.
There was a pause and then footsteps again, soft against the floorboards. He had his eyes closed, hoping to convince him he was still asleep, but he could still feel him moving across the room.
There was a hesitation, like Satoru was weighing something silently in the dark.
The bed dipped beside him. His heart pounded so loudly it drowned out everything else. They had slept in the same bed a thousand times before but this felt too intimate. He held his breath, afraid that any movement might shatter whatever fragile thing was taking shape in the quiet black.
It was barely audible, more breath than voice, when his friend murmured, “You staying?”
His eyes flew open and he met Satoru’s gaze in the dark. The question hung there, suspended in the silence between them.
Suguru held his gaze but didn't answer right away. Then he nodded just once.
Another pause. Then, slowly, carefully, his friend shifted closer, mirroring him. He was close enough for their foreheads to touch. It was tentative. Testing. Like another question but without words.
Their eyes remained locked. No flinch, no awkward glance away. Just quiet honesty in the stillness. The room felt smaller around them, crowding, pushing them together, stealing all the air. Suguru's shoulders were drawn in, hands still half-clutching the sheets between them.
Satoru’s fingers found the bruise on his jaw and Suguru just let him run them over his cheek as the events of the previous night came rushing back, the anger, the mistrust, the unimaginable loneliness. Goosebumps flew up and down his body with every pass of Satoru’s fingers. Then his hands came to rest on his chest. Suguru knew there was no hiding there. He knew Satoru could feel how hard his heart was beating but he held his gaze.
He refused to overthink anything as he ran his hand over Satoru’s ribs and around to his back. He swallowed hard when he realised his Infinity wasn’t there. Couldn’t help but feel how hard his heart was beating too, but hear the way he drew in a deep breath.
Suguru just tightened his hold around Satoru, pulled him in a little closer but Satoru was the one that tangled them together, interlocking their legs, bringing body closer to body. Suguru breathed out audibly when Satoru’s long leg lifted and wrapped higher around his thigh.
His friend found his way to his neck, and tucked right in like he belonged there, his soft hair brushing against his jaw. Suguru buried himself in them and breathed him in, not afraid to let Satoru hear it. Not at that moment.
Suguru slid his fingers up Satoru’s back and let them rest in the small hairs of his neck. Suddenly, it felt like they always were, like no time had passed, like no distance had ever come between them.
Sleep didn’t come right away, his rabbit-fast heartbeat wouldn't let him fall asleep and he didn’t want to let it pull him away from the moment.The last thing he heard before drifting off was Satoru’s soft breathing.