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Gojou Satoru has found that the things that make him anxious, as compared to the things that don't, are rather strange.
Something as seemingly simple as ordering for himself at a fast food joint? He abhors it, it makes him nauseous and his skin crawl. He always trips over a word or two, and replays the mistake over and over in his head for the rest of the day. It's only ever made worse than it already is, when they hand him his food with an all too cheery "Enjoy your food!" and he responds on autopilot with a "Thanks, you too."
But when facing a tough curse, bruised and banged up a bit, blood dripping from his temple and or nose, he doesn't feel anxious or self conscious. He feels on top of the world, in his element because this is quite literally what he was raised for, what he's always been best at. It's only made better when he's fighting alongside Getou Suguru, his best friend, his boyfriend, his one and only. Because while they're more than strong enough on their own, together, they're the strongest.
So, when Suguru invites him to come home with him for his birthday, to meet his parents? Satoru feels like he's in line at a coffee shop, racking his brain for the right words to convey his order as the line shortens and his heartbeat quickens.
Though, he supposes, it's rather normal to be nervous about meeting your lover's parents isn't it? If the cheesy romantic movies and shows he's watched over the years have anything to say about it, that is.
Satoru must be spacing out, because Suguru gently entwines their fingers together, making him jump a little at the contact.
"You're not obligated and you definitely don't have to go if you're not up for it, but I'd like you there with me."
Suguru's tone is gentle, his smile fond. They've been together a full year now, Suguru had confessed last January, just after New Year's, and as they say, the rest is history. They'd already been going out to eat together before and after missions, had already been crashing in one another's rooms after talking and laughing most of the night, so they were kind of, sort of, already a couple, it just took the confession from Suguru to finally set it off.
So, being his boyfriend for a year, and his best friend for longer than that, Suguru knows Satoru well and he takes great pride in the fact. He knew to extend the invitation a few weeks in advance, - it's currently January 12th, plenty of time for Satoru to think it over - rather than springing it on him at the last minute.
He also knows to make sure Satoru is aware that he wants him there, because he does, he always does. But mostly because Satoru often feels like a bother, an intrusion or even a tag along, so reassuring him that his presence is wanted is crucial. Suguru attributes it to the way Satoru was raised, and it makes his heart ache.
"Well, if you really want me to come with you then I can't really say no, can I?"
His voice is chipper as usual, but Suguru sees the quick flash of relief in his crystalline eyes.
"Of course I want you beside me, with me."
He mumbles against Satoru's lips, having leaned in to give him a quick, tender kiss.
They manage to convince Principal Yaga to pull the strings and allow them to skip their afternoon classes and training the day just before Suguru's birthday. Giving them enough time to plan ahead, securing train tickets and planning to arrive Friday evening, spend all of Saturday and Sunday with his parents, then head back Monday morning since they don't have classes until that evening.
Satoru is a nervous wreck on the train, though he tries his best to hide it, not wanting to worry Suguru. But his efforts are in vain, because Suguru quickly picks up on the subtle bouncing of Satoru's leg and how he shifts on the bench beside him, the way he cracks his knuckles or twiddles with his fingers. How he twirls a particular loose thread on his backpack - which is resting on the floor between his feet - over and over.
He slips his hand into Satoru's, fitting his fingers between his and squeezing reassuringly, one of the simplest and easiest ways to calm Satoru down he's learned.
"You trust me, right?"
Satoru meets his gaze, eyes as solemn as his voice.
"More than anyone."
"And have I ever led you astray?"
A hint of amusement flashes across his face.
"Well there was that one time-"
Satoru reminisces with a shit eating grin, at which Suguru is one, relieved that Satoru is feeling well enough to tease him, and two, exasperated that he still brings that up.
It being that one time during their very first mission together when yes he did lead Satoru astray and into a rather dangerous situation, albeit unintentionally. And everything worked out in the end, thank you very much.
"Besides that."
"Well, no."
"Then trust me when I say that my parents are going to adore you, Toru."
Satoru bites at his bottom lip.
"They're kind, almost too kind."
He continues, grimacing softly, not so much in disgust but rather in fond exasperation because his parents could quite literally let a murderer or convict into their home without realizing it, simply blinded by kindness and explaining the stranger needed a place to stay.
"Besides, they know plenty about you already."
Satoru's eyes widen a little, his cheeks turning a tender pink.
"You talk to them about me?"
"Well, yeah.. Why wouldn't I? I love you too much to keep it to myself."
Satoru melts against him, leaning his head against his shoulder, impossibly soft, snowy white hair tickling his cheek. The scent of Suguru's own shampoo rolling over him, because Satoru has this bad habit of - stealing - using it.
"They're good things I hope? What you told them, I mean.."
Suguru's heart pinches, he can hear the unspoken words in Satoru's hopeful and yet cautious voice. Words that ask vulnerable insecurities he'd rather not say aloud, You haven't told them any bad things, right? You would tell me first if there was something you didn't like about me, right?
As if there's actually a single thing Suguru dislikes about Gojou Satoru.
"The best things."
He reassures and hugs him close, pressing a gentle kiss to his head and glaring across the way at the old man who is giving him a less than kind look at the action. Satoru sighs in relief as he melts further into Suguru, taking his mind off just how much he wants to beat up this homophobic geezer.
By the time their train pulls up to the station around 5:20pm the sun has already set, and they next board a bus that will take them the rest of the way. By now, Satoru is feeling much less nervous, the two of them chat and laugh easily. Sharing a few sweet, chaste kisses every so often as snow starts to fall softly outside of the bus, sticking to the windows before quickly melting away.
Suguru suddenly laughs and places a hand over his face, shaking his head. Satoru asks him what's so funny, to which Suguru responds "I've never even told you my parent's names!" Satoru learns that Suguru's father's name is Haruto, and his mother's is Chiaki, and he quickly files both names away.
They slip their respective weekend backpacks on and walk the last mile or so from the bus stop, as Suguru's parents' home is a traditional Minka tucked into the countryside. They huddle closer together, and pull their coats tighter around themselves as the temperature seems to steadily drop by the minute, teeth chattering and cheeks freezing as Suguru follows the lightly snow covered path by heart in the evening darkness.
When they stop at the veranda, they slip their shoes off beside one another's, taking a moment to brush the light dusting of snow from each other's coats and hair. Suguru kisses Satoru's freezing face, hugging him as he whispers. "Ready?"
Satoru nods a little, "Yeah, let's go."
Suguru pulls back and takes Satoru's hand into his, pulling it to his mouth to gently kiss his knuckles, earning him a bashful groan in response to his tender action.
"I love you, Toru, thank you for coming with me."
"Of course.. I'm excited to hear embarrassing stories about you."
He teases gently and Suguru briefly wonders for the first time if this was actually a bad idea, his mom has plenty of embarrassing stories and even worse-
Photos.
He physically cringes, but well, it's too late to turn back now anyway, so he gently slides open the front door and leads Satoru inside, carefully sliding the door closed behind them as he calls out for his parents. Satoru's heart skips a beat in anticipation, but he's calmed by the warmth of being inside that melts away the chill that's been clinging to him the last thirty minutes or so.
Suguru had mentioned before that this home has been in their family for awhile. And Satoru can tell as he stands there based on the deep, warm and welcoming feeling that seems to radiate from the home itself, as if it's been saturated in love for generations. As well as the photos of families in different stages of color photography, some incredibly aged or in black and white.
He also smells something delicious, probably whatever dinner has been prepared for them. His guess is more or less confirmed, when Suguru's mom - Chiaki, he remembers - rounds the corner, wiping her hands on an apron with a happy smile.
They both give a short bow, then she quickly crosses the distance between her and Suguru, wrapping him in a tight hug, which makes Suguru let go of Satoru's hand so he can return it fully. Satoru watches their interaction, the way Suguru squeezes her just a little tighter as she mumbles something about Welcome home, son. I've missed you.
Satoru can't help but feel the slightest twinge of something painful in his heart, not exactly jealousy, but something close. He'd never had his parents' love or affection, so seeing Suguru's mother give it out so freely hurts just a little.
But he quickly shakes his head, this isn't about him, it's about Suguru and his birthday tomorrow. The reason he's home, the reason he's visiting his parents and suddenly Satoru feels insignificant, a bother, a tag along watching and intruding on someone else's life.
He doesn't belong here, how could he? He shouldn't be here, honestly shouldn't even be with Suguru, he could find someone so much better. He's never fit it anywhere before, he doesn't know what to do or say, he's going to fuck this up like one of his food orde-
Air rushes out of his lungs as Chiaki suddenly hugs him, effectively distracting him from his spiraling thoughts. Because he didn't think she'd hug him, given that she's never met him before this very second.
He has just enough sense left to return her embrace, wrapping his arms around her. He can't help but notice that he feels safe and secure, entirely too warm, almost like he's loved? Which simply can't be, she doesn't even know him besides whatever picture Suguru has already painted.
He just hopes he matches and lives up to it, that he doesn't disappoint.
She pulls back, placing her gentle hands on his face as she looks up at him.
"No wonder my son has fallen for you."
She says simply, kindly, before continuing.
"You have a kind heart and soul, I can see it in your eyes."
For someone with the six eyes technique, he feels incredibly seen and vulnerable in this moment, under the gently scrutinizing gaze of his lover's mom. He can't seem to find any words to respond, and she doesn't seem to care that he's speechless as she strokes her thumbs across the tops of his cheeks, just below his eyes.
Satoru studies her kind face for a moment, quickly realizing Suguru got his eyes from her, as hers are the same stunning, velvety purple shade as her son's. Her hair is dark and silky as his, though it's cut short, just above her shoulders, she also has bangs that fall gently across her forehead. She has laugh lines and a few soft wrinkles, evidence of a happy, well lived life.
The deep timbre of Suguru's father's - Haruto, he remembers - voice draws his attention, as he calls out to his son, giving him a brief hug. Chiaki gently pats Satoru's face before she pulls away, moving to stand by her husband. Suguru's facial structure, jawline and nose are all from his dad, as he looks exactly like Suguru, except older with the same laugh lines and wrinkles as Chiaki. His short, dark hair is graying and he wears glasses, overall he radiates stability and safety, warmth, and kindness.
Just like Suguru does.
These are definitely his parents all right, the two of them and their features showing on their son who is quite literally the perfect mixture of the two of them. Satoru suddenly wonders, which of his own parents he looks like? He's not sure, as he hardly ever saw his parents, usually hidden away for his "protection" or whatever since he was at risk of being kidnapped or assassinated as the first six eyes holder in forever. Helping hands employed by the Gojou estate were his only caretakers (real friends too), until of course he got too close to one and they would be let go.
He doesn't remember if his blue eyes are because of the six eyes, or if he got them from one of his parents. He doesn't know if his white hair and eyelashes are from them either, hell he's not even entirely sure he had both parents in his life at any time, he could've been illegitimate or even an affair baby, a love child. For all he knows he could've just spawned into existence one day, a rather laughable and yet entirely lonely thought.
Haruto must see his internal struggle, his confusion and sadness because he places a gentle hand on his shoulder.
"Don't worry, I don't bite."
He teases warmly and the painful thoughts knocking around in Satoru's head dissipate entirely, he laughs softly, as Haruto probably figured Satoru's spacing out was because he's terrified of him. Why was he ever nervous about meeting Suguru's parents in the first place again? He gives a quick bow to Haruto.
"Thank you, I appreciate that."
They shrug their backpacks and coats off at Chiaki's insistence, Haruto takes their bags and Chiaki drapes both coats over her arms as she asks-
"How was the trip?"
"Just fine, the bus is always much more enjoyable than the train."
Suguru reports, and she nods in agreement.
"It's started snowing, so we were walking in it for a bit."
"Has it now? I didn't even notice-" She covers her mouth in surprise for just a moment, then drops it again "and you poor things must be freezing! Let's get you both some dinner and warm tea, mm?"
When they're led into the dining room, Satoru laughs to himself when he sees that the main dish is Suguru's favorite, Zaru Soba. Only his Suguru is crazy enough to eat cold noodles year round. Thankfully his mom has also made some warm rice and tempura, as well as the tea she mentioned.
They all gather around the kotatsu covered in dishes of food, they all give their thanks and then it's a flurry of organized movements as dishes are served up and passed around.
Conversation flows easily as they eat, none of that awkward small talk that makes Satoru want to rip his hair out. Suguru's parents ask plenty of simple questions like how school and studies are going, if their training is going well. They ask Satoru gentle questions to get to know him a little, no doubt giving him the opportunity to brag or boast about himself. But he doesn't, not really.
Suguru brags plenty for him though, telling them stories and things Satoru never thought were that important in the moment, but apparently Suguru has held onto all this time. Satoru tries his best to keep from blushing, and eventually joins Suguru in animatedly retelling these stories between bites of food. And he finds another thing Suguru got from his father, is his sense of humor.
"Now, Suguru,"
Chiaki begins long after dinner has been eaten, during a gentle lull in the chatter.
"I've already made your cake. But I'm wondering if you'd like some now, or you want to wait until tomorrow?"
"Well, you can't very well expect me to wait now, can you?"
Suguru grins mischievously, and she simply laughs and pats Haruto on the shoulder, wordlessly asking him to bring the cake out. He returns a few moments later, a simple white frosted cake with strawberries on top in hand.
Chiaki clears a spot on the table top for it, taking it from Haruto and setting it down as he runs back to the kitchen, he returns with a knife, forks, and dessert plates and lays them out.
The three of them sing happy birthday to Suguru, but somehow seamlessly read each other's minds to sing "happy early birthday" instead of the original, not wanting to tempt bad luck. Suguru gets all squishy and awkward under the attention, making Satoru shake his head endearingly at him.
Haruto cuts slices and serves them. As Satoru takes a bite, he finds it's sweet enough to still be considered dessert, but not sweet enough for Suguru to whine about it. Satoru's heart warms at the thought that the love of his life is known and taken care of outside of their own relationship, that his mother knows his tastes and preferences and remembers them. He's happy that Suguru has such wonderful parents, that he wasn't alone and isolated during his childhood like Satoru was in his own.
And yet his heart clenches in pain once again because they do it so easily, subconsciously probably. So why couldn't his own mother and father figure it out? What had he done wrong, to strike out on deserving a loving, happy family?
Maybe he makes a face, maybe his shoulders have slumped without him realizing, or maybe he's suddenly dropped his bite of cake from his fork because Suguru places a gentle, warm hand on his thigh beneath the blanket of the kotatsu, squeezing in reassurance.
When he looks up to meet his gaze, he's smiling tenderly, knowingly. Satoru feels seen, and for some reason it doesn't make him feel vulnerable or squirmy, but rather comforted because Suguru has always been able to read him like a goddamn book. Being known, entirely understood by the person you love is a wonderful, and yet entirely overwhelming feeling.
After they've finished eating, Satoru helps them clean up, while Suguru quickly announces he's going to take a quick shower before bed. His mother laughs, suggesting that he simply wants to skip her reminiscing over photo books, to which he admits she's right before taking off with a sheepish smile.
Satoru feels a small moment of anxiousness over the fact that he's now left alone with Suguru's parents, but it quickly dissipates as he helps them with the dishes, drying plates and cups as they hand them his way. A gentle silence surrounds them as they work.
Then, it's finally time for what Satoru has been waiting for.
The photo album.
Chiaki opens it atop the kotatsu they'd all just eaten at, Haruto sits beside her and Satoru sits across from both of them, excitement rolling off him as he's about to get to see glimpses of his beloved from before they met, when he was a baby, at different milestones during his life. He'll get to learn new things about him, too.
The photos aren't organized by age or year, just thrown in randomly, probably as she got them printed. She points at a photo of a small Suguru playing by himself at the playground, while other kids chased each other around in a flurry of movement the camera couldn't quite capture.
"He was always rather quiet as a kid, and he never did get along with others all that well, preferred to stay home when he could."
Satoru can't believe it, his Suguru wasn't always as warm, affectionate, and sociable as he knows him to be? Then he remembers, that as well as they love and understand each other now, early on in their schooling they didn't get along at all. He laughs gently to himself, as he forgets that bit of their history often. Suguru really didn't get along with others then either, so his mother's musings are in character after all.
"Though, he liked animals a lot, mostly cats."
He sees a photo of a probably seven year old Suguru sitting on the veranda of the house, surrounded by cats in different colors and sizes just in front of him as he feeds them some kind of food or treat.
"Being in the country, we have a lot of strays that come around looking for food of some kind, he would always feed them and their numbers started rising."
Haruto laughs warmly, stating-
"At one point, he had at least 15 cats running up to him and following him around, because they all recognized him as the boy with food."
"He's probably out there feeding some right now."
Chiaki thinks aloud, a tender smile on her face. She flips the page, and points at another photo, in which Suguru looks to be about ten, his hair reaching just above his shoulders in choppy layers - Satoru almost wonders if he cut it himself. He's sitting below a tree, intently focusing on a book he's holding.
"Whenever school was out, he was almost always outside reading, off in his own little world."
She muses fondly.
"This is the day we sent him off to Jujutsu Tech."
Haruto says in a tone full of fatherly pride, pointing to a photo of Suguru at the train station between both of his parents and smiling a little nervously. Another one showing him getting on the train, tightly clutching the strap of his backpack in one hand as he was mid step.
She continues showing him photos and telling him stories, Haruto adding commentary here and there as they lovingly remember times and moments with their son. Satoru learns that Suguru wasn't always as graceful and coordinated as he is now, often tripping and falling, coming home with scraped knees and mysterious scratches. Lots of pictures of him showcase random plasters on his fingers or cheek, his knees and elbows.
His favorite photo so far has to be the one of Suguru at probably eight, being slung over his father's shoulder, which had him laughing and smiling brightly, in turn showing off both of his missing front teeth. He looks so carefree and happy, and Satoru's heart aches for the little boy in this picture, knowing that he grows up to be neck deep in a life of curses and sorcery, exhaustion, darkness and pain.
He hears stories about him being an easy baby, though his first few days of life were rather tough, a little touch and go. Though, once he made it through, he was always a happy, easy baby. He smiles at a picture of Suguru, probably around a year old, fiercely gripping onto Haruto's hands as he takes what Satoru assumes to be one of his first steps. Another one, is of baby Suguru with a teething toy in his mouth, giving a slobbery, gummy smile.
There's photos of elementary school age Suguru baking cookies, drawing, running and laughing with his cats following him. One of him making a peace sign and smiling in his school uniform, clutching his backpack in his other hand. Some of him watching fish in an aquarium, absolutely enamored by the view. One of him and his parents at the beach, no doubt on vacation or holiday. Another of the three of them wearing yukatas, a busy festival street behind them.
There's one of Suguru, probably not long before he came to Jujutsu Tech, where he's holding a cat with fur as dark and sleek as his own hair. He's holding it much like a baby, finger bopping it gently on the nose while it's paws hold his hand. Another one of teenage Suguru helping Chiaki in a garden of some sort, a streak of soil on his face as his gloved hands scrape in the dirt. Satoru guesses that one was taken last Spring.
Nothing has been particularly embarrassing, he notes the more he hears and sees, whether he's not allowed to hear those stories just yet, or there simply aren't any is beyond him.
Finally they mention just how nervous he was to leave home, to go to a big school far from them. Afraid of the things he might see or experience.
"His letters and texts home were always really short in the beginning, not wanting to worry us probably. But then they started becoming longer, happier, more detailed. Just as he started talking about you, Satoru."
Haruto remembers aloud.
"Me?"
"Yes, you've always been special to him, and I can see just how much you bring to his life. Thank you for loving him, for taking care of him."
Satoru shakes his head with a soft laugh.
"You don't need to thank me. I should be thanking the two of you for raising such a son, he means more to me than I could ever possibly mean to him.. And besides, I haven't done anything spectacular other than, well, exist."
He says, rather flatly. Chiaki rests her elbows on the table, placing her hands on either side of Satoru's face as she looks at him intently.
"And who ever told you that isn't enough?"
His eyebrows raise slightly, how could she-
"You carry a lot of pain, Satoru, pain you shouldn't even have to hold because it was put there by others in your past, wasn't it?"
He finds himself unable to do anything besides nod, the soft smile she gives him is full of some kind of understanding. Though, she thankfully doesn't read him any further.
"With Suguru alone, I know a world and life full of curses and sorcery isn't kind, so should you ever find yourself out this way and in need of help or just a place to rest, don't hesitate to drop in."
She pauses, brushing a stray piece of hair out of his face.
"You're family, and as such you'll always have a place and home here."
Tears sting his eyes, she means those words said from the bottom of her heart. He can just barely manage to whisper out a gentle thank you, then she hugs him for the second time tonight. Suguru and now his parents are the home and the place of belonging Satoru has always been searching for.
Haruto ruffles his snowy hair affectionately and the tears slip free, a smile on his face as he finds Suguru was right, he's adored here.
He pulls back after a moment, hands wiping at his cheeks, while Chiaki gathers and moves to put her photo album back on the shelf. Haruto checks something on his phone, flipping it open and intentionally giving Satoru a bit of privacy while he continues patting his face dry.
Now that the photos are gone, and as if on cue, Suguru waltzes into the room after his shower, looking painfully comfy in his plaid pajama pants and already fading Jujutsu Tech sweatshirt. His hair is hanging loose, and it's already been blown dry because he never goes to bed with wet hair.
He sits down beside Satoru, noticing the way his eyes are still watery. Satoru can see him make a mental note to ask him about it later, though his eyes are asking him if he's ok. He nods softly, and Suguru relaxes, slipping an arm around Satoru's shoulders and pressing a gentle kiss to his temple as he pulls him close against his side. Satoru holds Suguru's hand resting across his chest.
"You smell nice."
Satoru mumbles out as the heady scent of sandalwood and Suguru's body heat roll over him, Suguru just laughs softly.
"I smell like you."
He teases, reminding Satoru of the fact that he steals his shower products and that neither of them have a signature scent anymore, always smelling like each other. (And thoroughly confusing Shoko the first few times, as she used to be able to tell which one of them was trying to sneak up on her by the differences in their scent. She's still salty about it.)
Haruto looks up from his phone and gives the two of them a gentle smile, though as he puts his phone away and Chiaki sits back down next to him, something flashes in his eyes.
"You know, Suguru hasn't ever told us who confessed or made the first move.."
Suguru groans in gentle annoyance and embarrassment.
"That's not that important right?"
He tries, but his mom is on his dad's side.
"Every couple knows how important that moment is right along with how they met, all of our friends know that I told your father how I felt first."
Satoru watches Suguru in quiet amusement, just why is he hesitant about admitting that it was Suguru himself who confessed?
"Well you know we met because we were put on the same team, but I didn't mention that we actually didn't get along all too well for the first few months we were around each other."
Suguru remembers sadly as he stares at the floor, his voice full of gentle regret over just how badly they'd been at each other's throats early on. It wasn't anything specific, just a vague dislike of the other.
"If I'm honest, it was mostly my fault. So when I figured I should probably let up on him, I realized he's actually really smart and dedicated, he makes me laugh harder than I ever have before, and he makes me smile so much it's almost disgusting."
Satoru is melting under Suguru's affectionate expression directed at him, his all too cheesy words warming his heart.
"And then we were friends, became best friends, hung out a lot outside of missions and then I realized I loved him."
His mom makes a little "aww" sound, but Satoru can't miss something heavy in Suguru's words, something he can't exactly name, and probably never will.
"But I didn't know if he felt the same and I was worried I'd fuck everything up."
He laughs softly, looking down at the floor again. The usually confident Suguru was nervous about expressing how he felt? Was he really afraid Satoru would reject him? Satoru quickly kisses his cheek, silently encouraging him to keep talking.
"I even asked our other teammate for advice before I confessed because I was so nervous."
Satoru gasps softly, pulling back to look at him.
"You never told me you talked to Shoko."
"Surprise?"
He says, sheepishly with a soft blush creeping onto his face as he rubs a hand behind his neck. Satoru laughs warmly, from somewhere deep in his chest.
"Ok, but now I've gotta know what she said."
"Her exact words were-" Suguru starts, bringing an imaginary cigarette to his mouth to imitate Shoko before continuing- "I guarantee he feels the same. He’s always looking at you like you’re some painting or something, it’s disgusting really."
Satoru never thought he was that obvious, for Shoko to see him and his feelings like that.
"Directly after that conversation, is when I came to your dorm and told you how I felt."
Satoru makes a note to thank Shoko the next time he sees her.
"Huh," Chiaki starts, "All this time I figured Satoru would've been the one to tell you Suguru, not the other way around."
She states simply, gently goading her typically emotionally challenged son, to which he responds-
"Yeah, yeah."
Conversation flows easily for the next thirty minutes or so, then Chiaki tries to hide a yawn and Haruto checks the time. It's a little after 10, and Haruto makes a joke about the geezers needing to get to bed, which Chiaki affectionately rolls her eyes at.
"He is right though, time for us to call it a night. You're free to do whatever, but don't stay up too late."
She suggests, tone full of something endearing and motherly.
"Since tomorrow's Saturday, and you both got in late I figured you'd appreciate sleeping in, and Haruto and myself probably won't be up before 9 or 10 anyway. So there's plenty of stuff in the kitchen for breakfast should you be awake before us, or just feel like snacking."
She pauses, it's clear she's thinking over some list to make sure she hasn't forgotten anything.
"Oh! And your room is clean, there's futons in the closet, and plenty of pillows and blankets too."
Suguru hugs her close, swaying them both back and forth for a moment, then he bends to leave a gentle peck to her head.
"Thanks mom."
She gently pats his back, and he pulls away, once again standing by Satoru and winding an arm around his waist.
"Goodnight you two."
She offers with a smile, then turns away, walking towards hers and Haruto's room.
"Goodnight."
They call after her in unison. Suguru wordlessly leads Satoru to his room, sliding the door open to reveal a rather empty room. A couple of posters and pictures are taped to the wall, a large wooden wardrobe in the corner, but other than that, nothing.
"It's pretty sad right? I brought most of my stuff with me to the dorms, so there's not much here."
"I can see that."
Satoru teases gently as Suguru goes to the wardrobe, pulling out the bedding his mother had mentioned. He sets two futons on the tatami mat floor, rolling them out beside each other. He puts a pillow on each, then lays out a few layers of fluffy blankets and a quilt for each one.
Satoru notices their backpacks are sat nearly on the floor underneath a window, he makes his way over to his while Suguru continues fluffing and fretting over their bedding. Satoru unzips his bag and quickly finds his pajamas that he'd packed, pants made from a thick, red plaid fabric, and a KISS sweatshirt that he stole from Suguru. He quickly changes into them, folding his other clothes neatly and setting them on the ground by his backpack to deal with later.
Suguru seems content with his handiwork, standing with hands on his hips in what looks like accomplishment as he surveys their beds for tonight, and the following two nights. Satoru lays back against his futon, staring up at the ceiling. Suguru settles down beside him, head propped up on his hand as he runs his other hand through Satoru's hair gently.
"You alright?"
Satoru nods, giving him a gentle, questioning look.
"It's just-"
Suguru pauses.
"I know your parents were shit to put it lightly, so I didn't think about how all of this might affect you, I'm sorry."
Oh, he's checked his mental post it note from earlier.
"Not gonna lie, I was struggling for a second, but I'm alright now, promise."
He tucks a stray piece of Suguru's dark hair away from his face, hand resting on his cheek after.
"Thank you for inviting me."
Suguru turns to leave a tender kiss against Satoru's palm, the simple action tingling from his hand to his heart.
"Thank you for coming with me."
Satoru hums in response.
"Did you feed the cats?"
Suguru's eyes widen for just a moment, but his expression morphs into something knowing.
"Ah, I take it the stories and pictures were worth the trip?"
"Most definitely."
"Oh? Have a favorite?"
Suguru's eyes are teasing, daring him to repeat his mom's tales back to him.
He'll bite.
"Definitely not a favorite, but my heart shattered when she told me the nurses and doctor wouldn't let her feed you or give you any formula for the first few hours after you were born since they were worried because your blood sugar levels were scary high or something."
Suguru laughs.
"It's so sad, thinking about an hours old you starving. Poor little Suguru, barely a day old and struggling like that."
Satoru frowns softly.
"Eh, it just made me stronger. Probably the only reason why I can compare to and match with you."
Satoru gives a small smile, "Maybe" he says, playing along.
Suguru rolls onto his back, and slips under his blankets. Satoru curls into his side when Suguru holds the covers up for him, inviting him in and a gentle silence surrounds the two as Satoru absentmindedly traces shapes just above Suguru's heart.
"Your gappy smile was really cute."
Suguru snorts softly, bringing a hand up and biting on his finger, Satoru knows this action well. It's a thing he does to keep from laughing, he can't help but wonder-
"What's running through that pretty little head of yours?"
"Well.. I lost one tooth, and I didn't want to have teeth growing in at different rates. I was fine with the idea of a huge ass gap, if it meant I didn't have to have one grow back, just to lose the other."
A short, wheezing laugh escapes him before he reigns in his composure again.
"So even though the other one wasn't loose just yet, I kept wiggling it, hoping I could get it to move."
Satoru nods, understanding his logic so far.
"When that didn't work-"
He takes a deep breath, choking down another laugh.
"I hit it real hard with this mini hammer that we had laying around, and that worked like a charm, the whole thing came out."
He finally lets his laughter out, though stifling it with his hand so he doesn't wake his parents. Satoru can't help but succumb to laughter himself, as Suguru's is always contagious enough on its own, but the mental image of Suguru knocking his front tooth out with a tool is too funny to ignore.
"The best part is, my parents still don't know because I never told them, they were just amazed they came out so close together."
He says, wiping a knuckle beneath his eyes, having laughed himself to slight tears.
"You fucking dork."
Satoru presses a smiling kiss to Suguru's cheek, before tucking his his head into the crook of Suguru's neck.
"Your mom said you were quite the reader, you don't seem to do it much now though."
Satoru mumbles out after a few minutes of quiet.
"It wasn't long after I started seeing curses. At the time I didn't quite know what they were but they were pretty scary to a kid, so I started reading because that took all of my attention and focus and I didn't see any for the amount of time it took to finish a book."
Suguru pauses for a moment.
"Quite a few times, I was so deep in a story I didn't hear dad calling me to do a chore, or mom telling me that food was ready. They had to come and gently shake me out of my trance themselves, otherwise I'd just keep reading."
He finishes his thoughts almost wistfully.
"So now that you know what curses are and how to deal with them, you don't need to read so much anymore. Gotcha."
He nods in response to Satoru's words.
"Precisely, I'm practically burnt out from reading at this point."
"Well if there's ever a story or book you really want to know about, let me know and I'll read it out loud for you."
Satoru offers.
"I'll keep that in mind, I'd love to listen to you narrate something."
They continue to hold each other close, the gentle, comforting sounds of their breathing all that can be heard in the quiet of Suguru's childhood bedroom as minutes pass. Satoru is just slipping into sleep, when he gets an idea. (Other than in the shower, half asleep is when Satoru has his best flashes of inspiration.)
"Do you wanna, like, go dance out in the snow?"
He mumbles out, yawning a little.
"Like, slow dancing?"
Suguru responds groggily, like he must've been on the edge of sleep himself when Satoru spoke up. He feels bad for a second, but since Suguru is showing some interest he decides to keep talking.
"Yeah! I'm thinking it'll be like dancing in the rain, except it's dancing in the falling snow."
It's at least -7° Celsius outside at this very moment, there's a few inches of snow accumulated by now, with more steadily falling. In short, it's freezing, but what kind of boyfriend would he be to turn down Satoru's idea? Especially when he's so preciously excited about it?
"Alright-"
He says as he sits up, standing, he extends a hand to Satoru who quickly takes it as he pulls him up.
"Let's go, it'll be really fun and romantic. Like those cheesy movies you watch."
Still in their pajamas, - and careful not to wake Chiaki and Haruto - the two of them quickly don their jackets, boots and gloves. Suguru wraps a scarf around Satoru's neck, giving him a peck on the cheek once he's finished.
They head out into the backyard and find a large patch of untouched snow. It's dark out but light enough to see with both the inherent brilliance of the snow, and the moon that is hidden somewhere behind the thick snow clouds, light muted but illuminating each one. They look up towards the sky, the snowflakes softly thud against their faces before melting away.
When Suguru returns his gaze to Satoru, he is staring at him fondly, a smitten smile on his face. It warms Suguru's heart and the tips of his ears.
"May I have this dance?"
He offers his hand to him, which he takes.
Since Satoru is slightly taller than Suguru, he reaches up and wraps his arms around his neck, while Satoru's arms circle Suguru's waist. They both sway side to side while the snow continues falling softly around them, Suguru gently rests his forehead against Satoru's, their noses lightly bumping together.
Their eyes flutter shut, enjoying the moment. The snow crunching under their feet, and the gentle tinkling of the snow still falling are the only sounds to be heard.
The silence doesn't last very long though, because Satoru angles his head slightly to press a kiss against the very edge of Suguru's jawline below his ear, whispering-
"Happy Birthday, my one and only."
Suguru gasps softly as he digs his phone out of his pocket and flips it open to see that it is in fact a couple minutes past midnight, the date reading February 3rd, 2007. But how Satoru knows that without a watch or phone on him at the moment is beyond Suguru, perhaps it's a six eyes thing? To be able to have a perfect knowledge of time at any given moment? That'd be a pretty neat trick.
But then again, Satoru is pretty neat to begin with.
He throws his arms around his neck again and kisses him gently, swallowing Satoru's amused hum as he melts against him. He tastes like a hint of not-too-sweet birthday cake and strawberries, and it's addicting. He's addicting.
"I'm gonna marry the fuck out of you one day Satoru, mark my words."
His words are mumbled against Satoru's mouth, but he hears them loud and clear, heart in his throat as he pulls back to check Suguru's eyes for any sign that he doesn't quite mean what he said.
He finds none, Suguru is entirely serious and sure. Satoru smiles bashfully at the idea of a proper marriage proposal in the future, at the thought of spending the rest of his life with Suguru, feeling so overwhelmingly loved and precious that his knees feel like they could give out beneath him. But before they can, he flops onto his back in the snow, momentarily worrying Suguru, but then he just laughs warmly.
Satoru's impulsivity makes Suguru helpless to do anything but follow his ideas or suggestions, no matter how odd or bold. So, he finds himself laying in the snow making snow angels like a little kid again, Satoru making his own not far from him, his laugh carrying through the chilly night air. Yes he's freezing, yes his hair that he'd washed and dried not even a few hours earlier is wet from the snow melting below his head, but he feels so incredibly warm, lucky, and loved in this moment.
Satoru beside him, making a snow angel, a simple activity, but something he probably didn't get to - or maybe wasn't allowed to - experience as a kid. His excitement and joy are palpable, utterly contagious and even intoxicating. Satoru makes his otherwise dull, exhausting life fun, he makes it vibrant and worth living. Even just by existing together in the same space, simple as it sounds.
And his parents, just inside the home he grew up in and sleeping peacefully. The mother and father who've always loved him unconditionally and supported him his entire life, who while they don't know much about curses themselves, got him his spot at Jujutsu Tech. Figuring it would help him immensely to be surrounded by people just like him, to get catered schooling and training. It has helped quite a bit, but he's most thankful for it because he knows he wouldn't have met Satoru any other way, and he makes a mental note to expressly thank his parents later.
Suguru smiles to himself as he looks up to see the moon and a few stars peeking through the snow clouds. It's a beautiful sight, made even more stunning when Satoru is suddenly hovering above him, moonlight illuminating the tips of his snowy white hair, giving the illusion that he's wearing a halo of some kind.
He can see the sparkle in his bright blue eyes as he gazes down at him, brushing his bang away from his face and resting his hand on his head. His thumb starts tenderly stroking his forehead, something he does a lot and that makes Suguru melt every time.
"This is fun, yeah?"
He whispers, a happy, half smile on his face.
"Yeah."
Suguru confirms, affection dripping from his voice as he grabs Satoru's face and pulls him in for another kiss, breaking into a smile and making Satoru laugh softly against his mouth.
When they both shiver as a sudden gust of icy wind whips over them, Suguru offers, teeth chattering-
"Hot chocolate?"
Satoru nods before standing and helping Suguru onto his feet.
"Hot chocolate."
Their hands entwine as they retrace their steps, following their previous footprints in the snow back towards Suguru's home. And when they reach the veranda, Satoru smiles at seeing tiny paw prints left in the snow that weren't there when they first arrived earlier that evening.
Chiaki was right, he had been feeding the cats.