Chapter Text
It wasn’t that he didn’t heard the words Masamichi said, it was that his mind couldn’t think of a way any of it made sense.
Geto Suguru had murdered a whole village, where his last mission was, and as Masamichi said, he also murdered his parents.
He knew there should be a clear reason why any of that happened, if not, Gojo couldn’t get himself to believe it was his Suguru who did it.
They must have done something for him to react that way, it was a decision that he had asked him if he should take way back, when Riko Amanai was killed.
Geto was the clear minded of them both, he was not a threat to humanity, he did everything for them. So why?
Why was he being persecuted?
Why were his hands bloodied if he was the Geto Suguru Gojo knew?
He was in shock and his calls weren’t being answered, all went straight to voicemail after the first one died and by the second, Gojo didn’t even heard it beeping. That’s why he jumped from his bed when Shoko called him saying she was with Geto.
He teleported there and barely saw Shoko smoking as he chased after Geto, who seemed to be avoiding him.
He was angry, but he kept it down and controlled, not looking interested in fighting Gojo if it came to it.
“I’ve decided how I want to live. So now I’ll just do what I can for the sake of it.”
“Why don’t you chose me?” Gojo’s voice came out broken. His eyes were teary, and his feet were moving out of his own volition.
“It’s too late don’t you think? I’ve made my choice.”
“Please choose me.” Gojo was getting everytime closer to him, but Geto didn’t answer and just sighed before he turned to leave, when Gojo ran to cut the distance between them and he hugged him, arms holding tight on him around his shoulders, cheek against his shoulder blade.
He had never hugged Geto like this, never begged to anyone as he was given everything and he got all that he wanted. Even from their friendship, he never had to go asking for things, that’s why it felt like a burning on his chest when he was doing it now.
“Please!”
“Let me go, Satoru.”
Even with the cold words, his name sounded sweet on his lips.
“No!”
They were being watched, he knew by his Six Eyes, but he couldn’t care less, he was trying not to lose a friendship. His best friend; the love of his life.
The street was packed with people going from both sides, none understanding the dept behind Gojo’s begging.
“Choose me, please. Stay with me. I will protect you.” Gojo felt Geto’s hands trying to take his arms off the death hold he was grabbing him with but Gojo was still as a rock. “No one will hurt you! I will make sure of it!”
“You can’t. Leave it.”
Geto’s hands were almost scratching him from trying to pull his arms off him, but there was no use to it, Gojo wouldn’t let go even if Geto draw blood.
“Please.”
“No.”
His heart felt like it was going to stop beating the moment Geto left him, but when that answer hit, his arms lose their strength and his knees gave up slowly.
He was barely holding onto Geto’s pants, no real force to keep him there, but he couldn’t stop himself from crying and letting out words he didn’t even knew could be said. Head hanging low.
“I love you. Please don’t leave me.”
His eyes were covered in tears, blurred and hurting from how hard he tried closing them, as if that could close his Six Eyes that were telling him time and again that Geto was leaving, that no matter what he said, he was ready to move away. Every muscle on his body, even his eyes filled in determination couldn’t fool someone like Gojo.
He was kneeling, back going slack as a minute passed and he couldn’t get himself to do anything more than to cry and beg over and over again for Geto not to leave him.
Nothing happened until his hands left Geto’s pants, accepting that there was no way he could force him to stay, even though he wanted to do it, he wasn’t going to.
It was his decision if he wanted to leave.
No love could stop it.
“You what?”
Gojo’s eyes opened in shock when he heard him.
He knew he was still there, he felt when Geto turned around, but he thought he was going to kick him, curse him or just look at him for the last time before leaving.
“Huh?” Gojo’s eyes were blurry even after the blinked some tears off, but he could still see the confusion in Geto’s face.
“You love me?”
“I do.”
He wasn’t sure of anything else in his life.
Realizing it at that moment was unfortunate. Maybe things could have changed if only he knew that before, if he knew that he could give everything up for Geto if only he asked him to. That he could do so right there and then.
He looked up at him, eyes blurry and a paler shade of blue, devoid of life by the pain he was feeling; the desperation. “I love you.” He repeated, as if there was any need. “Please don’t leave me. Don’t-”
“You can’t protect me. They will kill me. Why?”
“Because I love you.” He said, voice small and confused.
He was clearly rejecting his feelings, but at a moment like this, all Gojo could focus on was that Geto was staying, if just to ask why he was saying any of that.
“I will protect you with my life. No one will touch you without killing me first. I will make sure of it.”
Geto stared at him, no words being said for a long time, in which Gojo’s nerves where overstimulating him together with his Six Eyes, his breathing, the burning sensation on his eyes, the hard concrete under his knees, and Geto not saying anything.
“Marry me.”
There was a second of silence in their small bubble of feelings.
“What?”
“Marry me. I will protect you, no one will dare touch what is mine.”
He shouldn’t have said that, it upset Geto, and Gojo got up like a spring when he saw Geto rolling his eyes and trying to leave. Gojo grabbed his wrist.
“I didn’t meant it like that!”
“You always get what you want right? Why not me too? Why not to get everyone around you be called yours? What is there that you don’t have?”
You.
“If we are married, they will get the message. There won’t be any misunderstanding. They won’t dare put a hand on you. Please, let me protect you. Use me.”
He was asking, begging the only person in his life that had never seen him as an object to use him, and somehow, he didn’t cared. If he needed to be used like a weapon to protect Geto, then he will do it gladly.
“I won’t.”
“Then- Then see me as a cretin, but I won’t let you go. No matter if married or not, no matter…” His voice got down. “It doesn’t matter if you want it or not. I won’t let you do this to yourself.”
I won’t let you leave.
What a hypocrite I am. He thought as he searched for anything in Geto’s eyes, for any sign that he was being convinced. He only found sadness.
And he knew Geto’s eyes used to look tired, they were like that for a long time now, but somehow Gojo was sure they looked exhausted now.
“No one will marry us.”
Gojo lost all concentration in Geto’s eyes and looked at his lips, trying to confirm he was the one who spoke and not his desperate mind.
“It doesn’t matter, I’ll… I will find a way. Please…”
Geto sighed and let his head down. “There are two girls.”
Gojo was going to die.
“Huh?”
“I rescued them from the village. I won’t leave them. I can’t. No one will look after them.”
“We will.”
If that was the catch, Gojo was going to do everything to get those girls under their care.
Nothing better to stop the higherups than the strongest sorcerer protecting his husband —or wife?— and his daughters.
“We will take them with us. I will protect you all. We… They will grow with other sorcerers.”
He knew there was no way Geto took normal humans and started all this madness for them, they had to be sorcerers for him to feel the need to protect them from the village. And it hurt him to know that.
Geto had changed.
“Where are they? We will go right now. I-”
“Masamichi will not let me in.”
“He won’t have a choice. Trust me.”
Gojo does not let go, no matter how pathetic he looked crying and begging Geto to not leave him in the middle of a busy street.
He does not regret a single word he said, but they won’t leave his head afterwards, when he needs to answer questions and the only thing he can think of is that he loves Geto Suguru and he won’t let him.
They reach a small apartment in the suburbs, which doesn’t seem that secure for two young girls, but Gojo notices that every apartment in the area is completely abandoned, at least a year ago.
Geto enters with a single hand, as Gojo won’t let go of him and he seems to have accepted it already.
He looks tired, but a smile draws itself on his hips when a girl yells for him in excitement.
“Geto-sama!”
There are two girls, twins with different haircolors.
The one with lighter hair was the one to call for Geto, and the first to stop once she sees Gojo there, holding her “Geto-sama”.
“Who’s him?” She looks alarmed, and protectively covers her sister that was right behind her, quietly going to greet Geto in the same excitement.
Geto looks over at him, smile not going down but getting a bit tense.
“This is Gojo Satoru. My best friend. These are Nanako and Mimiko.”
The girls seem hesitant as they bow at Gojo as their elder, but he can see right through Nanako’s eyes. She hates him already.
“You’ll come with us.” He says, feeling a bit lightheaded at the idea of taking care of children, specially in the case that Geto will marry him. Was he going to be a father then? At the age of eighteen?
“No.” Nanako said, clearly angered at the idea. “You won’t take Geto-sama!”
Gojo was going to answer, but became tense when he felt Geto pulling his arm to get released. His hand tightened and he looked at Geto in panic.
“I won’t leave.”
But I won’t let you go.
Geto had to stare at him for a long time before Gojo slowly released his wrist and saw Geto not pulling away to scape but to get closer to the girls and squat in front of them.
“It’s okay. He is a good friend of mine. He will take care of us.”
“We don’t need him.” Nanako complained.
“No, but he wants to help.”
He was smiling, that pretty and calm smile of his that got Nanako looking up at Gojo angry but getting convinced.
“Fine.”
“We will be safe. Trust me, Nanako.”
He got up and caressed both of their heads. “Get your things, will you?”
They did, immediately running to a bedroom some meters away from the small living room.
Gojo couldn’t take his eyes off Geto as he was just standing there, giving him his back again.
“Satoru.”
“Yes.” He was dreading for him to speak, to yell at him, punch him or whatever he wanted to do.
“If something happens. Will you take care of them?” He was speaking low enough not to be overheard, but Gojo felt as if he screamed those words.
He walked, trying to get closer in case he wanted to leave, which he didn’t.
“Nothing will happen to you.”
“If it does. Will you?”
Gojo thought of it. “I will.” Even if it burns seeing them and not you.
If Geto was killed, he didn’t know what he was capable of. He rather not think about it.
The girls took some time getting their things, even when there weren’t many things, but in that time, Geto made him a coffee, which he accepted only to have something to do with his hands.
It had been years since he felt so uncomfortable with anyone. He hadn’t since he was little, not yet understanding the extent of his powers.
“Why would you marry me after this?” Geto asked as he took a seat, coffee yet untouched but between his hands. He was not looking at him.
“Because I love you. I won’t let anyone hurt you.”
“What if I killed myself?” He looked up at him, and Gojo felt his blood run cold.
“Don’t do that please.”
“But I’m tired.” His eyes fell back to his coffee. “I’ve been for a long time.”
“Will you live for me? If… if I ask you to? I can’t think of living without you-”
Gojo stopped speaking as he heard the room’s door opening and the girls getting out with backpacks and one old suitcase that looked a lot like Geto’s.
“We took your things too, Geto-sama.” Nanako informed him.
“Thank you.”
He drank his coffee in a rush and let the cup on top of the table, not caring to let it there for eternity, he was not planning to come back anyway.
Gojo let his coffee untouched next to the sink and followed Geto as he leed the girls out and had Gojo taking his suitcase so he could hold their hands.
It was a long way, but no one was looking for them yet, which was a relief.
Jujutsu High was quiet at night, but they were easily found there by Masamichi.
He was quiet, looking between the four of them before Gojo got in front of Geto to cover him, as the girls hid behind Geto by their own.
“Geto,” Masamichi didn’t acknowledged Gojo protecting his friend from someone he had once trusted with everything. “Will you explain this?”
“I had to protect them.” He said and Gojo was tense, hand trying to touch Geto even when he was using Infinity, afraid that Masamichi might try to hurt them.
“I understand.”
Did he?
He took one step towards them and Gojo was considering harming his teacher, but he couldn’t get himself to do it before Masamichi’s hand was above his shoulder, just being held by Infinity, inches from his body.
“I won’t harm him.”
“You promise?” He felt like a child.
“I promise, Gojo.”
Masamichi had always been like a father for him, the one he never had to care for him, so he trusted him with his all, but it still hurt.
With some fear, he turned Infinity off, feeling Masamichi’s hand on his shoulder and himself reaching for Geto and getting to hold one of his hands now that he was not holding the girls.
His hand was cold but immediately welcomed Gojo’s, not like what he had acted like, he got a warm feeling off it and took a hesitant step aside to let Masamichi see Geto clearly.
“Is it true?”
“Everything.” Geto answered, his hand still on Gojo’s.
“And are you here to turn youself in?” He was truly confused.
“We will get married.” Gojo said in a rush.
If they became husbands immediately, they wouldn’t touch Geto. They wouldn’t dare in fear of angering Gojo.
Masamichi looked at him and then at Geto. “Is this a joke?”
“No.” Geto wasn’t as anxious as Gojo, but he got distracted as he felt another hand, smaller and warm trying to take his hand off of Geto’s.
He looked down and behind himself, seeing Nanako holding both of their hands, trying uselessly to take Gojo’s off or at least put her own hand between theirs.
“You won’t.” She said, angry but not screaming.
“It’s okay, Nanako.” Geto used his other hand to caress her head, messing his hair a bit. “We will be fine.”
He didn’t even know if he was going to live after this, but he trusted Gojo to fulfill his promise of taking care of them no matter what.
“No marriage.” Nanako said. “I don’t like him, Geto-sama.”
Geto giggled. “He is a bit of a mess sometimes, but I promise you can trust him. I do.” He turned his head over his shoulder. “You too, Mimiko.”
“I like his hair.” She said softy, voice way sweeter than Nanako’s, she was obviously shy.
Masamichi was silent while this happened, and he didn’t speak until they were done.
“What if we eat something and we talk about this?”
“Yes, please, the girls hadn’t eat anything yet.”
Gojo had to deal with Nanako actively trying to separate their hands as they walked, Geto holding Mimiko with his other hand, following Masamichi in the dark of night.
There was enough dinner to feed a small battalion, a bit of everything, and the girls got distracted by their hunger, even Nanako left Geto when she determined he wouldn’t spontaneously combust if she did so.
Masamichi told them to eat everything they wanted, and they sat down in different tables, Geto looking over them, closely watching them until they spoke again.
“Why marriage?”
“Because I love him and no one will touch anyone I love.”
Masamichi didn’t looked so surprised by the answer.
“Marriage is not only friends love, Gojo…”
“I love him.”
Masamichi nodded and looked over at Geto.
“May I ask you why you accepted?”
“I just want Nanako and Mimiko to be safe.”
It hurt, but at least it was the truth. Geto didn’t love him, the only reason he could accept was the girls and the life that Gojo’s protection could grant them.
He didn’t even mention himself in the whole matter.
“What will your parents say about this?” Masamichi asked Gojo after a moment.
He was confused. “They won’t care.”
“Your clan would.”
“Well, fuck them. I don’t care. No one can do anything about it.”
“The higherups will try.”
“Let them. It’s about time the old rags leave.”
Masamichi shook his head. “It’s not that simple.”
It wasn’t, but he got angry about it.
“It will be. I won’t let anyone harm Suguru.”
“He is a murderer and curse user.”
Gojo got up, slamming his hands on the table. “Do you think I don’t understand?! I will protect him, if you or anyone tries to stop me, I might as well just get it all over with!”
Are you the strongest because you are Gojo Satoru or are you Gojo Satoru because you are the strongest?
It was the first time he yelled at his teacher, but his anger was so great he couldn’t care less about it.
“You won’t,” Geto put his hand on his arm, pulling him to get back to his seat. Gojo looked at him, angry, confused and a bit hurt. “Because you will take care of them. It’s the only reason I agreed to come.”
Nanako and Mimiko.
Geto’s only reason.
It stung.
“Eat something, you need it.” And then he got up, going to go grab something to eat himself.
Gojo didn’t take his eyes off him, knowing Masamichi, Nanako and Mimiko were staring at him for yelling.
“You do love him.”
“I will kill for him.”
And it was the only way he could put it in words.
Gojo’s only reason of existing was to protect non-sorcerers from their own curses, but he would kill them all if it meant he could protect Geto.
“I know.”
He looked at him, frowning. “You don’t like it.”
“I’m worried about it. I worry about you. You will be hurt.”
“It’s impossible-”
“A forced marriage is not happy, Gojo. This is a transaction, protection for a marriage. A document that not necessarily means anything for him.”
“I don’t care.” He did, a lot, but if it was all he could get, he will hold onto it forever.
Masamichi nodded, taking another look at him before he moved his head towards Geto. “You should eat.”
He got up, leaving Masamichi to his thoughts and reaching Geto, who was grabbing a very insubstantial amount of food and a glass of water.
Gojo decided not to comment on it for now, but he suddenly became aware of how Geto had lost so much weight over the months; he was barely eating even when he had all the food in front of him.
They ate silently and Geto cut the chatting telling them the girls had to go to bed already, and Masamichi told them the twins should share a room for the night, as there weren’t many available rooms on Jujutsu High at the moment, and he told them to get some sleep themselves, as tomorrow will be chaotic.
Geto found the empty room next to the first years and told Nanako and Mimiko they will be safe, to get some sleep and he also told them how to reach his bedroom, giving the both of them a kiss on their heads before closing the door and walking to his room, being followed by Gojo, who refused to leave once they were in front of Geto’s room.
“I won’t disappear.”
“I won’t leave you.”
Gojo’s hand was holding the door Geto was trying to close, but it didn’t last long as Geto sighed and got inside.
The room was cold, all the exact same way he had left it before any of this happened. He even had a pair of socks on the floor close to his bed.
“I’m tired, Satoru.”
“Get some sleep. I will be here.”
Geto looked over his shoulder at him, his eyes as tired as they looked when Gojo first saw him and begged him to stay.
He had seen better with the girls, lighter, but now it looked as if all the weight of his actions was going to crush him.
“Get comfortable then.”
He changed his clothes, not feeling uncomfortable with Gojo staring, which he did, feeling tense instead of aroused or ashamed.
Geto was depressed, the information was suddenly so obvious he couldn’t believed he, being a Six Eyes, had not noticed until now.
He didn’t wanted to believe back then, but now he couldn’t tell his head otherwise.
Gojo saw him get in the bed and he sat down at Geto’s desk, knowing that even if he lay right next to him, he couldn’t get any sleep.
Morning came slowly over his thoughts, his eyes burned from how little he had blinked over the hours, but he felt energized enough to go through a whole day of practice, which was not going to happen, but at least his body didn’t felt as deteriorated as his mind did.
Shoko was not surprised to see Geto when she opened the door, confused looking at Gojo and then at the sleeping figure on the bed.
She was clearly looking for Gojo.
“So you did it.”
“I did.”
“And now what?” She entered the room and closed the door, still talking in a low voice not to disturb Geto.
“I will marry him. The higherups won’t touch him that way.”
Shoko gave him a long considering look and sighed. “You will get hurt.”
People seemed to love to remind him that.
“I don’t care.”
“Well then. When will this happen?”
Right this instant? In an hour? Today? Tomorrow?
“I don’t know.”
He turned around when he noticed Geto moving, if slightly and softly, he was waking up.
“Good morning, Geto.” Shoko greeted him with a smile once he opened his eyes, he smiled vagely as she walked over and sat down on his bed before letting herself lay across Geto’s legs. “So, you’re gonna be a Gojo now?”
“I’ll like to keep my last name, but yeah, I suppose I’ll be.”
“How romantic. Will you birth any children then? You will for sure be a good mama.”
Gojo was scandalized, but Geto just laughed. A real laugh he had not heard for some time.
“We will adopt. I don’t like the image of myself with a pregnancy belly. And just imagine, the child will not have Satoru’s hair or eyes either way, why bother to try?”
“Huh? Are you planning on being a cheater since now?”
Shoko busted out laughing. “They are recessive, you moron.”
White hair and blue eyes. Recessive traits that Gojo wouldn’t give his children.
How sad.
“In fact, we’ve already adopted two.”
“Oh yeah?” Shoko sat down, smiling interested.
Geto hold himself up with his elbows on the bed.
“Nanako and Mimiko.” He said proudly.
“Are they here? Can I meet them?”
“Yes. They will like you. Nanako doesn’t like Satoru, though.”
“I don’t judge her, he is a tough nut to crack.”
“I’m lovely.” Gojo tried to defend himself, feeling left out on the joking for once.
Usually they joked about Utahime and Shoko messed with Gojo in return, but now they were joking of something Gojo already felt flimsy.
Forced marriage, Masamichi had said, it felt more like a fake marriage.
Breakfast was a mess.
Chaotic and too loud.
At least no one wanted to kill Geto right away, they were just confused.
Nanami wasn’t, he stayed quiet, looking at Geto getting some sweets for the girls and sitting down next to Gojo as he took only a coffee to himself.
Too many questions like: Why? How? When did he decide that? Was it easy? Did he regret it?
“I regret my parents… but there’s nothing I can do about that now.” Geto answered when it was asked thrice.
Geto killed his own parents. The higherups made it hear like he was a coldblooded murderer, but his voice now was close to a baby about to cry, just that he didn’t and cleared his throat before he drank more of his coffee.
Then the news of the marriage came.
Not just as a plan to protect Geto, but as if there was something going to happen either way.
I didn’t want to lose him after I realized he his my whole life. Gojo answered in his head when someone asked why now and not before.
“Why not?” He said instead.
No one said anything.
No one did when someone like him challenged them.
The strongest.
And yet, the weakest.
Breakfast was followed by Geto taking the twins outside for them to be taught by Masamichi, at least some basics of sorcery that he had not already tried to teach them, and Masamichi was happy to do so as the other students also seemed not to mind the intrusion.
They sat together in the concreate terraces, watching the class far enough not to hear most of it but see the girls enjoying themselves.
“Will we have shared founds?”
“Oh, yeah, I want the Gojo’s fortune.” Geto joked, a bit more relaxed but still not fine.
“And… what about the house?”
“Wherever you want.”
“We will need a big backyard for the girls to play around.”
Geto nodded and looked over at Gojo. “You don’t have to do any of this. It’s not your obligation.”
“But I want to. I will protect you and no one will take you away from me.”
“Because you love me?”
“And because you are my best friend and I will die if I lose you.”
Geto looked back at the class. The wind was blowing gently on their faces.
“Thank you.”
“Don’t.”
He sighed. “Shared founds then. Will you buy me a nice car?”
“If you want it.” He new Geto was only trying to release some tension from the ambient, and Gojo let him change the subject. Soon, they spoke like nothing was wrong, just like they did a year ago, when nothing of this happened, when Riko Amanai still breathed.
Three weeks passed without being noticed. Gojo was getting used to seeing the girls around, making him think of the last words of Toji Fushiguro and what he will be doing in a year ahead, taking care of other two children.
If he thought it like that, the girls were a good training.
And he sucked at parenting or so Shoko said.
He was trying his best, but Nanako didn’t seemed to like him even a single bit after all that time they spent together, as Gojo refused many missions, relaying on Masamichi to tell them he was in a difficult emotional situation for his best friend being a curse user, and using that time to try and make Geto know that he was not a mess he had said he was and that he was in fact a perfect husband material.
He had it all, name, money, power, and infinite love for him. And he was doing all he could with the girls, which was mostly buying a bunch of things and arriving every day with something new for them.
Nanako was difficult to bribe, but Mimiko didn’t needed that much to love him and he got used to it. Reminding him a bit of Mei Mei and Utahime.
Geto let his hair loose most of the days and never got to use his Jujutsu High clothes again, instead wearing oversized comfortable clothes like the day this whole dynamic began. At least his baggy eyes were a bit less noticeable.
And Gojo got to see Nanako and Mimiko playing with his hair some days early in the morning while Geto read something, watched his phone or spoke to them about jujutsu.
They were very good at combing Geto’s hair, maintaining it perfectly untangled and shinny, sometimes in a pretty half bun and others in a mix of braids pulled together to a low ponytail, but he loved when they just let it loose, moving freely in the soft breeze.
One day, when Gojo got out his room, as he had became less paranoic about Geto leaving, he saw them doing the usual rutine outside, Nanako was braiding one small amount of hair at the side of his head and Mimiko was painting Geto’s nails with black and purple nail polish.
Gojo stopped cold as he saw it.
It was something completely new, and he had to admit that he liked how it looked.
“What are you doing?” Nanako asked, still holding the braid she just finished.
“I- Is that nail polish?”
“Yes!” Mimiko answered, smiling brightly. “Yesterday I asked Geto-sama if I could paint his nails and Shoko-sama got this for me! I’ve also got pink, but I liked this for him better.”
Gojo approached them and looked, she had already painted one of the hands and Geto lifted it to show him better.
He took his opportunity and hold his hand, being careful not to touch the nails as he knew from Shoko that it was rude to fuck up that work, and Mimiko had done a very good job there.
“I like it.”
Mimiko was smiling so much Gojo could have gotten distracted if it wasn’t because he held Geto’s hand.
He had soft and masculine hands, just slightly bigger than Gojo’s, who had to take his time to arrange them together to see if he remembered correctly.
Yes, some millimeters of difference, Geto’s hands were longer and bulkier, definitely could grab his throat-
“You are red.” Mimiko commented, confused.
“Ah… Yeah, well, look, my hand is small.” He cleared his throat, knowing he didn’t fooled anyone.
“It is not.” Geto put down his hand, returning it to it’s previous position and Mimiko kept on with the three nails she had to paint from his right hand.
“You say so but everyone just saw that you have bigger hands than me. Pretty and soft too.”
“Yours are pale and slim, cute.”
Cute.
He should be offended. He was not.
“Just imagine the things your hands could do.”
Geto gave him a grave look and frowned.
“You could easily lift a ton of weight and balance it on one single hand. I can’t. It tends to tilt.”
It was a lie, and Geto knew, but there were children around.
“You are all done.” Nanako informed as she left Geto’s hair and took a step behind, admiring her work.
“Thank you, Nanako.”
Nanako smiled, looking at Gojo as if she wanted to brag about doing something for Geto.
He frowned. “Aye, brat, when will you like me?”
“Never.”
“Then return the clothes I bought you yesterday.”
Geto looked over at them, watching Nanako wearing one of the new shirts Gojo had got him.
“Did you say thank you?” Geto asked, voice calm.
Nanako crossed her arms, she was pouting, Gojo smiled, waiting for the thanks to come.
“I won’t return anything, you don’t even need the money. You can’t buy me, I don’t like you, just get away from us.”
Gojo looked at Geto, mouth open speechless.
“This one here doesn’t know how to show gratefulness. I thought of everything she could like and even got her ice cream that she ate, and now this. What did I do wrong?”
Geto giggled. “You are too insistent, Satoru.”
“And you won’t marry Geto-sama. I won’t allow it.”
Now Gojo did looked angry at her. “Oh yeah? What are gonna do about it, brat?”
She was so angry her cheeks were blushing. “I will take him away from you.”
“I dare you.” And he was also getting angry for a child.
Geto got up once his nails were completely done, giving a kiss to Mimiko on her head before turning and getting close —very close— to Gojo who immediately turned off Infinity.
To Nanako’s horror, Geto held Gojo’s head with a gentle hand and pressed a kiss on his cheek, not just a peck but something more intimate Gojo couldn’t put a name to.
“Don’t fight with her or I won’t marry you.”
“Hey, lovely Nanako, do you want to go for some crepes?”
Geto smiled, hand still on Gojo’s cheek as he got rejected by Nanako and finally he gave him another kiss on the cheek.
He let go after that, not knowing that he got Gojo all confused, flustered and aroused. So much that he didn’t fight for the rest of the day with Nanako, smiling foolishly until late at night when he accompanied Geto to his room.
“Can I ask you for something?”
“Of course.” He was suddenly pulled back to his body after daydreaming endlessly.
“Could you… bring flowers to my parent’s graves?”
Geto’s eyes were tired, almost filled in tears.
“Tomorrow is my mother’s birthday… Was.” He couldn’t meet Gojo’s eyes.
“Tell me which kind of flowers.”
“She loved sunflowers.”
“I’ll get them. Will you come with me?”
“I… No. I have no right. And even if I did, it will only cause problems.”
The higherups had already put a price to his head, so Gojo wasn’t surprised for this answer, but he still felt his heart ache and he had to get closer, embracing Geto in a hug they both needed.
Geto cried a little, barely wetting Gojo’s shirt before he pushed away slowly. “I want to go back in time, and maybe…”
He stayed quiet, waiting for Geto to finish his sentence, which he didn’t.
“Good night, Satoru.” He closed the door not looking back at Gojo, who had made a plan on his head for tomorrow that included lots of sunflowers.
Geto got out later than usual, so late that when Gojo passed by to go look for him outside, he saw Nanako and Mimiko waiting for him outside the room.
“Hi. He’s there?” He could feel Geto’s cursed energy there, but he still got to ask them that.
“He is crying.” Mimiko said, she was sad, reaching for Gojo’s hand and making him look confused down at her.
“Don’t worry, I will see what is-”
“No need, I’m fine.” Geto said as he opened the door. “I was just…sensible.”
Sunflowers.
“I… Can we go for some breakfast then?”
He accepted that Mimiko took his hand and didn’t let go until they were at the cafeteria and she ran with Nanako to go cut some people on the line and laugh with them.
They had made friends, Gojo noticed.
Geto grabbed a coffee and headed straight for the same table they had been using for some weeks now.
Gojo appeared again with four plates balancing on his arms that he put all around Geto’s coffee on the table.
“There you have fruit, very sweet and fresh, toast with butter, some pastry I don’t know the name off, and your favorite dessert.”
Geto looked at the plates in front of him and then at Gojo.
“I don’t want to eat, Satoru.”
“Do it for me, Suguru.”
And he was gone, not ready to keep talking as he knew Geto will find a way to reject the food if he stayed and let the topic open.
Once he got his breakfast, which was substantially a lot more than what Geto had ever ate even when they were kids, Gojo sat down next to Geto and used his cutlery to put a small cookie con Geto’s pastry plate.
“That’s enough,” He said and pushed the plates toward Gojo. “I won’t eat, I’m nauseous.”
Gojo looked at the plates and took one cube of fruit and put it right in front of Geto’s lips. “Just the fruit?” He begged.
They hold a long eye contact challenge where Gojo won, looking from above his glasses to distract Geto with his blue eyes, as he had said before that they were too penetrating.
Gojo was allowed to put the piece of fruit on Geto’s mouth, taking his oportunity to caress his lower lip, lost in thought.
Nanako made his daydreaming come to an abrupt end as she threw herself over Geto and hugged him, pushing Gojo’s hand off him.
“Hey!”
Geto giggled. “Everything alright?”
“That guy is weird.”
“I’m Gojo-sama!”
“You are not.” She said looking at him with anger. “Don’t touch my Geto-sama.”
“Oh, but he will be my husband.” Gojo smiled and got a bit closer, looking at Nanako with a smirk. “Maybe I could even make him a baby.”
“NO!” Nanako got off Geto and pushed Gojo, but she didn’t got to make him go back, just laugh, which frustrated her a lot. “Geto-sama is not allowed to have an ugly baby!”
“The fuck I’m not ugly.” Gojo crossed his arms. “I’m charming, now go to eat, brat.”
“Leave Nanako alone, Satoru.” Geto advised, caressing her hair to try and calm her down. “I won’t have babies, I’m a man, I can’t get pregnant.”
“You promise?” She looked sad.
“Yes, you both are my only girls.”
She smiled and hugged him before going back with her sister, that was sitting with the first years, which were several years older than them but seemed to get along pretty well.
“I could certainly find ways to break that promise you just made.”
Geto looked at him and rolled his eyes. “I’m a man you idiot.”
“I can try.”
They looked at each other, this time Gojo was the first one to look away. “Well, if you would like me to, of course. This… this is nothing to force you to do anything you don’t want.”
“I trust you.” Geto said sincerely and took another piece of fruit to eat before pushing the plate again.
He didn’t eat anything else, and sat there all it took Gojo to finish everything he had got, including Geto’s food.
By the time he was finished, Gojo felt he might throw up if he moved too much.
“You are a pig.” Geto told him as they walked out the cafeteria, watching the girls play around together some meters away from them.
“I feel like one.” He was regretting eating so much.
They had a long walk around after leaving the girls with Masamichi, who told Gojo he had ignored his classes enough for a lifetime, but he just said he couldn’t learn anything else, to which Masamichi stared boringly at him and turned to Geto to tell him that he could return to classes, as long as no higherups knew he was there, they were safe. Geto said nothing to that.
In fact, he said nothing for a long time, which got Gojo a lot of time to think of how to break the silence that was so uncomfortable to him.
“I… Do you remember Fushiguro Megumi?”
Geto looked over at him, still walking as if he wasn’t at all tired for the hours of walking around without rest. “Toji’s son?”
“Y-Yeah. Well… I will take him in next year. Before he gets sold to the Zen’in clan.”
Geto nodded, looking at the trees before heading to one of them and sitting down in the shadow it provided.
“So you’ll be a parent.”
“Kind of. Most like his guardian.”
He didn’t wanted to mention Megumi’s sister, as she was in fact a non-sorcerer and he was still warry of them with Geto.
“So you will have two people under your guard? Can you even handle that?”
“I can handle at least ten, don’t worry about it. And…yeah, I will. You will be the difficult one, but I guess… we can work it out.”
Geto nodded. “When will we get married?”
He was trying not to think much of it.
It’s a transaction.
Forced marriage.
Fake marriage.
You’ll get hurt.
“Whenever you want to.”
“What about tomorrow? I want this over with. Is tiring not getting out freely. I’m bored.”
Tomorrow. “Eh, I- Yeah, alright.”
He wanted to have a nice wedding, not something rushed, but he guessed he had no real options here.
“Let’s make Masamichi and Shoko our witnesses.”
Gojo nodded, thinking of it.
“Are you regretting this already?”
“I- No. I won’t ever regret you.”
Geto seemed lost in thought for a moment, looking up at Gojo who had not sat next to him, too tense to do it.
“Let’s get this over with then. And we can go shopping together or… we could go watch a movie.”
Geto nodded, not enthusiastic about the idea.
“I will go take a nap. I’m tired.”
“Alright. I’ll be here when you wake up.”
Gojo watched him walking away and as soon as he lost view of him, he grabbed his things and got straight to the flower shop to see if he could get a nice bunch of sunflowers.
He bought two bouquets and went to the cemetery, where he walked around, watching some mourning people there at this hour before he found Geto’s parents.
There was not a single flower there, their graves were the only ones empty nearby.
“Well… I… I don’t know what to say, or if I should say something at all but… happy birthday, ma’am. And I’m sorry.”
He put one of the bouquets in front of every grave and decided to sat down in front of them.
He sighed as he took off his glasses. He had met them once, when Geto brought him over his house to play a game in his Wii, but he didn’t remember them well enough.
Gojo felt stranger in front of their graves.
“Can I ask you something?” He felt like a madman talking to the stones where their names where engraved. “Could you forgive Suguru?”
Obviously he had no answer, not a feeling of peace, he just tried to cope with the silence, his mind filled with what he imagined happened that day.
Geto couldn’t have done it with his own bare hands, could he? He surely used his curses. But he intended to kill them, which made Gojo feel just sad.
A deep and pungent sadness he didn’t expect to feel.
He regretted what he had done, but there was nothing to it now.
No matter how much Geto wished, he couldn’t bring his parents back.
Gojo stayed until his stomach growled and mumbled a goodbye to them before leaving, putting on his glasses only to hide the redness on his eyes. He didn’t had a reason to cry, but he felt like he could if he let himself.
The slow walk back to Jujutsu High felt heavy, his mind focused on the sunflowers and then back in Geto, who by now might have awaken.
Once he was back, he got to Geto’s room and knocked, no answer.
He tried once again before he opened it.
The door was locked, but nothing could really stop Gojo, and he didn’t mind breaking the lock and maybe a small piece of the door as he did so.
Suddenly his whole body felt the cold realization that something was very wrong.
Geto was not on his bed, it was in fact neatly made and his room was also clean. The posters had been pulled down and lay on a neat pile over his nightstand.
He heard water running, and he noticed soon enough that water was coming out the bathroom to the bedroom.
He didn’t process the information, not even after he opened the door, to see Geto in the bathtub, wearing clothes, nose underwater, eyes closed.
Gojo felt the smell of blood before he saw the small hint of it through the overflowing tub.
“SUGURU!”
He got to him fast, not caring if he drenched himself in water and blood, he couldn’t care about anything except that Geto’s heart still beat. Slow and barly there, but he did.
His Six Eyes told him to do something, fast, but he didn’t know what and he realized then that Geto wasn’t breathing.
He choked.
His nose was underwater.
He lay him on the wet floor and began pushing on his ribcage, damning the day he decided learning first aid was useless, and tried his best, begging him to not die.
Please don’t die.
Gojo had a small and quickly erased hope when he heard him actually choke, but he wasn’t coughing, because he passed out. There was no way he could just wake up after an unknown amount of blood had been lost.
He pulled him up and saw the water flowing down his mouth, eyes still closed, but he was now breathing.
Skin pale, not responding.
Shoko. I need Shoko.
But he couldn’t call, he didn’t even know if his phone was on his pocket or if he had lost it, nether him nor his Six Eyes could focus on anything that was not Geto.
And he ran with Geto in hands, trying not to slip with the wet floor and literally kicking Shoko’s door to the floor.
“WHAT THE FUCK IS WRONG-!” Shoko jumped from where she sat on her desk, until a second ago doing some homework while listening to music with headphones that now where hanging from her computer to the floor.
She was quick to react, and Gojo didn’t remember what he told her, but he knew that he was safe once she said Geto was going to be fine and began to tend the cuts she couldn’t heal with his reverse cursed technique, Gojo fell to his knees and began crying.
He held himself up with his hands, not minding his glasses getting wet with his tears, he just couldn’t breathe-
“Gojo-”
“No, no. NO! Suguru- He- He needs you!” He pushed her away, maybe with too much force when she tried to hug him, but he didn’t cared, she had to save him, she had to make him open his eyes, he couldn’t-
He must have been doing a lot of noise, because he heard Nanami behind him.
“What is going on?” He was way calmer than any of them, and Gojo was so fixated on his breathing he didn’t care that Nanami got to his knees to check on him.
As long as Shoko was with Geto, he could accept anything.
“Hey, everything is fine,” Nanami’s voice was soothing, his hand caressing his back up and down as he had never done before. He couldn’t even remember the last time they had even accidentally touched. “Geto will be fine. He will wake up, and he’ll need you at your best.”
By now it was obvious what Geto had done, there wouldn’t be another reason to why Gojo was like this.
He was the only one that could make him feel so powerless.
With shaking limbs, Gojo accepted Nanami’s help to get up and didn’t complained when he forced him to sit down at Shoko’s desk. His heart was beating a hundred per hour, his eyes couldn’t leave Geto’s immobile figure on the bed.
He was drenched, hair loose and wet, everything on him looked so wrong at the moment, his eyes closed, his uncharacteristically pale skin, his long limbs sprawled the way Gojo put him on the bed.
Nanami had been silent while Geto had been there after the accident, not commenting on his presence aside from greeting him and ignoring his existence, but now it made Gojo uncomfortable to think that maybe he wanted him gone.
Maybe Nanami considered Geto no more than a murderer now, and the simple thought made Gojo feel restless.
Still out of breath, he didn’t get himself to do something, specially when it seemed like there were two possibilities: Nanami hated Geto now, or Nanami couldn’t care less if Geto was a curse user that murdered a village and his own parents.
His Six Eyes were focused only on Geto, and he didn’t even realize when Shoko got abruptly up from where she sat next to Geto during the uncomfortable and very long moment it was taking Gojo to control himself.
Geto had opened his eyes.
He looked disappointed.
Gojo’s heart broke in a million pieces.
He didn’t know where the stability or strength to get up came, but he practically jumped from the chair to the floor next to the bed, kneeling painfully hard to be at eye-level with Geto.
“Please don’t, Suguru…” Gojo held his hand, covering it with his, feeling how cold it was due to the blood loss.
Geto moved his eyes tiredly to the side to look at him, but he didn’t speak, as if he couldn’t.
Shoko had to shut him up after he had asked Geto not lo leave him about a dozen of times.
“We’ll need a blood donor to get you better quickly. Or you’ll need to rest a lot and eat properly,” Gojo had not been the only one to notice his horrible eating habits. “Are you listening?”
Gojo saw Geto’s face change quickly from a confused and disappointed expression to one of great pain and then, when Gojo less expected it, he began to cry.
It was nothing like he had ever seen. Not in Geto whatsoever. He had never cried like this, never bawled and contorted his face in pure sadness.
He wanted to die.
He wanted it so badly, but Gojo hadn’t let him.
He couldn’t let him do it. Not this, not ever.
Gojo was not good at consoling people, he had never done it, and he tried, but Shoko replaced him there and asked for a little help to get Geto into a sitting position and she hugged him, even when he didn’t return the hug and only cried on her shoulder. The screams becoming less deafening and heartbreaking as time passed.
Nanami got out silently, so much that only Gojo noticed him walking away, not wanting to meddle in this, and he knew, by the steps he heard, that he was going to guard the stairs in case that someone wanted to see what was going on, which was not good when no one was at the right state to speak of it.
Gojo stayed on the floor, crying silently as he felt his chest being crushed by an elephant as he saw Geto breaking in a million pieces.
They didn’t speak of it, and Geto didn’t let Shoko do any blood transfusion, so he was weak and shaky when he walked, stubbornly not letting none of them help, back to his room, where the floor was still wet and the water was still running non stop until Shoko turned it off.
Shoko was the first one to sit down next to Geto where he let himself fall, tired and still wet.
“Do you want help changing your clothes?”
She received no answer, but Gojo went straight to look for something warm for him to wear and got her help to change him, while Geto closed his eyes, face contorted in a painful expression, not wanting to be awake for this humiliation but not having it in himself to kick them away and rot alone in his bed.
It was an understatement that they wouldn’t let him alone for a while, and Geto just accepted it.
He rejected to eat dinner and just fell asleep as Gojo and Shoko were eating what Nanami got them when he saw them gone.
“Thank you,” Shoko said as she received the food from him. “Can you check on the twins for us?”
“Of course. Call me if you need anything.”
She smiled as she saw him gone before closing the door and going to them, where Gojo didn’t get himself to crowd Geto’s bed and instead was sitting in a corner hugging his knees.
“Geto? You need to eat.”
She just received a grunt, and they took it for what it was; rejection. She left his plate on the side table.
Shoko got close to Gojo instead, sitting against the wall and giving Gojo one of the disposable plates where Nanami got them food.
Gojo didn’t spoke, his eyes were so gloom it was weird, they looked almost gray, it had been a long time since she saw that, it was unsettling.
The night was spend like that, in silence and with Shoko trying to understand what to do, both with Geto and Gojo, as they were broken and she didn’t know what to do to fix them.
Gojo stayed awake the whole night and felt when Geto woke up. He had stayed frozen in the same position the whole time, so it was easy for Gojo to tell when exactly he began to wake up.
He moved trying not to awake Shoko, that was sleeping at the bottom of his bed, legs hanging from it, she barely got one of her sides covered with Geto’s sheet and everything about her looked uncomfortable.
Geto got up slowly and covered Shoko the best he could and looked in the dim light of night Gojo’s glowing eyes in a corner.
“You look fucking scary.” He complained, his voice was dry and low not to disturb their friend.
“I’m sorry.”
He wanted to apologize for everything, but Geto didn’t let him, he turned around and walked gingerly to the bathroom, his steps sounded more due to the wet floor.
He wasn’t gone long, he just took a piss and Gojo heard him trying to get most of the water out through the drainage, but he looked tired of it once he got out, illuminated by the light of the bathroom.
Geto turned a lamp on and picked at his cold food before eating a small portion.
“I don’t know why I did it.”
“You don’t need to talk about it.”
“But I just don’t know. It felt right, I guess… But I didn’t plan it. Not before I’ve already decided it.”
Gojo didn’t wanted to be seen in that moment, he felt empty, barely filled by sadness and pain.
“Did you get the sunflowers?”
“I did.”
Geto nodded and moved the seat on his desk to sit down and got a look at the scars on his arms with the light of the lamp.
“I should have cut deeper.”
“Don’t say that.” Gojo’s heart was on his throat already.
“I just want to say… Maybe it would be over then.”
Over for you.
Gojo closed his eyes and let his head fall to his arms, he was tired, he didn’t wanted to deal with that information, it was enough to have so much of it due to his Six Eyes he couldn’t handle it at times like this, it was too much knowing what Geto had on his head at such a moment.
“Satoru…”
His neck cracked when he looked up suddenly.
“Just go to sleep. I’m fine.”
No, you are not.
“Satoru, please, just sleep.”
He begged, and Gojo felt so afraid of doing what he was being asked. What if he finished what he tried to do? No, he won’t.
“Sleep with me then.”
Geto looked at him, eyes tired. “Alright, come to bed then.”
He moved as little as he could not to wake up Shoko, but Gojo did just so he could get comfortable with the both of them and also get a part of the sheets on them. Shoko stayed at the bottom of the bed but finally put her legs up so they wouldn’t be hanging from the bed, while Gojo hugged Geto and put his head on top of his chest, no questions asked, he just needed to hear his heart to be able to sleep.
Geto didn’t complained at all. It wasn’t the first time he did this when they slept together, but he for sure never felt so miserable before. His plan had ended badly and he was still alive, still in pain and apparently still bothering people’s lives.
The next morning was lazy and tense, Geto stayed asleep for a whole hour more than the other two, but none left the room until he was ready to get out, using a long-sleeve shirt and baggy pants. He looking like nothing was wrong, but everything was. He felt a whole on his chest, no emotion, just breathing and the beating of his heart.
“Let’s go eat something,” Shoko said, putting her hand on Geto’s shoulder to guide him outside, as if he needed support but wouldn’t ask for it.
Maybe yesterday, maybe the day before, but he was definitely not in need for compassion today.
He got to the cafeteria and didn’t fight it when they got him food to eat, this time less than what Gojo had tried to force down on him, but he was definitely trying hard not to get a lot of food for him, to fill him with love, care and warm food to feel better.
Shoko gave him warning looks the whole time, while she talked to Geto slowly at first but then with all the confidence on the world, avoiding completely the topic of last night’s incident.
The girls appeared about half an hour later, already wearing Jujutsu High clothes as they had requested them not to feel out of place and they had been granted as Masamichi had no problem with it.
“Geto-sama!” Nanako was excited when she saw him and threw herself over Geto to hug him.
He acted like always, if only taking more time to hug her tightly and letting the both of them to hug him at the same time, almost disappearing him from Gojo’s point of view, which made him a bit anxious.
Gojo saw Geto’s hands holding tightly to Nanako and Mimiko’s backs, as if it was the only thing he couldn’t let go. As if they were the only ones he could repent from leaving behind.
It hurt, but he decided to let it go, as no one was explicitly saying him that and only was part of his mind messing with the information his Six Eyes provided, mixing it with fear and anxiousness.
He felt like any time now, the feeling of doom would take over him and everything will stop making sense anymore.
The next day was more of the same, but Geto didn’t said a word, not even to Nanako or Mimiko when they went to his room, as he had not left at all for the whole day and only let Gojo in through the still broken door.
“Are you sick, Geto-sama?” Mimiko asked softly, truly worried as she got close to Geto, who was sitting on the bed against the wall.
The sheets had been changed twice since that night, as Gojo discovered to his great horror that Geto scatched his forearms until they bleed as he was trying to fall asleep, the bathroom was no longer flooded but the door remained as Gojo had left it. No one was offering to change it, not even Masamichi when he cornered Gojo and forced him to answer.
Masamichi had to hold Gojo for half an hour as he was crying and lost all will-power to even stand, ending on the floor with Masamichi shielding him from the world late in the evening, when Shoko was looking over Geto for him.
“I’m feeling a little off, but everything will be fine.” Geto answered, voice raspy as he hadn’t used it for hours.
Gojo envied the girls for being the ones Geto spoke to even when he didn’t wanted to even look at anyone else.
“Why is he here?” Nanako asked, angry at the sight of him.
“I’m looking over him. If he gets sick, he needs someone to take care of him.” Gojo answered, still sitting on the desk, letting Geto have his space, even when he wouldn’t give him the privacy he said time and again he needed.
“We can do that. You go now.”
“Nanako… Behave, please.”
“But he is with you all-day long, just kick him out!”
“Nanako.” Geto said, more serious.
Nanako looked down to her feet, pouting in anger.
Mimiko climbed up the bed and sat next to Geto without a word, resting her head against his arm and closing her eyes, fully trusting him.
Gojo saw Geto’s expression subtle change and how he was biting his cheek, eyes closing as they began to fill with tears he didn’t let fall.
Nanako fought verbally with Gojo a bit more, even showing him her tongue, but Gojo ignored her, having eyes only for Geto, which infuriated her even more that she tried to kick him but was stopped by Infinity, which got her stop in outer shock.
“What is that? What are you?”
Geto opened his eyes and Gojo suddenly realized Nanako had spoken to him and turned his head to look at her.
“What?”
“What are you?” She asked, trying again to kick him, being unsuccessful and then she tried touching his knee, hand stopping an inch away.
“That’s Infinity.” Gojo said, watching how Nanako was trying to touch his knee, every time she applied more force, it was more difficult to approach him. “You can’t touch me when Infinity is on.”
“But what is that?”
“A jujutsu technique.” Geto answered.
“Can I do that?” She asked, suddenly stopping trying to touch Gojo, she was now talking to Geto.
“It’s a technique you are born with. Only Satoru can do that.”
“Why him?”
Geto giggled, tired. “He was born in a powerful clan, where many others had the technique hundreads of years before him. He was born gifted.”
“But he is an idiot.”
“Nanako, don’t say that, he is-”
“Going to be your father,” Gojo interrupted. “I’m going to take care of you all and protect you, at least don’t insult me right in my face.”
“You are not going to be my father!”
“You can be mine,” Mimiko said softly, opening her eyes as she still lay on Geto’s arm. “Only if Geto-sama is my father too.”
Geto smiled warmly. He caressed her head with his free hand and then looked at Nanako again. “Come here, Nanako.”
She obeyed, angry but still listening to Geto.
“Satoru is doing us a great favor, you know? Marriage is a difficult matter, yet he still wants to do it, even when he knows it will make many hate him.”
“He is easy to hate.” She said between her teeth.
“But you don’t want to kill him, do you?” She looked confused. “They will want to. Just because he is protecting me.”
“Why would someone want to kill him?” Mimiko asked, moving away from Geto’s arm to see his face.
“I did bad things. I killed people.”
“But you protected us!” Nanako was crossing her arms, standing close to Geto, trying to cover Gojo from his view.
“Killing is not an easy matter. I killed people, not curses. The higherups, the ones in charge in the jujutsu world, wants me dead, but Gojo is protecting me. That’s why we will marry. And that’s also why you should try to stand him. I know he can be a pain, but he is trying.”
Nanako had nothing to say at that, but Geto got a bit closer and pulled her into a hug. “Everything will be fine. And look at the bright side, he will spoil you will all his money.”
“I don’t care about money.” She said.
Gojo looked at the shoes she was wearing, which he had bought, and also the earings she seemed to love so much, they were also Gojo’s gifts, but he said nothing.
“I know, Nanako.” Geto moved a bit and also welcomed Mimiko, being half-buried by them in a tight hug.
They stayed in the room until late at night, when Mimiko was starting to feel sleepy and Nanko refused to go until Geto told her tomorrow they could go to play in the evening and even watch some movies before bed, so she went out, not without looking at Gojo with pure hatred.
“They are lovely.” Gojo said, just to say something.
“They are.” Geto let himself fall to the side on his bed, tired from pretending he was okay. “You should get some rest. When was the last time you turned Infinity off?”
“We are not doing that again.”
Riko Amanai. It was everything his mind told him. How Toji had taken advantage of that moment of relaxation to almost kill them both and successfully taking Amanai’s life.
He will never make that mistake again.
And Geto knew.
“Come here and sleep. I’ll be here when you wake up.” His voice was slow, falling in the arms of sleep before Gojo got to lay comfortably with him, listening to his heart for the whole night, in which he didn’t sleep more than a moment.
Morning came slowly, just as it did in the days after Gojo almost lost Geto. It always felt like an eternity when Geto was in danger, but this time, morning brought a peaceful feeling, as Geto looked better and even took a shower, in which Gojo stayed right behind the shower courtain, not receiving a word for it.
Geto eat some breakfast and not only his morning coffee, and at evening, when the girls were free, he even played a little with them, easily convincing Gojo to play basketball with them, even when Nanako took that personal and spend the whole game trying and failing to make Gojo eat dust.
He enjoyed himself that day, and stayed with Geto through the whole movie, even when he was fighting sleep since the beginning of it.
“Now you go to bed.” Geto told the girls. This time they didn’t fight it, and they leaved the girl’s room to walk to Geto’s.
In the way they found Shoko, smoking right outside her room.
“Masamichi-sensei wants to talk with you too. He said it was urgent.”
Gojo wanted to throw himself in a trashcan.
They went to look for Masamichi, and they found him in his office, where Gojo also saw Yoshinobu Gakuganji there, which made Gojo stop cold and shield Geto from him, scared and with adrenaline washing away all the sleepiness from him.
“Gojo Satoru, Geto Suguru, I can’t say I’m please to see you.” The elder got up from his seat in front of Masamichi, who looked tense but not really worried.
“What are you doing here?”
Masamichi made a sound, warning Gojo to keep his anger, but Yoshinobu didn’t cared.
“Professor Masamichi told me about the engagement. He also told me you knew what you were getting into.”
“No one will put a hand on Suguru.”
“That’s an understatement. But he is a murderer, and he has a death penalty, which you know about.”
Gojo was furious. Why would this old rag come here so late at night to bother with stupid things? He knew Gojo will kill him if it meant Geto will be safe, but he seemed like he was daring Gojo to do it.
“I am merely asking you to use your head, Gojo Satoru.”
“How dare you speak to me like that?! I’m the head of the Gojo Clan, you are but an old rag who gives himself too much power.”
Masamichi rested his head on his palm, visibly exhausted.
Yoshinobu didn’t looked offended, he was used to hear Gojo talking shit to him. “When will the wedding be held? Us the higherups will love to attend the ceremony. I guess you’ll hold a dign wedding, as the head of the Gojo Clan.” He said with sarcasm.
“You are not invited.”
“Gojo…” Masamichi looked at him again, eyes begging him to calm down.
“No higherup is invited to our wedding, you can get lost and accept the fact that we are married. I’ll make sure to send you a copy of our certificate to make you remember every day that if you dare touch him, I’ll kill you myself one by one.”
“There are rules for us to accept what you are trying to do.”
“Hah! You want me to follow your rules?!” He took a step ahead, eyes burning in rage.
“And you will follow them. As a rightful and stemmed member of the jujutsu world.” Yoshinobu said, sure of himself, not intimidated, even when he should. “Geto Suguru is strictly forbidden from going out from Jujutsu High from now on, as it has become clear you took this school as your base to break rules. If-”
“Don’t you dare-”
“…If he steps out Jujutsu High, he will be taken accountable and face the consequences of his own actions, no matter the relationship he has with you. He will be murdered on sight.”
Gojo walked to him, until he was so close Yoshinobu felt the force of Infinity in his face. “You do that and the whole world will suffer. Do you hear me? No one will stay on their feet after I’m done.”
“I am not asking, Gojo Satoru. A death penalty can’t and won’t be ignored. We understand your feelings, but you will follow our rules, as we are being merciful. He is now a prisoner in Jujutsu High. But if he steps out, he will pay his debt. That’s all I had to say.”
He avoided Geto in his way out, giving him the necessary distance not to be killed by Gojo in case he thought he was going to try to break his word.
Yoshinobu was out of sight when Gojo looked at Masamichi.
“I tried my best. That’s what I could do to convince them to let him live.”
“That’s not a life, they-”
“It’s okay, Satoru.” Geto interrupted, speaking for the first time since they got there.
“It’s not!”
“Listen to him.” Masamichi said, getting up from his seat and sighing as he walked around his desk.
“I will stay, it’s okay. I can be here, it doesn’t matter.”
Gojo looked at him helpless.
“You will need to rush the wedding,” Masamichi spoke, standing next to Gojo, who didn’t look at him at all. “The higherups won’t have patience, if you don’t marry by the end of this month, they can try and get Geto away.”
“I won’t let them.”
“We can prevent it if the wedding happens soon.”
“When can we do it? If I can’t get out without them killing me on sight, how can we get all the people necessary to get us married?”
“I’ll take care of it, but decide when the wedding will be. Knowing the higherups, they will expect a ceremony, not just a document. You’ll have to invite people from your clan, Gojo.”
“Whatever.”
“No, I’m being serious. I’ll call the Zenin and Kamo Clan. We’ll need all the important people to know and see your marriage, specially if you don’t want any higherup there to see it.”
Gojo just nodded, but he had stopped listening when he thought of calling his parents.
Oh, hi. Guess what? I’m going to marry a mass murderer to save his life. I’m inviting you, you have no reason not to come, even when I know you don’t give two shits about my life.
Amazing, he was going to speak to his parents after years of not sharing more than stiff greetings.
He was the strongest, that came with a price, at least that’s what his whole clan told him. His price? Not being loved, just used.
When they were back in Geto’s room, Gojo avoided his eyes and told easy excuses to not sleep with him, just so he could get out in the middle of the night, when Geto was completely asleep to make a call he hoped no one will answer.
They did.
It was his mother’s voice.
“Satoru, good night. Something happened?”
She sounded sleepy, not really interested. She answered just because he was the head of the clan, not because he was her son.
“Mother, I’m going to marry. Make the clan come to Jujutsu High for this Saturday at 10:00 AM for the wedding. I expect you can do that.”
“M-Marry? Marry who?”
“Doesn’t matter. I’m marrying him on Saturday. Be here for it.”
“Him?”
Gojo hung-up.
He stayed outside in the cold night for a long time, but he didn’t noticed until he felt the presence of Geto, who opened the door and looked at him, tired, hair a mess, and looking so cute Gojo couldn’t help but smile to himself.
“Why aren’t you sleeping?” He asked, as if nothing was wrong, just the fact that Gojo wasn’t in bed.
“Oh, I called my mother. Is Saturday at 10 AM a good hour for the wedding?”
“Sure… What do you want to do?” He asked, resting against the doorframe, not touching the broken piece of the door that still held into the frame where it had been locked.
“Just a simple wedding, right? There will already be a crowd to watch us. Do you want a big party or-?”
“Yoshinobu said there should be a proper ceremony. Something traditional I guess.”
“Yeah… My clan always goes for traditional weddings,” He sighed and rested his arms on the railing again, watching the darkness that engulfed most of Jujutsu High at night. “They might be expecting us to follow that, with traditional clothing and all. Is that what you want?”
“I don’t mind dressing nice for my wedding. I think I would have dreamed of it if I had time.” He answered, walking toward him to his side, as stiff as he could ever be.
“I will wear white, is that okay?”
Geto side-smiled. “You’ll be my bride?”
“Whatever you want me to be, I’ll be that.” He answered, so soft he thought Geto hadn’t heard him for the long silence, but he soon broke it, making him understand that he did.
“Why, Satoru? Why now?”
He straightened and turned to face him, even when Geto wasn’t looking at him but at the dark floor meters down.
“It always was like this. I’ve always loved you, and you know that. At least… you did.” He felt even sadder than the moment he had to make that call that stung him like a mad beehive.
“Why didn’t you tell me before?”
He was helpless and out of words.
I didn’t know?
“Life’s felt… empty after Riko Amanai died. I was lost. But where were you then?” He looked at him from the corner of his eye, tired but not angry.
“I’ve always been here for you. You just had to reach for me. I would- I will burn the whole world if it made you feel better.” His voice was shaky, scared to say something he shouldn’t in case it broke Geto even further.
“I felt alone.” Geto kept saying, eyes back ahead. “You were busy, I don’t blame you, or Shoko. But I hoped you could stay with me longer and realize that I was losing myself.” He looked at his hands and then made them fist, turning his knuckles white. “And when I saw those… monkeys harming the girls… I just wanted them gone, and I killed them one by one. I saw them gone and let my curses feast on them. Then… I decided that no monkey should live. And I ended my parent’s lives when al they knew was that their son had returned home.”
“Suguru…”
“My mom hugged me and cried in delight when she saw me. And yet I had no second thought in killing her. She screamed a lot, she didn’t died fast like my father, she suffered a lot, and I watched it all. I did nothing to stop. And I left the house after that.” He turned his head to look at him. “Why would you love me?”
“Because I know you.”
“You don’t. I’ve changed. I’m a monster.”
“You are not,” He moved, not thinking. He held Geto’s face and slowly made him turn around to be facing him completely. He wished he had taken his glasses off before any of this, so he could see the truth his words carried, but there was no way he could let go of him now. “You are hurt, you were hurt in ways no one should. I know you. I dare to say I know you more than yourself. If I could go back in time, I will kill them all, because I know they hurt you. I would have made ghe whole world regret everything they’ve done. Just because you are my Suguru.”
“Yours?” He asked, eyes darkening in anger.
“My best friend, the only one I’ll want at my side forever. The love of my life. And if you let me; my husband.”
“You are masochistic.”
“And what if I am?” He laughed, no amusement in it. “No one will dare take you away from me. I’ll be dead if they ever lay a hand on you again.”
Geto slowly hanged his head low, and Gojo pulled him to his shoulder, where he left himself be held, soon crying on Gojo’s shoulder and holding his clothes to keep him close, not sure that Gojo would never let go.