Chapter Text
She was ready to forget everything and run away again. To London. Her escape, her virtue.
“No. Gojo. I knew something like this would happen. This is exactly why I left in the first place,” Shoko said.
“Please, Shoko. You can’t just walk away and take her from me. Not again.” Satoru's frustration showed through his hand raking through his hair. “Just--just stop. Take a moment to think and talk to me, Shoko.”
Shoko glared at him, dragging her suitcase behind her as she walked to the driveway. She pressed a button on her keys and the trunk of the Tesla opened, into which she angrily threw her belongings. Satoru grabbed her wrist to stop her as she turned to grab Sayaka.
“What is it now? If anything, you should be grateful I’m getting out of your hair.” Shoko's voice was emotionless. “You didn’t care when I left the first time. What difference does it make now?”
“What are you trying to say?” Satoru snapped. “That I didn’t even care when you left? Did you think I wouldn’t be affected by you leaving? Did you really think I wouldn’t wonder every day what I did wrong? That I wouldn’t wonder if I’d ever see you again? Did you really think I wouldn’t care?”
He was angry, frustrated, and upset for Sayaka and Shoko. “And let me tell you something.” His voice rose. “You were wrong. The moment you left, I cared. I called and texted and got nothing! You were the last person that was keeping me rooted in this world, and you left without a word. Without a damn word, Shoko!”
“Okay, fine. Put it that way. But I don’t see how your life got any harder after I left. Including the fact that you didn’t have a kid to worry about.”
Satoru couldn’t believe her words. Distraught, he confessed, “Because you left me. It’s not about making my life harder! I just missed you! Even if you never even loved me in that way, I missed you.”
Shoko froze at his confession. Her heart ached. “What?”
“I care about you so much, Shoko. I care about your whereabouts, I care if you’re safe and healthy. I care if you’re happy. And you left without me being able to be reassured about those things. For the past five years, I’ve feared that every phone call would be to tell me that something happened to you—or worse. And all I would be able to do is sulk about it in my bed,” Satoru blurted.
“Is this what it’s really about?”
“Yes. Exactly what it's all been about.” He felt a tear well up in his eye. “I care about you, and I can’t lose you again. And more than that, I need to know you’re safe and healthy and—Damn it. I miss you, Shoko.” Satoru buried his face in his hands, rubbing the frustration out of himself.
“I’m sorry,” she said sincerely. Shoko observed his face, something she had never found herself doing before. The man was tired and anxious, like herself. “I missed you too. I just didn’t realize the extent of it now.”
“And I missed you,” he repeated, bringing her into a soft embrace. He meant it when he said she was the last person keeping him afloat after Suguru left; he was too stubborn to let her slip away again. Not when he was just getting color back into his face. “Do you know how many times I wondered if I would ever see your face again?” he whispered. “Then, when I was in London, I did. But I was too much of a bitch to do anything then.”
Shoko breathed in and out, taking comfort in his arms. Deep down, all she needed was a hug, especially from Satoru. She didn’t want to leave; it was fear speaking. So long, London.
“Are you still going to leave?”
“No,” Shoko answered hesitantly. “You’ve missed me that much, haven't you…?”
Satoru exhaled with relief. He found himself burying his face in her neck as they stood in the driveway. A whiff of her scent provided comfort. He lifted his head back up to lock eyes with her. “You have no idea.”
She could feel his chest tighten as he struggled to hold in his tears. He kept his face buried in the crook of her neck, hiding his emotions from her. Satoru was trying his best to cover his emotional state—the man who was supposed to be the strongest Jujutsu Sorcerer was crying in front of a woman he cared about. That spoke volumes.
~~~
The sun blared into Satoru’s eyes as he felt the air against his bare chest and the blanket only meeting his waistline. He woke up in a daze, head hurting from all the emotions last night. Shoko was lying beside him, exposing her back as she slept on her side.
He rolled over, caressing her waistline with his hand, simply admiring how her hair glowed in the sunlight. “Shoko…”
She rolled around, eyes groggy and the air heavy with intimacy. He kissed her lips softly. She returned it back as they went into a full morning makeout session—no surprise considering what happened last night. Makeup sex? Anyone?
Things were going back full circle. The only thing left hanging was, what were they now?