Chapter Text
What does Junpei know about love?
How does it look?
The dim light coming through the window highlighted Mahito's paleness. It accentuated the scars that seemed to compose the body in parts that were perfect as a whole.
Junpei still hated his own scars but at that moment they were not important.
What does love look like?
Love that was not rejected.
He had no idea.
If Mahito kissed him and he reciprocated. Was it love?
But..
Why worry about love if he was willing to die anyway? Why worry about the consequences of what they did?
For the first time in his life, Junpei was overflowing with a strange mix of fear and joy. The immense joy of feeling loved. Even if it was a lie.
Nanami's words are heard in his mind the moment Mahito enters him.
He is not your friend.
I know. I know...
The pain. As it cannot be otherwise, pain also accompanies him at this time in his life. There is no life without pain for him. He had already accepted that, so he goes on anyway. Although the tears welled up in his eyes, although the inexperience of both hurts him.
Curses never mean well, reproaches him again the echo of Nanami's voice in his mind.
Mahito moves within himself and Junpei follows him as he has followed him that evening in that dark alley. He does not question anything.
What do you know about love, Nanami ? What does your lonely department know about the happiness of having someone who loves you? Someone who welcomes you and understands you despite your failures?
Even if it's just for a moment ...
Although it is not true ..
Junpei clings tightly to the curse's back.
Go on
Go on
Don't stop. Continue. Lie to Me. Let's play that I am necessary for you until my end comes...
When he wakes up a strange peace invades him. It was his first time. He knows he should be feeling and thinking too many things at that moment but he does not. It is still early morning, it is as if time has stopped.
Mahito is also awake. Do curses sleep? Junpei moves away from his chest. Taking advantage of the momentary serenity that invades him, he whispers:
“You don't have to keep doing this. You don't need to pretend you have feelings for me. I will keep my promise. "
Mahito does not respond. His indecipherable expression, his gaze directed to the ceiling of the room. So much time passes that Junpei settles on his side of the bed, believing that he is not going to answer him at all. Eventually, the movement of the other catches his attention. Mahito sits up slightly, observing him with an intensity that makes him uncomfortable. So it is for several seconds until ...
Gags.
The curse begins to gag and the boy thinks he's going to vomit all over him when the other pulls out of his mouth a little "experiment" covered in saliva. Junpei is fighting his own nausea when the other says with a huge smile.
"A souvenir to remember this moment"
*
It is not yet night but suddenly the school is enveloped in a strange gloom. This will get the sorcerer's attention, Mahito explains. Junpei walks through the corridors of the desolate institution. The students have fallen asleep due to the influence of the curse.
Interestingly, he does not feel any kind of fear. Even though Mahito has told him that he is sure that his "experiments" suffer when their souls are modified, he is not uneasy at the prospect of being transformed.
It's kind of funny.
It is the first time in his life that he is feeling something similar to power running through his body. School had always been a place that generated strong emotions: Fear, anger, guilt, anguish. What bully would he meet around the corner, what humiliation would he have to face this time?
However...
However that day things had changed. Thanks to Mahito, he had managed to turn his circumstances around. Today, it was they who feared and it was he, who walked safely and freely through those corridors.
*
The plan was simple, but judging from the young sorcerer nature, very effective. When Mahito transformed him in front of Itadori, he will seek a way to save him. He was that kind of boy. That was the means to get Sukuna out of his body.
The sound of glass breaking catches his attention. As Mahito had predicted, Juuji Itadori enters the establishment trying to save the students. A pang of guilt assails him when their gazes meet. The idea of playing with the boy's goodwill saddens him but he can't do anything about it. He's already decided.
In an unconscious gesture, Junpei clutches the strap of his backpack. He was glad to have been able to bring it. His happy memories would accompany him that last day.
He takes a step forward in the direction of Itadori. At any moment..
An electricity runs through his body when he feels Mahito's hand place heavily on his shoulder. That same hand that had caressed him hours ago would now kill him in the most painful of ways.
Junpei closes his eyes.
What did he know about love?
Frankly..
Frankly, he could have disappeared the day Mahito confessed that he wanted his life. I want you to die for me. Junpei could have gotten on the subway that would take him away ... from the curses, from the bullies, from his depression.
Why had he chosen to stay?
Only being on the right side of the tracks had saved him.
Ironically, the reason for staying was directly related to his reason for leaving. Meeting Shota Ito that morning had made him rethink everything. If his fate depended on something as hazardous as "being on the right side of the tracks" if his life would sooner or later end either at the hands of the bullies or some other way ..
Why not choose?
He had not been able to prevent his father from leaving, or his mother from slowly poisoning herself with cigarettes, or Yamamoto from despising him, or being hated and humiliated by his classmates. He hadn't been able to do anything with all that but there was something he could do ...
He could give what he wanted to one of the few people in the world who had understood and treated him well.
Junpei feels the coldness of the curse's fingers through his clothes. The increasing pressure of his hand on his shoulder. That was all..
...
...
...
Pain.
Pain explodes in his shoulder, branching up his arm and his entire body. It hits him and stuns him in equal parts until he is able to regain consciousness.
Consciousness ?
He shouldn't be able to. He shouldn't be able to be lucid at those times. The experiments, the transformation of the soul. Mahito had explained, told him what it was like. Then why?
Why is the pain on only one side of his body? Why is it more tolerable than the pain he has felt so far? How is it possible that the cigarette burns in his body hurt more than the transformation of his soul?
Maybe...
Mahito and Juuji fight. The sorcerer seeks to dodge the curse's attacks in a rapid frenzy similar to the one he witnessed with Nanami.
An angel?
No.
Mahito transforms his arms and flies supported by two huge white wings. So Junpei understands ..
The pain he had felt was due to his body hitting the floor of the hall. Mahito had not transformed him but had thrown him aside to focus on Juuji. Junpei jumps to his feet. The sorcerer and Mahito now fight in the schoolyard.
Why?
They had a deal. Why had he done that?
From his place he can see Nanami joining the fight. He does not know how much time passes but he cannot stop observing them. Mahito attacks and defends himself by varying his form over and over again. His power is impressive but soon the sorcerers catch up. They are two. Two against one ..
Mahito stops transforming.
The blows he receives from both sorcerers make it impossible for him to defend himself. A cold sensation sinks to Junpei's stomach as he realizes with horror the parallelism between Mahito's fight and his own experience with the bullies.
He barely manages to set foot in the schoolyard when he is hit by a powerful expansive wave. The last thing he sees are hands emerging from a huge dark mass.
*
"Boy?"
"Boy?"
Someone holds him by the shoulder shaking him slightly. Junpei groans. It is the pain that wakes him up before the words. It is evident that he has injured his shoulder when Mahito threw him to the ground.
Mahito!
Junpei opens his eyes startled. Nanami's wounded face is the first thing he sees.
"Are you okay? What are you doing here?"
Junpei looks around. The destruction around them makes it hard to believe that they are still in school. There are no signs of the curse anywhere.
"He has escaped." Nanami says guessing his thoughts. A grim expression on his features. "You will come with us until we can secure .."
A cough interrupts the sorcerer. Behind him, Juuji holds his face trying to prevent the blood from pouring out of his mouth. It is clear that the effort of the fight has taken its toll on his body.
"Itadori!"
Nanami runs towards him, putting an arm around his back to prevent him from falling. It has been an intense fight. The boy leans heavily against his body threatening to lose consciousness at any moment. They had to find help soon. Nanami prepares to leave when he suddenly realizes that they are alone. Taking advantage of the situation, Junpei has escaped. He curses under his breath but can't do anything else. His student is now his priority.
*
Junpei runs as fast as his body allows, still sore from the blow. His breath is short at times but he cannot stop. Now that the sorcerers knew of his association with Mahito they would go in search of him. He had to find Mahito as quickly as possible.
Junpei stops to catch his breath holding on to a lamp post. Some people turn to see him at his strange behavior but no one stops to ask him anything. His heart is beating fast. What should I do? I had to find Mahito but how ... Where?
He looks around. He is a few meters from a subway entrance.
The drain! Perhaps the curse had chosen that place to recover. With determined steps, he descends the stairs that lead to the underground. That was the shortest way back to the drains.
As he waits at the station, thinks about what has happened. He was so prepared to die that staying alive seemed too strange to him. He hadn't thought of a tomorrow after that day. Why? Why had Mahito decided to leave him alive? What was the point? Had the plan changed or ... Could curses feel something for ...?
He sighs holding his chest. He wouldn't know until he contacted him again. The light of the subway little by little is seen in the tunnel. A movement catches his attention to his left. His blood freezes when he notices who it is. Junpei looks around for an escape route but there is only one entrance. He can only pray they don't see him.
"Hey, but this is our good friend Junpei!"
Shota Ito and his group of bullies approach him laughtering. Why are they here? They should be at school. They should be asleep.
Ah, Shota Ito and his friends used to miss classes a lot. They hadn't even found out what had happened there yet. Unlike him, they had lucky .
"Aren't you going to say hello ?!" The mocking face is too close to his face, his partner's heavy breath brushing his cheek. "You should be at school" Says another voice near him. The rattle of the subway is heard closer and closer.
Junpei looks around, he is surrounded. He feels unable to deal with them after everything that has happened that day. He just wants to find Mahito and escape with him somewhere.
"Let me carry your backpack! That's what good friends do!" Shota seeks to remove the backpack with a strong jerk and that is what finally makes him react.
No.
"Ah?" The mocking look, the contemptible gesture.
"No!" Junpei repeats loud and clear with a voice that he discovered the day before with Mahito. He was no longer going to allow it. I would fight. That was what he had learned. That backpack kept his dearest memories "his souvenirs". He wouldn't let it be taken from him. He wouldn't have anything else taken from him.
They struggle. Shota is much stronger than him but Junpei puts up resistance. He clings to the other strap of the backpack as if his life depends on it. Shota's friends laugh and tease him. He does not listen to them. His mind focused on recovering his memories, his life. They are like this for seconds, but to Junpei it seems like hours until finally a crack is heard above the laughter. The strap that Shota clutches ends up tearing at a force Junpei didn't know he possessed.
Finally!
Its mine!
His backpack, his life ..!
It's a second ..
One second of victory.
Junpei stumbles unbalanced. He tangles with his feet, and falls backward still clutching his backpack.
The fact that the subway just arrives at the station at that moment is a matter of luck. A matter of being on the wrong side of the tracks.
End