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“Stay there and don’t turn around!” Utahime warns Gojo as she settles herself in the toilet.
Gojo whines as he leans against the doorframe while sitting on the floor outside, "But my neck and precious hand hurt, Utahime. They are already stiff."
“I. AM. WARNING. YOU. DON’T. MOVE.”
Utahime shuffles inside the bathroom, trying her best to do what she needs to do as carefully and as quickly as she can with their hands linked together. She does not want to spend any more time here with him present. What if he suddenly decides to look into her while she is doing her business inside? She would probably kill his stupid, handsome face until it was completely gone. Of course, it is all in her head, because who the hell can touch the most powerful jujutsu sorcerer alive?
"Are you done yet?" Gojo asks, turning his head slightly towards her.
"Do not you dare move another inch, or I will bury you six feet under!" She curses at him.
“But we’re stuck, so you’ll be going with me, Utahime,” Gojo dramatically says as a matter of fact.
That’s right. Who the hell was the moron who forced them to try this gooey ball that holds two people together for a full 48 hours? Oh, that is right—this naive bastard is currently with her. Fortunately for them, the only things that were stuck were their hands—her left and his right.
Technically, his earlier antics interfered with his cursed technique, and she was somehow covered in the same infinity that he uses to shield his body. Now she is touching his hand, no, he is holding her hand, while they are both wrapped in his so-called infinity in the women's restroom.
“Don’t tempt me!” Utahime says exasperatedly as she finishes her business and fixes herself up. “This is all your fault. Get up. “
Gojo stands and stretches his body. Of course, because he is over 6 feet tall, his movement almost immediately pulls Utahime up with him, until she is standing on tiptoes. And it only fuels her rage further.
“Don’t stretch too far.”
"My body's stiff; what am I supposed to do?" He shrugs. "It is not my fault I was born handsome and tall, Utahime. You should have jumped during new years when you were a kid so you could reach my height. It is really fun being tall, you know? When you walk through crowds, you can see people's heads like bubble tea pearls moving together and bouncing with each other." He finishes his statement animatedly with corresponding hand gestures, which, once again, makes Utahime's hand do the same.
Utahime feels a migraine coming on. What am I going to do with this guy in 48 hours? I have an uneasy feeling about this.
"Why are we the only ones stuck, Gojo? Shoko and the others were not even affected by it." Utahime looks at the plate of food in front of her, thinking about trivial matters that continue to stress her out. Take their current situation as an example. And the person who started it all.
Gojo takes a bite from his own apple before responding to her. "I am not sure. Maybe because you like me? I have heard from the guy where I bought it that the ball brings two people together with the strongest affinity."
He continues to chew for a while before swallowing and turning to look in her direction. "Or binds someone to the person they love; the more you love that person, the stickier it becomes," he explained.
His sparkling blue eyes pin her on the spot. “I like you, Utahime.“
Utahime's heart skips a beat as he picks up his soda, like he didn’t just drop a bomb on her. He takes a big gulp before continuing. “But I don’t like you in that way, you know, that. So, I’m thinking maybe it's you who’s in love with me. Or maybe we really do have the greatest affinity. Hmm.”
“W-what are you talking about, I don't even like you!” She stutters and mindlessly picks a piece of her bread.
Gojo snorts and tightens his grip on her hand. “Nah, I’d still bet that you’re in love with me. “
"AM NOT!" Utahime exclaims. She is upset with him and with herself because she keeps thinking about his words.
In love with him? That brainless idiot keeps spewing nonsense.
She exhales, trying to control herself from punching the life out of him. “Is there any other way to break whatever spell this is?” She asks while motioning to their joined hands.
Gojo thinks for a minute, which gets her hopes up for a possible way out of this. After all, he was declared the strongest, so he must know how. Right?
"I think..." He pauses dramatically, and Utahime tries to conceal her excitement. "... Not." Utahime huffs, raising her other hand to flick his forehead.
“Strongest, my ass,” she mumbles under her breath.
“What was that for?” He massages the spot where her fingers had just connected. “Why are you angry?”
“I’m not angry.” She answers with a hiss.
“Right?” He leans back in his chair and rocks it lightly. “I haven’t done anything wrong at all.”
“I’m beyond furious.” Utahime snaps at him.
But the bastard only laughs.
“Well, we still have 47 hours together, so better get used to it.”
Utahime sighs. Used to it? What if I actually get used to it?
“I have a flight in an hour.” Gojo says nonchalantly as they walk towards the vending machine around the corner of their office to buy some refreshments.
“What?! Where?” She suddenly stops on her tracks which also forced him to do the same. “And why am I hearing this just now?”
“Because I haven’t told you?”
“Gojo!”
He grins at her pissed-off face and says, “Oh didn’t I tell you? I have something to do in Paris.”
“PARIS?” She nearly shouted at him. Seeing her infuriated face made him forget about the thoughts that keep running through his mind lately, even just for a while. She keeps him in check, in all honesty. How she could easily turn his sour mood into a better one will always be his little secret. He wants to own it. And not telling anybody about it would definitely make it his.
“Yeah, yeah.” He tugs at her hand as he puts the coins into the vending machine and takes out his soda. He has it opened up and starts taking a sip when she suddenly yanks at his hand a little bit too hard.
“Satoru!”
Gojo chokes on his drink and immediately wipes the mess on his chin. The flustered look on her face with her red apple cheeks and wide brown eyes makes him want to squish her, but he keeps it to himself and just clears his throat.
His mind though, took a turn of its own and is now reeling on the fact that she just called him by his first name. He didn’t think highly of it before, his name that is. He thought that it was just as common as the others. And didn’t expect that hearing the sound of her voice say his ordinary name would make it feel as if it was an extraordinary one. He silently thanked his parents for giving it to him.
“Don’t just smile at me!”
“You prefer I cry?”
If looks could kill, Gojo would definitely be dead by now.
“Don’t worry about it.” He crouches back down to get the tea from the machine and hands it over to her. “We’ll be back in two days.”
“Two days? But I haven’t prepared anything!” She takes it from his hand and opens it for a drink.
“Do you have your passport?”
“I do but --”
“Then we’re good to go.”
“Hey --”
“Actually, we need to get going.” He says after looking at his watch.
“Listen --”
“Come on. 56 minutes.” He tugs at her hand and leads her to the office. He didn’t use his teleportation this time, well, because he just doesn’t want to. He smiles to himself.
“Gojo-senseiii~~ ah and… Utahime-sensei?”
Gojo beams and raises their hands to acknowledge his student while Utahime greets him with a smile and returns to frantically packing whatever necessary things she could find in her table to bring to their trip. “Yo, Yuuji-kun.”
Yuuji frowns as he looks at their still clasped hands, “Why are you still stuck? I thought--”
“Hora, hora, Yuuji-kun. It’s regretful that we are in this situation but it cannot be undone that easily.” Gojo tells him.
Yuuji’s eyes fill with understanding, “Ah is it because tomorrow is --"
“Aha, Megumi-chan, there you are.” He interrupts Yuuji as he sees Megumi entering the office, who grunts in response.
“Great timing, I need you to find Nanamin and tell him to take care of Utahime’s class for today because we’re still stuck and we need to go somewhere in ah, about 30 minutes.” He motions to their locked hands.
He turns his gaze at the flustered Utahime who’s trying to stuff everything into her bag which is surprisingly large enough to hold a lot of things. He always thought that women only carries pouches or purses, but not her, apparently. He nods to himself in approval.
Utahime keeps on mumbling and cursing him under her breath while she finishes putting her things together. Her cheeks flush red and her hair sticks into her forehead from her desperate attempt in looking for stuff to bring, which unfortunately is not that much, as quick as she can.
“How much time do we have left?” She asks him, a little breathless from panic, maybe. She most certainly did not hear him tell the kids earlier.
“30 minutes.” He answers.
She closes her eyes and takes a deep breath then looks at the students with a warm smile.
Gojo’s chest tightens at the sight.
“Hello, Fushiguro-kun, Itadori-kun. I’m sorry for the mess but we’re on a tight schedule here.”
“Don’t worry about it, sensei, we’re just supposed to drop some files.” Yuji indicates to the folder he’s holding.
“Okay, then.” Utahime’s smile widens a bit before she turns her attention back to her open bag and stares for a moment while thinking of what else to bring.
Without knowing why, Gojo absentmindedly takes his blindfold off his eyes and stares at her disheveled face – which he finds pretty hot – as if it was designed to make him think unnecessary thoughts and to make him want to just hide her in his pocket so nobody could see her that way.
Utahime frowns at her stuff and he keeps staring at her, a smile forming on his lips.
Somebody behind them clears his throat. “Uhm, sensei?”
Unabashed at getting caught ogling Utahime, Gojo turns to his students and grins.
Yuuji is fidgeting and trying to look anywhere but at them as he handed him the files. “Here. You asked for this.”
Megumi on the other hand looks like he wants to vanish at this exact moment. His right hand scratches the back of his neck as he looks outside the window.
Gojo feels Utahime’s eyes at him probably after hearing Yuuji’s reluctant voice.
He keeps the smile on his face as he reaches for the documents from Yuuji’s outstretched hand.
“Thank you, Yuuji-kun.” He winks at him before fixing his blindfold back to cover his eyes.
“And Megumi-chan, I need you to ask Nanami for me, alright?” Megumi merely nods.
Clapping his hands together, which earned him a glare from Utahime, he speaks to them with overly eager voice. “And because of your hard works, Utahime will bring you all souvenirs when we go back from Paris! “
She snatches the folder and throws it at him.
Paris, France
“Where are you meeting Okkotsu-kun tomorrow?”
It was almost 7 pm when they arrived at the hotel where they will be staying for the night. The thought of staying in the same hotel room with Gojo terrifies her. She can barely handle him for an hour in the office, what more for a night in a closed, intimate space?
I’m in the most romantic city in the world with probably the most unromantic guy the day before my –
She sighs. Well, at least I got here without having to pay anything.
Their flight was shockingly peaceful and she slept through the whole ride, though she was mortified to wake up with her head leaning on his shoulder. But it didn’t seem to faze him in the slightest bit. Instead, he even adjusted himself to make her more comfortable, to which she did. She had whispered a quiet thanks to him for that.
It was a rare act coming from him actually. But she’ll take it. And she eventually decided that she’ll try to avoid arguing with him for once if she wanted to make it out of their situation alive. She’s kidding.
“Hmm. I don’t know yet.” He answers before flopping down on the bed which automatically drags her down with him, dropping her front on top of his hard chest. His other arm snakes around her waist, pulling her a little bit closer. Utahime's heart skips a beat when she feels him breathing her in.
“H-hey!” She immediately pushes herself up (disregarding the way his chest feels under her palm) and regains her footing.
"Better get used to it." He mumbles under his breath. Did she hear him correctly? “I’m tired, Hime. Let’s take some rest. If you want something to change, you can borrow my clothes, it’s in the luggage.” He groggily says as he takes his blindfold off with one hand and puts it on the nightstand before closing his eyes.
While she controls her racing heart, Utahime sees him massage his exhausted eyes as if they were strained from hours of computer works. Which probably feels like that, or maybe even more uncomfortable than that, she’ll never know.
He must have been tired, she thought. Well, she actually feels the same so might as well take some rest. But she needs to change first. Taking a deep breath to slow down the rapidly beating of her pulse, she moves over to open his bag and finds some clothes for her to change into. Then with a jolt, she realizes that she couldn’t possibly change her top in their current situation. She groans in frustration.
Gojo opens an eye and peeks at her through his lashes. “Everything all right?”
The sight of his unkempt hair coupled with his droopy eye peering at her makes her breath lodge in her throat. She swallows a large mass before looking down at his things with displeasure.
“I can’t change my top.”
He sniggers. “If you want some help with your top, just ask—”
She carelessly throws at him the very first thing that she touched with her hand, which turns out to be his boxers. He catches it with his free hand before holding it in front of his grinning face.
“That’s not very nice, Hime.” He holds it towards her with his outstretched hand. “But I’ll be generous so you can borrow this one.”
Her mouth gapes open at his suggestion and a million thoughts course through her mind but she didn’t utter a single one. The absurdity of what he just said left her speechless and open-mouthed.
“Don’t worry, it’s brand new. Unless you want to continue wearing that dirty trouser.”
He’s right though. It’s making her a little itchy and comfortable after wearing it for hours. Thinking about it for five seconds, she lays all the pros and cons she could gather to her head during that span and came up with the decision that she’ll take his offer. Better to change one dirty piece of clothing than nothing at all. In fact, it’s true that it’s new. A tag is still visibly hanging on the waistband and it’s just long enough to cover her parts.
Feeling too tired to think and wanting to rest quickly, she takes the material from his outstretched hand and covers herself with the sheet and carefully change inside into his boxers with one hand. Changing into it was pretty easy and she’s proud of herself upon accomplishing such a task.
Looking back at Gojo, she finds him turned onto the other side facing away from her, giving her the privacy she needs. Her heart once again warms at his simple gesture.
He can also be a gentleman at times, huh.
She moves to her side of the bed and lays on her back, their clasped hands in between them. Her heart is beating loudly in her ears and she’s sure he feels it radiate through where their fingers touch. She catches her breath as he slightly squeeze his hand over hers.
After a few moments of willing her mind to not think of unnecessary thoughts, Utahime’s eyes drop close. She tries her very best to fall asleep without thinking about who she is sharing a bed with. Feeling her mind drift away as sleep comes to her slowly, her body relaxes. The last thing she remembers before sleep takes over her is a warm hand enveloping her in a hug. She doesn’t complain.
Utahime wakes up feeling absolutely comfortable and warm. She must have slept soundly last night, she thought. When she tries to look at the time, she wonders why she’s feeling warm despite of the air conditioner on the far side of the room. She freezes when she notices that her head is laying on Gojo’s hard chest while his left-hand wraps tightly around her waist. Their clasped hands are still intertwined on their side, his fingers gripping hers without as much force as it usually has. And they were under the same blanket.
Her eyes widen as she finds her right arm splayed across his washboard abs. He must have opened his button-down shirt last night. She can feel how hard his eight-packed glory is. Yes, she had counted them just now and it astonishes her how she could do it in such a short time. Feeling curiously brave, she moves her hand to feel each muscle to see if it’s really as hard and as smooth as it looks. She had to give it to him, though. They absolutely feel as hard as rocks and as smooth as marbles under her fingers.
Damn. Happy birthday to me.
It’s the truth, though. She turns a year older today. That’s why she was very indignant and a little mad at him yesterday. But she has forgiven him now, probably.
She stopped her ministrations when she feels his stomach clenching under her touch and a low guttural groan comes from his chest.
“If you keep doing that, I’m not gonna apologize for what’s gonna happen next.” Gojo’s husky voice resonated through her ears as he snuggles his head on the crook of her neck.
Surprised at the sound of his voice and the tickling sensation on where his lips graze the racing pulse under her ear, she swiftly turns her head to face him and her breath hitches at how close they are.
The tips of their noses touch as her chocolate brown eyes lock with his sky-blue orbs. She waited for him to make fun of her, to mock her for feeling him when he was asleep.
But a few minutes have passed and he is still just watching her watch him with such intensity as a nuclear bomb. Probably farfetched but that’s how it feels as he continues to gaze at her like he is memorizing all the colors in her eyes.
She suddenly feels uncomfortable and a blush is silently creeping up her face – feelings that she should not be feeling at all. She tries to give their bodies a little space, but Gojo stops her by pulling her hand towards him at the same time as she’s pushing out of his grasp. The momentum caused her to fall hard into him even closer – which means that their noses aren’t the only part of their body touching. Utahime’s eyes widen even more as she feels his soft lips pressing against hers.
Heart beating furiously inside her chest, she tries to move away, but this time, it’s not Gojo who’s preventing her from doing so. While her mind works on how she could get out of their unwarranted situation, her body betrays her by answering his kiss with her own and closes her eyes.
An appreciative groan escapes from his chest as he pulls her even closer. She gasps at the sudden contact of his hard body under her softness. A sound she didn’t know she could make suddenly breaks free from her throat and Gojo takes that as a consent to deepen their kiss. His tongue invades her mouth as his left-hand – his free hand – strokes her spine tenderly, tracing circles in the middle of her back with his thumb, while he raises their tightly clasped hands beside their heads.
Drowning in the sensation on the kiss and touch he is giving her, Utahime moves her hand to his silvery white hair and revels at the feeling of its softness while she strokes it from the front to the back. In all honesty, she has been somewhat wanting to feel if his mop of a hair was really as silky as it looks and she was not disappointed as she ran her fingers through them, and eventually gently tugging at their roots.
Without giving her any warning, Gojo flipped them both over with their lips still sliding against each other. He was now hovering above her and his free hand is suddenly lifting the hem of her half hunched-up shirt. His hand is dangerously close to one of the most sensitive parts of her body when they were suddenly interrupted by the ringing of his phone, shattering whatever spell they were under.
They break apart and stare at the flushed face of the other while catching their breaths. Utahime’s heart feels like it’ll burst out any moment now as she continues to look at his scruffy-from-sleep-and-early-morning-make-out-yet-still-handsome face.
The phone keeps ringing as they drown in each other’s gaze. The conflict within him is reflected behind his blue eyes and Utahime can see it very clearly: whether to ignore the call and continue kissing the living daylight out of her or to answer the damn phone to stop distracting them from whatever they were getting on. The thought of him doing either of those things to her makes her body feel like its burning from the inside and out.
He brings up their clasped hands to brush the stray hair that covers her face before giving a peck to her lips. “We’re not done yet.” And she didn’t realize that his other hand is still under her shirt until he lightly squeezes the part where it is resting.
He moves away from her and reaches over to take his phone from the bedside table and answers the call. Gojo frowns as he listens to whoever is talking on the other line while glancing into her every now and then.
Utahime takes a moment to process what had happened and her eyes widen as she tries to understand what they’d done or what they were about to do. She was sure that that wasn’t a dream. She tries pinching herself to confirm that she wasn’t dreaming at all and flinches when she feels an ache at the spot she just nipped.
Gojo must have felt her sudden agitation and looks at her questioningly.
Utahime snaps at him, “You--”
But he was grinning from ear to ear and held out a finger to his lips to stop her from speaking.
Utahime suddenly wants to wipe that stupid grin off his face as her heart goes erratic inside her chest. Looking down to calm her breathing, she finds her shirt riding up her stomach, and she immediately pushes it down. His boxers on the other hand, which is a little bit loose to her slim frame, is hanging dangerously low to her hips. Fixing her clothes up as good as she can with one hand, Utahime somehow manages to do it with satisfaction.
Distracting herself, she thinks about how she was actually supposed to buy clothes as soon as they arrived, but they were too tired and jet lagged when they stepped inside the suite to the hotel, and going back outside seemed too much a hassle that they instantly agreed to just rest.
Then something clicks in her which makes her wants to scream.
No, no, no, no!
All of the events that had happened between her and Gojo fucking Satoru in the last hour finally registers in her brain. All the kisses and the touching suddenly become clear in her fuzzy mind. Will he believe her if she swore that she was half-asleep while she did that? Probably not. Because even herself wouldn’t believe such bullshit. She was aware. And she liked it. She loved it very much. Admitting the reality and her newfound feelings for him makes her burrow her messy head in the pillow and starts screaming her heart out.
After an eventful morning aka from waking up and feeling each other, to using the bathroom – not without a commotion – and changing their clothes (Utahime would really love a change of her top now more than ever), they proceed to go and meet Yuuta.
Preoccupied by the events of this morning, Utahime is exerting maximum effort to not get it into her system any more than it already does. Gojo on the other hand, seems to not be giving a shit or perhaps forgotten all about it, which makes her heart sank. She was not expecting for him to treat her differently after that but shouldn’t he be more like attentive? Not like she was hoping for another steamy make-out session, no way. Just. I don’t know. She wants him do something. Anything. Because she doesn’t want to be the only person between the two of them who should be very much affected by all of it.
She keeps glancing at him as they walk towards the middle of France. He didn’t look as if he’s having trouble thinking about it like she does and it makes her anxious. Perhaps for him it was just another make-out session. Perhaps it was just the usual morning but with a different girl. But not her. She’s had her fair share of kisses from other guys in the past but none of them made her feel like combusting on the spot like what she felt about him. She keeps on glancing at him for any sign that he’s somehow affected by their kiss but he’s not showing her anything. Either he didn’t feel anything, or he’s just a really good actor. Probably the former.
“We’re not done yet.” He had said.
She fans herself as her body reacts at the thought of doing it again with him. Or doing more.
This is the worst this is the worst. Stop thinking about it.
Hoping he hadn’t notice her strange line of thoughts, Utahime wills her mind to wander about the point zero in the middle of France. They were supposed to meet Okkotsu-kun there.
Earlier, she looked it up and she found an article about it wherein it stated, “In many countries, Kilometre Zero is a particular location from which distances are traditionally measured. Point Zero in Paris is located just outside the cathedral of Notre-Dame.” Another also said that “Point Zero marks the supposedly center of the city or country. All other locations are thought to be measured as a distance radiating from this point.”
Center. How great is it to be called the center of a city? To be called the starting point?
She also found out that the Point Zero in Paris is located just outside the very famous Cathedral of Notre-Dame. Her heart excitedly beats inside her chest at the thought of seeing it up close.
The two of them chose to walk instead of renting a car because he insisted that they should look around while they’re at it. He told her that he wanted to see Paris with her. He said it as a matter of fact without a hint of some kind of romantic feelings but it nonetheless made her insides mush and filled her stomach with unidentifiable little creatures running amok.
Along the way, he animatedly pointed out everything he sees that interests him. They even entered a pastry shop to buy croissants and macarons which Gojo enjoyed a lot. Utahime went for a black coffee and they shared the food together.
It was nice. Especially with the feel of his hand in hers. They must look like newly-weds roaming Paris during their honeymoon and the thought of it made her blush. A few women had actually already shown interest with him in every place they went into but he just shrugged them off every time somebody approaches him, and he kept tugging her closer if it happened. Maybe he’s just thankful for having her around to ward them off.
Her mood turns sour instantly.
Today of all days.
After a few more window shopping’s and sweet cravings, the two of them go over to the meeting place. As they near, Gojo suddenly points at the Cathedral of Notre-Dame.
“Utahime, let’s go visit that.”
Her mood was still as dark as her hair. “Isn’t Yuuta-kun waiting for us?” Us. The word sounds great to her ears. She sees Gojo pause before a huge smile paints on his face.
“Ah don’t worry about him. He’s probably not there yet. Come on.”
“You know you could always come back, right?”
Gojo stares up in the sky before glancing at her sideways behind his sunglasses. “You’re right. But we’re already here so might as well take the chance.”
She sighs and just goes along with him.
Gojo starts to walk and he leads her to a corner, and as they turn, there she sees the River Seine. The light of the sun ripples in its waters, making it sparkle. Utahime’s mood suddenly takes a turn as she sucks in her breath at the beauty of it. She looks around and sees couples, children, families and a whole variety of people strolling along the riverbank. There are also various entertainers dispersed on different areas surrounding it, engaging in different activities. Some were painting, some were dancing, and some were singing. It’s one of the most pleasing place she has ever been into.
Utahime stops for a moment to listen when she hears a woman with long auburn hair strumming a guitar and sings a sad song a few yards away. The sound of her voice fills the air as she and Gojo stands to watch. Utahime was mesmerized by the sheer elegance and grace she’s omitting as she continues to sing her sad song. Though she has no idea what she’s singing about, the timbre of her voice guides the song through her heart. She feels the melancholy of the song as if she was the one it was dedicated to. Absentmindedly, her right hand grips the arm that was holding her other hand.
As Utahime’s eyes focus on the woman, she could feel a heavy gaze directed at her. She looks to his left and finds Gojo watching her with intense fascination. She feels blood running up her cheeks and immediately looks away.
“Don’t look at me like that.”
“Like what?” The awe apparent in his voice.
“Like that.”
He chuckles and tugs at her hand.
“Come on.”
They walk a few more steps and then, as they turn their attention back towards the river, she sees it much closer now.
Notre-Dame.
Utahime has never been here before. It’s her first time visiting such a magnificent place and seeing it up close makes her exhale a satisfied breath. “It’s beautiful.”
Gojo hums in agreement. She turns to him to say more but notices that he was not looking at the Cathedral. His watchful gaze was locked on her face, and it doesn’t feel like he started doing it just now. Utahime doesn’t really understand where this came from but her guts are telling her that he was silently watching her for a while now. And she was probably too enthralled by what she sees to notice it.
He smiles. “Yeah, it is.”
She clears her throat and looks away, but not without her cheeks burning red and the fluttering of butterflies in her chest. "It's nothing like I’ve seen in photographs.”
Captivated by everything she sees and the feel of his eyes still locked on hers, she doesn’t know what to else say.
“It’s not.” He agrees.
Utahime looks down at the river below the bridge going to the Cathedral that they are walking into now and marvel at its sparkling deep and green color.
“Come on.” Gojo tugs at her hand lightly and gestures to Notre-Dame. “Let’s go over there before Yuta comes.”
Gojo leads her forward until they’re inside. As soon as they enter, she sucks in her breath. So many tourists gather around and all over the place as she takes a quick scan of its entirety.
Once again, Paris left her awed.
The high-vaulted ceiling, the intricate stained glass, the carvings and woodworks, they all make her breathless. Murmurs of different languages and soft music surround the place and a warm scent of burning candles fills the air.
As they stroll, they passed by an enthusiastic tour guide who’s waving his hands animatedly as he explains about the famous chimera and gargoyles.
“This is really beautiful.” Utahime looks around in fascination and her eyes couldn’t focus on a single thing. Everything is enchanting.
It’s not like Gojo to not be talking about anything and everything, so Utahime turns her head to supposedly ask him if there’s any problem but as soon as she sees his face, she was momentarily stunned at the intensity of the gaze that he’s giving her. It was the same look as before and it makes her heart pound beneath her ribs and her chest tight.
He was the first to break eye contact and clears his throat.
“Let’s go.”
They took their time wandering around the cathedral and admiring its every corner. As they roam around, they find a stairway that leads from the North Tower to the South and started climbing the stairs in silence. They follow the tight walkway until they were really high up.
Looking outside, she could see the Panthéon with its massive dome and there are a lot of people snapping pictures of the Galerie des Chimères where statues consisting of half man and half beast with beaks and wings and tails can be seen.
They take a few more steps up the stairs and stops when they realize that they've reached the end. And it dawns on her that they are standing on top of Paris right now.
For a moment, there’s silence between them. Then she hears Gojo’s voice after what feels like an eternity.
“Did you have fun?”
Utahime looks at him with bright eyes and finds him watching her with a satisfied smile on his face.
“Fun?” Utahime grins back at him. “Fun is an understatement. I was elated.”
She squeezes his hand and smiles warmly. “Thank you.”
Gojo stares at her before squeezing her hand in return.
“Shall we?” A genuine smile plays on his lips.
Utahime blinks rapidly. “Oh! Yuta!”
Gojo chuckles. “We’ll come back here, don’t worry.”
Did she hear him right? Did he mean what she thinks he meant? Or is it just her delusional mind thinking? Is he also thinking about their kiss after all? This made her heart turn into a frenzy.
Before, if somebody asks her if there would be a day when Gojo doesn’t annoy her, she would definitely say no. But today, this special day, is different. It’s a change and it’s refreshing that he’s not making fun of her or pissing her off. It fills her heart with warmth. If only they could remain like this in every passing day.
Or maybe he remembers that it’s her birthday, after all?
It’s possible. But she won’t get her hopes up, she doesn’t want to be disappointed. She’s satisfied with the way things are but if he still has more up his sleeves, then why not? Her mind has already made up with her feelings. Yes, she can definitely say now that she has this inkling little tiny bit of feelings for him. Just a little bit.
As Gojo leads her outside into the courtyard, she walks a step or two behind him, and she takes that as an opportunity to admire his backside.
There is something better than Notre Dame.
“Here.”
Utahime stops walking as he did and looks around. Where they are currently standing gives them the perfect view of the entrance of the Cathedral which she didn’t have the time to admire earlier. Looking at it again, she sees hundreds, if not thousands, of tiny figures carved into three colossal archways.
“Wow.”
“Not there.” She looks at him quizzically as he points at her feet using their locked hands. “Here.”
Utahime looks down, and she’s surprised to find herself standing in the middle of a small stone circle. In the center, directly between her feet, is a coppery-bronze octagon with a star. Words are engraved in the stone around it: POINT ZÉRO DES ROUTES DE FRANCE.
“It means the Point zero of the roads of France. In other words, it’s the point from which all other distances in France are measured.” Gojo clears his throat and nudges her chin with his left hand to face him. The sunglasses he wore earlier was still perched up in his head as he gazes at her eyes. “It’s the beginning of everything.”
Utahime sucks in her breath.
“Happy Birthday, Utahime Iori.”
And her heart was stuck in her throat.
“Thank you.” Her voice breaks because of all the emotions rushing through her system. “You knew?”
Gojo reaches out and tucks the stray hair in her ear.
“Always.”
She stares at him as he continues to watch her. Her mind tells her that this is just a coincidence, but her erratic heart is telling her he had perhaps planned this trip for her. For them.
“Gojo –“
“What? Are you going to say you’re falling for me?”
And he just has to ruin it with his mouth. Her perfect day finally comes to an end.
But instead of getting pissed, she just laughs. Mainly because she just felt like it but mostly it was to stop herself from saying how true that question was.
“Where’s Okkotsu-kun?” Utahime looks around now, trying to find the young male whom Gojo was supposed to meet.
“You told me to meet you at 9 but you turned up 2 hours late so you could impress Utahime-sensei first? Classic move you got there, Gojo-sensei.” She looks behind her to find Yuta sitting in the grass with a smile on his face.
“Utahime-sensei.” He greets her with a smile.
“Okkotsu-kun.”
“Yuta, I thought we were meeting at 11?”
“Ehh? You definitely said 9!”
“No, I didn’t.”
Yuta scratches his head. “Okay.” Then a serious expression washed over his face. “About the thing you asked.”
Utahime listens as the two of them discussed. They started talking about important things and every once in a while, she would input her opinion which they gladly took. All the time, Gojo kept her close to his side with their clasped hands hanging between them.
It was past 3pm when they have concluded their talk and Yuta excuses himself by saying that he has somewhere to go, leaving the two of them on their own again. They went on their separate ways and Gojo leads her back to their suite to get their stuff and go back home.
9 AM The Next Day
Utahime and Gojo arrived at the college an hour before the effect of the supposedly sticky ball dissipates. She has definitely forgotten all about it. It feels almost natural to have him hold her hand now.
Their time in Paris made Utahime realize her feelings for the white-haired man whom she can feel looking at her as if he wants to swallow her whole. She’s not looking back and instead does her best to look as normal as she can. Which is not happening because his mere presence makes her heart go wild. No wonder she feels burned-out this past 47 hours, like she’s been working out for days.
Of all men. Why him?
So now, the two of them are still connected by their hands while walking beside each other going straight to the faculty room. As soon as they enter, Shoko greets her with a hug while she sticks her tongue out at Gojo. They talk with the rest of them for a while before he ushers her to her table.
“You must be pretty tired.” He asks her as she settles down in her desk. He leans on the table beside her while crossing his ankles and watches her behind his blindfold.
“A little bit.” She smiles up at him. “But it’s worth it.”
He smiles back at her. He had his blindfold on now, and she itches to take them off. She wants to know what his eyes are telling her that his mouth cannot. He starts tracing circles in her hand with his thumb again.
Then she looks at the clock.
The effect of the sticky ball should wear any minute now, if her timing was right. Utahime continues to stare at the clock and follows the movement of its hand.
5, 4, 3, 2, 1.
Utahime feels Gojo loosen his grip on hers as soon as it strikes ten. She’s supposed to feel relieved at having her hand back to herself but why was she feeling a little bit empty of its loss? She realizes she doesn't want to let go of him, but she should because it's unnatural for them to still be holding hands now, isn’t it?
She’s about to break free from his grip when Gojo, who was uncharacteristically silent, suddenly yanks her with a little force and making her flush into him.
A chorus of chuckles and grunts fills the room as Gojo, oblivious to his surroundings, looks down at Utahime who is now pressed against him.
Heart pounding in her chest, she stares back. She knows he can feel how fast her heart is beating. And she actually ... Absentmindedly, she puts her other hand to his chest and... It’s synching with her own.
She looks up at those blazing blue eyes gazing down at her. “Let me go.” She says softly. But there was no conviction in it. And he hears it. He absolutely did, based on his glittering blue eyes and ear to ear smile.
He looks deep into her eyes and says, “What if I don't want to?”
Utahime’s knees goes weak by the way he’s looking at her as if he never intends to let her go. “Why would you say that?” She asks.
Gojo looks at her intently, like he’s trying to memorize her face. Her heart goes wild when he suddenly drops his forehead to hers. Wrapping his arms around her, he pulls her closer still and breathes her in.
“I’m not letting you go.” He whispers, their mouths dangerously close. She tries to push him away just to compose herself, but unfortunately, fate has its own plan. Instead of getting away from him, somebody accidentally knocks her closer to him, making their lips touch.
“Oh sorry ‘bout that.” Nanami’s deep voice rings in her ear before she hears the closing of the door.
Gojo took that as an opportunity to kiss her lips. And unlike their first kiss, this time it’s slow.
Utahime did not know how long they were kissing until they break away, feeling like they’ve run a thousand miles.
“What are you doing?” Utahime asks him in a whisper.
“Isn’t it obvious?” He breathes deeply. “I’ve told you before that I like you, and it’s true. But now I'm pretty sure that I’m in love with you, Utahime.”
She probably looks dumb as she just stares at him unblinkingly.
“So now could you please tell me that I’m also the love of your life?”
As they lay beside each other under the blanket of stars, Gojo lifts her hand and place soft kisses on its back. “I have a confession.”
Utahime only hums her response.
“The sticky ball.”
“Hmm.”
“It was, uh, it was not really true.”
She opens her eyes, the heaviness on her lids was gone all of a sudden. “What?”
“I, uh, I planned it all.”
She stands up and looms over his lying figure. The two of them decided to chill under the stars in the rooftop of her apartment with a blanket under them.
“Say it again.”
His eyes bulge out from their sockets as he tries to sit up, suddenly afraid of what she’s about to do. Knowing what he’s about to do, she steps over him, placing both feet on his sides and sits on his lap.
“I uh. That sticky ball does not really bind two people together?”
“Do it again.”
“Uhm, I used my cursed power to make it feel like we were really stuck with each other.”
“Again.”
“Uhm the Paris trip was my gift to you, but it turned out to be more for me.”
“N-next.”
“Okay okay! so I just used it as an excuse to get closer to you because I have feelings for you for quite some time now, maybe 11 years, and I don’t know how or wha---”
She stops him by kissing his mouth. He returns the same after a moment and she could feel the smile on his lips.
“You’ve really outdone it this time.” She cradles his head with her hands. “But I’m glad you did. I love you, Gojo Satoru.”
--------end---------