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If he had known there would have been multiple curses, Toge wouldn’t have gone on the job. There were too many and they were strong. He had never been the type to take jobs for many curses at once. His throat would never last that long—at least against curses that were his grade or higher. He could stand a few low level curses, ‘blast off’ , send them to hell and whatnot. This was a little out of reach for him. He knew it. The people who assigned him the job knew it.
But they must have given Toge the wrong information about his current job.
One simple mistake by the elders and Toge was going to lose his life. The world of Jujutsu was sick and cruel.
He exercised a few curses successfully. A couple were easy. His throat burned but as a semi-grade one he was strong enough to at least do some damage. A little part of him began to think he might be able to pull it off. Maybe he got stronger, though the gap between semi-grade one and grade one was larger than what people would expect.
He’d never get there at this point, not with this definitely being his final job and all. That was unless someone saved him. Though Satoru was off doing whatever Satoru loved doing, Panda and Maki most likely didn’t know that Toge was on a job, and anyone else that knew what Toge was doing was under the impression that the job was a simple semi-grade one curse which Toge can easily take out.
But the elders messed up and this was it.
Toge didn’t have anything left in the bottle of medicine that he carried. He used it all. If he had an unlimited supply, maybe he could. Maybe. Possibly. Toge didn’t know. Not much was even known about his technique and not much would ever be known.
‘Cause this is where I die. After seventeen years, this is where I die.’ Toge thought and mentally sighed.
His throat was so sore at that point he could hardly feel it. It wasn’t getting better. If anything, it would only get worse. He could get a few more hits in and injure the curse a bit more for the next sorcerer that would come along and take care of it.
The curse was getting closer, passing a few other spots where Toge had killed a curse and left behind piles of dust. It didn’t care for its fallen comrades, only for its target, Toge.
The teenager didn’t know what the curse was, what powers it had. It didn’t have a chance to show Toge its abilities before he started taking out curses because the quicker the better. He didn’t know what to expect. In his last moments, everything would be a hundred percent there.
He got ready to speak his last attack, took a deep breath, cleared his throat as much as he could.
“That won’t cut it.”
Toge froze as did the curse in front of him.
The semi-grade one sorcerer looked around for the voice. He spotted a person leaning against a far tree near where Toge had stepped into the forest from. The person was easy to recognize. Toge could spot him in a sea of people. He’d even call out his name to him but at that moment his throat was too damaged to say another word.
Before Toge knew it, the man who appeared took out the curses. It made him realize that there were only two left. Toge didn’t even have that much to go. If he had tried hard enough and played it smarter, Toge could have probably made it out alive on his own, but the sight of more than one curse made him act without a plan. That was something that he knew he had to work on—jumping the gun.
He didn’t know if he was jealous that he could never take out curses like that or not. Part of him was glad he didn’t. He was sent into jobs that people knew he could handle because there was no wiggle room with his technique. Though no wiggle room meant the same boring technique over and over and over again. Just ‘blast off’ this and ‘get crushed’ that. He was always left with a sore throat at the end of every mission—he wasn’t complaining about the cold treats he got afterwards to soothe his throat though.
It wasn’t like Toge couldn’t fight with a weapon. He just never bothered to carry one around. Maybe now he would—or should.
“What was it? Something like—“ the other man questioned out loud as he walked over to Toge. He snapped his fingers. “‘ Blast off’ ? Wouldn’t that have done it for both of them?” They squatted down in front of where Toge sat leaned against a tree trying to catch his breath he didn’t even know he’d be taking.
Toge shook his head and lifted a hand. He pointed to the three piles of crumbled curses he had taken out before the other arrived.
“The elders gave you five curses to take out? Are they insane?”
‘That’s what I’ve been asking my entire life, Yuuta,’ Toge thought. He kept his eyes over at the piles and looked between them. The first two were easy to take out but the third one hit the hardest. He barely survived that attack and then two more made their way out.
Toge jumped slightly when he felt something warm sit over his shoulders. He turned his attention to the man in front of him, Yuuta. The last time he had seen Yuuta in person was a year ago. He was sent off to go overseas with Miguel. Toge could see that he matured a lot more—even more than how he had already matured while being with them for the first few months after he joined the college. His shoulders were broader, legs were longer, overall frame was bigger. He looked more serious now. His change was very different to Toge’s who had stopped growing at that point and only changed his hair.
Though he was still Yuuta. The same old Yuuta who cared for Toge, and was his friend, and was, somehow, always there for him.
Yuuta’s white jacket, which just spoke ‘problem child’, sat on Toge’s shoulders now. The special grade sorcerer reached over with a smile and dusted off the jacket a bit.
“You weren’t gonna call for help?” Yuuta muttered quietly. It was obvious it was more of a question that was meant to be left rhetorical. Regardless of if it was or wasn’t, it was left unanswered. He still left time for Toge to say something, even though he knew he wouldn’t and or couldn’t, and in that time, he reached over and swiped his thumb on Toge’s cheek to clean off a scratch of dirt and blood. “Back to the dorms? Unless you want to go somewhere else. I have one of the school’s cards. We could spend money at a nice hotel, shut off our phones, and be unbothered for some time,” Yuuta requested. “I haven’t gone back to the dorms yet but I wanna get a chance to spend time with you before Gojo-sensei has a chance to send me off somewhere again.”
Toge went to say something in retaliation but then bit his tongue. Even though it was Yuuta and he would understand just about anything Toge was trying to say, his throat was still in pain so much to the point where he didn’t even want to speak with his safe words. Yuuta seemed to notice. He reached toward his jacket that still sat on Toge’s shoulders and pulled out a small notepad along with a pen.
“Here.”
The cursed user accepted the pen and paper and wrote out his question for the other. He clicked off the pen and handed it back to Yuuta.
“Seriously?” Yuuta asked. He looked between the paper and Toge, and then he laughed.
‘Is this you trying to flirt with me?’ it had asked.
“Maybe,” Yuuta answered. “But does it matter when I have a card with basically unlimited money?”
Toge’s lips curved into a smile. He pulled the jacket over his shoulders a little more to secure it in place and then reached out for Yuuta. The other understood easily. He rose to his feet and helped Toge to his own.
“You know what would be flirting?” Yuuta asked as he began to walk. Toge followed him and glanced over at him to let him know he wanted Yuuta to answer his own question. “If we got a honeymoon suite.”
Toge’s eyes lit up. That involved nice room service, right? With chocolate fountains and large cakes?
Yuuta laughed. “Let’s get the honeymoon suite then—after we get you some more throat medicine.”
Toge nodded in agreement. It still hurt just as much but talking with Yuuta took his mind off the pain a little.
“And buy you a jacket to wear.”
Toge shook his head at that. He poked Yuuta in the arm.
“What?”
He poked him again and frowned, and then moved his hands to protect Yuuta’s jacket that he had on his shoulders. Toge moved and put his arms through the sleeves.
Yuuta sighed. “Fine. We can go pick up a jacket for me so that you can wear my jacket.”
Toge smiled. He nodded and wrapped an arm around the other’s arm. Yuuta would probably have to order another school uniform top. It was his mistake for lending it to Toge in the first place.