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It had been years since Kento had been in Tokyo. He had been living in Osaka, working at a publishing firm, and he needed another change. It would be nice to go back home to Tokyo.
He took a yellow sticky note from his pocket as he sat on the bullet train. Before Kento had left for Osaka, Gojo had texted him his address with an abundance of kaomoji that Kento was certain Gojo had come up with himself. None of that was on the sticky note, but it would be easier to find than an old screenshot. Gojo had said, Kento remembered, that if he ever decided to ditch Osaka, he should come to Gojo's apartment unannounced. "I want you to scare me so bad I have a heart attack and die!" Gojo had said. Kento was good at avoiding smiling with other people around, but alone, he chuckled a little, reminiscing over Gojo's awful sense of humor. Kento didn't usually do jokes, but he figured Gojo would get a kick out of Kento following through with this one.
Kento got to Gojo's quickly once he got off the bullet train. He'd never been there. When he lived in Tokyo, he and Gojo had already spent so much time together at work that they never thought to visit each other's homes.
Kento took a deep breath as he approached Gojo's door. He could feel his pulse rushing in his chest, but why? There was nothing scary about Gojo. He shook off the feeling and knocked.
Gojo opened the door. Kento couldn't read Gojo's eyes as his black blindfold covered them. He figured that would be the case. What did surprise him was Gojo's unsmiling, slightly open mouth. Gojo must have realized this because he forced a massive smile seconds later.
"Nanami!" he said. Kento had prepared himself for this moment and firmly planted his feet on the ground. Gojo predictably lept toward Kento and wrapped his arms around him, nuzzling him in the crook of his neck. Kento relaxed and smiled.
Kento's smile faded as Gojo began clinging to him tightly. He brushed his hand against Gojo's shoulder blade. "Gojo," he said.
Gojo nodded against Kento's shoulder and backed away. His lips fell flat, and his hands fell to his sides. His fake smile only lasted a second before his goofy demeanor dried cold.
"Something happened, didn't it?" Kento said. He watched as Satoru took his blindfold off and held it in his hands like it was a dead bird. He then squeezed it and shut his eyes as he tilted his head down.
“Suguru is dead,” Gojo said. "And today is his birthday."
"Oh," Kento said. "Oh."
Gojo opened his eyes and smiled down at his blindfold. The cloudy sky reflecting his eyes made his blue irises look sad. "I killed him, you know." His hands began to shake, which Kento only saw before Gojo squeezed the blindfold in his hands again.
Kento knew he should react, but he didn't know how. It was an awful thing to hear. Even if Geto had caused a great deal of harm to everyone around them, he understood why Gojo wouldn't have told him about it sooner. Geto had been his best friend, and Kento knew it had been much more than that. Gojo would never have killed Geto unless he needed to.
"I'm sorry," Kento said.
Gojo smiled softly. "Don't be. I'm glad you came."
"No," Kento said. "I'm sorry I didn't give you a heart attack."
Gojo's bright eyes widened as a genuine, toothy grin appeared across his lips. He started to laugh slowly and then so hard that he squeezed his stomach, and his eyes began to water. Kento and Gojo both realized soon enough that it was more than that. He was crying, which Kento had never seen, in a ball in front of him. Kento wasn't sure until now that he was even capable of it. He squatted next to him, then sat on the concrete balcony by his side.
"Nanami," Gojo said, "I killed my best friend, my everything… what do I do?"
Kento breathed through his nose and tilted his head up. "Get back up and brush yourself off. Get a new everything."
Gojo lifted his head just enough to meet eyes with Kento, urging him to keep talking.
"It'll be hard," Kento said. "You'll cry, yell, take long showers and raise your water bill. You'll be angry. You'll spend days doing absolutely nothing. Then one day, you'll have a pang in your chest one moment, and the next, you'll smile. Then you won't find yourself thinking about it for days. You have to get there. You can't waste your life."
They looked at each other as Gojo leaned against Kento's shoulder and then at the cloudy sky. "Thanks, Nanamin," Gojo said, smiling. He shut his eyes and squeezed Kento's arm.
"Hey there," Kento said, nudging Gojo's chin with his arm. "Don't go to sleep."
Gojo hummed and hesitantly got up. He put his arms over his head and stretched as high as possible. He looked like a cat, Kento thought.
"I suppose I should get going," Kento said as he stood up.
"Wait," Gojo said, grabbing Kento's hand. The feeling of a rushed pulse returned to Kento as they met eyes again. An awkward silence fell between them before Gojo spoke. "Uh, don't go. Stay here."
Kento nodded.
Gojo seemed to be doing better ever since that day. Kento wondered if Gojo had talked to anyone about Geto's death before him. Perhaps Shoko, but she had been good friends with Geto too.
Gojo introduced Kento to his students. Maki, Panda, Inumaki, Okkotsu, Kugisaki, and Itadori. When he was a child, Kento met Fushiguro Megumi, one of Gojo's students. He didn't look much different now. With his arm around him, Gojo blabbered about Kento in front of them all. Four of them surrounded him with questions and comments, while the rest stood back and listened. Fushiguro bowed his head toward Kento in respect.
Kento quite liked visiting the school. He knew he shouldn't be surprised by blooming teenage romance. He smiled, reminiscing of somebody he used to love.
Inumaki had reminded Kento of himself when he witnessed Okkotsu hand him a bouquet of white flowers, and his face turned the color of Itadori's red shoes.
"Cute, aren't they?" Gojo appeared behind Kento, and he shivered. He was not sure when Gojo appeared beside him. But Gojo grinned at him, wide and toothy, and elbowed Kento in the ribs.
Kento hummed in agreement. He'd noticed other students falling in love, too. It was obvious.
"I'm waiting for Megumi to finally tell Yuji how he feels," Gojo said, “Do you agree?"
"Yes," Kento said. "Life is short. You should always go where your heart demands."
Gojo smiled at his students. Kento thought he saw a tint of pink on his cheeks.
Kento found himself going home with Gojo after school one afternoon. Over dinner, they discussed what they'd missed from each other's lives in the last few years. Kento talked about all the books he'd helped publish. Gojo didn't read much, if at all, but he still gave Kento his undivided attention.
Gojo had finally told Kento what happened the day Geto died: December 24th, Christmas Eve. Kento had already known about the problems Geto had been causing all over Tokyo, but he had no idea he had been going after children . He had targeted Gojo's students, trying to convince Okkotsu to join him after witnessing his raw talent. When Okkotsu refused, Geto attempted to murder the other three of Okkotsu's grade level, Maki, Panda, and Inumaki. Gojo said he had shown up after Okkotsu showed Geto a good fight. In the end, Geto lost his arm, so killing him was easy, Gojo had told Kento. That was what upset him most.
Gojo shared it all without shedding a single tear. Gojo dissociated from his feelings when he was serious and stared off at nothing.
"What happened to Geto wasn't your fault," Kento said. Gojo looked up at him, surprised, and smiled.
"Of course it was," Gojo told him. "Yuta didn't need to be accessible to him. I could've prevented that."
"That's not what I mean," Kento said. Gojo's lips pressed together into a line. "A number of things turned Geto into the monster he became, but you weren't one of them. You may have been the only good thing that ever happened to him, Gojo."
Gojo removed his blindfold again and stared at it in his hands. "Do you believe that?" Gojo said.
"I do," Kento said.
Gojo nodded and looked up at Kento, smiling.
"So, this is your new place!"
Kento had invited Gojo to visit his new apartment since Gojo had been so welcoming at his place. Kento had just finished setting up his new furniture, and his home was finally ready for visitors.
"What do you think?" Kento said. Gojo hummed as he fingered a knob on a cabinet in the main room.
"You could use a TV," Gojo said. "So I can come over and watch bad movies."
Kento let out a small laugh with a 'hm' sound. "Inviting yourself over, are you?"
Gojo grinned, not answering him, and headed to the fridge to snatch a pudding. Kento sighed. He didn't feel like scolding him. Gojo ate the pudding and sat on Kento's couch.
"Are you a cretin?" Kento said. "Take off your shoes."
Gojo stuck his tongue out and kicked his black ankle boots off his feet. "Fine, fine!"
Kento shook his head, smiling, and sat down next to him.
"Well, I like it, Nanamin, other than the missing TV."
"Good," Kento said. "If you have a spare TV, I'll take it, and then you can come over and watch as many bad movies as you want."
Gojo grinned. "Really? You're inviting me over?"
Kento nodded, and when he did, Gojo embraced him in a big hug. He got up, put his boots back on, and skipped toward the door.
"Where are you going?" Kento asked.
"I'm off to get you a TV!" Gojo shouted, and then he was gone.
The next day, Kento stood in front of a brand new TV on top of his living room cabinet. His mouth hung open, and he stared at it. Did Gojo already have a spare TV that was brand new? Kento doubted it. He was sure that Gojo had purchased this TV just for him. Kento supposed Gojo's inheritance allowed him to make frivolous purchases, but why would he spend it on a TV for Kento's apartment?
"How much was it?" Kento asked Gojo over the phone.
"Huh? How much was what?"
"And how did you get into my apartment?"
Kento sighed. He supposed this was on him for coming back to Tokyo.
"It's a spare TV, just for you!" Gojo explained. He would never tell the truth, and Kento knew it. "Oh, and you should be more careful about locking your door," he said.
Kento placed a paper grocery bag filled with fruits and vegetables on his counter. He turned his head, having seen a figure in the corner of his eye. Gojo was passed out on the couch, curled up so he could fit. Kento sighed. He must have forgotten to lock the door again. He took a throw blanket from the back of the couch and tucked Gojo under it, then turned off the TV. Some competition show about baking had been on and muted.
He headed back to the kitchen. He made sukiyaki using some of the groceries from the trip to the store earlier. Things like sukiyaki took a long time to make, but Kento decided the best food always took the longest to cook.
He took a break with some coffee when Gojo sluggishly came into the kitchen, rubbing his eyes, his blindfold left behind. Kento noticed he'd been wearing it less and less around him lately. "Coffee?" Kento offered.
Gojo nodded. He watched as Kento prepared it, threw in seven sugar cubes, and topped it with a ridiculous amount of cream. "Hey," Gojo said sleepily, "You remembered."
"About how much you love sugar? It’s unforgettable," Kento said. He placed the coffee mug into Gojo's hands. Gojo smiled into the cup, his blue eyes half-lidded. He must've been exhausted. The man worked too much, Kento thought.
"Gojo," Kento said. "Since you've invited yourself here a few times already, I might as well just give you permission to come here whenever you want." Gojo looked up to meet his eyes.
"Really?" Gojo said. He looked genuinely surprised. Kento had caught him off guard, which made Kento grin.
"I don't see why not," he said.
Gojo wore his sleepy smile again. "Don't get me wrong, this side of you isn't unwelcome, but are you sure you didn't do anything to Nanami, like throwing him into a meat grinder?"
Kento scoffed, but he was still smiling. "You haven't changed at all."
Gojo nodded, his smile unfettered. "I'm obnoxious."
"Yes," Kento said.
"Hey, Nanami?"
"Mm?"
"Call me Satoru."
Kento and Satoru sat at the table and ate the sukiyaki together. Kento had finally perfected the recipe, he thought.
Satoru started to call Kento by his given name, too. As Satoru had said earlier, the change wasn't unwelcome, but it caught Kento off guard. He wasn't sure where their relationship was going, but he didn't have a problem with it, just as he hadn't had a problem with Satoru.
Kento gave Satoru a container of leftover sukiyaki to take home. He surprised himself by hugging Satoru before he left. Satoru hugged him back, smiled at him, and left a second or two later.
Satoru was not at school the next day.
Kento began working there lately as an extra hand for Satoru. He needed it, seeing as he would appear at Kento's apartment to sleep. As Kento placed his bag on the field, Itadori approached him. "Nanamin, Gojo-sensei isn't here. Have you seen him?" he said.
"No," Kento said. He looked down the field. "Maybe he's late."
Itadori nodded. Kento trained them for a while, helping them with their form for hand-to-hand combat. When half an hour went by, Kento was worried. Satoru hadn't texted him back, either.
"Everyone, stay here. I'm going to get the principal," he said.
Principal Yaga replaced Kento on the field as he left to check on Satoru. First, he went to his apartment, but Satoru wasn't there, so he booked it to Satoru's place. Once he knocked, Kento spent a long time staring at his white door and wondered if Satoru wasn't there, but he kept waiting. He didn't know what other option he had. Eventually, Satoru finally opened the door. He looked awful. He wore dark circles under his uncovered eyes and a pair of gray pajamas. He sniffled and wiped his nose with his sleeve.
"Kenny?" he said.
"You look terrible," Kento said. Satoru frowned and looked at his feet.
"Meanie," he said. Kento sighed and ruffled Satoru's white hair. Satoru let him in and went straight over to his couch, where he collapsed and buried his face in the pillow. Kento sat next to him.
"Hey," Kento said. "You must be feeling pretty bad if you're not at school today."
Satoru didn't say anything. He curled up into a ball and shoved his face deeper into the pillow.
"I was worried about you, Satoru. It's not like you to stay home."
Satoru lifted his head and looked Kento right in the eyes.
"Don't worry. The students are alright. I made sure that Principal Yaga–"
Satoru eclipsed his face with Kento's and kissed him on the lips, caressing his face with his hands. Kento made a soft sound in surprise. He kissed Satoru back and wrapped his arms around his waist. Satoru hummed against his lips and pressed Kento's back into the seat of the couch. Their faces, just inches apart, emanated heat toward each other, red as apples.
"Kento," Satoru said, breathless.
"Satoru," Kento said back. Satoru sighed, exerting his adrenaline, resting his body on Kento's. He pressed his chin into Kento's shoulder. He was shaking, holding on tight.
"How did you know I needed you?" Satoru said. There was a sadness in his voice that made Kento's heart hurt.
"I didn't," Kento said. "I needed to know that you were alright."
Satoru squeezed Kento even tighter. "Kento… I need to go to the hospital. I didn't want to, I wasn't planning on it, but now that you're here, I want to go."
Kento sat up quickly. He felt a little light-headed, but it didn't matter. Satoru's surprised face told him that Satoru didn't expect him to react like this. "Tell me what's going on in the car."
"Wait," Satoru said. He placed his hands on Kento's shoulders, a layer of tears over his blue irises. "I love you, Kento," he said. His cheeks were bright red. Kento kissed him hard on the lips and then on the cheek.
"I love you, Satoru," Kento said. He stroked Satoru's cheek, smiling softly. "We have to go now."
Satoru was under a blanket in the passenger seat of Kento's new car. He watched Kento drive.
He had collapsed down the stairs on the way to the parking lot. Kento grabbed him before hitting his head on anything, holding him tight as if he had just seen Satoru's life flash before his eyes.
Satoru held the blanket right under his face. "I vomited a few times. It's pretty nasty." A few seconds passed. "But don't worry! I was able to brush my teeth before you got there! Lucky you! I would have kissed you anyway." Kento smiled and shook his head.
Satoru was admitted to the hospital right away. Kento sat beside Satoru, holding the hand of the arm that received an IV drip. Kento hadn't realized how underweight Satoru had been, so he felt guilty. He reminded himself of what he had told Satoru earlier: things out of his control were not his fault.
Getting the IV was difficult for Satoru. Kento hadn't realized how much Satoru hated the hospital. How much he hated needles. He had squeezed Satoru's hand hard as they put the IV in his arm and hugged him when it was over. He was surprised at how much Satoru cried.
"I'm sorry you had to see all that," Satoru said. Kento shook his head.
"It's alright," he said. "Thank you for trusting me."
Satoru smiled. There was color to his cheeks, which made Kento happiest of all. "Our relationship is pretty serious now. You even drove me to the hospital."
Kento let out a short laugh. "Feeling better already?" he said. Satoru nodded. Kento stood up, hugged Satoru again, and kissed his forehead. "I'm not sure you should be living alone."
Satoru hugged Kento around the stomach and nodded. "I know," he said.
"We can take care of each other," Kento said. "Besides, I'm tired of treating myself like I'm old. With you, I feel so much younger."
Satoru giggled. "Realistically, you're more likely to take care of me."
Kento shook his head. "You take care of me all the time."
A comfortable silence fell between them as Kento held Satoru, rubbing his back gently. They stayed there for a while, happy for this small moment. They were interrupted when Kento noticed Fushiguro, Itadori, and Kugisaki. Kento's face flushed red like mercury in a glass thermometer.
"Looks like Gojo-sensei being sick isn't the only big news," Kugisaki said.
Satoru grinned. "Hey, kids," he said.
"Gojo," Fushiguro said. "Thanks for not dating a complete weirdo."
Satoru smiled and then started laughing so hard that it looked painful. "You're always looking out for me, Megumi," he said. Kento rubbed his shoulder, helping him calm down.
Fushiguro smirked. Kento was glad he approved. Fushiguro had been like a son to Satoru, after all.
"You're perfect for each other!" Itadori announced. Just moments later, his face flushed red, too, and he stared down at the hospital floor.
"Thanks, Yuji," Satoru said. "That's very sweet."
The next evening, Satoru was freed from the hospital. As they approached Kento's car, Satoru followed him to the driver's side and hugged him close before he could get in. He hid his face in Kento's chest and nuzzled him. Kento hugged Satoru back, placing his chin on Satoru's head. Satoru had hugged Kento like this before. It made Kento feel stupid that he hadn't thought about it as a sign that Satoru liked him until now.
"Kenny," Satoru said.
"Hm?" Kento said.
"Can I kiss you?" Satoru said. His big blue eyes sparkled as he looked down at Kento.
Kento nodded, feeling his chest, face, and ears burst with warmth. Satoru smiled a little as he leaned down to press his lips against Kento's softly. The kiss was slow and warm compared to the cold air around them. Kento kissed him back just as slowly. Satoru's smile after their kiss took Kento's heart away and melted it.
"Take me home, handsome," Satoru said, and Kento did.