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Something was wrong with Yuji.
Satoru could sense it— No, he could see it! Not with his six eyes—although Yuji’s cursed energy has been a bit jittery as of late—but in the way Yuji had been carrying himself over the past few days.
The earliest Satoru could recall this shift in behavior starting after his first-years returned from their last mission in Toyama. It had been a standard sweep of the local high school. Nothing above a second-grade appeared and between the three of them, the whole mission was open and shut overnight… minus a bit of property damage that had to be taken care of. But that is an unavoidable reality of the world they lived in.
Since then, Yuji’s been a little on edge. Easily distracted while fidgeting in his seat. Last to arrive for morning lessons. His head was clearly somewhere else during their formal classes, returning for a short period when practical lessons began. And the gall Yuji had to be the first one out the door after all that? He apparently had better things to do than spend time with the rest of them.
And that was the strangest part! Neither Megumi nor Nobara had a clue about what was going on with him. When Yuji ditched class, he ditched the entire freaking class.
Satoru had only found this out when whining to Megumi about the possibility of Yuji avoiding him for some reason he couldn’t possibly fathom.
“We were supposed to watch a movie last night and he bailed on me! Me! The Gojo Satoru!”
Megumi shoved Satoru’s crying head off his back, prying the man off him before increasing his pace to get away. Too bad for him, Satoru was not going to let his temporary emotional crutch slip away so easily.
“Did you ever consider that maybe, Itadori was just overworked from all those exercises you put us through, and he needed to turn in early?”
“He could have done that on the couch!” Satoru pouted, skipping ahead of the teenager with the intent of spinning around to walk backward in order to face him while they walked.
“That’s not the point. And quit acting like you're being targeted. He didn’t go shopping with Kugisaki the day before that and I got stuck carrying all her crap. Itadori makes it seem like all those clothes weigh nothing, but…” Something clicked in Megumi’s mind as he came to a stop. He grabbed his chin in thought before taking out his phone to type a message Yuji’s way, betraying the hard work his face was doing to prevent his bubbling concern from showing through.
The two waited with bated breath, staring at the moving dots at the bottom of the screen indicative of Yuji typing out his reply. He stopped and started a few times, but it was their impatience that made the minute they waited feel so much longer.
Megumi’s worried text received nothing but assurances and apologies in return, with Yuji insisting that everything was alright and that he was worn out as his friend suggested.
There was nothing for them to worry about. And Satoru had believed it until two days later, when Yuji stepped into his classroom with a couple of band-aids over his fingers. Yuji would then repeatedly scratch specific areas of his arms and legs, leaving Satoru to wonder just how many band-aids he’d find underneath if he rolled up his sleeves.
Nothing to worry about my ass!
Satoru remained the pinnacle of calm and collected throughout their morning classes, having come to the decision that he would take Yuji aside and confront him on his injuries after the initial classroom lessons were over. He’d kept his attention on teaching until then, putting more effort than most days if it meant keeping Yuji unaware that he was onto whatever the boy was hiding.
All it had taken was one question from Nobara at the end of class to unintentionally distract Satoru from watching the door. Satoru hadn’t lifted his head in its entirety before Yuji had frantically dashed off in a greater rush than usual, taking full advantage of their break period to disappear out of sight.
“Where do you think you’re going—” Satoru shouted as he darted over to poke a head out into the hall, greeted with nothing more than empty space as Yuji was nowhere in sight. ”—in such a rush…?”
Damn it, he was fast.
“Bathroom?” A shrug accompanied Nobara’s guess, failing to convince anyone that was the answer.
Megumi got up from his seat, casting a glance at the window before heading towards the door. “I’ll go find him—”
“No. I’ll do it.” Satoru held out a hand to stop Megumi in his tracks, an assuring smile on display to hide the uncertainty in his eyes. “Whatever is going on, a responsible adult should look into it first. Especially if it’s something personal.”
“So, we should have Nanami-san talk with him?”
Both of Satoru’s hands gripped his chest, feigning pain as he winced at Megumi’s words. His light-hearted response hadn’t alleviated the boy’s mood, but that didn’t stop Satoru from patting his head before departing.
“You know, someday that sass will stop being adorable.” Today was just not that day. “I’m going to wrangle our dearest Yuji-kun. If we’re late coming back, feel free to bother the second-years. You know they love it when you guys join them on the track.”
Satoru let out a half-hearted chuckle before fine-tuning his senses to Yuji’s cursed energy, following the breadcrumb trail of residuals the teenager left behind to his oh-so-important destination: the boy’s dorm. The route Yuji took had been the most direct, so whatever business Yuji had back here in the middle of the day must have been urgent.
He wondered if this had anything to do with Sukuna. According to Yuji, the King of Curses was normally silent and rarely got involved in anything unless provoked. While Satoru was inclined to believe that to be the truth, time lead to change, and with each finger consumed, the curse was sure to grow in power. The repercussions of this growth had yet to be seen.
It wasn’t out of the question that Yuji would bear the brunt of whatever retaliation Sukuna may attempt with each new finger acquired. If those injuries were signs of that… The thought tore Satoru up inside.
The honest truth was that he has no answer on how to prevent such future events from occurring. If Sukuna could be ripped out from his student without doing Yuji harm, Satoru would have done it the day they met! Really, all he could do right now was drag Yuji to Shoko and see his injuries treated. Offer a shoulder to cry on, and possibly whisk him away for a few hours of relative peace he’d missed so dearly from their days pretending Yuji was dead to keep the rest of Jujutsu society off his back.
The poor teenager had people gunning for him left and right. How cruel this world was, especially when it was by Yuji’s will that kept Sukuna from coming out and tearing everything asunder.
Ah. Here he was.
Yuji’s room.
After straightening his back, Satoru decided to play nice and knock on Yuji’s door, giving his student a chance to cooperate with him before forcing his way through.
“Yuji-kun! Open up, it’s your favorite sensei!”
“S-Sensei!? Uh, do you… need something?” Yuji’s shouting was muffled by the door, coming from the deeper section of his room. His voice wasn’t in complete distress, but it was clear that Satoru had caught him off guard.
“I need to see you.”
“You just saw me in class!” There were no footsteps to follow. Was Yuji really going to keep him out here?
“And I want to see you outside of class!” Satoru toyed with the door handle, shaking it in every direction in the hopes that his insistence was coming through to the one behind the door. “Come on, let me in! Please?”
If they were making eye contact right now, Satoru would have removed his blindfold and put on the puppy-dog eyes. Unfortunately, the sound of his pleading was going to have to provide Yuji with a mental image for him.
“I… can’t.”
Can’t? Or won’t?
“What do you mean you can’t? It’s not rocket science. Just move your feet and unlock the door, I’ll do the rest!” Satoru was starting to sound desperate. Was Yuji hurt? Did Yuji’s legs give out, and he was unable to move? What was he going to find on the other side of that door? “I’m worried about my Yuji!”
“I just can’t! And stop worrying! I swear I am ok! So, uh… you can go now!”
Like hell was Satoru walking away now! Yuji couldn’t be acting more suspicious if he tried! With a huff, Satoru banged on the door again, gearing up to do whatever was necessary to get to the other side.
“You have until the count of three, or I am breaking down your door!” He practically kept this school running with his family’s influence and donations. One measly door was nothing in comparison to Yuji’s well-being. Actually, no. Yuji was easily worth a hundred doors. A thousand—The point was, Yuji’s life was something worth cherishing and damn it, he was going to make sure everyone was painfully aware of it every chance he got!
“Don’t!”
“One.”
“You’re overreacting!”
“Two.”
“Sensei please—”
Satoru didn’t bother shouting three. His hand was already grasping the door handle, all he had to do next was put his shoulder and cursed energy into the next shove and the stupid lock would break underneath the pressure. An apology was due somewhere, but Satoru would not be the one to give it. Not until he knew for certain Yuji was truly ok—
He ripped his blindfold off to look with both types of eyes he possessed and the scene which awaited left him speechless.
Sitting cross-legged on the bed was Yuji, no worse for wear than he was minutes prior in the classroom. Besides the heavy breathing. And the scream he let out the moment his door had been slammed against the wall.
Yuji’s arms were up in the air, crossed over his face in preparation for a more destructive entrance while also hiding his utterly baffled eyes. Which really felt unwarranted, given that Satoru had given him ample warning before breaking in.
If anything, Satoru was the one who earned his confusion, staring with wide eyes at not his poor Yuji incapacitated and in need of his sensei’s help, but at the large, fluffy white creature nestled in the boy’s lap like it owned it.
Satoru blinked. Then he blinked again, confirming that it was not some illusion he was now pointing at.
“Is that a cat?”
“Maybe…?” The creature in Yuji’s lap let out a resounding trill, affirming the man’s suspicions for him before settling further into his lap, much to Yuji’s displeasure. Defeated, the teenager lowered his arms and scratched the fluff pile behind the ears. “Yeah.”
“You’ve been acting weird this whole week… over a cat?”
“He’s a very needy cat!” Yuji whined, falling back on the palms of his hands to keep himself propped up while his head rolled back in anguish. “He got caught up in the last mission we were on and got hurt. Nothing serious, but I couldn’t just leave him to fend for himself, so I smuggled the little guy back with me for a safe recovery. I thought it would be easy, but he’s super clingy and won’t stop meowing if I don’t come to check in. And god-forbid I feed him a minute or two late—
Yuji cut himself off to look at his sensei with shame before adding “I’m not in trouble, am I?”
“Are you in trouble for smuggling an animal on campus without permission without even considering the risks of potential allergies or long-term pet care?”
“Well, when you put it like that…”
“Nah.” Satoru waved off the teenager’s initial concern, only to bring it back as he stepped forward and jabbed a finger against Yuji’s forehead. “You’re in trouble for not telling me about the moving carpet in your hands from the beginning. I can understand there being reservations with your classmates, but me? I thought we don’t keep secrets from each other.”
“I-I just—” The cat in Yuji’s lap flicked his tail, catching the teenager’s attention. Yuji moved to stroke through the sea of fluff as explained himself further. “I was afraid I’d have to leave him behind. The little guy clung to me so tight when I found him and wouldn’t leave my side all night after we got home. I got attached.”
“I would never! If I did that, you’d surely cry and everyone would view me as a heartless monster!” Overdramatic as ever, Satoru shut his eyes and pressed the back of his hand against his forehead as he spoke. It wasn’t until Yuji let out a chuckle did he dare to reopen his eyes, smirking at the brightened mood he’d cultivated.
Though, if Satoru shifted his gaze past the boy and to the many corners of his room…
“Wait. If you were so worried about me finding out about the fur ball, why didn't you hide him in your bathroom or dresser or something and then let me in to avoid the property damage?”
“Because the cat is currently sitting on my lap.” Yuji treated that answer as if it explained everything, but Satoru’s apparent confusion led him to elaborate further. “Universal law says you can’t move if a small animal rests on you. It’s like, animal cruelty.”
“So what? If the little bastard doesn’t move, you would have missed class?”
“I'd be late at best! If I move, he shoves his claws in me and refuses to let go! It takes so much coaxing and treats to get him off me without struggle.”
And now the band-aids made sense. It wasn’t the King of Curses hurting his vessel out of spite, but the ungrateful pet Yuji brought into his dorm.
Satoru turned and joined Yuji on the edge of his bed. He then brought his hand down to pet— and quite possibly move —the distraction in Yuji’s life when the damned thing swiped at him. Not just with his paws, but with his claws out and after his blood.
“Ow! What a little shit!” The Infinity was going to remain on twenty-four-seven around this beast!
“Maybe you shouldn’t have tried to move him. You know he reminds me of someone… but I can’t put my finger on it.” Yuji tapped his chin, laughing as he pulled the cat closer without any of the same repercussions as before. Was the cat purposely being cooperative to Yuji’s good side now that Satoru was present? The fluffy thing was clearly making his favorites known. “So demanding… I am dubbing him, Nyatoru.”
“Nyatoru?”
“Like Nyan and Satoru —You have to see the resemblance! You both have white fluffy hair and eerily similar blue eyes.”
“Nope.” Satoru crossed his arms. “Even a cheap imitation pales in comparison to my greatness.”
“Uh-huh.” Unamused and certainly unimpressed, Yuji went back to fawning over the attention sponge in his arms.
A sharp pain of… something pierced through Satoru’s heart. He couldn’t quite grasp the emotion at first, but with each passing second of being ignored in favor of the creature in Yuji’s arms, there was really only one explanation.
Oh, this wouldn’t do at all.
However, instead of becoming a slave to this newfound envy, Satoru remained strong as he thought of how to use this situation to his advantage. Yuji would not be moving anytime soon unless the cat— Satoru refused to call him by name —had anything to say about it. Which, given how addicting it was to have Yuji’s fingers trailing through one’s hair was, Satoru doubted the situation was going to change in time for class.
And if Yuji was going to be just as stubborn as the cat…
Satoru got out his phone and sent a quick text to Megumi, letting him know the situation was all good and that class was going to be delayed until further notice. Once his responsibilities were in order, Satoru then tossed the device aside and tucked his hands under Yuji to lift him up onto his lap, startling the teenager but not nearly enough to shake the cat off his lap.
If anything, the little beast had all the more reason to stake his claim. His aforementioned claws dug into the fabric of Yuji’s pants, leaving the teenager to hiss in pain while shaking his head to assure him that it was no big deal.
“I’m good.”
“You sure?”
“Yup. Peachy.” Yuji smiled before turning red the moment Satoru rested his chin on Yuji’s head. “Um, don’t we have to get back for practical lessons?”
“Well, since you’re not moving due to that cat and I’ve had to go the whole week without spending some personal time with my Yuji-kun, I think we’re better off hanging out for a bit longer. Don’t you agree?”
“I mean, as long as you don’t get in trouble…”
“Excellent! Then get out your phone and boot up Netflix or something. We can watch a movie until your clingy fuzzball drops his guard, and we can escape.”
“His name is Nyatoru.” Yuji corrected while sifting through the movie library in front of him. “And you’re just as bad as he is!”
“I am not!” Satoru ignored the hypocrisy that followed when his arms wrapped tightly around the teenager’s waist, ensuring that he wiggled free from his hold. “I’m just getting comfortable.”
“My bad, sensei.”
It did not take long for the pair to end up on their backs to continue watching the movie on their side. As it turned out, as long as the cat remained tucked in Yuji’s arms or settled on top of him in some form, the beast was content. And if Yuji was between Satoru’s arms, then an unspoken ceasefire between the two after the teenager’s attention could be made. That did not stop the cat from purring when Satoru began speaking or pawing at Yuji for pets when the boy’s hand was clearly busy holding Satoru’s own. But for now, Satoru was going to be the bigger man and suck up his frustrations for another time.
By the end of the movie, Yuji had to go and drift off, the device falling out of his hand the moment his eyes couldn't remain open any longer. The cat had fallen asleep too, and Satoru was oh so very close to following them…
Ah, Satoru really didn’t feel like going back to teaching today. Yuji definitely needed the rest. What horrible person was he to deny his favorite student that?
They’ll pick up where they left off for class tomorrow…