Chapter Text
“You’ve finally reached your limit, huh?” The Special Grade Sorcerer chided the teen who had collapsed before him. The boy pressed the heel of his hands into the ground, but he only raised his head a few inches before a sharp pain reverberated from the base of his neck down his spine and he lowered himself back to the warm stone of the training courtyard. The afternoon sun beat down on his back and the shirt that clung to it from sweat and soil. He had been getting his ass kicked by Gojo since dawn.
“Is it even right to call this ‘sparring,’ sensei?” Itadori whined through the pain of moving his mouth.
“Mm… Probably not~!” The shit eating grin wasn’t visible to the boy, but he could hear it loud and clear in the tone of his sensei’s voice. “But at least you survived 6 hours of intense combat! Now go rest up for the day!” Despite the morning training that stretched into the afternoon, the man had barely a scuff on him thanks to his Infinity technique. A sound broke his attention from his student for a moment– the song of the first cicada. ‘Summer already, huh?’ Gojo thought.
He closed the distance in the courtyard in a few long steps and crouched before the heap that was Itadori. He reached a hand to the boy’s shoulder and, after a pause, gripped the fabric and pulled the shaky child to his feet.
Crestfallen by his effortless defeat, the boy’s gaze remained fixed on the stones. Blood that had spilled from his lips was caked to his chin and his left eye threatened to swell shut. He felt his heartbeat in every muscle as he stood, and he relied on the force of his sensei to pull him to his feet completely. Once he was upright, Gojo slapped the boy on his shoulders with both hands. The action sent a searing pain through tired arms and tears threatened to form in his chocolate eyes.
“Alright~! Off to the dorms for you!” Gojo gripped Itadori by the biceps and spun him into the direction of the dorms. He pushed him along through the length of the training courtyard, but stopped at the tree marking the center of the crossroads at the perimeter of the training grounds.
‘Normally, the victim in Gojo-sensei’s sparring sessions gets surrounded by the other students afterwards, but they’re all either on missions or out sick, I guess I’m on my own today,’ Itadori thought with a pang of loneliness.
“Eat something and rest up. I have to leave town for a mission now, so you’ll have all of tomorrow off as well.” The sensei went on, but Itadori was having trouble focusing. His eyes were fixed on the Torii gate marking the entrance to the campus slightly visible in the distance. “Later, then~!” With a wave, Gojo spun on his heel and walked casually towards the Torii and his next mission.
The 15-year-old sighed and he felt each cell of his body grow heavier with the effort. He turned to the base of the tree and decided it was an inviting enough place to rest for a bit and recover the strength he needed to get back to his dorm. He started in a sitting position near the base of the tree, but as his body leaned to the side, he didn’t fight it. He settled his whole body into the leaf litter and smelled the humus beneath him. The dampness of the earth comforted him, and as he closed his eyes, his ears were pierced by a cicada drumming up a deafening call in the branches above him. The insect sang as if to banish the chill from the spring air and welcome the sweltering summer heat. It brought a tired, peaceful smile to his lips as he drifted to sleep.
—
The First Grade sorcerer walked steadily towards the many steps leading to the campus of Jujutsu Technical School. He had finished the day’s missions with time to spare, so he took the time to soak in the sights and sounds on his return journey. There were only a few hints of cirrus clouds in the sky, and the sun had risen past its peak. He didn’t break a sweat executing his missions, but the lengthening days meant he could feel the dark blue dress shirt threatening to stick to the small of his back and turn a darker shade as he walked. He paused to remove his suit jacket and drape it over his forearm. He checked to make sure the document in the interior pocket was securely in place, then he dipped his hands into his trouser pockets and continued his saunter.
Since he was a student, he had enjoyed the way the city sounds seemed to fade away incrementally with each step towards the Torii marking the campus entrance. He noticed how the cherry trees had long since dropped their showy, pink petals and were now bursting with fresh leaves and young fruit. The few trees that seemed to be holding out for warmer days were beginning to bud out and shade the ground below. The fumes of traffic and urban life were slowly replaced with the scent of wet earth and the first hydrangeas of the season.
The steady pace of the ascending sorcerer was halted, and his foot froze mid-air. Basking on the stone step before him was a small Japanese rat snake. Its dark green and ashy brown mottled body didn’t move as he approached. The man watched the animal for a moment, and then continued up the steps at his previous pace, though he made sure to give the reptile several feet of distance for its comfort.
He let his gaze rise to the top of the Torii as it came closer into view. The day had an easy air and his heart was light. It was rare that he reached the end of the day with such energy. He let himself think about which book he wanted to get lost in when he got home. As if in greeting, a buzzing cicada welcomed him as he stepped foot on campus, pulling him from his thoughts. His eyes scanned the campus as he headed towards the Assistant Directors’ Office to check in from his mission and submit the day’s report. He saw a figure below the stately tree at the intersection of two of the main roads on campus and slowed down as he approached. The tree was known to most of the student body lovingly as ‘the crossroads maple.’
‘If trees could talk…’ Nanami thought as his silent steps came to a halt. Despite its growth, the tree seemed smaller than it did in the sorcerer’s memories. His mind flicked through scenes of his youth spent beneath its branches. He didn’t revisit any scene, he just let still frames and fleeting flashes of his feelings pass through him. His almost imperceptible smile faded as his gaze landed where the boy with the radiant heart slept. Concern crept into his eyes when they landed on the blood and bruises on his face, arms, and hands. After looking to see if anyone was nearby to take responsibility for the child, ‘like his sensei,’ Nanami thought, he stepped closer and crouched beside the boy. He rested his suit jacket on the ground.
“Itadori-kun,” Nanami spoke softly. When the boy didn’t move, he brushed the back of his fingers lightly against the swelling on his cheek. The skin was hot to the touch. It was obvious he was dehydrated. A sigh escaped the man’s lips as he reached for the boy’s shoulder and rocked him once gently, then twice.
“Itadori-kun,” he repeated, louder this time. At this, the boy sprang upright with a jolt causing Nanami to lean back fluidly. The boy’s eyes widened in the surprise of waking up with unfamiliar surrounds, and then instantly got wider at the surprise of who woke him.
“Nana!-” A jolt of pain pierced the boy’s head before he could finish his exclamation. “-min,” he murmured the second half of the First Grade sorcerer’s nickname. “What’re you doing here!?” He tried to regain his usual cheery demeanor for the man he looked up to.
“You’re the one sleeping in strange places…” Nanami was still kneeling. He took off his glasses and placed them in the breast pocket of his dress shirt. “You look worse for wear. Did you just return from a nasty mission?” His pause wasn’t long enough to let the boy respond. “It’s still early, I can take you to Ieri-san now.” The man began to rise to execute his suggestion, but the boy reached an arm out to stop him.
“Wait, Nanamin!” The boy interrupted. “I don’t need to see Ieri-san!” He forced himself not to wince as he pushed himself into a sitting position. “I’m just a little battered from sparring with Gojo-sensei, that’s all!” When Nanami’s eyes widened in surprise, the boy forced himself to scratch the back of his head casually, and he grinned what he hoped was a convincing smile. “Really, I’m fine!” Nanami was not convinced. Itadori felt blood rush into his cheeks as the eyes of a man he revered scanned him analytically.
“Can you stand?” Nanami asked calmly, but his voice was tinged with what Itadori decided was a mix of contempt for his sensei and sympathy for his current condition.
“Totally!” Itadori planted a palm into the soft earth and shifted his weight to his feet. He heaved his upper body to a position over his knees, but he didn’t have the strength to stop himself from flinging too far forward. Deftly, as if anticipating this result, Nanami stood and reached an arm out, catching the tired boy over the crook of his forearm and bicep. The boy let out a shaky apology.
While Itadori grasped for purchase on his arm, Nanami debated how he should act in this situation. ‘He isn’t my responsibility. It’s not my place,’ he thought. But the notion was quickly supplanted by the thought of Gojo whimsically attacking his students and then disappearing. ‘Someone has to take responsibility, though...’
“Are you sure you don’t want me to take you to Ieri-san?” Nanami asked as he planted his free hand squarely between the boy’s shoulders to stabilize him. The hand that caught him pressed him firmly back until he could feel the boy’s weight shift to its rightful place.
“Really, I’m fine, Nanamin!” the boy pleaded, but Nanami’s gaze was unmoving. It made him squirm. “With some sleep, I should be right as rain!” He clasped an aching hand around Nanami’s wrist for emphasis, then he braced himself and stared into concerned amber eyes. “I heal really fast. This will all be better tomorrow. I promise!”
Nanami let out a huff. ‘He’s nothing if not determined,’ he thought.
“You should at least get something to eat before you collapse.” Nanami said as he gripped the boy by the bicep. He guided him slowly to a bench by the entrance of the classrooms and helped lower him to a sitting position there. “I'll treat you to anything you want. Think about where you want to go. I have to take my report to the Assistant Directors’ Office. Please wait here a moment.”
“Wait, you don’t have to do that, Nanamin.” Itadori looked up apologetically. “Besides, I don’t know if I’m up for eating just yet.” Getting knocked around by the world’s strongest sorcerer was a lot harder than any other form of training, but the damage was all minor. Still, despite skipping breakfast, Itadori vomited twice throughout the day.
“If that’s the case, you should see Ieri-san,” Nanami said paternally. He tucked his hands in his pockets and turned towards the A.D. Office. “I’ll help walk you to the infirmary when I return.” At this, Itadori’s eyes fell, and a warm smile graced the boy's face.
—
Despite the approaching summer heat, a familiar cold feeling was taking root in Nanami’s chest and creeping up his throat as he marched towards the A.D. Office. It was similar to the bitter sensation brought by life’s bigger disappointments, or when the winter air continues to slice you down after a hard day.
He recalled the first time Gojo mentioned the student he wanted Nanami’s help with – Sukuna’s vessel. He wondered if Gojo asked him to help guide the student so that he could clean up his mess in times like these. ‘When you asked me to help him find his way, I didn’t realize you would be the one trying to break him, Satoru,’ Nanami thought. He sighed deeply.
Despite the profound concern and love Itadori’s boundless heart poured into the world, the world never seemed to pour any his way. Unrest was blooming in Nanami’s stomach.
—
The man returned to the bench with a soda and an iced coffee from the vending machine. The boy was leaning his neck all the way back with his eyes pointed straight to the sky, but they focused on nothing. He wondered if he would ever be stronger than Gojo-sensei. He jumped at the feeling of a cold aluminum can pressed to his cheek.
“Nanamin, You’re back!” Itadori snapped from his daze and turned to face the man. He grabbed the soda and chirped his gratitude.
“I said I would be.” Nanami sat beside him and draped his suit jacket over his knee. He cracked open the tab on his iced coffee- the lesser of all vending machine evils, he thought. He was dumbfounded by the addition of a sugary syrup and milk to an otherwise perfect beverage. “See how your stomach handles a soda. If it’s no good, we’ll go see Ieri-san. And if your appetite returns, we can get something to eat. Your body needs energy to recover from your training.”
“Yeah, I know that,” The student stated cheerily between small sips of his soda. Nanami continued without acknowledging him.
“Refueling and hydration aren’t optional…” A large hand gently clapped the boy on the shoulder. “They’re just as important as the work you did today. If you neglect your body, your gains will suffer, and all the effort you put in will be wasted.” Nanami turned to face the teen who was sitting patiently through the lecture. He watched wide, tired eyes scan his features fondly before the boy blinked himself back to making eye contact.
“Right,” Itadori desperately hoped Nanami hadn’t caught him staring. “Y’know, I’m feeling a little better already.” He held the soda can out from his body. He needed something else to look at. Nanami conceded that the boy’s visage had improved a little, but he also noticed how his thoughts, speech, and any movement of his body seemed forced. It was a pattern Nanami remembered from his youth. “I don’t know if I’m ready for anything fancy, but I could probably keep something light down!” Itadori's gaze fell to his lap and he noticed how tattered and dirty his clothes were. “Ah, but I should probably change before going out in public…” Nanami turned to face the path to deflect his energy a bit. He hoped the boy didn’t see him calculating scenarios in his head.
“You’re in a lot of pain, right?” His narrow eyes softened. “Going out would be difficult for you. Why don’t you come over to my place? I can make you something and you can just rest. That way you don’t have to worry about anything.” After a beat, he glanced over to see the boy’s expression. His eyes were wide and his mouth had fallen open.
“Eh?! Really, Nanamin?” His eyes darted across the man’s face looking for assurance. “A- Are you sure that’s alright?” A smile threatened to form on the boy’s face, and it made Nanami look away to conceal his own smile.
“Yes, of course. Do you think you’ll be able to walk to the station okay?” Nanami asked the sky above their heads. Then, he turned to face Itadori. “We can take our time.” Nanami looked back towards the beaming student.
“Sure thing!” The light from his eyes dipped before he continued. “But, I should try to finish this first.” He clenched the can of soda deliberately, not wanting to waste the gift. Nanami didn’t try to conceal his smile this time.
“Take your time.”
Nanami’s heart wasn’t light anymore, but it wasn’t cold, either. He stretched his arms out on the back of the bench, and the two watched the shadows grow long as the sun dipped towards the westerly mountains.