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“Uta~hi~me~! Guess whose birthday is in a few weeks?” Satoru beamed, lips curling into a large smile. He peered at her over the edge of his glasses, his eyes twinkling with excitement. He pointed his long finger at his chin and stuck his tongue out, winking, as if he were providing her with a hint she so desperately needed.
Utahime immediately frowned. Her brow furrowed after she rolled her eyes, folding her arms across her chest. She turned away from him, her large pigtails whipping around her neck. “If you say that one more time…” she grumbled.
Heart swelling, Satoru loved how easy it was to rile Utahime up. With the right words, Satoru could goad her into giving him attitude in such a short minute. He pouted, scurrying around to stand in front of her, folding his arms behind his back. He leaned over, meeting Utahime at eye level. Despite how weak she was, Utahime was stunning; a beauty with delicious brown eyes and silky dark hair that shaped her round cheeks. The best part was her fiery temper that flared so often around Satoru, usually due to his incessant teasing. How could he resist when she looked so cute with her brow furrowed and her cheeks puffed up?
“Ah,” Satoru waggled his finger back and forth, “but I wouldn’t want you to forget.”
Utahime’s eyes narrowed. “Trust me, you’ve told me at least twenty times, and that’s only today. There’s no way anyone could forget. In fact,” she huffed, “I’ve never met someone who talks about their own birthday more than you do.”
Admittedly, Satoru didn’t care too much for his birthday. Back when he lived at home, they had made a grand ordeal of it. They practically worshiped him, like he was a deity, honoring him with offerings and gifts, acting as though they were so grateful to be blessed by the Six Eyes.
Nowadays his birthday celebrations were tamer, which he preferred. Suguru and Shoko would surprise him with cake, sweets, and a movie marathon. However, mentioning his birthday so much annoyed Utahime, and anything that annoyed her made Satoru giddy.
“Well, I want to make sure you have enough time to work out a present!” he hummed, batting his eyelashes at her.
Utahime looked as though she could explode. Her eye twitched, and she clenched her teeth. “Who said I was getting you anything?” she growled.
Satoru gasped, pressing a hand against his chest dramatically. “Utahime, you’re not getting me a present?!” He curled his lips into a pout, and he widened his eyes, trying to make his face look like a kicked puppy.
Said look appeared to do the trick as Utahime’s cheeks flushed red, and she quickly averted her gaze. “I-I didn’t plan on it! Besides, why would I give you a gift when you are perfectly capable of getting anything you want?”
Satoru’s eyes trailed over Utahime’s face, his gaze falling on her lips. They were pursed, squeezed tightly shut in her frustration, and for a moment, Satoru’s heart leaped into his throat. There was one thing he had assumed he had no way of getting, one thing that had drifted across his mind from time to time. The more Satoru saw Utahime, the more frequent his thoughts of her grew, especially when she pouted in anger.
Satoru wanted to kiss her.
More than anything, he wanted to know what her lips tasted like. A sweet tea? A sakura blossom in spring? A fresh ocean breeze? The fantasy of cupping her soft cheeks, staring down into her dark brown eyes, and commanding all of her attention made Satoru’s skin prickle with excitement.
“You want me to tell you what I want?” he asked, leaning forward more. Utahime leaned back away from him, flicking her gaze to the side. “Hmmmm?” Satoru pressed when she didn’t answer.
“Fine,” Utahime huffed. “What? What could you possibly want?”
Satoru pressed his teeth into his lip in a poor attempt to stop himself from bursting with excitement. “A kiss! From my favorite senpai.” She looked at him blankly, as though she couldn’t fathom that he could mean her. He swiped his tongue over his lower lip. “From you, Uta~hi~me”
The pink in her cheeks grew, turning red, spreading across her nose and up to her ears. “W-W-What?! No way!” she stammered, waving her hands quickly. She stepped back, as though he would kiss her right there. Her brow furrowed, and she let out a long huff of air. “Absolutely not. Stop teasing me!”
“I’m not!” Pouting, Satoru held up a finger. “I’m turning 18! Don’t you think the great Gojo Satoru deserves something special?!”
Utahime blinked. Perhaps she hadn’t considered that Satoru was very serious. Had it all been a joke to her? Her small fingers curled into a fist by her side, her eyebrow twitching in frustration. “Why the hell would you want a kiss from me?!”
Whether she was embarrassed, flustered, or upset, Utahime always managed to look adorable. How could Satoru resist asking for such a simple thing when he knew it would elicit such an intense reaction? Again, Satoru couldn’t help the smile that pulled across his lips. “Because, it’s cute when you’re flustered Utahime-senpai!”
“No.” Utahime frowned, her response blunt.
Satoru blinked. It wasn’t entirely surprising. Most women would never turn down a chance to kiss him, however Utahime had always been special. Their friendship had always been one with plenty of back and forth, so he hadn’t necessarily expected her to say yes the first time. “Would it be your first kiss?”
“What?! Why would you assume that?” Utahime yelped. Her hand raised to her mouth as if to touch her lips, but she quickly lowered it.
Satoru shrugged. “Because you’re getting all worked up!” Winking, he held up a finger. A simple kiss couldn’t possibly bother her, could it? If she really didn’t want to, he would never force her, but maybe she didn’t feel comfortable. “I promise I will make it good for you.”
Utahime’s chest rose and fell slowly, her eyes narrowing the longer she stared at him. Her gaze fell to his lips, and she stared, her face matching the color of her red kosode. “S-Shut up. It’s none of your business!” she yelled finally, immediately stepping away from him. “Respect your elders!” she thrust her finger in his face before brushing past him.
Satoru stood, blinking, knowing he would have to ask at least one more time.
Or perhaps ten.
Satoru couldn’t seem to let it go. Over the following weeks, he asked Utahime every time he saw her. Occasionally, he would just stick his lips out in her direction, as if to mime a cheesy kiss from a cartoon.
“Please!”
“It’s just one kiss!”
“For my birthday!”
“Just one small kiss!”
Satoru didn’t like to beg for things, but it was so rare he didn’t get what he wanted.
Every time, Utahime would storm off or yell at him to respect his elders. Once, she paused, as though she was considering it for just a moment, until she yelled no. A few times she had tried to shove him or throw something at him, but Satoru had raised Infinity, blocking Utahime from doing so.
“Satoru,” Shoko snorted, tapping her knuckles against his arm. “What the hell have you been doing to Utahime lately? She’s been angry every time we’ve seen her.”
Satoru twisted his lips, sighing dramatically. “All I’ve done is ask her for a kiss.”
Cigarette smoke curled from the end of the butt dangling on Shoko’s lip. “Right. A ‘kiss’.”
Nodding, Satoru smiled, pointing at his lips. “Yeah, for my birthday.”
With a sigh, Shoko pulled the cigarette from her lips. “Huh.”
Satoru frowned. “What’s that supposed to mean?” Shoko and Utahime were best friends, after all. Had they discussed Satoru’s request? Why hadn’t Shoko told him anything? Was she sworn to secrecy by some sort of girl code?
“Dunno,” Shoko shrugged. “But if you keep teasing her, she’s gonna keep getting mad.”
“Teasing?” Satoru blinked. “I’m serious! I want to kiss her!” Had she not realized by now that this was an actual request?
Shoko tilted her head, her expression unchanging. “Hm. I see. Well, good luck with that,” she said, walking away from him with a wave of her hand.
Perhaps Satoru needed to make things a bit more clear, since Utahime didn’t believe this was truly the present he wanted.
The next time he saw Utahime, it was the day before his birthday, and Satoru rescued her from a mission gone wrong. It was typical, really. Satoru often went to aid his other sorcerers, not only Utahime, but getting to help out her was the absolute best.
As always, Utahime was angry about it, while Satoru beamed with pride. Brushing off her kosode, Utahime scoffed, folding her arms across her chest. “You didn’t have to help! We had it under control.”
“Oh~! Did you?” Satoru hummed, tilting his head from side to side. “It looked like you were struggling!”
Utahime huffed out a breath and pushed past him. “Ugh. Thanks… or whatever,” she muttered, and before she could get any further, Satoru grabbed her wrist, gently stopping her from walking away.
“Wait-” he started.
“Gojo!” she snapped at the same time, and tried to tug away from him, but paused when her eyes met his. She pursed her lips. “Don’t tell me this is about your request.”
Satoru smiled, letting go of her wrist. He tucked his hands behind his back and kicked at the ground. “My birthday is tomorrow,” he chuckled, softly.
He prepared for her to yell at him, to snap back as she always did, but this time she stood still, staring at him. Her gentle chocolate eyes blinked and her cheeks heated ever so slightly. Until finally she thrust her hands in the air and screamed, “Fine! Just. One. One kiss. On your birthday. That’s it!” She held up one finger and punched it forward with each word.
Satoru’s eyes widened, loving the angry pout on Utahime’s face. “Great! I’ll meet you in the classroom tomorrow!” he cheered. She was perfect, and this was going to be the best gift ever.
~~
Satoru practically skipped into the school, his steps light, his mind reeling with excitement. Sure, his cake had been absolutely amazing, sweet and delicious, but nothing would compare to the taste of Utahime. Finally, he would get to have the one glorious thing he had daydreamed about for so long.
Getting closer to the classroom, he could feel the gentle spike in her cursed energy. Utahime didn’t have too much of it, but there was a definite increase, and Satoru inched closer, staying as quiet as he could.
The outline of her shadow paced back and forth, moving to and fro. She tapped her finger against her chin and then pressed two fingers on her lips. Her face was flushed, and Satoru wondered if maybe she was imagining what he had imagined for so long. She let out a groan, her head tilting back. Her soft pigtails slid over her shoulders. Utahime was nervous. It explained the spike in her energy.
Chuckling, Satoru covered his mouth to not alert her to his presence. She was so cute like this, overthinking, worrying. There was no reason for her to be nervous, however, Satoru had already promised to give her the best kiss of her life. (Or something along those lines, perhaps he hadn’t said those exact words, but close enough.)
“Afternoon, Utahime!” Satoru said, jumping into the classroom, waving his hand wildly.
Utahime yelped, stumbling backward, her hand pressed against her chest. “G-Gojo! You startled me!” she snapped.
“Ah, sorry, sorry!” he said, leaning toward her. “I thought you’d be ready. Eagerly awaiting our special meetup!”
Folding her arms across her chest, she pouted. “I’m here, aren’t I?” Her cheeks flushed red when she flicked her gaze to meet his. “H-Happy birthday,” she muttered.
Satoru thought his heart might explode out of his chest. A smile pulled across his lips, happy she had indeed showed up. Utahime was often true to her word, so he expected nothing less. She was so cute, her soft cheeks colored with her embarrassed pink blush.
“Thanks, ‘Hime,” he said, leaning against a desk close by.
Utahime fiddled with her hair, playing with the end of one of her pigtails. She teased her lower lip, pressing her teeth into it. Satoru’s heart raced, knowing in just a few moments he could have what he had been daydreaming about for weeks.
“Well,” she sighed, “I guess we should get this over with.”
Satoru frowned. “You make it sound like I’m about to torture you.”
Lips pursed, Utahime’s cheeks flushed even brighter before she frowned. “It’s because I know this is all some big joke to you!” she said, slamming her eyes shut.
Blinking, Satoru tilted his head. “What?”
“I know you’ll just make fun of me for being a bad kisser afterward or- or- or something like that!” she yelped.
Satoru stepped toward her, and brushed his fingers through small pieces of hair that framed Utahime’s face. “Do you really think that?”
“O-Of course,” she stammered.
“But I promised I would make it good for you,” he said, his thumb gently swiping over her rosy cheek. Her skin was soft underneath his touch.
Utahime swallowed, staring up at him. “And… and I was supposed to believe that?”
Smirking, Satoru raised his other hand to her cheek. “I guess I’ll have to prove it to you then.” Leaning down, he hovered his lips above hers, her rushed breaths tickling his lips. He suddenly wondered if his lips were going to be too dry, or too forceful, but he closed the space, barely brushing up against hers. The sensation tingled his lips, hers so soft against his. He held her face so gently, like she could break if he squeezed any harder. Before he could pull away, Utahime’s hands curled into his uniform and tugged him closer.
The pressure built, her lips trembling, and Satoru stroked over her cheeks, opening his mouth to deepen the kiss. Tilting her head up, she leaned into it, letting her hands slide over his shoulders. Utahime sighed, and he stroked her cheeks, swiping his tongue across her lower lip before pressing it inside of her mouth. She let out a soft moan, a gentle squeak, and a shiver rolled down Satoru’s spine. This was better than any kiss he could’ve imagined. Her mouth was hot, wet, and tasted so fresh, almost minty. Had she prepared for this? It only made Utahime even cuter.
Utahime rolled her tongue against his, her hot breath mingling with his. Satoru’s groan was deep when he pressed closer to her, wishing suddenly he could kiss her all over. His hands moved lower to cup her jaw, wrapping his tongue around hers, taking in as much as her as he could. The urge to walk her back grew. He could lift her against the wall and-
A loud slam made Utahime yelp, stumbling back from him. The door to the classroom slid open, Mei Mei peering her head in. “Utahime-” she paused, her eyes flicking between both of them, a devilish smirk curling on her lips. “Oh? Did I interrupt something?”
For a moment, neither Utahime nor Satoru said a word, their eyes stayed locked, cheeks red, chests heaving with their deep breaths. Satoru had half a mind to send Mei Mei away if only to get more kisses from Utahime before the moment broke. The tension was palpable, the electricity sparking between both of them, connecting their hearts and bodies, despite both of them having pulled away.
Satoru had expected the kiss to be good, all his deepest fantasies of Utahime brought to life, but his mind swam, spinning in circles at the realization of just how good. Every part of his body tingled with heat and anticipation. He assumed Utahime would pull away fast, but even now, she still stared at him with shock and desire, as though she wanted to kiss him once more to be certain she hadn’t envisioned how delicious it had been. Neither of them had anticipated a simple birthday gift to be something so… intense.
Even when Utahime’s gaze reluctantly broke from Satoru’s, he couldn’t take his eyes off of her lips. “N-No. Of course not. I was just… leaving,” she said. Satoru watched each word form on her slightly swollen lips, the shapes moving, but it was impossible to to fully comprehend them, as all he wanted was to get his lips back on hers.
“Leaving?” Satoru asked. His voice was dry and almost caught in his throat.
“Yeah,” she breathed out.
“We got our assignment. Let’s get it over with so we can get paid, hm?” Mei Mei chuckled, already turning away from the door, ignoring whatever tension was flying about in the small room.
“Got it,” Utahime said, nodding. Scurrying over to the door, Utahime paused briefly to glance back at Satoru. “Happy birthday,” she said, before dashing out into the hall, leaving Satoru to stand by himself, the ghost of her lips hanging onto his.
~~
The kiss consumed Satoru. His mind tumbled around thoughts, imagining what it would be like if they had taken things further. The kiss idea had started so simply. In Satoru’s mind, it was something to do for fun, a way to sate his curiosity when it came to Utahime. Sure, did he have a little crush on her? Yes, but he hadn’t expected a kiss to explode his feelings so out of proportion.
The memory was seared into his skin; the taste of her minty lips, the hint of green tea undertones, the way her tongue caressed his and sent shivers of pleasure down his spine, making his stomach flip flop. He wanted… no, needed to repeat it, to find out if every kiss they shared would be like this.
And maybe, it was more than that. Maybe Satoru just wanted her. He adored Utahime’s laugh, the way she got so worked up when he teased her. He loved how passionate she was, how hard she worked. He loved how she had the ability to build others up, complimenting their strengths. He loved how playful she could be, her secret love of baseball. The list kept growing the more he thought about it, and while it was far too soon to consider love, he knew that the kiss in the classroom had been far more than a simple birthday peck. Suguru and Shoko had been yelling at him for the past week for being so distracted, but Satoru couldn’t get his mind off the kiss.
He needed to talk to her. Had she felt the spark, too? Was it the same for her? Satoru was desperate to dig deeper.
According to the job listings, Utahime and Mei Mei had been gone for a few days, and Satoru felt as though he were being eaten alive. When he heard she had finally returned to the dorm, he had never teleported so fast.
Standing outside her door, Satoru took a deep breath. After the moment they had shared, Utahime had to agree it wasn’t just a simple kiss.
Besides, he was Gojo Satoru.
Knocking on the door, he could hear her shuffle around inside before it swung open, her eyes widening. “Gojo,” she breathed out, her mouth dropping, and Satoru couldn’t help but follow her lips. “What are you-”
Before she could speak anymore, Satoru cupped her face and pulled her in for another kiss. Warmth rushed through his body when she leaned in, kissing him back. He stumbled into her room, kicking the door closed behind him. Satoru couldn’t take his lips off of hers, and though this kiss was far more rushed then their last, tongues tangling together, breaths heating quickly, the passion only seemed to build, just as it had before. He wrapped his lips around hers, nipping at her lower.
Pulling back, Satoru rested his forehead against hers. “I couldn’t stop thinking about you,” he breathed, panting. “And I have a feeling you couldn’t stop thinking about me, either.”
“I-I…” Utahime stammered, swallowing while she desperately attempted to catch her breath. She frowned, looking as though she wanted to argue, but her face fell abruptly. “I couldn’t either…” she muttered. “I kept thinking you wanted to kiss me to tease me but then…”
“You realized I was serious?” Satoru asked, softly.
Utahime nodded. Pulling back, she pressed her teeth into her lower lip, and rubbed her arm. “I kept thinking I wanted to try it again just to see but… I think that just made things worse.”
“Worse?” Satoru asked, tilting his head.
“Ugh,” she groaned, rolling her eyes. “Don’t make me say it.”
Satoru smiled, his gaze smug. “C’mon ‘Hime. We’ve kissed twice now, I think you can admit that you liked it.”
“Shut up,” she hissed, pouting. “I never expected to like a kiss from you. I thought it would be a simple peck and then…” She trailed off, glancing away.
Satoru couldn’t help but laugh. Leaning forward, he gently pressed his fingers to her chin, turning her face to meet his. “You realized I’m a great kisser?”
Her gaze flicked downward. “I think, unfortunately, I realized a little bit more than that,” she mumbled.
“Unfortunately?!” He pressed a hand against his chest, acting offended. “Utahime! You kissed the great Gojo Satoru, and it was amazing! How is that unfortunate?!”
“Ugh,” she groaned. “Because you say stuff like that!”
With a smirk, Satoru pecked her lips. “It’s okay, you can kiss me as much as you want.” He didn’t know what this meant for them, but warmth burst through his chest. Utahime had been thinking about him as much as he had thought about her. What was supposed to be a fun birthday kiss, had led to something Satoru was getting addicted to, and he could tell Utahime felt the same. There was no denying it.
Utahime rolled her eyes while stepping forward, wrapping her arms around his neck. “Ugh, I’ll think about it,” she mumbled, leaning into him to kiss him again. Satoru didn’t miss noticing her lip quirking up into a smirk.
Satoru smiled back, pressing against her lips, kissing her deeper. There was a building spark, the budding flower of romance slowly blooming between them. Who knew where this would lead, but Satoru did know he wanted nothing more than to kiss Utahime as many times as he could.