Chapter Text
Getou Suguru is not a jealous man
In fact, if his peers, superiors, or students were ever to describe him in one word, he’s quite sure that ‘jealous’ would be the last anyone would think to use
Suguru is the dictionary definition of calm, cool, and collected. He’s never one to lose his composure, even during tough fights with Special Grade curses. He’s cunning and manipulative when interacting with Curse Users, his intelligence often being the deciding factor in most of the wins listed on his large, impressive resumé. Wild and chaotic sorcerers like Yuuji, Nobara, and his beloved husband, Satoru, often rely on him. More stoic and put-together sorcerers like Nanami, Yaga, and his dear adoptive son, Megumi, hold him in incredibly high regard.
Jealous isn’t a word that would cross any of their minds when thinking of him
He’s sure that if he were to walk around campus one day and ask the students and staff whether he or Satoru is more prone to jealousy, the numbers would vastly favour his husband
And they would be absolutely right, because Gojo Satoru is a man who loves bringing up his relationship every chance he gets. He’s the type to launch into a long-winded anecdote about one of his and Suguru’s missions while teaching in the classroom, barely managing to connect what he’s saying to the original lesson plan. He’s the type to prance around the grounds showing off his wedding ring, bragging to other sorcerers about how humble and joyful the life of a married man is. He’s the type to get touchy and clingy with Suguru in public, often shooing away assistant directors when they approach either of them with a mission file, draping himself over the other man and practically wrestling with him if he tries to take it
And, again, the alternative answer to this question would be Suguru, who, as we’ve established, is just about the least jealous man in the world
Truthfully, he himself never understood the idea of being jealous when someone flirts with your partner. He’s old enough now to have seen plenty of couples, a few more serious than others, breaking up because of some suspicion of there being a third person in their relationship. At times, the accuser is right, at other times, they’re dead wrong, and in both cases, he doesn’t understand
See, if it were Suguru, he’d leave his partner at the first inkling they’ve been unfaithful
Because what use is there in staying with someone who you are not even sure loves you enough to remain loyal? What use is there in loving someone who you can’t even trust? Even if they haven’t done anything wrong, it’s clear the relationship isn’t worth saving if it’s prone to such petty, childish behaviour
Besides, none of these issues are things Suguru has to think about in detail. He has a husband who he adores and who adores him in turn. He’s not one to compare, but he is confident in the thought that his and Satoru’s relationship just happens to be far superior to any other relationship in current existence. They were made for each other. They complete each other. They’ve been unhealthily codependent since the age of seventeen and they plan to remain so until one of them dies, just until the other (likely soon) follows, then resume this way of existing in the afterlife.
Water is wet, the sky is blue, and Gojo Satoru and Getou Suguru belong together
Suguru has no reason to feel jealousy, or, by extension, insecurity
That is, until Yaga calls them into his office for a little impromptu meeting
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“This-” Yaga slams a file down onto his desk, flipping it open to show a picture of a man in a suit and tie, who is smiling gently into the camera. It’s framed like a photograph usually used for a passport or an ID badge. The man has green eyes and short, cropped black hair, a style that suits his warm yet sharp features. He looks to be in his mid to late twenties if the smile lines by his nose are anything to go by. The slightly glossy dark blue fabric of his clothing and the signature spiral design on the buttons tell them both that this man is a student, “-is Mr Toshio Okimoto”
“Isn’t he a bit old to be a student?” Satoru plucks the paper out of the file to hold it to his own face, not caring about the fact that he’s scattering the others. Suguru hooks his chin over his husband's shoulder and peers at the paper as well. The age on his profile reads ‘26’
Yaga continues his statement, ignoring Satoru’s interruption with practised ease, “Okimoto-san has only recently decided to pursue the path of a sorcerer. He’s a non-sorcerer who was granted Cursed Energy after an incident with a specific type of curse that can rewrite one’s genetics and imbue cursed techniques. He was saved by a few sorcerers afterwards, and the curse was exorcised. As his situation is particularly unique, it has been decided that Satoru will be in charge of his learning and progression”
“Hah?! Why me?!” Satoru exclaims, slamming his hands down on the table and causing the rest of the papers to go flying
The principal pinches the bridge of his nose “Were you not saying yesterday that you find teaching to be the easiest and most fulfilling thing in the world? Barely making a dent in your workload?”
Suguru snickers, placing his fist over his own mouth and disguising the laugh as a cough. Despite this routine being a decade old, he does enjoy watching Satoru fumble when the older man scrutinises him
“Principal, come on, I have a life y’know, I’m a married man! With four children! This is workplace harassment!” Satoru argues, frantically waving the hand on which his silver wedding band is situated and yanking Suguru’s forward for dramatic effect. Suguru stumbles a bit, chuckling a bit more
“And you’ve already made a habit of blending your life at work and your married life” He points to another file he keeps situated as far away from himself as possible “lest I remind you of the multiple incidents in the teachers’ lounge-”
Suguru suddenly chokes on his laughter
“-Your office, his office-”
Satoru sputters, in their defence, the assistants should’ve been knocking
“-The rooftop, the classrooms, the grounds-”
Satoru lifts his finger up to argue that was one time, but Yaga’s withering glare shoots him down
“-The tree in the garden that was planted specifically for recreation-”
One could look at it as a recreational activity, but neither Satoru nor Suguru would survive the embarrassment of arguing this point
“-and basically anywhere other than the lodgings provided to you at the college” he finishes, slumping slightly as he takes a breather. His gaze finds Satoru’s again after a moment “You are the last person who should be lecturing anyone on workplace harassment”
Satoru gulps down whatever he was about to say and quickly tugs his blindfold back over his eyes. Suguru just looks at the floor, having the decency to fake shame even if he doesn’t truly regret any of what Yaga just listed
“When do I start?” the strongest sorcerer mutters after a beat
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See, this is all well and good
Up until now, Suguru has had absolutely no issue with the current state of affairs
A jealous husband would be absolutely enraged at the idea of his partner spending more of the day with all of his attention focused on a decently handsome man who just so happens to be a little younger than them, especially if it takes away a sizeable chunk of the little alone time they get together
But not Suguru, because Suguru is incredibly secure in his relationship.
And Yaga is mostly correct about their work and life being mixed together most of the time. Jujutsu sorcerers don’t have set working hours. Class times, mission times, deadlines, they always vary, and they’ve learned how to go with the flow, so the added variable of Satoru teaching this Okimoto guy the ropes isn’t something that would even fall on Suguru’s radar
That is, until he meets the guy
It’s a bright summer morning, most of the foliage around campus has regenerated itself through the spring, providing ample shade, particularly at the entrance to the High School. Suguru is just walking by this area when he hears a man panting louder than a dog, the sound of his voice accompanied by his staggering footsteps on the stairs leading up the mountain. Suguru walks to the top of the staircase, looking down in mild interest but making no effort to help him. After all, if he can’t survive the climb up to the school, he can’t survive as a sorcerer
Right now, Toshio looks far less handsome than he does in the pictures they have on file. His hair and clothes are drenched in sweat, his face is red, and his knuckles are white as he hauls his two suitcases over each step with excruciating effort. He doesn’t even seem to notice Suguru waiting at the top until he collapses in front of him, slowly tilting his head up and squinting
“Well done” Suguru claps a few times “with this kind of talent at Jujutsu High, maybe the flyheads will have something to fear”
The new sorcerer just squints harder, not seeming to understand what the seasoned Special-Grade is saying. Suguru sighs, dropping the act and offering his hand “Getou Suguru” he introduces himself
Toshio’s eyes widen slightly at that, and he allows Suguru to help him up “I’ve read about you” he breathes “One of the four special grades, am I correct? Three of them are on this campus, the fourth is hard to get a hold of, Kyoto has none.”
“Two are on this campus.” Suguru corrects, “Okkotsu Yuuta is currently on a long-term mission overseas” he sees a slightly dejected expression pass the other man’s face “Still, impressive.” He offers
After a moment, Suguru summons two curses to lift his bags. Toshio jolts backwards in fear, fumbling for a weapon he forgot was in said bags
“They’re harmless” Suguru assures before the man can make a bigger fool of himself “It’s my cursed technique, I have the ability to absorb and command curses.”
Toshio manages a shaky nod “R-right, Curse Manipulation, I should’ve recalled”
“Would you like them to carry your bags for you?” he asks, attempting a friendly gesture
The curses being out any longer than necessary only seems to make Toshio more nervous “Actually, could you just-”
“SORRY I’M LATE!”
Satoru comes barreling out of the main building, Yaga’s foot briefly visible before the door slams shut. He crashes into Suguru, who catches him with practised ease and holds him up, turning him to face the new guy in one graceful motion
“And this would be the other Special Grade on campus-”
“Gojo Satoru” Toshio breathes, and Suguru’s goodwill evaporates
Suddenly, the tired, panting man from before is gone. He straightens up, eyes wide with wonder, looking up and down Satoru’s incredibly tall figure before focusing on the blindfold, where his eyes should be. He’s smiling now, smoothing his own hair back with one hand, before giving a small bow to show respect
And this would be perfectly fine, after all, many look at the most genetically gifted man in their world the same way, but Toshio’s gaze lingers on certain parts of Satoru’s body a little too long for it to be comfortable. He’s wearing a thick, baggy teacher’s uniform, it’s not like there’s even anything to show off, but the newcomer stares nonetheless. It’s gotten a little too quiet, and man seems too starstruck to bother attempting to lift the silence. When his eyes find Satoru’s lips, a vein begins to pop in Suguru’s temple
“That’s me!” Satoru grins enthusiastically, holding out his hand. His right hand. His right hand that has a big sparkly silver wedding band located on his ring finger. A ring Suguru put there, on their wedding day, just so there’s no confusion.
Toshio moves to shake his hand a little too quickly before infinity stops him. Suguru feels a little internal satisfaction as the younger man’s brows knit together in slight confusion
“Cool trick, right?” Satoru smiles, “It’s called-”
“Infinity” Toshio finishes, now moving his hand around the empty space more confidently, hovering over the wide haired man's palm, the inside of his wrist, his fingers “It’s supposed to cause its user to become untouchable, though the mechanisms around it are incredibly complex for me to understand, I didn’t even believe it was possible, but it’s…”
‘Blah blah blah blah blah’ is basically all Suguru hears in his head. He folds his arms, making sure the matching silver wedding band on his left hand is hitting the sunlight just right
“You got it mostly right!” Satoru gives a thumbs up with his other hand “I’ll give you the full explanation later, but it allows me to control what can physically interact with me and what can’t. So if I want, we can just shake hands like this”
Suguru’s jaw tightens as Satoru’s hand meets the other man’s. Toshio shakes his hand a little too slowly, as if he’s savouring the physical contact. His thumb brushes over Satoru’s knuckles, and Suguru’s curses, now on the other side of campus, deliberately start shaking his suitcases, hoping for something inside to break and severely inconvenience him in the future
Toshio’s confidence only increases with the physical interaction “It’s an honour to meet you, and a greater honour to be able to shake your hand”
He still hasn’t let go. Suguru’s pretty sure he can feel the cool temperature of the metal on Satoru’s finger and he still hasn’t let go
“Get ready for the honour of being taught by me, then, you know my classroom is very exclusive. They call me ‘great teacher Gojo’ around here” he finally parts their hands to make a couple of gestures, Suguru inwardly lets out a sigh of relief
“You can repay me for transporting your bags by not feeding this man’s ego any more than it has already been fed” Suguru states dryly, keeping up his ‘introduction’ schtick while establishing to Toshio that he and Satoru are close enough for him to say such things about the other man
Satoru puts a hand over his own heart “Suguru!” he gasps “how can you say that about me to someone I’ve just met! You’re ruining my chance at making a good impression!”
Suguru's about to shoot back with 'since when have you ever made a good impression on anyone ' when the new guy interrupts his train of thought
“I can’t make any promises, Getou-san.” Toshio smiles, and Suguru knows that smile, because he has flashed it at several people on numerous occasions. That fake, tight-lipped, thin, I-don’t-give-a-shit-about-what-you-have-to-say smile.
Taking Satoru’s side in an argument. How desperate. How desperate and juvenile and pathetic. Suguru hates him on principle.
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A day passes by, and Suguru convinces himself he was overreacting during that first meeting, it was only the guy’s first day, and maybe he was just incredibly charmed by Satoru’s physique and charisma. Sure, he held his hand too long, but people have read about that hand a hundred times in the sorcerer world. Yes, maybe the staring made Suguru incredibly uncomfortable, but seeing the ‘strongest’ in person can do that to you. It’s not a surprise, it really isn’t surprising at all.
What is surprising is when Suguru walks past a classroom with only the two of them in it and hears Toshio ask for another demonstration of infinity
“Huh? That’s the fifth time you’ve wanted one! You sure you’re understanding any of what I’m saying?” Satoru questions, flicking the wooden stick he was using to teach forward and gesturing
Suguru’s ears stand on end when he hears that it’s the fifth time. He has seen Curse Users who are more thick-headed than Todo grasp the concept after one explanation. No human being with a fully functional brain needs this many complete demonstrations to get it
Suguru watches through the crack in the door, eyes narrowing, as Satoru pulls up a chair and seats himself across from Toshio’s desk, long limbs spreading far as the furniture barely accommodates his body anymore. He places his elbow on the desk, holding out his hand and giving the speech Suguru has seen him give a hundred times before. Toshio, of course, seems to only be focused on his fingers, like he’s mentally trying to measure their length to the millimeter
Satoru allows their hands to make contact, and Toshio intertwines their fingers, looking like he just discovered what a human hand is
Suguru’s jaw is clenched so hard he feels like his teeth are about to break
“Hm, I think I understand it now” He states after a moment, his hand, again, lingering too long. He untangles his fingers from Satoru’s before putting them together once more, repeating the motion a few times like he’s enjoying the way their skins brush against each other
It’s too forward, too obscene, Suguru has half a mind to beat the new ‘student’ black and blue
“That’s what you said the last four times” Satoru points out, oblivious. He’s beginning to think his students are right about his teaching methods being too hard to keep up with sometimes
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Suguru lets the hand thing slide. Sure, he had to have multiple conversations with himself in the mirror and hack more than a few very unfortunate practice dummies to pieces in order to get there, but he managed, in the end
Ok, so Satoru’s new, decently handsome ‘student’ who is a full two years younger than Suguru, has a little crush on him. Big deal. It’s not like Suguru has anything to be genuinely afraid of. Satoru all but grew up with him; he raised four whole children with him, and he’s been on hundreds of missions with him. They have a connection that can never be replicated. Satoru would never look at another man the same way
But that clearly doesn’t stop other men from looking at Satoru the way only his husband should
Case in point, when Toshio asks his teacher the importance of physical strength and exercise as a sorcerer
Suguru just happens to be walking to the vending machine when he hears them talking from inside one of the indoor training rooms. Being the master of stealth that he is, he hides by the window, peeking into the area just in time to see Satoru take off the jacket of his uniform to reveal the tight compression shirt he has on underneath, the shirt that is currently hugging each and every one of his muscles like a second skin
Suguru watches how Toshio’s eyes immediately train on the Special Grade’s pecs and abs, drool beginning to fill his mouth
“The answer for whether physical build matters or not depends on the sorcerer” Satoru explains, gesturing animatedly, not noticing how Toshio’s pupils dart to every muscle he happens to flex while doing so. “Some sorcerers happen to have cursed techniques that allow them to get a bit more relaxed when it comes to physical training, and they’ll tell you it doesn’t matter much…”
The Curse Manipulator sneaks another peek, and, as expected, Toshio seems to have entirely tuned Satoru out, content to just watch the way every bit of flesh under his shirt ripples with his movements. It pisses Suguru off. Satoru can see plenty of things through his blindfold, but he rarely notices where people’s eyeballs are moving. The six eyes are for mapping out cursed energies and built-up residuals, meaning he can see people just fine, but their facial expressions can be a little hard to discern.
Satoru can’t tell where Toshio’s looking, a fact Toshio has clearly realised and is using to his advantage as his gaze rakes shamelessly over the clearly married man’s body
“In my classroom, however,” Satoru continues, unaware and unbothered “I make everyone equally train their bodies to keep strong. Doesn’t matter if it’s the physically gifted, like Yuuji or Maki, or the ones gifted in cursed energy like Megumi or Inumaki. There are always going to be points in a sorcerer’s life where they will need to rely on their physical abilities and cursed tools to get them out of a jam. Even I’ve been there, so you will have to maintain…”
He might as well just stop talking. Suguru has half a mind to burst in there and announce an impromptu quiz just so he can show Satoru that Toshio doesn’t know jack shit about what he’s saying and clearly does not care to learn it
But, again, he reins himself in, it’s just a crush. A little crush. He’s not the first guy to give Satoru a once-over every time they come into contact. He won’t be the last. Satoru doesn’t care, and he wouldn’t if he knew, that’s all that matters
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“Sensei, would you mind treating me to a drink at the vending machine?”
BOOM!
That was the sound of a volcano erupting inside Suguru’s head
What did he just say?
He dimly registers Satoru’s enthusiastic agreement and the identical sounds of two soda cans clicking open, accompanied by the fizzing of the carbonated liquid inside
“Ah, just what I needed today, thank you so much for paying, sensei ”
For once, Suguru feels like it isn’t the curses he swallows that make him want to throw up
Why the hell is he calling him that?!
“Sensei, tell me, are there any exercises you recommend for me to get stronger in a shorter amount of time?”
There it is again. Suguru listens harder this time, listens to the way he practically purrs the word, drawing out the two, count them, two syllables and like the word is an expensive meal he’d like to savour every bite of
He doesn’t say the word with enthusiasm, like Yuuji, with exasperation, like Megumi, or with insistence, like Nobara. He doesn’t say it with admiration, like Yuuta, annoyance, like Maki, familiarity, like Panda, or — well, it’s not like Inumaki can even say the word
He doesn’t say it like an actual student
He says it like they’re doing some kind of gross, sexual, teacher-student roleplay. The inflexions, the sultry tone, the way it sounds like he sticks his tongue out a little when he says the ‘ei’ part of ‘Sensei’, if there were room for denial before, there certainly isn’t now
“Sensei ” Suguru hears again, not even registering the context this time, only knowing that he wants to hurl into the nearest bush
He doesn’t care that Toshio’s technically a student, he’s a grown ass man, grown ass men don’t call men two years older than them ‘Sensei’ like that unless they’re in a bedroom and into some kinky shit (Which Suguru can’t quite feel contempt for, lord knows he and Satoru have gotten up to some unholy activities over the years)
He can’t idly by anymore. This is the last straw. He doesn't care that the man is a 'student', he doesn't care that there's a clear power imbalance between them, and he doesn't care that it's only been three days, he needs to put this insipid little cockroach who can't take a hint in his place as soon as possible
Suguru has barely ever felt the need to show off their relationship the way Satoru does, but now all he can imagine for comfort is the immense satisfaction he’d feel if he were to rub the fact that he is Satoru’s one and only in Toshio’s face.
He has to remind himself he's not a jealous man, and this is not jealousy. He's absolutely not jealous, or annoyed, or enraged about every second that man is spending next to his husband. He trusts Satoru, he trusts him with every fiber of his being and he would never allow someone so small and insignificant to threaten that trust. It's not mistrust that makes him feel this way
but
He wants Toshio to know his place. He wants him to be aware that he might as well not exist when Satoru is with Suguru, because Satoru only has eyes for him, and that will never change
and the fact that he's so fixated on this isn't a showcase of the fact that he's jealous. It's equivalent to seeing a mosquito buzzing incessantly by your partner's ear and squashing it, grinding it to a dirty splat on the wall with your finger, then wiping away the broken bits with a tissue and throwing that tissue in the trash
Ok, maybe not the best analogy
The fact that he's imagining Toshio as the mosquito has nothing to do with this
Whatever
He needs a plan
He needs to hammer him back down without making it look like any of this has actually affected him. If he goes to them right now and breaks each of his limbs, he'll look like a complete, insecure fool, and it'll only provide fuel for that little Grade-4 weakling who can't even handle a flight of stairs to fish for sympathy and talk about how he's 'crazy' and 'possessive'
And Suguru doesn't want to give him the satisfaction of being able to think either of those things
So, he needs to get it through his clearly thick skull without outwardly provoking anything on his own. Oddly enough, this sounds completely easy and doable
Maybe he can use his husband’s capacity for PDA to his advantage, just this once
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It’s a lovely, sunny morning when Suguru finds them in the teachers’ lounge (wow, so he’s a student, but he gets access to where all the grown-ups hang out, funny). Toshio is prattling on about how incredible it is to gaze directly into the six eyes, asking his sensei to please show him what’s under the blindfold again. Satoru keeps obliging, thinking little of it despite the headache it causes; everyone thinks his eyes are incredible, after all
And Suguru believes the stage is set perfectly for his master plan
The plan being to let Satoru do and say whatever he wants and maybe nudging him in the right direction with a little bit of affection
Hey, he never said it was an elaborate plan; he just knows it’ll be good enough to get the job done
He enters the room casually, walking to the coffee counter without an acknowledgement of the other two, only half-faking being too exhausted to care about what's happening around him. Sure, he's carefully mapped out when and where his feet land when he walks, the way his hands 'sluggishly' pick up the coffee pot, and the timing, volume, length, and pitch of the yawn he lets out, but that's neither here nor there. He has just enough adrenaline in him to do this and plenty of exhaustion in him to make it believable
He and Satoru have barely had a moment together in the past few days, going in and out of their bedroom to take sporadic naps between missions, lessons, and paperwork, mostly missing each other by a few minutes and having to spend time in bed alone. If his forecast is right, and it's always dead on when it comes to Satoru, his need for physical contact is at about a 'nine' on a scale of one-to-ten.
He pretends he isn’t listening hard for the moment Satoru slides off the couch, pretends he’s not finding comfort in every footstep taken in his direction.
He resists the urge to smile to himself when he feels the familiar weight of his husband draping his body over his own, wrapping around him from behind, locking his limbs in a position where he can’t even make the drink without spilling things everywhere
Good, he wasn’t planning on actually making coffee anyway
“Suguruuuuu” Satoru all but whines, the fatigue from the last few days seeping into his voice, a complete contrast to the way he was talking before. Toshio has gone uncharacteristically quiet, and Suguru should feel ashamed at the amount of internal satisfaction he gets out of that, but he can’t find it in himself to care
“Good morning to you too,” Suguru sighs, his own exhaustion suddenly far more apparent to him. He abandons the coffee, placing his hands over his husband’s and tilting backwards into his hold. Satoru lets out a pleased hum, adjusting his arms to accommodate the added weight now that Suguru is leaning against him, swaying just a little
“You look exhausted,” Satoru murmurs, squeezing him a bit. The disappointment from the many times he’s entered their room and not found Suguru there has accumulated, snowballing into the overly clingy urge to hold him as tight as possible and never let go
Like he said, his forecast is always dead-on
And Suguru can’t help but feel smug about it. He didn’t have to lift a finger. All he has to do is walk in front of his husband and Satoru will drop the guy whose been sending him obvious signs and pathetically vying for his attention the past few days. He’s loving the fact that Toshio’s seeing this, seeing how inconsequential and insignificant he is, seeing how all his frankly embarrassing behaviour amounts to nothing
“You sound exhausted” Suguru turns in Satoru’s arms so they’re facing each other. He hooks his chin over Satoru’s shoulder, leaning his head into the crook of his neck while opening his eyes just enough for them to look like narrow slits, so he can see Toshio’s face and reaction
And oh, it is satisfying. The 26-year-old looks a little like he did when he first entered the college, speechless and confused, unable to comprehend what’s right in front of him. The impromptu public display of affection completely has its intended effect
“Sensei?” Toshio finally seems to have found his voice, and Suguru feels incredibly pleased about the way he says the word. It’s not soft and drawn out; it’s clear and concise, if a little high pitched. The overly flirtatious edge it had before is now completely absent. Good, he thinks, turns out he does know how to say it like a normal person, Suguru should knock his teeth out for how he was saying it before
“Class dismissed” Satoru murmurs tiredly, burying his face into Suguru’s hair. Suguru puts his arms around his shoulders and presses his lips to his collarbone to stifle a chuckle
“But—” Suguru has to resist the urge to roll his eyes. Can’t this guy take ‘no’ for an answer? He’s been hogging Satoru’s time since he got here. Doesn’t he have it in him to shut up for once? Suguru’s just about to snap at him when—
“This is just how the life of a married man is, my dear student” Satoru grins lazily, the smallest fraction of energy reentering his voice when he brags about his marriage. He yawns loudly before continuing, “You see your beloved husband, and all you can think about is not working anymore”
Suguru’s heart leaps the moment Satoru makes that statement. It may have been said so many times it now draws groans from every single person who exists on this cursed campus, but right now it’s a Godsend. The Strongest's routine of bragging about his happy and fulfilling marriage is familiar territory for anyone whose been here over a week, and Suguru can't believe he didn't factor it into his master plan when it was only a matter of time until Toshio had to hear it too.
He really couldn't have had better timing. Suguru should kiss him for this, preferably without telling him the reason
“You’re married?!” Toshio exclaims, loud and fake, and the calm pool of satisfaction in Suguru's chest ripples slightly as it's polluted with a few drops annoyance. The man has been glued to his husband the past three days, his husband who wears an incredibly bright and shiny wedding ring on the finger of the hand he’s so keen to hold. He obviously knew, and now he’s pretending not to. If it weren’t so early in the morning, Suguru would verbally humiliate him.
“For four lovely years!” Satoru slurs, clearly too tired to be able to properly conduct himself. Suguru’s presence has allowed him to succumb to his fatigue, and now he’s freely saying whatever the hell pops into his head “Getou-Sensei here is the love of my life”
That last sentence of his causes Suguru to chuckle, the lightest pink blush dancing across his cheeks. Satoru made his point clear for him without even being prompted to do so. Toshio is still doing his whole confused and surprised act, but he can’t find it in himself to care. This really couldn’t have gone any better.
“Con-congratulations” the green-eyed man offers stiffly, but there’s no smile in sight. Suguru hopes this hurts him, he wants him to be perfectly aware that he never stood a chance
He doesn’t think he could rub their relationship and marital status into the other man’s face any more, even if he wanted, so now he’s just content to indulge his beloved and maybe get him to relax a little
“Satoru ” he says his name softly, gently, the way only someone who knows him inside and out could, Toshio’s ‘sensei’ pales in comparison. “You can barely stand upright anymore. Come on, we both need rest”
Effortlessly, he bends down and hooks his arm behind Satoru’s knees, the other looping around the broad expanse of his back before lifting him into a bridal carry. Satoru lets out a contented sigh, resting his head on his husband’s shoulder and bringing his arms around his neck. After a moment, he musters the strength to lean up and kiss Suguru’s cheek before speaking to his new ‘student’ over his shoulder “You see what I mean? Married life has plenty of perks. I’m so fortunate”
“Don’t mind him, Okimoto-san, he’s barely in his senses” Suguru acknowledges the attempted homewrecker for the first time since he walked in here, offering him his signature fake, tight-lipped smile, just for the sake of balance “I’m sure after a few hours of sleep, Satoru can demonstrate infinity to you again”
He doesn’t catch Toshio’s reaction, choosing not to grace him with any more attention and instead deciding to turn on his heel and carry Satoru out before the man can respond
He needed to get the last word
Getou Suguru always gets the last word
.
.
.
.
He opens their bedroom door with his elbow, walks in, and shuts it with his foot, moving carefully enough that none of Satoru’s long limbs hit the doorframe and cause him to jolt out of his half-asleep state
He gently lays the white-haired man on the bed, watching him all but melt into the soft mattress the moment his body makes contact with it. Satoru uses one shoe to pry the other off his foot, then repeats the motion with his toes to get rid of the first, doing the same with his socks. He then attempts to take off the jacket of his uniform without sitting up, unzipping it and shimmying around the bed until it slides down his arms
“You look like a dying fish” Suguru mutters while walking to the curtains and blacking them out completely. After so many days spent taking sporadic naps, the morning sun would give them both sensory hell
Satoru grumbles in response, the sleeves finally letting go of his wrists. He kicks the jacket off the bed as soon as it’s not attached to his body, the fabric landing on the floor in a heap, he decides he can pick it up after he’s gotten a little sleep. He’s glad he’d only been wearing a regular T-shirt underneath today, the compression top would’ve been far more annoying to remove
Once the room is sufficiently darkened, Suguru takes off his own jacket and throws it on top of Satoru’s before sliding into bed. Satoru immediately reaches forward, throwing an arm over him and dragging him closer until they’re flush against each other
Suguru lets out a pleased hum, hands sliding up to cup his Soulmate’s face, fingertips gently hooking under the soft, black fabric of his blindfold and slowly peeling it off. He watches Satoru breathe a sigh of relief that he probably didn’t know he was holding in
He takes a moment to just look at his life partner’s face, his features becoming clearer as his eyes adjust to the dark. They’re so soft whenever he’s relaxed like this, white eyelashes fluttering against rounded cheeks, plush pink lips slightly apart, tension absent from his forehead
He’s been so clueless these past three days
He didn’t even know he was being flirted with, did he?
Cute
Suguru finds himself leaning forward, smoothing back his beloved’s unruly white hair with one hand and gently tilting his face with the other. His lips brush against Satoru’s forehead
When he pulls back, he can see two slivers of blue shining between each pair of eyelids, the corner of the other man’s mouth quirks up in a tired smirk
“You’re clingy today” he mutters, voice thick with weariness, hand reaching out to undo the bun Suguru forgot he put his hair into
“I haven’t gotten to sleep next to you in three days” he tilts his head to let Satoru’s fingers fiddle with the hair tie at a better angle “Can you blame me?”
The tension in his tone ebbs away the moment his favourite person manages to pull the elastic black band from his hair, letting the dark strands spill out onto his pillow. A moment later, Satoru’s hand gently massages the point on his scalp where he knows the most strain has gathered, fingertips pressing on the skin to encourage circulation
The added blood flow to his brain makes him realise he essentially waltzed into the teachers’ lounge, picked Satoru up like a bride, and hauled him off to their bedroom in front of Satoru’s new, 26-year-old student
Whatever, he had to get his point across somehow, and the man in bed with him did most of the work illustrating it
“Sorry” the white-haired man breathes, “wanted to be a better teacher. Toshio takes forever to get things”
Suguru’s jaw twitches, he doesn’t like Satoru saying that man’s name in their bedroom, but now is not the time to bring that up
“Everyone learns at their own pace” he offers in a neutral tone, fully aware that’s not the reason Toshio isn’t grasping basic Jujutsu concepts “and you are a good teacher, I can see that you’re trying”
A small smile plays at Satoru’s lips when the praise registers in his tired mind. Something in Suguru melts again. He’s so clueless. So dumb and clueless and cute
Satoru’s smile widens when he feels Suguru’s lips against his cheek this time. He pulls him in a little tighter
“Clingy” he repeats
“Go to sleep” his beloved replies
And Satoru does
The next day, Suguru feels wonderful
He managed to stake his claim clear up any confusion about his marital status, scare off gently get it across to Toshio that Satoru is taken and happy with it, and had a great night cuddling with his lovely husband, catching up on sleep together
Not to mention, today is a great day since Nanami and Haibara are here, stopping by to drop off a few reports from their previous missions and hang out with their ex-upperclassmen
Suguru sadly hadn’t been able to greet them when they first arrived, since he had a lesson to teach, but he’s all done for the day and taking the walk to the Medical Building now, already aware that where Shoko is, the other two will be
He’d even paused in the teachers’ lounge to grab a few drinks and snacks, gathering them together in a plastic bag before exiting the main building of the school and journeying across the grassy area
He can already see the recent, potent residuals of his friends’ footsteps when he nears the doors, the faint sound of chatter inside getting louder the closer he gets. A soft smile situates itself on his face when he pushes them open, seeing the three of them crammed together in the cubicle Shoko uses for charting
“Sorry for the delay, I brought us some snacks to make up for…”
He trails off when he notices each of their expressions. Shoko is grimacing, looking at Suguru the way she looks at patients she knows probably won’t make it. Nanami’s eyes are narrowed to slits, the skin by his brow creased to show he’s thoroughly ticked off. Haibara looks like there are a hundred words he wants to vomit out, and he’s swallowing them back down every few seconds, fist pressed against his mouth
“...did something happen?” the only Special Grade among them asks, a thousand thoughts about what they could’ve been talking about crossing his mind. He hopes no one has died again, or is injured, or is retiring after losing a limb, or—
“Getou-san” Nanami steps forward, now in the doorway of the cubicle “Can you think of any reason why Gojo-san’s new ‘student’ was walking to the training yard with him while hanging off his arm?”
A dark streak pierces the air behind Suguru, ripping and widening into a portal his strongest curses stick their heads out of. The room goes cold, the moaning and groaning of the most powerful things in the curse manipulator’s arsenal being the only thing that can be heard
“What?” is the only word that leaves his mouth. It sounds like a funeral toll.
“It’s just, after Nanami and I submitted our reports, we may have seen him walking with Gojo-senpai, and well… he was touchinghimanawfullot—” Haibara’s word vomit finally spills out “...you two aren’t in a fight, right?”
Suguru shakes his head once, mind clearly focused on which curse he’d use to rip Toshio’s guts out
Nanami takes off his goggles, pinching the bridge of his nose “He was also calling Gojo-san ‘sensei’ in a way no man his age should be in public. It was deeply unprofessional”
Oh.
Oh, so he actually wanted to die.
Every Jujutsu Sorcerer has to be at least some amount of suicidal, it comes with the job, but Toshio clearly wanted to be pummeled until his own family wouldn’t be able to recognise him
And Suguru could very well make that happen
“Get your curses out of my ward before they make everything unsterile, Getou” Shoko rolls her eyes, shoving her hand into the plastic bag hanging off his wrist and taking out the first alcoholic beverage she feels. When talking doesn’t work, she lightly smacks the side of his head with her free hand “Getou, turn it off”
Suguru, who had completely forgotten the human body requires oxygen to function, inhales sharply when Shoko’s hand makes contact with the side of his head. His curses retreat, the inky black portals behind him stitching themselves together and disappearing. His eyes meet the doctor's
“According to these two, Gojo wasn’t entertaining any of it, he was just continuing to talk like nothing was happening” She states, like that helps matters, like Suguru doesn’t already know that
“It was mostly about controlling your cursed energy when launching physical attacks! I made sure to memorise almost everything he said if you want to hear it!” Haibara slams his fist onto his palm, taking this as seriously as an investigative mission
“It didn’t look like Gojo-san was initiating anything romantic” Nanami adds “and neither of us is bringing this to you with the idea that he would be unfaithful”
“He wouldn’t.” Suguru responds automatically, like the mere suggestion should shrivel up and disappear the moment it’s breathed into existence. The very thought makes him nauseous.
“If anything, I’m not sure even he understands he’s being hit on” Shoko uncaps the bottle with her bare hands and takes a swig “Gojo took forever to realise you were in love with him, and you were basically all over him since first year. Even these two knew before he did”
Both their juniors nod in agreement, the shorter one opening his mouth “One time, when I asked about the big three Clans, Gojo-senpai told me he grew up super sheltered. I bet he hasn’t even understood what this guy is trying to do”
“I rarely have faith in him, but I’m sure that if this ‘student’ tried to initiate something, Gojo-san would reject it” Nanami uses a cloth to clean the lenses of his goggles “make it clear to him that you're married, that should straighten things out”
“I have made it clear” Suguru grits out through clenched teeth “this isn’t the first incident.”
“Well it didn’t look like you made it clear enough” Haibara frowns. The guy was completely in Satoru’s personal space, fingertips skittering a little close to places they shouldn’t be
That comment causes the Curse Manipulator to set his jaw, dropping the bag on Shoko’s desk and swiftly turning around “You’re right, Haibara”, he states, his voice dead calm. Shoko lets out a low whistle. “Maybe he does need another explanation”
Nanami lets out a sigh, wanting to cut their trip short and leave campus now, lest they get summoned to deal with Suguru’s curses running wild and causing major property damage
“Don’t beat him so bad I have to fix something” Shoko calls after Suguru. She was hoping to have a lazy, relaxing day today
Suguru doesn’t respond
He can’t make any promises
Getou Suguru is not a jealous man
but he wants Toshio gone