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Satoru wasn’t sure how he ended up here. Again.
The early morning sunlight filters through the blinds, casting the shadows of waving leaves across the walls. Satoru’s gaze is fixed on the white ceiling. His mind is still foggy with sleep as he rolls over in the empty bed.
His eyes scan over the room. The sliding door is left open, his clothes are neatly folded on a chair, and only his friend’s pants are gone. He didn’t leave this time.
Satoru sits up in bed, stretching his arms. His face scrunches in a wince at the soreness in his back. That would annoy him for a few days.
He plants his feet on the floor, sitting on the edge of the bed. With a sigh, he gets up and tugs his sweatpants on before leaving the room.
How did he end up here again?
Every time, Satoru told himself he wouldn’t do it again. That he’d be strong and let it go. These meetings only complicated things further. But last night, like always, it only took one phone call before he was here. And it would be the same next week, no matter what he would tell himself today.
His feet pad softly across the wooden floors, taking him to the small kitchen. He’s greeted by a pleasant, savory smell and finds Suguru at the stove. He stares at his scratched back for a moment, then clears his throat.
Suguru looks over his shoulder with a warm smile. “Satoru,” he starts, his voice rough. “You’re awake.”
Satoru takes in a deep breath. “I am.”
“That’s good,” Suguru hums, turning back to the stove. “I’m making breakfast.”
Satoru takes a seat at the small dining table. As much as he tries, he can’t help his eyes from finding Suguru’s back again. They trace over every raised and red scratch on his shoulder blades. He glances down at his own fingernails and has a brief thought of cutting them.
A bowl of rice and scrambled eggs is placed in front of him.
“It’s not much,” Suguru offers as he sits across from Satoru with his own bowl.
Satoru watches as Suguru eats, his silky black hair falling over his shoulder. He begins eating his own food.
The two sit in a comfortable silence. It feels oddly domestic to Satoru. Usually, Suguru was gone by the time he woke up, leaving him alone in this house in the middle of a forest.
Satoru wasn’t even sure if Suguru owned the house. He was only here during these meetings, and it didn’t seem very smart to let the person who was supposed to be your executioner know where you lived. It’s not like Satoru would really do anything with that information, though. He figures Suguru probably killed the original owners and used the house solely for these meetings.
“So,” Suguru breaks the silence after finishing his bowl. Satoru is still picking at his.
“Do you want to stay with me?”
Satoru pauses, staring at his food.
“...What?”
“I said, do you want to stay with me?” Suguru tilts his head.
Satoru finally looks up at Suguru. He has a small, casual smile on his face, as if his question was completely normal.
Satoru forces out a small chuckle. “You’re serious?” Surely, he’s not.
“I am,” Suguru replies quickly. He is.
“Like, tonight?” He tries. Maybe he misunderstood the question.
Suguru laughs at him. Of course.
“No. Like, forever,” Suguru mocks Satoru’s tone, grinning.
Satoru purses his lips. He knows that Suguru knows he most definitely cannot stay with him forever. He’s never even asked anything like this before. Where did this come from? Had he always wanted this?
“I can’t,” Satoru huffs. “You know that.”
Suguru rests his head in one of his hands, still grinning. “No, you can.”
“What?” Satoru scoffs. “No, I can’t. Are you fucking with me?”
Suguru leans back in his chair, crossing his arms. “I mean, who would stop you?”
Satoru frowns. He was right. Nobody would do anything if Satoru stayed with Suguru. Nobody could do anything.
“That’s not what I’m worried about,” Satoru grumbles. “I can’t just leave. I have students. I have- I have responsibilities.”
…
“So?”
“So?” Satoru hisses back.
He was starting to get pissed off. He thought Suguru was somewhat level-headed, at least enough to understand how Satoru was kind of very super important to the sorcery world and couldn’t just throw away his job to go stay with a wanted criminal.
“Are you kidding me? Do you know the kind of shit that would happen if I just disappeared? I mean, everything would be fucked up.”
Suguru rolls his eyes. “They’d just go back to however they managed before you. They rely on you too much anyway.”
Satoru’s eye twitches. That was enough.
He stands up abruptly, his chair shoved back behind him. “You are such an ass. I’m not selfish like you, okay? That’s why I won’t fucking leave everyone,” he spits out.
Suguru looks up at Satoru through his lashes, a sultry smile on his lips. “Well then, Satoru,” he purrs. “Can you stay with me just for tonight?”
Satoru glares down at Suguru. Satoru was far beyond pissed off now. Every inch of his body was filled with anger. He wanted to turn around and storm out the door (after getting the rest of his clothes, of course).
After a moment of silence and intense staring, Satoru plops back down in his chair.
“Fine. Just tonight.”
Suguru’s smile widens. “Wonderful! Now, finish your food.”
Satoru sighs and scoots his chair in, shoveling more of the rice and eggs into his mouth. It’s pretty good.