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The first and second-years were sprawled out across the grass, fanning themselves exhaustedly. The heat was clearly getting to everyone; Nobara had never even seen Panda sweat before. Yuta was starfished on the floor, head resting on Maki’s thigh, barely even conscious. There was a heated debate going on between Yuji and Panda, something about the best flavour of mochi (how do they even have the energy to be arguing about this right now???), but Nobara wasn’t really listening anyway. Her gaze was fixed on something far more interesting: across the grass from them, her teacher was currently sat with his second-year counterpart on a bench, ice cream in hand.
Their thighs were touching, and Geto-sensei was laughing at something on Gojo-sensei’s phone, way harder than she’d ever seen him laugh before. Gojo-sensei leaned in and whispered something in his ear with a smirk, and Geto-sensei just shoved him away with a playful eye-roll. All in all, it was very… intimate.
Nobara nudged Megumi in the shoulder, and he glanced up from his phone with a raised eyebrow.
“Gojo-sensei and Geto-sensei are pretty close,’ she remarked. Megumi followed her gaze as she pointed at them.
“They’re best friends,” Megumi said bluntly, cheerful as ever. Nobara huffed.
“I know, but they just seem… close. Like, really close.” Her eyes narrowed at the two of them; Gojo-sensei slung a shoulder around Geto-sensei, saying something boisterous and laughing. Nobara would’ve bet her life that Geto-sensei would shake him away, but he just… leaned in closer? With a giggle? Who is this man?!
“Geto-sensei says they’ve been best friends since high school,” Yuta piped up, his head barely lifting off Maki’s leg. The argument between Yuji and Panda seems to have mostly died down now, all focus on Nobara’s words.
“Yeah, I know that,” Nobara replied, rolling her eyes, “but don’t you think they kinda look like they’re dating?”
“Dating?” Yuji echoed, confused, his gaze fixed on his teachers across the grass. It’s a miracle that their all-seeing teacher hasn’t spotted them staring yet, but he seemed a little preoccupied anyway. “I don’t think so, they just seem like really good friends.”
“Salmon,” Toge said, raising his hand as if he’s making an important point.
“Not necessarily, there’s probably loads of stuff he hasn’t told us about his life!” Nobara replied defensively, and there’s a murmur of disagreement amongst her peers
“Maybe you just want them to be dating, ‘cause you don’t have a boyfriend?” Panda snickered, and Nobara’s entire face flushed.
“You’re lucky I don’t have my hammer with me right now, raccoon!” She snapped, glaring at him. Panda just laughed.
“You’re really going to war over this, Nobara-kun,” Maki pointed out, her hand scratching at Yuta’s scalp absently. “They’re just friends.”
“Yeah, friends in the way you and Okkotsu-senpai are friends,” Nobara muttered under her breath, and Maki barked out a threat. Yuta barely reacted.
After an hour or so, the sun started casting an orange hue over the grass, and everyone disappeared one by one. The two teachers had disappeared from their spot on the bench long ago, having walked off together out of the school (for what, Nobara had no clue). Nobara and Yuji are the last two left. She sat next to him with her arms wrapped around her legs, chin resting atop her knees.
“You really don’t see it?” Nobara said eventually, a small frown on her face. She didn't receive a reply, and glanced over at her friend. “Oi, wake up, idiot!”
Yuji snorted awake, disorientated, and Nobara snickered.
“What?”
“Gojo-sensei and Geto-sensei,” she said bluntly, and watched as Yuji sat up with a wipe to his mouth. “Do you really not get where I’m coming from?”
“Oh.” Nobara could almost see the pieces clicking into place in his head. “No, not really. I think it’s just you.”
“You guys are all oblivious,” she said dramatically, “I’d bet my life that they’re dating.”
“Bet? You wanna bet?” Yuji’s eyes lit up, and Nobara turned to face him.
“You’re eager,” she replied, her tone dry.
“I’ll put… ten-thousand Yen on it, if you can get solid proof by the end of the month.”
“Ten-thousand? Tch, you’re so financially irresponsible,” Nobara scoffed, without any heat to it, then paused to consider. Ten-thousand Yen, the offer was tempting… if she put the same in, she could get twenty thousand Yen, and all she had to do was snap a picture of them kissing (which was definitely happening)...
She agreed to it, throwing in her own money, and the game was on.
Nobara didn’t really pay attention in class the next day. Gojo-sensei stood at the front of the class, rambling on and on about cursed energy control. Megumi was the only person actually taking notes, Yuji was staring into space. By the time the bell rang, both of the boys were more than ready to break for lunch. But Nobara didn’t leave, instead she just came up to Gojo-sensei’s desk, leaning over it. Her phone stayed at her desk, the screen off.
“Nobara? How can I help you, my dear student?” Gojo-sensei said sweetly, his signature grin fixed in place. She said nothing, just bent across the desk and plucked a singular long, black hair off the shoulder of his jacket.
“What are you- oh.”
“This doesn’t look like your hair, sensei.” Nobara held the hair up to the sunlight, squinting exaggeratedly at it.
“Perceptive as ever, I knew I trained you well. Any particular reason as to why you’re doing this, or are you just bored?” Gojo-sensei asked lightly, and Nobara felt herself getting flustered.
“Are you and Geto-sensei dating?” She blurts out, her careful ruse falling apart in a moment’s panic. For a second, she swore she saw a look of genuine surprise on her teacher’s face, but he quickly smoothed it over.
“Now why would you want to know that, hm?” He replied, leaning back in his chair with a smirk. “Nosiness isn’t a good quality, Nobara.”
“So that’s not a no, then?” She shot back, regaining her composure again.
“It’s a ‘mind your own business’.” Gojo-sensei stood, and pinched her cheek playfully. “You shouldn’t poke around in your teacher’s personal life.” He walked off, leaving a very annoyed Nobara alone in the classroom.
Yuji frowned as he listened to the recording back, cross-legged on Megumi’s bed.
“I don’t think this counts, Kugisaki,” Yuji said, and Megumi nodded in agreement from the desk chair. Nobara gave him a look of betrayal.
“W- how does that not count?!”
“He never explicitly confirmed it,” Megumi said flatly, earning a nod from Yuji.
“Ugh, fine! I’ll keep going, ‘til you assholes are satisfied!” Nobara huffed. She crossed her arms, but made no effort to leave, instead staying with them for the rest of the afternoon.
The next ‘incident’ (as she’d dubbed them) came a couple days later. Nobara had been relentless in her pursuit, but somehow managed to come up empty-handed. It was around three in the morning, and she’d found herself desperate for the bathroom.
Trudging down the hallway, she broke out of her half-asleep daze once she heard the sound of weapons clashing together in the gymnasium. Nobara stood outside, and dared to sneak a peek inside, as subtly as she could. Gojo-sensei and Geto-sensei stood in the centre of the court, duking it out with a broomstick each.
Nobara noticed the broad smile her white-haired teacher was wearing was different to his usual one; much more boyish and gleeful. The pair seemed to be evenly matched, both a little breathless as their broomsticks whacked against each other with dull thuds. They went at it for another minute or so, until a well-timed attack to Geto-sensei’s side sent him crashing to the floor, and Gojo-sensei pressed the bristles of the broomstick against his chest with a satisfied laugh.
“Satoru, don’t use the bottom, it’s filthy,” Geto-sensei said in his signature soft-spoken voice.
“Pfft, don’t be so prissy, Suguru.” Gojo-sensei tossed the broom aside, and squatted down next to his ‘friend’. Then, Nobara’s eyes almost popped out of their sockets, as Gojo-sensei puckered his lips obnoxiously, and planted a disgustingly wet kiss on Geto-sensei’s cheek.
“Not while we’re sparring, Satoru,” Geto-sensei chided, pushing him away with one finger and a smile. Nobara had to physically clasp a hand over her mouth to stifle the delighted noise that threatened to escape her. Oh my God, here it is! Proof! That twenty thousand Yen would be all hers, and she’d buy-
Nobara’s heart sank. Her phone. She hadn’t brought her phone, fuck!
“I don’t believe you,” Megumi said the next day. The trio were in their classroom, totally ignoring the general subjects teacher sat at the front of the room.
“How could I make that up?! That’s so specific!” Nobara spluttered, feeling her characteristic anger bubbling to the surface.
“Even if you didn’t make it up, we asked for proof. Word of mouth doesn’t count.” Megumi turned back to his exercise book.
“‘We’? Since when were you even involved anyway, Fushiguro?” She asked, and Megumi just shrugged.
“Sorry, Kugisaki,” Yuji said, a little sheepish “but evidence is evidence. You still have a few more weeks!”
The last remaining weeks flew by, and Nobara felt an impending sense of doom lingering over her head. Realistically, she knew losing twenty thousand Yen wasn’t the end of the world, but it was about more than money at this point. It was about pride, about justice, goddamnit! Regardless, the hope drained out of her painfully as each day passed, until her saving grace finally arrived in the form of a very, very tired Geto-sensei, exactly one day before the bet was over.
Nobara knew he’d had a mission that day, since the second-years had joined them for sparring to accommodate his absence. But she hadn't expected to walk into the common room for a snack once lessons had finished, and find him on the couch, asleep. The room was completely empty, bar the two of them.
He was sat upright and snoring softly, his head lolled forward. But, most importantly of all, his phone was held loosely in his hand. Nobara felt like she’d just won a golden ticket- albeit, a golden ticket that would require a careful extraction mission. She slipped her shoes off at the door, tiptoeing silently across the room, and leaned over with bated breath. Geto-sensei’s breathing hitched slightly as she gently wiggled the phone out of his hand, and she paused in shock. He didn’t wake, however, so she kept going, eventually managing to fully release it from his fingers.
She clutched the phone tightly, as if it were a kitten she’d just rescued from a fire. The second she turned it on, she could picture the extra twenty thousand Yen in her account- his lockscreen was a selfie of him and Gojo-sensei kissing! His arms were wrapped around the back of the older man’s neck, and she could see Gojo-sensei’s free hand resting on Geto-sensei’s hip. Nobara didn’t even bother putting her shoes back on, just ran out of the room, almost slipping a few times.
“You stole Geto-sensei’s phone?” Yuji said, scandalised. Megumi gives her a disapproving look.
“Never mind that, look!” Nobara replied, pointing frantically at the lockscreen. “Evidence! Now pay up!”
“Well, I would, but this has been gained through illegal activities…” Yuji started, then burst out laughing once he saw the glower Nobara was giving him. “Alright, alright, I was just kidding!”
Nobara tossed the phone aside, and smiled smugly as Yuji reached into his sock drawer and pulled out a wad of cash.
“I can’t believe they’re really together,” Megumi said, and Nobara faltered. Now that the bet was over, the reality of it hit her. It was kinda crazy that their two teachers were dating…
“I know, right. I never would’ve expected it,” Yuji added. All three of them jerked their heads upwards at a knock on the door; once Yuji gave permission, a very dishevelled, sleepy looking Geto-sensei blinked at them.
“Sorry to disturb you kids, but have any of you seen my phone?”