Archive of Our Own

There's a huge gap between watching a video uploaded on the internet and seeing someone live. Yuji's viewers had never met him face-to-face, but bargained a more personal form of entertainment after a few months of his channel's existence. They can ask him questions during the live streams, finally hear his voice, feel the connection they wanted. He couldn't understand what the big deal was, until attending this one performance.

Not just any performance. His favorite comedy duo had visited Sendai, and fate wanted it to be on Yuji's day off. Of course he'd go see them. Gojo's white hair glows angelically under the stage lightning -ironic, given his often problematic humor- his suit clearly stands out, though Itadori never thought there was any difference between the cheap and expensive ones, and his cologne carries all the way to Yuji's seat, which, naturally, had to be not too far from the scene. He couldn't be sure if he'd find the time or energy (or funds) between work, streaming, and college, but the last-minute tickets were so worth it.

Thankfully, those two aren't greedy about their prices. Both come from well-off families and do comedy as a side gig. Yuji knows everything there is to know about Gojo, and just a bit less about Geto. Maybe a lot less, actually, but it wouldn't be the same without him. They're the best when they work together. Yuji's favoritism stems from the vague distrust that Geto evokes in him. His closed-eye smile and soft tone, combined with confident body language seem too rehearsed. Superiority had peeked through the cracks of his good-guy demeanor during past encounters with the fans.

Geto has his pride and Gojo is a womanizer. Those are not the type of crimes that'd discourage Yuji from getting involved with them as a stand-up enthusiast.

Itadori glances at the hour once the show is done, and decides to sacrifice some extra time to follow the crowd climbing the stairs and gathering around the duo to ask for autographs. He'd brought his favorite picture of Gojo for this exact occasion, but it's not a must. Today's audience is dominated by women of various ages and Yuji is standing at the back, in no rush to get to his idol.

He begins gazing anxiously at Geto as the crowd thins out. He has no clue what attitude his loose t-shirt and old sneakers are gonna get. Geto favors female fans and he can't complain abouf lack thereof. He looks through Yuji, as if he's completely invisible to his beauty-seeking eyes. All this unease nearly evaporates the thoughts of Gojo from his tired mind. He remembers that Satoru's there, when he finds two freakishly blue irises fixed on his. Yuji jumps from the shock.

"You were so focused just now. I guess I don't have to ask who's your favorite." He peers at his friend, who's having a prolonged conversation with a well-dressed woman. "I can keep you company till he's done. Yhm, looks like he wants to take it somewhere private. No negative feedback online if he blows you off, 'kay?"

"No, actually, I wanted to ask for your signature," Yuji shows him the photo, and Gojo takes it with a slight frown. He has a whole new expression on his face when he lifts his eyes.

The man whips out a marker and signs the print. Yuji likes how scrupulous he is about it. His autograph is a neat scribble tucked politely in the corner, with an additional heart drawing. He feels like a little kid getting free candy. Such a small thing, yet so much joy.

"What's your name?" Gojo suddenly asks.

"Yuji."

"Yuji.." He pauses in deep thought. "Come again, if you can."

Standard invitation. Nice regardless.

Itadori nods. "I would if I had more time."

"What's so occupying?"

"School," he says, immediately clarifying when he sees Gojo losing interest. "College, you know."

"Oh," the guy says, intrigued anew. His friend checks on them through the corner of his eye. "But you still came tonight. You must like us."

Yuji perks up. "Yep! I love saruganseki and you guys kind of remind me of them. Oh, and my favorite is Yoshio Kojima."

"Who?"

He feels obliged to demonstrate his signature pose with a quick, cheerful: "Oppapi!" It's so fun to do, but there's rarely an occasion for it.

Gojo's smile crooks and he closes his eyes at the last attempt to hold back. It doesn't work. He folds in half with a hand over his mouth, caught so off-guard, that he can't stop laughing. Gojo collects himself after a longer moment, enough to suffice with quiet giggles as he straightens up and wipes a tear from the corner of his eye.

"Yeah, I remember now."

Yuji can officially add this to the list of his achievements. Another thing that makes him believe he can die happily is Gojo's marker suddenly swiping smoothly against his wrist. The man holds him by the hand and they're shoulder-to-shoulder. Has he already mentioned how tall Gojo is? It's not as striking on videos, where he's standing next to another huge guy.

He's such a peacock. Some say that he and Geto are not real celebrities, but Gojo sure loves the lifestyle and, to be fair, Yuji had always secretly wanted something like that to happen. He doesn't meet enough famous people to have any chance at winning the 'movie moment' lottery.

"I'd be sad to lose you."

Yuji remembers something he'd overheard while waiting for his turn. "You don't like to give out your number. You said no to the people before me."

"Yes, well-" Gojo scratches his neck.

"You couldn't be less subtle if you tried," Geto says, with a shit-eating grin and his hand on the fan's waist.

"I thought we left that teasing in middle school."

"It's a special occasion." The man's eyes narrow in mirth as he lays them upon Itadori. He smiles knowingly. "That thing should come off easily with rubbing alcohol. Satoru can be a lot more thoughtful when he's not overzealous. Give him a chance."

Gojo sends him a look. "Thanks, I'm doing very well on my own." He gives his attention back to Yuji, so fast that it looks like he's afraid Itadori would disappear the first chance he'd get. "As I was saying, I did turn them down, but don't mistake it for self-respect. Were I to accept every girl who asks for my number, I would be going on dates every single day, and who has the time for that?"

"Ah, totally understandable. We all relate, right?"

Satoru doesn't get the joke. He takes Yuji's response completely seriously, without questioning his supposed popularity.

"I shouldn't count on you being single."

"I am," Yuji answers quickly. That was a weird way to phrase it, but people rarely praise his looks. He accepts the compliment without pointing out anything. Gojo and Geto share a look that only they understand, and Yuji wonders if he's missing something.

Gojo yells after him, while he's on the way out of the building. "Don't forget to call me!"

Cooking brings the most gratification when the final product can be shared with other people. His parents live in Tokyo, so he has no choice but to prepare a single portion of every dish he's craving, or order it from an affordable place. That's what he's been doing the first few weeks of living at Wasuke's house, to save time for the dreaded essays. He didn't have to go grocery shopping as often and had half the dishes in the sink, but was he happy? No. Yuji is used to meal time meaning a little more than a box of greasy food scarfed down as quickly as possible to make more space in his tight schedule.

It's hard to slow down and enjoy the mundane when everyone around him prioritizes speed and efficiency. He'd like to think that his videos and streams encourage others to take it easy. Yuji had learned the basics of editing, but he doesn't like dynamic cuts or sound effects. He doesn't go for trendy recipes either. His target audience was older people who somehow found their way to YouTube and pick videos similar to what they would've seen on TV back in the day -housewives sharing quick, easy and cheap meal ideas.

Turns out he's liked by people around his age too. He'd been called boyfriend material before, and that's about the extent of his experience with girls. It does feel nice for his channel to be described as a 'safe space,' and his attutude as comforting, but it's also strange to know that his female audience assumes things about him based on how patient he is while cooking; how meticulous he is while chopping vegetables, how clean he keeps the surrounding area in between tasks, or how he reacts when he messes something up. Apparently, all those things indicate something about him as a potential partner.

Itadori has a lot of respect for food. Creativity is needed for someone with an appetite as huge as his and a budget as small as any other student's. He does everything he can not to ask his parents for money and would've done so only if he really couldn't afford rent. The Izakaya owner offers him free meals sometimes, so Yuji is mostly filming his very late suppers.

Days pass before he remembers to text Gojo. He has his number saved, but the fact that Gojo can't say the same had slipped his mind completely. Any time exhaustion renders his memory useless, Yuji hears his mother's voice telling him that he doesn't have to do this. No one asked him to. He could be living with his parents or at Tokyo dorms, attending the college that his coach has been pressuring him into during his high school years. The semester had just begun. He has the time to change his mind.

But Wasuke's treatment is also starting to give some positive results. The doctors tell him not to get his hopes up, since it's always been irregular -he feels better one day, and then the next, has no strength to lift a finger. He will return home one day. He will, and when that happens.. he'll say a good word about how well his grandson had been maintaining it, and how nothing had changed since he left.

It's a selfish thing. He makes Wasuke feel guilty over a favor he hadn't requested. Yuji simply can't bear the thought of spending his days at a fancy Tokyo school, while his first-ever best friend withers away in a cold, uncaring hospital. Wasuke keeps Yuji in Sendai, and Yuji keeps Gojo. Satoru had informed him about his plans shortly after their first text exchange. He and Geto are performing in the neighborhood cities, killing time on tennis courts, and testing out the most expensive hotels they can find. They're staying around, in case Yuji finds the time to grab a coffee.

Gojo is so invested in their acquaintanceship. Is he the celebrity, or the other way around? Yuji realizes that he'd been making assumptions about him too, like the one about his friendliness, which is miraculously true. He can't feel the lifestyle difference between them, other than for when Gojo sends him old travel photos or talks about easily spending sums comparable to a regular person's life savings. They share links to funny videos between the celebrity gossip, movie recommendations, inquiries about each other's taste in music and the most basic, everyday updates.

Anyhow, Yuji has no expectations. He loves Gojo, but there are only so many times someone can get turned down before they leave for good. It's fine as it is -college, work, and streaming, over and over.

Even after caving in and revealing his voice, he sticks to setting up the camera the usual way, with the focus on the middle part of his body. He doesn't show anything that's not completely necessary for the video, but the irony is that discreet people evoke the most curiosity and speculations. He's average-looking, so his face would be the least interesting component of his content. His subscribers disagree.

Wasuke's house has a 'countryside charm,' according to them. Nothing in the world feels as homely as this place, no matter if it doesn't have the modern accommodations like AC or the newest furniture and electronics. He's using the same frying pan that served his grandpa for what feels like forever, the same fridge that Wasuke used to store their nutritionally-balanced groceries.

He's sitting on the same chair that he used to be too short for, enjoying the dishes spread on the table that he once upon a time shared with Wasuke. Yuji remembers kicking his feet happily while they ate together, picking at the windowsill plants and having to apologize every time his grandpa would catch him in the act. Wasuke knew how to be nurturing. Everything around him just blossomed.

The only thing Yuji has to worry about while uploading a new video is the choice of background music and no typos in subtitles. Going live entails many (often slightly invasive) questions in the chat and silence on his part, punctuated by the specific sound effects whenever a donation arrives. He greets them first, then explains what they're going to be making and why. After that, it's just a list of approachable tasks and a little 'Tadaah' at the end, when he shows them the final result.

For instance, the piece of green onion wasting away on the fridge shelf suddenly inspires him to use it as a topping for udon. The noodles are easy to make and satisfy a completely different craving than pasta, a packet of which is still somewhere between flour and brown sugar. It's been there since the time Yuji bought it for the clam dish he was craving.

He rarely listens to his own whims. It doesn't matter if he wakes up in the morning with the thought of smoky BBQ that haunts him for the entire day. He has a couple of eggs that expire tomorrow and cucumbers that he'd totally forgotten about. Meat is expensive. Vegetables lose their freshness in the blink of an eye, but they're often still salvageable if thrown into icy-cold water and left to crisp up.

Yuji had built the routine of grocery shopping right after lectures. He doesn't go back to the store before using up every little thing he has at home, so he ends up with very interesting food combinations born out of necessity. It can be fun if you're not a picky eater.

Gojo is content with their late-night walks. He waits at the Izakaya till Yuji finishes his shift, though he hates the smell of alcohol, and the strong aroma of grilled meat infiltrates his classy clothes. They stroll the street-lamp-lit sidewalks, engaging in hushed discussions.

"Finally, a face-to-face conversation. Phone calls can't compare."

Yuji has to agree. He instantly thinks about Kaori and Jin. "I call mom every day, but I want to come back to Tokyo for a short visit when I pass my exams."

"You call her every day? That's adorable.

"I mean-" Itadori is ready to defend his strong attachment. "A few minutes maximum. She likes to know how my day went and if I need any money."

It goes the other way too. He can't sleep well if he doesn't hear his parents' voices. One day they're here and the other, they're gone. That's a grim way to think about it, but is it untrue? Yuji doesn't know how much time he'll have with them. People leave all the time. Wasuke will soon, way earlier than Yuji would like.

"Why don't you quit your job?"

Yuji looks at him like he's crazy. Only someone with generational wealth could offer such a suggestion in his circumstances. "Everyone in college works part-time."

"Doesn't have to be you! I told you I'd gladly become a sponsor."

He'd mentioned something like that after the first few times that Yuji declined a hangout. Gojo promised to give him more money than his boss and that's an absolute wet dream, like money falling from the sky. On the other hand, his job provides a stable income, while Gojo can only give him his word. It wouldn't be a good idea to let the guy buy his time.

"My parents would've killed me if they found out."

Gojo scoffs. "Like that's illegal. That one time I want to help out.."

"It's just irresponsible."

"Why? You can trust me. Anyway, I'm surprised you're that close. I kind of assumed it was the opposite, since they had nothing against you moving that far and forced you to make your own money."

They usually talk about light, pleasant topics, still quite careful with the new, fragile acquaintance. He had to hold back from asking Yuji if his parents hate him and if not, why don't they support him financially?

"They respect my decisions."

Gojo sighs. "Suguru could learn from them. He's nagging me about coming back to Tokyo, but I like it here."

"I hope he forgives me for stealing his coworker."

"Don't mind him. Not like his living situation depends on the money we make on the shows. He can leave if he wants, but he's not used to partying alone. You know what he told me to do? Take you with me. Am I supposed to kidnap you?"

Yuji laughs. "You tell me, Mr. 'Quit your job.' You like thoughtless advice."

"My advice was great. Someone here doesn't want to make their life easier."

Gojo is so.. unique. Yuji can't pinpoint why he's getting this feeling, but he has never had another man behave around him like that. It's not just the adoring looks, flattery and intense focus. Gojo's hand instinctively pulls him closer when an approaching stranger is about to pass them. In fact, it seems like his hands have a mind of their own, whether it'd be gesticulating or touching Yuji, he doesn't notice.

When he does acknowledge his own body moving without thinking, he stops himself. It happened once or twice. Yuji saw the man's hand reaching towards his before he'd withdrawn it. Well, Yuji isn't opposed to hand-holding, even if he'd prefer to do it with a girl. They'd intuitively fallen into this nice, platonic relationship, where Gojo plays his older brother. Or so Yuji thinks. Satoru is ten years older, so it's only right that he feels protective.

Yuji doesn't point out how restless his friend has become since they've reached the street he lives on. He's hoping Gojo would explain it himself, and he does.

"So.." he digs his hands into his pockets, failing to look nonchalant. "You never let me come inside and I'm curious. Do you have someone?"

"No," Yuji says, guilt stark in his voice.

"What's the big secret? Friends are supposed to tell each other everything."

No one knows about his channel and he likes it this way. Is he hurting Gojo's feelings by acting this way? Probably. Were he used the 'I'm just busy' excuse again, Gojo would rightfully think that he's saying anything not to invite him.

Yuji makes a silent, welcoming gesture, and Gojo follows him through the gate. What does his relationship status have to do with this anyway? Unless he had a toxic girlfriend who prohibited him from seeing anyone else in his free time. Gojo is glad to see that the house is empty and Yuji encourages himself internally not to chicken out. They change their shoes and he instantly fetches the laptop.

"I make videos," Yuji says, tapping the password.

"What kind of videos?"

Itadori meets his squinted eyes. He's puzzled. "Cooking vlogs. What did you think?"

Gojo shrugs. "It sounded dirty. I'm open-minded, just so you know."

Yuji's eyes return to the screen. "Who'd want to watch that?"

"Plenty of people, trust me."

Yuji clicks on the right tab and gives it time to refresh. Gojo's videos do triple the amount of views, but Yuji pretends to be okay with any reaction, even something like 'That's what you invest your time in? Does it seem like it pays off?' But Gojo is thrilled about the channel. He gasps and leans in.

"Cute background! Wow, you have a recipe for everything. Got anything sweet for this guy right here?" He scrolls through the videos and Yuji points at the 'Desserts' playlist.

"I should start a livestream soon."

Gojo notices one, common thing. "Why don't you show your face? You'd get more fans."

"Maybe." Yuji opens the fridge to decide what to make. He's hoping to magically find perilla leaves, but they're obviously not there. He'd been using lettuce as a cheap alternative (even if it tastes nothing like it). He was so engrossed in the conversation that he forgot to drop by the store on the way back.

"Can I stay? Are you kicking me out now? I could be your personal assistant."

He'd feel so awkward about someone watching him talk to the chat. Having Gojo participate wouldn't be too bad. "Yeah, but what if someone recognizes you?"

"Isn't that the goal? It'd boost your popularity."

Yuji frowns. He values peace more. "No.. You can stay, but don't speak, okay? They know your voice."

"You got it, boss."

His gaze halts at the sesame dressing and mung beans. He has to make something they could eat together. Friend rice with a moist omelette? Knowing his luck, it wouldn't turn out the way he wanted and when he'd cut it in the middle it'd turn out dry it'd just completely lose its shape while on the pan. Yuji can't deny that he'd like to show off in front of Gojo.

Hotpot would be great. He'd cook a small portion of rice to go with the leftover broth, so they don't have to throw it away, or drink it as it is after finishing the other components. Ah, but the sesame dressing.. There's a piece of cabbage at the back of the fridge and it'd go to waste if he waited any longer. The pack of salmon too.

Okay, he'd made up his mind. It's not an ambitious meal like he wanted, but it'll do. He prepares the ingredients and sets his phone.

"Staying silent is so hard. It's like holding your breath underwater."

Yuji didn't expect any less. "It's not gonna be super interesting."

"No, I'm already excited. I talk a lot when I'm happy."

He can't understand the smile that's forming on his face, or the abashment and need to lower his head humbly. Everything about Gojo makes him shy.

He's doing everything the same as always -the easygoing greeting and small talk while he waits for more people to join. He shows the ingredients and gets to work once there's a decent number of viewers. The recipe is uncomplicated, so anyone joining later can easily catch up. The smallest ingredient -mungbeans- is going to take the most time. Yuji washes them up as he waits for the water to boil.

The rice cooker does the job for him. He doesn't talk much about that part, other than to mention that he's doubling the portion. Then, he makes two cups of green tea and asks his companion if he likes it strong. Sugar is a given.

Gojo nods and the chat drowns in curious messages. Yuji doesn't check them yet.

"My friend asked to watch and help a little." He doesn't feel like he should be any less brief. In the corner of his eye, he can see that they want to know more, like his name and age, but the excitement really starts when Gojo's large hand appears in view. It grabs the cup of tea and disappears.

The spam of heart stickers was to be expected. Yuji involves Gojo, as promised. The quiet simmer of the rice cooker gets drowned out by the running water as Yuji moves on to the cabbage salad part of the meal. He washes it thoroughly and asks: "Could you hand me the cutting board?"

He could use the slicing side of a box grater if he knew where it was. He'd swear he'd organized the kitchen well the other time, but now he has even more trouble finding anything. Gojo gives him a thumbs-up and pulls it out of the cabinet pointed by Yuji. He's totally unprepared. Didn't he write himself a sticky note to remember about sharpening his favorite knife? He picks another one.

"This cabbage is sweet and crunchy. I bought it from someone I know." Yuji curls his fingertips and holds the vegetable firmly. He checks the chat while shredding it slowly. "How long will it be? Shorter than usual, I think. We don't have many side dishes or anything like that. Someone else says: 'Are we going to see your friend again? We want an introduction!' Um-" Itadori lifts his eyes at the man doing mime tricks in front of him. He's good at the 'invisible rope' one. "Who knows?"

The chat calls him stingy. His streams are always the same, one-person shows. A hot guy could spice up this snail-paced live, but he wouldn't use Gojo like that. Yuji stirs the mungbeans with his chopsticks and throws the cabbage into a bowl. Gojo has no task except for drinking tea.

"The dressing's in the fridge," he says. Satoru's brows shoot up. He's happy to put his drink down and take the little container out. He grabs a teaspoon on his way. Good thought. The temperature had turned it into an almost paste-like consistency.

The chat bursts with excited messages again and it's starting to seriously concern Yuji. He actually stops for a moment, trying to understand what's so special about a man's torso. It seems like they're growing more and more insane about Gojo with every body part they see. Every single comment is praise for Satoru's muscular arms or an attempt at estimating his height based on what they know about Yuji. They get it right too. There's a seven-inch difference between him and Gojo.

Now, that's a weird obsession. He has to act like he can't see the pleading for Gojo's contact information. Yuji gives them some less-desired info: the soy sauce to mirin ratio needed for the salmon glaze. He doesn't use sake or ginger, but adds a bit of honey and garlic. Oh, and the soy sauce bottle is obviously being handed to him by Gojo, because really, he didn't lie about his peacock personality. He can see the insanity in the chat and plays into it by grabbing the item Yuji can't reach without going on his tiptoes.

They can slowly start assembling everything. Salmon goes last. Yuji plates the steamy, fluffy rice and tops it with mungbeans, while Gojo pours the room-temperature dressing onto the cabbage.

"Almost ready," Yuji says. He uses vegetable oil in the pan, but before that, he pats the fish dry. When the oil begins sizzling, he pats the fish skin-side down on the hot surface. In the meantime, Gojo finds his apron and ties it around his waist. "Oh, thank you." Thoughtful? Yes. Calculated? Also yes.

Yuji has a few free minutes during which he has to hold himself back from flipping the fish to let it crisp up. Gojo lacks attention and hadn't had contact with Yuji's waist for about 00.5 seconds, so naturally, he embraces Itadori from behind.

"Hey." Yuji elbows him jokingly and tries to calm his viewers. Mission impossible. "Sorry for that. Anyway, we need to let the salmon cook on both sides before we glaze it. Be careful not to overdo it and dry it out."

Gojo waits by his side, tapping his fingers against the countertop in an unnamed rhythm. He takes the glaze and stirs it without any real need to. The garlic that sat on the bottom of the bowl floats up. He's not reading the chat, but Yuji makes the mistake of doing so, and then the even greater mistake of a defensive attitude.

"We're not dating. Please stop."

His denial prompts more congratulatory messages and newlywed stickers. Talk about accidental riling up. Yuji can't find any task to make himself look busy, plus, his claim sparks Gojo's interest in the topic. Some people ask if they're going to be filming relationship vlogs from now on, others genuinely ask them to get together. It's a cooking channel, not a dating show.

Yuji moved to the last step with absolute relief. He pours the glaze over the salmon and lets it soak inside. It already smells delicious. Yuji uses a spoon to gather whatever escaped and douse the sides of the juicy fillets.

"And that's the full meal," he brings his plate to the camera. "Make sure to try it yourself!"

He spots some normal comments like 'Yummy' or the usual 'I'm hungry,' but the overwhelming majority is something along the lines of 'Where are the candles and rose petals?'

Geez.

He ends the stream. He hadn't noticed how many gifts he'd gotten this time around until the total pops up on the screen. That's about two days of work. Is watching him being 'flirty' with another guy a better entertainment than a thought-through, step-by-step, affordable recipe?

"Try it," he tells Gojo, who's waiting for him by the coffee table.

"Babe, put that phone away.. spend some time with me. This is ruining our marriage."

Yuji looks at him in disbelief. "You knew what you were doing."

"Of course."

Itadori takes a second glance at the amount he'd earned today. "They loved it."

"Can't blame 'em."

The meal came out phenomenal. He can't describe it any other way. The salmon skin is crispy, the fish is moist, rice fluffy, with the additional texture of mungbeans and the cabbage salad is the freshness that the dish wouldn't be the same without.

"I thought they'd be jealous," Gojo says with arrogance. "They were calling you their husband, I saw."

"It's just a joke."

"You sure? I bet not to all of them."

Guess he doesn't have to ask Gojo if he likes it. He's eating so fast, he nearly forgets to breathe. Not to mention the moans of pleasure between bites. Even while rushing this much, he's not a messy eater. He picks up little pieces of each ingredient as if he's assembling a sandwich. He likes to have every flavour together.

"I don't really get the mute thing. Is my voice that recognizable?"

Yuji confirms without hesitation. "You have an amazing voice."

Gojo laughs. "See why they want us together?"

"They want to see more of you, with me or not. I'm the only acquaintance of yours that they know of."

"Denial is an inevitable part of the journey towards acceptance."

Yuji closes his eyes and shakes his head. "They're gonna bug me about you from now on."

"Then bring me along next time too. Introduce me properly while you're at it."

"I can't," Yuji rejects the suggestion with unwavering firmness. "It'd become your channel 2.0. They couldn't even focus on the recipe and they don't know who you are. What's gonna happen if they find out?"

Everything would revolve around Gojo. More people would come, but only to see the celebrity.

"Okay. That's an argument I can get behind."

He and Gojo text between lectures and sometimes during them. Yuji learns that Geto left, just as he threatened, and that his other friend, Shoko, wants to meet their loverboy's new buddy when he finally grows a pair and kidnaps him.

Gojo has always been the best at cheering him up. His shows are Yuji's go-to when he's having a hard time. It doesn't matter that he'd watched them enough times to know the jokes by heart. His texts are taking Yuji's mind off the depressing things. Gojo asks about his plans and Itadori brings up his day off, quickly adding that it doesn't mean more time for them, which then leads to the vague explanation that doesn't really clear up anything. All he tells Satoru is that he has something important to do.

His phone buzzes while he's talking to one of his professors. It's Gojo. Yuji ends the conversation a bit earlier than he wanted and calls Satoru back.

"Got a moment?"

"It's family-related," Yuji dutifully informs. He didn't mean to turn it into another secret, just couldn't find the right occasion to pull his phone out again without being noticed. Most professors don't care, but this one expects everyone's full attention. "I need to see grandpa in the hospital."

"You're not saying that to blow me off, are you? You know how it sounds. A sick grandpa? That'd be pretty shitty of you. Ah, I guess..- No, I guess it'd be better if you were lying to me, 'cause then I get my feelings hurt, but you don't have to go through all this. How sick is he? Sorry, I was sure he was gone since you live in that house and it'd be too expensive to rent as a student."

Yuji feels his brain scrambling the longer he listens to the chaotic train of thought. "He has cancer, so.. I'd say he's pretty sick."

It's quiet on Gojo's side. He's probably nodding to himself. "Damn it. I'm not good at comforting people."

"You don't have to."

"I can give you a ride, if that'd make up for it."

He'd get there faster than by train. Yuji agrees. "That'd be great, actually."

Gojo brightens up. "You're done with lectures, right? I'll be there soon."

Itadori looks forward to the visits but when the day comes, every time without fail, his stomach ties into a nervous knot. He hates hospitals.

Yuji misses Wasuke. He can't say the same about the things they talk about when he gets there. It will never be the same. So what if Wasuke is there, when he only talks about the future in which he's gone? Itadori talks about treatment, while his grandpa presses that he wants to be cremated when he dies, completely dismissing Yuji's efforts at positivity. It's understandable. Mindless optimism is only irritating in this situation, yet Yuji clings to it desperately and can't stop himself from clicking on articles he'd read multiple times before, coming back to the inspiring stories of people who'd survived stage four lung cancer.

Gojo sends him a voice message minutes before getting to the parking lot, so Yuji knows when to expect him. Itadori puts on a well-trained smile to avoid passing his sadness onto Gojo when they meet.

Satoru's warm grin is beaming with honesty. It's obviously very exciting to him, but he tones it down to match Itadori's contemplative energy. "Have you eaten yet?" He glances Yuji's way. They pass many restaurants and bars. Colorful shields show warm seasonal meals and drinks with the takeout option.

"No. You?"

"Mocktails distracted me. Time flies. Want me to get you something? I don't mean cheap stuff. What are you craving?"

Yuji's heart feels a little lighter. He doesn't want to be difficult. He'd gladly grab something together, but his stomach is unlikely to let him. "Thank you. Maybe later." He manages to keep his smile and stay present for about one-third of the trip. Then, his gaze naturally shifts towards the window.

"Can I ask you something? You already know what I'm gonna say."

"I have no idea."

"Really? I have to mention money. Have you heard of the newest, advanced treatment? I can afford it." Gojo lets it sink in. Yuji feels his eyes on him but he just presses his lips. "You're not very good at accepting gifts, and I get it. My parents raised me the same."

"No, the thing is -Wasuke is already getting all the help available. I don't know why it doesn't work as well as on other patients. Is it because of his age? The doctors say that it's also about a person's will, but if it really was, then.. someone like him would've recovered without a problem."

Gojo bites his lip. He almost touches Yuji, but his hand rests on the boy's seat instead. Shortly after a quick change of mind, it raises again to pet Itadori on the head. "I'm sorry to hear that." Sometimes it really feels like he gives himself a limit of how many times in a row he can make physical contact without going overboard. He confirms one thing Yuji has had a hunch about since the beginning of their friendship: "I didn't want to touch on those topics before. I don't think it was a good choice. You can tell me anything, Yuji. I'm just careful not to cross any boundaries since we started as a 'celebrity' and a 'fan.' I'm using those terms very loosely here. I hope you're comfortable around me."

If technology ever evolves enough to make convincing humanoid boyfriends in replacement for the imperfect partners, they would use Gojo as the blueprint. His girlfriend would be very happy with him if he had one.

"I'm not easily offended. Is there anything else you've been holding back with?"

"Oh, you don't even know.. Let's leave that for another time. Is Wasuke from your mom's or father's side?"

"Father's."

"Then why isn't he here? He's the son, for god's sake. I think you need it too. Why are you the only one mourning?"

"They've practically stopped talking after my parents married. I had to beg them to let me live here. They didn't want me to study in Sendai."

"A good parent wouldn't let you handle this emotional burden on your own."

This is the most serious Yuji has ever seen him. He thought that a light atmosphere would make him feel better but it's Gojo's explicit disapproval of Jin's choices and the opportunity to open up that put Yuji's mind at ease. He'd developed a lot of new respect for Gojo during this car ride. Something tempts him to go further. It's a temptation that he doesn't resist too hard.

"Would you like to meet him?" Yuji asks in the elevator.

"Your grandpa?"

"If he agrees. I need to ask him first."

Gojo looks down at his clothes. "I didn't know what I was dressing up for this morning."

Yuji nudges him. "He wasn't ever a fashionista himself."

"He's not judgy?"

"He is, but not like that. Be decent and he'll like you."

Satoru lets out a long exhale. They get out on the right floor and stride through the echo-friendly corridor. This is the first time, since he moved back to Sendai, that he's not alone during his visit. It gives him strength.

"No flowers today, brat?"

Yuji tells himself that it's just his imagination. Wasuke hasn't gotten any more frail. His eyes aren't any more bloodshot. "Argumentative much, grumpster?

Wasuke sighs in exasperation. He wipes his nose using a crumpled-up tissue that he then keeps squeezed in his fist resting atop the bedding. "You come too often," he says.

"Not often enough to annoy you into changing your mind."

"Can't have peace even at the very end. What a life."

"Grandpa," Yuji stops by one of the stools reserved for the patient's family. "I have someone to introduce. He's waiting outside."

"You could bring a woman instead. Learn from your father's mistakes and find someone better. I'd like to see that."

Old people and their fixation on romantic love..

"My friend wanted to say hi. Can I let him in?"

"Bring him here."

Yuji opens the door without saying anything and Gojo betrays his stress by clearing his throat before any greetings. He bows lightly and introduces himself with his full name. Wasuke does a subtle nod at the fact that he doesn't smell like cigarettes and has no visible tattoos. Yuji sits down first, Gojo follows his lead. He acts as if Wasuke could take out a birch at any moment, to punish him for saying something wrong. Yuji has to hold back from laughing.

Wasuke isn't as intimidating as before. This contrast between his old and current, sick self makes Yuji sad. Gojo's behavior proves the illness hasn't stolen all of his characteristic traits.

"You're thirty." Wasuke rubs his chin in deep thought.

The assumption surprises Gojo. He's used to people calling him young-looking. "Twenty-eight."

"Alright, then. What do you do for work?"

"I'm a comedian," Satoru says. "A professional comedian, though."

The addition of the word 'professional' doesn't make it any better. Wasuke winces. "That's not a good career path. Do you have any backup plan?"

"I have money."

"Ambitions?" Wasuke doesn't slow down.

"I'd say so."

"Hobbies?"

Gojo nods. "A few. I play instruments and play sports."

"Using your parents' wealth?"

"I earn well myself."

Wasuke is waiting for something and Gojo seems to get the hint. He doesn't want to say it.

Satoru rubs his neck. "But the headstart definitely helped."

"That's what I thought. Do you live here? I haven't heard about a comedian from Sendai."

"No, I'm not a local."

"When are you planning to go back?"

Satoru glances at Yuji. "My parents want me in Tokyo pretty soon. It's nothing urgent, so I'll try to wriggle out of it. They need someone trusted to help with their business if things get busy."

"Yet another reason to move out." Wasuke is looking straight at his grandson.

Yuji doesn't fall for the bait. "Don't start."

"Ask your friend for a comparison and see which place creates better opportunities. It's not too late to transfer."

Gojo checks his phone -totally unrelated to the air thick with tension- and acts all surprised about an apparent missed phone call. "Excuse me."

Bless his social awareness.

"Everything you need is in Tokyo. Don't waste your time here."

But everything he wants is in Sendai. Yuji can't bear to look at Wasuke.

"Don't be a kid," the man scolds him.

"Am I childish for asking you not to give up? Or being nostalgic about this place? I love Sendai."

"You should love your family and friends more."

"Are you not a part of that group?"

"Listen to me," Wasuke presses. "If that friend is any important to you, stick to him. Strength comes from meaningful relationships."

"I know what I want."

"Would you discard everything because of nostalgia?"

"Maybe. It's my life."

Wasuke goes red. He collects himself slowly, but he's so silent that Itadori starts to believe his grandpa won't ever speak to him again. Itadori gets up from his seat, assuming that Wasuke wants to be alone.

"Yuji. Lean down."

Itadori does exactly that. He expects another lesson, possibly the last one today or the most important one Wasuke would ever give him. His grandpa exhibits a calm, wise demeanor, but when he leans down as asked, the man hits him over the head.

Yuji whips away. "Ow, what the hell?"

"You idiot! This is the most important period of your life! Do you know what it means to balance emotions and logic?"

"I'm staying no matter what, and just so you know, violence and insults aren't the best persuasive measures."

"Well, nothing else seems to get through your thick skull." Wasuke goes into a coughing fit that lasts long enough to concern Yuji. Strong emotions aren't good for him. "How about that -I've stopped treatment months ago."

Time stops for Yuji.

"You.. -What?"

"Cancer had won already. I've accepted it. It's your turn."

"You're kidding."

"The doctors approved my decision. Prolonging my life would've caused me more suffering."

He's frozen in shock. Blood rushes to his head and he can't hear anything anymore. His temple pulsates, warning him of an upcoming headache.

It had to happen one day. Yuji knows his grandpa and could've easily predicted his decision. He'd also experienced moments of clarity, during which he'd accept the harsh truth. Wasuke had the right to be angry, when they both knew how unrealistic it was for him to recover, but only one of them had the courage to say it out loud.

His throat is burning. He won't cry in front of Wasuke. The old man's gaze softens.

"Sleep on it. They told me to be gentle but I.. Ah," Wasuke waves his hand dismissively. "I never change."

Anger, nausea and sadness mix in Yuji and prevent him from forming any response. Wasuke has been withholding this information from him, for his own good or not. The kid inside him is throwing a temper tantrum, but Wasuke didn't choose to die. That was the only power he had here -the choice between false hope and reconciliation with the unforgiving reality.

"Does dad know?"

Wasuke nods. "We talked."

"Gramps.." Yuji sniffles. He swallows down his tears, trying to look mature in front of his role model.

"You crybaby. Come here."

He missed their hugs so bad. They've been too busy fighting. Yuji's heart breaks as he holds his grandpa's bony body in his arms. He couldn't see how small he'd become through the baggy clothes. How's Jin taking it? Better for sure. He doesn't have to see or talk to the dying man, and that makes him a bigger coward than Yuji.

He's still shaken when he walks out, nowhere near his usual confidence. Gojo doesn't have to ask. He plants his hand at the back of Yuji's head, gives him a comforting rub, and pulls him lightly till the boy's forehead rests against his shoulder. Itadori closes his eyes. The nausea subsides enough to make it bearable.

Satoru becomes the constant Yuji can count on. He's there every day, diverting Itadori's attention from the bad thoughts and giving his viewers extra entertainment through the snippets of screentime that he gets. Yuji doesn't return to his routine right away. The first night after the hospital visit passes with takeout gyoza and hours of TV shows. He and Gojo lay on the floor in front of the outdated box that plays the most random channels. It doesn't matter. Yuji's thoughts are in an entirely different place anyway, mostly revolving Satoru's arms around his torso. He hit a jackpot by finding a male friend who's this affectionate. 

They sleep together, share house chores and the mundane, everyday pleasures. Gojo multitasks as his tutor and proofreads his essays. The best Yuji can do to thank him for his kindness is feed him well, though Satoru has his part here as well. The amount he earns at the bar wouldn't cover twice the groceries he used to buy. Gojo offered to take care of it. 

Yuji's lectures get cancelled at the perfect time, when he wants nothing more than a quiet morning spent on his favorite activities. Mochis have been requested by his viewers before, but dessert recipes are fairly rare on his channel. It's something additional that he doesn't have time for and that wouldn't have filled him up after a tiring shift. Gojo watches from his seat, sporadically appearing on camera to play an assistant. 

"These were a gift from my neighbor," Yuji informs. "She has a huge, old tree in her garden." He fishes the cooked chestnuts and gives the people a better view. "We need to wait for them to cool down."

Mochis are no challenge for him, so the stream would be short, were he to make some regular version of them. Nowadays, the chat is separated into the people who talk about food and the ones who'd rather eat Gojo up. They adore him, and the dating craze is going strong. It doesn't faze Yuji anymore. If it doesn't offend either him or Gojo, why fight it?

He peers over at the screen and reads: "Doesn't the chestnut neighbor make your boyfriend jealous?" Itadori is getting ready to make a paste from some of the cooked nuts. He hesitates about the ratio and lands on the sweeter version. "Hmm.. I did say I like older women. That doesn't really include grandmas. I meant something more like a ten-year difference, you know?" 

He's ruining their fun, but it's true. The lady is one of Wasuke's friends. 

The paste comes together smoothly. Yuji does a quick taste test and gives it a thumbs up. He uses a steamer for the dough. It's a repetitive process that ends the same as the previous -with the instruction to let it cool down before moving forward. Itadori drinks his tea in the meantime and takes a look at the chat, in case anyone has any actual questions. He sees 'How long have you been together?' and simply looks away. 

Gojo doesn't insert himself into every task. It's one of those days when he prefers crossing his arms over the table, resting his head on top of them and observing Yuji with a smile. Itadori reciprocates it whenever their eyes meet. 

He rolls the dough and cuts out small circles, after making sure that they'd fit the whole chestnuts without ripping. "Use about a teaspoon of paste in each mochi," Yuji suddenly remembers to say. Sometimes, while focusing on his tasks, he forgets that he's not making a video he can later add subtitles to. Other times, when he has a lot on his mind, he talks the viewers' ears off and, as a result, messes up the recipe. 

The mochi dough and fillings quickly turn into a line of shapely globs. Yuji estimates that he'd need two, big containers to store those, unless Gojo eats everything in one day. The sticky texture under Yuji's fingers turns on a lightbulb. Where's the roasted soybean powder? He searches through the abandoned shelves, in Gojo's unexpected company. He'd gotten up while Yuji wasn't paying attention, and now hands him a bag of powdered sugar.

"What would we use that for?"

Gojo takes a bit of it on his fingers and pinches Yuji's cheek. Itadori can't bother to wipe it off, besides, it was a bit cute. "To dust the mochis? I made them as sweet as you like." 

Gojo connects his palms in a prayer and shakes them to get his point across. 

"Okay.."

His hand bumps onto something as he withdraws it. It sounds like glass. Yuji grabs it curiously and pulls out a bottle of light-colored liquid with a plum on the label. Yuji squints his eyes at the tiny text. 

"Eh? Umeshu? Gramps, you're a bad man." 

Gojo giggles. Yuji's face is frozen in shock, which triggers Satoru to cover his mouth with his hands and, as any well-mannered person would do, apologize. "Oh, I'm sorry."

They're live. They can't cut that part out. 

Yuji finds himself amused. Gojo is horrified. He gets swatted and sent to the corner, but other than that, the show goes on. Yuji takes the powdered sugar, grabs a plate from the dish rack, and covers it with a flat layer of the product. He pats each bouncy glob with a self-satisfied smile, taking extra long to postpone facing the messages in the chat. 

He didn't think he'd ever be happy to see this much negativity from his viewers. They're arguing among one another, trying to prove or debunk the identity of Yuji's friend. Most of them say it's that Gojo Satoru, no doubt, while the others argue that the audio was too short to speak about it with confidence. What they all agree on is that they'd hate it if their husband were taken. Either of them. And if they're together? Even worse. 

Matchmakers begone! This is the best outcome he could've gotten. Yuji ends the stream after a quick goodbye. 

"Are you mad?" Gojo asks timidly.

"No. It's not a big deal."

Satoru peeks at him over his shoulder. "Really? Lemme read. What did they say?" 

Yuji hands him the phone and gets right to cleaning up. Gojo reads fast, his eyes raking across the lines of text, message after message. "What?!" He expresses his shock while scrolling, growing annoyed the minute. "They don't want us together anymore? Someone says it didn't sound like me whatsoever. They're in denial."

"The problem solved itself. How great is that?" 

Gojo narrows his eyes. "You look too happy about this."

"Why aren't you?" Itadori pushes the plate of fresh mochis across the counter, as something like a bribe. 

"I don't love it when strangers feel possessive over me. Especially when they feel entitled to decide whether my relationships with other people are platonic or not."

"I get it," Yuji says to appease him. He shakes the plastic bottle standing by the sink and changes the topic. "Could you get some dish soap on the way from the bank?" 

"I guess they're not wrong about the dating rumors. We've skipped that stage and gone straight for married life." 

Yuji sends him a disappointed look. "Gojo-san.." 

"Sudden honorifics? What's next? I thought we were close." 

He doesn't get it. Why does Satoru sound so upset? And why does the change of topic become such a desperate need when Gojo wants nothing but to harmlessly vent his frustration? Yuji should let him. He's being a bad friend.

He's hurt. By what? He can't name it. The words 'false hope' swirl in his mind endlessly, impossible to catch and associate with something that would give him an answer. The first time he invited Gojo in, he had the same feeling deep in his gut. It's not okay for him to develop any expectations. Isn't he just like all his other fans; the kind of person Gojo hates: self-centered and audacious? Someone who thinks they could date him because they loved him for a long time.

Gojo doesn't press. His emotions are buzzing inside of him quietly while he helps Yuji with the dishes. He has them under control. Same could be said about Itadori and his sense of defeat. "You can confirm everything yourself next time, if that makes you feel better," he says. 

That's what Yuji would do in his place. He'd say that yes, it was him the entire time, and it's true that the playfulness between him and his friend was platonic, but it was rude of them to act the way they did. They would've listened if he asked them to behave. What if he were to date someone in the future and his fans kept whining and protesting all the same?

"I can't think of anything that I'd like to do less."

What's gotten into him? Seriously, what is he even mad about anymore?

"Sorry. That was my best shot at cheering you up."

Gojo stumbles upon a fun idea as he finishes drying the dishes and utensils. "That liquor," he points at the bottle Yuji hasn't yet put in its place. "Is it super important to your grandpa?"

"It's old and untouched, so I assume not. He can't drink now anyway. Why?" 

"You're of age. Let's try it."

Yuji is completely puzzled. "You don't like alcohol." 

"It's amber. I love that color," Gojo fixes his gaze on the bottle. Yuji can see clear pleasure in his blue irises. "I'm not talking about getting drunk. I just want to taste it."

It's a morning free of chores, besides quick housework. Why not? Yuji finds two small glasses that he sets on the kitchen table. He takes the mochi and, honoring the tradition, he pours the alcohol into both cups, filling up only about a centimeter of the height. 

He and Gojo wet their lips to get an idea of how strong it is. Satoru takes a sip shortly after, and mixes the bitterness with the sweet, soft mochi made just for him. Yuji tries it too. It came out really well. He worried he'd undercook the chestnuts. Yuji stood under the stove during the livestream, stirring the nuts and imagining Gojo picking them out of the dough to eat only the good parts. Well, knowing Satoru, he would've pretended to be okay with the texture. He's too nice to outwardly criticize homemade food. 

"Not bad." Itadori swirls the alcohol in the glass. He licks his lips and Satoru's eyes follow the movement.

"Yuji, do you have anything against same-sex relationships?"

"I.." He didn't expect that topic to get resurrected so quickly. Does Gojo suspect him? He can't say that he's against them, obviously, but it's important to stay focused. Yuji has to be careful not to do the opposite and give Gojo an overly enthusiastic response. "No?" 

"Thought so. It came to my mind because of how you reacted to the teasing."

"It was immature of them."

"I agree, but.. hypothetically-" The washing machine interrupts him with a cheerful chime that signals the end of the cycle. 

"Ah, the laundry." Yuji cannot conceal the relief in his voice. "Give me a minute, okay?"

Gojo doesn't follow him immediately. He stays in the kitchen staring absent-mindedly into the nearly empty glass, while Yuji fills the basket with damp clothes. The weather is great, so he takes them outside, hoping that Gojo doesn't believe in the third time's a charm rule. This is stressing him out. He'd say that Satoru is acting weird, but from Gojo's perspective, it's definitely the other way around. Yuji is the one who's running away at any serious mention of romantic feelings between men. That's a topic that only a guilty person wouldn't want to talk about. 

So stupid. 

Yuji doesn't remain alone for long. Gojo appears in the garden and enters Itadori's little world. A world made of fresh cotton and the intense fragrance of warm grass. It shields them from the neighbors' eyes. Satoru doesn't say anything, only stands there with an unexplained determination, as Yuji hangs another piece of clothing. His entire demeanor speaks 'This is my last attempt.'

"Doesn't it bother you at all? They were acting as if they knew us so well. 'They would never be together. Not in a million years.' Do you agree with that?" 

"Why would it matter? At the end of the day..-"

"I know. We're not a couple."

Yuji sighs. He's starting to understand Satoru's anger, but he needs some final confirmation before doing anything that could easily ruin what's between them. Even if there's only one logical explanation. Would Gojo get upset about the fans rejecting the possibility of a deeper relationship between him and Yuji if he had no romantic intentions?

"But we could be," Satoru continues. "We're doing everything that couples do anyway." 

That's factually not true. Yuji doesn't think before speaking, driven by the impulse to point out the obvious: "Except for kissing."

Satoru smiles. He loses his strict tone and allows warmth to sneak back into his words. "Never too late."

The laundry flutters in the light breeze. Yuji can't believe it's really happening, but he watches Gojo leaning down slowly, the man's gaze dropping to his lips, his head tilting unmistakably. He technically knows that they're about to kiss, yet his brain struggles to comprehend that it's reality, not the last, few seconds of a wet dream that his alarm is about to rouse him from. 

"The world didn't end, huh?" Gojo mutters against his lips. 

People often rush into marriage. Some make it one of their main goals in life; finding the right person, putting a ring on their finger and enjoying the safety and stability of having someone to lean on. Humans are social animals and it was entirely naive of Yuji to think that he was somehow different. Romantic relationships held little value to him before Satoru came around.

He gets it now. He and Gojo are not married. They're not even engaged, but they live like newlyweds. This feeling lingered between them before they became official, Yuji sees it in hindsight. He also sees that if it wasn't for Gojo's temper, they would've wasted their time in this safe middleground forever. It wouldn't have been bad either. That is, if one of them didn't get fed up with the fact that they can't call it what it is. That part would've been missing, no matter how many times they wouldn't have told themselves that they don't need labels to be happy. Wasuke wouldn't want him to stay blind to the right choices for the sake of comfort. His relationship with Gojo is just a warm-up. 

It turned out well in this case. It's the encouragement that Yuji needs to abandon all the other plans he'd made right after getting the news about his grandpa's well-being. He wasn't thinking straight at that time. His parents might argue that he's not in his right mind currently either, but regardless of their plausible disapproval, they're going to meet Satoru very soon. 

Yuji wouldn't say that he's gotten any better at coping with Wasuke's diagnosis. Acceptance doesn't come to those who aggressively demand it and guilt doesn't ease after pointless self-sacrifice. He has to leave this house behind and transfer schools even if it feels wrong. Yuji did consider the scenario where Wasuke loses his battle against cancer and he planned to stay in Sendai regardless. It doesn't make sense to him anymore.

The beginning of the relationship is called the honeymoon stage because it's usually the happiest time. It would've been the same for Yuji if he didn't know exactly how much time the doctors gave Wasuke and if that information didn't make him cry every single day. Wasuke's state doesn't make him sad at this point. It more so.. makes him physically sick. He's getting goosebumps and cold sweat at the thought that any day now, Wasuke might just not wake up. 

He looks peaceful. Reconciled. Yuji holds onto it for dear life, happy that he got to tell Wasuke about the change of plans before it was too late. He has to leave, but he'll leave as a contented man. 

The stress-baking illustrates his mental state very well. The perk of having a sugar-addicted partner is that he doesn't complain when he comes home to what looks like a small business gone wrong. The kitchen is filled with sweets, like a mini bakery, but no clients line up to buy his produce. There's only so much that Gojo can eat, so the rest becomes a gift for the closest neighbors. Bribery is a good tactic against gossiping seniors. Those desserts are good enough to make someone think 'Those two men are living together (not out of necessity, since one of them is rich) but they're generous, so I'll let it slide.' 

Neighbors are irrelevant anyway. They're moving. Gojo is going above and beyond to support him while he quits his job and gets ready for a new semester in Tokyo. If Yuji were to name one point of contention, it would be his own unnecessarily suspicious behavior. He'd developed the habit of staying up all night, scrolling on his phone. Not the fun scrolling. He's been checking the forums obsessively, worrying about Satoru's fans saying something bad about him. He'd used the excuse of editing and uploading videos too many times now, and one night, when he thinks that Satoru is long asleep, he finds the man staring right at him. He's lying on his side, arms crossed. 

"I thought I was the insomniac in our relationship."

Yuji blinks fast. "Sorry! I just need to finish something. Is it the light? I'll change position." He was comfortable lying on his back, but he'll gladly make it so that Satoru can see less. 

"Oh, no, no, no, no-" Gojo stops him in the tone of a kindergarten teacher and gets a hold of Yuji's hand. The one attached to the phone. "This is getting weird. Tell me what you're doing or I won't get a wink of sleep."

It's not hard to guess what's thinking. Itadori tenses up. "I'm.."

"You don't have anything to hide, right? I really don't want to do this, but.. show me your phone."

"I'm uploading a video, as always."

"Yuji."

"I'm not doing anything I shouldn't. Trust me."

Satoru doesn't let go. "I promise I won't get mad if we do this the nice way. Don't put up a fight."

Yuji doesn't have the mental energy for cheating accusations. He's too embarrassed to show Gojo the tab and too rational to close it now, thinking it won't make his situation significantly worse. "It's not like that."

"Who is it? It's okay if you're texting someone. Let me get a look and I'll be satisfied."

Fine. It's better to come off as lame, than to hurt Satoru's feelings by denying him a clarification. Yuji gives him his phone and fiddles with the hem of his t-shirt while Gojo tries to figure out what he's looking at. 

"A gossip forum?"

"Don't laugh, please."

"It would be funny if I weren't so perplexed." He reads a few more posts and his worries slowly fade away, suspicion evaporating from his features right before Yuji's eyes. "So they're still hung up on that?"
 
"I'm no better."

Satoru gazes at him with what can only be described as pure love. "Does it have anything to do with you breaking my heart by refusing to announce that we're together?" 

"You have a reputation." 

"Not a good one!" 

A point for Gojo. He and Geto don't really think about the consequences of their jokes when they're on stage. 

"But they love you. That's what I'm trying to say."

"All I care about is if you love me. Sometimes, they feel less like my fans and more like my bratty kids who expect their daddy to stay single just because they're jealous. Anyway," Satoru gives him a big, wet kiss. "Put that phone down and give me a hug, or I'll die like a neglected plant."

Yuji scoots towards him to get comfy in his favorite position. Gojo loves it when his cute, pink koala wraps his every limb around him and hides his face in the crook of his neck. It's also calming for Yuji to breathe his scent all night long.  

Another problem resolved. Except that something's still keeping Itadori up. First of all, it was only a half-lie. He was about to upload a new video, but he got stuck on the title. Secondly, he needs to find a way to make Satoru as happy as he makes him. And he might know what it is. 

Gojo wants quite literally only one thing from him, the most basic thing a partner could possibly want -mutual, indiscreet love. Yuji waits until Gojo's breath becomes slow and regular, signaling deep slumber. It comes to him easier when Itadori -aka the fix to insomnia- is near. Otherwise, he sleeps like a watchful cat, on guard even with his eyes closed. Yuji pulls out his phone from under the pillow. 

Maybe he had those intentions already while hesitating on the title. He'd written [Making a strawberry shortcake for my_____] before opening the forum tab and successfully discouraging himself from the idea. Screw it. Yuji types the missing word: [boyfriend] clicks 'Upload,' and tosses the phone away.