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Suguru had no idea what was going on. He couldn't understand anything beyond the ringing in his ears, the headache behind his eyes. He could feel every curse, see literally everything and hear every noise all around him. It made him nauseous in a way swallowing those curses had never done. He just wished it would stop. Everything screamed at him all at once he didn't know what was happening his head was splitting apart, he just wished IT WOULD STOP WHY WONT IT STOP HE CAN’T—
He was thankful when his eyes went dark allowing at least one of his senses to take a damn break. He could still feel every curse hear all the noise but couldn't see anymore. But it still was too much. He felt like banging his head on a wall just so it would stop he just wanted it to stop he just wanted to curl up somewhere and cry until this atrocity will stop why is this happening what is happening WHY—
"—ru. Suguru. Listen to me. You are panicking again. Calm down, you’re alright. Breathe, just breathe."
He tried hearing to that voice and he tried to breathe but it was still too much why won't it stop WHY CAN'T IT JUST-
"Take deep breath in Suguru, breathe in." Strong arms curled around his frame, "Breathe in deeply Suguru, copy me. You’re okay. Perfect, now breathe out."
Slowly but steadily, he felt a little better. It was still too much, his head still felt like it was being torn apart but he could bear it. He could think clearly now, breathe a little easier.
"Great Suguru, you are doing great."
WASN’T THAT HIS OWN VOICE?!?!
WHY IS HE HAVING THIS SHITTY HEADACHE IN THE FIRST PLACE?!?!
"Are you feeling better?"
"Satoru?"
"Yeah, it's me Suguru I'm here."
"Why the fuck are you speaking in my voice?"
“Well—"
Satoru didn’t continue and went silent for a minute. A minute where he realised he couldn't feel his curses anyone. He tried to summon one to no avail.
" Uhm yeah, that’s of no use you can't summon them."
" Why, and you haven’t answered why the fuck are you not speaking in your own voice?"
"Well— so you see—"
“No, I don't.”
“Right.”
"Satoru, tell me what's wrong?"
“I mean hear your own voice and you tell me.”
“Oh, enough with your games I—”
Suguru went silent for a minute. A minute where he realised finally that not only did Satoru’s voice sounded like his own but his voice sounded like Satoru.
WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK?
“It seems like we have switched bodies. My soul in your body and yours in mine. Classic switcheroo."
The mission was supposed to be an easy one. A grade 2 curse causing chaos in a hospital making people disoriented and often hallucinate when they were undergoing treatment or getting discharged. The victims could swear they felt weird, as if they were seeing the world through other eyes. As if they were suddenly somewhere else. It caused paranoia and had grown so severe leading people to their deaths or driving them crazy. If a desolate place like hospital made them see things, they would definitely think they were about to die, even if they had come for a hairline fracture.
Ahh that makes sense now, doesn't it? He is not surprised at all.
"Where are we now?"
"Hiding. None of us are in a position to fight it since both of us are unfamiliar with techniques of each other. We both got knocked out for a minute or so. When you woke up you started panicking."
"Yeah, well disrespectfully Satoru your six eyes are a bitch."
Satoru laughed a quiet huff. It felt weird in his own voice.
"Yes, I am well aware. Focus on breathing if you start getting overwhelmed again. Keep the blindfold on your eyes. It will help."
"How are you faring with mine though?"
"Pretty fucked up actually. Can’t remember a time without limitless or six eyes. I practically feel blind like toddler or something."
"Oh please, I do know how to talk and walk your majesty."
" And how are you sure it's not my own spectacular skills? You—"
The curse roared, cutting Satoru off mid-sentence, the shrill high-pitched voice grating his ears. His head felt like exploding, his eyes burning like someone was drilling through his eye sockets. "FUCK" He tried to block all the noise, burying his face in his knees as he leaned against the tree, covering his ears. It didn't help, the six eyes providing him with useless information from all his surroundings, dumping it all into his already tired and overwhelmed head.
He felt warm hands on his face, making him look up to his own face. It felt jarring, seeing his own face wearing an expression similar to Satoru’s. He wondered how he was able to see through the blindfold, only to realise the fact that he really wasn’t seeing this through normal eyes, but this brain was used to interpret the information from six eyes. He lowered his hands slightly, knowing Satoru had something to say.
Satoru spoke in hushed voices, seemingly only moving his lips. "I think we should retreat for now. I'll distract it and then get us out. Stay here and don’t move."
He tried to nod, his head feeling like lead, as if his neck was working extra hard to keep his head still attached to his body.
He tried to stop the influx of information as much as he could, finding it quite impossible when the six eyes wouldn’t stop broadcasting how the fuck the worm was moving in the dirt ten feet below or how the bird was flapping its wing someplace near or how the curse was still looking for them.
It felt like being reduced to nothing as his eyes or rather six weaved a hell of their own design.
By the time they had made it back to school, Suguru was close to tears, exhausted to the bone.
Blissful darkness engulfed his senses, making him sigh with relief. He somehow still heard all the noises around him, and found Satoru going through his cupboard, clearly trying to find something. They were in Satoru’s room, lights turned off and pure black curtains blocking the light. He moved to sit on the bed, content to just watch Satoru. The mannerisms were still the same, even though it was his own body. It felt weird, like watching your body from the outside and watching someone else pilot it around.
"Your room would have been too bright, here," Satoru said in a hushed voice, removing the blindfold and placing an eye mask on his eyes. The relief was instant, the mask heating up slightly making his muscles relax.
"Sleep it off, you'll feel better when you wake up."
He laid down on the bed, Satoru’s scent engulfing his senses. "Are your migraines always this worse?"
"Well to be honest I don’t think what your experiencing is full on migraine. It’s just you're unused to it. "
"Shit. That explains why you're such a brat all the time."
"Hey not fair. I'm being nice and you're calling me a brat. I'll have you know I'm a very handsome and strong brat."
They kept talking on hushed voices, Suguru having no idea when he drifted off.
~
"But shouldn't exorcising the curse do the trick?" Suguru Satoru asked as Shoko continued examining them both in the infirmary.
"Not really. It messed with your souls, so the technique won’t wear off on its own."
"Please for God's sake Shoko don’t tell me I’m stuck with these six eyes. I would like my own two back." Satoru Suguru whined.
"Well think about these things before being reckless you morons."
"It wasn’t out fault Shoko, come on." Suguru Satoru whined.
"Whatever. But no, Suguru you won’t have to stay with them. Luckily for you both, your technique is cursed spirit manipulation. And the curse only switched your souls instead of permanently distorting them. So just absorb the curse and direct it to attack you both with it its technique again. Do it in an isolated environment like the initial conditions."
"Alright"
~
They took some time to get used to their techniques practically. Suguru was still highly sensitive to his surroundings, while Satoru took some time to fight without his techniques before searching out for that curse again. Satoru summoned Suguru's rainbow dragon, directing it to keep guard and to fly them back in case of an injury.
Because of its technique, the curse was a menace, even if he was Grade 2. Satoru summoned as much curses as he could while Suguru kept a track of its movements. They attacked it on all fronts, wearing it down before Satoru moved in from its blind spot and defeated it. He absorbed it into an orb, as Suguru had directed. He moved to swallow it, only for Suguru to stop him midway. "What happened?"
"Keep it and swallow it back at Jujutsu High. Did you forget what they taste like?"
His blood ran cold. He looked back at the orb in his hand, suddenly blanching at the thought of bringing it anywhere near his mouth. He had completely forgotten. "Shit."
They sat in Suguru’s room after an hour and he stared at the orb. "Is there really no other way?"
"I ordered your favourite waffles."
"Let’s just get this over with."
It was literal hell. First, to say that the taste was shit would be an understatement. But the literal hellish attack on his stomach left him numb. Suguru had already made him sit in the bathroom and held his hair back as his stomach emptied itself. After what seemed like hours, he rinsed his mouth and leaned against the cold wall. His stomach burned horribly, cramps hitting him hard. It seemed as if whenever he breathed, his stomach coiled on itself. "Fuck this."
"Do you think you’re going to be sick again?"
"Don’t think so."
"Alright, c’mon let’s get you to bed."
He lay there helpless against the pain, not even having it in himself to stomach the waffles.
"Is it always this bad?" Satoru murmured, mirroring Suguru’s sentiment as he laid hot water bottle on his stomach, the relief almost making him cry in tears of joy.
"Higher the grade of the curse, the worse it is."
"What the fuck. This is Grade 2?"
"You get used to it."
"Fuck this."
"Sleep it off if you can, Satoru. I’ll be right here.”
~
It was a simple matter of switching back after the curse was controlled.
"Oh finally, my beautiful eyes I missed you so much." Satoru exclaimed as he stretched. Suguru glanced sideways in annoyance, agreeing with the sentiment nonetheless. "I'm glad to be back in my body so much."
~
BONUS
"Hey Oldie, We're back!!" Yaga glanced up in shock to see Suguru, leaning in the doorway sporting a grin. What?
Satoru suddenly appeared behind Suguru, placing a hand on his shoulder with the utmost sincere expression, "Satoru, don't confuse the old man. He might have a stroke." Satoru?
And then Suguru cackled (was he seeing that for the first time?) while Satoru continued to smile in mock politeness.
"What did you both do now?"
"Oh nothing!!" Satoru said.
"Then why are you both behaving abnormally?"
And these two had the audacity to look at each other as if confused, despite smiling smugly before Satoru answered, " Sensei, we're perfectly normal." Suguru joined in, "Can't you recognise your favourite students!!"
Maybe he actually will have a stroke one of these days.