Under the Overpass ~ SatoSugu

Chapter 11

"Suguru? Are you okay? Wanna go play Digimon with me?" Gojo walked towards them and Shoko turned to look. He no longer cared at all about showing off or explaining. Just that he was okay. "Suguru?" He waved his hand just a little in front of his eyes, not wanting to be annoying. They seemed to be elsewhere, locked behind a glossed gaze.

"You've lost weight, are you alright?" He asked again, this time only loud enough for him to hear. Gojo noticed his cheeks looked more hollow. The only tall tale sign in a figure otherwise masked by loose-fitting clothes.

"Oh, I'm fine, yeah. Just..." he tried to think up an excuse, "Heat fatigue. That's all." He noticed the worried expression behind Satoru's sunglasses. "You're fatter, by the way." He said, playing it off with a blatant lie.

"Okay wow." Gojo put his hands up defensively.

"Let's go get juices then before Geto passes out." Shoko stood between them, glancing a knowing look at Gojo before pulling them both down with a hand on each opposite shoulder.

It was then that Geto realized. He would never compare in terms of ability. At one point, their lines were similar, but they crossed and went off opposite ways now. The trajectory of Gojo's was continuously rising and his was stagnant.

"Geto? Do you have a light?" She asked. He snapped out of his thoughts, digging in his pockets. He kept one on him just for her, even though he severely disapproved of the addicting sticks.
"Catch."

"Thanks lifesaver!" She cheerfully replied.

Lifesaver, huh? He thought about what that meant. He saved lives, but who would save him if he needed? Satoru. But if he weren't there, then who? No one was there for Jujutsu sorcerers. If something higher on the food chain came for them, that was it.

But some things stayed the same. As they walked, Gojo and Geto both tried to trip one another or poke their Adam's apples. And when Shoko intervened, they ganged up on her, hooking an arm under each of hers and hoisting her up into the air as she kicked in retaliation, which then fueled them further as she was put onto their shoulders and wielded around.

The clinking of their glass bottles once again manifested itself as a gun firing off. He winced. Geto was never quite the same after that.

"Yeah, you would go for the fruit blend, wouldn't you." She looked to Gojo, tipping her bottle in his direction.

"The fuck is that supposed to mean? It's juice!" He took a sip, and Geto watched from the sidelines, anticipating what was to come, his hand like a claw machine around the bottle's neck by his side.

Shoko gave a certain look up and down, "You're literally standing with your hip popped." His jaw dropped and he scuttered to Geto, whispering; "How does she know?"

"Because I'm not an idiot!" Shoko laughed, and Geto crossed his arms as a smile just barely crept across his face, tugging at it.

"Well, you know what, I don't see you with anyone." Gojo fought back.

"Yeah, 'cause you both are perfect examples of how, sadly, disgusting guys are. I'm so glad you found one another 'cause even if you wanted a girl, not a single one would want either of you."

"Speak only for Satoru, Shoko." Geto took a sip.

"Uhm, no, you just flat-tired me less than ten minutes ago, and my sock still feels funny, dumbass." She finished off the bottle, "You both are just as bad."

"You're just jealous." Gojo fluttered his eyelashes.

A look of absolute, utter disgust crossed her face. "Hell would have to freeze over, and dinosaurs would have to walk the earth and even then I wouldn't be able to entertain the thought of being with either of you." She retaliated.

They returned about their usual business, a tight-knit group of friends with one part of the knot fraying.

Shoko went off somewhere after a few hours and the other two only had so much time before one of them, likely Gojo, was to set off again.
"Suguru," Gojo chimed, honking the looped bun on the back of his hair as though it were a clown nose, "Let's go!"

"Go where?" He asked, swatting the hand down.

"Just follow me." They ventured to the bathhouse, where Gojo plunked Suguru down, placing a cold washcloth over his tired eyes.

He ran a bubble bath, to avoid accidentally seeing anything, and against Geto's good wishes who claimed that he didn't want one.
"Go on. Get in," he pointed to the foamy water. Geto sighed and begrudgingly stepped a foot in. Gojo knelt beside the rim of the tub, crossing his forearms and leaning on them.
"It feels better, right?" He didn't want to leave Geto in the state he was in, knowing he set off again tomorrow.

Geto couldn't disagree, it was alleviating his stresses quite a bit. "I suppose." He replied, dunking his head under.

"Here, turn around." Gojo brought out bottles of expensive shampoo and conditioner. Geto did, and they talked occasionally but were both equally as focused on the hair being washed.

"Thank you, Satoru," Geto whispered, "For taking care of me." He choked back a wave of emotion.

Gojo smiled, lathering his scalp with soft fingers, and massaging his neck.

"Would you like to join me?" Geto asked. The washing motions stopped and Gojo couldn't blame his red face on the steam in the room.

"It's just like an onsen, but a bit smaller." Geto made the point. It was true, the tub could fit the both of them with enough room.

"Are you sure?" Gojo asked, Geto nodded.

He rinsed the hair products off his hands, adding more salts and bubbles before getting in, and they faced one another. The tub was a large, smooth edge square and they could extend their legs out without reaching the other side.

It was awkward at first until Geto splashed him gently.

"What was that for?!"

"I just wanted to see your hair wet is all," Geto smirked.

"Oh, so that's what all this is about." He dunked his head back, completely transforming the look Geto had come to be very familiar with. Geto snorted, then a laugh rang out against the tiled walls.
"Hey!" Gojo whined, splashing him too and getting soap in his eyes. "I have a good forehead, shut up."

"How much gel do you go through to keep it like that-" he asked.

"That's for me to know, and for you," he gestured in his general direction, inadvertently splashing the water, "not to know."

They got out one at a time, just as the bubbles started to dissipate, not so subtly sneaking glances as the other dried off.