𝐝𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐲'𝐬 𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐭 | ＧＯＪＯ

22: Honesty

"Satoru wait.."
You barely had time to react, Gojo instinctively dropped your hand and made his way over to the ebony haired male. He reached his destination and slapped his palm onto the guys shoulder, yanking it back to face him.
You noticed Satoru's shoulders relax which prompted you to peer round.
An unfamiliar face stared back at you.. it wasn't Suguru.

You let out a deep exhale in relief, you weren't sure what would of happened if the two boys had met up so soon after the last altercation.
"I'm sorry" Satoru explained to the stranger, who luckily seemed to be taking the mistake fairly well.
He trugged back towards you with guilt written over his face. "I'm sorry y/n.. my body just reacted.. I..."
You wrapped your arms around his neck and buried your face into his chest.
"I know.. it's ok"
He sighed, breathing in that fresh raspberry scented conditioner of yours that he loved so much. "Thank you.. I do think we need to talk through some things though. Can we take a drive to our spot?"

㊕

Hot air from Satoru's car heater blasted onto your face, it was a welcome relief from the chilly evening air.
You'd eventually found Shoko and her 'friend' at a mulled wine bar. It didn't take long to explain what had happened and Shoko was super understanding as always. She hugged you goodbye with the promise that you'd fill her in with all the details when you got home.

You tapped your finger to the rhythm of an unfamiliar song on the radio. Tapping was a slow release of your anxiety, you were trying not to show it but Gojo's words at the carnival had put you on edge. "I do think we need to talk through some things"
The moment replayed in your mind alongside a thousand different scenarios of how this 'conversation' was about to go. You hadn't ever been much of a 'show your feelings' type of girl.
Maybe it was your stunted family life that made you like that, either way you knew what was coming would be uncomfortable.

He gracefully swung his car onto the dirt track, pulling it into park near the cliff edge. He climbed out and proceeded to open the rear door, messing about with the seats until the back was arranged in a similar fashion to the first time he'd taken you here.
You stepped out of the vehicle and joined him, he was already laying down staring up at the clear sky above.
"So.. that first date was awkward hm?" He continued to stare up at the stars whilst speaking. "It wasn't so bad. Sukuna was definitely the highlight"
You noticed the corners of his mouth turn up which reassured you slightly.

"Do you still love him?"

The question caught you off guard. He didn't look at you, he was to nervous to see your face and get the answer he was dreading to hear.
Your eyebrows furrowed in frustration, how could he ask you that when everything was still so fresh.
"Satoru.." you started. He turned to you, unable to face away any longer. "Yes. Of course I do"
His eyes dulled slightly at your response even though he knew it was coming.
"Satoru, he was my first everything"

It was your turn to look away now as the memories flooded back to you.
"You don't just stop loving someone like that. He was my first love, my first best friend, my first.. time"
Your voice broke slightly as the words poured out. He went to speak but you cut him off. "But that doesn't negate my feelings for you. Satoru, I think a part of me has always loved you but I pushed it away because of my family"

He knew you still loved Suguru and part of him knew that you would always hold some love for him, he'd have to live with that if he wanted to be with you. "Loving Suguru was easy, loving you.. loving you is going to be hard"

He blinked, not really sure whether to be offended or not. "Loving me will be hard?" He repeated your phrase, turning it into a question. "If we ever get married, have children.. our families, they think they own us, or me more to the point". He thought back to the day you first met, the muffled conversation between two families. A contract that they would marry, any children would be branded and bare the Gojo name.

The memory prompted him to glance down to your arm, the pink mottled dragon burn that spiralled from your ring finger, round your wrist and up your forearm. He reached out and gently brushed the damaged skin with his fingers which made you flinch and pull your jumper sleeve back over it.
"You don't need to hide from me" he hushed, snaking an arm under your back and pulling you into him.

"Loving me might be hard, but I promise you, it'll be worth it. I wouldn't let anything happen to you or any children we may have in the future"
You thought about his promise, he was the most powerful sorcerer to currently exist, but his family and your family combined were lethal. It would be niave and irresponsible to underestimate their power's influence.

You both sat in silence listening to the deep humming of wild crickets and gazing at the star speckled sky.

"At least say you'll go on a second date with me"