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Aiko was tired.
It was the night before the parade that Geto Suguru had announced, and she had only just gotten home after going through the final preparations with her clan. This was perhaps the most important event she's had to prepare for as clan head, and so the pressure to make sure everything was perfect was enough for her to decide that sleep was for the weak.
That resolve didn't last long however, seeing as she definitely needed at least some sleep before the shitshow started the next day. Yabe’s words, not hers.
“Toru?” Aiko called out as she walked into the kitchen, her hand reaching out to set down her bags on the countertop. She yawned softly as she partially pulled open the large sliding doors, revealing the mostly dark living room bathed in the embers of the fading sunset through the windows.
Although her eyes couldn't see the long and lanky figure on the couch from where she stood, the cursed energy immediately gave it away.
She slipped through the doors and closed it behind her, before walking around the end of the sofa to finally look at her lover after a long day.
“Hey,” she murmured gently, taking in the man in front of her. “You okay?”
The man nodded unconvincingly as he lifted up his upper body to allow her to sit down. Aiko got comfortable on the couch, before allowing Satoru to settle his head on her lap.
“If you wanna talk about it then I'm here,” Aiko assured, her fingers gently brushing through the strands of his hair. “But if you don't want to, that's okay too. I'm here for you, my love.”
Gojo nodded in response, his eyes connecting with hers. “I'm okay, just reminiscing about the old times, that's all.” He sighed as he dragged his gaze away, his fingers absentmindedly fiddling with the hem of his shirt. “It's been over a decade, but it still feels like the same Suguru from back then. Part of me wonders about where we would be now if he hadn't chosen this path.”
“I wonder about that too, you know?” Aiko spoke, her fingers continuing to brush through Satoru's locks. “I think he would've made a good teacher. He's pretty good with kids.”
“Hmm,” he responded. “I don't think I would've become a teacher if that were the case.”
“Really?” Aiko questioned.
Gojo nodded. “I think seeing how the higher ups failed Suguru is what motivated me to take care of the next generation. I was careless back then, and didn't notice that he was spiralling. If they had supported him through this, maybe he would've seen light at the end of the tunnel.” He sighed. “I wanted to make sure it never happened again to anyone else…” he furrowed his brows suddenly, before looking back up at Aiko. “Wow I'm so selfless, these kids don't appreciate me enough.”
