𝐒𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐩𝐡𝐢𝐜

13

"WHO DOES HE THINK HE IS?" you grumbled, pacing the halls of your classroom building. "What? Just because he's the strongest now he thinks he gets a pass to be an asshole?" Geto Suguru was propped up against the wall, sipping his can of orange soda while listening to your rants. It was the first time you had seen him in days and though you felt bad to already be complaining about Gojo to him from the get-go, you couldn't hold it in. It had been eating you away with how frustrating this situation was.

Usually, Geto was the one with the advice, holstering emotional maturity to offer. He was more level-headed, and his easy nature often comforted you in times of strife. However, his words today were not up to par.

"You know how Satoru is... he acts before thinking," he sighed, placing the can down beside him.

You whirled around, making a grand gesture of annoyance. Fisting your hands into balls, you imagined yourself punching a certain cocky bastard's face to knock his front two teeth out. Geto thought you looked constipated doing so. "Yes, but! I can only overlook it so much. He had no right to touch my belongings. There's no excuse for it."

"True, he didn't. But... maybe it's a good thing he did that. You don't exactly have the time to be going on dates."

Stopping in front of him, you scowled and placed your hands to your hips. "Whose side are you on?"

"No one's," he lamented.

"Doesn't seem like it. And you should know I'm in the right here. Anyway, I won't forgive him until I find him on his knees begging for forgiveness. Then he has to buy me all the takoyaki in the world."

A snort escaped from his lips, his usual fondness returning to him. "You're like a child, [Name]. You never change." He wished you'd never change, never to embrace the darkness that swirled in the atmosphere. There was a wall he could see now between the two of you, where even though you hated this life as a sorcerer, you didn't have the same thoughts that plagued him. He could try to convince himself all he wanted, that it was his technique that made things harder for him to heal, that ingesting curses dragged him down to the deep and under. But that wasn't the case, was it? The truth was as clear as day. It was who he was, at the core of his person.

You finally got a better look at your dear friend. Darkened circles were prominent beneath his tired eyes, voided of the usual serenity that washed over him in waves. It was like staring in the eye of a hurricane, a calm before the storm. His dark, luscious locks fell over his shoulders messily, not attuned to his neat man-bun and clean, pristine look. Your heart pained, guilt surging in from your lack of awareness.

"You look tired. Have you been taking care of yourself?" you asked, your hand moving towards him in an attempt to feel his forehead.

He intercepted, his fingers wrapping around your wrist firmly. Your gaze landed on it, confusion and hurt filling your features.

"Don't worry about me," he said, closing his eyes for a moment.

"I wouldn't be so worried if you didn't look like some dead rodent I found out on the road."

Your lame jokey insult didn't crack a smile on his stony face. You wondered if this had to do with the Amanai Riko, or the missions in general. What could you do to lighten his burdens though? You were in the same position as him, with no time or the mentality to offer anything other than a listening ear.

But Geto Suguru wasn't that much of a talker. Not of himself anyway.

"We're friends, Suguru."

Still in the same position with your hand grasped by him, you were up close and personal to him. Every crevice and every flaw could be seen from here, from the curve of the nose to his bangs that lightly covered his left, dark eye. He was still as attractive and alluring, despite the sleep deprivation that steadily grew prominent. Your heartbeats pounded together, intertwined and engraved in each. His gaze slowly lowered, resting on the pink hues of your lips for a moment.

Then, as if a spell broke, he released your hand. Turning his head the other, he sighed with a harrowing frown. "I'm fine. I just need to rest."

"You know you can talk to me anytime, right? Only you, me, and Satoru can ever fully understand what happened on that mission."

He nodded. "When the Star Religious Group celebrated her death, I knew that. I knew we were alone in this. And I haven't ever been so disgusted. But it's okay, [Name]. I truly am fine. Thank you for worrying."

His politeness returned, and that somehow put even more distance between you two. You didn't want him to be polite, you wanted him to let out any bottled emotions he had and carried. So why couldn't he just let you in for a bit? For you to see the way he viewed the world?

You were already lonely enough. You didn't wish to also feel lonely around your friends.

"What would... you do if I strayed from my path as a jujutsu sorcerer?" he suddenly questioned you.

You paused at his words, surprised. It was the last thing you ever expected to hear from him. He was the type of stay committed to this life, holding dignity to his title as a sorcerer. At least that was what you were led to believe. Was it a genuine question? If you were honest, you couldn't imagine what Geto would do if not something in this field.

To keep it lighthearted, you let out a gasp. "Are we finally able to see businessman Suguru? You'd look good in a suit, I bet."

He let out a chuckle. "Who knows... but answer the question."

"I would drag you back into being a sorcerer with me. You can't leave me here. We're in this together. For life... and death."

His eyes twinkled in amusement at your answer. "Alright."

"So... why are you asking me this?"

"It's just a hypothetical question."

But was it really? Geto would not bring anything up so casually unless it served a purpose. What was he thinking? Was he actually thinking of leaving? Was he going to leave you here, the way everyone else did? Were you selfish for stopping him when the time would come? You simply wouldn't allow it.

"Am I interrupting something?"

Approaching you was a girl in the same school uniform. With a brown bob and the classic mole beneath her eye, you could recognize her from a mile away. It was the one and only Ieiri Shoko. "Shoko!" you called out, throwing yourself onto her. Your arms wrapped around her warm figure. "You're back!"

"Wasn't gone for that long..." she said, chewing on her piece of gum. "Had to heal some of the others. I'm beat."

"You look just fine," Geto pointed out.

"Well, you don't," she retorted. "Anyway, where's Satoru?"

Your lips curved downward into a scowl. "Tch, why are you looking for him?"

"He should be talking to Yaga-sensei," Geto told her.

"He's been asking me to help test out his skills again," she said, blowing you a kiss. "Later."

Oh... so he had all the time in the world to train, but no time to apologize to you for his behavior. Was that all that mattered to him? Was he so unwilling to put his pride on the side to revive your friendship? What did friends even mean to him anyway? Maybe nothing. Maybe you were just a friendship of convenience to him. Maybe you were insignificant, like a bug, now that you were so much weaker than him. He could squish you with the sole of his shoe and not look once behind. You were discarded, like trash.

Geto Suguru noticed the clench of your jaw as you got lost in deep thought. He didn't like it. He didn't like the way you concerned yourself so much when it came to Gojo. He didn't like the disappointed wilt in your posture, or the furrow of your brows at the mention of him. What he did know was... Gojo didn't rip that boy's number just to tease or annoy you. And he knew that only because he was on the same boat. No... maybe he would have done a lot worse. His emotions were running amok these days, and it felt as though he was driven up a wall. If you had confronted him that night instead, things could have turned ugly. It would have been the perfect outlet from his source of jealousy and uneasiness.

"I'm going to go train. See you, okay?" With that, you pulled away and left, leaving himself to his own thoughts.

He wondered if you were pushing yourself to train because of Gojo Satoru.

And perhaps you did, because the world revolved around the strongest.