ex-husband

how could i hate you?

"Hate you?" Satoru repeated the words like they were foreign. 

And they were. Because he couldn't even imagine doing such a thing - it was genuinely the hardest thing to think about doing. It escaped him, how it could even be possible to hate you, whether you were his wife or not (he would prefer if you were his wife, actually). 

He hadn't hated you during a single fight. He may have been angry, sure, but he never hated you. 

He didn't even hate you when you handed him divorce papers, and that's pretty telling. Gojo Satoru is physically and mentally incapable of hating you. 

He shook his head. "Why would I do such a thing?" 

You scoffed, chuckling. It came out as a kind of wet and pathetic sound. You wondered if he'd ever been disgusted by you (the answer is as clear as his eyes - absolutely never). You were often disgusted by yourself. "I'd hate me," you said. "I... I do hate me. I hate me for doing this to you." 

"Hey, no," Satoru said quickly, shaking his head. His eyebrows knit together, he looked angry at you for saying such a thing. "No, no, no. You didn't do anything to me that would make me hate you. You cooked me meals, you ironed my wrinkly clothes, you went shopping with me, you met my really annoying family for me, you gave me the best gifts in the world! I could be granted the power of immortality and nothing would beat Kiyo and..." And your love. "And being a team with you. Nothing will come close." 

You didn't say anything. You just sniffled aggressively and wiped your eyes. 

"There isn't a universe where I could bring myself to hate you, Y/N."

You were about to break down again. 

You wondered if there was a universe where you were never broke his heart. You probably didn't meet him in that one. 

You frowned, looking over at the door at the end of the hallway. You remembered staying here, barely able to breathe as you looked at the door, helpless, before you had to walk away and go home with what felt like the weight of the world on your chest. 

"I don't want to go," you whispered. 

He didn't even hesitate. "Okay," he nodded, turning you around, his hand on your shoulders as he moved your forwards, away from the elders. "Let's go by Nanami's girlfriends bakery. I wanna get a chocolate croissant. You craving anything?" 

You shrugged your shoulders gently. "Not really. Let's just get a baguette or something."

"That's a crime," Satoru pouted. "Come on, I'm paying, you should get your moneys' worth. That's the first rule when someone takes you out." 

You chewed on your lip. 

"What?" 

"We don't like repeating ourselves." 

"But... but you're the ones who arranged our marriage! How could you suggest such a thing! We just had a baby together, and Tsumiki only just woke up from her coma, she's still recovering -- don't you see what your suggesting is insane!"

"We're not suggesting anything. We're ordering."

You spun around, in disbelief as you couldn't look at their ridiculous faces while they made this ridiculous decision. "You're sitting there, cowering and hiding, and acting like you have the power over me to do this. I'm not leaving Satoru. You can't make me." 

"See?" One of the elders groaned. "They've both just turned out worse from this arrangement! Didn't I say this would happen? Satoru would easily make such an obedient girl follow his outrageous beliefs!" 

"Are you only putting the blame on the head of the Gojo clan?" Another one argued. "This girl has kept him from doing his job! Taking care of the baby, he says? That's your task, you foolish child! We should've given you a husband who would put some sense into you." 

"I'm," you looked around in disbelief. "I'm not the one who's forcing Satoru do to anything! He loves his daughter! He wants to stay home and spend some time with her while she's awake, instead of only being home three hours at night, when she's asleep." 

"A daughter," you heard an elder scoff. "Couldn't even give him a son. I doubt this divorce will be much of a loss for him." 

You gaped in disbelief. As you opened your mouth to argue, another elder spoke. 

"That daughter," the elder said. "Will be the one who suffers if you do not follow orders Y/N. You're a good mother, aren't you?" 

Your brows furrowed. "Are you threatening us?" You sneered. "Just you wait, Satoru will be enraged-" 

"You said it yourself, Satoru isn't with her constantly," the elder interrupted. "You remember what happened to Toji's daughter, don't you? We can get our hands on that girl anytime we want. Being a good mother, means making sacrifices, Y/N." Her voice softened for that sentence. You grit your teeth. "For the safety of your child. Do as we say." 

You looked down at your dessert, picking at it with your fork. You hadn't put a single bit of it in your mouth yet. Satoru was looking at it (and you, of course), yearning, but he didn't say anything, waiting for you to be comfortable. 

He knew you pretty well, or so he thinks. So, he knows that you're internally struggling and absolutely embarassed for crying and backing out of seeing the elders last minute when you were so firm on going before. 

"There's this um..." You hesitated to speak when Satoru's eyes practically lit up after you finally spoke. "Um, park in Tachikawa and ... I was thinking about taking Kyo there." 

"Yeah?" Satoru tilted his head. "On a weekend? I don't mind if you take her up somewhere... I'll take Tsumi to the mall or something."

"Oh, yeah, um, you could do that," you nodded. "But... but I was thinking that you should come, too. She misses you."

"I saw her like, yesterday," Satoru said. "You know I'd never miss an opportunity to spend time with her but you can have your time with her if you want. I'm sure she'd like." He was dying inside. He wanted to squeal and accept the invitation, but you might just feel guilted into this because of everything that had happened. 

"I know she would," you nodded. "But... I'd rather take her to the park with you." Satoru struggled not to melt right there, as you finally picked up some of your dessert and put it your mouth. Your eyes lit up subtly at the taste of it. 

"It's good, right?" Satoru smirked. 

"Great," you nodded, digging in for some more. "But, uh, seriously, just let me know when you're free. I don't want to have to drag her up there alone, so..." 

Satoru chuckled. "You just want me there to carry her the whole time," he teased. "And here I thought you were longing for my presence." 

"Oh, trust me," you grinned. "I've gotten enough of that for a lifetime." 

Satoru smirked, about to make his own cheeky comment when a man caught his eye (not in any romantic way, he's too smitten over you but that's so obvious it doesn't even need to be said). He wasn't looking at Satoru at all. His eyes looked at you, with a hint of familiarity. It looked like he recognized you, but he wasn't completely sure. He was hesitating.

And Satoru wasn't about to deal with some man ruining your peace and quiet. 

Placing money (too much, obviously) down on the table, he grabbed your hand. "Hold onto your dish," he whispered. You did it, barely processing his words. The second someone passed by and blocked the strangers view, Satoru made his move. 

When the stranger blinked, you and Satoru had gone. 

Maybe he was imagining things?

He must be, if he thinks he has a chance with you. 

i get the motivation to write whenever i have exams... this is probably the last chapter until my exams in june guys (im joking. hopefully)