Star | Jujustu Kaisen

a drag path etched in the surface (can you find me?)

The inside of the car felt suffocating for [Name] as they kept themselves from spiraling out of control. The engine hummed steadily beneath them as Ijichi drove, hands tight on the steering wheel, eyes fixed firmly on the road ahead as he tried to stop himself from glancing at [Name] from the rearview mirror.

The streetlights passed by in slow intervals, their glow flashing briefly through the windows before disappearing again. The rhythm of it all should have been grounding for them, but it only made everything worse.

They sat rigid in their seat, their free hand curled tightly into the seat of the car, knee bouncing. The first call went unanswered. [Name] barely waited for the voicemail to end before hanging up and dialing again, fingers shaking as they pressed the familiar number of their Mom's number.

Once. Twice. Three times.

"The number you have dialed-"

The call went to voicemail once again.

[Name] swallowed hard, their chest tightening as they listened to the recorded message for only a second before ending it. They didn't wait for the voicemail to finish, they couldn't. Their thumb hovered for half a heartbeat before pressing the call button again, this time switching to their Dad's number.

Ring.

Ring.

"The number you have dialed-"

Voicemail again.

Their breathing grew uneven as they tried their Mom's phone number again, then their Dad, alternating between them as if one of them had to pick up eventually. They leaned forward in their seats, shoulders tense, eyes locked onto the screen as if staring hard enough might force it to change as the screen showed it was calling.

Nothing.

The car continued moving, and god, [Name] prayed the car goes faster to their home. They needed to see their parents. To know the two were just busy making dinner and that is why they couldn't answer their own child's calls. However, each unanswered call made the silence heavier. Their leg bounced even faster as they listened to the same recorded voicemail over and over again.

"The number you have dialed-"

Click.

They didn't let it finish. [Name] inhaled a shuddering breath as they pressed the phone onto their forehead, their shoulders trembling as they kept breathing to stop themselves from crying. They feared the worst as they remembered what Mahito told them.

Junpei shifted in his seat, watching [Name] with anxiety. He didn't know how to comfort another person. He wasn't good at this.

"Maybe... maybe they're just busy?" he offered weakly, even if he felt doubtful, but he still didn't want to cause [Name] to panic even further.

[Name] didn't answer as they tried to answer again.

Voicemail.

Junpei threw a look at Itadori for help, nodding his head to [Name] with a raised brow, need help here, Junpei's eyes told the other boy, who cleared his throat.

"Yeah. It might not mean anything," Itadori said quickly, leaning closer. "Phones die. They could be asleep or–"

"Yeah," Junpei added, nodding too fast even if [Name] wasn't paying attention to the two teens. Itadori bit his lower lip, not knowing how to help them.

[Name] stared at the phone in their hands, the screen now dark, reflecting their own shaken expression back at them. Their chest was painfully tight, knowing that soon they would end up having a panic attack. They knew something was wrong. [Name] had known the moment Mahito spoke.