Remember? [Satoru Gojo x Reader]

chapter 38

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December 2003, part 2

After ramen, you and Satoru walked to the bakery for cake.

"Remember when we first met here?" You prompted, smiling, "And I turned around so fast I bumped into you?"

"Yeah, I remember. I already knew you were a sorcerer then."

"You did? Then why didn't you talk to me then?"

"I don't know, I didn't really see the need to."

You huff, crossing your arms. "That's mean."

Satoru opened the bakery door for you, and Yamamoto-san greeted the two of you cheerfully. You thanked the boy and skipped to the countertop.

"Two matcha cake slices, please. Put a candle on one, please." You asked, holding up two fingers to indicate the two slices.

"Someone's special day today?" Yamamoto-san smiled at you as he prepared the cake slices.

"Yep, it's Satoru's birthday today!" Before you can take out your wallet filled with the little cash you owned, Satoru extended his hand with sufficient funds to pay for the cake slices.

"Satoru, no!" You tried to push his hand away, but for some reason, something was stopping you from making contact with his arm, like there was a barrier between your hand and his arm.

"(Y/N)-chan, you have someone paying for you already? Ohoho~" Yamamoto-san gleams at you, taking Satoru's money.

You rolled your eyes and laughed at his remark. "Psh, he wishes he was dating me."

Yamamoto-san laughed, and you snuck a look at Satoru to see how he reacted to that statement. You had never thought of him like that, but it made you curious to see how he thought of you. His face was emotionless, as per usual, but his cheeks were definitely dusted with pink. You smiled, thinking that that was kind of cute.

You took the two cakes, and walked outside. "You didn't have to pay for them, Satoru! It's your birthday, I should be the one treating you."

"You said so yourself that you were saving up your money. I don't want you to spend your savings on me."

You were touched that he remembered something that you had mentioned a while ago.

Before long the two of you were in a remote grassy area, where you plopped down and opened the styrofoam boxes that contained the two cake slices. Around you is a grassy clearing surrounded by trees, a bit of a walk out from the village you lived in. You poked the candle into Satoru's slice, and lit it with the provided match, before handing him the cake slice. He received it with two hands and was about to eat it when you stopped him.

"Wait, I have to sing the happy birthday song!"

He looked at you, seemingly confused. You started to sing.

"Happy birthday to you~ Happy birthday to you! Happy birthday dear Satoru~ Happy birthday to you!" You serenaded him and clapped along. When he didn't blow out the candle, you realized that he didn't know he was supposed to, and sadness flooded your chest. He really has never celebrated his birthday.

"You have to make a wish in your mind, then blow out the candle. Hopefully, your wish will be granted. Close your eyes"

Satoru closed his eyes, made a wish, and blew out the candle. You clapped again in celebration. "Happy fourteenth birthday! Let's eat!"

You dug into the cake, the bitter matcha dust on top perfectly complimenting the sweet cake. As Satoru tried the cake, his eyes widened. "This is really good." He said.

"Yeah, the perfect sweetness. Do you like sweets?"

He nodded his head, and you made a mental note. You wolfed down a few bites of the matcha cake, watching Satoru do the same. It was a nice but chilly day, one of the warmer winter days. The wind blew gently around the two of you, tousling Satoru's hair and blowing yours into your face.

You then remembered your conversation about cursed energy over lunch.

"Wait! You need to show me your cursed energy. Or whatever it's called."

At your request, Satoru put down his cake. After a second, he held out a hand to you. "Try to hold my hand."

You stared at him, heart suddenly skipping a beat. "What do you mean? Hold hands?"

Satoru looked away, avoiding your gaze. "No, not like that. I meant- just try it." He muttered.

"Okay..." You reached towards his hand.

But just like earlier, your hand was stopped, as if there was a barrier.

"Woah. It's like there's something there. This is what your cursed energy does? Can I do that?"

Satoru put his hand down and shook his head. "Probably not. This is the cursed technique inherited in my family."

"That's so boring." You sighed. "I wonder what cool things I inherited from my family. Right now, I can only push things around." To show your skill, you shot a beam of cursed energy at the grass a meter away, causing the grass to split where you shot the energy.

"I can help you figure it out."

You looked at him hopefully. "Wait, really? You can train me? How much do you know about this- what was it called? Jujutsu?"

"I know quite a bit."

"What else can you do, then?"

Satoru held up his hand, and a small blue glowing sphere formed in his palm. The grass on the ground gravitated towards him and you could hear the wind blowing past your air towards his palm. "Cursed technique: blue." He said.

"Woah! That's so cool!" You exclaimed. "I wish I could do that!"

"We'll find out what you can do," Satoru replied, picking up his cake again, and taking another bite. You did the same, enjoying the sparkling winter air. Your eyes rested on Satoru, taking in his white hair, ruffled by the wind, and his sparkling blue eyes. No matter how many times you saw them, you couldn't help but think that they were such beautiful features.

And you were grateful to have a friend to share your secret with. It was like he had confirmed that you weren't crazy, that you were indeed special. The past five months had been spent trying to understand the peculiar boy, and the time you spent was paying off. And, it seemed that he needed to come here too. He needed the break from whatever he was going through back on the mainland, to just live a normal childhood. You were determined to help him.

"Hey." You tried to get his attention. He looked at you.

"I'm so glad you came here, Satoru."

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sorry for the wait! start of school has been hectic

Word count: 1047 words

Published September 1st, 2022

I do not own any of the characters from Jujutsu Kaisen.