SEVEN DAYS gojo satoru

7

SEVEN DAYS
BEFORE YOUR DEATH

Gojo Satoru has been spending his nights off somewhere you didn't know. You never bothered asking him as the unfamiliar scent of perfume that lingered on his clothes, was enough of an answer.

He's spending it on someone's else bed.

You noticed it weeks ago, and you told yourself it didn't matter. Satoru could spend his free time however he wanted and it wasn't your business. Still, every time the scent reached you, something unpleasant would settle in your chest.

"I'll go there alone."

"What?" you turned to look at Satoru, who is currently slouched in his chair. You watch as he started stretching his arms, before lazily pushing himself to feet.

Yaga had just left with Shoko, leaving you two behind. The old man assigned both of you in Shibuya, but it seems like Satoru is trying to make it his own personal mission, again.

"Why do you keep doing this? I wanna come with you," you protested, but all you got in return was a shake of a head.

"Your weak ass will just get in my way."

That made your shoulders stiffened. Satoru was busy stiffling a yawn that he didn't noticed and went on,  "It'll be way faster if I do it alone."

You ignored the sharp pang in your chest and maintained your composure as your urge him to reconsider. Those cruel words weren't new. Lately, they weren't.

"I'm not gonna slow you down, I promise! Just let me come with you, please?"

"Nope. Not happening," he said as he grabbed his jacket from the back of his chair. "I'm too tired to babysit you there."

Another yawn escaped his mouth, making it obvious he hasn't gone to sleep yet. Whatever he had been doing last night, definitely kept him up until morning.

Satoru finally glance at you, and let out a laugh when he saw your expression. "Stop pouting, it doesn't look cute on you."

He playfully poked your puffing cheeks. But stopped when you jerk your head away from his fingers, "Yaga-sensei will scold me if he founds out about this."

"He won't scold you because he'll never find out," he replied with a grin. "I won't tell anyone you spent the whole day doing nothing."

Before you could even argue back, he reached over and casually messed up your hair, ruffling it like you were some kid.

"Go watch a movie or something. I'll handle this," was the last thing he said before leaving you, standing there with nothing but your frustration.

A sigh left your lips.

"What an asshole..." it has been four months since Geto left and Haibara died, but it seemed like they weren't the only ones you have lost. Satoru was still there, but somehow he felt further away than ever.

Yes, he acts normal on the surface, still finding every opportunity to tease you and get on your nerves. But you knew that the Satoru from before would have been different.

He'd be thrilled to find out you two were going on a mission together. He'd use it as an opportunity to show off his skills and watch your reaction.

And once the mission was over, he'd refuse to let you leave right away. He'd drag you off somewhere fun. In the arcade, the beach, or even to a random aquarium just because he felt like watching the fish with you.

He used to seek you out all the time, but now it feels like you've been kick out from the space he once let you into, and he's doing everything he can to keep his distance.

Right now, the only time you could talk to him is during mornings. Because once he comes back, he'd disappear into his room and sleep for hours. By the time he wakes up, insteads of joining you and Shoko for dinner, he'll start getting ready to spend the night out.

Just what happened to the clingy Gojo Satoru you once knew?

'Ding'

A text notification distracted you from your thoughts. You still haven't left the classroom, and you saw that the sound came from Satoru's phone. It seemed like he forgotten to bring it with him.

You walked over to his chair and grabbed it. You weren't planning on peeking at its screen, but it became inevitable when it light up again and showed you all of the notifications.

Unknown number
xxx-xxxx-xxx

that was fun
lmk if ur down again :)
u know where i live
😝

Your whole body froze as you read the messages. Even after you reached the last one, your eyes stayed on the screen longer than they should have.

It wasn't like you hadn't seen this coming. In fact, you have already guessed this. But guessing and confirming it with your own eyes were two different things. And this one hurts more. It felt like a punch in the gut.

You took a slow, shaky breath before locking his phone and slipping it to your pocket.

Once again, you reminded yourself that this wasn't your business. You had no right to pry. No right to feel hurt and let the tightness in your chest blossom into something as selfish as heartbreak.

The hidden feelings you had for your best friend was something you had buried a long time ago. You had already convinced yourself that they were nothing more than a passing crush.

You told yourself that you had moved on. That you had finally outgrown those immature feelings, and have already left them behind. Treating it as nothing more than a small part of your past that no longer mattered.

And for a while, you truly believed that.

But seeing those messages made one thing painfully clear.

Those feelings never disappeared. They were only buried beneath years of denial, and was waiting for a moment like this to resurface.

You squeezed your eyes shut. "I'm fine," you whispered, as if saying it aloud would make a change. "I'm fine," you repeated again.

"I'm really fine..." and then, again. Maybe if you said it enough times, it would really come true.

You swallowed hard, forcing the pain back down. By the time you opened your eyes again, your usual expression had already slipped back into place, as though nothing had happened.