𝑫𝒀𝑵𝑨𝑺𝑻𝒀 𝑶𝑭 𝑺𝑶𝑼𝑳𝑺 ⇢ Gojo Satoru

𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐗𝐋𝐕𝐈𝐈 - 𝐒𝐇𝐄 𝐖𝐀𝐒 𝐆𝐎𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐓𝐎 𝐁𝐄 𝐌𝐈𝐍𝐄

THE LIE LEFT HIS LIPS EASILY, yet it wasn't enough to convince Satoshi. Instead, the younger Gojo tilted his head to the side before stepping right in front of his brother, pushing through his personal space as he jammed is index finger against his naked chest. Satoshi swallowed, gathering his thoughts as he glared at Satoru.

"Nah, we're not doing this until you tell me what's going on with you." Satoshi commanded; his tone awfully similar to Sene's as his gaze hardened. "You've been acting weird since the Kinzoku's ball and I have no idea what's going on, but you need to get your shit together."

Satoru's jaw locked as a swell of Cursed Energy began to spiral inside of him. The sorcerer reigned it in, taking a step forward before he swatted his brother's hand away. Satoshi yelped, snapping back a couple of steps just he could get some distance from the special-grade. Satoru's expression didn't change, hard lines of anger crossing his face as he clenched his teeth.

"It's none of your business, so why can't you just drop it?" Satoru asked with annoyance.

He could feel his magic overflowing inside of him, the familiar pull of his Infinity calling to him. Instead, Satoru closed his eyes, taking a deep breath as he settled his instincts, silencing down the voice inside of his head. The sorcerer had been restless for the past couple of days, his Cursed Energy all over the place. He could feel it inside of him, the power he carried in his veins begging to be left free and to reach out. It would be easier to pretend Satoru didn't know where this was coming from, but whenever he closed his eyes, he could still picture her face clearly.

Fuck. He seriously needed to get Kinzoku Mikazuki out of his head.

Satoshi rolled his eyes, crossing his arms in front of his chest before levelling Satoru with one of his signature looks. Satoru was more than familiar with that expression; he'd seen it countless of times both on his brother and his sister – it was one of those things that came with the family. And although Satoru wasn't particularly good at reading other people's intentions, that look screamed something along the lines of: are you fucking kidding me?

"Are you serious?" Satoshi asked, pinching his nose hard while he continued to glare at his brother. "It's one thing to get distracted here while we're training, but what do you expect will happen if you lose your focus out there?" He nodded towards the side of the mountain, down the path and outside of the wards that protected the campus of Jujutsu Tech from unwanted guests.

Now it was time for Satoru to roll his eyes.

"Please, we both know I'm the stron–"

"An idiot. That's what you are." Satoshi cut in sharply.

His expression fell, arms falling slack at his side as he inhaled deeply through his nose. He looked tired now. Whether he was tired from handling Satoru's shit or because of something else, the eldest Gojo could not tell. It was hard to discern what went through his brother's mind most of the time, like he was some sort of overcomplicated puzzle that Satoru never bothered to complete or even begin to understand. There was a world of difference between their abilities, but there was also a world of difference between their personalities.

Satoshi remained silent for a couple of seconds, eyes fluttering closed as he tried to retrace his steps. He didn't have to look for long, knowing exactly when his brother had fallen out of alignment.

"Is this about the Kinzoku girl?" He asked dryly and wholly unamused. "I thought you moved past this." He droned one, tone dripping whit something akin to disappointment and resentment.

Satoru's expression didn't change, yet Satoshi was still able to catch a glimpse of something in it. He didn't know what it was, but just looking at his brother, he could tell there was an internal battle warring inside of him. It was like he was standing on a line, waiting for a breeze to topple him over one side or the other. Like he couldn't choose on his own.

Satoshi didn't understand – he couldn't, not when everything had been so clear to him from the beginning. Mikazuki was guilty, it was that simple. Or at least it used to be, even for Satoru. But now... there was doubt clouding his judgement, making him rethink everything The Magistrate had ever said or done. Satoshi didn't understand, and he never wanted to.

"It's complicated." Satoru spit out through gritted teeth.

It's complicated. He'd said the same thing over a thousand times, the word losing meaning each time it slipped past his lips. It didn't mean anything anymore, not to him and not to Satoshi. The younger Gojo bowed his head, a snicker escaping him as he forced himself to reign in the anger bubbling under his skin. His Cursed Energy didn't spark, the magic inside of him not strong enough to overflow like Satoru's often did when his emotions got the best of him. Instead, Satoshi was empty.

"You always say that."

Something in Satoru snapped.

"And I mean it!" He yelled, his voice echoing across the empty training ground like he'd torn the confession right out of his soul.

A frightened bird left his nest, flying away while Satoru's heart settled. He could feel himself losing control of his emotions, all of it simmering in the quiet of his mind. Satoru took another deep breath, the gesture slow and quiet as he steadied himself and aligned his jumbled thoughts.

He didn't get the privilege of falling apart. He was the heir, and as such, he was supposed to be the level-headed one. The one who knew better. Satoru licked his lips, slowly descending from his spiral of madness as he settled back into reality.

"You have to understand, I was going to marry her." He whispered quietly, the simple fact somehow sounding like a long-lived confession. "She was going to be my wife; I was meant to spend the rest of my life by her side. That doesn't go away just because she left–" Because she was exiled, he didn't say. "Or because I'm engaged to someone else." Satoru held his breath, hesitation flickering on his expression before he resumed his speech. "You can hate her all you want. Hell, you can loathe her. But she will always be my equal."

She will always be mine.