You've always been able to see the monsters.
These terrifying things that followed you through your school years into young adulthood.
After getting ridiculed by family and friends alike, you decided to pretend they weren't there. That they weren't plaguing your mind every moment of the day.
It's not like anyone else could see them, anyway. They felt like a figment of your imagination. A childish nightmare that stuck to you like a moth to flame. They gurgled and eyed you every second you were outside.
It was just something you lived with, and continued to live with. They never attacked you, so you assumed they were completely fake through and through.
Then you met a man who could see them too.
You had found a job at an office near your apartment, deciding that if you were to live life with a sliver of normalcy, you would focus on getting a stable job.
It was boring at first, phone calls with all these rich people that you had to negotiate with, scamming people out of their money. It wasn't horrible persay, but it was boring. Though it's not like you expected anything different from an office job.
The day you got promoted was the day that everything changed.
You collected the things from your desk, moving up a floor and to your new desk. It was slightly bigger, and had a more pleasant view of the city. The only problem with the promotion was that it meant more work, you were getting paid more after all.
Another negative was that you ended up staying later and later as the days passed. You were always scared walking home alone in the first place, adding the fact that it's nighttime into the mix was even worse.
Still, you made it work. Rushing through the streets, trying to avoid looking at anything suspicious. Trying not to acknowledge the burning feeling of fear in your gut whenever you hear the snicker of one of the monsters.
One night, it was particularly late. At that point, you were debating staying there until dawn broke. Standing up from your chair, you stretch, walking leisurely to the window to grab a seat there. Better to watch the scenery as the sun rises then stare at your drab desk.
You let out a breath, resting your forehead on the cool surface. It looked like there was about an hour before the sun would break the horizon. God, you wish you had a book or something right about now.
"Why are you here so late? Or early, should I say."
You jerk, your head slamming against the glass. Reaching up to rub the sore spot, you turn your head to look at the intruder. You've seen the man before, his desk was a few yards away from your own.
He was standing in front of you now, a finger placed on the bridge of his glasses. He wasn't wearing his suit jacket, instead standing there in his dress shirt and a loosened tie. It was weird seeing him disheveled. Even his blond hair was messy.
"I just..." You let out a breath, "I thought that since I was working so late in the first place, that there's no point in leaving while it's still dark out."
"I don't see the point in that."
Your eyes trace his face, glancing at his chiseled cheekbones and over his drowsy eyes. They were practically painted with dark circles.
"What about you? You shouldn't be here this late aswell." It's not like you really cared. You just asked to keep it less awkward at this point. However, the company wasn't as bad as you thought it would be.
"I'm still working actually, I just decided to take a break and look outside." He takes a seat in the chair closest to the window, crossing an ankle over his knee.
He looks at you, "I'm Nanami Kento. I don't think I've introduced myself."
"Nice to meet you. I'm Y/N."
After that, you both drop silent, turning to look out the window. It's not uncomfortable, you're both tired and not in the mood to talk in the first place.
"Actually," Nanami starts, so you look at him out of the corner of your eye, "I'm thinking about quitting tomorrow."
"Why is that?"
"There's something I like more than this, and even though I'd abandoned it, I want to give it another shot."
"Good for you," You hum, "Why'd you abandon it in the first place?"
"It was shit."
You openly stare at him for a second, before snorting, "What? I-I thought you liked it."
"It's shit, but this is more shit."
You place a hand over your mouth to hide your laugh, "Good deal."
Before he can say anything else, something comes flying into the glass next to your head, shattering the material into pieces. Your eyes skim the creature as it flies past your face, glass shards tapping your head and back.
What? How did it break that glass just now? This is not the time to be imagining things.
But... He was seeing it to. He was looking directly at where it perched itself on one of the computers.
"You can see it? Really? Please tell me you see it." You say hurridly, standing up and tripping over your feet to reach him. You grab his shoulder, eyes wide.
He glances over at you, his brow furrowed, "Yes."
"Oh my god, I thought I was the only one. I've seen them my whole life and everyone thought I was crazy-"
You're cut off by a ear piercing shriek coming from the monster, eyes buldging across it's figure.
"Fucking gross." You say, face scrunched.
He laughs lightly, causing you to look up shocked. You didn't think you'd make him laugh.
Nanami takes a step forward, so you let your hand drop from his shoulder. He grabs his tie off his neck, wrapping it around his palm and securing it into a knot.
What is he doing?
Before you can vocalize your confusion, his palm ignites into blue flames, licking the air above it. You were close enough to realize that it wasn't fire, it was more otherworldly then that. It had emotion behind it.
He reaches his arm back and slams it into the side of the creature, causing it to wail and disintegrate. Leaving nothing behind in its wake.
"Only a grade 4, that was lucky." Nanami mumbles, releasing the tie from his hand.
"Grade 4? What does that mean?"
He pushes up his glasses and runs a hand through his hair, "I'll explain later. For now, come with me. It's not safe here."
Of course, you were a little scared to follow him. Yeah he didn't try to kill you in the office and technically saved your life, but you can never be too sure.
You take the back exit out of the building, Nanami shucking on his jacket that he grabbed before you left. It was pretty cold, damn you wish you wore more layers.
You both walk to the most populated street, the blond man reaching out his arm to hail a cab. Luckily, there was one near you.
You climb into the cab together, Nanami giving the driver instructions that you were too dazed to process in the moment. Probably not a smart decision on your part.
It's not like you can focus at all right now. The creatures that you've seen for as long as you can remember just made a special appearance in your night, and apparently you're not alone in seeing them.
Who was Nanami? On a more real note, who were you? You couldn't wrap your head around why you two were different then other people.
Soon enough, the cab rolls to a stop next to a slanted path leading up into the mountains. You step out along with Nanami, glancing around at your surroundings. It was a pretty rural part of Tokyo, so you had no idea what lied there.
"So, are you going to tell me what we're doing here? You should recognize how intensely I'm trusting you here." You state as you start walking up the path together.
"All you need to know is that we're going to a place that is protected from curses. I'll explain when we're there."
"Curses?"
"Be patient."
You glare at the side of his face, resisting the urge to throw a childish fit. Seriously, why was he so rude.
You turn your head stubbornly away from him, looking to see the sun barely peeking over the skyline. It was calming, you have to admit. The light glow of dawn stretching across the old path you were walking along. Long grass and various flowers lining the surrounding area. A couple times the path even came across a stream.
You could push down your fear at least a little bit, thanks to the environment.
Soon enough, you came across a huge gate, leading back into a courtyard. Beyond that lay a traditional one story building, stretching far to the left and right. With all the trees around the area, it was hard to see where it ended.
Nanami pulls out his phone, dialing a number and putting the device up to his ear.
After a couple rings, you hear it go through.
As the conversation goes on, he looks more and more annoyed by whatever the other person was saying. You couldn't imagine why, his side of the conversation seemed to make sense. He was asking this person to come open the gate.
Despite it seeming pretty straightforward, the call continued for several minutes, and Nanami said "Stop" and "No" more times then you could count. Finally, he pulls away from the phone, placing it back into his pocket.
As he rubs his temples, he says, "He'll be here in a minute. Sadly." Adding the last part on quietly.
You wonder what he's talking about.
"Nanami~" You hear a teasing voice shout from the other side of the gate, and you squint to see a tall man with a blindfold over his eyes, white hair sticking straight up.
Okay, it makes sense now.
"Gojo. Can you let us in and give us the rooms I requested?"
Gojo pouts, getting a key out of his pocket and unlocking the gate, pulling it inward.
You smile at him, "Thank you!"
"Of course!" He smiles back, "Nanami, you didn't tell me that they're cute~"
"Shut up." He replies starkly, a peeved look on his features.
You however, were having a slight internal breakdown. How could you not be?
When putting it all together, you found out that the creatures, curses, Nanami called them, were real, got whisked away into the middle of no where, and now a blindfolded man is calling you cute.
What's up with the mask anyway? Can he even see with that shit on?
"Well, what's your name?" He says, bending his body to look at you more closely.
"Y/N." You say, leaning back a bit. He didn't understand the concept of personal space, it seemed.
"Okay! Well, there's a lot to do. Let's get going."
The two men walk on either side of you, talking about politics or something. Well, it was mostly Gojo doing the talking, but Nanami chimed in to tell him to shut up multiple times.
"So this is the lounge." Gojo states, walking ahead of you and sitting in one of the chairs.
You follow suit, sitting down adjacent to him on a couch, Nanami sitting next to you.
"Is this the part where you explain things?" You ask, "Because if not, I might start screaming."
The white haired man laughs, leaning back and crossing his legs, "Yes, I'll explain now. So, you told Nanami that you've always seen these creatures, right?"
"Yeah."
"Starting off, let me explain Jujutsu Sorcery."
(A/N: Fun fact, I accidentally deleted part two so now I'm just going to put this all in the same chapter. I hate myself.)
"Y/N!"
Nanami's shout shakes you from your daze.
God, why were you thinking about that now of all times. Maybe it's the nostalgia. Or the fact that it was the first time in your life that you've truly felt seen.
The first time that you felt as if you weren't alone anymore.
And now. Now, with your life on the brink of leaving, you realize that you don't want to let go of that feeling just yet.
Being wanted. Having someone to relate to. It was such a new experience for you, and before you realized it, you grew to depend on it.
That's definitely why it's surfacing in your mind. The memories of the day you first met Nanami. It happened almost 2 years ago now. Who would've thought.
You progressed a lot, him supporting you the whole way. But, you knew it wouldn't last forever. Obviously, the life of a Jujutsu Sorcerer is a rough one to keep, and you didn't expect much from yourself.
That's why it absolutely sucked now. Barely being able to keep upright against a special grade curse, Nanami trying to keep it at bay while you have a spiritual awakening or some shit.
You wish you had more confidence. You wish you could show Nanami that you thought you were as strong as he always says you are.
Your brain starts to remember all the moments, all the times he used to praise you. He has a hard facade on his emotions, of course, but he learned to be softer with you.
That softness led to love, of course. It was mutual. You both trusted and accepted eachother through and through.
That's why he always told you to love yourself more, because if he could love you, there's no way someone else couldn't.
All the time, especially now for instance, you wonder why that is. Why he beats himself up over the way he shows emotions. Why he makes himself seem like such a hard hitter when he'd give stray cats milk on the street.
When, now, he'd stand in front of you, protecting you with his life at stake.
You felt pathetic.
You weren't strong enough, and got impaled of all things. Right in the middle of your chest. It's taking all you have to not keel over.
Nanami looks over his shoulder at you, grimacing. Sheesh, did you look that bad?
The curse in front of you cackles, swaying around and grabbing its body. It was one of those mentally disturbed ones that seemed to have half a conscious mind. It was smart so to speak.
Nanami would have a better chance fighting it if he just let himself move around. He wouldn't do that, just because of you. He didn't want you to get more hurt than necessary, he did promise you once that he'd always protect you.
You scowl, at yourself, and at Nanami for being so selfish about this. God, you might not make it anyway, he shouldn't take these risks.
You whip out your phone, sending your location to Gojo. Everyone thought you two could do this alone, but you unfortunately had to fuck it up.
'I'm such a damn idiot.' You think, finally letting yourself fall to your knees. There's really no point in standing up anyway.
Nanami is still giving it his all, swinging down with his weapon and pouring his cursed energy into each attack.
"Dammit, Y/N, you better not die on me." He scowls, "I don't know what I'll do with myself."
You laugh lightly, "Well, make sure you go to the bathroom, eat three meals a day, stay social, and drink water! A healthy lifestyle!"
"I hate you."
You laugh, covering your mouth when blood comes up onto your hand. Definitely not a good sign.
The sight of the blood leaking from your mouth and the hole in your stomach causes you to fall backward, clenching your hand over the wound. It hurt, it hurt so bad.
"Are you okay?" Nanami says hurridly, trying to divide his attention.
"Oh yeah, I'm doing great! I got stabbed through the chest, how do you think I'm doing?"
"I'll reiterate, I hate you."
"You're so-" Your insult is cut off when an immense pain fills your abdomen, a pain worse then anything you've ever felt before. It felt like a searing cactus just got shoved into your body.
Yes, a cactus. It felt like spiky, searing hot pain.
A gasp leaves your mouth, catching on the groan you let out right after. Your whimpers must've sounded devastating, because Nanami practically falters, almost getting punched in the face. Luckily, he moves out of the way last second.
He looks hasty, definitely not good.
"Kento." You croak, "Stop focusing on me, you're not allowed to die either, y'know."
After those words fall from your lips, you feel a presence behind you, and look up to see Gojo, frowning at your frame on the floor.
He looks up from you, past Nanami, to gaze upon the curse.
"You did this?" He asks the curse, pointing down at you.
The curse giggles, waving its arms around in what seems like glee.
Gojo smiles, horrifyingly, and takes his blindfold off, shoving it into his pocket.
"Well then, I guess I have to show you what happens to people who mess with my family."
He's quick to advance, drawing the curse's attention away from you and Nanami. Apparently this is what Nanami was waiting for, because as soon as the curse is far enough away, he sprints directly toward you.
"Y/N." He says urgently, "I'm picking you up, and I'm getting you help." He wraps his arms under your shoulders and knees, lifting you up bridal style.
"Four-eyes, I don't think it's worth it to bring to anywhere."
He looks down on you, eyebrows drawn.
"Don't look at me like that, I don't want to cry right now." You suck in a tight breath when a sharp pain runs through you, "Please, I love you I don't want you to feel like my pain is your fault."
"Of course it's my fault, sweetie. Of course it is. This is why I didn't want to come back to this stupid fucking job in the first place. I didn't want to lose anyone else."
You rest your head on his shoulder, "It'll be alright. Fine, I'll be alright. Just pick up the pace."
"You can't be sure-"
"Kento, I've stayed alive this whole time, it'd be weird for me to die at an inconvenient time like this." You smile, "Plus, I just have to believe in myself, right?"
"I'll never understand you."
"That's the point!"
Like you told him to, Nanami picks up the pace, getting into the car Ijichi was waiting in. He looks shocked at your arrival, but Nanami makes him step on it.
When he tries to ask any questions, Nanami just tells him to focus on driving.
Your head is lying in his lap, his hand resting on your head, the other laced with your fingers. The fingers that aren't bloody from your own wound.
He wouldn't even look at it, just staring at your scrunched up and sweating face, hoping that you'll be okay.
Only a couple minutes before you arrive at the school, he notices your grip on his fingers lightening.
"Y/N?" He says. That's the last thing you hear before losing consciousness.
-
Your eyelids are painted red, and before you can start questioning the oddity to that, you realize that it's due to the light beaming down on you.
Oh, okay, that makes more sense then thinking you were gazing into the fiery pits of hell.
You crack open one eye, the other following soon after, squinting and turning to the side so you can stop straining them. Next to you, Nanami is sitting there, arms crossed and head leaning back, a towel over his eyes.
You smile softly, poking his knee with your finger.
"Hey. Hey Kento, wake your ass up."
He twitches slightly, leaning his head back up and taking the towel off. He stares at you quietly for a second, before his eyes widen.
"You-You're awake."
"Yeah, of course, didn't I say I'd be fine?"
He looks down, shaking his head. You could tell he was smiling.
You reach out a hand, running your fingers through his messy blond hair.
"Jeez, your hair is so greasy."
He sighs, grabbing his hands and lacing his fingers with yours, "I never thought I'd say this, but I missed your idiocy."
"Should I be flattered or offended?"
"Shut up." He pulls your hand to his lips, pressing light kisses on all of your knuckles, "Don't scare me like that again."
"Ah yes, I'll try harder to not be on the brink of death next time."
"Y/N."
You roll your eyes, "I promise. I'm really sorry I wasn't strong enough. Don't start telling me that I am because even if I am strong in some ways, I wasn't strong then. And I accept that. So, don't get the wrong idea." You close your eyes, "Thank you for saving me, Kento."
"I'll always save you."
"I'll always save you too, best believe it. Next time, put more faith in me that I'll be okay and focus on the job."
"I can't promise that." He looks at you, determined, "And don't you dare even vocalize that there will be a next time."
"Sir yes sir."
The rest of the day is spent with Nanami by your side, reciting memories from your past ordeals. You almost forgot how long you've really known eachother. It's also strange to think about that when you first met, you were both working an office job. That's something you don't ever think you'll go back to.
The only thing from then that you want to keep in your life, is the man next to you now. This strong, dependable, and loving man.
You physically cannot imagine being with someone else then him, and you know that you told him to put more faith in you and focus on the mission, but you'd do the same. Any day of the week, you'd lose yourself if you thought we was going to die.
That's why, no matter what, you'll always protect the other. Even if it costs you your life.