word count: 3,071
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The pair wandered through the downtown area of Saitama. The grey cement had been initially covered in an array of colorful leaves, yet the constant encounters of shoes had ground the foliage up into small bits as passersby crossed the streets. Satoru and y/n had taken the train for a small session of apple picking, filling their accounted baskets with the ripe red fruits until they could no longer. One of the elderly woman had to politely ask Gojo to return a few of the apples, explaining that the fruit he'd keenly stuffed into his jacket couldn't be taken home.
"Your boyfriend is quite the handful, isn't he?" she had said in acknowledgement to y/n as Satoru went elsewhere with his abundance of apples.
Y/n looked at the woman on account of her using the word "boyfriend," to describe the sorcerer, trying to ignore how flustered she grew. She took a second longer than necessary to reply, prompting the elder to smile. In return, y/n gave a tentative shrug.
There was no point in correcting her anyway, right?
"Yes," she said elsewhere, her heart fluttering for whatever reason. "Yes he is."
At the end of their harvest, they had decided against bringing the several apples home, opting instead to hand them out to hungry looking children searching for candy. Satoru had then purchased two candied apples and a hearty mug of apple cider that was, according to y/n, the best she'd ever tasted.
It did well at keeping her warm, though the blissful feeling was cut short the moment a gust of wind caught her off guard. It had been foolish of her to not wear a jacket over her costume, but the magic of the night had caught her up in it's excitement.
Y/n felt a heavy material drape itself onto her shoulders and realized it was Satoru's jacket a moment later.
"Bruhhh," y/n started with a smile. Her e/c eyes met his diamond colored gaze. "I know how much you hate the cold, don't try to act like you're not freezing."
"Eh, I can manage," he replied, flexing his now bare arms. "Besides, I know you like the view."
"I feel like you're trying to get a rise out of me, Shades."
"Is it working?"
"Nope."
Y/n tried to remove the jacket from her shoulders again, but Satoru quickly insisted on giving it to her.
"If you try to give it back, I'll be upset for the rest of the night," Satoru said, pretending to slouch into a dramatic pout.
Y/n, stifling a laugh at his annoyance, clasped a hand over her lips. "Sounds like a you problem."
"So cruel," Gojo whined. In a final feat at prevention, he threw his arms around her, giving her a big bear hug so there was no way for her to remove the garment.
With a sigh, y/n pried him off of her- though the coat remained on her shoulders much to Satoru's delight.
She chose to ignore his excitement, not wanting her acknowledgment on his... feelings to make the night awkward. She knew that he liked her. Well, what he knew of her. There were times that y/n felt a faint disconnect with Satoru given the fact that they both had not revealed details of their pasts, only obliging in giving the other pieces to a puzzle of history that had the potential of going unsolved. It was that fear of scaring him away that kept everything from coming together. It bubbled up and revealed itself in those moments where only Satoru remained on her mind, thoughts of calling him up on lonely nights- or the temptation to look back when he stared at her for a bit too long, his pink lips partially open, his covered eyes trained on hers.
The anxiety would hit her in those seconds of consideration, throwing her back to square one. It was a game, her and Satoru as the pawns, her combative thoughts- LeRoy... as the player. 'Love was a dangerous game,' her mind would tell her, 'it was better to stay away.'
Fear and y/n knew each other too well, it seemed.
"Y/n?"
The woman looked up at Satoru to find him a distance away, patiently waiting for her to go down the path of stairs leading to the train station. His composure held that confidence she found so comforting yet strange, considering how docile and hunched he grew the moment she looked at him.
"Sorry," she apologized. She'd been deep in thought.
"Don't be sorry, we're far past that, remember?" He gave a closed eye smile that almost made y/n flush. His kindness was almost angering when one had to resist it.
It took her a moment to meet his stride, always having to take an extra step to catch a single swing of his leg. At times she knew it amused the sorcerer, how quickly he would begin to move the moment she consciously noticed his pace, but he never went so fast that she couldn't keep up in the end.
As they walked, y/n felt him slow himself until he got into that little position of his; chin on her shoulder, arms tucked behind his back. They scanned their key cards and assumed spots on a bench to wait for the train.
Y/n closed her eyes, thankful for a moment of relaxation from the exciting night. Not that she was complaining whatsoever in the fact that this was the most fun she'd had in a long time. It was just moments like this that gave her a second from the intensity of it all.
The low hum of talking throughout the station along with the warmth of Satoru's touch was indeed comforting. She inhaled the scent of the train station's Halloween night, where the air smelled of cinnamon and steel and fall.
The sorcerer readjusted his positioning on the bench so that he was closer to y/n. Somehow he always found away to make contact with her even while they sat- his head tilted slightly so he could rest on her shoulder.
"We've got two hours before the party if you want to get changed," Satoru slowly said to the air in front of him. He paused for a moment before glancing at her.
"If that's alright with you."
Y/n opened her eyes. She didn't think she would ever grow used to hearing those moments of Satoru (or anyone for that matter) ask if she was ready for things instead of promptly throwing her into it.
She gave him a small smile. "Of course it is."
A thought struck her mind a moment later.
"Shades," she began, "how are you keeping track of all this stuff? I mean, you haven't looked at your phone at all-"
"A magician never reveals his secrets," Satoru replied with that confident voice of his. He gave her a winning smile, clearly content with himself.
Y/n stifled a laugh as she rolled her eyes. The bell for the train began to chime, prompting them out of their seats. As y/n stood, she placed a hand into the pocket of her friend's jacket for warmth, and she felt the crinkle of paper. Curious, she retrieved the folded material.
Inside was a tiny note scrawled in Gojo's familiar handwriting. Poorly sketched pumpkins with smiley faces decorated the large text on top, along with a multitude of squiggly lines and colors and bullet points. Beneath this was a long list of various activities of which Satoru had conveniently listed out to her on their transit to Saitama, alongside a crookedly sketched box of compiled things he knew she enjoyed.
"Halloween plans with THE y/n!" it translated to, making the woman smile. There was a short entry, marked with bullet points on the back reading:
- dont talk too much
-make her feel welcome
- no sorrys!
- don't mess this up
Satoru, she thought to herself, there'd be no way you could mess this up.
Y/n looked over the quaint characters, eyes sparkling over the sincerity of his simple action.
Everything he did for her was so endearing, so kind. She noticed at times how stiff and awkward he grew when he did something pleasant for her, though she assumed it was due to whatever mannerisms in the past he had possessed. Her face grew rosy and numb and giggly at the idea of the sorcerer's gorgeous face. His eagerness was something she wanted more of, how he was so impulsive yet thoughtful of her ideas. How Satoru was... Satoru.
Y/n waited for a feeling to combat whatever the hell was going on with her, yet nothing blocked her from the way her heart thudded against her ribs. The protection scared her, all while bringing her into a fresh light of something new. Exciting.
Y/n tucked the note back into the pocket as they boarded the train, careful to not crinkle it more than it already was. As they found their seats, y/n beat Gojo to his little sitting position they both knew too well.
Slowly, gently, y/n laid her head on his shoulder, hands still placed neatly in her lap. She felt Gojo's breathing stiffen for a second, though a moment later it grew deep and thorough once again as the train began to move.
Satoru, on the other hand, sat as still as possible, even as his heart raced widly. This was one of those things he had been waiting for. She had grown to give him trust. Alhough it was a small gesture, a sliver of her, he would never forget this. He wanted to drum his feet, to run down the aisle and yell to everyone about this fulfilling movement, but he stayed still.
After all, he did not want to disturb his goddess.
<a/n: aw he cute>
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Gojo would have never expected a devil costume to look so good on someone as much as it did on y/n. He had felt his tongue slacken the moment she spun around and asked him how it looked, only able to give her a stupid nod and an even stupider thumbs up.
By god, she was beautiful.
Her hair had been let down from the sleek ponytail, the ends curled and flipped to perfection. Her makeup remained vaguely similar except for deep red undertones, given the fact that she'd only brought one palette to Satoru's flat. Y/n's lips had been lined with a sultry red lipstick that Satoru couldn't help but stare at until she called him out for it. Satoru's response was to just awkwardly scoff and look away, readjusting his form fitting black suit and red tie. It was an expensive three piece suit composed of silks and linens paired with a pair of leather gloves and horns in some kind of devilish ensemble.
"You look good," said y/n as she toyed with her devil horns.
Another stupid scoff was his reply. Dammit, Satoru, get your head out of the clouds!
It only took a quick trip on the train to reach the giant house the party was being hosted at. The fact that it was nearly midnight added to the ambiance of the already gothic architecture, though it was slightly thrown off by a half dressed couple passed out on the large lawn. People loitered outside of the house, even as the trashy club remix pouring from inside grew louder and louder.
"Satoru-" y/n didn't finish her sentence as she quickly reached for his hand. Was it nervousness? Excitement? He could not tell.
Gojo, in turn, squeezed her palm. "I've got you. I've always got you."
Y/n looked at him with those big e/c eyes that he treasured so much. They searched his face for assurance, which was quickly found.
"You ready?" he asked.
Y/n nodded.
The sound and lights and people hit them in the face the minute they entered the party but Satoru's words kept them grounded. He felt y/n quickly grow acclimated to the atmosphere, her hand slowly slipping away as the music carried on. After stepping around a group of dancers, they found the working bar. Satoru ordered two drinks that weren't heavy on the alcohol. After grabbing them, he handed one to y/n. They ducked and dodged a few more party goers until y/n took a seat on a grand couch inside the massive parlor with Satoru following shortly behind.
"So, you know the guy who lives here?" she asked over the noisy crowd.
Gojo glanced at her, but quickly turned away. Her beauty was blinding in the florescent light and he didn't think he would possess the capability to reply if he looked at her any longer.
"H-he's a friend of a friend from way back," Satoru quickly replied as he took a sip. "This is actually his parents house."
"For real?" Y/n looked around. "It's beautiful."
Not as beautiful as you, the smooth part of Satoru wanted to say. But of course, nothing came out.
The sorcerer had never been fazed by the massive size of the home, considering how large his family's several houses were. Though he supposed that yes, it was a pretty nice place. Of course, the past few times he'd been here was with a random chick that he had then left behind in one of the grand bedrooms after a raunchy night. He had not wanted to come back here, given this, but the owner had begged him, saying that it wouldn't be a party without Gojo Satoru. His pride had obliged.
They sat for a moment, sipping their drinks, with y/n doing most of the talking given that Gojo was too entranced by her to speak. He sat as straight as possible, only moving to shakily nurse on his drink. His gaze stayed on her until it seemed nothing else remained except them.
He watched her eyes crinkle up as she made herself laugh at something silly she said, how her nose scrunched in thought as she recalled something her friends had done on a late night out, how her features, so foreign yet familiar always were set so prettily.
His lungs ached at how she never failed to blow him away.
He held onto every word she said, savoring how she spoke in this language she claimed was not her own while speaking it perfectly. Her words were poetry and her lips were the poet, never failing to compose sentences so wonderful, so enchanting.
She was beauty incarnate, her grace radiated from her like the rays from the sun. He wanted to write a story with her. He wanted her to be in his book. To create a tale of a god and his goddess just... being.
She had no expectations for him, no standards of how strong he had to be for him to be enough. This feeling was strange and twisted and so beautiful to him. Had he ever desired someone as much as he did now? No, and for a good reason.
Who was a god to believe in other than himself?
His faith in this woman, his trust... by god he wished he could have more of her's.
"-Right?"
She'd said something else, but Satoru had not caught the end of it. His posture stiffened as he swallowed.
"R-right," he stammered out, eyes widened like the starstruck person he was.
Y/n laughed and looked away into the sea of people. "Were you listening, Shades?"
"For the most part, yes," he sheepishly said.
"Mhm," she murmured.
Idiot. It sounded like he didn't care.
Gojo quickly wracked his brain around for something to say so the conversation didn't dim, but it seemed y/n's attention was fully on the large congregation of dancers. Her hands had begun to habitually knit themselves together, toying with whatever was going on in her head.
The idea struck Gojo. Would she want to? Was she just looking? His impulsiveness didn't give him another second to consider it.
"Would you like to-"
Her gaze traveled to him, expectantly.
"Dance..." he said in a smaller voice, barely audible.
"Dance? Is that what you said?" Y/n perked up.
"I... I mean, you don't have to if you don't want to, I just thought that since you were looking you might have-"
"Yes!"
"Yes?"
"Yes." She smiled. "I'd love to."
Satoru dipped his head as he slowly stood, though his movements were quickened when y/n grabbed his hand and pulled him into an open space.
The song held a middle paced tempo, one where people were either two stepping or jumping up and down with their hands in the air. Y/n, still holding Gojo's hand, twirled around, her red dress teasingly flouncing just enough whenever she moved.
Satoru quicky found his footing, though it was obvious he grew stiff whenever y/n brushed against him. If it was on purpose or unintentional, he could not tell.
It was the moment that y/n faced him and looked up at him with eyes so doe- like and sweet that he felt his throat run dry. The only reason she was as close as she was to him was due to the loudness of the crowd yet that was besides the point. Her red lips parted as she tilted her head.
"You seem uncomfortable. Do I make you nervous, Satoru?"
Yes. God, yes you do, the ivory haired sorcerer thought. You make me a mess, a complete wreck and I wouldn't trade it for anything in the world.
His mouth stayed unhinged as he frantically scoured for a word, a sound, anything to say. Nothing came out except the bright pink hue spreading across his face.
Having no shame, Gojo quickly clasped a hand over his face to hide the blossoming color.
Y/n laughed softly as she rocked his arms side to side. "You're too much, you know that?"
Oh he knew.
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<a/n: gojo is WHIPPED for u
fluffy chapter for u, also YES i used a tiktok audio for y/n to say im obsessed with that line
this chapter was actually supposed to be much longer but I'll let u guys revel in the fluff for a bit
but don't get too comfy sjdjalk 😈🤫>