word count: 2,478
.｡*♡.｡*♡.｡*♡.｡*♡.｡*♡.｡*♡.｡*♡.｡*♡.｡*♡
10 days until the exhibit...
"Hey-a!" Gojo greeted loudly as he pushed the door open with his shoulder. He hefted the large bag of clay in his arms, readjusting the load so he could see y/n over it's tall rectangular shape.
"You're back already?" Y/n asked, toweling her greyed hands. "I thought an errand to the shipment office would take much longer."
"Were you trying to get rid of me?" he smiled. Y/n pursed her lips, trying to suppress her grin.
"Maybe." She directed him to a somewhat clean space to put the clay down.
"I even had some time to swing by and grab us something sweet on the way back, see?" He propped the clay downwards so she could see a small plastic tray atop everything. It contained four circular treats of various colors.
"It's quite late for daifuku," y/n giggled, motioning to the analog clock. 7 o'clock, it read. Satoru clicked his tongue in defiance.
"It's never too late for daifuku."
Satoru then dropped the block with a grunt, placing his hands on his hips contently. His eyes soon trailed to the work in progress, his head tilted to the side. It was seemingly a mound of... nothing. There were etches of pencil grooved into the grey matter, faint traces of potential ideas littering it's surface not ready to be worked on quite yet.
"Looks... good," he tried aloud, nodding all too aggressively. Y/n scratched the side of her head as she stared back at Gojo.
"It's okay to be honest with me."
"Mm?" he hummed. He tucked his chin sheepishly, reaching out for the daifuku as an outlet for his embarrassment. "I am. I mean, it looks great... like..."
"Like a load of nothing. I've worked on it all day and yet it looks like this," y/n finished knowingly. "I appreciate the sentimentality, though."
Gojo felt himself flush all over again, though his fawning gaze caught wind of the way she fidgeted with her hands. Other things were on her mind. She seemed to be concealing it with that false aura he knew too well.
Her e/c eyes met his behind the halo of gorgeous curls that had fallen to her face. He sucked in a breath, offering her the tray of dessert as an incentive to show her that it was okay to express herself to him. No need for that false narrative anymore.
"How's it going... really," Gojo said in a gentle tone. He leaned his hands on one of the wooden tables, all ears.
Her gaze held a sense of hesitation, especially as she looked away.
Y/n slowly accepted the rosy daifuku, biting into the mochi stuffed with a sweet strawberry and paste. She wet her soft lips, ridding them of leftover powder from the dessert.
"It's fine... it's going."
Satoru said nothing, watching the beautiful woman rethink her words. Good. That was good. Unfortunately what she said next made him frown.
"What if this doesn't work out?"
He shook his head, jaw slackening.
"Don't say that."
"What if they all think it's bad? That I was stupid enough to think-"
"Y/n. Quit it with that word."
"Oh, come on..." she laughed for a second until it dissipated from not being returned by the latter.
Big e/c eyes went back to his crystal colored stare.
"I'm serious."
They stood in place, bathing in silence. Gojo Satoru loathed that word, when she spoke of herself using it.
If she wanted to get past any of this, it had to end.
Y/n watched as the sorcerer pulled the sleeves of his black sweater before grabbing the jacket he had brought by hours ago. He shrugged it on, looking to y/n as he did so.
"I want to show you something."
"What are-"
"Grab your jacket." He paused. "Please."
Y/n obliged, slowly pulling her thick f/c cardigan onto her shoulders.
Satoru then reached out to her, hand open, beckoning. She paused for a moment before accepting the warm invitation.
The sorcerer did his best to ignore the way his heart began to thump wildly at the feeling of her touch. He closed his eyes, praying this would do her right. To do both of them right...
"Satoru..." y/n nudged, grounding him back to reality.
Gojo did not wait another second longer. With no motion at all, he transported them with a specific place in mind in the blink of a crystal blue eye.
A abnormally fresh gust of evening wind immediately rustled through their hair, making y/n perk up in confusion. She willed herself to take in their surroundings, trying to not let the supernatural occurrence startle her too much.
The woman gasped, her wide gaze quickly directing downwards at the lit up city below. Way below. The more she scanned around her, the more nervous she grew. It was clear they were close to the edge of a skyscraper of some sort...
But there was no gate holding them in.
Y/n nervously swiveled her head in search of Satoru, who was standing by her side. The woman backed up, huddling close to his torso- in awe and fear. His arm reeled in surprise at the contact, his eyes wide in shock.
After a moment, he worked it up within himself to slowly but surely lower his arm around her shoulders. He gently held back onto her. With more assurance, he thumbed her smaller frame, trying to build her spirit.
"You're alright," he whispered, looking ahead. With a small nudge, he motioned outwards. "Look."
Y/n uncovered her face from hiding, inching closer to the edge with Satoru as her aid. She forced her eyes open, mustering up the courage to look back down.
The waning sun was close to nearly being completely set yet Tokyo looked as lively as ever, neon and warm lights blended and merged together, attracting newcomers and locals alike. Vendors had began to pack their things after another day of selling, politely nodding to passersby.
The sky was a transitioning hue of blue, purple and oranges, showcasing the refreshing sense of progression and change y/n had longed for back in the country she used to call home.
It was beautiful.
Everything she had dreamed it would be.
Out of the corner of his eye, Gojo watched as his goddess' eyes lit up, a childlike smile beginning to appear on her soft lips.
"It's amazing..." she murmured. The wind carried her voice away, making the sorcerer crane his neck to hear.
"It is," he replied, though his eyes stayed on her. "It really is."
He wet his lips, glancing to the heavens. "Y/n..."
Satoru readjusted his stance, trying to say the things he didn't know exactly how he would say. The impulsive man hadn't thought that far ahead. His pride had thankfully subsided, however there were just some things Gojo Satoru simply could not rid from himself.
He closed his eyes, blocking everything out as he carefully picked his words.
"You've... made it here. You- you did that."
Satoru dipped his head, following her eyeline, not wanting to blink in fear of not coming across serious enough.
"You're going to get that sculpture done and they're all going to love it." Gojo felt himself hold onto her just a bit tighter, after ensuring his Infinity was thick enough.
"Don't belittle yourself. It hurts to see someone so smart, so beau-" his voice trailed away before trying once more.
"You're awesome, y/n. You are a one in million who holds so much talent. But you speak so... so terribly. It hurts you..."
Gojo felt his tone waver, his emotions getting the best of him. "It hurts me."
He clutched at his jacket, jerking his head to her.
"You're too pretty and too kind to say those kinds of things," he blurted. "All too pretty!"
"Satoru-" y/n sucked in a breath, letting the cold air encapsulate her lungs. She watched him look away, his Adam's apple bobbing heavily as he avoided her gaze. He truly felt oh so strongly about this thing she deemed so insignificant. Perhaps this was heavier than she believed.
Y/n swallowed the tiny lump in her throat as she processed the things he just said. His praise and confidence in her was too heart wrenching to dismiss, no matter how low she'd been forced to think of herself.
"I'll... I'll try."
She shook her head, recollecting her choice of words. "No... I'll stop. Seriously."
The artist nodded, once, twice. Each time was more assured than the last.
"I'll stop."
For you... for me...
for Us...
Gojo looked to her, a hopeful smile resting on his features. The jubilant sorcerer couldn't keep his spirits too sappy for too long, so he offered a pleasant shoulder nudge instead.
"Atta girl."
His head tilted to the side, close to hers as they collectively watched the miniscule people below. Satoru was about to invite her to return to the studio, but the peace in her gaze made him hold his tongue.
He smiled, turning back to the sky.
This is what the sorcerer meant when he said he wanted to write a story with his goddess. There was no one else, no problems but the ones they were guaranteed to conquer. Nights of staring off into the horizon with nothing in their way. Just a god and goddess, being themselves- ignoring the stares, the gossip of their pasts. Letting it all slide from their shoulders like a bird loosing it's old feathers.
This what that four letter word feels like for Gojo Satoru. The word withheld from his tongue.
This is how it should be.
He felt y/n gently bring a hand through his soft white hair, redirecting his chin onto her shoulder as she slowly thumbed the back of his head.
"Thank you... for helping me," she whispered, just loud enough so the wind didn't carry it away.
"The same goes for you as well," Satoru hummed in the same tone. His gratefulness exceeded anything else. His gratitude stemmed from simply being allowed to stand by his goddess' side.
"Thank you, y/n."
They sat quietly, observing the sun dissipate into nothing before being replaced with copious amounts of stars and the moon. He heard a small sigh of happiness fall from her lips, making him look to her. Gorgeous curls rustled along with the ever-moving wind, framing those delicate lashes. Her skin seemed to glow in contrast to the darkened sky, her flushed cheeks radiating a warm hue. Satoru's already red ears began to burn once again, even more so as the wind began to pick up. He felt y/n giggle at the cool sensation as she wrapped her cardigan tighter around her figure. She may have felt cold in that moment, but being beside her made Satoru feel warmer than ever.
His Sun, never failing to be oh so bright. Always glowing, even when no other light was around.
Always glowing...
In that very moment, the unfamiliar phrase tempted entry from his heart.
But he couldn't... he shouldn't...
Satoru felt his lips part, not giving another thought to his future words.
"The moon is beautiful, isn't it?" he spoke as evenly as he could.
The sorcerer braced for something, anything from y/n. Whether it was a smile, a frown, a... his guilty mind thought too far ahead. Instead, his heart raced as she stared straight ahead, fearing he had made an error in judgement.
His chest seemed to catch after a moment, when she turned to him.
Would she..?
But her eyes were all too blank to have processed any part of that phrase.
"Did you say something, Satoru?"
The wind seemed to have picked up too much for his words to be heard by the woman his heart ached for.
He felt himself wilt, partially from embarrassment at the usage of such a daring phrase. As casually as he could Satoru waved his hand, fanning the humiliation away from his mind.
"N-no. I was just asking if... if you wanted to go back to your studio."
Y/n's doe like eyes blinked twice before settling themselves. "Sure..."
She reached to her curls, tugging on a stray strand as Satoru presented her a hand in preparation for their departure. Her fingers went to accept the offer, she recoiled a split second after. E/c eyes searched his face before she spoke with that voice Satoru swore he could bathe in the presence of for hours.
"Are you sure that's what you said?"
He buffered for a moment at her hesitation, the temptation of repeating the phrase to her face, to daringly push back those foreign curls and caress her figure until something more ignited.
And yet his mouth did not move.
"It was okay for me to call you pretty, right?" he decided to say instead, though it made him cringe internally.
Y/n dipped her chin.
"Because you are. You're very... very..." his voice trailed away at her unreadable expression. The sorcerer took a small step back as he rubbed the back of his neck.
"I'm sorry, I'm being foolish-"
"It's alright," y/n softly replied. "You can say that I'm... y'know."
She gave him a tiny nod, never breaking contact with that blindfold.
"You are too..." she added, making the sorcerers eye's widen. "Not pretty! Nice-looking. I mean- you're pretty as well but-"
"I understand. T-thanks." Satoru felt like he was about to combust. It was almost humorous how red he became in a matter of seconds, his pale complexion the shade of a ripe tomato.
They grew silent, until y/n awkwardly lifted her palm in a gesture of caution.
"If that's okay with you too."
"No harm in that."
"R-Right."
"...yeah..."
The stumbling energy of theirs subsided as either one of them began to smile. A chuckle even managed to escape from their lips.
"Well then," Satoru clasped his hands together, wincing when they collided way too loudly. "Oasis?"
"Let's," y/n agreed, leaning close to him in a jesting manor. "You and I have daifuku to finish, pretty boy."
The artist tried not to die laughing as the sorcerer wheezed and gasped on his own air. Gojo then took it upon himself to dramatically fan himself from her words, draping himself on her shoulders.
"I hate you," she laughed.
"No, you don't." He wrapped his arms around her, scooping her into his assured arms in revenge for making him choke up. She shrieked happily as he spun her round and round, the night air twisting and blowing their hair every which way.
Satoru quickly transported them back, never letting go of her, never leaving her side.
.｡*♡.｡*♡.｡*♡.｡*♡.｡*♡.｡*♡.｡*♡.｡*♡.｡*♡
月が綺麗ですね : tsuki ga kirei desu ne: literarily means "The moon is beautiful, isn't it?" in Japanese. Surprisingly, however, it could also contain the hidden meaning — "I love you".
(a/n: def one of my favorite chapters to write so far!)