The next morning, gentle knocks on the door pulled you from sleep. With a throbbing head, swollen eyes, and eyelids burning from the light filtering through the window, you extended an arm to shield your face, hoping the noise would stop.
However, it persisted. Three knocks, this time more forceful.
"_____ , honey, are you in there?"
"Mmm, yes, mom," you murmured, still half-asleep. "I'll get up now."
You suddenly opened your eyes and sat up in bed. You were in your room in the jujutsu school's faculty wing. On the floor, beside your pillow, lay Satoru in the previous day's clothes. Disheveled and with deep dark circles, he looked at you in surprise.
"Is that my mother?" you whispered to him.
"I think so," he replied in the same tone.
You both stared at each other silently, trying to understand why your mother had traveled to the city and visited your workplace without notice.
"Do you know anything?"
"Can I come in, or are you going to keep me out here all day?" your mother's voice asked from the other side of the door, knocking again.
Satoru tilted his head with a smirk on his lips.
"I'll see you later, okay?" he murmured with a forced smile, and the next instant, he vanished from your room floor, leaving only the pillow on the floor as proof he had been there that night.
That night.
You stared at the floor as memories of the previous day flooded your groggy mind. Satoru's confession, his fear of you leaving, the kisses... Oh my God, you had kissed.
You had kissed Gojo Satoru.
"Damn," you whispered, collapsing back onto the bed in a daze. Had he not been there upon waking, you would have thought it all a dream.
A "click" sounded, and your room door opened, revealing a middle-aged woman on the other side.
"Oops," she murmured, eyeing the door curiously. "It was open. You should be careful."
She walked around the room, taking it all in with a slightly wrinkled nose. You were still lying in bed, looking at the ceiling, in shock. She picked up the pillow from the floor and placed it on your bed, then went to the window and opened it wide. A cool breeze gave you goosebumps.
"Are you okay, honey?" she asked with concern, noticing your lack of movement. "This is a mess."
"I'm tired," you whispered. You blinked a couple of times, watching your mother lean over you, reminiscent of your younger days. You'd always been told how much you resembled each other, and both of you took pride in that. "What are you doing here, mom? I had no idea you were coming."
"Oh? You didn't know?" she seemed genuinely surprised. "Gojo called me."
You sat up in bed.
"Excuse me?"
Your mother tilted her head, offering a tender smile.
"He asked me to come see you both; I thought you'd know."
That son of a bitch.
"I tried calling him, but he didn't answer."
"He must be busy," you whispered. "I don't think you can see him today."
Your mother ran a hand through your hair.
"That kid always does things his way, doesn't he?"
"We're twenty-five, mom."
"Nonsense," she replied, waving a dismissive hand. "To me, he'll always be the kid who put a hole in our roof that summer. Remember?"
"Of course I remember," you said with an involuntary smile. "He tried to blame me."
"Your father wanted to kill him," she laughed. "He's always been a bit shameless"
"He still is."
"Well," she remarked, clapping her hands together, "enough about others."
She approached your closet and rummaged through your clothes. Finally, she pulled out a decent skirt and shirt, placing them at the foot of your bed. Interestingly, she hadn't chosen a school uniform, even though it made up the majority of your wardrobe.
"Now that I've come all this way, surely you have a moment for your mother, don't you?"
First, you spoke with Yaga to ask if he could postpone your classes that day. He didn't seem too pleased, and you understood why. Lately, you hadn't been very dedicated to your work. But there weren't many sorcerers eager to take up teaching, so it's not like he was going to fire you.
Your mother patiently waited for you in the school gardens, and you took advantage of the nice weather to take a walk and catch up.
"Our school is doing well," your mother commented. "Your father benefits from being surrounded by young boys all day since he hasn't seen his only daughter in months."
"I'm sorry," you sighed. "It's just that we have so much work-"
"So much work, yes, I know," she interrupted, patting the arm she had intertwined with yours. "But you could call more often. We know that this," she gestured vaguely towards the school, "can be a bit dangerous at times. Are you doing okay?"
They've broken three of my ribs, stabbed me until I passed out, and a cult wants to recruit me.
"Same as always, you know," you said with a smile, even though your mother wasn't very familiar with the world of magic and curses. For your parents' well-being, it was best if they stayed as far away from all that as possible.
As the morning progressed and the temperature rose, you both sought shade on the porch of the main building.
"And you still haven't found a boyfriend?" your mother suddenly asked.
You choked on your own spit and coughed a couple of times. You hadn't even begun to process last night's events, let alone discuss them with your mother.
"I haven't had the time to think about that, mom."
She seemed somewhat disappointed.
"You're always too busy," she murmured, letting out a half-smile. "What about someone from work? The ones I know seem like good guys."
"Mom, please," you protested, glancing around the courtyard to make sure no one was eavesdropping.
"That blond one, you know who I mean," she continued, grinning mischievously. She always enjoyed putting you on the spot.
"Nanami Kento? Please," you laughed. "He already has enough putting up with me at work."
"And then there's Gojo, of course. You two have always been close."
"Mom, stop it," you protested, but she ignored you.
"You two were so much fun when you visited in the summer. Your father, though, wasn't very fond of it."
"Ugh..."
"But it's a shame you don't visit anymore," she added thoughtfully. "Why don't you invite him for Christmas?"
"Christmas? Uh, I don't think he'd want to."
"Why not? He doesn't have any family, does he? I don't think he'd want to be alone."
You opened your mouth to reply, but it wasn't your voice that answered but one from behind you.
"Who are we talking about?"
Worst timing, as always. You were starting to think he did it on purpose. On second thought, you were sure he did it on purpose.
"Gojo, dear!" your mother exclaimed with a broad smile, releasing your arm. "You always pop up out of nowhere."
Gojo bowed in a way that was oddly formal for the setting. Even bent over, he still towered over your mother.
"It's a pleasure to see you, ma'am."
"Oh, come now, no need for such formality," your mother said, giving him a quick hug. "How are you? I was just telling my daughter you could join us for Christmas dinner."
"Mmm, Christmas?" he mused, then glanced at you with raised eyebrows. "Will you be around then?"
His look was probing, hinting at something deeper. You remembered the date you had with Suguru the next day and began connecting the dots on why Satoru had brought your mother unannounced.
Unable to help yourself, you blushed. Behind your mother's back, you whispered, "I'll kill you."
Gojo tilted his head, amused.
"Of course, she'll be here," your mother assured, turning to you. "Right?"
"Yes, yes. Sure," you mumbled.
"Great!" Satoru exclaimed with an innocent smile.
"In that case, you're invited, just like old times," your mother said, beaming as she held onto Gojo's arm. "Though, well, you're adults now. I don't think your father would mind if you don't sleep on the couch anymore."
Help.
You looked at Satoru, eyes wide, and noticed his smile froze for a split second.
"Ah! Well! We'll see!" he exclaimed, laughing awkwardly.
"How about we go somewhere else? Anywhere?" you suggested hurriedly to your mother, trying to get her to release Gojo. "I'm sure Satoru has work to do."
Your mother gave you a somewhat reproachful look, as if you'd just taken away a child's toy.
"Well, not really," Gojo replied, smirking mischievously. "Lunchtime is approaching, and I just happen to have a reservation for three at one of Tokyo's finest restaurants. Care to join?"