Yuta was astonishing. The new timeline held so many new things to offer. But Toge couldn't help feeling uneasy. Was it really alright to be with Yuta? Toge didn't know if he was pressuring Yuta too much.
After the failed attempt at reliving his past, Toge thought the only logical option was to live life how he wanted. The goal was to make Yuta happy, wasn't it? But was kissing Yuta the right choice? He knew it was probably a bad idea to ever tell Yuta the truth about experiencing another timeline, but was it ethical to keep that from him?
The blades had all been removed from Yuta's wall easily. After several tutorials, they patched up the wall and left it to set. Spackle was tricky to use, but since most of the holes were rather narrow, Toge was able to fill them smoothly.
"You know, you don't have to leave now that we're done. We could watch another movie if you want? You fell asleep during Star Wars, so maybe something a little more engaging?" Yuta asked.
The pale man's dark hair flopped over his brow as he spoke. He was a bit more carefree than the Yuta Toge had first met. This version had a bit more confidence, maybe it was more of an alternative universe then? It was all just semantics, but it was important. If the Okkotsu Yuta sitting next to him on the couch was from an alternate reality, then it really was Toge's second love.
There wasn't a clear way to tell. Toge didn't exactly understand anything about time and space, nor did he want to attempt to learn about it unless it was by watching Steins;Gate. Would Yuta hate him if he found out?
"Hey? Hey Toge? Are you doing okay?" Yuta asked.
Toge jolted back to attention.
"Sorry about earlier, again. I know you said it was okay, but it was kind of a lot. I'd understand if you wanted to leave," Yuta said.
Toge shook his head.
"So, it's really okay?" Yuta asked.
Toge tried to think of a way to convey that he was more than fine with kissing Yuta again. He didn't want to be too pushy. The day was still young. There was a lot of time to do anything. They didn't have to stay inside, but maybe that was better for the new Yuta? Maybe bringing him out so casually the first time around.
"A-Ag..." Toge tried to speak; it wasn't as easy as it had been with the other Yuta.
"You don't need to force yourself, really. I appreciate you trying to make me comfortable, but I'm not uncomfortable with the way we have been communicating. Let me adjust for you, that way you don't have to do all the work, 'kay?" Yuta asked.
He was too cute. It was overpowering. He didn't have to be so giving all the time. That's how the other Yuta was too. But the other Yuta wanted to act strong for Toge. If there was a chance the new Yuta would think of himself as weak, that needed to change.
"Again," Toge said.
Yuta's face flushed crimson, "Again? Like, kiss again? That really isn't necessary."
Toge grunted, taking his phone from his pocket to type the message, "Do it again until you're not sorry."
Yuta's ocean eyes fluttered. He seemed to be shocked. Was it too much? Probably so, but Toge didn't care. All he wanted was Yuta. The new Yuta or the old Yuta. Both were special even if they were different people.
"I mean, we can. I just don't know what to think of all this. It's kind of a lot. I want to, but I don't want to overcomplicate things since we really just met," Yuta said.
Toge wanted to say, "But I love you," though that didn't seem fair or accurate. Toge knew that the Yuta he loved was gone or at least out of grasp. This Yuta couldn't go, and if he did, Toge would find him again. Over and over until they could just be together.
There was a loud banging on the door that caught both their attention. No one had ordered food. Could it have been Geto? No, that was highly improbable. Geto wouldn't have a reason to believe Gojo were in Yuta's apartment.
"Okkotsu! Open up! Okkotsu!" It was a woman's voice.
"Who could that be?" Yuta whispered to himself.
It was an odd tone, hushed and breathy. Though muffled by a door, Toge felt as if he could place the voice. He knew it. But where from was the question.
Yuta stood from the couch and walked to the door. He glanced out the peephole as the knock continued more desperately. The woman's fist must have been bloodied by how dense the sound was.
"Okkotsu! Damn it! Miguel said you were off today so I know you're in there! Fuck! Where is that blockhead with the pink hair when you need to break down a door!" she shouted.
"I think I should call the police," Yuta whispered.
"Open," Toge stated firmly.
"What? But there's a crazy woman outside," Yuta said.
"Open," Toge repeated.
There was no way. If it was her, then maybe the world had really changed, and Toge wasn't just losing his mind. Yuta opened the door, and a skinny ginger-haired woman stumbled in.
She was dressed in a sweater and joggers. It was the Kugisaki woman. Her face was pale as if she had seen a ghost upon entering the dingy apartment. She fell to her knees as her gaze met the confused visage of Okkotsu Yuta. She must have been scared, but Toge couldn't speak to her.
"Inumaki is here too?! Sweet!" Kugisaki shouted with tears in her eyes.
Yuta tilted his head, "I'm sorry, do we know each other?"
"No. No, I guess we don't, do we? I'm Kugisaki Nobara. You must not remember me other than Inumaki," Kugisaki smiled.
Toge gestured for Yuta to come closer. In a flurry of his thumbs, Toge typed a message, "You should go sit in the bedroom and call Gojo. I got this."
"No, you don't need to deal with this. We should just call the police," Yuta whispered.
Toge violently shook his head.
"Okay, I'll trust you and call Gojo. But I need you to tell me what's going on later," Yuta frowned as he left the room.
Kugisaki stood from the floor, dusting herself off as she looked around, "Place is kind of a shithole, huh?"
Toge pointed at the couch.
"That's right. You don't talk. Do you remember me?" Kugisaki asked.
Toge nodded.
"Wait, really? That's awesome! I was starting to lose it!" Kugisaki collapsed onto the couch.
Toge typed a message on his phone and handed it to her, "I think this is another timeline. I tried to find you too, so that Yuta would befriend you. I didn't know anyone else remembered the other life."
"You mean, like an alternate universe or like we went back in time?" Kugisaki asked.
Toge shrugged.
"Right, how would you know. Okay, well. Now I'm pretty sure I broke a timeline rule or whatever. Do you think I'll disappear or like a time god will come find me?" Kugisaki asked.
Toge shrugged again.
"Well, with you, that makes three of us. That's good, I guess," Kugisaki mumbled.
"Three!?" Toge heard himself shout.
Kugisaki smiled, "Okkotsu was right, you do have a nice voice. But yeah, three. You, me, and Itadori. But I have no idea where he is. Can't get a hold of him. No one knows him yet."
Yuta burst from his bedroom, "I heard shouting! Is everything okay? I didn't call Gojo yet, I was about to. Should I call the cops instead?"
Toge and Kugisaki stood shaking their heads with both hands up.
"So, Toge, who is this woman?" Yuta asked, with skin as white as paper.
"We are friends. We go way back!" Kugisaki nervously smiled.
"How did you know Miguel, and me, and where I live?" Yuta's eyes became more frantic.
"Uh, good question. How did I know all that?" Kugisaki looked as if she were trying to laugh but no sound came out.
With a loud bang, the front door flew open. Standing at the doorstep with one foot raised was Itadori Yuji. His hair was blonde; he must have removed the color himself. Behind him stood the white-haired Gojo Satoru. Toge didn't know who to expect next, the food delivery man who called Yuta his brother? Perhaps Yuta's dead friend would emerge from the dirt.
"Kugisaki! Damn it! I told you not to go bothering people!" Itadori shouted.
"Calm down, Itadori. We'll fix this all. Don't worry about it," Gojo said with a smile.
"Is everyone just going to break into my house today? Is this what the world is coming to? Gojo, I expect this from. I don't even know the other two of you! Toge, what's going on?" Yuta asked between heavy breaths.
"Are we sure Inumaki is one of us?" Itadori asked.
Toge took a deep breath before looking at Gojo. The silver-haired man was at a loss. There was no definite way to understand any of what was happening. Yuta seemed on the brink of collapse, while the other three were standing staring at each other.
"Okkotsu, please understand this is something Inumaki didn't know was going to happen. He has fewer answers than you might want him to have. We will all get out of your hair now, and I'll call you later," Gojo smiled.
Was that his way of explaining the situation? Was that supposed to be comforting? If anything, it inspired more anxiety in everyone. Toge stomped his foot on the ground, growling like an angry toddler. Why did Gojo think he could make decisions for him? Even if Gojo, Kugisaki, and Itadori knew about the timeline shift, why would they be acting so odd?
"Inumaki, calm yourself. You don't want to upset Okkotsu, right?" Gojo tilted his head.
"Ah!" Toge shouted.
It was all so frustrating. If Gojo knew that Toge was aware of the situation, why didn't he come? How did Gojo know that Itadori knew? Where did Kugisaki fit in? There were too many questions. The only thing Toge knew for certain was that everything must have been more frightening for Yuta. That was, until Toge felt Yuta's skinny arms around his chest.
"Toge, calm down. I'm upset too, obviously. But we can all talk about this, right?" Yuta asked in a crackling voice.
Yuta was scared. His voice was shaken the same way it was when Itadori had died. His voice was shattered the way it was when Geto showed his face at the doorstep. Was that how he spoke before they had met too?
Gojo looked around the room in an exaggerated turn of the head, "Ugh. Fine. Okkotsu can come too. We need to get back to my place. Not the apartment, my home."
Toge swayed for a moment, feeling Yuta's arms against his chest. They would have been kissing. They should have been touching. Instead, they were about to embark on a journey to the Gojo Estate. It had been years since Toge had visited the palace of a home, though it was a home Yuta was supposed to inherit. Maybe they would have lived there if everything would have worked out.
With one sure hand, Toge held Yuta's palm tightly. With no hesitation, their fingers were interlocked. Toge should have been smiling, but instead, Kugisaki and Gojo were the ones grinning. They left Yuta's apartment in silence. Toge must have scared everyone with his screech. If there was something Toge didn't want Yuta to remember, it was that awful sound.
The car ride to Gojo's manor was relatively short. Itadori didn't say a word; instead, he just looked out the window. If it was the Itadori that had been stabbed, how was he still alive? Gojo said they would fix everything, did that mean he was the one responsible for the transition back in time? How could one man do that?
Kugisaki was the first, and most unqualified, to speak upon arriving at Gojo's home, "You're like actually super rich. Too bad you're kind of gross."
"What? Me? Gross? I am not gross!" Gojo retorted.
When they exited the car, Yuta's hand gripped Toge tighter. He must have been all nerves. They barely knew one another. Gojo was the only face Yuta knew in the group while the other two remained strangers. Kugisaki at least had the decency to introduce herself to Yuta. That meant she didn't know how anything worked either.
Itadori was the only person Toge expected to speak with Yuta, but he didn't as much as look their way. If he was the Itadori that had been stabbed, that would mean he was also the one Megumi had chased. He probably had it the roughest out of the group.
"Toge, have you been here?" Yuta asked.
Toge nodded.
"Okay, good. This is my first time going somewhere so nice. I've never seen a house with more than two floors," Yuta said.
"You like it? The brick is made to resemble adobe clay. I had to order each part of this beautiful home on my own. No contractor or architect was of any help," Gojo said jovially.
"Let's just get this done with. The faster we're inside, the faster we can reset," Itadori mumbled.
"What? Did you not like your meet-cute this time? Better than screwing Megumi in my place," Gojo joked.
Toge blushed. He couldn't help it. Itadori definitely knew that Megumi and he had kissed. It was embarrassing. But even in the timeline Toge remembered, Itadori was still nice to Yuta. Maybe Megumi rejected him? Or was it related to the murderer?
"You did enough damage with Okkotsu, okay? Fushiguro was fine. I just want everything to be better than it was, but when you decided to go rogue, it ruined everything," Itadori sighed.
"Ruined everything? I just wanted to see my work bestie! I figured he would have just answered the door if I acted frantic, say Gojo sent me. I just didn't expect Inumaki to be one of us, though I am glad it's him," Kugisaki said.
As they entered the grand corridor, no one slowed to look around. There were paintings draped on the indigo walls that made the home feel even more luxurious than it was. Pillars lined the hall with white molding that had been tainted by the daylight-colored bulbs in the chandelier. It was easy to imagine Yuta leading Toge through the halls as they explored. That should have been how it happened.
"What do you mean by 'one of us'? Like therapy group people? If I knew it would be so intensive and intrusive, I wouldn't have joined," Yuta said.
"No, it's more complicated than that. Sorry, Okkotsu. I think the best way to say it is, we are from another life, like in a movie," Itadori said, still not looking toward Yuta.
"This was my first time. I didn't know it was going to be like this," Kugisaki smirked.
"It was Inumaki's first time too, and yet somehow, he managed not to interfere with anything. He didn't tell anyone. Gojo was the one who instigated Okkotsu and Inumaki to see each other privately, not Inumaki himself," Itadori grumbled.
"You act like you haven't made mistakes," Kugisaki said.
Itadori inhaled, then firmly said, "I've been shot, strangled, and stabbed. Every time Gojo resets time, I have died. Every time I have met Okkotsu, and every time Inumaki has made Okkotsu fall for him. These are the constants I know."
"Is that true? You are from another timeline, Toge?" Yuta asked.
Toge nodded, attempting to follow along with what Itadori was saying.
"So when you said you had loved someone else, that was me?" Yuta asked.
"Most definitely, Okkotsu. The last one was especially juicy. I thought that by trying to push you two apart I could fix everything but sadly no. Inumaki's family lost their money, Itadori died, even Megumi cried. That time was a complete mess, my bad. It just seems like a hassle to make these guys relive their whole lives from the age of six just to fix a mistake I may or may not have made," Gojo said.
"Why did you try and force us together this time?" Yuta asked.
"Two reasons. The first you don't need to worry about, and the second is because you're my OTP," Gojo smiled.
"You're so weird," Kugisaki said.
"Usually, I'm on your side, but yeah, that was weird," Itadori cracked a smile.
"I don't know what that means," Yuta said.
"One true pairing. It's an old internet thing. Only otaku really say it," Kugisaki said.
"I am not an otaku!" Gojo shouted.
"Yeah? Which is your favorite sailor scout?" Itadori asked.
"Don't you dare say Sailor Moon. You can't lie to us like that," Kugisaki said.
"Like I would acknowledge that blond bimbo. Pluto, obviously," Gojo shook his head.
"Do you know what they are going on about?" Yuta asked.
Toge shook his head.
The thread was lost as soon as it was found. Trying to get an explanation that made sense out of anyone other than Gojo was a lost cause. Kugisaki was too much of an airhead, while Itadori proved to be both more of a space case as well as completely obsessed with movie versions of science. Gojo was tight-lipped. If he was resetting time more than Itadori knew, then he must have been used to shutting people out.
"Wait, if you're from another time. Is that how you got into my place so easily?" Yuta asked.
"Yep, and every time it's been easier," Gojo said.
"How many times have you shifted or whatever?" Kugisaki asked.
"First of all, it's not shifting. This is the same timeline we have been in. If I could shift, that would be dangerous. Second, I lost count a while ago. It's only been recently that things haven't been working out as well. I think that's because my engineer quit on me, but as long as I don't mess with too many things, the machine should send us all back," Gojo said.
They arrived at the end of the hall. There were two large white doors with gilded knobs. Why did they all need to be there if Gojo could have just reset everything like normal? Toge didn't want him to, but didn't it make sense just to reset and text everyone?
"Inside this room is the machine. I'll go in, flip the switch, send us back to the day Okkotsu comes to therapy. Kugisaki, you can do what you want as long as you don't tell anyone we are doing this. Itadori, you already know what you need to do, and Inumaki, you do the same thing you did this time. Text Maki," Gojo said.
"No! Don't reset everything!" Yuta yelled.
"Okkotsu, you already know too much about this. If you let it slip to anyone then we are all in trouble. Kugisaki messed up too many things this go around, so we need to redo. You weren't the first person she talked to," Gojo said.
"Hey! Don't pin it all on me! Didn't you say you forgot to send money to the hospital for someone's sister?" Kugisaki frowned.
"Yeah, because I was too busy trying to track you down. Just go to work or meet Okkotsu by chance if you want to be friends again," Gojo said.
"I don't need you to reset time for me! Let me remember too!" Yuta said.
"I'm sorry, but I don't know what that would affect, and I don't know how these three even started remembering in the first place. They should have been sent to square one. There's no guarantee that they will remember the next time," Gojo said.
"But I don't want Toge to lose me again," Yuta said.
Toge squeezed his hand. It was the first time since they had entered the estate that Toge had glanced at Yuta. His eyes were red, had he cried? Surely he would have said something if he were that upset. Thick black strips of his messy hair stuck to his face as he frowned with his lips pouted.
Toge squeezed Yuta's hand again.
"I don't care if it'll be fine, I don't want to forget you either, Toge. I don't want to forget that in another world you loved me," Yuta said.
"Like I said, it's out of my control. I can't do it. But I need to reset us, so say your goodbyes for now. But rest assured, you will see each other later," Gojo said.
Toge couldn't control his body. The thought of losing Yuta again was too much to handle. He wrapped his arms around Yuta's waist. Toge wanted to remember what it felt like to hug him. It might not go smoothly the next go around. Yuta might hate him. But if Itadori was right about constants, maybe their relationship was a problem that needed to be changed. But Toge didn't want to imagine a world where he couldn't be close to Yuta. That would be a nightmare.
Gojo disappeared beyond the doors. There was a loud hum next as tears left Yuta's eyes. Then, Toge heard his alarm sound as he woke up alone in bed on a Tuesday morning for the third time.