Satoru leaned his chair back with a groan. He hated meetings, they were always so boring. And the other teachers would nag him every time he had any input, assuming he wasn't taking it seriously. It wasn't his fault their discussions were so stupid, I mean, wasn't the optimal form of teaching obvious? Just give the students to the great Gojo, he can take care of them.
His students improved the most rapidly, and he was getting bored with just three, so why not transfer him a few more? Nobody agreed with this solution, though, considering his students also got injured the most frequently. They seem to attract bad luck, too. How was that because of his teaching though? It was probably just because of Sukuna.
This was how these meetings usually went. Today, however, something felt off. Well, it used to happen a lot, but he was never really going to get used to it. His six eyes allowed him to sense everything that went on around him, everything. He was only wearing his glasses, not his blindfold, which didn't help. He watched the awfully bright overhead lamp flicker ever so slightly.
Nobody else seemed to notice. It made his eyes dry. He felt every tag on his outfit irritating his sensitive skin, exfoliating already dead skin cells and some more. He saw Utahime bouncing her leg up and down in distress, she was probably arguing with another teacher again.
There were only three things he couldn't feel. One; he couldn't feel his lungs. He could notice every single blood cell coursing through his veins, every tensed up muscle, his unusually erratic heartbeat, but he just seemed to forget how to breathe. He tried to quietly inhale and exhale, but nothing seemed to fill his bottomless air hunger. What an inconvenience, during a meeting too. He couldn't do much about it with everyone around him, so Satoru just tried to ignore his lightheadedness from the mild hypoxia.
Two; he couldn't hear anyone. Well, he kind of could, I mean, he heard everything right now. He heard Itadori having a conversation with his friends about where they should go to eat, he heard the sand Maki and Panda were kicking around while practicing, but he couldn't make out the voices of anyone around him. They all sounded like they were underwater. He didn't want to miss any important information, but when he tried to focus, he would be met with an ear piercing ring that made his head throb. It was unbearable, he felt as though he heard everything yet nothing at all.
Three; he couldn't feel his body. He could feel everything touching it, such as the sock around his ankle restricting a bit of blood flow, though not enough to cause any problems, but he couldn't feel him. He felt disconnected from his body. He felt as though he was the roots of a tree, he observed and absorbed everything above ground, even if it was far away, but he couldn't feel the tree itself; his physical body. He knew what was going on inside of it, and he knew what was going on outside of it. But all the nerves near his flesh just seemed to deactivate. His mind felt foggy, he could see and feel so much that he saw and felt nothing. He couldn't voluntarily move.
Voluntarily.
Eventually, the meeting came to an end, but Gojo hadn't returned yet. Without noticing, he stood up and said his goodbyes, "well, that was boring. I'm going back to my apartment." To others, he seemed normal, but somehow, in some way, that wasn't him saying that. That wasn't him moving. That wasn't him controlling his body. It was like he was on autopilot, watching a clone of him in third person. Nanami asked him something, but he couldn't make out the words over his ears still ringing. It was agonizing, but he couldn't express that yet.
"Gojo, you seem off. A̵̮̭͕̹͒̆r̷̨̧̖͍͉͙̩̠͊́͝ę̶̡͇̺̙͚͛̅̄̇ ̷̨̳̬̰̗̣̇̌͑̐́͝ỳ̷̨̦͚͚͔̻̜̪̀͐̊́̀̂͝ͅô̵̳̘̬u̴͚̩̜̠̪͈̬̘͂̈̅̓̃͛ ̸̪̞͔͋̍̿͠o̷̧̗̾̔̀͐k̷̞̪͇̜̺̖̐̂̋́͜a̵̧̨̼͕̬̝̯͕͑̌̀y̴̦̓͌͒̅̄̀?̸̨͕̭͋̌"
Like promised, he eventually made his way to his apartment. He didn't lock the door, but he didn't notice. He didn't even bother to take off his shoes, or turn on any lights. The sun shining through his curtains was already too much. He just clumsily beelined to the rather large bathroom that was connected to his bedroom. The door was already open, he figured it'd be quicker. After almost closing it, he felt his heart quicken, unable to make it to the bedroom, and falling to his knees instantly. The cold tile floor pierced through his skin like needles, forcefully dragging him back into his body. But it was too forceful. He felt everything at once, every hair brushing against his ears, every out of place fiber on his shirt touching his stomach, he heard his refrigerator fill with ice, he heard children playing outside and the grass they ripped out, he heard he felt he saw he knew he sensed he noticed he felt he felt he felt he felt he felt he felt he felt HE FELT HE FELT HE FELT
It was all too much. The breathing he'd finally managed to steady dropped out of his control. He hyperventilated, he felt his pulse throb in his ears, pounding throughout his head. No matter what he did, he couldn't seem to breathe. His throat tightened. He felt like he was choking. Salty tears spread from corner to corner in his eyes like a fresh wound to the epidermis would bleed. God, he'd take any injury over this. Every time somebody walked on the sidewalk in front of his house, the vibration sent another spike of pain through his skull. It felt as though he had a thousand rubber bands around his head.
His fingers on his left hand tightened around whatever he could grab on the floor, pulling out some of the caulk, while his right was gripping his shirt firmly. All of his limbs were uncontrollably shaking. No matter what he did, nothing was stopping it. Please stop it. Please make it end. PLEASE. He stared down at the tear-stained tiles, but he couldn't even calm his vision as his glasses slipped off his face and clacked against the ground. He felt paralyzed, he couldn't put them back on. He was supposed to be the strongest sorcerer, why is this happening? He could see every little imperfection the concrete hosted. Why does that upset him? The curtains are closed. There are no windows in this room. Why is it so bright? This hasn't happened this bad since his school days. This wasn't supposed to happen. Why is it so bright? Please make it stop. Please make it stop. PLEA
"Well, that was boring. I'm going back to my apartment." Gojo's final words before leaving the building continued to penetrate Nanami's thoughts, no matter how much he tried to push them down. Even though what he said didn't really have any meaning on the surface, he seemed... strange while saying it. Even though he acted normal, something in his eyes was off. They seemed dull, he seemed like, a fake, in a way? Nobody else appeared to notice, but he'd known him since high school. He could always tell when his tone was weird, when it was rushed and flat like today. How, even though he seemed to be able to communicate, he didn't even notice Kento's inquiry.
He sat in a nice settee he bought about a month ago, reading Dostoevsky. But no matter how hard he tried to focus, he couldn't help but feel like something was horribly wrong with Satoru. It wasn't his problem. If he really needed something, he'd message him... No, he probably wouldn't... Fuck. He didn't want to care, Gojo was a grown man, he could take care of himself. But he never communicates when he's having trouble with something, and he can actually be pretty self destructive. Who knows what could be happening to him right now? What if something's actually wrong, and he ignored it, and Gojo got hurt? He'd rather embarrass himself with a random visit when nothing was actually wrong than let that happen.
So, there he was, standing before Satoru's apartment at 9:37 P.M. This was so stupid. Taking a deep breath, he lifted his fist to the door to knock. "Gojo?" He heard a small click on the door, realizing it wasn't locked at all. How odd. Realizing nobody was coming after a minute or so, he invited himself in. "I'm coming in," the trespasser announced into the seemingly empty house. The lights were off, but he was already basically breaking in, he didn't really have the right to decide if it should be on. He stepped in and closed the door behind him, actually locking it this time. He noticed another door that was cracked open and approached it. He opened the door gently, looking up and down.
"Gojo? Are you in he-"
Satoru couldn't hear anything but his own heartbeat and failed attempts at breathing, despite feeling everything in every other sense. He still sat on his hands and knees on the cold tile floor. Even though his eyes were brimming with tears, they still felt dry from perceiving every little thing in his view. Closing his eyes only made it worse, he could see every vein coursing through his eyelids, so he left them open, despite how bright it felt. One of his hands lifted off the ground, to his eye socket. He hadn't had the energy to cut his nails in, how long, a month? Two? Probably longer, judging from the length and jagged edges. His vision felt agonizing. His eyeballs were itching. He wanted to scratch them. Scratch them. Remove them. While his nails were piercing under his eye, a familiar voice broke through his thoughts.
"Gojo? Are you in he-"
Nanami noticed the man trembling on the ground and instantly crouched next to him. "Oh my go-" Realizing his loud tone of voice might overwhelm him further, he turned into a whisper. "Gojo, are.. are you okay?" Even though he noticed the blond, he still felt unable to move. His nails dug deeper, beginning to draw blood that dripped down his cheek. He needed relief. The sight hurt Kento, he wanted to scream at him to stop, but he knew Satoru was in a sensitive state. He gently grabbed his waist and leaned him up against a wall, before pulling his hand away from his eye. "Gojo, look at me."
He started to regain his awareness of the present, but wasn't fully out of his overstimulated state. "Nanami..?" He continued to quiver, tears rolling down his cheeks, as he tried to hide his face in his hands. "Na- I- W-why are you he-? No- Wh- I- I don't want you to see me like this- N-" he rambled through sobs, he felt humiliated having someone so close to him witness him in such a weak moment. He was such a pussy. Nanami's large but soft hand held Satoru's chin up to his face. "Gojo. It's okay. I'm not upset. I just want to know what I can do to help." He was worried sick inside, but didn't want to push his feelings onto the white haired boy, so he kept his cool.
Realizing an open-ended question might be too much, he chose to ask yes-or-no questions instead. "Does it involve the meeting?" He shook his head. "Does it involve a curse?" Shake. "Does it involve your abilities?" ...Nod. "Is it infinity?" Shake. "Is it your six eyes?" Nod. "Is it too much right now?" Nod. "Is it a specific sense?" Shake. "Everything, then?" Nod. "Okay. I'm going to see what I can do. Stay here." Nanami stood up to look for Gojo's blindfold, and found it on top of the dresser in his bedroom. Thank god it was nearby. He walked back into the bathroom and kneeled before the shaken man, wrapping his hands around his head and tying the blindfold on. It would work as a bandage too.
He walked back into the bedroom to see what else there was. He noticed a specific hoodie on his bed, it seemed to have been worn a lot from the faint stains. It was made of cotton, so it must've been soft. He also noticed the silk bedsheets, they'd probably be fairly understimulating too. The last thing he noticed was an air conditioning control on the wall. It was pretty cold, so he turned it a little to warm up the room, but not too much. He once again entered the bathroom, and to the other's surprise, picked up Satoru and carried him into the connecting room, placing him on the bed. "Is it alright if I help you get more comfortable?" He nodded in response. Gojo didn't want to do anything, he fully submitted to Nanami's caretaking.
The blond wrapped his hands around the other man's shirt, slowly pulling it off, and dressing him in the hoodie instead. He also removed his shoes and socks, those didn't need to be on at this hour. "Let me get one more thing." He nodded in comprehension again. Kento traversed through the dark house, eventually making his way to the kitchen. He opened a cabinet to grab a glass, which he then filled with ice, and fresh water. After standing there for ten seconds or so waiting for it to fill up, he made his way back to the bedroom, placing it on the nightstand next to Gojo. The white haired one picked it up and took a sip.
"...I'm sorry you had to see me like that," he let out a weak chuckle, it was pitiful how he was unable to fully drop the mask. "Don't be," Nanami sat next to him on the bed. "It's okay to be vulnerable. You don't have to be strong all of the time, your power doesn't define your identity. You're still you at the end of the day, even when you're too tired to fight anymore. Everyone needs to be taken care of sometimes." He slowly pulled him into a hug, making sure the other was comfortable with it. "Well, what about you?" "You may not realize it, but you care for me more than I deserve, that's plenty enough. I want to care for you now."
Unsure of how to respond, Satoru just leaned into the hug and closed his eyes. Everything was still. Everything was quiet. He didn't feel anything but Kento's warm embrace. It was so comforting that he eventually slipped into unconsciousness. "That's perfect," the other ran his fingers through the sleeping boy's hair, "Get the rest you need." Staying in place for a few minutes, not wanting the moment to end, he eventually stood up and laid the man down onto his pillow, pulling a blanket over him with a kiss on his forehead. He left the room, realizing he didn't know where Gojo's keys were, so he wouldn't really be able to lock the house from outside...
Satoru woke to his alarm in the morning, still a little sore from the night before, but he was feeling better now. His undereye stung, allowing him to quickly recall the full event. Nanami was such a caring man, though it was a little strange he just kind of entered his house... He slowly stood up, dressed himself in his work clothes, with a sigh of relief that they weren't bothering him as much anymore. They never really didn't bother him, since six eyes couldn't deactivate, but he could usually tolerate it. He exited his room to find...
...Nanami sleeping on his couch? He held in a giggle as he tapped on the man. "Na-na-miiiin~" His eyes slowly fluttered open with a groan, before he jolted up, realizing where he was. "...Fuck," He thought out loud. "Aww, is my place really that bad~?" Gojo teased. "No, it's just-" he sighed, "I'm not supposed to be here..." "Why nooot~?" He stared at him for a second to see if he'd realize on his own. "I don't have any of my work clothing here." Oh. The teaser stayed silent after realizing as the other man stood up. "I have to go." He walked toward the door, slipping on his shoes, before he felt a hand on his shoulder and turned his head around.
"...Thank you." Satoru was looking at the floor, likely embarrassed. He usually didn't make polite gestures like this. The blond turned back around, with a gentle chuckle that surprised the other. "Sure." He opened the door, leaving both of them with a soft smile, before the white haired one realized. "Oh, shit, I'm gonna be late!" He pushed past the one in the doorway. "You're always late," Kento added, before realizing he was going to be even later if he didn't get to his house soon. He sprinted in the other direction, it was a rather humorous sight.
Once at work, the two acted as though everything was normal and never spoke of the incident again. Though, they were noticably closer. Gojo teased Nanami more, but in a more gentle manner, and Nanami rarely snapped at him anymore. He'd lecture him on his attendance, or sigh in annoyance, but he never yelled, and frequently checked in on him. Satoru made sure to reciprocate, he didn't want to be the only one receiving all of this care.
"Itadori, is it just me, or," Megumi pointed at the duo, Gojo was showering the other with affection while he tried to push him off, "have those two been closer than usual lately?" The vessel turned toward them, then back to Fushiguro, "Yeah, they have- wait..." He whispered in the ravenette's ear, "do you think they're.. you know...?" It took the other a minute to get what he was implying. "...How did you come to that conclusion?" He stared at him with an eyebrow raised.
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