"So, what you're saying is Gojo is hanging by a thread?" Yuta asked, sitting on Toge's couch.
"Yes," Toge said with a smile.
To say he was glad Yuta remembered was an understatement. The black-haired man was wise to act as he had in the counseling session, but even then he wasn't discreet enough. Gojo hadn't seemed to latch on, which meant either the white-haired man was too busy with the Geto situation, or Yuta remembering was not an issue.
"You're meeting with the engineer with Fushiguro?" Yuta asked.
"Yes," Toge said, clear as ever.
The silver-haired man walked into the kitchen to pour a few drinks. He had thought ahead, preparing new alcohol for the two of them to consume. Rather than hitting the hard liquor as they had twice, Toge bought some White Claws in a myriad of flavors.
Toge retrieved the cans and brought them into the living room. It was odd seeing Yuta so calm on the couch. Every time they had tried to have time together, someone would interrupt. Of course, that time was always orchestrated, wasn't it? Gojo had his hand in their relationship from the beginning.
"I met with Itadori, actually. I learned a lot about the past from him," Yuta leaned against the couch.
Toge sat next to him, creating the sign for a question mark with one finger after setting the cans on the coffee table.
"That means a question, right? Like asking what?" Yuta asked.
This Yuta didn't know as much sign language as the previous one. "Yes," Toge said.
"Well, I learned that in one past I had abs. So that's pretty cool. But other than that, I learned that Gojo isn't the most observant. It took him two replays to find Itadori out. So, he is just a guy after all," Yuta smiled.
Toge pulled his phone out and typed, "I am curious about the ab part, but also that is a good point."
Yuta blushed, "Well, I don't have abs now. If you wanted to see, all you'd have to do is ask."
Toge turned red as well, typing, "I didn't mean that. But I wouldn't be opposed."
"Can I ask you a question? I just need to know something before we really start the night," Yuta asked.
"Yes," Toge said.
"The me before, the me you loved. Could you not compare him to me? I know we are the same person and all, but we aren't. I don't know the Toge that he met. Even if he is you. This whole time situation really changes things. I just want to live for myself like you said before, like I said before. To do that, I can't be inhibited by the past that you remember. From now on, I need to be the Yuta that you like, okay?" Yuta didn't make eye contact.
"Promise," Toge said.
"Good. Because I like you too, Toge. I was hoping you would remember so we could start where we left off," Yuta said.
"Y-you like me?" Toge stuttered.
Yuta shifted over on the couch, moving his face closer, "Yeah, and I want to memorize your address. So if there is another replay, we can see each other sooner. 'Kay?"
Toge felt his skin grow warmer, shrinking back, "Kay."
"In the meantime, since you know basically all I know, and I know all you know. Why don't we just have fun? I already called into work tomorrow since Itadori insisted I go see that redhead from before," Yuta said.
"Brazen," Toge giggled.
Yuta's face flushed, "Was that too forward? I'm sorry."
Toge leapt from his spot on the sofa, meeting Yuta's lips with his own. Unlike their first kiss, the one Toge shared with the first Yuta, this kiss felt received. The black-haired man pressed in, with the slightest hint of alcohol on his breath. Given time, that was probably how the first Yuta would have reacted too-they were at their core the same ocean-eyed man.
"Don't apologize," Toge stammered.
"And you don't push yourself to talk to me," Yuta said, blinking with a sparkle across his irises.
"Okay," Toge felt his chest pounding in his wrists.
"Is there anything about yourself that you think I should know? Anything the other me might have?" Yuta asked.
Toge thought back to the situation with Megumi. The spiky-haired man of the past was different. Things in that timeline shouldn't affect the current, right? Was it wrong to keep something like that private? It might as well have been a kiss with someone in high school, something that no one would benefit from sharing. But, it still happened. With the Megumi from the current Yuta's timeline hanging around, maybe it was best to acknowledge the kiss?
The silver-haired man typed a message on his phone, editing it several times. "Fushiguro Megumi, the spiky-haired guy from the group, likes me. But, I don't like him."
Yuta cocked his head, staring at the screen. It was still difficult to judge Yuta's reactions. There were small things he did when he was nervous, like playing with his fingers, that Toge picked up on after a while. Other than that and the fact Yuta was quick to tears, Toge didn't really know much about the man. There was the trauma, and the situation with Geto Suguru, but nothing substantial enough.
"Does he know that you don't like him?" Yuta wrinkled his nose.
Was he annoyed? Or was that a sense of competition? Yuta was so buried in his sadness before that these small movements didn't bead up.
"Yes," Toge said, nodding.
Yuta smiled, the corners of his mouth twisting upward, almost an inversion of his eyes. "Good. That's all I need to feel secure."
Was that a lie? No, if he was lying, there would have been a more obvious sign. The other Yuta hadn't lied that Toge was aware of. So perhaps it was time for a test. Then again, Yuta was the kind of guy to be too honest or not reply at all rather than lying.
"Do you have anything I should know? Even if I already know, I'll pretend I don't," Toge typed out on his phone.
Yuta slumped back, taking a drink with a half-baked blank face. That must have been his face when he was deep in thought. Nothing like that had happened before, but Toge would remember it. Another face worth drawing.
"I have always wanted to learn how to use a sword, like a katana. I think I would look pretty cool," Yuta laughed as he said, twirling his fingers.
Toge giggled again. Such an odd man to be in love with. He didn't say anything deep or related to their previous movie adventure. Maybe that was the Yuta founded on Gojo's influence, and this Yuta was more natural. Either way, the man was a little goofy with a sense of childhood wonder in his words.
"Should," Toge said.
"You think so? I don't know where I would start," Yuta grinned.
Toge opened YouTube on his phone.
"That's a good point. I could definitely start there. Maybe teach myself based on anime or something. Sword boy energy," Yuta snickered at himself.
Then it dawned on Toge. This Yuta didn't know about Geto Suguru. This Yuta hadn't experienced the odd pizza delivery man. This Yuta was the same but so different.
"I-" Toge started to say.
"Yeah?" Yuta looked out of the corner of his eye.
Toge shook his shoulders as he typed out another difficult message, "What if I know something bad that you didn't know yet? Would you want me to tell you?"
Yuta looked at this message, then flashed a smile again, but the corners of his mouth were flat as his lip curved toward his teeth. "No, it's fine."
Toge narrowed his eyes without speaking a word.
The black-haired man looked down then back up with a grimace, "I'm not a good liar. I'm sorry. But I do want to know."
"Rika," Toge said aloud for the first time.
The light in Yuta's eyes faded, "What about Rika?"
Toge pulled at his throat, "Geto."
Yuta's face went blank, "You know him?"
With a grunt, Toge wrote out a message he was hoping to avoid, "My family does. So does Gojo. The past you met him. It wasn't good."
"Met him? When? Does he live here?" Yuta dropped his brows.
"I don't know where he lives. He met you a few weeks from now. But I don't think it'll be the same this time. I just wanted you to know he's lurking around," Toge wrote.
"Lurking, that's right. If I could, I would kill that guy. But he's not worth it," Yuta pouted with his brows at a jagged angle.
Toge set his hand on Yuta's thigh, "Hey."
Yuta dropped his shoulder, "Yeah, I know. Live for myself. Thank you for telling me. It gives me something to think about. But for now, he's not around."
"No, th-that's," Toge's voice faded with a grunt.
The black-haired man ran his hand through the bangs that covered his brows. It was a small motion, but it felt intentional. As if to say, "I'm patient."
Toge typed out his message, "Yes, live your life for you. But if you want to destroy the son of a bitch, I'll do it with you."
Yuta cracked a smile, exhaling through his nose, "Wow, you're a little firecracker, aren't you? This is why I like you, Toge. You're so genuine with me. I can't imagine what it was like for you when I wasn't the me you knew before."
Toge sprung from the couch again, wrapping his arms around Yuta. A short giggle rang from the silver-haired man's throat. Yuta was a little weaker than he expected, falling back against the sofa with a hushed breath. It wasn't the patience that made Toge want him; it was the understanding.
"I couldn't stop thinking about you, ya' know what I mean?" Yuta looked up with his glittering Prussian blue eyes.
Toge was essentially in Yuta's lap. He didn't recall how the position was obtained. His palms were pressed into the arm of the couch on either side of Yuta's head. Strands of the man's oil-slick hair tickled Toge's fingers.
His heartbeat was intensifying as he felt himself giving in to more primal urges. Toge wanted Yuta, all of Yuta. The vertebrae of Toge's spine stiffened as he began realizing these carnal objectives. But Yuta's thin pale fingers woke him from the panic.
"I like your contacts, but I think I like your brown eyes better," Yuta said.
Toge planted a kiss on Yuta's velvety lips. He felt the pale man's hands wrap around his waist as they continued to connect each kiss with quiet panting between to catch a breath. With a gentle nudge, Toge moved Yuta's hand downward. It took a moment for Yuta to latch on, as if waiting for confirmation.
"Yes," Toge said, sliding his tongue into Yuta's mouth.
With a firm hand, Yuta gripped Toge's butt. That was a sensation neither of them had felt. With that, the territory Yuta was treading had been untouched by the previous incarnation of the gaunt black-haired man. It was too much to do anything more, but a little was fine, right?
He didn't dare push Yuta too far. The last thing Toge wanted was a relationship built on lust. Sure, Toge could feel Yuta throbbing against his thigh. The curiosity was there, but it needed to remain. Didn't it? Toge ignored his thoughts, removing his shirt.
Yuta's eyes widened, losing focus from the kiss, "Woah."
Toge's chest blushed red with his face. That was probably too fast. They hadn't spent weeks together like the previous incarnation. If them hanging out were considered dates, this would only be their third. But these weren't dates.
"I-I don't know what you want me to do. I'm sorry," Yuta said.
"Don't be," Toge smiled.
Yuta avoided eye contact, "I mean. I know what to do. I know how it's supposed to go. But I-I just don't know if that's what you want. I don't know if I am ready to do that."
"Shhhh," Toge hushed Yuta's concerns with a kiss on the forehead.
"What I mean is... I like you. I think we should go on a proper date before... well. You know what I mean," Yuta stammered.
"Date?" Toge grinned larger than he intended.
"Is that stupid? Too traditional? I've just never had a boyfriend, or a partner in general for that matter. I think that I'd like to reserve that for him. Or in this case, you," Yuta shifted his stubborn gaze to make eye contact.
"Boyfriend?" Toge felt himself getting a little too giddy.
"I'm sorry! I shouldn't have said that! I just... well, you... I want to go out with you. Properly. Even if Gojo resets the timeline another time. We'll still remember our dates. Even if we're stuck in this week," Yuta shivered as he spoke.
"Yes. Date," Toge said, pressing a finger against Yuta's nose. "Boop."