Chapter Text
Winter was slowly melting away with the last of the snow, cold winds turning to warm spring breezes that tousled the sakura blossoms on the trees, painted pink petals against the watercolour blue skies. It was a picture perfect time of year, the kind that could be photographed and sold on postcards to the tourists that would slowly trickle in, even more so for the three best friends who were just one week away from graduating school and starting a new chapter of their lives. Each of the boys were glad to be able to take this leap into adulthood together, leaving behind their school days but taking each other and their memories with them.
The three musketeers; Gojo Satoru, Geto Suguru and Nanami Kento.
Suguru and Satoru had become friends after meeting each other in junior high due to the fact they had both been somewhat ostracized from the rest of their peers due to their backgrounds. Even if it was a somewhat reluctant union on Suguru’s part at the beginning. While it had been outside forces that originally pushed the boys together, it didn’t take long before you simply didn’t see one without the other. The white haired boy and his faithful shadow.
It wasn’t that surprising that rumours had run rampant through their junior school, whispers in the halls and eyes following them whenever they tried to get a moment of peace.
Of course by the time they had both entered high school the rumours had followed them, only this time Gojo had no issue with playing it up and using it to entertain himself. Kisses on the cheek here and there, a cheeky pinch of Geto’s ass at the vending machine. Geto humoured him of course, mainly for his own amusement as he watched the other students lose their minds over what he thought were such obviously transparent theatrics.
Kento had been a newer, and a lot more surprising, addition to the group. An alliance that his parents greatly disapproved of and made sure all three boys were aware of at every given opportunity. However, despite how hard they tried, they couldn’t stop Satoru and Suguru from swiping Kento out from under their thumb and showing him that there was more to life than having to force yourself into a crippling depression trying to meet their unrealistic standards.
In turn, he showed them that just a little bit of hard work went a long way, helping them discover that applying themselves to something didn’t have to mean you had to give up having fun.
Rays of early morning sun streamed through the canopy of green leaves, birds twittering from somewhere high in the branches and the occasional rustling of wings joining the soft rustle of leaves in the breeze.
Under the shade of the large tree that had become the meeting point for their shared commute to school, stood two boys who were currently waiting for the missing third to join them. As usual Satoru was running late. If there was one thing both boys would bet all their lunch money on it was that no matter the occasion or how hard that he tried- Satoru would always be late.
Today it had been because of the large white fluffy cat at the end of his road. The fat little thing had mewled loudly at him before rolling over dramatically like it had been shot, sprawled out on it’s back and exposing a very fat tummy that just begged to be tickled.
“Hey, we match!” The albino boy exclaimed, crouching down into a squat and placing his violin case beside him as he shifted the round black sunglasses he was wearing up the bridge of his nose with the back of two fingers. He was rarely seen without them since his glacial eyes were extremely light sensitive, not to mention he needed a prescription anyway since his sight was weak enough already.
The pink of her stomach showed through the soft white fur so invitingly that he reached out a hand, letting her sniff the end of his fingers and push her head against them before moving his free hand against her tummy. It was warm from the sun and a little dusty from the pavement., A slow smile stretching across his lips as she mewled again and her delicate pink-beaned paws made biscuits in the air.
Then like most cats do out of nowhere, she decided she’d had enough. Her tail flicked a couple of times before she hissed sharply and sank her sharp little teeth into his hand, attacking him with her needle-like claws. Once he had pulled his hand away, she quickly turned upright with her back to him, tail curling around herself as she began licking her paws as if he wasn’t even there.
“Mean…” Satoru whined a little and stuck his tongue out, standing to his full height and picking up the pace as he carried on down the road and to their meeting tree.
*
In the distance Gojo could see the other two boys, both with their backs to him, one shielding the sun out of his eyes with a hand and the other’s long black hair tied back in a loose bun.
Without warning the white haired boy jumped up as his arms flung around the other two boy’s shoulders, pulling them down with a loud laugh and nuzzling into the tops of their heads as he grinned blindingly.
“This is going to be the best year ever, just you wait!” He declared, looking between them with cheeks that were flushed with excitement, bright blue eyes gleaming from underneath heavy white lashes.
Suguru rolled his eyes.
Back in the day he’d wanted nothing to do with the eccentric albino boy, but Gojo had a habit of being able to annoy Geto into getting his own way almost every single time. Now he couldn’t imagine where he’d be without him- or Kento for that matter. They were the only two people in his world that he really cared about. Especially since growing up in the foster system hadn’t given him much reason to trust anybody, overlooked by most adults and brushed off as a lost cause who’s only real future was delinquency. So most people assumed- Kento’s parents included.
Due to being the more level-headed of the pair he had picked up on it right away. There was something going on with Kento. He’d noticed it in the way the other boy was holding himself and how he kept gripping his phone so hard that his knuckles strained white before loosening his grip only to do it all over again. And again. And again.
A small huff of air through his nose left him, wondering if he was finally getting his shit together and confessing his feelings for Gojo to him before their school year ended.
Nanami tensed up when Satoru jumped the two of them, going a little limp and leaning his head down to keep his eyes trained to the ground. He felt sick to his stomach, having not texted them to meet him out here a little early for anything close to good news.
He didn’t want to have to do this. Didn’t want to have to say goodbye.
Satoru had had it all planned out for them, all the colleges he had applied to had been the same as or close to his. Now that was no longer an option. Kento’s parents had made sure of that.
Gojo reached up his hand and messed up Nanami’s straight blonde hair, snickering as he peered at him over the rim of his black glasses. “Oi, oi, oi… Nanamin! Oi…!” He teased easily, his smile almost blinding as Nanami finally looked up at the nickname.
Fuck. Fuck . How was he going to tell the guy that he loved, and his other best friend, that he would be gone by lunchtime? His knuckles were white again, the plastic phone case straining a little under the pressure.
By this point Gojo had also noticed something was a little off with their friend, but he had just put it down to being nervous that this was their last week of proper school before graduating for college. To him Nanami had always been a little anxious and pessimistic, directly contrasting Gojo’s blind optimism and enthusiasm towards everything. Even Geto himself was a little cynical.
“Don’t be scared, Nanamin. We’ll be right here with you, even if Suguru-kun abandons us for the police aca- Ow !! ”
“Kento-kun…” Geto gently prompted after he delivered a swift kick, none too gently, to Satoru’s shin in order to try and calm him down. Judging by the look on Kento’s face, this was more serious than a declaration of love. “What’s on your mind?”
A wry smile pulled at the corners of Nanami’s lips. God, how he wished that were true.
Satoru grabbed onto Nanami’s shoulder to steady himself, hopping a little on the spot before shaking out his leg with a glare towards Suguru before finally setting his foot back onto the ground and shifting the handle of his violin case further up his fingers.
It would break his own heart to do so, but had to do it. He had to tell them.
“I…” the blonde started, then closed his mouth and refused to look anywhere but at their feet. He breathed in deeply, shoving the phone deep into the pocket of his school trousers and reaching out to grab tightly onto both of their hands, his nails digging in hard enough to leave little crescent moon shaped marks in their skin.
Both of them were beyond worried now, exchanging looks with each other before glancing back to their best friend and squeezing his hand in return, Geto’s free hand reaching up to rest on the boy’s back.
“I’m moving.” The words ripped through him, the reality of the situation suddenly sinking in as he said them out loud and heard it with his own ears. He was moving. Away from the two people who had felt more like family, more like home, than his own parents.
Satoru’s smile slipped off of his face immediately. His bright blue eyes burned into Nanami as he felt the weight of the boy’s words settle on his shoulders and tighten his chest. Then he blinked, the smile plastered back across his face in an instant as he laughed it off.
“You’re not moving!” He denied it with another laugh, pulling his hand out of Nanami’s own and gesturing wildly in the air. “ We’re moving. All three of us. To college together.”
“You mean the two of you, I’m off to the police academy.” Suguru corrected, giving a smug sort of smirk before moving his hand to rest on the top of the blonde’s head and hoped the weight of his touch would ground him a little. “Did your parents try to stop you again? You know you can’t let them get in your head like that.”
The spaces between Kento’s fingers were suddenly filled in, Gojo’s own entwining with his as he squeezed the boy’s hand in a reassuring manner with a look of determination plastered across his face. “Same city though, you’re not getting rid of us!” He chided.
It hurt how excited Satoru was. Kento felt like he was letting him down the most.
“They are stopping me.” His voice was flat. Dejected. Head bowed like he couldn’t face either of them.
For a second time under the tree that day, Satoru’s smile slipped from his face at the words the blonde spoke.
Moving?
His heart plummeted into the pit of his stomach, a lump rising into the back of his throat as he suddenly felt the little home that they’d built together start spinning out of control and the world crumbled around him.
He swallowed hard. Then glared.
“ No .”
“They told me last night. Told me to go pack my suitcase because the movers would be coming tomorrow and packing up everything else.” He was trying not to cry now, holding back tears as his head dropped onto Satoru’s shoulder.
Geto let out a small hiss as he dropped his hand, letting Gojo take over comforting the blonde and taking the other boy’s violin for him so that he was free to wrap his arms around Kento and hold him close. “I’ll kill them for you, you just have to ask.” Geto spat out with venom.
It was getting a little harder to breathe, the world slowly closing in on him as Satoru held tightly onto the boy he’d been in love with for the past few years. He’d always loved Geto too, but they’d already settled into something that they both knew was pretty platonic and forever. His face pushed into the top of the silky blonde hair, breathing in the familiar scent that always clung to him from that god awful 3-in-1 shampoo he continued to use.
“You’re not moving. I won’t let them.” He said flatly, as if there were no room for argument, his arms moving to hold onto Kento’s face as he pushed his forehead against his. “You’re not going to be taken away from me.”
“I’m-” Kento stuttered a little at the start of his sentence, his cheeks developing a red hue from the close proximity of Satoru’s face. For the first time that morning he finally met the white-haired boy’s eyes, then gave him a shaky partial smile as he pushed the sunglasses back up the bridge of his nose for him. “Y-yeah… I know, Satoru-kun.”
Geto clenched his fist. This wasn’t fair. It wasn’t right. They all knew that Nanami’s parents couldn’t stand the two of them, thought they were bad news and even worse influences, but just how desperate and underhanded was this way of getting him away from the two of them?
It was the last fucking week of school. To rip their son away from everything he’d known and everything he had planned for his future was downright cruel and sadistic.
The Nanami family were traditional at best, elitist at the worst. Satoru’s albinism had already made them turn up their nose the moment they’d first laid eyes on him, not wanting the ‘little freak’ anywhere near their child, much less so when the news spread quickly around about his mother’s profession. No way were they going to let their son be in anyway associated with a Soapland* whore.
*ꜱᴏᴀᴘʟᴀɴᴅꜱ ᴇxᴘʟᴏɪᴛ ᴀ ʟᴇɢᴀʟ ʟᴏᴏᴘʜᴏʟᴇ ɪɴ ᴊᴀᴘᴀɴᴇꜱᴇ ʟᴀᴡ, ᴡʜᴇʀᴇɪɴ ᴄᴏᴍᴘᴇɴꜱᴀᴛᴇᴅ ꜱᴇxᴜᴀʟ ɪɴᴛᴇʀᴄᴏᴜʀꜱᴇ ᴍᴀʏ ʙᴇ ᴄᴏɴᴅᴜᴄᴛᴇᴅ ʙᴇᴛᴡᴇᴇɴ acquainted pᴇʀꜱᴏɴꜱ. ᴡʜɪʟꜱᴛ ᴛʜᴇ ᴍᴀꜱꜱᴀɢᴇ ᴛᴀᴋᴇꜱ ᴘʟᴀᴄᴇ, ᴛʜᴇ ᴍᴀꜱꜱᴇᴜꜱᴇ ᴀɴᴅ ᴛʜᴇ ᴄᴜꜱᴛᴏᴍᴇʀ ʙᴇᴄᴏᴍᴇ ‘acquainted’, ʀᴇꜱᴜʟᴛɪɴɢ ɪɴ ᴀɴʏ ᴘᴀɪᴅ ꜱᴇxᴜᴀʟ ꜱᴇʀᴠɪᴄᴇꜱ ꜰᴏʟʟᴏᴡɪɴɢ ᴛʜɪꜱ ᴀꜱ ɴᴏᴛ ʙᴇɪɴɢ ᴠɪᴇᴡᴇᴅ ᴀꜱ ᴘʀᴏꜱᴛɪᴛᴜᴛɪᴏɴ ᴀꜱ ᴅᴇꜰɪɴᴇᴅ ʙʏ ᴛʜᴇ ʟᴀᴡ, ᴀɴ ɪɴᴛᴇʀᴘʀᴇᴛᴀᴛɪᴏɴ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ʜᴀꜱ ʙᴇᴇɴ ᴜᴛɪʟɪꜱᴇᴅ ꜱɪɴᴄᴇ 1960.
Geto had been just as much of a problem in their eyes. Instantly branding the boy, who was being bounced around an unfair system due to no fault of his own, a problem child with a bad attitude who would only lead their darling little boy astray.
Only despite all of their interference, the three of them had stuck together all three years of high school.
Until now.
One more week of school and they were supposed to be free. One more week and Kento was supposed to have finally gotten way from the people who constantly told him what to do, the ones who wore him down with their unrealistic expectations and tried to continuously break him and the people he cared most about apart.
Satoru breathed in deeply through his nose, closing his eyes tightly. He couldn't let this happen. He wouldn’t let that happen. They were supposed to have all the time in the world. If Kento left today that meant he wouldn’t even get to…
“You’re staying here. I’ll give them a piece of my mind- trying to move you-” his glacial eyes gleamed dangerously as he dropped his hands and ripped his head away from Kento’s to start storming off in the direction of his house.
Kento’s throat tightened as did his heart. It was touching that the younger boy was so ready to defend him on his behalf, but he knew it would be something that just made things end up even worse than they already were. His parents were awful enough behind Satoru’s back.
His hand shot out to grab the younger boy’s wrist tightly, tugging him back and shaking his head.
“Please… don’t…”
Geto also reached out to pull Satoru back, shaking his head. His own expression was eerily calm, like it always was when he was truly angry, the calm before the storm that was raging in his dark eyes.
Usually Satoru would have done anything for Nanami that he asked of him, but that request seemed a little too hard to respect right now. His face twitched with the inner conflict, not wanting to cause trouble for him with his parents but also not wanting to admit defeat so easily.
“Then we’ll go together! We’ll run away right now!” Even as he said the words he wasn’t sure his whole heart was in them, knowing it wasn’t really all that realistic.
“You’re needed here more, Satoru.” Kento said quietly, looking at him for a moment before his gaze flickered to Suguru. At least Kento had a family, as shitty as they were.
“Needed here? You’re the one who’s needed here!” He was practically begging as he felt the waves of sadness engulf him again, overwhelming as they filled the inside of his chest cavity and stung his eyes in the form of unshed tears.
“Come on. We’re ditching today.” Geto loosened his grip on the white haired boy finally, assuming he wasn’t going to make any sudden declarations of war on Nanami’s behalf and left the poor boy in the wake of his destruction.
“I’ve never skipped a day of school in my life…” he announced almost incredulously as he turned his head to regard Suguru with slightly wide eyes.
“That changes today. We’re going to have fun instead.” His voice left no room for argument, which was to be expected from a boy like him, the only one who was able to halt the unstoppable force that was Gojo Satoru in his tracks.
A protective arm from Gojo wrapped around Namami’s waist, managing to get his emotions under control and swallow his anger to a simmering rage that sat in the deepest pit of his stomach, giving the blonde a smile as his nails dug into his sides maybe just a little too hard.
“Yeah, if you’re leaving tomorrow then what does it matter that you miss this one day of school!” His voice was a little strained as he forced himself to be jovial for Kento’s sake. Gojo had to be strong so that their last day together was a happy one, one that the memory of would still bring joy somehow instead of pain.
Kento felt sick all over again, not having the heart- or the balls- to correct Gojo. He would have given the world to have had even that much time left with the two of them, the knowledge that he was leaving this lunch time sitting uncomfortably in his gut like an ugly squatting toad. When Suguru’s eyes bore across Gojo’s shoulder, he got the feeling like the eldest of the three knew there was something he was holding back from telling them. He was just grateful that he didn’t pry.
Suguru instead moved and wrapped his arm around Nanami’s waist as well, sandwiching the blonde between the two of them and started leading the way down the other road, the opposite direction of the one they took to campus.
“Since we’re celebrating your graduation early I’ll get you that bread you like,” Satoru grinned at him, his determination for this to end on a good not winning out against his anger as glanced at Nanami behind his dark glasses.
“It’s expensive though,” he chuckled softly.
“And you’re worth every yen.” Geto interjected, pressing a swift kiss against the side of his head.
*
The three of them ended up in one of the parks nearby, far away enough at least that nobody would see their uniform and be able to easily identify it in order to rat them out or try and turn them into their school.
Sakura blossoms fell from the trees overhead, a pink petal blanket laid out for them over the green grass, sun hanging high in the sky and making the ground warm and inviting to the touch. Really it was the least that they were owed by the universe, to give them the last few lazy hours of peace together in the little world that they had created for themselves.
Gojo put his violin case down on the ground, taking off his blazer and throwing it over the blossom carpet before pushing his black-lens glasses up his nose with a knuckle as the sun streamed down through the trees.
Things felt normal.
Chatter filled the air, their laughter hanging musically in the breeze as each boy smiled and shared words, swapping stories between them as if they were notes passed back and forth in class under the teacher’s nose.
For a while they were allowed to fully enjoy their youth and the beauty of the spring, each twitter of a bird from the branches above planting a seed of false hope in each boy that things might just turn out okay. Under the kaleidoscope of bright colours from the sun through the blossoms and leaves they could each pretend for a while.
“You still have to graduate with us!” The snow capped boy declared as he pulled his blazer from underneath him and draped it over the golden boy’s shoulders, laughing easily as he tried to balance one of his notebooks on top of his head like it was a graduation cap.
Little did Nanami know that the notebook contained the sheet music in which Gojo had been working on for the best part of a year, a song that he had hoped to be able to play to Nanami on the violin after graduation to say all the things he couldn’t voice to the boy out loud in words.
A confession.
“Give us a speech!” He cheered, clapping his hands and cupping one around his mouth as he whooped loudly.
The sound of Kento’s laughter was better than any music that Satoru could ever hope to play, pulling the boy into a headlock as Geto continued to take pictures of them both in a last-ditch effort to collect all the memories for them that he could. It didn’t bother him that he was in almost none of the photos, save one slightly blurry selfie of the three of them grinning with Gojo flashing a peace sign as Nanami tried to hide from the camera behind the notebook.
He still wasn’t sure how to process the heaviness in him, but wasn’t about to let it weigh him down completely. Not if it meant ruining the last day with the only two boys he considered to be truly important.
“You promised me my favourite bread, Satoru-kun.” Nanami finally said, giving him an almost shy smile, “won’t you pay for me?”
Behind the dark lenses Satoru nodded his head, a slightly wry smile tugging the corners of his lips as he bowed his head to him.
“I’d do anything for you my dear, Nanamin.” While he said it in a grand sweeping gesture that sounded more like a joke, there was truth in the foundation of his words. He slowly pushed himself to his feet and wiped down his uniform trousers, running his fingers through his white hair and simply letting it fall back into his face. “Alright, we’ll feast like kings. I’ll be right back!” Gojo called out, waving his hand at the two of them as he walked backwards a few strides before turning and making his way towards the nearest convenience store.
Suguru shook his head as he watched the lanky frame start to slip from view, pulling Kento close as the arm wrapped around his shoulders.
“We’ll make this work. You won’t lose the two of us.”
Nanami leaned into him. Geto said it in a way that he almost believed it too. His hands fiddled nervously in his lap, thumbing the edge of the wallet he had snatched out of Gojo’s bag before the boy had left the two of them together. It was a cheap trick and guilt ate away at the inside of his gut, but he just couldn’t bring himself to actually have to say goodbye to the two of them. It would be too painful. Besides, his parents would just make things awkward and uncomfortable, or worse yet- mar their memory of the day and ruin what would be the perfect end to his time in Tokyo.
Despite everything his family had drilled into him there had been a glimmer of hope inside of him that knew there was a chance he could have something of a future with Satoru that was more than just a meaningful friendship, naturally Suguru would be there too, but it seemed that was now only a pipe dream.
Clearing his throat he handed the wallet to Geto. “He can’t pay without his wallet,” there was a sheepish smile on his face, lips pressed together as he pushed the fondness into his tone. “He’s always dropping it.”
Suguru’s eyes had never instilled such fear in him, the hawk-like gaze setting his heart hammering in his chest like a frightened bird as anxiety took hold of him in its own talons as he waited for those brilliant eyes to see right through him and his lies.
The moment of reckoning never came. With a heavy sigh Suguru swiped the wallet from out of the younger boy’s hand, shaking his head. “He does drop it a lot,” he agreed as he slung his bag over one shoulder and slipped a hand under his shirt to scratch his stomach in one fluid motion as he yawned like a lazy cat. “Hang tight.”
*
Satoru’s shining expression had slipped off of his face the minute his back was turned to the both of them, unable to keep it going now that Kento wasn’t in front of him to need to keep the act up. His violin case smacked against his legs as he walked, not seeming to notice when it bashed into the side of his bony knees.
A bell rang overhead as he pushed the door to the FamilyMart open, the girl behind the counter calling out in the usual greeting, though he did not return it. Walking around the snack aisle and shuffling between the electronics and the toiletries he then found the fresh counter section, looking over what they had to offer. Sure enough, Nanami’s favourite stuffed bread nestled amongst the rest. The warmth radiating off the glass was oddly comforting.
He ordered one for Nanami, having picked up a salted-roe onigiri for Satoru and a dessert sandwich for himself. The disgusted expressions on Kento and Suguru’s faces whenever he bit into slices of bread with the heavy cream and fruit wedged between them always made him laugh. His hands slipped into his pocket to find his wallet, his brows furrowing as he came up empty. Setting his violin down, the boy pulled open his school satchel and began searching through the spaces between his books.
No. No…
He could feel his eyes watering even though he knew it was stupid to be upset over, but his frustration was threatening to brim in his desperation for this day to turn out perfect. One last time. Please…
The bell rang again, but it was lost on deaf ears as he looked up to try and ask the girl to hold onto the items for just a moment. A tapping on his shoulder made him jump, turning to see Geto standing there with his wallet in hand, pulling out the convenience card to tap against the register. Relief washed over him as he smiled gratefully.
*
Back at the park Kento was making sure to try and make this as quick and smooth an exit as possible. He would text them both and apologise, still unable to shake the horrible guilt of having played such a dirty trick on his two best friends. But he couldn’t stomach saying goodbye. He knew that much.
He winced as his phone vibrated angrily in his hand, another incoming message from his parents demanding a full explanation as to why he hadn’t been ready for them to pick him up from the school. It was all he could do to stop himself from crying before they got here, knowing there would only be more trouble once they were in the car.
He swallowed thickly, getting to his feet and making his way to the front entrance to the park, throwing a glance over his shoulder in the direction of the FamilyMart the other two boys had gone into. For a split second he remembered what Gojo had said about running, his feet shifting apart like he just might try.
A car horn blasted.
His head turned to see his parents pulling up in the car, heart sinking into the soles of his shoes as he hung his head and shifted his bag properly onto his shoulders. Kento found himself suddenly wishing that he had asked Satoru to play the violin for him one last time. His vision swam in front of him at the thought, unable to stop the tears spilling over his cheeks as his mother scolded him for daring to skip school, grabbing his shirt collar and chasing him into the back seat.
*
Their lunch was bagged up and ready to go in Satoru’s satchel, swinging his violin case a little lighter as he knocked his shoulder against Suguru’s own. “My hero,” he teased with a laugh, tight from the obvious strain of trying not to let his emotions get the better of him.
Of course Satoru didn’t notice that Kento was missing from their spot right away, his sight was still not at it’s best even with the special prescription shades he wore. Though once they were back inside the park gates and strolling towards the tree, both of them seemed to notice the absence of their best friend.
“Where’s Kento…?” Satoru stopped in his tracks, looking around to see if maybe he had remembered their picnic spot wrong. While he was looking around, he caught wind of the familiar stern voice of Kento’s mother scolding him from over by the road, his head snapping to see the blonde head ducking into the backseat of the car as the door slammed behind him.
His eyes widened, feeling the wind get knocked out of him as his chest tightened. “No!”
Geto cursed under his breath, in that moment suddenly realising that Satoru hadn’t been careless and dropped his wallet earlier. Not this time.
It was frowned upon to make a scene. It was a hard pill to swallow, but in times of discomfort you were just supposed to grin and bear it, work past and save face by pretending it didn’t bother you- but Gojo couldn’t stop himself. He slammed his violin case into Geto’s chest, feet moving apart as he pushed off the pavement and bolted down the street after the car that had just pulled out into the road.
“Kento!” He yelled as loud as he could, his eyes streaming with tears as the blood pounded in his ears louder than even his feet slamming against the pavement as he ran. His heart was beating so fast he felt like his chest might explode. “Don’t go! Don’t leave us!”
As usual Suguru was always the calm one, the one who managed to keep a level head even in situations where he was seething. Unfortunately there was something about watch your best friend disappear, while the other’s heart broke right in front of you, that made you lose all reason.
“You bitch!” He screamed right after them, clutching onto the violin case and hauling ass after Gojo and the rapidly vanishing car.
“Bring him back!” Gojo yelled out, his school tie flying over his shoulder as his feet slapped the ground and he hurtled himself through the traffic, trying against all logic and reason to keep up the pace with the car. It was no good. He could feel himself slowing, hearing Geto catching up to him now.
Kento turned in the back seat, looking out of the window with a hand pressed to the glass. Only Geto, with his good eyesight, was able to see that the other boy had been crying too. His lips moved, mouthing the words ‘I’m sorry’, to him before the car sped out of view.
“Bring him back! He’s my friend!” Out of sheer anger the white haired boy ripped the glasses off of his face and hurled them at the car, his fists clenching tightly by his sides as he choked out on a sob. “Kento-kun! I love you-” but his words were not to be heard by the blonde, swallowed up by the roar of the traffic and the yells of angry drivers who had been caught up in their chase.
Geto flipped off the cars that honked at them and wrapped his arms around Gojo’s waist as he hauled him out of the way, the younger boy sinking to his knees the minute he was pulled up onto the pavement, snapping at anyone who tried to ask them what was happening. He let Satoru cling to him for a while, unable to do anything but hold him in his arms as he mourned the heartbreak of what could have been.
Eventually he managed to get Gojo to his feet, wincing a little as he picked up the twisted metal frames with their shattered lenses from the floor, sitting him back down under the tree and giving him time to calm down. He pulled Gojo’s head onto his shoulder, pressing a kiss to his head as he cradled him close and pushed his nose into the fluffy white hair as he rubbed his back soothingly.
Gojo wasn’t usually one to burst out crying like that, much less in front of so many people and in a public place. Usually he kept himself private, able to do so by acting so extravagantly that it kept his actual feelings well-guarded behind an overly obnoxious act. He’d always had something of an angry streak inside of him though, but it usually seldom showed. His arms wrapped tightly around Geto, fisting the material of his shirt in his hands and every so often slamming a hand against the ground before moving to clutch fistfuls of his hair instead, rocking back and forth as the world caved in.
Geto let him have it, let him fall apart in his arms. It was the least he could offer. Firm fingers wrapped around Satoru’s slender wrists, gentle but strong enough to keep the other boy from tearing out his own hair as he clutched desperately at it. They both just lost the only other friend they’d ever had.
“I promised him. I promised !” Satoru gasped out through broken sobs, barely able to draw enough air into his lungs anymore for all the screaming and the crying.
Geto was out for blood. Not that he showed it, staying eerily calm as he gently smoothed his hand through the boy’s hair before wiping the glistening tear tracks off of his pale face with the sleeve of his blazer.
“I thought we would have more time…” Luckily it sounded like the crying had finally slowed, more reason in Gojo’s voice now as he spoke and held a hand over the one Geto was resting against his cheek. He thought perhaps something might have changed overnight, that he could come up with a solution or a plan that would mean Kento could stay here with them. A plan that meant they would have the future together they’d talked about for the last year.
For a boy his age he’d been through and seen a lot, as had Suguru, but that was still the hardest thing he’s ever had to live through. It felt like he’d just had a limb ripped from him.
Clarity began to return to him, finally managing to prise open his heavy eyes which were red and puffy from all the crying. After a moment he held up his hand, shielding his face and casting a shadow across his eyes as he squinted through the spring sun at Suguru.
“Shit…” he muttered, suddenly feeling guilty as he remembered how he had so childishly hurled very expensive eyewear onto concrete.
Geto seemed to know what he was thinking, wincing a little as he pulled out the glasses and held them up so that Suguru could see the extent of the damage. It wasn’t pretty.
“Shit.” Satoru repeated with a groan, rubbing his face tiredly and dropping his head against the other boy’s shoulder. “Ma worked real hard to get me those glasses, I can’t believe I fucked them up…”
“She’ll understand once you explain to her,” Geto offered gently. But they both knew that almost made it worse when she was so understanding, certainly not deserving of half the shit they and other people put her through. “Come on, let’s go home…”
He almost always called Gojo’s house home, not having ever had one of his own. Eventually it had extended to becoming Kento’s home too, a much safer and more welcoming place than his had ever been.
Satoru breathed in deeply, his breath ragged as he nodded numbly. How he wished Kento would be waiting there for them, just like on one of the many occasions he’d managed to come round under the guise of working on his homework at the library with a study group. Instead the two of them would tease him relentlessly for being a know-it-all as they begged and tempted him with baked goods into doing their homework for them. It never worked, but the boy would always help at least.
Wiping his face once more, Satoru pulled his phone out of his pocket and sent a quick text to Kento’s number, his face tight with determination. They wouldn’t forget him.
📧NANAMIN
we’ll come find you
He hit send, having to hold the phone a little closer to his face than the average person. Not able to see much beyond his own hand without his glasses on. Satoru bent down to pick up his violin case, which felt heavier than usual as it hung by his side and he started walking, hand tightening around the handle.
Geto watched him carefully, feeling a little pang in his chest on Satoru’s behalf. The two younger boys had been dancing around each other for years now, a funny little push and pull between them that he happened to enjoy being in the middle of and watching unfold. How many hours had he spent doing his homework or trying to play a damn game while Gojo was trying to perfect that one damn song? So many that he was actually able to hum the tune from memory, despite being somewhat tone deaf himself.
The buzzing in Satoru’s hand made him turn his phone over, glancing at the message that flashed up across his screen for the two of them to read.
📩 NANAMIN
I know you will