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◉ i. ◉
Warm spring sun winks through the lush rustling emerald leaves overhead. Birds chirp melodically as they flit happily through the gentle breeze. It’s an ideal day to start your tenure at Jujutsu High — and you’re nursing the most hellish headache in recent memory.
You’ve heard tell of Gojo Satoru’s notorious personality, but the rumors have proven themselves to be comically understated compared to what you’re currently experiencing. The predominant word echoing in your head to describe the man-child beside you is, well — annoying. His voice goes through more inflections than syllables, and he gestures with such flair that you sneak a few peeks around you just to make sure he’s not performing for some unseen camera crew. You can admit his expressiveness is sort of endearing (you prefer it to stoic silence), but you’re a little nervous to begin the year and his incessant chattering about training is doing nothing for your anxiety — not to mention that the astoundingly bright aural signature radiating from him is starting to stray into sensory overload territory.
“—pond has a gazebo and garden nearby if you’re looking for somewhere to relax outside,” Gojo’s voice tumbles cheerily into your head, snapping you back to sun-drenched reality. “In fact, that’s where we’re headed now! I told everyone else to meet there after they finished putting away their things. Oh, I’m just so excited for you all to meet each other!” he exclaims, long fingers clapping together joyously.
You smile up at your teacher, feeling some of his excitement rub off on you as the small gazebo comes into sight, flanked by luxuriant rows of swaying ornamental grasses and flowers. It’s really incredibly beautiful, you think as the three figures standing under it come into sight.
“Hello, my beautiful students,” Gojo hollers, waving enthusiastically. “Come say hello to your classmate here.”
A fairly tall girl with deep turquoise hair and large round glasses scoffs as she steps forward, not even giving you the courtesy of a bow. “Zenin Maki,” she says tersely by way of introduction. You bow and offer your own name with a smile, only to be met with unblinking, expressionless eyes. Yikes.
Oh for one, you think to yourself, before spotting the next classmate to come forward. Perhaps lumber would be a better word for how he moves, but the finer logistics of language are lost as you stare up in shock at, well, a panda.
“Hi there! I’m Panda,” he says, voice deep and gruff but kind. You blink dumbly for a moment (this new information both shocks and strikes you as a natural conclusion) before bowing with a smile and a kind word.
Then, from behind Panda’s hulking form, a slight boy with his lower face covered by his uniform collar steps forward to greet you.
“Kelp,” he says, voice light and low.
“You must be Inumaki Toge,” you exclaim. “I’ve heard of you and your technique!” You bow slightly before straightening and taking him in, eyes widening involuntarily.
His impossibly bright violet eyes scan your face, long dark lashes fanning gently up and down as he meets your gaze. Wisps of platinum blond hair sweep into his eyes, blown by the warm breeze picking up. He tosses his head softly to the side to clear his vision, eyes meeting yours again and crinkling into a whisper of a smile. Your cheeks burn as you take in his graceful movements and kind look, and you offer a mercifully composed nice to meet you.
“Salmon,” he murmurs, fingers coming up to fidget with the zipper of his collar.
“Well, my little chicks, I’ll leave you to it,” Gojo exclaims, grin stretching wide across his face. “Dinner is at six. I’ll be around should you need anything.” He sweeps breezily away, leaving the four of you to walk around the garden and chat.
“I have some snacks if you guys want any,” you say, opening your tote bag to show the spread you’d brought with you. “Figured it couldn’t hurt to come prepared.”
Panda’s eyes light up and he grabs several bags of seaweed sheets, scarfing them down eagerly between words of thanks. Maki merely rolls her eyes and keeps walking, and you look at her back rather dejectedly before offering the stash to Toge. He politely selects a bag of rice chips, unzipping his collar to begin eating.
Your eyes are immediately drawn to the striking black markings curling from the corners of his mouth, hinting at the incredible cursed power at his disposal. It’s only when he looks at you with a hint of confusion in his eyes that you realize you’ve literally been watching him eat. Shooting him an awkward half-smile, you look away rapidly, scanning your brain in agony for anything to break the silence.
Aha. “Gojo-sensei is really something, isn’t he? I thought maybe the rumors about him were exaggerated, but he has quite the presence,” you laugh. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen someone with a sound field quite like his.”
“He’s much too loud,” Maki snaps. “But of course I’m not in a position to comment about his personality. He’s in this teaching position for a reason, and I’m confident he’ll make us all stronger.”
Panda laughs heartily, head thrown back. “He really does mean well, I think. Sound field, huh? Must be part of your cursed technique, right?” he asks you.
“Yeah, everyone has their own aural signature that’s visible to me. His was so big and bright I could hardly hear myself think,” you giggle, and Panda and Toge smile along with you.
With the ice broken, conversation flows more easily. You and Panda mostly crack jokes back and forth, with Toge throwing in the occasional rice ball ingredient after particularly funny moments. Even Maki manages to defrost a little, and you smile to yourself as you breathe in the bright spring air.
You’re off to a pretty good start.
◉ ii. ◉
With the new day comes sparring practice, and you find yourself standing in the center of the training field, shifting nervously from foot to foot as Gojo explains the goals of the day.
“We’re merely getting a feel for each other’s techniques in this afternoon’s sparring, so you’ll need to be able to process and utilize new information about your opponent while you’re fighting them. Maki, I want you and Panda to partner up first. The rest of you can sit in the bleachers during their match.”
Maki’s deadpan face betrays no fear as she swings her cursed tool in a few vicious circles, warming up her shoulders. Panda rolls his head from side to side, digging his massive feet into the earth as he shifts into his battle stance.
“This goes without saying, but absolutely no killing each other,” Gojo sings. “Now, if you’re ready — begin! ”
Maki and Panda fight as if possessed, confident blows raining down in astoundingly proficient sequences. Their clear talent and Gojo’s warning begin to make your stomach churn in nervousness, leg bouncing furiously against the cold grey stone of the bleachers. There’s no way you’re going to be able to come across as anything but a fool, and their grunts begin to sound louder and louder in your ears, aural fields growing in intensity—
All of a sudden, a hand rests softly on your shoulder. Starting upwards, you look to your left to see Toge’s gaze on you.
“Spicy cod roe,” he says, voice gentle.
“Sorry,” you say. “Just a little nervous. I’m sure everything will be fine. We’re here to learn anyway,” you say, giving him what you hope is a confident smile.
“Salmon,” he answers with an encouraging nod, hand returning to his side. Embarrassingly, you wish he were still touching you, grounding you with his cool fingers.
A loud yell sounds from the field, and you look over to see Maki’s cursed pole against Panda’s throat. Panda drops his arms in concession, panting as Maki nods sharply, satisfied.
“Next!” Gojo calls, and you release a shaky exhale. Toge stands, offering his hand to you and helping you do the same.
As you make your way onto the grass, you fasten your toolbelt around you, reaching into a pocket for your soundproof earplugs. You’re not sure if this counts as cheating seeing as how Toge is your opponent, but the finer points of his technique are still unknown to you. Besides, Gojo had said to use any and all tools at your disposal, no holds barred, so you figured you’d be fine for the time being.
A glance over at Toge sets your heart racing. He’s finishing his stretches, movements practiced and fluid as he grounds his feet into a beginning pose. Swallowing resolutely, you do the same and try to shape your growing anxiety into energy for your first maneuver.
Gojo signals start with a curl of his wrist, and almost before you know it, Toge is coming at you, fists flying. He’s fast. You barely have time to whip out a tuning fork, let alone a mallet, and so you improvise by tapping the tool against a metal fastener on your belt. The vibrations bubble up into your vision and you focus on hardening them, transforming them into a thin barrier around you just in the nick of time. Toge’s fists are stopped within centimeters of your skin, held back by the shield you’ve created. His eyes narrow as he repeatedly fails to make contact with you, and he retreats a few steps to analyze the situation.
You’re grateful for the tiny respite. With so little time to react to his first attack, you had shielded your entire body in a defensive move. It takes much more concentration than merely protecting a part of yourself, and it’s hard for you to keep it up for more than a few seconds.
You’ve hardly caught your breath when he attacks again, feinting to the side and landing a kick against your back. Pain explodes through your skin where his foot makes contact with your spine, but you quickly shake it off and focus on using the sound of his landing to determine where he’s headed next. You successfully shield your shoulder, using the tuning fork to channel the sound waves coming from his small grunts of frustration as he tries and fails repeatedly to hit you again. A failed attempt from you to go for his belly causes him to retreat again, and you circle each other, each attempting to learn the limits of the other’s power.
You can see the decision to use his cursed speech solidify in his eyes a split second before his fingers fly up to unzip his collar.
“Freeze!” he yells, and his voice rockets towards you in a shimmering wall of sound. Even though your earplugs prevent you from hearing the command, you feel the cursed waves echo in your head anyway. It’s compelling, but you haven’t done years of sound training for nothing. Straightening up, you decide to go for the boldest move you have.
Your arms shoot up into a V above your head and you clutch at the vibrations hurtling towards you, catching the energy and letting it pulse and spark between your fingers. A few split seconds pass before you’re confident you’ve collected most of it, dropping your arms and pointing your fingers directly at Toge. His own command ricochets back at him and his eyes widen as the force of it knocks him over. A slight twist of his head as he hits the ground signals to you that he’s immune to the full strength of his voice, but he’s ultimately down. You seize the opportunity.
Rising from where your effort knocked you to the ground, you run full force over to him and slide your knees over his thighs. One hand pins his wrists to the grass above his head while the other presses your tuning fork against his lips, grazing his cheek and the tips of his mussed hair. He blinks in shock up at you, violet eyes wide and chest heaving as he pants heavily. His Adam’s apple shifts as he swallows hard, pink lips falling open and cheeks rapidly filling with a rosy flush. A flash of tongue peeks through, black markings barely visible.
“Do you yield?” you rasp, the sight of him gazing helplessly up at you with such intensity stirring something deep within your stomach. He nods, eyes still glued to yours as you sit back, one hand releasing his wrists and the other dropping the tuning fork as you fall onto your back in the grass. Breathing hard, you take out one earplug only to be met with deafening cheers from Gojo, who’s coming over to help you and Toge up.
“Wonderful job, both of you,” he coos. “I just knew your techniques would yield interesting results. Well done!”
You risk a glance at Toge, who’s zipping up his collar again, cheeks still pink (From exertion, you remind yourself). “You were incredible,” you tell him honestly.
He coughs, and it takes a few seconds for him to meet your gaze. “Salmon,” he replies, before following Gojo to the bleachers for analysis.
“What was that all about, bro?” Panda asks him as he sits down, digging a massive furry elbow into Toge’s side and wiggling his eyebrows suggestively.
Toge rolls his eyes and pouts. “Caviar.”
You convince yourself that the difficulty you have focusing on Gojo’s feedback is from the adrenaline that can’t seem to stop coursing through your veins (which has absolutely nothing to do with the images burned into your mind as you stare at a piece of grass in Toge’s hair).
◉ iii. ◉
Toge senses there’s something wrong with you today.
Your head droops a little as you brush your fingers listlessly over the flowers he’s watering, offering none of the happy chatter that usually fills your time spent in the gardens together. He furrows his brow in concern, feeling his chest contract painfully at your state.
“Mustard leaf?” he asks, tilting his watering can back up and his head to the side.
You sigh, giving him a tiny, joyless smile. “You noticed, huh?”
“Salmon.”
“Just kind of a tough day for me mentally. I know we’ve all got different skillsets to work on in training, but I can’t help but feel as though I’m falling behind. I’ll never be as determined as Maki or as strong as Panda or as quick and flexible as you. I don’t take having such talented friends and classmates for granted, but it just feels like — I don’t know. Like I’ll never be on the same level as any of you, I guess,” you sigh. “Sorry, I don’t mean to ramble.”
Toge’s forehead puckers even deeper as he listens. He wishes harder than he ever has that he could just talk to you normally — to tell you that Maki is actually incredibly touched that you seek her out for one-on-one training, that Panda absolutely adores you and your ability to make those around you feel like part of the team, and that he thinks your hard work, respect, and kindness far surpass any natural power you could possess. (There’s also the inklings of something having to do with your encouraging smile after a tough training session and the smell of your hair as you stand close beside him, but he’s not quite sure what all that means exactly.)
He settles for looping the pointer finger of his free hand gently around yours, sweeping his thumb gently across your skin. “Spicy cod roe,” he says. He swears his voice was confident as it spilled up from his diaphragm, but he finds that some unknown alchemy has turned it to a whisper as it leaves his lips.
“Yeah?” you ask, and the softness in your gaze just about bowls him over. The air in his lungs dims down as he looks into your eyes, the world around him quieting and distilling down to you and only you.
“Salmon.”
“Thanks, Toge. You always know how to make me feel better.” And then your head is on his shoulder and he’s floating far, far above the smell of the blossoms at his knees.
◉ iv. ◉
No matter how long your tenure as a jujutsu sorcerer ends up being, you don’t think you’ll ever recover from the horrendous sensory experience of a curse touching your skin.
Purple goo drips off your wrist and you cringe, spitting out a “Fucking gross!” for good measure.
“I’m with you,” Maki says, eyeing the identical trail of muck down the front of her uniform. “It’s only a second-grade, though. Piece of cake.”
“Only, huh?” you laugh, stabbing a probing appendage with a tuning fork. “Seems weird that Gojo-sensei would send all four of us then, doesn’t it?”
“I’ve given up on understanding his methods,” Maki sighs before yelling over at Panda for backup. “Go for the neck, okay?”
“On it!” he answers, giving himself a running start before leaping powerfully forward, claws extended.
You don’t see his blow land because a shock runs down your spine, pricking at the hair on the back of your neck. You whip around only to see another massive curse towering several feet over you. Judging by the sheer size of its body and the overpowering energy emanating from it, you guess that your new problem is most likely a special-grade.
“Shiiit,” you hiss, before whipping out another tuning fork and earplugs. “Toge, help me out with this, would you? Like we practiced the other day?”
“Salmon,” he nods, sprinting over to you with his collar already unzipped. He skids to a stop behind you and you raise your arms above your head, preparing to channel his command.
“Ready whenever you are,” you shout, and he wastes no time.
“Explode,” he screams, and you instantly feel the full force of his voice traveling into the tuning fork in each of your hands. With a determined yell, you summon your cursed energy to amplify the command, sending it hurtling at the beast with its power more than tripled. The curse barely has time to react before it bursts, sending massive strands of slime onto you and Toge as its essence disintegrates.
“Oh my god, Toge, we did it!” you cheer, wheeling around for a celebratory high five. He smacks your hand with an enthusiastic grin that gets even bigger as he sees that Maki and Panda have managed to emerge victorious from their battle as well. He slides to the floor with an exhausted sigh, reaching for his cough syrup.
A frustrated groan makes you turn back around to face him.
“What’s up?” you ask, and he shows you a gaping hole in the bag he was using to carry the medicine.
“Never fear! I’ve got you covered,” you simper dramatically, reaching into a pocket of your toolbelt and drawing out a handful of cough drops. You grin and sit down next to him, uncurling your fingers as you offer him the stash.
He just stares at you with the biggest, sparkliest eyes you’ve ever seen, lips parted into a fond half-smile that immediately heats up your cheeks.
“What, you thought I’d show up unprepared to a fight?” you laugh. He blinks, appearing to snap out of a haze before unwrapping a few of the drops and popping them into his mouth.
“Y’know, I could honestly use one too, what with all this yelling,” you hum, and follow suit. He smiles sweetly at you, markings dark against the flush on his face. Both of you lean your heads back against the wall behind you, breathing the other’s presence in.
Pretty so pretty runs through your head over and over, drowning out the dirt and the ache and anything else that isn’t him.
◉ i. ◉
“Relax! It looks perfect. He’s going to love it.”
“I don’t know,” you agonize. “Do you think the snacks are far enough away from the anthill? Is the spot too shady? Maybe I can just—”
“Hey,” Panda shushes you, hands anchoring your shoulders. “He’ll love it. I promise.”
“Go get him already. It’s past time anyway,” Maki adds, exasperated.
“Okay, okay. Going,” you huff, and sigh out a deep breath as you make your way to Toge’s room. You stand in front of his door for a moment, breathless, and give yourself a silent pep talk before knocking on the wooden frame.
He answers it quickly, seemingly surprised to see you. “Kelp,” he greets.
“Hey yourself,” you smile, a little nervously. “Are you busy at the moment? I have something to show you.”
“Fish flakes,” he answers, shaking his head. “Mustard leaf?”
“You’ll see! You have to close your eyes for me when we get outside though, okay?”
“Salmon,” he nods, and follows you back outside. As agreed, he closes his eyes and you gently take his hand, leading him out to the gardens.
“Okay, you can open your eyes now,” you say, hesitantly releasing his fingers from your own. He opens his eyes and immediately lights up.
A picnic with all his favorite foods is laid out under the large tree by the pond he’s taken a special liking to. A few streamers hang from its lower branches, and Panda blows hard on a noisemaker (Maki reluctantly follows suit a moment later).
“Happy birthday,” you grin. “I hope you like it.”
You’ve barely finished speaking before he tackles you with a beaming smile, bear hugging you sweetly. “Salmon,” he giggles, eyes crinkling bright with happiness.
The weather couldn’t be better, and the tree provides gorgeous dappled shade that shimmers across your faces and the food happily being consumed. Chatter flows easily and the breeze sifting through the branches seems to be joining in on the fun, bolstering the carefree mood with its presence. The four of you lie back on the soft quilted fabric of the blanket, stomachs full and hearts happy. After a few moments, Toge rolls over next to you, curling slightly into your side. He smells clean and gentle, and you absentmindedly toy with a few soft pieces of hair that have curled over your arm. A sigh of content leaves his lips at your touch, and his long eyelashes flutter closed as the corners of his mouth tilt upwards out of instinct.
Several more minutes are spent in peace before Maki remarks she has a test to study for.
“I’ve got a training session soon anyway,” Panda adds, and begins placing the empty containers into the big wicker basket you brought. With everyone’s help, the setup is taken down in no time at all. Maki and Panda head their separate ways and you wave goodbye.
“You know, I don’t have anything for the rest of the day,” you say, turning to Toge. “We can hang out in my room if you want?”
“Salmon,” Toge nods enthusiastically, eliciting a fond smile from you.
The brief walk back is nice. He wraps a few of the streamers around his neck like a scarf, eyes sparkling with mischief as he struts exaggeratedly in front of you. You roll your eyes and concede that he looks every bit the birthday boy.
When you get to your room, he immediately flops onto your bed, laughing at your amused expression.
“I have something else for you,” you tell him, and he immediately sits up with all the enthusiasm of a puppy. You produce a package from inside your closet and offer it to him.
He tears eagerly at the paper, revealing a sweatshirt from one of his favorite food YouTubers and a box of sweets from his favorite bakery near campus. “Salmon roe!” he gasps, eyes sparkling up at you.
“You’re very welcome! Happy birthday, Toge,” you smile fondly. “Wanna watch something for the next little while?”
He nods excitedly, tugging the new sweatshirt over his head as you pull up the same YouTuber’s channel, scrolling through their videos until he points at a playlist he especially likes. He opens the box of sweets between the two of you, an invitation to share as you press play.
A few minutes in, his head descends onto your shoulder, the movement soft and content. You blush, resting your head on top of his, and continue watching the video. However, in classic Toge fashion, it’s not long before he springs a surprise tickle attack. You shriek and giggle uncontrollably, returning the favor by aiming for his ribs. He falls back onto your pillows and you take him in, all flushed cheeks and breathless smile. Without even thinking, your fingers come up to brush a few silky strands of hair from where they’ve fallen into his eyes, and his gaze follows your movement before shifting back to your face.
His lashes are so long — long and dark as they flutter against his cheeks, framing the soft slope of his nose.
“Pretty,” you murmur, and his violet eyes widen at your praise. “My pretty Toge.”
A tiny noise of embarrassed satisfaction escapes his mouth, and his cheeks are practically glowing as he tilts his face upward, the tiniest of movements. You meet him there in that soft space, lips finally falling together in a fluid, gentle motion. The two of you linger for a long moment, pulling slowly away with lidded, drowsy eyes.
“Was that okay?” you whisper, and he breaks into a massive smile.
“Salmon, salmon, salmon, salmon!” he exclaims rapidly, giggling as he buries his face in your neck.
“So cute,” you coo as his flushed cheeks reappear a few moments later, and you can’t help but go in again. He’s soft and sweet against you, all smiles as your lips meet over and over. You begin trailing a path down his jaw and up to his left ear, making sure to imbue each kiss with as much intention and tenderness as he deserves. Your lips press against the hollow where his jawline meets his neck, just under his ear, and he whimpers involuntarily, your name escaping him in a shaky, stuttered exhalation. You pull back in complete wonder at hearing him say your name for the first time, and his expression is an addictive mix of shock, embarrassment, and bliss.
“Your sounds look so lovely,” you murmur, pressing another kiss to the area and eliciting another sweet whine from his lips. Drawing back a bit, you gently trace his markings, fingertips just barely skimming the mesmerizing black lines. You press one last kiss to his nose before laying down next to him and weaving your fingers through his hair once more.
“Happy birthday, Toge,” you whisper. He hums quietly in pure content, so blissfully relaxed that his voice is nearly inaudible as his lips form your name again.
You’re in the habit of listening, though — you hear his I love you loud and clear.