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Weekly Karaoke Night
Read the flyer in big bold letters. It was not the only one of its kind, either. There were hundreds of similar flyers stuck up everywhere across the cult compound, all with the same 3 words printed across them and some random Clipart image of a bunch of people doing Karaoke. The words "All are Welcome" are also scribbled somewhere near the bottom but all cult members know that this isn't a friendly invite so much as it is a demand. Master Geto didn't usually show his ruthless side but, when he did, it was messy and painful. Hence why every single cult member dutifully attended Friday Night Karaoke as though their lives depended on it- because, well, they did.
Now, Suguru wasn't usually one to force his followers to do anything. Sure, he would threaten them with death if they didn't comply and the horror stories told by the followers who had been there long enough were enough to deter any newer members from disobeying him. But he never actually forced them to do so.
Except when it came to cult karaoke. Now that, that would be forced upon his followers whether they liked it or not. See, after that fateful day outside KFC, when he was sitting in some cheap motel and preparing ramen for him and the girls, Suguru came to a sickening realization.
He missed Satoru.
And so, Suguru did what any self-respecting ex-Jujutsu sorcerer turned mass-murderer and curse user who had just broken up with their boyfriend outside a KFC and was beginning to regret their decision would do...
He made an angsty playlist on Spotify titled "I Miss You".
Over the years, as his time spent away from Satoru grew longer, Suguru found himself adding more and more songs to his playlist. At first, they were just your general heartbreak songs complete with a few slow love songs thrown in between. However, Suguru soon found himself adding songs to his playlist even if they had one lyric he thought referenced Satoru.
Soon, his playlist became an amalgamation of all types and genres of music and artists and Suguru could not go a day without listening to his most current hyperfixation and thinking of his long lost love. He even invested in Spotify premium (much to his girls' delights) so he could listen to his playlist and daydream about Satoru without any annoying ads interrupting him.
Life was good.
Until it wasn't.
As his cult grew, Suguru couldn't help but yearn for Satoru more and more everyday. He knew he had messed up, knew that he was the one who left Satoru behind and not the other way around. But that didn't stop him from wanting him back. He missed his boyfriend, okay. Sue him.
Unfortunately, his desire to have Satoru back in his arms was a little too strong. He started losing focus, his perfect and serene facade slipping and driving away possible new cult members. He needed an outlet for his yearning, a way to express his longing for his love and maybe, just maybe, fill the Satoru shaped hole in his heart.
Suguru became determined to get Satoru back. And he tried everything. He bought a Gojo-kesa, renamed some of his followers after Satoru, sent some surveillance curses to spy on the man, wrote countless poems and love letters and had them mailed to Satoru in secret, sent Satoru package after package of expensive gifts- flowers, his favorite chocolates, luxury perfumes, clothes, lingerie, everything.
Hell, Suguru was so desperate for Satoru to take him back that he started bombarding him with voice notes and random updates about day and messages about how he would be such a good cult leader next to Suguru. How Suguru would ensure he was spoiled rotten. How the cult members would be made to worship the very ground Satoru walked on. How Satoru would just need to sit pretty in Suguru's lap and be a good little housewife for him. How Satoru would be the perfect mother for the girls. How they already saw him as their mother and absolutely adored him just from Suguru's stories of him. Suguru sent voice note upon voice note, message after message, photo after photo...
And Satoru? Well...
Satoru left him on read. Suguru's love, the light of his life, the other half of his soul... left him. On read.
Suguru obviously decided that he needed to step things up a notch. If there was any way he was going to get Satoru back and convince him to leave Jujutsu society behind to become a housewife, he was going to have to go above and beyond. This was the Satoru Gojo he was talking about, after all. Not just some random monkey who would be easily appeased by a bouquet of flowers and a half-assed "I'm sorry".
No, Satoru was a head and shoulders above everyone else (both literally and figuratively) and if Suguru wanted to win him back, he was going to need to be a head and shoulders above everyone else, too.
And that's when it hit him.
If Suguru was going to convince Satoru to come back to him, he couldn't just send him a few measly presents and leave it at that. Satoru was the best. The best friend, the best partner, the best student, the best Jujutsu Sorcerer- the best everything. And the best deserves the best. He deserves to not only be spoiled rotten but he also deserves to be pampered from head to toe, given every overly-sugary treat he could think of, serenaded beneath the moonlight and fucked until the only thing he remembered was Suguru's name. (Suguru is a man and men have desires, okay? Sue him.)
So Suguru devised a plan. He would set up weekly dates for Satoru- just as he used to back in highschool when he learnt that Satoru thought "dates" were just a fruit (oh what Suguru wouldn't give to go back to those days). Suguru planned everything to the T.
He converted a portion of his cult grounds into a spa and had it set up with music and candles and ambiance galore. He even got trained masseuse monkeys to take care of it. And they would wait there the whole night on Friday nights just in case Satory finally, finally, decided to accept Suguru's invitation to a date. Apart from the spa, Suguru also made sure to have all of Satoru's favorite sugary treats on hand, so his lover would be able to snack to his heart's content. And on top of all of that, Suguru had set up his bedroom (hopefully what would soon become his and Satoru's bedroom) to be perfect for love making.
Every Friday night, Suguru's bedsheets would be changed to red and his usual black comforter swapped out for a maroon one. Rose petals were scattered on the floor leading up to the bed and candles with artistically placed randomly around the room. Suguru would spray his cologne (the one he knew drove Satoru crazy) onto the pillows and sheets and arrange his collection of sex toys neatly according to size on the bedside table. Everything would be set up, planned to perfection, just for Satoru.
But perhaps the pièce de résistance was Karaoke. Now, Suguru knew he wasn't the best singer in the world but, he also knew that Satoru didn't care. Karaoke was one of Satoru's favorite date-night activities back in high school. And Suguru, being the simp that he is, indulged him. Every. Single. Time. (Much to everyone's chagrin).
You see, as much as Suguru was a simp for Satoru, he was a smart simp. He knew that organizing a perfect date-night just wouldn't be enough. If When Satoru eventually decided to accept Suguru's multiple invitations to date-night, he wouldn't just settle for being pampered and having his brains fucked out. No. If Suguru was going to convince Satoru to come back to him, he needed to remind Satoru of what he had lost. He needed to get Satoru to remember the "good old days", so to speak (because Suguru was only 25 and not some old man), and convince him that they can be better than they were before. Satoru, for all his tough talk, was a romantic at heart. And Suguru knew, he just knew, that Satoru would fall for him all over again if he was just given a chance to prove himself.
Hence, the Karaoke.
"Master Geto is at it again." Mimiko sighed, watching as her and her sister's father figure flitted about the room, trying to ensure everything was perfect for karaoke. He would not accept anything less than perfection- this was meant to be a special night for his beloved, after all. The same beloved he had told Mimiko and Nanako about several times. The same beloved he claimed was going to return to his arms soon enough. 'You girls will love him.' Mimiko remembers him saying. 'He'll be the perfect mother for you both.'
As much as Mimiko wanted to trust master Geto, she was finding it difficult to believe that this so-called "beloved" of his actually loved him back. It had been months since master Geto began karaoke night and his beloved had yet to show up, despite master Geto insisting on sending him invitations every week. (Invitations, mind you, that were sent via email, text message and letter- at least 2 copies of each). Nonetheless, Mimiko tried her best to stay positive and believe in master Geto's reassurances about his beloved. After all, anyone master Geto speaks so highly of all the time must be worthy of that praise- right?
"He just wants to make sure everything is perfect for when his beloved eventually arrives." Nanako hums dismissively, too engrossed in her phone to really pay attention to master Geto's obsessive flittering. Mimiko sighs again, a bit irritated at her sister's lack of concern for their father- who seems to be getting increasingly anxious with every minute that passes by. Mimiko opens her mouth to point out master Geto's temperament to her sister, half-tempted to snatch the phone out of her hands just to get her to pay attention. Before she can do anything, however, master Geto finally seems to notice them sitting in the corner of the meeting hall.
"Ah girls, there you are. I was wondering when you'd arrive." Master Geto smiles and Mimiko frowns. It's one of those fake smiles of his, the kind he wears when he's interacting with monkeys, and it doesn't reach his eyes. For this reason, she neglects to mention that her and Nanako have been sitting there and waiting for the past 15 minutes.
"We're running a bit behind schedule today and I need Manami's help setting things up over here. I was hoping you girls could go with Miguel to the pastry shop in her place." Master Geto smiles at them and Nanako finally looks up from her phone, her brow furrowing at his expression- she's noticed it, too.
"It's no trouble, master Geto. We'd love to help." Nanako answers for the both of them, shrugging and returning her attention to her phone. Mimiko facepalms internally, her sister could be really dense at times.
"Great. Miguel is waiting outside with the pelican. He already knows the usual list and everything, you girls just need to help him with the bags." Master Geto smiles- a genuine one this time- and gently pats her and Nanako's hair.
"Listen to Miguel and don't wonder off alone, okay? And feel free to buy yourselves something to eat if you get hungry- just as long as you're back by 5." Master Geto reminds in that parental voice of his. If Mimiko didn't know him any better, she would've thought he was just sending his girls off to buy desserts. Of course, she did know him better and she knew these weren't just any desserts. They were desserts for master Geto's beloved. And master Geto's beloved is important. Making the desserts important. And everyone knew what would happen if someone disregarded what master Geto deemed as important.
"Can you at least pretend to look for it?" Mimiko grumbles, elbowing her sister in the ribs- gently, of course, because that's still her sister. Nanako grunts but doesn't say anything, too focused on staring out at the window at... whatever it is she's staring at. Mimiko sighs, her eyes scanning the various shelves of packaged desserts for the very specific brand of mochi Miguel had left them to look for. He said that master Geto said that this brand was his beloved's favorite- so, of course, that meant any other brand was unacceptable.
Mimiko's eyes finally land on a tray of mochi wrapped in a shiny silver ribbon- the exact trademark of the brand master Geto wanted them to buy. Just as she is about to reach for it, her sister suddenly yanks on her arm and pulls her to the side. Mimiko yelps, earning the stink-eye from several of the store's customers.
"Nanako," she hisses under her breath, swatting at her sister's hand. "What is wrong with-"
"Master Geto's beloved is eating mochi outside. Look."
Mimiko blinks, taken aback by her sister's nonchalant declaration. As if the guy their father had been pining over for literal years wasn't just sitting outside the dessert shop they were in and eating crepes. She squints, directing her gaze to where her sister was pointing. Sure enough, there he was. Master Geto's beloved. The one and only Satoru Gojo. Mimiko had seen enough photos of him to recognize him immediately. If the shocking white hair wasn't enough of a giveaway, then the rounded black sunglasses and blueish-purple uniform sure was. The same uniform he was wearing in most of master Geto's photos of him. There he was, Satoru Gojo in the flesh, munching on a plate of crepes without a care in the world. Mimiko frowns.
"We should tell Miguel. He can call master Geto and-"
"And risk sending master Geto into a panic attack? No ways." Nanako scoffs, turning to look at her sister with a determined gleam in her eyes. Something Mimiko was all too familiar with. She knew this spelled trouble.
"Master Geto hasn't finished preparing yet. He's already so anxious about making sure everything is perfect for tonight, if we tell him about this now then he'll just start worrying even more." Mimiko swallows, as much as she hated to admit it, her sister did have a very good point.
"Are we just gonna leave him, then?"
"Obviously not. If we leave him, he'll just finish up his crepes and leave. This may be our only chance to get him to talk to talk to master Geto." Another good point, Mimiko thinks. She looks back at the window, noting how master Geto's beloved is almost done with his stack of crepes. Master Geto was right, he really does love his sweets.
"What do we do, then?"
"Isn't it obvious?" Nanako waves her phone in the air, grinning. Mimiko groans, this is a bad idea.
"Girls what took you so long? Did you get everything I asked for? Was anything sold out? You managed to get the exact brand I specified, right?" Suguru bombards his girls with questions as soon as they step out of the pelican's mouth. He knows he should be asking if they're okay first and foremost but he just can't help it. He's been in a state of anxiety the entire day and nothing seems to be working out for him. He was behind on preparations, he was one masseuse monkey down (since he forgot he murdered her a few days ago- it wasn't his fault she was being annoying) and now his girls were returning almost an hour late with the desserts- meaning he only had 20 minutes to set them up for Satoru (because there was no way in hell that some dumb monkey would touch his beloved's food) and make himself look presentable. Suguru would rather die than have to face Satoru looking like a hag. How's he supposed to win him over like that?
"Sorry, master Geto. Mimiko and I saw a stray outside the pastry shop and we lost track of time playing with it." Nanako apologies meekly. Suguru frowns, his girls weren't usually ones to "lose track of time" that easily. There was definitely something more going on here. Something he would have to figure out later because time was running out. He sighs and fondly ruffles Nanako's hair.
"That's alright, Nana. I was just worried about you two since it was getting so late." Suguru smiles, happy that his girls are safe and injury-free despite the anxiety he still feels about tonight. He knew that tonight was just the same as any other night and that, if he was being completely honest with himself, Satoru probably wouldn't show up at all. But, there was something deep within him that made him think otherwise. Call it fate or the fact that he firmly believed him and Satoru were soulmates and had a bond that transcended the mortal plane, but Suguru could just feel that there was going to be something different about tonight. Whether that was a good different or a bad different, he would only know later. For now, he had desserts to set up and karaoke to sing. He takes the bags from his girls, setting them atop the heads of one of his curses and having it fly inside to the spa. He'd have plenty of time to arrange the desserts after he made himself look presentable. Besides, Satoru always delighted in opening packages by himself, anyways. He said he "enjoyed the sounds" they made. Suguru smiles at the memory.
"You girls run along now. Remember not to make too much noise and go to bed on time, okay?" Suguru's girls nod their heads, seeming a little too eager to run back to their room- another thing Suguru will have to ask them about later. For now, he had to worry about getting ready. Tonight is date-night, after all.
Okay. So maybe Suguru shouldn't have listened to Manami's advice about having a drink to "de-stress". And maybe Suguru shouldn't have chosen aged Japanese Whiskey as his drink of choice. And, okay you caught him, he definitely shouldn't have had 3 and a half glasses of the stuff. But he was anxious and lonely and missing his boyfriend, okay? Sue him.
All of this culminates in a very tipsy and very loud Suguru belting his heart out to Ricky Montgomery's Mr. Loverman, still dressed in his Gojo-kesa and screaming into the mic as though his life depended on it. It had been a long time since Suguru had even touched alcohol- too busy with managing the cult and taking care of his girls to sit down and have a shot once in a while- so, despite his normally high tolerance, the effects of it were hitting him much harder than usual. Still, though, Suguru wasn't drunk. He was still sober enough to realize that he was being unnecessarily loud, and that he had probably woken up his girls who were supposed to be asleep upstairs (key words, supposed to be- Suguru knew his girls better than that by now) and that there was a hastily made slide show of him and Satoru being projected onto the wall behind him, next to the projection of the lyrics he was currently singing his heart out to. The slide show contained pictures of him and Satoru back when they were still together as well as some sneaky shots Suguru managed to get of the other man when he was stalking out and about and happened to see him from afar. The slide show also contains a drawing- supplied to him by Manami- of chibi Satoru getting his brains fucked out by chibi Suguru, who is obviously having the time of his life. Suguru almost sheds a tear thinking of how beautiful it is.
"And I miss my lover, man." Suguru screams sings, picturing the handsome face of his lover and beginning to tear up.
"The ways in which you talk to me...
Satoru
Have me wishin' I was gone...
Suguru..."
Suguru could practically hear Satoru's voice calling out to him. That sweet, breathy whisper of his name on his lover's lips. Oh he could picture it now, him and Satoru sitting on a couch together at some random karaoke bar, screaming their hearts out to this song together and having the time of their lives. Just the two of them, together again as they should be. Suguru starts sobbing.
"Oh I'm cramping up, I'm cramping uuuuuupppp." Suguru literally cramps up, curling into fetal position on the floor as he sobs and sings and wishes his Satoru was there with him.
"I miss you, kitten. Come back to me."
"Suguru."
"You sound as beautiful as the day I lost you."
"Suguru."
"I can still hear your voice. Fuck, Toru, why won't you stop being stubborn and come back to me?"
"Suguru!"
Suguru is jolted out of his half-drunken, dramatic ramblings by the sound of his name being yelled from somewhere across the room. He sits up, too caught up in his own feelings to notice the music has gone silent and the slide show is paused (on that Chibi drawing Manami made, no less). Suguru squints, blinking a few times to clear his vision (which had become blurry with his tears). It's only after a few seconds that he notices him. The man who he had been fantasizing over for the past seven years. The man he had longed for ever since he made the foolish mistake of leaving him behind. The man that all of this was set up for. His beloved. His soulmate. His one and only.
"Satoru?"
"I can't believe you got your kids to kidnap me!" Comes his beloved's response. Okay, out of all the possible things he prepared himself to hear, that was definitely not one of them. Suguru blinks again, slowly standing up and making his way through the crowd of monkeys (who, despite him embarrassing himself a few seconds ago and sobbing on the floor, still step out of his way as though he was the messiah) to where Satoru is standing. No- wait. Satoru isn't standing. He's... crouching? Slouching? Squatting? A mix of all three, Suguru decides. He can't imagine why Satoru would do that, though. His posture had always been bad but it was never- ohhhh.
Suguru's eyes land on Mimiko, watching as she fidgets with the straw doll in her hands. Said straw doll is currently tied up with a short piece of rope, it's position perfectly mirroring Satoru's. Suguru doesn't know whether to be angry at his girls for treating his beloved so roughly or impressed that they had managed to use their techniques so well. He decides on the latter, gently ruffling Mimiko's hair and giving her doll a little pat on it's cheek- which causes his doll to pout. How cute.
"Hello? Earth to Suguru. Mind telling me why you asked your daughters to kidnap me? Also- since when do you have daughters?!" Satoru all but screeches and Suguru smirks. Despite Satoru trying to play it off as irritation at being kidnapped, Suguru knows his beloved far too well by now. He knows Satoru is actually jealous. That he's probably wondering why Suguru would go through all the trouble of sending him luxury gifts and invites to dates and thousands of messages professing his love if he had kids. Mimiko and Nanako were still quite small for their age (probably because of the years of mistreatment they faced in the village, Suguru sees red just thinking about it) so it would be very easy for Satoru to assume that they were Suguru's biological children. They did look a little similar to him, after all. And Nanako's hair was a similar color to Manami's who was the closest person Suguru had to a "right-hand woman". Suguru is sure Satoru had noticed at least that much. The boy could be intentionally daft sometimes but he was very perceptive when he wanted to be. Especially when it came to Suguru.
"Are you just gonna ignore me for the rest of the night or-" Suguru cuts him off with a kiss. God he missed this. Even though it's a quick, barely-there peck, Suguru savors every second of it, humming appreciatively at the taste of Satoru's lip gloss on his tongue- strawberry, his favorite. Satoru squawks indignantly, his cheeks flushing a pretty pink color that Suguru had only been able to dream of for the past seven years. Until now.
"Girls, escort your mother to the spa and help him get settled down. I'll join you after I freshen up." Suguru smiles at his girls, giving them both a forehead kiss and leaving them to take care of their mother. Ignoring Satoru's protests of "I'm not a mother!" and "Suguru you bastard!" Suguru sighs, his beloved really was such a handful at times.
He stands up and dusts off his Gojo-kesa, surveying the room full of monkeys who have been silently watching the whole exchange. Suguru glances at Manami and nods, a silent signal to get everyone cleared out for the night whilst he attended to someone who was actually important. He steps out of the main hall, looking like the definition of "cool, calm and collected" for all of about 5 seconds before he begins sprinting to the nearest bathroom. He didn't want to leave Satoru waiting for too long, especially since he had very nearly blown his chance with him whilst he was bawling his eyes out on the Karaoke stage. If he uses his Manta Ray, he will be able to make it from the main hall to the spa in a matter of seconds. But he has to make sure he looks presentable first. He had already screwed up his first chance with Satoru, he couldn't screw up the second.
"You can head back to your room now, girls. Don't stay up too late, okay?" Mimiko and Nanako nod, smiling at their father's genuinely contented expression. Suguru watches them scamper off, Mimiko waving her hand over her doll before she leaves, releasing Satoru from it's spell. Suguru eyes him appreciatively, making a mental note to thank the girls for helping prepare him so well. Satoru was dressed in a fluffy blue bathrobe that complimented the color of his eyes, his hair was pushed back with a soft white headband that had cute little cat-ears on it and his mouth was stuffed with mochi. God, Suguru's beloved is so damn cute!
Satoru removes the mochi from his mouth, chewing on the large small bite he had taken from it and glaring daggers at Suguru. Finally free of those girls' extremely uncomfortable cursed technique, he was able to move his limbs around freely. Suguru watches in amusement as Satoru scrunches his nose- probably debating whether or not to put up infinity. He seems to reach a decision after a few seconds and his face relaxes. Suguru tentatively reaches out to poke his cheek, earning a glare from the other man.
"Stop that."
"No." Suguru coos lovingly, continuing to poke and prod at his beloved's face. This may be the last time Suguru ever got to touch him again, and he'd be damned if he didn't use it to his full advantage.
"You didn't answer my question earlier."
"Hmm?"
"Why did you ask those- those... those gremlins to kidnap me?"
"I don't know what you're talking about."
"Yes you do! They came up to me and started harassing me in public. People thought I was some deadbeat who abandoned his kids!"
Suguru chuckled at that, running his fingers through his beloved's hair. It was still as soft as he remembered and he bet it smelled just as good, too. A dopey smile plays on Suguru's lips as Satoru rambles on and on about the girls harassing him. Suguru doesn't really listen to what Satoru is saying, too busy admiring his lover to even pay attention.
"And then they started calling me "mom" and asking me why I kept ditching you on date-night and asked if I found someone else which caused this old lady to start giving me the stink-eye. And then they asked me why I didn't want to come back home and this other old lady started-"
Suguru kisses him. Properly this time. A slow, deep, sensual kiss that catches Satoru off-guard and shuts him up in the middle of his yapping. It's okay, he could yap about how the girls terrorized him later, right now, though, he needed to be kissed and pampered and cherished and take his rightful place in Suguru's arms.
Suguru pulls away after a long time, licking his lips to collect any remnants he could of that delicious strawberry gloss. He raises his gaze from Satoru's lips to his eyes, taking in the way Satoru was flushed red, his pretty lips all wet and kiss-swollen and his tongue peeking out of his mouth ever so slightly. Suguru feels himself getting hard. He just wants to take him right there.
"Su-guru... you- I- we-" Satoru blinks, trying to regain his composure and force his kiss-dazed brain to form a coherent sentence.
"That... That was amazing." He whispers hoarsely after a few minutes of trying to find his voice. His mouth feels dry and he is definitely hyperventilating but damnit! it felt so good.
"It certainly was, love."
"... You still didn't answer my question."
Suguru sighs. He should've known one measly kiss wouldn't be enough to distract Satoru from the bigger issue at hand. Still, though, Satoru was still sitting with him and wasn't making any moves to run away or fight- so Suguru counted his blessings.
"What was the question, again?"
"Suguru!"
"Relax, Toru. I'm only teasing." Suguru chuckles. It was still so easy to rile his Toru up after all these years. Ah, that's right- Satoru wasn't his Toru anymore. At least, not for the time being. But he would be soon. Suguru would make sure of it.
Suguru inhales deeply, taking in the sight of his lover beneath the moonlight streaming in from the spa windows. That combined with the low lighting and candles cast Satoru in a sort of ethereal glow, making him look even more divine than usual. Suguru has to close his eyes to keep his thoughts from wondering, knowing that he needs to talk things out with Satoru first if he even wishes to spend hours admiring his beauty.
"Suguru?"
"I know. I'm just... thinking."
"About what?"
"Where to start."
"Well... the beginning seems like a good place."
"... you're right." Suguru smiles and opens his eyes, taking Satoru's hands in his own and staring into those beautiful, crystal-like baby blues of his. He swallows hard.
"I'm sorry."
"For?"
"For leaving you behind all those years ago."
"And?"
"And for not asking you to come with me."
"And?"
"And for not going after you sooner."
"And?
"And for allowing the girls to kidnap you."
"Hm... apology not accepted."
"... I deserve that."
"You do."
"Yeah..."
"Suguru-"
"It was the greatest mistake I've ever made. Leaving you, I mean." Suguru blurts out, unable to keep his thoughts to himself any longer. After years of his emotions and feelings being pent up and stored away inside him, he finally had a chance to confess all those unspoken words he wanted to say back then. He holds a hand up to prevent Satoru from interrupting him, closing his eyes and taking a deep breath before continuing.
"I was a fool, Toru. A dumb, idealistic fool. I thought- I thought I could do this without you. That... that I could reform Jujutsu Society without you. I- I just... you- you're so pure, Satoru. Pure like an angel. You have a good heart and your mind is in the right place. I didn't want to ruin that. I didn't want to taint that purity by being selfish and asking you to come with me. Because I know you would've done it in a heartbeat. You would've left it all behind just to be by my side And that's... God, Toru that's a future I could never have imagined for you back then. I didn't want you becoming a monster like me, I didn't want you staining your hands with the blood of those monkeys, and... and I still don't. But Toru... I've changed. All these years apart has made me selfish. And as much as there is a part of me that doesn't want to condemn you to this life... there is an even greater part that wants you all to himself. You once told me that my greatest fault was my selflessness and, you know what? You were right. You have always been right. But now... now I want to overcome that flaw. I want to be selfish for once, Satoru. I... I want to have my cake and eat it, too. I know I don't have any right to be asking you this- believe me, I know. But Toru... I need you. I need you to come back to me. I need you to be there to ground me and comfort me and scold me and love me and- God."
Suguru takes a deep shuddering breath, unaware that he had started crying until Satoru lifts his hand to thumb away a tear rolling down his cheek. Suguru leans into his touch, a bittersweet feeling settling in his stomach.
"I can't force you to join me and I definitely can't force you to follow my ideals. But just know I meant all the things I said in the messages and letters I sent you. If you do decide to stay with me then I'll make sure you're taken care of and I won't force you to kill any monkeys or expect you to start hating them overnight. I just want you, that's all." Suguru kisses Satoru's fingertips, gently holding his wrist and moving his hand down to rest on his chest, just above his heart.
"And if you don't decide to stay with me, then.. that's okay, too. Having you here with me again after so long, getting to touch you like this and kiss you and admire you... it- it'll be enough."
"Suguru..." Satoru stares at him, those bright azure gems shining in the dimly lit room, seeming to bore straight into the depths of his soul and analyze every part of him, breaking down every little detail and building it back up again. Satoru blinks... and then he laughs.
"We both know you're lying about that, you bastard. You got your own daughters to kidnap me. There's no ways you expect me to believe all that bullshit about 'not forcing me to stay'."
Fuck. Suguru mentally curses himself. He should've known that Satoru would've picked up on all his old tricks by now. Why on Earth did he think that sob-story spiel would work?
"I was really hurt when you left me, you know." Satoru says quietly, his laughter having quickly died down. Suguru blinks, he hadn't expected Satoru to actually be open about his feelings, especially after just calling him out on his bluff about giving him a choice to stay or leave. He wasn't complaining about it, though.
"At first I was really angry. I kept thinking 'why did he leave me so easily? Why couldn't he have spoken to me about it? Why didn't he ask me to come with him?' And then I started thinking that maybe you had finally realized what everyone else had a long time ago- that I just wasn't worth it." Suguru opens his mouth to interrupt, to protest, to yell at Satoru for ever thinking that in the first place because how dare he ever think that he 'wasn't worth it'. How dare he think that Suguru saw him as nothing more than a weapon like the rest of those lowlifes. How dare he think that- Satoru interrupts his thoughts with a sad smile, his thumb rubbing idle circles into the fabric of Suguru's robe (which he had changed into before arriving at the spa), his hand still resting on Suguru's heart. Suguru hopes that Satoru knows his heart only beats for him. He really, truly hopes.
"I went into this downwards spiral. I was upset with everyone and everything and I was upset with myself. I kept thinking I just... wasn't good enough. That I just, I dunno, had some sort of curse that made me drive away all the good people in my life." Oh how Suguru hated himself. He hated himself for making his love think like that. He wished he could time travel so he could go back to that day and stop himself from making the greatest mistake of his life. He would tell Satoru to come with him, beg if he had to. But he would make sure Satoru would be by his side and never have to experience any of those awful, awful feelings again. No, if Suguru had a time machine, he would go back to when him and Satoru were children. And he would make sure to find Satoru and shower him with all the love and happiness in the world and ensure that the young Satoru would grow up only ever experiencing love. Yes, that is what Suguru would do. He would prevent his soulmate from ever having to face all those negative thoughts and worries. Oh how Suguru wished he could go back.
"I got sort of better, though. I went into teaching at Jujutsu high- got a bunch of really talented students, too. And whenever those thoughts started to enter my head I kinda just... thought of you. It sounds silly since thinking of you was the reason for those thoughts in the first place but, like... I guess I would just remember the way you would scold me when we were still together and how you would always be reassuring me that you loved me and stuff and- and I could kinda pretend that it was real, y'know? God it sounds so pathetic now that I say it out loud but, I mean, you get the point I'm trying to make, right?"
Suguru shakes his head, not wanting Satoru to feel as though he hadn't been paying attention but also not wanting to lie to the man when they were finally having an honest, open conversation.
"You don't? Okay, well... it's sort of... See, when you started sending me those messages and presents and stuff, I first thought it was some sort of sick prank or something. I thought that maybe one of my students decided it'd be funny since they didn't know our history, or that the higher ups were maybe testing me for some reason- you get the idea. But then when I realized it was actually you, I... I didn't really know how to react. Reading all those messages and letters, getting all those gifts, finally communicating with you after years of silence- it was overwhelming, Suguru. In both a good and bad way." Satoru sighs, his eyes red-rimmed. He's not wearing his glasses, Suguru realizes. Satoru had likely lost them in his scuffle with the girls. Suguru raises his hands and pulls down the kitty-ear headband, letting it rest on top of Satoru's eyes as a makeshift blindfold. Satoru is startled for a split second but quickly adjusts to the feeling, lightly squeezing Suguru's chest in appreciation.
"I'm honestly still not sure how I feel about all of this, Suguru. Seeing you again after so long and sitting here with you like this as though nothing has happened... it's confusing. I'm confused and I don't want to be."
"What do you want, then, Toru?"
"..."
"..."
"..."
"Toru?"
"You."
"What?"
"I... I want you, Suguru. I want to be with you again. Jujutsu Society be damned."
"... Really?"
"Yeah."
"Oh."
"... yeah."
Suguru's eyes light up and he beams, grinning from ear-to-ear. He knows Satoru can see how elated he is even from beneath the headband covering his eyes but he honestly does not care. Of course, he did feel angry with himself for leaving his lover behind. And he also knew that Satoru had a lot more thoughts to express than he was currently letting on. And Suguru was definitely going to help his love deal with all of that later. Maybe he'd even ask one of the therapist-monkeys to give Satoru a private session, Suguru had been telling him to go for therapy since they were in first year (although he needs it a lot more now than he did back then). No matter, Suguru would sort out all the technicalities later. What mattered now was that Satoru wanted him. Satoru wanted him He wanted Suguru. He wanted to stay with Suguru. And Suguru would be damned if he didn't give his beloved what he wanted.