Chapter Text
Satoru Gojo was a bit more excited seeing you walk to the car than he anticipated. Of course, he was glad to have you join the trip, despite the circ*mstances which allow the opportunity. But there was something that confused him about the feeling he felt when you pushed open the front door of your building with a smile.
It was a feeling he was more familiar with in college, especially upon your first meeting at that house party.
He saw you from across the room as you clipped your hair out of your face before shuffling a deck of cards. You wore dark lip gloss that he eyed as he strolled over to you, sure it would have been smeared on his face by the end of the night. Instead, by the end of the night, those lips were open wide, hurling insults at him after he lost to you over and over in the game.
You two had an audience at that point, taking sides in the game and you clearly relished in the attention from your victory. Satoru was utterly captivated by you, now beyond just momentary desire. He brushed off some girls asking him to teach them the game and approached you on your victory lap.
“Haven’t you had enough?” Dark lips split into a triumphant smile.
“So you won’t give me your number?” Satoru leaned over you, returning a lazy smile. He was speaking of the bet you had going after your first game, which Satoru had lost, of course. Then best three out of five. Then five out of seven.
You took a sip from your drink, leaving gloss stains on the cup. “I do feel bad for you,” you began contemplatively. “Hm…”
“How about this?” Satoru began.
“Oh boy,” you cut him off, rolling your eyes at the mischievous gleam in his.
“If we happen to run into each other within the next,” he paused, feigning contemplation. “Week, you give me your number.”
You thought for a second. It was a large campus after all and the chances of seeing each other again so soon were low. Not that you would have minded.
“Deal.”
“See you around then, Ace,” Satoru said with a smirk. See you Monday, actually, he thought smugly. He realized about halfway through the games that you were the girl that sat a few rows in front of him in lecture, playing New York Times games the entire time.
The following Monday, Satoru slid in the seat beside you with his phone already open to a new contact card.
Your relationship had, of course, developed beyond that initial attraction into a bond he valued dearly. But sometimes, that feeling would be brought back. He brushed it off as you sat next to him, avoiding looking at your bare legs. It was probably just excitement about the trip.
He was enjoying his time, having forgotten his confusing blip of feelings. That is, until he saw your eyes on his fingers after Shoko’s comment. Suguru often told him, mostly in college, that you had feelings for him but Satoru never believed it. He thought you found him attractive, which would explain your reaction to his bouts of intense attention on you, as well as the times he catches you looking at him. But there was just no way you had actual feelings for him.
He decided to mess with you a bit, knowing that this would get you, even if most things did not seem to anymore. “Wanna see?” He asked, inches from your face. The ease in which he typically looked at you was noticeably absent and he felt the conscious effort in keeping eye contact and an easy smile. Why was he feeling nervous all of the sudden? You retorted, fueling him more before looking away to the window. He let out a shaky breath, what the hell was happening? Just as he relaxed, once again dismissing any oddities, you looked at him, hands mussing your windswept hair.
Satoru always thought you were attractive. For the years he had known you, that was an undeniable fact. But now… He wasn’t sure what it was but you were glowing. Your hair was blown in waves around your face, eyes clear and wide when meeting his. He, for the first time in his life, was at a loss for words. He dismissed your question and turned away, thoughts running rapidly through his mind.
So what if you looked really pretty just then? He’s not blind, obviously. He can notice his friend looking good, it’s really not a big deal. Like, art can be pretty. But thinking that doesn’t mean you have to buy it and display it in your home. Okay, bad example. The sentiment makes sense though. He just wasn’t used to you looking so free, untethered by the anxiety of your work.
That’s all it is.
He tried thinking back to the last time you met with the other three, the day you were fired. He recalled his gaze lingering on you a moment longer than normal as you turned around to let everyone in. Your hair was wet and curling around your face and you wore an outfit similar to today’s. Suguru nudged Satoru teasingly as they both walked in, to which Satoru shoved him and shook his head. They were here to comfort you after something horrible, not watch a drop of water fall from your hair onto your collarbone. Down your shirt …
“Y/n,” Suguru began, startling Satoru out of his thoughts. “How’s the dating scene looking for you?”
You let out a dramatic sigh. “Well, I haven’t really had the time explore it much. Although, I did go on a date with some guy my neighbor set me up with a few weeks ago.”
“How was it?” Satoru asked, still gazing out the window, hyperaware of making his voice sound as nonchalant as possible.
“I couldn’t see it going any further but it was good fun for a night.”
Shoko turned to look at you. “When you say good fun…”
You laughed and covered your face, feigning embarrassment, “Don’t judge me, okay? It had been a while.”
“You slept with him?” Suguru asked, surprised.
“What is the big deal?” You said defensively. “You guys sleep around constantly. Satoru is literally the biggest slu*t ever.”
Suguru and Shoko murmured their agreements while you turned to look at Satoru, smiling still. He had not turned away from the window. His jaw was tight and he felt irritated. Does she need to share that she slept with someone? I don’t get why that information can’t be kept to herself.
He closed his eyes and rubbed his forehead, a more hypocritical thought has never been formed. He really needs to pull himself together.
“What can I say?” He turned around with a casual shrug.
You blinked at him. “That’s it? I was waiting for some ‘biggest slu*t, biggest dick’ type comment.”
Satoru fake yawned, “It’s been done, I’m all about new ideas here.”
“Here’s a new idea, you keep your mouth closed,” Shoko called from in front of him.
Satoru pouted and flicked the back of her head.
“You should download an app,” Shoko said.
“To keep my mouth shut?” Satoru joked.
She shot him a withering glare. “I’m talking to y/n. A dating app.”
“Oh, I’m not sure,” you said. “I really don’t think it will be successful for me.”
“Yeah, that’s a stupid idea,” Satoru snipped.
Shoko turned fully to look at him, amused expression that he did not quite understand. “Why’s that?”
“Dating apps are just dumb and a waste of time. Y/n isn’t gonna meet the love of her life swiping through Tinder,” he said passionately. Shoko shot a pointed look towards you now, prompting you to roll your eyes.
Satoru cleared his throat, “I just feel like people always complain about them. Especially women.” He tried backtracking his inexplicable fervor on the subject.
“Our expert on women has spoken,” Shoko said, causing you to laugh. “But it doesn’t have to be a serious thing. You can just get out there or use it for certain things.”
“Sex!” Suguru said encouragingly. Satoru clenched his jaw, not wanting to venture into a conversation about your sex life. It’s not like he cared much, it would just be uncomfortable.
“I’ll think about it,” you said contemplatively.
“Anyway, where are we going to eat?” Satoru asked, relaxing the tension in his face.
Conversation lulled as the four of you drifted into a comfortable silence. Satoru felt like he woke up on a rollercoaster he couldn’t get off from. You decided to sleep for a bit until Suguru pulled over for lunch. You took your seatbelt off to bend over the seatback and reach down into the trunk for your pillow. Satoru kept his gaze fixed firmly ahead, paying particular attention to each road sign to keep his mind from wandering. Holy sh*t, is she making a pillow back there or something? This is taking forever.
Finally, you found your pillow and curled your legs up next to you, leaning the pillow against your window. Satoru decided to play a game on his phone to pass the time, passively aware of you constantly adjusting in his peripheral. You switched positions and placed the pillow against the car door, slouching your back against it, facing Satoru now. You swung your legs up onto the seat again, bending them a bit so your feet lay against Satoru’s legs. Finally, you closed your eyes and leaned into the seat, still adjusting your legs a bit.
Satoru studied you, watching your eyebrows scrunch slightly as you tried to find the perfect position. He sighed, setting his game down and grabbing your ankles. Your eyes shot open at the touch of his skin on yours as he pulled your legs across his lap, letting them stretch fully. You raised your eyebrows at Satoru as if expecting some comment or joke but he just looked at you, another unreadable expression. You smiled and closed your eyes again, more peaceful now. Satoru turned away, covering his face slightly with one hand.
He then rested his hands on your calves and continued to play his phone game. His pinky brushed back and forth slightly against your skin and he snuck a glance at you to see your head hanging down into your neck, chin pressed against your collar. Your hair draped down your face in waves, obscuring most of your features. Satoru glanced up at the gentle lull of conversation between Shoko and Suguru before deciding he would sleep as well.
He put his phone down and hesitated for a second before resting his hands back on your calves once again. Your leg flexed briefly and he looked up at you, still not stirring. You both were very touchy people; this was nothing out of the ordinary. There were definitely plenty of times before in which you rested your legs on him. It really was not a big deal. If anything, it was completely normal. Completely.
Despite this, he cleared his throat and shifted his hands, crossing one arm across his body and resting his head on the other hand. His arm still rested on your calf but he let out a slight exhale at the mundanity of this touch.
He really needed a nap, to clear his head if nothing else.
