Chapter Text
Suguru mused that there was always something that binded them together. As he walked, he arrived at the gymnasium where Satoru trains in his sport, swimming. Swimming is widely recognized as a favored activity, and its competitive nature makes it one of the most popular sports globally. Satoru is one of the athletes well-known throughout Japan; without his striking appearance and record-breaking achievements, the small town of Kamura might have been forgotten.
With 20,000 or so residents, Kamura was a small town close to the nation's western shore. People didn't consider changing the city's current state because it had the charm of the 1990s. The way people lived there made the teenagers feel as though they were trapped in the 1990s. However, Kamura isn't as horrible as it first appears; it's always quiet, serene, and tranquil.
Tire swings in everyone's backyard, traditional Japanese homes with a touch of Western flair, and the beach right next to the neighborhood high school—it's not as horrible as it sounds.
Suguru enjoyed living here rather than in Tokyo, which seemed busy to him. But because nothing changes in this town, he felt isolated somehow. Satoru shares the same feeling, preferring to be praised in this town or the next every day, rather than being treated as an ordinary Tokyo resident.
Suguru paused to look at the Olympic-sized pool, where Satoru was running laps. Suguru watched Satoru swim; his strokes were so elegant, as though he were one with the water. For at least an hour, Suguru continued to observe Satoru while recording specifics on Satoru's swimming technique in his small notebook.
Satoru completed his laps, and Suguru got up to go. He had been watching Satoru for years, ever since Satoru began swimming, before they turned into rivals and enemies, so it wasn't anything new for him. However, Suguru seemed to view Satoru as a comrade who got away rather than an opponent or competition.
They were inseparable as children. Although they grew up together, Satoru was inspired by those children who caused harm to others when he started middle school. Suguru's inability to fight or strike back led Satoru to believe that he was weak.
After that, he began to harass Suguru with his so-called “friends.” They were unable to hold an appropriate conversation after middle school without making fun of one another.
Since they are both in their final year of high school, they have stopped communicating with one another to prevent conflicts and prevent physical contact, yelling, and swearing.
Suguru was okay with that because he would rather not be yelled at every day. However, he also misses practically everything about Satoru, including the way he teases him and says his name.
Today marked the beginning of their first semester, and it has already felt like torture. Numerous assignments, projects, and performance tasks were assigned to them.
Suguru questioned whether this was the true sentiment of seniors, particularly prior to graduation.
He pondered whether he would attend Waseda University in Tokyo or their institution here. He had always wanted to study in Tokyo, but something was keeping him from doing so. He watched Satoru finish his laps and then got up to go home. He pondered what, in all honesty, would occur if Satoru never reconnected with his middle school "friends." As soon as he arrived at his residence, he hurried upstairs to snooze.
When the following day finally came, Suguru awoke to his mother shouting, "Suguru Geto! You're late, so get up now before I kick your ass!””
Suguru checked the time after waking up; it was 6:30 am, which is when he usually leaves. He was shocked, and his eyes widened. What had happened to his nap? He got eleven hours of sleep!
"Mom! How come you didn't wake me up?" Angrily, he inquired, "I thought you set an alarm? That doesn't matter, though, so go ahead and prepare! Rather than walk, take the car! "." Suguru rolled his eyes and then changed into his school uniform, just like he always did.
He parked far away from his school since he didn't want to attract any notice. He walked more quickly than usual to get to his classroom, and he arrived on time. After putting the bag beneath his chair, he sighed with relief and remained silent until Satoru and his friends made the decision to approach him.
"Hey Suguru, how are you? Would you mind telling me what happened? Normally, you woudn't be this late." Since he was also Suguru's friend, he chose to respectfully respond when one of Satoru's friends inquired. "I kind of woke up late; I ended up taking my car so that I would catch up to class!" Suguru then smiled at him and then proceeded to write in his little notebook.
"Hey, nerd. What are you writing down?" When Suguru heard this, he was shocked. Honestly, those words came from a person Suguru never expected to ask; it was Satoru. He curiously asked Suguru something that didn’t start an argument; he asked politely, not the kind of tone he usually uses to talk with someone, but rather a soft one.
Suguru got flustered, then answered with a smile, saying, “About school, what else?” Satoru looked at him, then shyly replied, “Cool...” His friends were shocked by this, but it’s no wonder Satoru would stutter at Suguru’s words; Suguru was the town’s sweetheart. And Satoru Gojo, meanwhile, was the town’s rascal, pride, and joy.
After their conversation, Suguru let out a flustered smile; he was so happy that Satoru talked to him. As each class passed by, it came to Suguru’s favorite subject, psychology. Studying psychology helped him understand the people around him more, and one of the reasons he also liked studying this topic is because his favorite teacher was the subject teacher, Mr. Yaga.
He honestly preferred Mr. Yaga teaching to any other mentors of his. When Mr. Yaga arrived, Suguru was quick to greet him, and his mentor smiled at him.
“So class, this semester we will focus more on how the community around the person affects its behavior. So, we’ll have a long-term project that will basically be the grading system of this class. I will be pairing you all up, and both of you will be required to bond together at least once a week. This will help you because I will be partnering you with someone that is the complete opposite of your behavior. I will begin to announce who will be paired up.”
This eventually made Suguru nervous—someone that’s the complete opposite of him? That’s no one other than Satoru Gojo. No, this can’t be happening... Suguru thought to himself, but he decided to stay positive; there were plenty of other people that could be Satoru’s partner.
As soon as Mr. Yaga started to announce the pairings, Suguru became observant of how his mentor picked each of the pairings. “Yu Haibara and Kento Nanami, Utahime Iori and Shoko Ieiri, Takumi Satō and Itsuki Hashimoto—“ Yaga continued until the last 3; there were only 6 more people that were Suguru’s possible partners, and one of them was Satoru Gojo.
” Kenji Watanabe and Aoi Ikeda, Sousuke Yamazaki and Rin Matsouka, and then last but not least, Satoru Gojo and Suguru Geto. These will be the pairings, and no. I don’t take any objections.” Suguru was expecting this to happen, so it wasn’t that surprising to him. But he did feel a bit disappointed since he wanted someone better for Satoru; just as Suguru was thinking to himself, Satoru stood up and then cursed at his mentor.
”The fuck do you mean he’s my partner?! You made a mistake! We’re not supposed to be partners! Change mine! I fucking hate him! He’ll just distract me from my fucking priorities!” Suguru was shocked by this but didn’t do anything about it; Satoru was known for using violent words, even at those who are older than him.
“Excuse me, Gojo? This was what I was talking about in class; see the difference between these two? Suguru chose to stay calm, but Satoru, on the other hand, is violent about how I chose for them to partner up. Anyways, what the fuck are you yelling for? Aren’t you childhood friends?” Yaga replied back, with his other eyebrow raised up.
“I don’t care! Just change it-" Satoru’s sentence was cut off by Suguru’s sudden action. “Satoru-kun! It’s fine! After this semester, I’ll just stop bothering you! I won’t ever look or talk to you again; just let Mr. Yaga partner us up! It’s just this semester!” Suguru then looked down and held his pants with a tight grip. He was about to cry because he thought he was the one that started this problem.
Satoru then looked at Suguru with a satisfied look and then sat back down with his legs on his desk. “Very well, Young Geto. Now, the project will start next week.” Suguru’s response to Satoru’s curses made Yaga smile.
After the last subject, Suguru then packed his bags and proceeded to say his goodbyes to his classmates, just like how he normally would; but this time, he said it with a heavy heart. He couldn’t handle his emotions right now; he was upset with how Satoru acted.
The way Satoru acted made Suguru feel like Satoru was embarrassed of him. He wanted to cry so bad, yet he just couldn’t. Just not at this school; it’s already embarrassing as it is. He walked past the open pool, where Satoru practices. He didn’t think to stop and watch Satoru practice; he was angry at him.
Satoru noticed Suguru leaving and chased after him. “Hey nerd! You’re not stopping to watch me practice today?” Satoru asked him with a confused look; Suguru decided to ignore him. But he was actually surprised and embarrassed; he never knew that Satoru was secretly taking glances at him while he was practicing.
“Hey! Are you deaf or something? ” Satoru added he was slightly annoyed since Suguru ignored him.
Satoru then poked him several times before Suguru gave up. “What is your problem?! Leave me alone, Satoru-kun! ”,
Satoru was shocked by this; he let out a chuckle and then said, “I never thought you’d say something like that; you’re pathetic. Anyways, why won’t you watch me? You’d always sit down and watch me swim every time it’s dismissal. When are we hanging out, you idiot?”
Suguru looked at Satoru and replied, ”As if you’d even come, you make me sound like I’m boring… It’s up to you; now leave me alone. I hate you.”
Satoru looked at Suguru, then let out a smirk. “I’ll just message you! See ya later, nerd!” Satoru walked off and then headed back to his training.
Suguru thought to himself, what the actual fuck… Why would Satoru talk to him like they were friends? Why would he talk like nothing’s happened between them?. This made him much more upset. What’s this confusing feeling? It made him feel sick; what the hell?
The entire walk to his car, he felt upset and angry. He can’t handle the emotions he’s dealing with right now.
As soon as he got in his car, his vision got blurry. Tears were streaming down from his face; he sobbed. Suguru couldn’t understand the emotions he was having right now; he was letting out everything he had kept. He didn’t move and just stayed in his position; he was still crying. He didn’t feel like he had to go home, so he kept crying until he eventually stopped.
After his breakdown, he noticed a tall, masculine figure walking in his direction. No, it can’t be… Satoru? As soon as Suguru spotted him, he turned on the engine and then stepped on the accelerator. He was scared to let Satoru see him in this state. Suguru was glad that Satoru didn’t think to chase him; he felt relieved.
Suguru was met by his mother when he arrived home. His mother inquired, "You're home already, Suguru?" because she knew he wouldn't typically arrive this early.
He thought, "Yeah, I didn't think to stop by to watch Satoru practice." He hurried to his room to dodge his mother's next inquiry since he knew she would ask it.
She repeated, "Wait Suguru, did you two have an argument?" since she was aware that Suguru would behave in this way if they got into a quarrel.
Suguru became irritated with his mother and responded, "Gosh, Mom, I can't really avoid this question, can I? We didn't; it's just because I had a hard time during psychology class. Now, may I be excused to go upstairs?"
"Are you going to eat, Suguru?" his mother inquired after he had laughed. He quickly said, "No, I'm not hungry tonight. But I did finish my lunch."
"That's great, thank you for reminding me. You may head upstairs now; I will do the laundry. Do you need anything washed?" inquired his mother.
He said, "Yeah, I'll just leave it outside my room, Mom. Thank you, and could you please iron my uniform?" His uniform had just come from the laundry and he wanted it pressed.
To avoid a panic the next morning, she cautioned him, "Sure, Suguru, don't wake up late tomorrow." Suguru simply gave her a nod before heading upstairs.
He arrived at his room and sighed deeply. On his bed, he reclined and gazed at the ceiling. Later, perhaps, Toru-kun will message me. Is my number still with him? I'm hoping he does, but if not... He'll most likely simply forget about it after that."Haa... I hope he remembers." Suguru turned to the wall and slept out gradually.
A mild tapping on his bedroom window woke him awake, and he was alarmed because he thought it may be a burglar. As soon as he opened the window, he cautiously picked up his bat and was ready to hit.
He was startled to find Satoru there when he did. Holding Satoru's chest, he said, "What the fuck, Satoru?! You scared me; what's wrong with you?!" "What are you doing here, Satoru? It's past 10pm! I was sleeping, you know!" Suguru asked him after Satoru had laughed and gone into his bedroom.
Satoru looked at Suguru and said, "Well, I haven't got your number. I came here to get it, and to talk about our plans." Suguru was left perplexed and flustered.
Suguru said, "Why would you come here? We have school tomorrow, you should've just waited and asked at class."
Satoru responded, "So? Just tell me what our plans are, and most importantly, give me your number. Now to fucking start, since it's only once or at least twice a week, you should just come to watch me practice." Satoru shared his thoughts,
but Suguru quickly responded, "What do you mean? We need to have interactions and conversations for the project! It's what the project about you know?"
Satoru asked, "Oh, is that so? Does that mean you want to spend more time with me? Suguru you make me blush!" He joked, knowing that Suguru would become irritated. Suguru smacked Satoru on the head and reasoned, "What do you mean?! I—I don't mean it like that! We just need it for our grades! And Mr. Yaga said that it should not be at our school!".
"Ouch, that hurts, you damned nerd! Anyways, leave it to me, you fucking dork. And type in your number already; I need to be somewhere." Satoru said. He handed Suguru his phone so he could add his number to his contacts. Suguru entered his phone number in. Curious, he said, "Where do you need to be?" "Why do you need to know? You dumbass, you're not that innocent. You know damn well what I'm talking about."
Satoru walked out of Suguru's window after teasing him and grabbing his phone. As he headed to his car, Satoru yelled, "Hey, I need to go! Next week, you fucking nerd! Plus, classes are cancelled tomorrow! You fucking dumbass!" He gave a loud honk before heading north.
After their conversation, Suguru smiled. He felt happy since Satoru thought to come by at his house just to ask for his number; he knew damn well that it was forced since it was for their project. But he felt relieved that Satoru at least thought of him, even though things between them aren't that good. He chuckled as he lay down on his bed. He knew there was something happening between them.
Suguru showed up for class the next week and took a seat at his desk. He observed how difficult it was for his classmates to keep up with the assigned tasks. Since he was obviously the one in dire need of assistance, he went up to Haibara. He asked Haibara if he needed assistance, saying, "Hey Haibara, are you good there? You seem pretty frustrated with mathematics. Do you need help?" Haibara thought, "WAHH! Suguru-chan, I really need help! This is so hard; please guide me!" He abhors mathematics more than any other topic. Suguru sensed someone glaring at them both as he was instructing Haibara.
Haibara approached Suguru to express gratitude after school. Haibara said, "Suguru-chan, you're such a lifesaver! Thanks to you, I got to understand it better now!" before pursuing Nanami.
He purchased Pocari Sweat for Satoru as it was time to see him practice. Satoru isn't using the indoor pool for practice this time.
Suguru entered the outdoor pool where he was practicing without thinking to disturb Satoru. He put the Pocari Sweat next to Satoru's duffel bag and took a seat on one of the benches. After that, he pulled out his notepad and began to write about Satoru's methods, concentrating on how Satoru practiced his correct strokes.
There was a pleasant summer wind and bright conditions that afternoon. It had the perfect temperature—neither too hot nor too chilly. Suguru glanced in front of him and noticed the stunning sunset; it was perfect. Satoru swimming and the sunset made for a breathtaking sight.
Satoru had completed his exercise as Suguru's eyes were fixed on the sunset. He climbed and approached Suguru seated on the bench.
"Is this Pocari for me?" Despite already knowing the answer, Satoru inquired.
Suguru wrinkled his brows at him before saying, "Who do you think it is for?".
"Haibara."Satoru mumbled and rolled his eyes. Suguru looked at him confused while Satoru avoided his eyes; he knew damn well he was in trouble. "Say what now? Toru?" Suguru chuckled after asking him; he knew damn well what he said. "Nothing, you fucking idiot." Satoru cursed at him while Suguru burst out laughing.
Silence filled the atmosphere after Suguru's laughter; both of them needed it. They looked deep into the sunset; it was magnificent. Suguru took off his hair bun and let his hair roam freely instead; the summer breeze blew his hair, and he looked majestic. Satoru looked at him and then looked back at the sun. "Hey, Satoru. Do you mind if I get going now? I need to finish the assignments; they're due tomorrow," Suguru asked. He took his bag and walked away.
Satoru wanted to say something at least, but he said nothing. Though he was too ashamed, it was on the tip of his tongue. Before Suguru left through the gate, he finally found the strength to speak. "I'll take you to your house nerd, or else your mom would kill me."
Suguru laughed as he turned around and said, "Okay, let's go. What are you waiting for?" to Satoru.
Satoru was quick to follow Suguru, he opened his car door and then came in. Before he started driving, he took out his speaker and then started playing Impacto by Enjambre.
Suguru was fine listening to this song since he also liked it, he knew what the lyrics meant. It was suitable for the song. Unable to bear the silence between the two of them, Suguru decided to start a conversation. "I never thought you'd listen to something like this." He chuckled.
"Shut up you damned nerd, it's getting to the good part." Satoru replied back, and looked ahead the road while staying quiet. Suguru's cheeks got red and looked away, he got embarrassed. They both stayed quiet while the chorus played.
No me mires con esos ojos
Me deslumbras,(que me) me derrumbas
No me mires con esos ojos (porque)
Me derrites (que me), me trasmites
As the song gradually ended, they got closer to Suguru's house. As they reached his house, Suguru went out and grabbed his things, he smiled at Satoru and thanked him for the ride. Satoru smirked and rolled his eyes before honking to leave.
Suguru went inside and then greeted his mother; the conversation went the same as always. "Are you hungry?' His mother asked; he was quick to reply that he wasn't. He went to his room afterward and did his homework. While doing his homework, he was thinking of what happened during the time he spent with Satoru. We.. actually had a pretty normal conversation the entire time... The hangout today was probably enough, and Mr. Yaga saw us sitting across each other... I think we won't be needing to spend more time with each other this week.
Or so he believed. Suguru woke up the next Friday night to find someone in his room. He was taken aback because it wasn't the person he was expecting. Suguru was awakened by Satoru. As though he wasn't the cause, Satoru said to him, "Oi, nerd. The fuck did you get so scared of?" Suguru held his chest and said, "To-Toru-kun! You dumbass! That's the second time! How the fuck did you get in!?"
"By your window you dumbass. You left it wide open." Satoru replied quickly, he looked at Suguru and let out a small laugh.
"Seriously, Toru. You need to stop going into my window, or anybody else's. And what are you doing here anyways?" Suguru replied irritated, he hit Satoru on the back of his head then folded his arms.
"Ouch! Isn't it obvious? I'm sneaking you out." Satoru looked at him with a furrowed brow, while holding the back of his head.
"W-what?! No, you can't! Mom will get angry if she finds out!" Suguru responded quickly without hesitating.
Satoru looked at him and rolled his eyes, "That's why we're not telling her, plus she won't even know!".
"Where are you even sneaking me off to?" Suguru inquired.
"Somewhere I go to sometimes, now get your ass moving! Just follow my steps so that you won't fall!" Satoru responded as he walked back outside the window, stepping on the branches cautiously as he approached the ground, then jumping. He demonstrated the proper technique for descending, and Suguru was able to do so without incident.
They both got into the car, and Satoru took Suguru to a grassfield with a brilliant sky before driving out to some areas of Kamura that aren't often visited. The village of Kamura had no light pollution, thus at night the stars would shine as brilliantly as ever. Satoru put down his speaker and started playing ABBA's Super Trouper while they laid down in the center of the field.
The melody felt soothing as it began to play. Everything about being with Satoru seemed right, both the music and the scenery. Suguru wished every night was like this, lost in thought. Suguru, however, was intrigued by what Satoru was actually doing and wondered why he would act in this way. Was he spending the most of this semester for Suguru? Is Satoru only acting in this way to get Suguru to stop bothering him at the end of this semester? Suguru wished this semester would go longer since he would rather spend most of his time with Satoru without arguing or insulting one another.
"Satoru." Suguru called out his name.
"What do you need?" Satoru was quick to answer and he turned his head to Suguru.
"The moon is beautiful tonight, isn't it? Satoru?" Suguru said while his eyes were focused on the moon, unaware of what his mouth was spouting.
"Yeah, it is..." Satoru responded; he was dumb as fuck. He doesn't know what it actually meant.
Suguru gave Satoru a quick glance before laughing at him, making sure his chuckle was as soft as possible to avoid upsetting him. They lay there together for around three hours. They lie there listening to tunes, chatting about some things, and making fun of each other during that period. Following that, Satoru showed Suguru some of Kamura's less-traveled spots. They argued about the greatest ice cream flavor and discussed other pointless subjects.
After another hour or so, Satoru took him back to his house.
"Bye Toru! Thank you!" Suguru thanked him as he got back up on his room.
Satoru smiled at him, saying-
"See you at school, nerd."