Chapter Text
She's on her way home from the corner mart when she sees him waiting in front of her apartment door. She wonders how he knew where she lived, how he got into the building, and, more importantly, what bug had crawled up his ass for him to think it was okay to show up on her doorstep when her footsteps slow down, her mouth slowly opening in a slow, horrified gasp.
Gojo's leaning against her door, bloodied and injured, as if barely able to hold himself up. If it weren't for his white hair and trademark blue eyes, she wonders if she would have recognised him.
"Took you fuckin' long enough," she hears him say gruffly. And that mouth. Of course, that trademark awful mouth. Perhaps, if nothing else, she would recognise that nasty mouth anywhere. The same mouth she had lo—
Yuki blinks. The only words that rush out of her mouth are, “What have you done to yourself?” He seems to have been waiting for her, and having finally seen her, his legs seem to give out because he is crumbling to the floor.
The bag of groceries slips from Yuki's fingers as she reaches towards him. Her hands barely grasp him. He runs through her fingers like sand as he slips to the ground. She kneels, her hands painted with red from where she had touched his uniform, the dark of it hiding the crimson successfully.
“Are you... What... Did you come here to die?” Yuki asks, horrified. She reaches out again to wrap her arms around his shoulders.
"Don’t tell anyone... Don’t...” He says before passing out. When Gojo collapses into her arms, and the initial shock subsides, Yuki realises she is touching Gojo... Completely touching him. Confused and horrified at what had just happened, her bag of groceries lay forgotten and abandoned, an orange rolling out and wandering down. How was she touching him? How? He always had his infinity on. What...What had happen—
"Onee-san, is this your orange?" A voice breaks her train of thought.
Hottaru. She doesn't even need to turn to know it's the five-year-old grandson of her neighbour, Mrs Matsumoto, which means she must be with him too. Perfect, just perfect. What a Saturday this was turning out to be! Yuki reaches into the pocket of her jeans, struggling to get to her keys, while she also supports Gojo. She finally decides to abandon him by pushing him against the door, freeing her arms to rummage through her pockets. Where on earth had she kept them?! Had she forgotten them somewhere?
"Onee-san!" Hottaru is now next to her, holding out an orange in his tiny arm. His eyes widen at the man propped against the door. Luckily, this is also the moment her fingers grasp around metal and feel the familiar shape of her keys press into the flesh of her fingers. Yes, she thinks as she pulls out the keys and thrusts the shortest one into the keyhole while she answers the impatient kid.
"Oh, Hottaru-kun, how lovely to see you. Thanks for the orange. I'll see you soon, yeah?" She says hurriedly as she throws the door of her apartment open. Unluckily for her, Gojo's body, which she had propped up against the door, falls back with a worrying thump. Three things happen simultaneously. Hottaru screams. Yuki gasps. And an older woman's voice asks what on earth is happening.
Yuki rushes to check if Gojo is okay. He is. Well, he is breathing. She looks up to see Hottaru is now tucked safely into his grandma's side, looking at Yuki with afraid and wide eyes. She remembers another pair of eyes once looking at her like that and cannot help the sharp pain that shoots through her heart.
She looks at the elderly woman, who is now looking at Yuki with suspicious eyes. “Oh, hi, Mrs. Matsumoto. Nice to see you. Sorry, yes, excuse me, my...yes, he’s drunk...very... Young people, yes, pish posh,” Yuki grunts as she drags Gojo's unconscious body into her apartment. Please don't leave a trail of blood, please don't leave a trail of blood, she prays while letting out a nervous chuckle. "I'll just get him out of the way."
"Dear, this is not a good sight. You should have a tighter leash on your boyfriend. Although, I suppose, it is good to know you do have one. A boyfriend, I mean." Mrs. Matsumoto's words grate on Yuki's nerves, and she would've corrected her at a better time, but for now, she is glad neither of them seemed to have seen any blood.
"Yes, Mrs. Matsumoto. A lesson for another time, definitely," Yuki says through gritted teeth as she deposits Gojo's body next to the shoe shelf, away from the door. She is about to shut the door when something stops her.
"Your bag of groceries," a little voice pipes up. Yuki shoots Hottaru a strained smile. "Thanks, I'll get that soon, too."
"I can help, nee-chan," Hottaru replies enthusiastically and starts picking up her fallen bag of groceries.
"You know your mom will be happy to know you're dating!" Mrs. Matsumoto chimes in unhelpfully. Yuki ignores her. Lord, could the woman not shut up?!
"Oh darling, thank you," Yuki says, reaching down to pet the child's head. "See you soon, okay? I'll come by, bye!" Yuki feels a little bad for how she snatches the bag of groceries from the child's hands and slams the door shut, but the feeling only lasts a few seconds, clouded over by much larger concerns, i.e., the half-dead man in her apartment.
She takes out her phone. "Aiko, I need help."