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The sweltering rays of the sun shine down on your back as you tug your luggage into your apartment. You were moving into your student housing for the school year, but it was different from before. You were gonna be living with your best friend, Satoru. Your apartment was a 2-bedroom, with the rooms being across the hall from each other. Walking through the door, you’re greeted with the smell of food and the sound of someone bustling around. You drop your bags near the couch and slip off your shoes as you head into the kitchen. Walking through, you notice pictures of you and Satoru had already been put up; it was a sign that your best friend has arrived. Turning the corner of the kitchen, you make eye contact with a guy who strangely looked like your friend, but there was no way it could have been him. This stranger had the same white hair as him, but a red snapback covered it. He was also absolutely shredded, abs poking through the white shirt he wore, biceps bursting through the sleeves. Another reason why you knew it wasn’t your best friend was that he was missing a key item, his glasses. That man couldn’t see a thing without them, and he wouldn’t be caught dead without them. The stranger smiles widely before calling your name.
“Okay, who are you and how do you know my name?” You ask, looking around the apartment for hidden cameras, because this just had to be a prank. The stranger laughs before moving towards you, causing you to move backwards.
“Alright, you’ve had your fun. It’s me, it’s Satoru.” He gestures towards himself. Crossing your arms, you circle him, your feet switching from the plush carpet of the living room to the cold tile of the kitchen. You analyze his hair, his posture, and his clothes before rounding back to the front. It just couldn’t be Satoru; everything about him was too different. Your Satoru wouldn’t wear a hat like that, nor would he be caught without his glasses. He was also pretty scrawny, with lean muscle, a drastic change from how full they were now. His demeanor had also changed; he stood straighter, no longer slouching. He also exuded a clear sense of confidence, whereas before he exuded nervous energy. “If you’re Satoru…prove it.”
You can tell you’re annoying him, as he rolls his eyes and puts his cooking utensils down. “I know that freshman year you threw up-” He’s caught off guard when you run to hug him. You jump into his arms, a move that would’ve previously made him stumble, but instead, he lifts you off the ground and holds you tight. “Welcome back to campus, bubs.” You bury your face into his neck at the sudden nickname usage. Your coily hair bounces against his face as he hugs you tighter. “I missed you, Toru!” You pull away from the hug, registering that you’re quite high in the air. “I’m also missing the earth, by the way.” He scoffs before setting you down on the ground safely. He follows you back to the front, where he grabs your luggage for you to take to your room. You swallow a remark about him being able to carry three suitcases and a duffel bag on his own, when, before he left, he could barely handle two.
“So something big obviously happened this summer?” You say, trying to approach the topic of his change casually. He drops the suitcases on the floor as you look around your room. It’s bigger than the dorms you had the last couple of years, but it’s still nothing compared to your room at home. “Let’s talk over dinner, I’m gonna let you get to unpacking.” He says, walking out of your room and closing the door behind him.
One thing you’ve come to learn about your apartment is that it gets hot. Like pits of hell hot. You’ve changed into a sports bra and Nike shorts. You’re putting up your posters when there’s a knock on your door. “Come in!” You yell out as you try to hold up the poster to tape it to the wall. Satoru swallows hard at your sudden appearance, before making his way across the room to hold the poster up for you. You’ve never been so grateful that he’s six foot three, before in your life. He helps you down off the chair youd been standing on, observing how quickly your room changed in an hour and a half. Your bed has light-blue sheets and a white comforter to match. Your Sanrio plushies and squishmallows align themselves in front of your pillows, while pictures of you and friends fill the walls. The poster he had been helping you put up was of an anime you two had been watching together. He laughs at the poster as you give him an odd look. “What?”
“You still watch that stuff?”
“Yeah, why wouldn’t I?”
“I just thought you would’ve moved on, and that’s all. Let’s eat.” You frown as you follow him out of the room to the living room. Your apartment did not have a separate dining room; it had only a small table with two chairs in the corner. He’s placed two bowls of ravioli on the table with two forks resting right by them. Sitting down in the chair, you don’t give him a moment to eat before questioning him about his drastic change. He leans back in his chair, giving you a clear view of his bobbing Adam’s apple. You swallow hard, going to take a bite of the ravioli he made.
“This summer, I started hanging out with dad’s business friends’ sons. We went to the gym, shopping, partying, a bunch of cool dudes.” He shrugs, cracking his neck. You had forgotten that his dad was a super important business guy. You didn’t remember exactly what he did, but you were happy that Satoru had branched out and made other friends. However, something pricked inside you that a summer with these guys had caused such a drastic change. “So what, you’re this huge gym rat now?” You ask, stirring the pasta around in the bright red sauce. He laughs at your comment, then stands and grabs some water bottles from the kitchen. “Something like that.” You stay still for a second, mesmerized by his bright white smile. You two eat your dinner in comfortable conversation, updating each other about how your summers went. You were a bit ashamed of how your summer went compared to his. He went to a crazy number of parties, which caught you completely off guard, since he had hated going out before. You had to beg and plead with him to go out on Halloween; now he was talking about going out on a random Wednesday. His phone was filled with a crazy amount of pictures of parties, illuminated by neon lights, some of which he was even on stage with the DJ!
“One summer away from me and you’re like a total frat guy.” You scoff, pushing your bowl away. If you had been paying attention, you would’ve seen his smile drop slightly. “Also, where are your glasses? You seriously caved and got contacts?” He quickly picks up the smile as you turn to question him. “They broke this summer, and I finally came to the conclusion that it would be better to wear contacts.” You pout, remembering how his glasses made his blue eyes look bigger; it was cute. He takes your bowls into the kitchen and begins washing them as you collapse onto the couch. “So I take you’re probably going to the gym tomorrow?” You ask as you shuffle through Netflix.
“Yeah! I skipped today to move in.” His voice yells out from the kitchen. You settle on watching JoJos, since the last you remembered, Satoru was still on part 3 and needed to catch up to you. He plops down on the couch and groans, seeing what you selected. “What?”
“You’re still watching this stuff.”
“Yeah, we talked about it in the room. Did you pass this part?”
“No, I gave up on that anime stuff, let’s watch a movie or something.” He takes the remote out of your hand and turns on a movie you both have watched a thousand times, Into the Spider-Verse. You lean on his shoulder as you both get comfortable on the couch. The heat has settled, and your apartment has cooled considerably. Fairy lights illuminated the halls as you watch Miles and Peter swing across the wintry trees. As a serene moment continues, there’s still a weight of unaddressed tension weighing on your soul.
By the time the movie credits roll, he’s asleep and snoring at that. You lift your head and poke him on the shoulder, “Satoru?” He was always a deep sleeper, so you’re not shocked that he doesn’t wake up from a small tap. Resorting to shaking him awake, he jumps up before glaring at you, “What the fuck?” You flinch backwards at the swear. He never swore, at least in front of you, that is. He had always used substitutes for curse words, like shoot, freak, or an occasional darn. His stare burns a hole in your face as you motion towards your eyes. “Your contacts.” He rolls his eyes before standing off the couch. He snatches his phone off the coffee table and heads to your bathroom. The night you fall asleep thinking about how much your best friend has truly changed. Memories of how he was before flood your brain and dreams, as you drift off to sleep.
You’re pulled out of a rather dreamless sleep, awoken by a thudding pounding on your door. Stifling a groan, you open the door as Gojo is brushing his teeth. He’s already dressed, sporting a white tank top with athletic shorts. The only thing missing is a pair of shoes. His eyes travel down your body as he takes in your pajamas, an oversized shirt, and underwear. “What?” You say, making his eyes shoot up from your silky thighs back to your face. Pushing your bonnet out of your face, you wait for a response, leaning against your door frame.
“I’m going to the gym in an hour. You wanna come?” He asks as he walks back to the bathroom.
“Yeah, hurry up so I can shower!” You yell as you gather your workout clothes. Your phone buzzes with texts from your girlfriends. (input text here?) You send them a picture of your room before texting them about your plans. A knock on your doorframe alerts you to Satoru’s presence. “Okay,” You say, your back still facing him. Unbeknownst to you, his eyes travel down your body to your butt, where your shirt has allowed him a view of your back area. He quickly averts his eyes when you turn around to not seem like a creep or a pervert. Satoru excuses himself to the kitchen to fill your water bottles. Placing ice in both containers, he can hear the shower running. He rubs his hands over his face as he tries to control himself. He would be blind and a fool not find you attractive. Your coils framed your face, dark skin often shining in both the sun and moonlight. Your big eyes, filled with happiness and excitement every time you found something you thought he’d be interested in. Satoru groans, thinking about your body and how you were so comfortable around him that you wore a lot of revealing clothes. It is gonna be a long year of living together, he tells himself.
Thirty minutes later, you emerge from your bedroom, dressed in a periwinkle bra and shorts, with a white jacket on top. He gulps loudly, covering it up with a large cough. Your breasts are popping out subtly out of the bra, and the way the shorts highlight your thighs. He hands you your water bottle before grabbing his car keys from the hook. His car is very nice; he gets it detailed and washed regularly, treating it like a baby. Adding on to a list of his weird and off behavior, he doesn’t open the door for you, like he usually does. You brush it off, get in the car yourself, buckle in, and reach for the radio to change the station. He playfully swats your hand away, “Nuh uh, we’re listening to my music.” The car ride is short, your apartment is in a good area, near many food spots, and it's only a 5-minute ride to campus.
While at the gym, you’ll notice more of his odd behavior. While doing leg cables, his eyes never leave you. He starts doing bicep curls in whatever area you’re in, never leaving you alone for a second. A guy who you’ve seen and have talked to before comes up to you to ask a question. “Hey, do you know where the wipes are?” You stop your exercise and answer him, when Satoru interrupts and hands him the wipe. “Next time, just look.” He says definitely. You’re taken aback at his sudden rudeness. The Satoru you know wouldn’t even dream of talking to someone with a tone like that, as he was big on respect. Seriously, what was going on with him?
The guy walks away as you give Satoru a weird look, “What?”
“What do you mean, what? You were so rude to that guy.”
“Do you even know that guy, hm?”
“I had a class with him, and I’ve talked with him like a lot.”
“But you don’t know him. Don’t talk to randoms.” Then he walks off, like his word was final. His insane behavior so takes you aback. After finishing your workout, you silently walk back to his car with him. Your phone vibrates, alerting you to the texts you missed in your group chat.
Ronnie
when did gojo start looking like that….
Sky
Girl your best friend looks like that and you told nobody….
fake friends smh
Shoko
he got a nasty ass tude watch out
Ronnie
looking back at that picture yall look real coupley….
whats tea?
wtf are y'all talking about
The messages your groupchat sent are confusing you. You open instagram to see that Satoru uploaded a picture of you both in the gym. He’s flexing, showing off his biceps, and you’re turned around, not facing the camera, probably on that damn phone! At least your butt looks good in the picture, though. You’re drawn away from your phone when his door slams shut. You look up to him before showing him your screen. “So you weren’t gonna tag me or anything?” You’re mainly joking; you couldn't care less whether he tags you or not. It appears Satoru did not catch the memo, as he scoffs and pushes your phone aside before pushing his finger on your forehead. “No, actually. It’s my Insta, not yours, bubs.” Okay..kinda rude. You buckle in, crossing your arms, way to set the whole mood off.
No, he’s being weird.
this is not my best friend yall
he’s being overly weird
i need to explain ts in person cause this aint it
Your friends all rally to your call, offering to meet up with you as soon as possible, which translates to meet up at Shoko’s tonight! Back at your apartment, you shower as quickly as possible. You couldn’t care less about your hair, so you leave it down. It’s still horrifically hot outside, so you throw on a thin tank top and a pair of denim shorts. You couldn’t care to put on a bra, since you were mainly going to be around girls, and you for sure didn’t give a damn about your nipples showing. You throw on some Crocs, then grab your bag and car keys. “I’m leaving!” You yell out as Satoru comes out of his room. You stop dead in your tracks as you take in just how ripped he is. “Girl’s night.”
“Right..have fun. Text me when you get there.”
“Mmhm. Bye.” You swear you’ve never left an apartment faster. As you’re driving to Shoko’s place, you can’t help but do a side-by-side comparison of Satoru. Before, he was shy, timid, never disrespectful, never cursed; now… he’s someone entirely new. To take your mind off, you decide to jam to your music, vibing as Kehlani plays. Turning into the parking lot, you’ve never been more excited to see that old, worn brick in your life. Shoko lived in an off-campus apartment and had been living there since her sophomore year. You two actually met through Satoru and hit it off quite well. You send her a text to let her know you’re downstairs, and two minutes later, you’re met with the twins, Ronnie and Sky. Now it’s important to note that the two of them aren’t actually twins. They’ve been childhood friends and were born within the same week. Squealing at the sight of your friends, you give them a big group hug before heading up to the apartment.
Shoko’s apartment is chill, minimalist, and draped in white and black. You give her a tight hug before the four of you start talking about your summers. Ronnie got back with her favorite ex, who, before y’all left, claimed she blocked him and wanted nothing to do with him. On the other hand, Sky finally broke up with her horrible boyfriend and started dating a guy from another school, and boy, did everyone approve. Shoko had no news about her romantic life, which was fair. She wasn’t really into dating, except for an ex from freshman year. When the topic turns to you, you shrug. You hadn’t dated anyone since you and your ex had a horrible falling out at the end of junior year, and that put a pause to your trying with what dating had to offer. Then the topic turns to Satoru, whom Ronnie had been dying to talk about, “So what happened with the nerdiest guy alive?”
“I don’t know, he got these friends over break, and it’s like they ripped out everything that was him, and mangled it.” You say, looking through posts to see if you could find anything about his friends. “If it helps, I know he’s been hanging out with Suguru again,” Shoko speaks up. You narrow your eyes, “Who?” The name wasn’t ringing any bells in your head. The brunette sighs before pulling up a guy’s page. He had long black hair, a load of tattoos, and a couple of piercings. According to Shoko, the three of them used to be as thick as thieves back in high school. They had spent the nights at each other’s houses, and the two boys even went to prom with Shoko because she didn’t have a date.
All in all, the three were best friends until the summer following their senior year. Shoko and Suguru had gotten into a huge argument, and Satoru had ended up siding with her, which ended the trio. Suguru refused to talk to either of them after that and had spent their entire school experience avoiding the two as best they could. That is, until this summer, when they had reconciled, which rubbed Shoko the wrong way, since Satoru didn’t consult her first. The whole situation was just weird.
“If you ask me, Suguru has something to do with it. His band of friends is just kinda weird, and then on top of that, Satoru lied to you about it.” She scoffs. You and she clearly were on the same boat when it came to Satoru’s attitude, just weird. You all hover over Ronnie’s phone, who, while Shoko was talking, had investigated and found exactly who Satoru had spent his summer with. You were shocked to see your best friend hanging out with this group. You’d never talked with some of the guys, but they had a reputation for being….a little crazy. The first guy was some dude named Sukuna. He was a senior like you all, with crazy tattoos everywhere. The next dude was someone Ronnie knew, who went by the name of Kashimo. Apparently, he’s nothing but an arrogant, spoiled annoyance, who pissed Ronnie off so bad she dropped the class he was TAing for. He also seemed really familiar to you for some reason.
The drive back home is like the one you had before, quiet and thought-consuming. When you reach your apartment, you sit in your car, contemplating whether you should confront him about this behavior. You let your head fall and hit your steering wheel as you conclude that you can handle his new attitude. Boy, how wrong you were.
A month of Satoru’s rude behavior, and you had come to your wits’ end. As the month went on, the ruder and more disrespectful he got. The way he talked about girls who followed him on Instagram was more than foul. His friends were even worse. You could hear their horrible words and cruel laughter all the way from your room. You scroll through your pictures, mourning the man your best friend used to be. A drastic change had happened indeed, and you didn’t know if you could handle it. Then came the party BTA threw. You never drank in your apartment; the last thing you wanted to do was deal with Satoru’s behavior when you just wanted to drink and smoke. While getting ready, you’re reminded that the biggest asshole of Satoru’s friends was the president of this frat, so you’re preparing to deal with a little bit of a headache.
Pushing the issue aside, you smile and pose in the mirror as Ronnie takes pictures. The theme for this party was Surf Shack, which let everyone dress up in their bikinis and trunks. You stole one of Ronnie’s bikini sets, blue and white, with a criss-cross pattern in the front. Sky had carefully folded your shorts in the front so the bikini bottoms could poke out and pulled the sides up so they comfortably rested on your hips. You feel so secure and happy with your girls, and you think absolutely nothing could ruin your night. It seems you need to reevaluate your intuition.
The house is decked out in beach decor, and the brothers even decorated the bar to look like a tiki bar. You pull your friends to the dance floor, drink in hand, occasionally sipping from it. Sky and Ronnie made their famous drink, Mystery Punch. It wasn’t a mystery as to what was in it, how they came across this concoction, you have no idea, nor do you want to know. As you’re dancing, Sky taps your shoulder, “No need to cause alarm, but that cute blonde guy is staring you down!” You slyly look up to see that she’s talking about Nanami. You’ve had a couple of classes together, and you can’t deny that he’s kind of cute, someone you definitely go for, if you were looking to date or hook up with someone. After a while of dancing and an empty cup of Mystery Punch, you stumble off the dance floor and plop on one of the couches. You’re not granted a moment to yourself as Nanami sits next to you.
“How’s it going?” He asks while scrolling on his phone.
“Good.” You drunkenly nod, head moving at an irregular speed as you smile at him. The conversation between the two of you is simple and easy. Nanami always been that type of guy who gave off a you could talk to him about anything' vibe. You were insanely grateful for his company, laughing when he cracked a joke, smiling when he offered you compliments.
“You’re really pretty, but I’m sure you know that already.”
“It’s a compliment I’ll never stop being thankful for.”
Unbeknownst to you both, a negative energy was flooding the area. The energy, of course, belonged to your best friend, who had started ignoring the girl he was entertaining in favor of burning holes in Nanami’s scalp. The breaking point was when you seemingly spilled the water someone had brought you, and Nanami, always the gentleman, had taken off his shirt for you to clean yourself off with. Leaving his cup, the girl, and his cronies, he storms across the party to reach you, not saying excuse me to those caught in his rampage. Your friends look on with caution as the brewing storm unfolds. “This won’t be good. Twenty bucks, you cuss him out.” Ronnie murmurs to Sky, who takes the bet. Shoko shakes her head at their foolishness, deciding to follow after Satoru.
In the midst of you thanking Nanami, you’re yanked up out of the seat. “What the hell was that?” He asks. Nanami stands up, trying to calm the situation. “She spilled some water, dude, relax.” Satoru laughs in his face before motioning him away. Well, attempting to motion him away, as Nanami stands fast in the same spot, crossing his arms. Recognizing that a fight probably was gonna break out, you drag Satoru out of the frat basement and outside to the front. Shoko follows close behind you all. “What the hell is your problem?”
“What’s my problem? He was all over you, and you were allowing it!”
“Because I can! We were just talking, and he gave me this to dry myself off.” You shake the shirt in your hand before throwing it across the grass. You groan loudly before laying into him. “I’m sick of your disrespectful ass. Ever since you met them, you’ve been a real jackass.” Your voice shakes. You’re truly appalled at his behavior, and your heart breaks that this man was once your sweet, nerdy Toru at one point.
“You’ve been rude, annoying, and horrible to other people and me. That’s not the Satoru Gojo I know.” He scoffs, shaking his head, before muttering something under his breath.
“I’m sorry, what was that?” If there was something alcohol did, it made you tolerate absolutely no bullshit. If he had something to say to you, then he needed to say it loud and proud.
“I said you’re being a real bitch right now.” He says, staring right into your soul, before his face crumples in regret. In that moment, every sound disappears from your ears. The mouth goes dry, the liquor in your system evaporating, throwing you harshly into soberness and reality. Your heart audibly shatters into a million pieces, and he sees this.
“Fuck you, Gojo. Have fun with your friends.” You say, walking off, Shoko’s there, leading you away from him. Sometime during the middle of your argument, Sky and Ronnie had come outside to complete your group. Gojo stands on the lawn, cursing himself as his hands find their place behind his head. He attempts to start after you, being stopped by Suguru and the twins’ stony glare. Suguru rests his hand on his chest and shakes his head no. He pushes Suguru off of him before heading back into the house.
Shoko was the designated driver, so she drove you wall back to her apartment as the twins tried their best to comfort you. You don’t cry, you shouldn’t cry for him. He confirmed what you’ve known for a month: your Satoru was gone. This new version was someone you didn’t wanna look at, let alone live with. That night, you turn on Shoko’s couch, replaying the moment where he called you a bitch over and over in your head. Your memories of the past, years of fun, happy, intimate moments, tainted by one action, one word. He texts you, of course, he does. He’s begging for your forgiveness, begging for you to come home to talk about it. You turn your phone off and turn away from it, resigning yourself to sleep away your misery.
You don’t go back to your apartment until Sunday afternoon, preferring to stay with the girls rather than deal with the uncomfortable tension at home. However, before anything, you were a scholar, and you had school the next day, so you needed to go back to get ready for your classes. When you enter your apartment, he’s there on the couch, and when he sees you, he jumps up and attempts to apologize. You just ignore him and walk straight to your room, slamming it shut and locking it so he can’t barge in. He leans against the door before sinking to the floor, and his own misery and guilt. He knows he fucked it up badly, and the possibility of losing you scares him horrifically.
In truth, Satoru hated himself just as much as you and your friends did. Every rude comeback, every dismissal of your feelings, every time he treated someone like they were lesser than him, a knife was implanted in his heart. He could see you comparing him to his old self, and it broke his heart knowing that he was still in there. Satoru was still the boy who kept you up all night talking about the different generations of Pokémon starters. He was still the boy who loved to go to every anime convention he could find with you. Who loved you more than he loved himself. That night, he lies on his bed, gripping his hair so tight that tiny white hairs appear on his palm when he releases. He unlocks his phone to be greeted with a picture of you two. It was when you two had taken pictures in a photo booth, and you were smiling so wide as he just admired you. He quickly shuts it off, resorting to going to sleep and praying that it was just a terrible nightmare.
He wakes up before you, as evidenced by your still locked door. In the bathroom, he finds he has no more contacts left. Groaning he stalks back to his room, shuffling through his drawers until he comes across the brown coach case. Opening the case, he’s greeted with the familiar sight of his black glasses. Back to his morning routine, his thoughts are filled with nothing but you. He usually drives the two of you to campus; maybe he’ll get to apologize on the way there? As he makes the two of you breakfast, he finally hears you moving around your room. The door unlocks as you rummage around the bathroom. When you finally appear in the kitchen, he’s taken aback. Your hair is pulled back in a half-up, half-down style, allowing your face to be shown. You’re wearing a cute black set that shows off your curves, and in an attempt not to be pervy, he quickly looks away. “I made you some cereal, and just tell me when you’re ready to leave.” You don’t respond, just sit down at the small table and eat your cereal. The car ride to campus is awkward, to say the least. He doesn’t talk, and neither do you, letting the sound of FLO fill the car, a group you had put him onto by the way.
When you arrive in the parking lot, he quickly locks the doors before you can get out. “I wanted to apologize for the other night.” He says as you turn around to face him, “I disrespected you and I should’ve never called you out your name over something so stupid.” He reads your face for a sign, anything signifying that you would forgive him, but he’s met with nothing. You reach over him to unlock the car door, and you slam the door behind you. Aggressively flinging his head back into the seat, he groans, covering his face. “Fuck!”
As the day goes on, he constantly thinks about you. In class, rather than focusing on stellar evolution, he’s seeing your heartbroken face. When eating with his friends, he’s thinking about how you two ate lunch together every day for the past three years, with him even skipping class because a lunch with you was more important. In the past, whenever you two were together, the atmosphere was happy, filled with conversation, and full of looks of gratitude and love. Now the atmosphere was cold; your behavior towards him was as cold as glaciers, looks filled with disdain, and an uncomfortable silence filled your apartment. Satoru’s breaking point comes one October morning, when he finds you talking with a guy he’d never seen before. He was tall, barely as tall as Satoru, with a long nose and a calm demeanor. He watched your face light up in excitement, something he hadn’t seen for a while. He watches you two walk off towards the direction of one of the academic buildings, shoulders touching, before the guy wraps his arm around your shoulders. The sight fills his body with boiling jealousy, and he knows he has no right to feel that way.
He’s still thinking about that moment, when he remembers that your location had shown you being in a random housing building on the weekends, where’d you left the apartment while he was still at the gym and came back only when he was sleeping. A sense of dread fills his senses when he comes to the undisputed theory that you were seeing this guy. His legs bounce up and down uncontrollably as he spots the twins across the library. He moves towards them as fast as he can and sits at their table. “Please don’t leave!” He whispers. His face is filled with desperation as he tries to calm down. “Is she seeing anybody? Please tell me!”
“You have no right to know-”
“I love her.” The silence that follows is damning. It’s the second time he’s ever uttered those words out loud. Ronnie and Sky both look at each other before standing up and dragging him to an empty study room.
“We’re only telling you this because we know for a fact that she misses you.” Ronnie crosses her arms.
“Also, we think you’d be a cute couple,” Sky says as Ronnie elbows her. “What! You thought it too.”
“Anyways, she’s with a pre-law student. They aren’t serious, just hooking up.”
The breath leaves his lungs as he rubs his temples. “She won’t talk to me. She can barely even look at me.” He shakes his head.
“What’d you expect, you’ve been acting like a grade A asshole since you got back.” The twins shake their heads before Sky rubs his shoulders.
“I thought…i thought she would like it.” He mutters as Sky flinches back.
“Why would she like assholes?” Ronnie moves forward.
“I-I thought if I acted like her ex, she would finally see me as more than a friend.”
The twins laugh right in his face. Really, to them, he’s pathetic and just so unaware. Whoever had told him that you liked guys like your ex had set him up for failure.
“Her ex was absolutely horrible. She broke up with him because he was a piece of shit. No wonder she’s not talking to you!” He feels like a total idiot. His body vibrates with a feeling of embarrassment, no, it’s shame. Full on hardcore shame, he wasted so much time, being the exact opposite of what you wanted him to be like. In that study room, Satoru and the twins come up with a master plan for him to get back in your good graces. An apology wasn’t good enough; he would need to grovel hard. Thus began a three-day-long boot camp, in which the twins labeled "How to Get your Best Friend back in 30 steps."
First step, apologizing to Shoko for his behavior. He showed up at her place that night with takeout from her favorite place, which, after a long day of clinicals, she could not deny. He gave her a well-thought-out and handwritten apology. She was the girl he came into college with, and he didn’t want to lose her as well. She forgave him quickly, saying she felt the same way. Surprisingly, she had been in contact with Geto, and the two were willing to overcome their differences and be friends again.
That Friday, you open the door to see that the place is decorated. Unusual…it wasn’t anyone’s birthday today. As you close the door, you’re welcomed by the aroma of your favorite food. Kicking off your shoes, you walk into the kitchen, where Satoru is wearing his glasses and holding two plates. He’s wearing a hoodie with sweats, a combo you haven’t seen him wear since last semester. He looks like the old him, but you knew it wasn’t. You two eat dinner the same as you had for the past month, in an uncomfortable silence. When you’re finished, he clears your plates before calling after you. “Wait, please!” You don’t want to turn around and face him; you’re not in the mood for empty promises and emotionless apologies.
“I know, it probably doesn’t mean anything at this point, but I really wanted to apologize for being the worst best friend ever. I-I was rude and disrespectful, and I hurt you,” He says, your back still turned. “I cut those guys off, I let them change me into the person I thought that..someone would like, when in truth, she liked me for the way I was.” Your eyebrows shoot up as you turn around in confusion. To your shock, he’s holding flowers, where he was hiding those, you have no idea. He’s also holding your favorite candy. You take them from him before placing them down on the table. “I am still your Toru. I still like Pokémon, I actually finished part three of Jojo’s because I wanted to watch part four with you. I wish I could take back every bad thing I said or did to you and other people, because no one deserved it.” You sit down on the couch, silence filling your apartment once more.
“What happened this summer, Toru? Why did you even change?” He sighs before sitting down with you to tell you what exactly happened that summer, no lies or cover-ups.
That summer, he had attended a conference with his father. It was meant to help him get more acquainted with the family business, since he was expected to join straight after he finished grad school. Suguru was there at the conference with his own family. The two men had not spoken since the argument, and to your surprise, he explained what happened. That summer, Shoko had started hooking up with a girl Suguru had been friends with since middle school, but she ended up breaking her heart, and when Suguru found out, he was pissed. Somebody had the girl fully convinced that he knew Shoko had been playing her, but in truth, he didn’t even know she was gay. The girl ended up blocking Suguru and refused to speak to him, which upset him. When he confronted Shoko, she told him it wasn’t her fault, and it wasn’t any of her business, but to Suguru, it became his business when he lost a good friend. When Satoru found out, he initially sided with Shoko because her sexuality wasn’t any of their business, and he had tried to reason with both sides. Suguru was upset that Satoru had sided with her, something he often did when the two got into arguments and cut them both off. The conference was the first time the two had been able to talk about the situation, and apologies were exchanged.
It’s through Suguru that he met Kashimo and Sukuna. You went away with your family on holiday, and Shoko had been off on a nursing school trip, so Satoru didn’t really have anyone to hang out with. Satoru accepted Suguru’s offer to spend the week at the beach with two of his friends. When he arrives, he’s filled with a sense of intimidation. These guys walked around like they owned everything, their confidence unwavering, but they were certified assholes. He couldn’t imagine why Suguru would hang out with these guys, but from what he saw, they all liked each other…enough. The other two couldn’t stand Satoru, and it was obvious. They made every little thing he did a joke, and for a week, he was made the laughingstock. Everything came to a head on the second-to-last night of the trip. Kashimo had bought beers for the group, and the four of them went around the bonfire, sharing stories about girls.
“So, Gojo,” Kashimo leaned toward him sloppily, his drink sloshed everywhere, landing on the sand below. “Kuna and I got a bet that you’re this ultra-mega virgin, who’s only fantasized about pussy. Is it true?” That comment took him aback. Sukuna started laughing his ass off, while Suguru just shook his head and continued sipping on his beer.
“I’m not an ultra-mega virgin.”
“No shit! Who’d fuck you?” Suguru put his cup down to glare at Kashimo’s unwarranted behavior.
“Uh-Some girl, she transferred sophomore year.” He took another sip of the bitter liquid, letting it warm his body up.
“Anyone else on the roster Satoru?” Suguru asked in an attempt to fix the uncomfortable atmosphere.
“Uh, this one girl. I have a picture.” He dug his phone out of his pocket and showed them his lockscreen.
“That bitch?” Kashimo yelled so loud that Satoru was positive the fish at the bottom of the ocean heard him. Satoru put his phone back up, and Kashimo and Sukuna gave him a look.
“Listen if you want to do her, or at the most get with her you seriously gotta change….you.” Sukuna finally spoke after remaining silent. “Kashimo, knew her ex and trust, she probably isn’t gonna go for you..”
“What’s that mean?” Satoru asked.
“What he means is that you have to stop being a pathetic nerd and be a man!” Kashimo interjected, and everyone could tell that he was drunk for sure. As the men helped Kashimo to his room, Sukuna pulled him to the side. “We could help you. If you wanted it, that is.” Satoru deliberated on the decision all night and the next morning accepted their help. What followed was a summer of intense training. Four out of seven days of the week, he joined the men in rigorous workouts and training. After the workouts, they ‘taught’ him to treat women how they wanted to be treated. Halfway through this so-called training, they took him out in order to test their methods. Luckily for them, Satoru was always a fast learner and excelled by their standards. He even took a girl home, which was a first for him. By the time he was ready to go back to school, he was a completely different person.
During his training, he visited Shoko, who had returned from her tours. He told her he had reconciled with Suguru, and she was pissed that he hadn’t consulted her before doing so. Shoko refused to listen to reason and kicked him out of her apartment, to which he responded by calling her an unreasonable bitch and left. According to Satoru, he repeatedly apologized, but when the guys found out, and by guys he meant Kashimo, they were thrilled. Throughout his story, it seemed that Kashimo was the main driver and cause of his transformation. The most Sukuna ever did was encourage him to talk to girls and work out, and Suguru had told him on multiple occasions that he needed to relax, and took Shoko’s side in their argument. On multiple occasions, Satoru let Kashimo talk him into bad decisions and encouraged his bad behavior, because he knew the girl’s ex the best. Telling him, he wasn’t rude enough; he needed to be assertive. One night, Kashimo texted him saying that he doens’t understand why he was so pathetic when he had the potential to be this girl’s dream guy.
Following your fight at the frat house, he talked to the group about how bad he had fucked up. Sukuna merely shook his head at him, then blamed Kashimo mainly. He had told Satoru that he let Kashimo go too far with this whole training idea, and he was sorry. Suguru was more than disappointed and upset with him, considering that Satoru had always spoken highly of you, and told him off. He had damn near beaten it into Satoru that he needed to apologize and that Kashimo was done. Satoru agreed fullheartedly. He blocked the guy on everything, but not before sending a long message about how Kashimo needed to evaluate how he treated others.
After telling the story, Satoru takes a deep breath as you take in all this information. You lean back against the couch before tucking your legs in underneath you. “You did all that so a girl you liked would like you back?” You’re taken aback that Satoru did all that for some random girl. To be honest, you two hadn’t really talked to each other about your romance lives. The most he knew was that you had a boyfriend and that you two had broken up before summer vacation. “Not just some girl,” Satoru responds. “I love her, and I have since I first saw her.” He looks right at you when he says this, his eyes boring straight through your soul. “I was so blinded by trying to fit into her type that I didn’t even ask her what type of guys she was interested in. I followed some dude’s lead and ruined my chances.” You can’t help but feel bad for him, but it is well deserved. He acted like an asshole, and now he was learning his lesson.
“I don’t forgive you, not yet, but I am willing to work on our friendship.” You rub his shoulder before pulling him into a hug. He returns the affection by hugging you tight, like it's the last time he’s ever going to see you. He whispers thank yous into your hair before letting you go. You smile, before turning on the TV and finally watching Jojo’s part four, like you two were supposed to months ago. After your conversation, you and Satoru start talking again. Your meals and drives to campus are no longer empty; they are vibrant with laughter. Rather than slipping out to meet your mystery man, you tell him when you’re leaving and when you’re coming back. Satoru’s mainly gone back to how he was before, except he still works out. According to him, he actually likes how he looks physically, preferring being well-built to scrawny. During your drives, he harasses you about the new Pokémon series that’s coming out and begs you to go to a convention in the city. Above all, you’re more than glad to have your best friend back. Your newfound happiness doesn’t go unnoticed; your friends notice it and are more than happy for you, but that’s not the only person who hasn’t noticed.
“Something changed within the last three weeks.” The deep bass of Higuruma’s voice tickles your lips as you kiss up his neck. You pull back in his hold, tilting your head sideways. “What are you talking about?” His hands grip your waist underneath the shirt you’re wearing that may or may not belong to him. “You’re happier than you were. What’s changed?” Higuruma was easy. You two met through Nanami and started this hookup rendezvous a couple of weeks after the beach party. Since then, you had begun hooking up whenever you both were free. He took care of you and was a great help when you started avoiding Satoru.
“Satoru and I are talking again.” You respond, brushing the hair out of his face. Higuruma smiles, leaning back against his headboard. He gives you a lazy smirk before gazing up at you. “I’m glad. You two always were such good friends.”
“Is that right,,” Your body leans forward, allowing his touch to fill your senses with hot flames. You’re pulled flush against him, his body flinching at your touch. He looks over at his alarm clock before groaning. “We have some time before someone has class.” Your lips ghost his before he pulls you in for a kiss by the back of your neck. His hands glide down your waist to firmly grasp your ass.
The hickey is the first thing Satoru notices, a bruise, a mix of dark purple and red, peeping out from the side of your neck. He’s sitting on the couch when you join him. “You gonna cover that or?” He asks as you quickly pull out your camera. You groan, looking at the bruise before letting your head fall back. “Do I have a choice?” Satoru laughs at your misery, even though it pains his heart deep down. You two had barely talked about Higuruma, refusing to discuss your love lives. He knew that by now he had absolutely no chance with you and that he ruined it completely. Satoru places his phone on the coffee table before going to grab a couple of water bottles from your fridge. A notification pings on his phone as you glance over to see the picture of you two.
Your brain starts to move at a rapid pace, in direct contrast to your body, which moves in slow motion. Satoru’s whole apology flickers through your thoughts as you actively see each word he said. The girl he liked was the one on his lock screen. Everything is suddenly making sense; you do remember Kashimo hanging around your ex-boyfriend. Of course, the two would be friends; they’re assholes. It also makes sense why Satoru had started to remind you of your ex: he was trying to act like him because he thought that was your type. Your head shoots up as he walks out of the kitchen, time starting to move normally. “Uh-I completely forgot I was supposed to head to twins today.” Satoru makes a face before turning to the TV, which was already on for your Pokémon marathon. “Oh well, tell them I say hello. Do-do you want me to wait for you?” You quickly grab your stuff and pull on your Crocs to avoid looking at his disappointed face. “Uh- do whatever you want please.” Slamming the door shut, you rush to your car before calling your group.
“Mayday fucking mayday bitches!” You say as the three join. Putting your car into drive, you damn near break every speeding law in the state to get to the twins' dorm. You rush into their building and up to their room as soon as Ronnie opens the building door. Sitting on a bean bag, you groan quite loudly. “So are you gonna tell us what has you so upset?” Sky says from atop her lofted bed. Shoko sits at her desk right next to it, putting her phone down to fully focus on you. “It wasn’t Satoru again, was it?” Oh, how wrong and right she was.
“No…well, yes, but no.” You shake your head. The whole concept of this was confusing you and making your head hurt. “I’m the girl he did all that stuff for. He likes me!” Your body movement is erratic, which matches how your brain is. Your thoughts are racing through as you rethink every little interaction you two have had. The little touches, the nicknames, the private, intimate moments you two had where you swore to yourself and others that it was nothing but platonic.
“No you’re the girl he’s in love with you but-” Ronnie corrects as Sky throws a pillow at her face. The two start bickering as you sink further into your thoughts.
“Okay so please tell me you didn’t run out after his confession.” Shoko glares at the twins, making them stop as she kneels over by you. “He didn’t exactly tell me..” You trail off awkwardly as your friends all release a collective groan.
“So how did you? Lemme guess..”
“The lockscreen!” The three of them say in perfect sync. You’re taken aback, like, did everyone know he was in love with you? Were you seriously the last person to know? You stand up from the beanbag to flop onto Ronnie’s bed as you cover yourself in pillows and blankets. Restoring to just die in her room, because how did you miss that your best friend was in love with you? You shoot up suddenly, “I’ve been parading hickies around in front of him.” Thinking of every time you came back from Higuruma’s with a fresh new bruise, or that just got cracked attitude. Every time you wore something revealing, he turned away from you or went to the bathroom. “I was giving my best friend boners.” The unmistakable truth hits you hard; there were so many signs, and you just were oblivious.
“I say get with him.” One of the twins says, " Your head is so loud you can’t tell who it is. One of them places their hand on your shoulder, shaking you slightly to get you out of the brain fog. “He’s cute, smart, and you would be a cute couple. Plus, you and the law school guy aren’t that serious, and I bet you Satoru is huge.”
“Sky, that’s even if she likes him,” Shoko says, thoroughly disgusted at the mention of her friend’s dick.
All three heads focus on you as they await your answer. “I-” You start, as a certain memory comes to the front.
You had been in his dorm, taking refuge after yet another fight with your roommate. He had been given a single, so you often slept in there, even when you and your roommate were on good terms. Your eyes are abnormally low, a result of your weed use. Lying on his bed, you sit up, calling him over to lie and cuddle with you. He obliged, leaving his work to gather you in his arms. He was much bigger than you, although he didn’t weigh as much as the guy who had been liking your story for the past weeks, it was enough. He engulfs your senses, your brain foggy and vision blurred as you start to fall asleep. The moment so intimate, anyone who didn’t know you both and some who did, would think you two were a couple.
When you woke up, you stayed in his arms all day listening to him ramble about how his astronomy classes were everything he imagined, and how his professor took them to the rooftop to watch the stars. Of course, because it was his professor, he made them identify every star they saw, but it was still fun. You remember that just listening to him speak filled you with happiness, and at one moment, he leaned down to look at you, almost as if he wanted to move in for a kiss. At the time, you assumed he was just looking at you, but now you know better. Still, had he kissed you, would you have rejected it, or would you have kissed him, resorting to keep his glasses on as he pushed you deeper into the bed, his hips grinding-
You’re aggressively thrown back into reality with the twins and Shoko, and you’re left with a feeling of uncertainty and something new…. “I-I don’t know..”