I swear, Utahime isn't always this dense.

Thanks for bearing with me. I'm sorry I've been slow to cross-post from AO3.

XX

Saturday rolled around and Utahime was nervous. Gojo had insisted on picking her up at her apartment early so they could go out to eat before the concert, despite Utahime pointing out that there would be food venues at the concert. They communicated entirely through text, and the vomit emoji's Gojo sent back left little to the imagination about he felt about that option. Food at venues wasn't terrible. Greasy and deep-fried hit the spot when she was in the mood but was a little heavy when she planned to be on her feet dancing. Something lighter made sense, but Gojo wouldn't tell her where they were going before the concert. Only that what she normally wore would be perfect.

"Still, wearing something different wouldn't hurt." Utahime reminded herself. "It's not like I'm dressing up for Gojo or anything."

Her usual Miko outfit would be too heavy at a concert where everyone would be dancing, and the crush of bodies would cause the entire place to be overheated in no time at all. She went with a lighter dress with a tailored jacket over it that she could easily slip off if she was too warm.

Her make-up was minimal as usual. She'd never covered her scar, even in the early days when her scar was still swollen and pink and she'd been extremely self-conscious about it. She'd forced herself to wear it proudly and not to shy away from the constant stares. Her scar still hurt some days, an itch under her skin she couldn't scratch that twisted into a deep throb that caused occasional migraines. Shoko told her that was sometimes typical, even for injuries not caused by cursed spirits, like hers had been. It was just one more aspect of Utahime's scar that she managed quietly on her own.

Utahime looked at herself in the mirror, pleased that she still appeared casual. It was something she might wear when shopping with some of her civilian friends. She pulled her hair up into a ponytail, anticipating that her hair would get tangled when she was dancing, or even tugged on by any enthusiastic dancers. She slipped on some flats just as a knock sounded at her door. She smoothed her dress, silently berating herself for the butterflies in her stomach. It wasn't like this was a date with Gojo, but they'd never hung out together alone before, always with the buffer of other friends surrounding them. She answered the door with a smile plastered on her face and was met with Gojo in a soft black knit sweater and tan slacks. He'd chosen sunglasses tonight and his hair fell over his forehead in a tousled mess. Utahime's knees weakened, and she grabbed onto the door for balance.

"Hi!" Utahime greeted him. "You're a little early."

Gojo rubbed the back of his head and shrugged. "I wasn't doing much today." Besides pacing his apartment in anticipation of that night, but Utahime didn't need to know that part.

"No missions?" Utahime asked in surprise. Despite his frequent quarrels with the council that was currently determined to see Itadori Yuji dead, Gojo rarely turned down a mission if it meant saving whoever he could. Not everyone could be saved, but jujutsu sorcerers came to terms with that fact early on or ended up quitting.

"A small one this morning," Gojo admitted. "2nd grade cursed spirit."

"Mmm," Utahime nodded, rummaging through her bag for her keys to lock up the apartment. A 2nd grade might give her some difficulty but that was why Gojo was known as the greatest. He would have just had to snap his fingers and the cursed spirit would have been dealt with. "A little boring then?"

"Easy," Gojo dismissed.

Nothing else was discussed as they made their way downstairs. Unlike at the baseball game, it was a comfortable silence that Utahime didn't feel the need to fill with empty words. The cool air felt refreshing against her skin as they made their way down the street. She let Gojo lead her, not questioning where they were going. She was enjoying this and didn't want to interrupt the calm moment between them. Almost unconsciously she slipped her arm through his, holding onto him to keep up with his longer strides. He seemed to realize and slowed down, but Utahime didn't let go of his arm and Gojo didn't protest.

"I hope you don't mind gyukatsu," Gojo commented.

Utahime snorted in amusement at his choice. "I thought you didn't want fried food?"

"How dare you," Gojo gasped in mock outrage. "Gyukatsu isn't just fried food."

"It is delicious," agreed Utahime. "the beef is so soft and yummy."

Gojo grinned at her, pleased that their night was starting out so well. He wouldn't call it a date, even to himself. Utahime would be the one to make that distinction. Still, when Utahime smiled back at him, his chest ached with what felt like hope. I love you, he wanted to tell her, but he kept silent. She wouldn't believe him now. He just had to keep showing her that their friendship wasn't false, that his feelings weren't fleeting.

XX

Utahime had an amazing dinner with Gojo. He teased her gently, which felt both familiar and different. Instead of comments like "no man would want a woman who eats so much, Utahime," he said "wow, Utahime, maybe I will go broke if you eat so much when we hang out." She should be angry that he'd reverted to pettiness, but it didn't make her feel like his usual comments did. It felt like a promise that they would go out again, that he wanted to see her again. Besides, it would be weird if Gojo had turned into a completely different person just to become friends with her. She didn't want a man that had to change himself to suit her. Not that she wanted Gojo at all, she reminded herself.

They were late to the concert because Gojo had asked how her students were doing. She'd expected to be regaled with tales of his own exploits, as so often happened on first dates. Not that it had been a date, of course. He'd listened to her, glasses sliding down his nose to reveal his eyes were focused on her. The server had flirted shamelessly with him, and Utahime had braced herself for him to turn on his charm. He'd barely noticed the girl, leaving Utahime to smile apologetically at the girl as she'd unsuccessfully tried to get his attention for a second time to ask him if he wanted anything else.

"Gojo," Utahime patted his arm and nodded to the server.

Gojo looked towards the server with a devastating smile and the girl nearly fainted, her entire face flooding with colour. Utahime could practically see the wedding bells in the girl's eyes.

"Do you want anything else?" Utahime asked with an eyeroll. She'd seen the same reaction from far too many women, her own students included, to be surprised. She was curious to see his reaction though.

"Only if you want dessert, Utahime?" She was gratified when he didn't even seem to notice the girl's starry-eyed adoration.

She looked at the time and bit her lip. The concert was soon, but she did want dessert. One look at Gojo's hopeful expression had her nodding decisively. "I would love dessert."

She'd eaten too much, and talked way too much about her students, but Gojo hadn't interrupted once and beamed at her the whole time. They were late and were only let in because Gojo could be very persuasive. They'd missed the opening act but Utahime only felt a moment of disappointment before Gojo grabbed her hand and pulled her to dance.

Utahime loved dancing, and she'd known that Gojo was a good dancer. She'd seen him dance with other women, or they'd been in the same vicinity as they danced as a group, but Utahime had never danced with Gojo specifically. It was fun and chaotic with the first few upbeat songs. She couldn't stop the wide smile on her face as he matched her movements easily, bodies swaying together in tandem. She was almost out of breath as the music slowed into a softer melody. She stepped closer without thought, shivering when Gojo's hands came to rest on her hips to guide her movements.

Utahime was heady with the feeling of his hands on her hips, and her arms looped around his neck in response. Warmth suffused her body as they swayed together, bodies pressed close. He leaned down until nose was pressed against her hair, his breath tickling her ear and she hid her face in his chest. It created a confusing cocktail of elation and fear to hold him so intimately and she stepped away as soon as the song ended.

"You okay, Utahime?" Gojo watched her with concern, fearful he'd pushed too far.

"F-fine, Gojo." Utahime smiled weakly. "It's just a little warm in here. I'm going to get some air." Utahime held up a hand when Gojo moved to follow her. "Please keep dancing, I'll be back soon."

Gojo nodded stiffly and watched her leave with a somber expression.

XX

What the hell are you thinking, Utahime berated herself. She was attempting to be friends with Gojo Satoru, not fall for his charms. And the worst thing was that she was certain that Gojo wasn't even trying to get in her pants, like he did with so many others. He was just being nice for once and she had to take it the wrong way. Clearly, she was hard up for attention if she was trying to attribute Gojo's friendliness to something else. She'd seen him act just as cheerful and considerate to any of their friends at one point, even if the behavior was uncommon. And she'd seen him dance with Shoko and Mei Mei many times over. Yet he touches her hips one time and she's ready to burst into flames.

"Stupid, Utahime. Stupid." Why did she have to turn a fun night into something complicated? She punched the wall and shook her hand at the ensuing pain. At least the wall bore the imprint of her fist.

"Are you okay?" a concerned voice asked her.

Utahime nearly jumped out of her skin, until she realized the voice wasn't Gojo's. She looked towards the man and attempted a reassuring smile. "Yes, thank you. Just having a nervous breakdown."

"Uhh," the poor man took a step back at her declaration, eyeing the wall with trepidation.

"I'm very sorry," Utahime waved her hand at her face to try and cool down her cheeks. "I kind of just discovered I'm attracted to a womanizing brat."

"Umm…"

Utahime bowed at the man and scurried away before he recovered and called security about a crazy woman who was smashing walls.

She considered running away and texting Gojo and telling him she had a stomachache or something, but she couldn't do that. Utahime Iori might be weaker than her friends, but she wasn't a coward. Falling for Gojo was inevitable once anyone spent any time around the man. Mei Mei had even pursued him in the past before she realized Gojo loved himself more than he could ever love a woman, and Shoko admitted the man was gorgeous, if a little dense for her tastes. It was Utahime's turn to be a little foolish, though it had come years later than she was comfortable with. She was 31 years old. She didn't have time for stupid crushes. Hating Gojo was a hell of a lot easier than liking him, but they'd agreed to be friends. She could be an adult about this and ignore her own feelings. They'd fade eventually. She just had to wait them out.

She went back in and found Gojo leaning against the wall inside the entrance.

"Cooled down?" Gojo asked curiously.

Utahime inspected him and found no signs of her own turmoil or confusion reflected back at her. It was just a dance to him. Just a concert with a woman he was trying to befriend. It didn't mean what she wanted it to mean. She was being ridiculous. So, she nodded, taking Gojo's hand and leading him back to dance. Gojo Satoru had the pick of any woman he wanted. He wasn't going to pick the scarred woman who'd been berating him for years. It didn't work that way. We're just friends, she told herself. Gojo Satoru wouldn't want anything more.

I'll post the next chapter tomorrow. Thanks for reading.