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Double Time

eight

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You learn that not everything always goes to plan

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Quitting your job had definitely been more of a spur of moment sort of thing. Sure, you had contemplated time and time again in the past but it was really only in your daydreams, or when the man had seriously upset you but never had you actually threatened him with quitting and now you had only gone and done it on the spot. The expression on his face wasn't one you were going to forget easily, he never saw it coming. What was meant to follow in line with your imagination was you dramatically blocking Gojo Satoru's number from your phone, cutting off contact entirely and finally ridding yourself from his influence once and for all, but sadly reality was not quite how you pictured it to be.

One thing you hadn't considered was the fact that you still had to see and interact with him professionally until your one month notice was up. So you weren't quite able to make the dramatic exit and give him the giant middle finger you had dreamed of. So here you were, sat in your usual seat at the front of the lecture hall whilst he gave his lecture, trying your best to look busy as you clicked away on your laptop and doing everything you can to avoid looking the white haired man's way.

It hasn't been too terrible so far. You made a point of arriving right before the lecture began so you didn't have to have your usual chat with him before and scurried your way to your seat without so much as a word. It was fairly awkward but you preferred this to the alternatives.

With your eyes zeroed in on your screen and your brain attempting to tune out his voice, you continued to search through job vacancies. The one thing you had considered even in your daydreams was how you would support yourself, and the first and foremost issue was immediately finding yourself a replacement job to cover your rent and school fees. While you knew how crucial this was, it was proving much harder than you initially naively anticipated. Out of the dozen applications sent out, you've only heard back from two and one hung up when they realised you were an university student with limited availability. Wasn't that the point of shift work?

The only option you had was a retail role but it was better than nothing and at this point you could hardly be picky. So with just the. one interview secured after a week's worth of work, you didn't feel too bad sending our more applications with these two hours you're stuck listening to the man responsible for too many of your problems.

Sat a couple of rows behind you was Megumi and you could feel his gaze on the back of your head. The two of you had come into class separately today and sat away from each other, but it was only a few mere hours ago when he was in your bed this morning, with his hands on your body, moaning your name.

Always one to jump the gun with these things; it began with your crush on him, then you jumped straight into sex with him, and it was only now you were slowly learning more and more about this wonderful person. Megumi has been nothing but patient and understanding, particularly regarding the stress that you have been under. This week has been plagued with assignments and applications alike so you hadn't really had the opportunity to spend as much time with him as you would have liked, but it was without a doubt that there was always that flutter of excitement in your heart whenever you did see him and spending time with him has been an absolute joy. And it surprised you that he had been the one to suggest that you two take things one day at a time without needing to rush on labelling your blossoming relationship, but ultimately you were grateful that he had proposed it given how preoccupied you have been.

This led to your current arrangement where you spent time together in private but kept more of a distance on campus and especially in classes. It felt a little like you had walked out of one illicit relationship and straight into another relationship you had to keep secret, but it helped with avoiding further scrutiny and you wished to end your employment with the university (and Satoru) as amicably and painlessly as possible. You and Megumi both agreed that this would only last until the rest of the month once your employment has ended and you would hopefully have found a new job.

Despite your best efforts though, it was clear that not many were fooled by the charade you two played, far too many have already seen you two at the now infamous house party and then again at the class gathering. Yours and Megumi's whirlwind romance was now the campus' best kept secret, and there was also the fact that you two weren't exactly subtle in your early romance bliss.

A message notification popped up on your screen and you couldn't contain the giant smile that emerged on your face as you responded back in the chat window. Megumi wasn't the most openly affectionate person, he was definitely the type of person to show his appreciation more through his actions than words, but his messages were still surprisingly sweet; not particularly sugary and lacking of any emojis, but sweet nonetheless.

"And that's all for today."

Satoru cleared his throat, signalling the end of the lecture as the room fell into immediate movement. You glanced back up that moment and your smile instantly dropped when you saw that he had been looking directly at you, his expression knowing before he turned away. No one in class appeared to notice, not even Megumi who was one of the first to pack his things and head down the stairs. You followed with haste and shoved your laptop into your bag before leaping to your feet, wanting nothing more than to remove yourself from this uncomfortable space you had to share with Satoru.

"[y/n]?" Satoru's voice called out just as you slung your bag over your shoulder. He stood by the desk at the front of the room, his gaze fixated entirely on you as the students began to pile out of the lecture hall. "A word before you go?"

"… Sure," you gripped the bag strap on your shoulder, your gaze shifted to Megumi who was right by the doors and he stared back for a brief moment before heading out, his expression betraying nothing was usual. "What is it, Gojo-sensei?"

There were still other students about, the ones that took their time to leave and you were thankful for that as you slowly ambled your way over to where he was, saying a little prayer to yourself as you tried to comfort yourself. This will be fine. This doesn't look unusual at all. You always talk to him after lectures. Nothing out of the ordinary.

Gojo Satoru looked immaculate today.

It was a fact (you would have to be blind to not admit it) and it was a fact that annoyed you to no ends. Gone was the tired man that looked as if he hadn't brushed his hair in days and wore what could have been his pyjamas to work. Today, he wore a new suit that was even more expensive than the usual ones, a giant Rolex on his wrist you knew to be a family heirloom, and of course he had his signature dark sunglasses that were darker than his usual pairs, almost completely obscuring his eyes.

On the surface, it appeared that he was back on top of things and in some way you were relieved to see him back to normal, but that was what made you nervous and also apprehensive to what reason he wanted to speak to you.

"How are you today?" he asked. Behind his sunglasses, he watched the last of the students finally make their way to the door. "I didn't get a chance to speak to you before class started."

It was on purpose, you wanted to say so badly but you bit back the comment.

"Yes, I was running a bit late this afternoon. I'm sorry about that."

"Making a habit of being late already?" he said poignantly, a hint of his blue eyes peeked over his glasses as he looked you over. "I thought you cared about this job. Or was that only when we were fucking?"

"Oh my god," you hissed, glancing over your shoulder to survey the room and thank goodness the rest of the students have already left. "What the hell is wrong with you?!"

"I'm just teasing, [y/n]. Remember how you used to be fun?" he cracked a smile, lifting his sunglasses off his face and tucked the stem into his open collar with sublimity like he had rehearsed the action prior, looking like he had just stepped out of a damned fashion pictorial. God, he was such a jerk and you wanted to punch yourself for still finding him attractive and for letting his infectious smile get to you. "Aw, is that a smile I see there, kitten?"

"You're imagining things," you closed your eyes and straightened yourself. Get a grip. "So what do you need?"

"I was hoping for an update on the internship apps."

"Oh, um…" it was your every expectation that he had just called you over to say some catty remark to rile you up, but he had actually asked you a work-related question and you were completely caught off guard. Annoyingly enough, while you were struggling to hear back from a single employer, applications have been flying in for Satoru's internship but you struggled to remember the exact figures you saw yesterday. "I can't remember the exact numbers off the top of my head but I'm pretty sure around twenty percent of the class had already submitted one… Sorry, you didn't tell me you wanted a report otherwise I would have made a note of it."

"Has Megumi applied?"

"Uh… No, I don't think so."

"Do you know if he intends to?"

"Not that I'm aware of," you avoided meeting his eyes, sensing that this conversation was no longer relevant to simply work. "Why don't you ask him yourself?"

"Well, I'm under the impression that you two are quite close these days so I might as well just ask you, right?" he stated matter-of-factly. No hint of malice in his voice at all. "You should tell him to apply."

"… And why would I do that?"

"I'd offer it to him."

"Why?"

"Because an internship with me would look good on his resume no matter which field he decided to go into after his studies," he shrugged. "Might as well get you and your little boy toy set up with a good life, and I'll rest easy knowing I played a part in that."

"You are unbelievable," you sighed with a shake of your head. "Can I go now?"

"Sure, I'll even walk you," he offered and before you could even say no, he picked up his briefcase and walked ahead. He opened the door and held it open as he waited for you. "Coming?"

"Fine," it wasn't worth getting worked up over. He had his moment and said his bit, now you just needed to get out of here. "As long as you don't talk."

"Feisty," he chuckled as you walked past him and into the corridor. "I have to say it's pretty hot how-"

"I said don't talk."

"See, that's exactly what I mean," he cooed with a dreamy kind of smile. "Ooh, what I'd give for you to slap me again."

"It's different this time, Satoru," you spared him a glance. "I like him."

"Meaning to say you didn't actually like any of the other guys you've gone off with before?" he asked, knowing exactly how to tick you off and you let out a sigh, giving him a tired look. The normal response would have been to get angry but you simply couldn't find the energy to get upset with him nor did you particularly feel the need to; that'd only give him the satisfaction and you were beyond giving the man what he wanted.

And it worked.

The silence in your indifference was enough to throw him.

"Okay, fine. So you like him…" he cleared his throat. "But you love me."

"Liked. I liked you and for your information I haven't for a while now," you corrected when you reached the exit of the building. "Look, we can easily spend hours talking in circles about this but I-"

"Maybe we do need to spend hours talking through this. Properly. Things have changed since then and we haven't had the chance to talk about us. I know I fuck around and say the wrong things but I'm serious this time, I-"

"Just stop it already. I don't want to hear it-"

To your surprise, you saw Megumi standing by the fountain in the square and standing with him were Yuuji and Nobara who all took notice of your presence right away. Yuuji and Nobara greeted you with excitedly as they waved you over. The exasperation practically melted from your face as soon as you saw them, and you gave them a small smile and a little wave of your own before turning back to Satoru.

"I've got to go, alright?" you eyed him uneasily. "… I'm sorry."

Shit. Why did you just apologise?

For refusing to hear him out? For knowing that he was right this one time in saying that you two have not had the opportunity to speak about your failed relationship?

Or maybe it was just the hurt expression on his face.

"… And just so I'm clear, you don't actually want a report on the internship applications, right?"

"… No, don't worry about it," he stared at you for a moment before giving you an amused smile. It looked somewhat forced but you tried not to think too much on it. "Have a good weekend, [y/n]."

"You too…" you nodded back before walking away, hoping that you hadn't lingered too long and that your conversation had looked normal enough. Thankfully the group was all smiles when you joined them and you all exchanged pleasantries before you began walking to the bus stop.

"Everything alright?" Megumi whispered to you. He grew nervous when you didn't respond right away. "[y/n]?"

"What?"

"Everything alright?"

"Oh yeah, fine," you smiled back. "Just been a long week, you know."

"… Right."

Ahead of you, Nobara and Yuuji were chatting together animatedly about something but you struggled to pay attention even when they tried to include you in the conversation. It was annoying that you couldn't get yourself participate and especially annoying because you knew exactly why, and whether it was his intention or not, Satoru had ruined yet another afternoon for you.

"Sooo [y/n]-san, are you two like dating now?" Yuuji asked. "Like officially?"

"Hm?" you perked up at the sound of your name but you had completely missed the question. "Sorry? Could you say that again?"

"Megumi and you. Dating?"

"Oh uh…" you weren't expecting an interrogation especially right after that uncomfortable conversation with Satoru. It was something that you knew was bound to come up sooner or later but you were drawing up blanks. "We're getting there."

"What does that even mean?"

"It means mind your own business," Megumi gave his friends a look. "She's got her hands full with her job situation. We've decided to take things slow."

"Oh I heard that you quit your TA job," Nobara spoke up. "How's the job hunt going?"

"Not so great," you wondered how much the gossip has spread if freshmen outside of your class heard. "I'm sure something will come up eventually though."

"Why did you quit your job?" Yuuji asked innocently. "I mean the semester's almost over, wouldn't it have just ended anyway?"

"Isn't it obvious it's because Gojo-sensei is a raging idiot?" Nobara rolled her eyes. "I still can't believe you had to take care of him when he showed up to the party uninvited and-"

"Uh… he was invited," Yuuji chimed in, reminding her. "How else would he have known-"

"It's not like you're his personal assistant or something," Nobara continued, completely blanking Yuuji although there was no way she couldn't have heard him. "If I were you, I'd have asked for overtime and extra for the pure ridiculousness of the situation… Also in the future, don't invite Gojo-sensei to our parties, it's weird."

"Eri and the girls asked me to ask so I did but I didn't actually think he would come," Yuuji shrugged. "He's a rich famous person after all… doesn't he have better things to do? Ah, but I did genuinely want to invite you, [y/n]!"

"That's fine," you smiled back at him, just glad that the topic has moved away from why you quit your current job.

"Speaking of which, we're planning on going out into town tonight if you're free, [y/n]-san?"

"I've got a bit of work to do when I get back home but I should be free in the evening," you nodded back. "What time are you meeting?"

"Great, now you have to come Megumi," Yuuji grinned at his scowling friend. "We're meeting at Ginza around six but you can join us any time really. We're going bar-hopping for a bit before hitting some clubs."

"Oh, yeah sounds good," you wished you had asked where first before mentioning you were free. Ginza on a Friday night just smelt like trouble. "I'll text you."

Yuuji and Nobara exchanged excited smiles and broke off into their own conversation as they walked ahead, leaving you behind with Megumi.

"I wanted to spend Friday night just us together," he said quietly.

"Sorry," you smiled back at him sheepishly. "We'll have the weekend and it might be fun."

"Doubt it, Yuuji's invited everyone."

"Oh."

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The afternoon was another round of editing cover letters and firing out more applications, despite your best efforts however, you had to acknowledge that perhaps your time wasn't spent the most productively and the applications you sent out in the time were admittedly lacklustre. It felt silly but you couldn't concentrate with the thought of having to see Megumi's (or Yuuji's more like) friends, you know you shouldn't but you felt a little nervous especially after you embarrassed yourself last week at the class function and at the now infamous house party even before that. Just a few beers and you lose all inhibitions and openly flirt with a student for all to see. There wasn't a doubt in your mind that the people in your company tonight were going to be scrutinising you, perhaps even judging whether or not you make a good match for Megumi, or worse…

It was imperative that you made the right impression tonight and you really wished you had spent a little less time sending out applications that probably wouldn't get anywhere and spent a little more time thinking about what you were going to wear because you were at an utter loss when you got a text from Megumi saying that he was almost at your place. Between bluffing yourself into trying to be productive, mentally freaking out, and struggling to prepare yourself a quick dinner, you had completely lost track of time and was now running really behind.

Most of the group was meeting at the first far at six, Megumi and you decided to take your time and meet up with the rest after. It was agreed that he would come pick you up at eight so to give you enough time to get your work done and to get ready for the night. It was considerate of him and should have been more than enough time but unfortunately, it did appear that you had really started to make a habit of being late.

You recorded a quick voice-note to let him know you were running a bit late but for him to come anyway since he was already en-route.

Then you sprang to your feet and stuffed the last bite of rice into your mouth before dumping the dishes into your sink. Thank goodness you had the thought to take a shower while you were heating up your instant dinner in the oven, otherwise you wouldn't have had time to wash your hair and god forbid having to see everyone in your third day hair. But you've jumped through a flaming hoop to immediately face a pool of sharks.

Nightlife in Ginza was generally flashy and there was an expectation that went with going on a night out there, especially to some of the nicer establishments that Yuuji mentioned they were going to hit up later in the evening. Most women opted to wear glittery outfits and short dresses but you had very little of either available to you in your very limited closet. You didn't have many clothes to begin with and unfortunately a lot of your nicer evening wear have been outfits you have worn out on past dates with Satoru.

Flicking through the hangers, you paused on every other dress that may have been appropriate for the occasion but then you promptly recalled where you had worn it last and with whom. You cursed as you peered at the offending fabric in hand closer, remembering this as the dress you had worn to the gallery opening last year. Probably the first and last time you were seen so publicly beside Gojo Satoru.

The phone buzzed again signalling that Megumi was now downstairs so you really had to get a move on.

Fuck it. It was just a dress so you should be able to wear it without feeling guilty, plus you can make new memories in it and if by tonight it still annoyed you then you can toss it out.

The doorbell rang just as you slipped on the garment and you hurried out with a pair of tights in hand to let Megumi in.

"Hey, I'm so sorry. I completely lost track of time and-"

"It's fine, [y/n]," he gave you a quick squeeze before following you inside. "We're in no rush at all so take your time."

"Thanks," you nodded in appreciation before rushing back into the bedroom to sort out the tights. "I won't be too long now."

"You know it's not too late to tell them we're not coming…" Megumi said as he leaned against your bedroom doorframe and watched as you slid into the sheer tights. The look you gave him said everything and he chuckled as he nodded back. "Well is there anything I can do to help?"

"Yes, you can pour us some of that white wine we had leftover from the other night," you smiled back at him coyly when you caught him staring at your legs. "Go on, make yourself useful."

"Yes, ma'am," he pulled himself off the frame and headed into the kitchen where he procured two wine glasses from the top shelf and headed towards the fridge when he noticed the used dishes in the sink. Without hesitation, he took his jacket off and rolled up the sleeves on his sweatshirt.

"Why do I hear the sink? Don't tell me you're doing the dishes… Oh my god, you are!"

"Just being useful," he called back with a slight smile. "Don't worry, you'll get your wine too."

"I would have been happy with just the wine!"

"That'll come shortly," he scrubbed the small bowl and gave it a rinse under the tap before placing it on the drying rack next to the bowl he had just placed there moments ago. With the dishes clean and sink sprayed down, he returned his attention to the fridge and retrieved the half full bottle of wine. Just enough for two generous servings for the two of you. Megumi poured the glasses and headed back into the bedroom, he placed your glass on the dresser where you were currently doing your makeup against the mirror above.

"Thank you for that, Megumi," you glanced at him through the reflection before taking a quick but sizeable gulp of the wine. "You didn't have to do the dishes."

"It's fine, I wasn't going to leave them when I could have done something about it."

Without a place to sit, he laid on your bed and watched as you applied your makeup, watching with an unwavering gaze as you brushed on powders of shimmers and browns to your eyelids, enhancing the already prominent contours of your almond eyes. Once satisfied, you shut the compact of shadows and moved onto the rest of your eye makeup. Despite not being one to wear much makeup day to day, you drew your cat eyeliner with surprising fluidity of a skilled hand and Megumi was enamoured.

Two weeks ago, he could never have imagined himself in this position. The privilege of sitting in your bedroom on a Friday night, sipping on wine and watching you, a beautiful woman transform into a goddess of the night. It was a shame that he had to share you with others later this evening because he was ready to just abandon all plans and pull you into bed this moment.

"Don't give me that look, Fushiguro-kun," you spoke all of a sudden and said his surname and that way that made him feel warm on the inside. Of course you had caught him ogling, he had not been hiding his desire at all.

"You're just too pretty," he shrugged as he took another sip from his glass. "I can't help it. It's more your fault if anything."

"Sure blame me…" you smiled softly, looking a little shy from his words. "You're pretty distracting yourself… lying on my bed looking like that and staring at me like you want to take my clothes off."

"Can't I?"

"No, I'm trying to get more clothes on," you giggled. "Okay, I'm going to dry my hair now."

"Sure," his phone buzzed in his pocket that moment and he stood up. "I'll take this next door."

"Mmm," you turned to him, your lips were now a stunning rouge as you gave him a stunning smile. "I'll be another ten minutes."

Megumi gave you a nod before heading out of the room, concerned that his face may have turned red. The sound of the hairdryer roared to life next door and he attempted to calm himself, he cleared his throat and picked up the call.

It was Yuuji and by the sound of things he had a whole crowd of people with him on the other end.

"Hey dude, where are you?" his friend's voice appeared. "Didn't you say you'd be here at 8:30?"

"We're going to be a bit late so just go to the next place without us," Megumi took another big gulp from his wine glass. "Where is the next spot?"

"We've got one more bar to go to then we're going to N Club, I reckon we'll probs be at the club by the time you get to Ginza though."

"Sure, we'll meet you there."

"M'kay, see you soon!"

The line cut and he let out a huge sigh.

The night has barely begun and he was already exhausted. Megumi stood there for a moment aimlessly as he listened to the whirring of the hairdryer go next door, he then looked up and the first thing his eyes landed on was the row of photographs above the television. The frames have now been rearranged so that there was an equal amount of space between each frame, his gaze then shifted to the bookshelf and that had been tidied up too, lastly his eyes landed on the corner by the curtain where had had found that box.

Since that day, he had been over a couple times but he never had the opportunity to check if that box was behind there and if so what else was added to it? Maybe the silk tie? That had disappeared from her side table almost immediately. More memorabilia? What kind?

It shouldn't matter and he felt uneasy that he was keeping this to himself after they had just cleared the air but it was something he couldn't bring himself to ask you. After all, you had both agreed to take it slow and to let your relationship naturally develop. It was easier to just let things go on as they have been so there was no need for him to bring up an unpleasant topic or to make comparisons, and it would all be soon behind them anyway; at least that was his hope.

But once again, he found himself nearing that corner of the room against his better judgement. Clutching so hardly on his wine glass that the stem might snap, he took another step forward and reached for the curtain. With his heart hammering in his chest, his fingers curled around the cloth and pulled it aside.

And his heart soared when he found nothing.

"I'm done! Let's go!"

Megumi chugged down the rest of his wine in one go and marched back towards the bedroom, pulled you into a hug and gave you a kiss.