Cursed Love

~ Superb Magnet ~

October 2016.

True to his word, Satoru has prepared dinner.

It isn't what Liv had in mind when he said 'dinner'.

"Gojo," she says plainly, pointing to the dish at the table in his room. "What's this?"

He grins. "Dinner."

Liv looks at him, then at 'dinner' then back at him. "This ain't dinner, sweetie."

Satoru rolls his eyes. "Sheesh, you're such a plebian. We have to sharpen your tastes. I won't have you share more in common with a Bushman than with me."

"I beg your pardon?!" Liv cries out. "I'm not the one serving finger food as dinner!"

"It's high-end gourmet cooking," Satoru corrects her, pulling out a seat for her to sit on, "now, if you'd be so kind."

Liv sighs as she takes his offer and makes herself comfortable. He pushes her chair gently forward before circling the table and sitting on the chair opposite from her. The entire scene is daunting as the last time she dined with Satoru was during his high school years. They were celebrating his eighteenth birthday and inauguration as the clan head at the Gojo Estate. The Shuuin were invited as well, among the other distinguished sorcerer clans of Japan. After the party grew a bit stale, the two teenagers snuck out to the kitchens where they ate ice cream from the bucket and drank champagne and wine until they started seeing triple.

It was also the second time the two would sleep together, a fact that still makes her ears redden in shame - mostly because they were caught by Mathias.

With that said, she pays close attention to everything he presented on the table. Aside from the main dish, which seemed to be rare steak slices arranged in the shape of a rose flower in bloom and surrounded by multiple different colored sauces, there is a charcuterie board, a bottle of red and white wine respectfully, a bowl of grapes, a saucier with olive oil and minced garlic, and a spice rack with salt and pepper.

Liv quirks a brow. "Gojo, what is - "

"Just try it," he says and uses his chopsticks to pick out a piece of the meat for her.

Still somewhat dubious, she hesitates to take a bite. He is patient, however. Another moment later, Liv leans in and slowly takes the bite.

"Well?" Satoru asks, a satisfied grin on his face. "How is it?"

She hums. "It's excellent but I can't taste char at all."

He smirks before taking another piece but before he gives her to try it again, he dips the meat into the black sauce first. "Try it like this."

She doesn't hesitate with the second bite, opening her mouth the moment he offers. The taste of the sauce is very much familiar.

"Truffle?" she asks and he nods. "I still can't tell what the deal is with the steak, though."

Satoru dips his chin, looking at her over his lowered glasses. "Sous vide - vacuum cooking."

She eyes him in surprise. "Is that why the meat is so tender?"

"Try the green sauce," he says instead but she doesn't mind him changing topics, reaching for the light green sauce as he instructs.

She takes another piece of steak with her set of chopsticks and dips it into the green sauce before taking a bite. It doesn't take her long to recognize the flavor.

"Lemon butter," she says in awe. "I normally pair it with fish."

"I improvised a bit," Satoru says, his voice soft and velvety. "You like it, then?"

She struggles not to smile. "It's not bad."

Satoru scoffs but says nothing else as they finish the dinner in silence. The dinner is more than just 'dinner' and they are both aware of it. Liv's appreciation (read 'unfaltering love') for rare steak stems from her father's proclivity towards raw food - something that Satoru knows. Having known each other for as long as they do, it is hard not to know certain bits and pieces of information not usually accessible to the people around them. For example, apart from liking her steak rare, Liv also enjoys alcohol. On rare occasions, Satoru notes, but when she does, she counts her glasses in bottles. Contrary to herself, Liv knows Satoru is a lightweight when it comes to alcohol. Their teenage escapades proved as much which is why she figures the two bottles of wine on the table are not meant to be shared. She has never imagined Satoru as a stupid man, not once, but she does find him arrogant and manipulative. Had it been any other person dining with him, they'd believe he's just being overly nice, maybe in an attempt to trick them into sleeping with him. Again, Liv knows better - she always does. He's playing on her emotions: serving the food that she likes, invoking memories of her home and by extension, her father whose death brought about the worst six months she'd ever experienced in her life. Even the setting, inside his room, intimate, closed off, away from the prying eyes of the council - Satoru wants her to talk, to share, to confide. He still wants answers before the wedding. She almost scoffed at his impatience, You can't fight your nature, it seems. The wine, she presumes, is the last resort should nothing else work. Disappointing, she notes bitterly as she takes another piece of meat. At least the food's good.

"How are the kids?" she asks, deciding to light up her sour mood.

Satoru smiles. "They're great. You should meet them, now that you're here."

Liv returns the smile. "I think that's a wonderful idea."

"I can't promise you much, though," he says as he stuffs his mouth with a neat arrangement made of cheese, crackers, and grapes. "Tsumiki will probably stick to being polite and Megumi could very well ignore you after introductions. He's in that phase, being all moody and angsty."

Liv chuckles in response. "Should I tempt him with a birthday cake, then? It's coming soon anyway."

For a moment, she sees Satoru's eyes widen. "You remember that?"

"How could I not?" she scoffs, pointing at him. "You sent me a picture of you three on his tenth birthday. By the way, stickers on your cheeks really bring out your eyes."

Satoru pouts. "You remember only the stupid stuff about me."

"And that doesn't tell you something?" she asks teasingly, lacing her fingers under her chin.

He is quiet for a while, uncharacteristically sullen. "It's my birthday too but not like you care, obviously."

She hums. "I already have something planned, don't worry."

"Drinking with Shoko I bet," he scoffs, leaning back in his chair. "Knowing you two, you'll snap a selfie and text at midnight 'happy birthday, loser'. It'll probably be misspelled, as well."

"That was one time," she laughs. "Come on, it was funny."

"It was lame," he rolls his eyes.

She laughs again as he goes on rambling about all the times she and Shoko made fun of him. Liv doesn't actually listen to him, partially because she already knows all the times she made fun of him over the years, including the times she was under the influence. She then notices her phone ringing. Liv hesitates to answer as Satoru is still talking and though she's been tuned out for the majority of his monologue, she doesn't want to be outright rude. Luckily for her, Satoru grows annoyed with the constant ringing.

"Just pick up the damn call," he rumbles, adding, "and change that ringtone for fuck's sake."

She doesn't bother calling him out for his crude language and merely smirks as she reaches for her phone. "Hello?"

Satoru can hear a loud 'Liv' echoing from her device.

"Shoko?" Liv asks with a chuckle and then puts a finger in her opposite ear as if struggling to hear the woman on the other side of the line. "Where are you? I can't hear a word you say."

The woman in question is leaning on a bar with her who-knows-which-in-line drink. She has a drowsy smile on her face and her tired eyes are just slightly blurry. A woman next to her fares no better, sporting the same smile and the same misty eyes.

"You're missing a party, Liv," Shoko yells into the phone. "Leave that fucker! Come with me and Utahime!"

"Utaimen? Who the hell is - " Liv asks, frowning and when Shoko repeats her last sentence, Liv makes an 'o' shape with her mouth. "Oh, Utahime! I thought that she's in Kyoto now?"

"She has a day off so she came to Tokyo! We're at Tasuichi, I'll send you the address," Shoko yells while Utahime hangs off her shoulder, calling out Liv's name. "They're streaming a baseball match, it's hectic!"

Liv chuckles. The prospects of watching baseball don't appeal to her, primarily because she's more into basketball. The prospects of seeing her friends, drinking, and relaxing appeal to her immensely, however.

"Sounds good," she says with a smile. "I'll meet you there."

The line goes dead and she sets her phone down. She notices Satoru staring at her, his eyes narrowed and his arms crossed. He is displeased though she can't really tell with what. Her phone then lights up and she read a message from Shoko containing the address and location link of the bar they're at.

"I should get changed," she says, ignoring his glares.

He says nothing.

"I made a promise earlier, you were there," she continues. "You're free to come along if you want to."

He exhales through his nose. "Nah, I don't want to impose on a girls' night out. I'll take you there and pick you up when you're done."

"You don't have to do that," she says quickly.

"I want to," he replies simply. "I don't like the idea of you and Shoko and Utahime alone on the streets in the middle of the night."

Liv wants to argue, to point out that she'll be fine, that she doesn't need a babysitter. She then remembers Utahime's voice screaming her name on the other side of the line and the possibility of her friend being very much inebriated already. Having a reliable lift back home might not be a bad idea, she concludes.

"Okay," she says finally and takes a napkin to wipe her mouth. "My car is parked at the bottom of the mountain, just so you know."

Satoru lifts a brow as if confused by her statement. "Why should I care where your car is parked?"

She squints her eyes. "Because we're going by car?"

The Six Eyes wielder laughs and Liv finds the sound of his laughter reminiscent of the one she heard all the time when they were younger. A strange knot in her stomach tightens at the thought, reminding her of certain pain she believed to be long forgotten.

"We're not driving there, Liv," he says with a smile. "Meet me in the hallway when you're done."

Liv frowns, still confused but acquiesces to his plan by leaving his room. How are we supposed to get there? she wonders as she makes her way to her room. By foot?

They arrive atop the building where the Tasuichi bar is located at 20:05.

They left Jujutsu High also at 20:05.

"What just happened?" Liv asks, lost in time and space.

Satoru pats her right shoulder. "It's been eight years. I can do a bunch of cool stuff now."

She glances at him sideways. "You flew the last time we saw each other. What the fuck is this?"

He chuckles, amused at her lack of awareness of his abilities. "Space manipulation, Liv. I just got better at it."

"To the point you can teleport?" she asks, her voice unintentionally tilted.

Satoru clicks his tongue. "I can't teleport literally. I move at a really high speed by displacing the point of gravity. It's like conjuring a magnet and letting it do what it does."

"That must be some superb magnet," she mutters.

"It's a bit more complex than that," Satoru notes.

Liv scoffs and brushes away the hand that still lingers on her shoulder. "It always is with you."

Satoru retrieves his hand. "Really? I think I'm a rather easy-to-understand person."

"Being simplistic and being understood are two different things, Gojo," she says while fixing up the collar of her jacket.

"Which am I, in your opinion?" he asks, his voice low.

She doesn't look at him as she says, "Why ask when you already know the answer?"

The conversation ends there, with both sides finding any further talking to be unnecessary. Liv thanks Satoru for dropping her at the bar and invites him one more time to join her and the others. He politely declines and promises to pick them up whenever they decide to go home. Nodding, Liv turns on her heel and jumps off the building, joining her friends at the bar. Satoru disappears from the building rooftop not long after.

The night seemed promising for the larger part. The moment Liv entered the Tasuichi bar, she was spotted by her friends and subsequently crushed by Utahime's bear hug. Despite not seeing the older woman in a long while, Liv was happy to see the current Kyoto Jujutsu High teacher alive and well. After a long while of ugly crying faces (referring to all three women) and drunken words of endearment, the three sat down at the table in the quiet corner of the bar. Rounds of beer were ordered and displayed neatly on the surface of the table and they were more than happy to drink them at once. Inebriation lasted for only so long however as Shoko and Utahime were understandably curious about certain things - Utahime especially as she heard only bits and pieces from Shoko. With that said, Shoko used her reversed cursed technique to sober them up enough to be able to talk properly.

And then came the questions.

"Please tell me you're marrying him for money," Utahime groans, pressing her palms together in a praying manner. "I can't think of any other reason for you to marry that bastard!"

Shoko sighs, taking a sip of her beer. "She's already rich, Utahime-senpai."

The scarred-faced woman is stunted by the statement. "Oh."

Liv chuckles.

Utahime sighs and leans on her closed fist. "Now I can't think of any reasons for you to marry that bastard."

"Well, he's got a stellar lineage, immense power, and influence," Liv lists, twirling her pint of beer in circles. "I say, I've got myself a good match."

"Nanami is a good match," Shoko points out. "He's more masculine than Gojo."

"Can't argue that logic," Utahime agrees before frowning. "By the way, have you heard about Nanami dating some non-sorcerer from Osaka?"

Liv hums. "She must be quite the lady for catching Kento's eye."

"Nanami is a man with high qualities and low expectations," Shoko points out. "Reason more why your whole engagement to Gojo is sus. What in the world were you thinking of accepting his proposal?"

"He didn't propose," Liv blurts out, tactfully as always.

Both women cock their heads in confusion.

Liv sighs. "I proposed to him, technically."

Their jaws slack and hit the table almost.

"Is there a video?" Shoko asks half-seriously. "I want to see that."

"I really don't," Utahime adds with a hint of disgust. "It must've been embarrassing."

Liv recalls that day briefly. "It probably would've been if there were other people present."

"Gojo told me this was a decade ago," Shoko says. "You were, what, sixteen?"

"Seventeen," Liv corrects her and takes a sip of her beer. "It happened after the Star Plasma Vessel incident."

The mention of the tragic event invokes a moment of silence at the table. For everyone present, the infamous assassination of Riko Amanai, a fourteen-year-old girl at the time, was a moment of utter devastation and to an extent, shame. While Shoko and Utahime didn't witness most of the terror that occurred, having been protected by the school teachers at the time, Liv had no such protection and was caught in the middle of the crossfire. Absentmindedly, she reaches for her throat and softly traces an invisible line across the front side of her neck. An image of bloodied Satoru appears before her eyes and she closes them shut. It is over, she reminds herself and opens them again, her hazel eyes slightly red.

"Why?" Shoko asks her and Liv doesn't know why it's so strained, at the end of her breath, as if she's afraid to ask a simple question. "Why then? Why him?"

Utahime frowns. "Shoko - "

Liv doesn't react and answers all the same, "Because he's my oldest friend. Because it probably would've happened anyway. Because I watched him die and resurrect on the same day. Because the one I wanted didn't want me."

"Did you even ask him?"

The Norwegian smiles softly at her friend. Shoko has a brilliant mind, one that can deduct the most complex biological, biochemical, and neurological reactions that occur in the human body. Among so many powerful sorcerers past and present, only a select few could utilize the reversed cursed technique that Shoko herself has perfected. Liv admires her for that and she truly puts her faith in Shoko's abilities, but whenever the topic of Satoru Gojo and Suguru Geto comes up, Shoko has never seemed to grasp the full picture, intentionally or unintentionally.

"I knew the answer," Liv says honestly. "We all did."

Shoko's lower lip trembles and she bites it.

"You were so young, though," Utahime notes. "What made you do something like that in the first place?"

Caught a bit off guard, Liv takes a solid minute to think of a proper answer. She hadn't thought much of it over the years but now that she has a chance to mull it over, she finds the answer rather simplistic if naive.

"At the time," Liv says and finds her voice breaking but resumes her answer anyway, "I thought if I do something radical, I could control my fate. I thought if life is so short, at least I want it to be a life I wouldn't regret."

While she provides an ambiguous answer, the two seem to understand her perfectly as they nod in response. A sorcerer's life is a tough one, marred with death and sacrifice. The little joys they can take hold of should be treasured and Shoko suddenly feels silly for being angry at their decision to marry. Even the great Satoru Gojo is just a man, she ponders, recalling his expression when their friend went rogue not so long after Riko Amanai's death. He deserves happiness wherever he can find it because the world will just take the rest.

"I'm sorry, Liv," Utahime continues softly. "Still, I think you could've done better than Gojo. I mean, his hair is white. You sure you don't have a thing for older dudes?"

The serious tone of the room is feather-light once more and the women share a chuckle.

"I don't know, Utahime," Liv says teasingly, "for all his bravado, he's quite good in bed."

They are stunned once more.

"You didn't?" Shoko asks, almost disgusted, a sentiment shared by Utahime.

Liv gives them a wicked smile and shows them three fingers. "Several times."

"I think I'm gonna be sick," Utahime says, grabbing her stomach.

"If it makes you feel any better," Liv continues, "I took his V-card."

They are quiet for a moment before breaking into laughter.

"Oh God," Utahime wheezes, "this just gets worse by the second."

"Wait," Shoko suddenly says and points her finger at Liv, her eyes wide. "His inauguration at the Gojo Estate. You both went missing for a while and your brother left like a fury."

Liv squints her eyes, making a sour face. "That was our second time and Mathias walked in on us."

"Mid-action?" Utahime asks, dread all over her face.

"God no," Liv shakes her head furiously. "We were hugging butt-naked though, on a kitchen counter."

"Jesus," Utahime curses and drinks her beer before fanning her reddening face.

"If that was your second time," Shoko asks, "when was your first?"

"You're awfully inquisitive tonight," Liv remarks.

Shoko acts offended. "My two closest friends have hidden their secret relationship from me for a decade."

"It wasn't a relationship," Liv says, sulking.

"Fine, hookup, situationship, whatever," Shoko rolls her eyes. "So, first time? Spill."

Liv hesitates but when the other two lean over the table, pressuring her to talk, she blurts out finally, "His dorm room, first year, before the summer break."

They both gasp. "You did it at school?!"

"We were curious," Liv says, as if explaining their motivations will help her case in any way. "We've known each other for so long and it made sense at the time so we just did it."

"He must've been really good for you to come back for more," Shoko says as she trails her finger along the edge of her pint.

Liv sighs. "We were drunk and high on sugar at the inauguration."

"And the third time?" Utahime asks, enjoying the gossip far too much.

Liv's smile falters slightly and she grasps her pint with both of her hands. "Oh, well, that was after Suguru left. We were, um - "

She doesn't say it but it's painfully obvious what she is trying to say. The other two exchange worried looks and Shoko shakes her head, signaling for her senpai to not probe the subject. They instead refer back to the original storyline where they made fun of Liv's teenage adventures.

"So, got any embarrassing details to disclose?" Shoko asks, wiggling her thick eyebrows at Liv. "I want to see that asshole crawl in shame at least once in this lifetime."

Liv laughs. "Oh, God - "

"I bet she yelled that from atop the kitchen counter," Utahime comments, and Shoko sniggers.

All things considered, in Liv's opinion, it wasn't a bad girls' night out.

Satoru is at his penthouse in Roppongi, finding it meaningless to go back to school, knowing the higher-ups will notice if he's alone without his bride on the school grounds as well. The change of scenery also helps him relax a bit as he spent the entire day fishing out answers from Liv. He knows that she noticed his attempts at manipulation; she always knows when he's plotting. He doesn't particularly care because obviously, she doesn't care about him being in the dark regarding the whole wedding thing. Yet, he still lingers around, hanging off of her every word like it's a golden thread, valuable and true, and glistening with purity. Satoru groans in frustration. What's wrong with you, man? Sighing, he falls back on his king-sized bed and stares at the ceiling of his room.

"Should I trust her," he wonders, "or should I not trust her?"

He wants to trust her, just like he trusted her in their teenage years. It may sound shocking to those unaware of their past but Liv has always been Satoru's only true tether to reality. There is Shoko, of course, but Shoko had always scolded him, appealing to his mortality and normalcy. Liv brings out that side of him, much to his discomfort. A person who can make him take a step back and forget his almost-divine status for a moment is a liability, and considering Liv's nowhere near as strong as he is, being Satoru Gojo's liability is a death sentence.

"Please," he whispers, praying to whatever deity that may be listening to him rambling in the middle of the night. "Please, let her have some secret ultra-super-sonic cursed technique in her arsenal."

(In retrospect, just a few weeks later, Satoru would find himself laughing at how careless he had been with both his words in prayer and his personal opinion on Liv's liability status.)

He hears a familiar 'ting' sound coming from his phone and he stretches his hand to the nightstand where his phone has been resting dangerously close to the edge. Unlocking the phone, he first notices the time - 02:27 - and then the name on the message pop-up notification - Shoko Ieiri. Satoru frowns and purses his lips as he opens the message. He groans as he realizes that history is repeating itself once more.

Shoko has sent him a picture of herself, Utahime, and his fiance, clearly still at the bar, all of them having drunken smiles on their faces and all of them red from the booze they probably over-indulged in. The picture itself doesn't unnerve him - it is the text underneath.

From: Shoko Ieiri

Pick us up

He rolls his eyes and then the next message appears underneath.

From: Shoko Ieiri

Mr. One-Eyed Trouser Snake

Satoru's eyes threaten to bulge out of their sockets as he reads something that he was certain no one besides him and Liv knows.

"That little bitch," he curses in disbelief.

By the time he picks them up, Satoru has gone over at least a dozen different scenarios in which he obliterates Liv Drakon with any of his cursed techniques. He arrives at the Tasuichi bar in twenty minutes with his car - Because I sure as hell ain't gonna teleport their drunk asses back to school one by one. Though, he finds the idea of teleporting Utahime to a random place in Kyoto tempting. The women continue to giggle at him with Shoko and Utahime muttering the obnoxious nickname he blurted out when he was fifteen and showing his dick to his best friend for the first time because he thought it was 'cool'. Liv, on the other hand, remains composed as much as possible, settling for only a drunken smile and no comments the entire ride back.

Little else happens afterward: they climb their way to the school from the foothills (Utahime and Shoko talk his ear off for not wanting to teleport them and spare them the climb), Shoko takes Utahime by hand to her room which is adjacent to the morgue (a morbid thought but Utahime, in her drunken state, doesn't much care at this point) and Liv and Satoru retreat to the dorm with him walking her all the way to her bed.

"Anything else you wish to report?" he asks as he fumbles with the keys to her dorm room while holding her upright with his one hand. "I want to be prepared for any other possible future embarrassments."

Liv giggles and then hiccups as she pokes his cheek. "Aww, you're embarrassed."

"You told them about the Trouser Snake, Liv," he says slowly, his tone almost menacing. "I've buried that information in the farthest parts of my brain."

"Yeah, well," she says with a large grin on her face, "I haven't."

"Oh for fuck's sake," he curses and opens the door of her room. "You know, Shoko's a bad influence on you."

"You're just jealous that she likes me more than she likes you," Liv mumbles as Satoru pulls back the covers on her bed before helping her sit down.

He scoffs as he nestles her head on the pillow. "I'm more concerned with the fact that you like her more than you like me."

Normally, Liv would have ignored the jab since it is ridiculous but in her drunken state, she grows wary of his statement as she doesn't pick up on his sarcastic tone. "That's not true, I've known you for much longer."

The sudden outpour of anxiety and desire for validation startles Satoru. "I know that Liv. It was a joke."

"Oh," she says and pulls on her covers, hiding half of her face underneath them.

Satoru shakes his head, himself tired and wanting to just fall asleep. He tucks her in and says a soft 'good night' before turning on his heel and leaving her room. As he reaches for the doorknob, he hears her calling his name.

His first name.

"Satoru," she almost whimpers.

It takes him a while to respond. "Yeah, Liv?"

She bites her lower lip. "Do you regret our first time?"

He turns around, his face unreadable. "What?"

"Our first time," she repeats as if he was asking a stupid question. "You know, having sex and all."

He blinks. "No. Do you?"

"No," she says quickly.

He smirks. "Good."

Liv says nothing as he exits her room. It doesn't take her long to succumb to the lull of blissful sleep. By the morning, she forgets their short but honest conversation.

Satoru doesn't but decides to keep that tidbit of info to himself.