Gojo taps his fingers on the couch. Nanami ignores him, choosing instead to read the morning paper. "Say, Nanami-chan–"
"Don't call me that," Nanami interrupts, not looking up from the paper.
"Aw, c'mon on. You really won't tell me?" Gojo throws his head back, sighs loudly. He stretches his arms out along the back of the couch. Nanami shifts away from him. "Did you at least give the finger to Yuji?"
"Why would I give it to Yuji? We do not know how many of those he can eat before Sukuna takes over." Nanami folds the newspaper and places it on the coffee table. "Kagome-san, her technique is interesting."
Gojo sits up and tilts his head. "Gome-chan was at the fight?" he asks. If he could have his way, he'd keep her at home, but she'd never go for that. "Thought you didn't take civilians with you."
"I don't. She was already at the school when I got there. The curse was fixated on her. He'd tried to run off with her."
Gojo cracks his knuckles. "What did this curse look like?"
"Like his body was patched together. I'm not sure if he's dead or not. A curse user showed up and got a hold of him. Kagome-san seemed to know him."
Kagome only knows a handful of people, Gojo thinks, so this curse user must be a demon. "If we go down that narrative, then the curse user probably wanted the curse to kidnap Gome-chan."
"What could they want with her? Why not go after Yuji?"
He shrugs. "Leverage against me."
Nanami crosses his legs. "That's what I don't understand. How did someone like Kagome-san end up with you?"
Gojo sputters. "I'll have you know, Gome-chan fell into my lap. She came from the heavens just for me."
"I'm so done with your shit," Nanami says, standing up. "You should keep that same energy for Yuji. He is still just a kid."
"We're leaving later today for a mini-vacation before the exchange event." Gojo frowns. "What's with that look?"
"Since when do you take vacations?"
He can't say that he's taking one because Kagome mentioned they should. That would just make it look as though he has to be told to take it easy.
"Are you leaving, Nanami-san?" Kagome asks, walking into the living room. Her hair is piled up into a messy bun, and if he looks closely, he can make out the fading hickeys along her collarbone. Gojo swallows and walks over to her. His hands sweaty and since when did he act like a love-sick teenager?
"Yes. I need to finish writing up my report."
"Leave Gome-chan out of it." Gojo palms Kagome's cheek. His tongue darts out, moistening his lips as he stares at hers behind his blindfold. "She isn't a sorcerer and I don't want the higher-ups pestering her."
"Very well," Nanami says, pushing his glasses up.
"Really? You aren't going to lecture me?"
"Kagome-san, I really am sorry."
"It's alright," Kagome replies. "I'll keep him in line." She smiles, causing Gojo's heart to thud.
The audacity of these two. Gojo takes his hand back and crosses his arms. "I'll head out with you."
"You just got here."
"I want to go over some things with my students before we head out."
"Head out?" Kagome scrunches up her nose and crosses her arms. The action pushes her breasts together, and Gojo isn't above ogling. "Eyes up here," she says.
"How do you know where I'm looking with this blindfold on?" He grins. "You and Yuji pack, we're going on that vacation you wanted."
"Really?" Her face brightens as she rushes off down the hall.
"Never thought you'd settle down," Nanami says, "with a non-sorcerer at that."
"That's why I like her so much. Gome-chan doesn't care about any of that." He walks with Nanami out of the apartment. The sunlight is a welcome reprieve from the dreary weather he experienced while in New York.
"So, she doesn't know?"
"She knows that I'm the strongest?" He isn't sure what Nanami is getting at. Obviously, she knows that he's a sorcerer.
"About being the head of the Gojo clan. Does she not know what all the entails?"
Gojo stops near Nanami's black rental car. His hand hovers over the door. He swipes his tongue along the length of his teeth, his mouth suddenly overcome with dryness. Would she stick around after finding out? He knows that logically; he can't keep her hidden away from that side of him forever.
"You need to tell her. Preferably before the wedding."
Gojo slides into the seat, opens his mouth, and then promptly closes it. There's really no point in explaining to Nanami that Kagome and he aren't engaged. He just put a ring on that finger because…. "What's with the rental? Don't trust Ijichi?"
"I don't call Ijichi for every errand." Nanami cuts his eyes at Gojo. "Why isn't she a sorcerer? Yuji and I may not have made it out without her help. She broke the curse's domain expansion."
"She doesn't use cursed energy, so she can't be a sorcerer–technically." Gojo leans the seat all the way back. He swears Nanami muttered, 'childish' under his breath.
"And you don't want to tell the higher-ups, so they don't perform any tests or kill her outright?" Nanami says, "but if you two are getting married, shouldn't that keep them from doing any of those things?"
"It would be an act of war," Gojo says. He snaps his fingers. "And no one would want to declare war with me. That would be suicidal."
"Oh, no."
"Anyone ever tell you to lighten up? I mean look at those lines! Nanami-chan, you should-"
"Can't you teleport to the school?"
"Can't you drive faster?" Nanami stops at the light, breathes loudly through his nostrils. Gojo wonders how many times he can annoy his favorite ex-salary man sorcerer. "Nanami. If you see that curse user again, call me."
"He must be strong, then. I'm surprised Kagome-san doesn't have a bodyguard then."
"She doesn't need one."
"How did you two meet?" Nanami asks, his voice uncertain.
"I told you, she fell from the sky and landed in my lap."
"I'm really sick of your shit."
A/N: Thank you all for the reviews and feedback! I was wondering if I was adding too many characters to the story. I'm not 100% happy with this chapter, but hopefully, it isn't as bad as I think it is. Have a nice weekend/holiday everyone!