I recently binged season 2 of JJK, and I can now say that I'm a full blown SatoSugu shipper. How did they manage to make me fall in love with these two boys over only 5 episodes?!

In any case, I started getting ideas of one-shots, both canon-compliant and canon-divergent, so expect to see some additional fics in the near future.

I won't be writing any multi-chapter fics anytime soon, as I'm still working on a big fic that is only about halfway done. But possibly when that finishes, and closer to when JJK is done, I'll dedicate some time to a multi-chapter fic.

For now, enjoy this series of one-shots!

For the first one… a "what if…?" scenario.

Loosely inspired by the song Together by The xx

What if Toji Fushiguro never invaded Jujutsu High, and never killed Riko Amanai?

Once they reached inside Jujutsu High's barrier, the wave of relief from the group was palpable.

"Satoru… you really worked hard this time," it rolled out of Suguru's mouth like as if it took no effort at all to pay his friend the compliment.

But Satoru Gojo knew better.

He gave exasperated sigh, finally letting down Infinity, and giving his brain a much-needed break, "Ugh… I never wanna get stuck again, babysitting some kid!"

Riko's reaction practically begged Satoru to elaborate, "And just what is that supposed to mean?"

The special grade sorcerer ignored the young girl's interrogation, interrupting her halfway through as he started walking towards the compound, "Come on, let's gett'er to Tengen so that I can go the fuck to sleep."

Suguru watched as Satoru walked ahead, Riko and Kuroi soon following beside him, "Geez, what's his deal? I thought we were all having a good time," Riko asked, the three of them following shortly behind.

"It's just who he is. Satoru will never admit it, but he's never had his Infinity technique running for as long he has these last few days."

"He hasn't?" Kuroi asked, "I assumed with his background, he must've trained extensively to use such a powerful technique."

Suguru nodded, "He did, but he's never been called on to use it quite like this before. He was running himself thin, and he'll never say when he's exhausted. He'd rather be seen as an asshole before ever admitting to being weak."

The two ladies soon fell further behind as they paused to share a goodbye before Riko went into the depths of the compound to perform the assimilation with Tengen.

'He'd rather be seen as an asshole before admitting to being weak,' Suguru played everything back in his mind.

As Satoru paused at the entrance to the underground lair, Suguru soon joined beside him, staring up at the extensive network of complex structures designed to protect all Jujutsu Sorcerers in Japan.

"She's gonna back out," Satoru commented aloud, though Suguru wasn't sure if it was directed at him, or if Satoru was confirming with himself.

"I know," he agreed.

"Looks like we'll have a lot of explaining to do."

"Since when has that ever stopped you from doing the right thing?"

Satoru gave a sideways glance to his best friend. While Suguru may have had the energy of terrier, Satoru was hard pressed to care.

Riko soon approached, standing in awe of it all.

Suguru, luckily, took the lead on explaining to her what was about to happen — how all of this was about to become her domain to control and maintain the barriers.

"Or… we can turn back now and go home with Kuroi," he prompted.

Riko's breath caught in her chest, and the two young sorcerers could feel it. They could feel her dread at the very idea of making a decision. Riko didn't have a choice. She had never had a choice.

But now, she was being given one, and she was paralyzed at what to do.

"When our teacher told us about this mission, we knew there'd be consequences," Suguru continued, "He said that assimilating would erase your information. That's because he wanted us to know how serious a sin we'd commit. Our teacher's brain may be completely muscle bound, but he often does roundabout things."

Suguru turned to face Riko, and Satoru came to stand beside her.

"Before we even met you, Satoru and I had already talked it over. If you wanted to maintain your autonomy, and reject the assimilation, then we'd agreed to call off the mission, even if it meant fighting Tengen."

The tears that started to form in her eyes fell before Riko even knew they were there.

"We're the strongest sorcerers at Jujutsu High School, so no matter what decision you make… Satoru and I will guarantee your future."

Satoru listened intently as Riko explained her circumstances, and while he felt for the girl, he couldn't help but draw the parallel in his mind to his own circumstances. He didn't get to choose to be the inheritor of the Six Eyes or Limitless Techniques. And while it did make him the strongest, he certainly didn't ask to bear the responsibility of protecting all humans and jujutsu sorcerers.

What if he were to just… not be the strongest?

Riko made her decision, and she wanted to live a full life.

Suguru and Satoru held up their end of the agreement, protecting her from the rest of the Jujutsu Society — Tengen, the Council, all of it.

They were both nearly expelled, but Yaga saw to it that that wouldn't happen. They knew they couldn't afford to lose the two most powerful sorcerers of the next generation.

So… Riko was allowed to be set free. She returned home with Kuroi within 48 hrs, and Satoru and Suguru were allowed to remain at Jujutsu High. Luckily, Star Plasma Vessels seemed to be available in waves, and just because Riko rejected the assimilation doesn't mean there were no other options for Tengen. He just preferred Riko over the others.

By the end of it all, the two boys were exhausted beyond recognition, and Satoru had departed to his room to, as he put it, "Sleep until the world ends."

Suguru laughed, and wished his friend a good night.

The next day, Suguru woke up far later than he was used to. He got dressed in a pair of loose sweats and an oversized white tshirt, tied his hair back, and headed over to Satoru's room. He lightly knocked on the door, "Satoru? You awake?"

No response.

Considering how draining it all must've been for him, Suguru chalked it up to him still being asleep. He resigned to come back a bit later, opting for letting "the enlightened one" to regain his strength.

He made his way down the hall towards the cafeteria, but as he walked by the main entrance, he saw Satoru, sitting atop of the tori gate that marked the end of the barrier. He was… staring… up at the sky.

The problem was… it was also raining.

"Satoru?!" he called out across the courtyard, though either Satoru didn't hear him or he didn't care to respond. Suguru instead ran out into the rain, standing right under the gate as he shouted again, "Satoru?!"

"I heard you the first time," Satoru replied coldly.

The tone actually caused Suguru to take a step back before resolving himself, "Can we talk?"

"What's there to talk about?" the same calloused sound coming from his throat.

"Just… get inside, will you?" Suguru practically begged.

"Why? I could just stop the rain from hitting me with my technique," he tossed flippantly.

"But you're not..."

That got Satoru to finally turn back to look over his shoulder at his best friend, the both of them soaked to bone. Seeing the worried look in his friend's eyes, pleading with him to come down and rejoin him where it wasn't pouring, Satoru beleaguered a sigh, standing from his spot on the gate, and stepping off to float down to the ground, landing just in front of Suguru, who watched him every second of the way down.

They sat on the veranda just outside of the main hall, continuing to watch the rain pour down. Suguru had grabbed them both some sandwiches and sodas from the vending machines, and offered Satoru a towel to dry off. He took the offering, only to fling the terrycloth fabric over his shoulder.

Suguru let out a small, tired breath, sitting beside him on the steps, their food and sodas sitting between them, like they'd done many times before.

"You didn't sleep at all last night, did you?" sadly, this question got no answer from Satoru, but Suguru could tell just by looking at him.

"Talk to me, Satoru."

It sounded like a simple enough request. But the it hung between them like the Infinity that existed around Satoru's body.

Eventually, he resigned, "What are… we doing this all for?"

"What do you mean?" clarification was definitely needed.

"This… all of this…" Satoru gestured with his hand to the compound around them, his voice sounding bitter and disillusioned, "What the hell is it all for?"

"Satoru… where's this coming from?"

"If Amanai's allowed to just decide that she doesn't want to go through with the assimilation, to become the next version of Tengen… then what's stopping me from just… not being the strongest sorcerer anymore?"

Suguru's attention immediately snapped to Satoru.

"Why should I have to dedicate myself to protecting the weak… just because of the way I was born? I didn't ask for this. What about my life? My hopes, my aspirations? Expected to just give it all up and be the guard dog of Jujutsu Society…"

"That's not how anyone sees you," Suguru tried to console him.

"Oh yeah, then how do they see me?" the retort had too much bite in it to be seen as a joke or rhetorical. Satoru was genuinely asking him.

"Well…" Suguru struggled to answer initially, and it confirmed every anxiety Satoru had.

They did only see Satoru as the strongest, and it was an identity he had adopted as a means of survival. Because if he wasn't the strongest, then…?

"Who am I?" he said it just as Suguru thought it, and he sounded so sad.

Suguru looked over and saw the streak of tears Satoru was hoping were hidden behind his sunglasses… or maybe that's what he had been trying to hide in the rain.

He leaned over, their snacks long forgotten about, and placed his hand on Satoru's shoulder. Suguru could feel him shuddering at the realization that he had no idea who he was as a person. His entire world had been about being the strongest jujutsu sorcerer — not because of what he'd done or accomplished, but because of how he was born. Because of his lineage. Without that, he was lost.

Suguru couldn't let him go on feeling this way. He stood up from his spot on the steps, and moving behind his friend, he spoke, "You're Satoru Gojo; the biggest idiot, the loudest mouth, the grossest eater, and… the best friend I've ever known."

Satoru's head snapped up when he felt Suguru hug him from behind, his head laying over his shoulder and his embrace warming him almost instantaneously.

"You're not just Satoru Gojo because you're the Six Eyes with the Limitless Technique, or because you were born into the prestigious Gojo clan. You're Satoru Gojo… because you're the kind of person who went out of your way to give a nobody like me — with no sorcerer lineage — the time of day. Because you cared enough about me, and Shoko, and Hanami, and Haibara, to actually learn things about us that even your Six Eyes can't tell you."

Satoru looked over his shoulder as Suguru continued, "Because you go out of your way to give Riko the best last few days of her life, even when there's a bounty on her head and doing so puts yourself in direct danger.

"You're the kind of person that wants to make the people around you happy, even if it costs you something to achieve it. And that means something to all of us. Your technique isn't limited to just yourself. You expand your sphere to those closest to you, and you do it without expecting anything in return; because you know it'll bring peace and happiness to their lives, even for just a few moments."

Satoru quietly listened to his friend, the tears that had started to pour down his face only few minutes before soon dried up.

"You're not just who you are, Satoru. It's what you do that makes you the man you are. It's how you treat those around you. And I would never trade anyone else for you."

Before he could utter another word, Satoru turned in his arms and reached up, his had pulling at Suguru's neck as they met between their colliding worlds.

It took a moment for the initial shock to wear off, but Suguru returned the gesture in kind, his own hand lacing into Satoru's hair as their lips dancing in tandem with one another. It felt like the great wave of relief had crashed over them both, and they were both left feeling exposed and vulnerable.

As the moment passed, and the pair's lips slowly parted, their eyes found one another in a knowing gaze.

"I blame you, and your sappy speeches," Satoru joked after a few seconds, his iconic cock-cure grin brightening his face… and Suguru couldn't have been happier to see it return.

"Then I guess I should make them more often," he threw back, leaning down to kiss Satoru's forehead, and pressing his cheek to the side of face.

The two young men held each other for a little while longer before they detangled from one another, and only then did they realize that the rain had stopped, and the sun had started to make its return.

"Hey… Suguru?"

"Yeah?"

"Let's head back to my room."

"I feel like I understand why Shoko smokes now," Suguru exhaled exhaustedly as Satoru collapsed on top of him. They're bodies a sweaty mess, hair matted to their cheeks and skin, the pair of them soon rolled up together, holding each other before Suguru confessed, "I'd kill for a cig."

Satoru looked over at him, "Don't do it."

Suguru laughed at the demand, "Why not?"

"One less disgusting thing you have to swallow," Satoru commented.

Suguru gave him a wide-eyed look, "What do you mean?"

"When you absorb curses…" Satoru admitted easily, "I see the look on your face — like it's grotesque."

"Yeah…" Suguru agreed, not realizing that Satoru could tell. But he really shouldn't have been surprised, "It's… pretty rough."

"I'm sorry."

Up until now, Suguru was always a little resentful that no one understood what it was like to absorb curses the way he did — having to swallow them down like the world's worst pill. Now, knowing Satoru could empathize with him, even without having to say a word, it made it a little easier to bare, "It's okay. It's just the way it is. And it makes sense. Why wouldcurses taste like sweets?"

"What do they taste like?"

Suguru gave a soft laugh, turning over to face Satoru, "You don't wanna know. Trust me."

"No, tell me!" Satoru chided back, poking Suguru in the side to tease him.

"Haha alright, but enjoy the nightmares, "he gave a devious look, "You ever wondered what a rag or a mop that's only ever been used to cleaned up shit and vomit tasted like?"

Satoru shook his head and gave him a piercing look, "No, why would anyone ever wonder that?"

"Exactly. And yet..."

"Why do you do it then? Why do any of this? To protect some weak-ass humans who've never met you and will never know the sacrifices you'd made for them?

"No…" Suguru interjected, staring directly back, "I do it because it means there's one less curse in the world that can hurt the people I care about."

Satoru's eyes softened, "Suguru…"

"If I have the power to help those in need, even the strongest sorcerers alive, then I'll do it a million times over."

"Heh, what a savior complex," Satoru joked, pulling in closer to Suguru's face and pressing his lips to his before whispering with only a hair's distance between them, "But it makes you so damn beautiful."

Suguru's cheeks flared a bright red, followed by a weak attempt at telling Satoru to shut up, which went ignored.

"Give me a list of some of your favorite foods." Satoru demanded, earning a confused look from Suguru.

"Why?"

"Because the next time you absorb a cursed spirit... I'll bring you some of them. Help to counter the awful taste."

Suguru couldn't help but smile, "Thank you... Satoru."

Yay! My first JJK fic in the books!

Expect some more one-shots like this, and I may edit this one in the future to add in a sex scene, but for now, I cared more about the specific story I wanted to tell than having some smut. But smut may come eventually lol.

If you enjoyed this fic, please drop me a like/kudos, or a comment as well! It really helps to keep me motivated to write more!

Until Next Time…