Work Text:
Utahime presses the speakerphone function and places her phone on the counter.
“Hey.” she calls out as she opens her fridge, the fluorescent light beaming onto her bare face. Her fringe pulled back by a cute light blue towel headband as she prepared to end the night by sitting on the couch to watch the latest episode of her favourite drama.
But there’s a deep sigh from the other side of the phone, before a waft of silence.
“Gojo?” she peeks from behind the fridge door, thinking the line might have cut off.
“Yeah, I’m here.” his voice finally makes an appearance. Deep and tired from a day’s worth of work. It isn’t often that she catches this tone from him, usually so chipper and bubbly she wonders how it is possible without an ounce of alcohol in him.
But once in a while, she’ll meet this Gojo. As if the stress of a few months accumulates and finally the weight is too heavy for even his shoulders. She never wants to say anything too direct, worried he’ll take it the wrong way and try to cover it up as much as possible. Instead, she tries to coax it out of him, wait for him to bring it up himself or press buttons with the lightest touch just to budge him ever so slightly.
“What’s up?”
On the other side Gojo leans deep into his couch. Head leaning far back as he combs his hand through his hair. Before keeping his palm over his eyes, blocking out as much light as possible.
Utahime’s number is on speed dial, a function he’s not sure if anyone else uses anymore. A function he only uses for her, Shoko and Ijichi. It’s too much of a bother to go through his contacts for people he calls on the daily. But she’s number one on the list, for all the times he needs to bug her, all the times he needs to ask her something about the curriculum, all the times he wants to hear her voice.
This being one of them.
“I just need to hear your voice.”
There’s no need for him to pretend anything else. Not with her. Not when all he wants is for her to believe him. Not when he loves nothing more than to make her cheeks burn pink and her eyebrows furrow in embarrassment.
It’s as if he can hear her scrunching her face, deflecting the feeling of being wanted. Usually, she’d grumble something or tell him off, but today she only retorts uncomfortably.
“I don’t know what to say now.” She confesses in her own candour.
“Say something. Say anything. Read me your shopping list." The bluntness in his tone is a little rough on his own tongue. But the fatigue is wearing him thin, and the only cure is the sweet sound of his senior’s voice.
“Did you have a bad day?” she thinks it’s the right time to ask, as she pulls out some ready-to-eat frozen dumplings. A flash of guilt waves over her and she decides to pull out some vegetables to remedy it.
“More annoying, than anything.”
“Students getting to you?”
He laughs at her implication, “Never.”
If there’s one thing that she can rely on, it’s Gojo’s soft spot for his students. He trusts them, believes in them, and lets them face the reality of the sorcery world while always being there to step in when needed. It’s something she can’t help but admire from him.
“Just the old higher-ups bugging me,” he says it so nonchalantly as if it wasn’t the thing that put him in such a mood, trying to brush it off and move on from his own emotions.
“Never thought their opinions would affect you.” she worries the sound of her plate clanging onto the table reverberated a little too loud, apologising to the air. “Sounds more like a me thing to be bothered by.”
There’s grumbling from Gojo but he doesn’t verbalise anything sensical, instead just jumping onto the next subject while he swirls circles into the arm of the sofa with his finger.
“What are you doing?”
“About to cook.” Cook is a little bit of a stretch but it rolls off the tongue better than saying that she’s just powering up the microwave for dinner. “I’m feeling a little lazy though.”
There’s just something about Gojo that allows her to confess her sins.
“Want me to order you something?”
She laughs, “If you ask me, you know that I won’t be able to accept your offer.”
“Just trying to be courteous.” He requests to get her on video before he opens up the delivery application on his phone.
“No but really don’t do it, I have some things in my fridge that are about to expire. I need to eat them.”
When he only hums unconvincingly in response, she reaches out and grabs her phone. Just noticing the request, she begrudgingly accepts it in her current after-work state. But her slight annoyance quickly fades when she watches a smile grow on his face the moment her video pops up.
“What are you feeling like?” He gives her a cheeky wink before he minimises her screen and continues to search through the delivery application. Maybe something fried, or something warm and hearty, or a pizza they could share.
He watches her make that face she does when she’s thinking seriously about something. A little furrow of her brow while she bites the inside of her cheek ever so slightly. He wishes he was with her so he could kiss them away.
“What if,” he says, poorly pretending the thought has just now entered his mind. “I go to you now and then we cook something together?”
He feigns innocence, even shrugging suspiciously to push the point further.
“Two birds, one stone. We get to finish more of the food in your fridge and-”
“And?” She waits for his response.
“I get to see you.”
Her eyes narrow.
“You’re seeing me now.”
“You’re a comedian, Utahime!” but he’s not getting away with it just yet. Utahime sets her phone against the kettle to prop it up as she wanders around her kitchen. Grabbing snacks here and there as she continues to decide what she can make.
But the next day is a weekend. She doesn’t have any missions lined up, her only plans were to do her laundry and catch up on some tv shows she’s been missing out on. Maybe go to the store and buy the latest CD of her favourite singer that just got released.
She leans against the counter as she stares through the phone. Watching Gojo continue to scroll through his phone for food. The way he holds a smile even when he’s told her his true feelings. The way she would never be able to do anything but frown if bad news had befallen her.
They’re not dating. They’re not, not dating either. It’s not like she’s seeing anyone else. And she knows for a fact that he isn’t seeing anyone else from all the complaints she has heard from Shoko about how pent-up Gojo always is nowadays. But their whatever-they-have started from two people just reaching out for each other, craving some form of intimacy that neither has felt in a while.
Suddenly work trips meant spending more time together. It meant hands accidentally touching as they passed paperwork to each other. It meant constant after-work izakaya meetings. It meant letting him lean his head on her shoulder whenever she was in a room. It meant her pulling at his sleeve whenever she wanted to ask for a favour.
And somewhere along the way it turned into looking at each other from the other side of the room in the middle of a staff meeting. An experimental kiss when their faces got too close as he was taking her home. An open invitation to share her bed whenever he’s in town until her sheets now smell of him.
Maybe they are dating after all, but they’ve just never put a label to it.
At this point, she thinks he’s just going to propose to her one day. At this point, she knows the only answer she’ll have for him is yes.
“Maybe I want to sleep over.” free hand up in the air as if to prove his innocence and confess his actual intention.
“Gojo.”
“Please.”
“Do you even have the energy for that?” It isn’t often that Gojo teleports to Kyoto. Going by train is always the preferred method as the distance takes a lot of energy, and while the energy drain can usually be supplemented by a very large meal and maybe a cat nap, his current state does not make it seem like a viable option at the moment.
“I always have energy for you.”
She turns off the video mode after she rolls her eyes. It’s mostly because her battery is running out and the charger is on the other side of the room, but the timing is good. She can hear him pout at her lack of video, but she doesn’t want his face to tempt her to say yes.
“If you come here now, will you fall asleep straight away?”
“I can think of something we can do to keep me awake.”
“Ew.”
“I was going to suggest a movie! What were you thinking about?”
She’s glad the camera is off as she feels her ears burn up. She was thinking of it, maybe she was hoping for it.
It takes a few seconds of her pacing and hearing a genuine chuckle escape his chest does she sigh and give up her act. It was fake anyway, there’s never a time when she can deny him when all he wants is her presence.
“Fine.”
That’s all it takes. What feels like not even five seconds later that the line goes dead and someone buzzes her doorbell.
“You could just teleport straight into my place, you know.” She walks back into her living room without waiting for the door to close back behind Gojo.
“I want the neighbours to know you’re getting lucky tonight,” he jokes as he takes off his shoes haphazardly, not bothering to line them up before stepping in.
She audibly groans in displeasure since she has nothing in her hand to throw at him.
“Well you are, aren’t you?” he’s being so forward. Smirking at her as they now stand face to face, just the kitchen counter splitting them apart.
Utahime only rolls her eyes before grabbing a cup to fill with water for him. He scurries over to the sink to wash his hands and mouth like the good guest that he is.
She hands him the glass when he’s done. He drinks it all in one gulp. She hands him a bar of chocolate she always has on hand especially for him, he needs to supplement his wasted energy. He quickly breaks a piece off and pops it into his mouth before pocketing the rest.
“I don’t even know what to cook to be honest.”
“Then we’ll get pizza.”’
“Gojo.” she loves to use his name as a placeholder for a complaint. “The whole point was for you to eat some-”
He stops her mid-sentence. Closing the already small gap between them, as his arms snake around her waist and his size engulfs her. His head rests in the nape of her neck, breathing her in as a cure to relax the tension in his muscles.
Before she can say his name again, he lifts her arms one at a time to cradle his head. Asking her to pull him in and feel him fall into her.
“Gojo.” she says softly this time. The temptation to ask if he is alright dawns on her, and yet she feels the need to let him enjoy the sound of their breaths fall in tandem just a little longer.
She plants a kiss onto his cheek. He replies with one on her neck.
She doesn’t want to pull back. He’ll never let her go if he can help it.
Soon he shifts slightly, his lips mark a trail from her neck as they finds hers. Her lips are soft from the lip balm she had just applied after getting out of the shower. He tastes like chocolate and her most indulgent sin, as he always does.
They eventually part, breath heavy on each other.
“Utahime.”
She hums back in question.
He’s not done with her. This was all he wanted, to be in her presence, to consume her, to be driven mad by her.
His hands find her face, cradling her cheeks. A smile grows on his face, one that thanks himself for making the rash decision to travel all the way to see her. Then, another peck on her lips. Another planted on her cheek. Another pressed into her forehead.
He bends down slightly, for his lips to reach her neck. Nibbling at her skin just to tease her. “Gojo.” She warns him.
He drags his tongue to her ear.
“Gojo I didn’t plan for this you know, I’m in my pyjamas, I-”
“You look perfect.” he pulls away for a second to see her in her character pyjamas and fluffy slippers. “You’re always perfect.”
Only in the comfort of their homes is he like this. Praising her, complimenting her, kissing the floor she walks on. He’ll flirt with her in public without a problem, kiss her in front of the other staff members if the situation ever called for it, but sweet words come behind closed doors. Like they’re only for her to hear. Like he doesn’t want anyone else to know that she is perfect.
“Gojo, why are you here?” she doesn’t want to seem like she’s pushing away. But he could spend his Friday night anywhere else. Without wasting so much for his energy to travel so far.
“I came to help you with dinner.” he says like it’s the most obvious thing.
“Gojo”
“I just-” want you. Need you. Can’t live without you. The words should tumble out of him so easily, but with her face looking back at him so innocently, he worries she’ll think he’s joking. “You’re not- I know we’ve never-”
He can’t find his words.
It’s her turn to get on her tiptoes and reach for his lips. Allowing her to swallow the words that are stuck in his throat. Maybe with her tongue on his she would be able to feel the language he is trying to speak.
His hand finds its way to the small of her back, pushing her body into his as they continue to consume one another. They almost stumble when she takes his face in her hands, their teeth clash and their feet stepping onto each other.
They almost don’t part, with every breath they take, they find their lips crashing once again. As if they didn’t just see each other a week ago, and didn’t just spend the entirety of a previous weekend in Gojo’s bed, only leaving for food and necessities. But soon they manage to take their hands off of each other, with Utahime gently pushing Gojo’s blindfold up and out of his eyes.
“I’m glad you’re here.” she feels the need to say it. To look into his eyes and tell him sincerely. To make sure he understands that she’s not trying to push him away with her question. “I want you here.”
The next kiss is gentle. Accepting her words and hoping his lips will be enough payment in kind. He’s unsure if he can muster up the right words right now. He’s unsure if he can keep the confessions of his affections for her down either.
“Go sit down, you must be tired.” her palm on his chest as she gently pushes his away. Pointing him to the direction of her couch, which he easily lies into face down. “Gyoza alright?”
He only groans his approval.
“I can run the bath if you want.'' She calls out from the kitchen, preparing plates for two now that he has arrived. Gojo replies something but the fabric of the sofa muffles it into incomprehensibility. “Huh?”
Utahime hears him turn his head and repeat, “Only if you’re joining me.”
“After dinner then.” Usually she’d click her tongue or roll her eyes, but she doesn’t want to crush his dreams too much. Even if she had already taken a shower, she can waste her skincare once in a while.
They eat dinner in front of her TV. The both of them sat cross legged on the floor as Utahime explains what is currently happening in her favourite drama. Gojo provides follow up questions like the good student he is, and they squabble over the balance of practicality and romance, or lack thereof, in TV dramas.
“I’ll clean up.”
“We can do it tomorrow, I'll just put them in the sink.”
On a normal day he’d deny her and start cleaning the dishes straight away. But the weight of the day allows his selfishness to take over.
When she returns to him he stops her. A palm on the side of her thigh, gently grabbing her as he looks up at her from where he sits. She looks down to puppy dog eyes, tiredness seeping through his bright gaze.
His fingers slowly creep up to her hip where the elastic of her pyjamas ends, dragging it down ever so slightly to expose her skin.
“I don’t want to push you.” he says as his lips land on her bare hip. Warm saliva against her skin. His thumb runs over one of the many scars that pepper her body. “And you’re always so good to me.”
His eyebrows furrow, like he’s trying to figure out which words would be best to use. Which words would convince her that she means everything to him and more than he can ever explain.
His eyes fixate on how her scar disappears down her trousers, but he knows exactly where they start and where they end.
“Can’t you just move back to Tokyo?”
She almost laughs. Not in a cruel way to make light of the situation, but at the innocence that laces his voice. He is always the spoiled brat he always has been, but for some reason the pout on his lips is almost convincing her to just say yes and call the moving company first thing in the morning.
She wants to be the one that makes him feel good.
She wants to be the one that he can cry to.
Her hand slides through his hair, cradling his head to tell him that she’s on his side. He leans into it and coaxes her to continue.
“No.” the stuttered laugh makes it out of her.
“It’ll be much easier.” his fingers ghost over her skin, making her shiver ever so slightly.
“And then what, they’ll fire you to make space for me?”
She has to grab his wrist to stop him before her knees give out and she falls into him. He looks up at her with seriousness in his eyes, she meets his gaze and waits for his answer.
“They can fire Kusakabe.”
“Gojo!”
“Well if they fire me then what will be the point? I want both of us to be there so that I can sneak into your classroom and give you a little kiss every time before your classes start.”
She can only laugh at the prospect. As if she would never let him do that in front of her students.
Finally she bends down and cradles his face in her two hands. Pressing her lips into his before allowing his tongue to move into her mouth. He pulls her down, arms around her waist as he settles her into his lap. Soon he snakes his arm into her top, lightly running his fingers up and down her spine.
“Will you at least consider it?” he asks when they are out of breath.
“... No?” She looks at him like he is crazy for even considering it.
“Even if I beg?”
“You’re already begging.”
There’s a small whine from Gojo as Utahime pushes herself off of him to head towards the bathroom. A push of a button and the bath starts running, she makes sure it is set to keep warm until they get into it. Slightly blushing from the thought that it might be a while before they’ll make it to the bathroom.
She returns to open arms, Gojo wraps his large arms around her when she’s sat squarely into his lap, rubbing his face into her neck and taking her all in. But Utahime pushing him off of her to slip her hands underneath his shirt to push it up and over his head, removing the first layer of clothing needed for them to take a bath.
Or do other activities together.
“So even if we get married, you’ll stay in Kyoto?”
It’s the first time marriage is discussed between them. But it comes so naturally from his lips, and lands so comfortably in her ear. Like it has always been there, like it is an obvious option.
“Now, Gojo that’s an entirely different thing-”
“So all you need is a ring?” the optimist in him starts to beam.
Maybe it’s because of their job that they talk of marriage so casually. The threat of death constantly looming over them. The seriousness of how they’d sacrifice themselves for each other. But even without all that, somehow it feels like the only step for them, if they were to take any step at all. Like she was always meant to be for him, and he was always meant to be for her.
“Stop!” She points a finger at him, “Don’t get any ideas.”
“I won’t” he raises his hands as if to prove he is innocent, “I promise.”
“I don’t trust you.”
“See that’s your problem Utahime, trust is the very foundation of a relationship and-”
She covers his mouth with her hand, “Shut up!”
She laughs, he licks her palms, she squeals in disgust. He leans into her once again to feel her lips upon his own.
“One day.” she whispers into him, “I promise.”
“I’m going to hold you to that promise.”
His fingers start to play with the buttons of her top, it is unfair that only he is shirtless. She helps him take them off.
“Well it’ll be a hassle because I’ll have to take your name and-”
“Mm.” He hums in glee, throwing her top across the room once they manage to unbutton the final button. “Yes, keep talking dirty to me.”