"Are you really angry?" he asked, his voice dropping low.
Tu Bai turned his face away, refusing to look at him. "You did that on purpose."
What do you mean, on purpose?
Standing there, being stared at by everyone," Tu Bai said. "You came to pick me up, not to make a scene.
Gojo Satoru Stunned, then laughed. "Displaying plumage?"
Only peacocks do that," Tu Bai glared at him. "You're even more exaggerated than a peacock.
Gojo Satoru laughed even more heartily. He leaned down and planted a kiss on Tu Bai's face.
"Don't kiss me," Tu Bai said, pushing him away.
Gojo Satoru kissed him again.
I told you not to kiss me.
Another kiss. This time, it was on the corner of his mouth.
Tu Bai pushed his face. "Gojo Satoru—"
I was wrong," Gojo Satoru said, his tone sincere, but his eyes were smiling, "Next time I'll wear a hat and a mask, wrapped up tight.
“You—"
I'll never let Others see it again. I'll only show it to you.
Tu Bai glared at him for several seconds before averting his gaze. ".. You said it."
I said it," Gojo Satoru raised a hand, "I promise.
Tu Bai looked at his serious expression, most of his anger subsided. But he was still a bit unwilling to let it go. "When you just said 'my wife,' were you doing that on purpose?"
Gojo Satoru thought about it. "Yes."
You—
But you really are my Wife," Gojo Satoru said. "I wasn't wrong.
Tu Bai wanted to curse him again, but Gojo Satoru had already leaned down to kiss him. It was a very light kiss, his lips pressing against his lips for a few seconds before pulling away.
"Don't be angry, okay?" Gojo Satoru said, his forehead resting against his.
Tu Bai said nothing. After a moment, he reached out and grabbed his clothes. ".. Be more low-key next time."
Okay.
Don't let Others look at you.
Okay.
Only I can see it.
Gojo Satoru smiled. "Alright. Only for you to see."
When the two of them came out of the alley, Tu Bai's face was still flushed. Gojo Satoru held his hand, this time he did not let go. Upon reaching the parking spot, Gojo Satoru opened the car door for him; Tu Bai sat in the passenger seat and placed his backpack on his lap.
Gojo Satoru got into the car and started the engine.
The car drove out and entered the main road. The evening traffic in Tokyo was heavy, with cars constantly stopping and starting. Tu Bai leaned against the chair back, staring blankly outside the window, before his gaze slowly shifted toward Gojo Satoru.
He was driving. One hand rested on the steering wheel, while the other rested on the gear shift. His profile was cast in sharp light and shadow from the dashboard; his nose was high and straight, his lips were slightly pursed. His Black Blindfold had been removed and placed on the center console. His Ice Blue Eyes were like a frozen Sky, with tiny fragments of light swirling in the depths.
Tu Bai looked at him, looking for a long time.
His eyelashes were long, especially noticeable from the side. His Adam's apple bobbed with the motion of swallowing. A single button of his shirt was undone, revealing the lines of his collarbone.
Tu Bai swallowed hard.
Red light. The car stopped.
Gojo Satoru turned his head and saw Tu Bai staring at him. Those Red Eyes were bright, unblinking, as if he were looking at something wonderful.
Gojo Satoru smiled. He leaned forward, one hand resting on the chair back of Tu Bai's seat, while the other hand pinched his chin.
What are you staring at?
Tu Bai came to his senses, his face instantly flushing red. "N-nothing—"
Gojo Satoru leaned down to kiss him. It wasn't the gentle kind of kiss from before, but one filled with force, his tongue pushing against his lips and probing inside. Tu Bai was kissed so intensely that he recoiled, but his back was already pressed against the Seat, leaving him nowhere to hide.
There were twenty seconds left on the red light. Gojo Satoru kissed him for ten seconds, then pulled away, looking at him.
Baby, if you keep looking at me like this," he said, his voice dropping and becoming a bit hoarse, "I can't guarantee I won't eat you right now.
Tu Bai's gaze shifted down slightly, uncontrollably. Gojo Satoru's trousers—
He saw it.
He immediately averted his gaze, his face burning intensely. He closed his Eyes and leaned against the Chair Back. "I'm going to sleep."
Gojo Satoru laughed. The green light turned on, he released Tu Bai, starting the car again.
Tu Bai closed his eyes, able to feel his heartbeat racing. His brain was filled with the images he had just seen; he tried hard to shake those images away, but he couldn't. He pretended to be asleep, slowing his breathing and relaxing his body.
Then he truly fell asleep.
In a daze, he had a dream. The scene in the dream was very familiar. It was the scene from the first time he met Gojo Satoru.
The ruins of Kabukicho, a cement pillar, a person sitting on it eating Kikufuku. He walked over, bowed, looked up. Gojo Satoru pulled down his blindfold, stared at him, said, "You aren't human, are you?"
Those Red Eyes.
They were ice blue, very beautiful. When they looked over, he felt as if his Heart had been struck by something. It wasn't fear, it wasn't nervousness. At that time, he thought it was the fear of his False Identity being exposed, but now he knows it was not.
It was a heartbeat.
It was love at first sight. Those beautiful, Ice Blue Eyes—if only he could keep looking at him forever. If only he could look at him alone.
Tu Bai smiled in his sleep. He was standing in the middle of the Ruins, looking at that man sitting on a Cement pillar, smiling with great satisfaction.
Now those Eyes were truly only looking at him.
It's so good.
In the car, Tu Bai's breathing was very steady. He leaned against the chair back, the corner of his mouth curving into a shallow smile. The kind of smile that showed he was very content.
Gojo Satoru was driving, catching a glimpse of his expression out of the corner of his eye. The corner of his mouth also curled up. He reached out, wanting to touch his face. Just as his Finger was about to make contact, he pulled it back. He was afraid of waking him. Afraid that the smile would disappear.
He gripped the steering wheel, looking at the road ahead. He thought of the first time he saw him.
That was even earlier than that. Even earlier than the time in Kabukicho.
That day, after he had dealt with a Cursed Spirit in the outskirts of Tokyo, he felt a Cursed Energy Fluctuation nearby while walking back. It wasn't strong, but it was very strange; it wasn't ordinary Cursed Energy. He followed the fluctuation and saw an abandoned construction site.
In the center of the Open Space, a youth was Standing.
Black hair, messy, wearing an ordinary Long-sleeved T-shirt and Jeans. He held a blade in his hand—it wasn't a physical blade, but a Construction of Cursed Energy—no, it was Incorrect, it was Demon Power Construction. The youth had his eyes closed.
He was trembling. From his shoulders to his hands, from his fingers to the tip of the blade, everything was shaking. His lips were tightly pursed, his face was pale.
But he did not run.
Before him was a Grade 2 Cursed Spirit, massive in size, its entire body covered in Eyes and Tentacles. The youth closed his eyes, listened intently for a moment, then swung his sword. The blade struck the Cursed Spirit, which screamed, its Tentacles lashed out. The youth dodged, but only barely, almost being struck. He swung his sword again, landed another hit.
He kept his eyes closed like this, slashing one strike after another. He was clearly terrified and clearly trembling, yet every single slash was precise. The Cursed Spirit was slashed back step by step until, with a final, wretched scream, it shattered.
The youth opened his eyes.
They were a pair of Red Eyes, very bright, like a Ruby. The eyelashes were long, with teardrops from the recent fright still clinging to them. He saw the Cursed Spirit disappear and breathed a sigh of relief. Then he smiled, a very happy smile. He put the sword away, humming a tune, walked off, skipping along.
Gojo Satoru stood in the distance, looking at that back.
He felt his heartbeat skip a beat.
After returning, he could not stop thinking about those eyes. Red, bright, curving into crescents when they smiled, that bouncing back. He had someone investigate that youth's identity. A Rabbit Demon, smuggled in, registered as a Grade 1 Sorcerer in the Jujutsu World. His name was Tu Bai.
He went to the Mission Dispatch Division and specified that he wanted this person as his Partner. The people at the Mission Dispatch Division were very surprised and asked why. He said, "I've seen his Mission Record, I think he's good."
Then he waited for several days, finally, the time arrived. Kabukicho, Ruins, the youth arrived eight minutes early. He bowed and said, "Please take care of me."
He sat on a cement pillar, looking at that black head. His heartbeat unconsciously quickened by half a beat. He intentionally pulled down his blindfold and teased him, saying, "You're not human, are you?" just to see his reaction. The youth froze, his face turned pale, but he did not run.
At that time, he just thought it was really interesting.
The car stopped. They were home. Gojo Satoru turned off the engine and turned to look at the passenger seat. Tu Bai was still asleep, the corners of his mouth curled up, as if he were having a wonderful dream. Gojo Satoru watched him for a while, then leaned down and kissed his forehead.
We're home, Xiao Bai.
Tu Bai stirred, but was not awake.
Gojo Satoru kissed him again. "Wife? Baby, wake up."
Tu Bai's eyelashes fluttered as he opened his eyes, looking at him dizzily.
We're here?
Yeah," Gojo Satoru said, "What did you dream about? You're smiling like that.
Tu Bai thought about it, his face slowly turned red. "I'm not telling you."
He pushed open the car door and got out. Gojo Satoru got out from the other side, walked around, took his hand.
Dreamt of me?
No.
You definitely dreamed about me.
No.
You laugh every time you dream of me.
Tu Bai glared at him, but did not refute it. The two held hands, slowly walking toward home. The Sunset stretched their shadows long, overlapping them together.
Tu Bai suddenly said, "Gojo-senpai."
Hmm?
Why did you suddenly designate me as your Partner back then?
Gojo Satoru thought for a moment. "Do you want to hear the truth?"
Yeah.
It's probably because I happened to see a Little Rabbit, then I couldn't stop thinking about it. That day, you were exorcising a Grade 2 Cursed Spirit in the suburbs, swinging your weapon with your eyes closed, even humming after you finished.