#teenager satoru

[batmanqa12]

"Hi sensei!" only his eyes are brighter than this smile. He leans towards his teacher and places small kiss on his cheek.

Yuuji doesn't want to smile in return, even though he does do this. It was their little dance and he is sure, he must be careful at all times. He has to show the love he didn't choose.

It started last year, when Itadori first came to Tokyo's high school to become a teacher of PE. Nobara always told him that his personality is like moth to a flame, he considered it as a compliment when it turned out to be quite the opposite.

He didn't acknowledge the rule "Gojo Satoru can do whatever he wants, because he's Satoru" and treated him like any other student.

He did also notice the puppy eyes and obedience towards him, but only acknowledged it as some teenage crush at most. Only on his lessons Satoru behaved perfectly, helped Yuuji even though he didn't ask for it.

He, the playboy of school, perfect in everything was now called "teacher's pet" behind his back. Not that Gojo minded. He looked quite pleased to be honest.

He constantly asked for his number, wanted to know where Yuuji is (he wanted to go with him even more). Itadori just brushed it off and symphasised with the kid. So alone that he wanted to befriend his teacher.

And then the sex tape happened.

After half a year he decided to go for a coffee with Satoru, because the kid wanted to understand some topic better. Little did Yuuji know that it was stard of his downfall. He went to the toilet for a moment and it was probably then, when Satoru slipped a pill into his tea.

Later on Yuuji was dragged and tied to unknown bed and when he opened his eyes, he saw his student, completely naked on top of him.

"My perfect sensei, Yuuji, Yuuji, Yuuji!" he heard among other words.

He was kissed, he didn't kiss back, lips formed in a thin line, he waited for it to be over, for it to be a nightmare. Then he felt a hand on his throat that started to tighten, so he unconsciously opened his mouth for it to be attacked by a tongue.

"Yuuji are you okay? Remember we have to go to Louis Vuitton today! The suit we choose for you is ready to get!" he reprimended the teacher.

A fake smile is vissible on Yuuji's lips. He has to play his part. The Louis Vuitton part is also Gojo's doing, he wanted everything the best for his boyfriend so he pays for a lot of staff with his parents' money. Yuuji feels even more wrecked after every gift he receives from the teenager. But if he doesn't take something, Satoru is likely to destroy it just to show that it was meant for Yuuji only.

("I'll be your best boyfriend, Yuuji-san! You won't even think about leaving, because we love each other so much, don't we?")

"Yeah, I am fine, my love."

He cut ties with everyone. Satoru made sure that he is the only one Yuuji spends his free time with. Even though their "relationship" is not official, some people know. Most of them look at Yuuji with reserve and unhidden disgust. Almost a thirty year old guy with a teenager, how could he!

Gojo goes to Yuuji and sits on his lap, clearly enjoying himself.

"I love you, Yuuji. Remember that."

The response is mutted, Yuuji rests his forehead on Satoru's shoulder. He hopes that his tears won't strain boy's t-shirt.

[madarasfloofyhair]

the gojo getou storyline makes me unhinged for so many reasons. it's told totally out of order. you meet getou's corpse first, then watch gojo kill him in the film after getou's gone insane, and then you see their friendship. that friendship that's just two teenagers and all it's fun chaos and conflicting ideals. then. toji happens. and both of them during this period were SO CLOSE to being the only ones who understood each other. so close to being able to see through one another-- "you haven't released your technique yet, have you? you've not slept either, and I bet you're not gonna sleep tonight either-" and "suguru... have you lose weight?" and yet their friendship, the trust between them, "after all, we're the strongest", was splitting at the seams the more what they could individually tolerate changed. gojo had awakening by himself, accepted himself as THE strongest, felt a little untouchable and so able to change things, was choosing teaching and facing the elders-- and getou's conflicting ideals and sacrifices in all his comparative powerlessness as missions by himself piled up sent him spiraling. the dam breaks and getou takes his own route and so becomes a wound gojo would hold onto for the rest of his life. a pain that would be weaponised against him. it's feels like such a flip from adult gojo being seemingly too cool, uncaring and childish, when in fact it's getou who treats their past friendship as some trivial teenage stuff, while gojo holds onto everything with deep regret, and later with deep betrayal at seeing getou's corpse used this way.

[apathetic-microwave]

They make me cry

[ohmanareyoucereal69]

[ipostmysimpingstuffanonymously]

damn i love your male shoko, please give me some satosho genderbend for this heavy dirty soul ;-; <3

[juuria]

jjk doodles durin work

[getosugurusbangs]

the gang gets cozy

[symphonyofsilence]

Gojo stop info dumping on Yuta of all people about your failed love life, your broken heart, and your one and only, entirely unprompted. He's probably not as enthusiastic as you are about your Ex.

They had a rather memorable encounter that one time they met.

[letstalkaboutshtufff]

Not Weak

Highschool Gojo x reader classmate

Pairing: Gojo x reader (this can be seen as romantic or platonic since I didn’t really specify. I do like platonic friendship stories a lot tho)

Summary: You are trying your very hardest to catch up to your classmates and not get left behind.

Warnings: language, mentions of a little blood, fainting kinda

Hope you guys enjoy!

*************************************************

Pathetic. There was really no other way to put it. Truly and utterly pathetic was what you were. All this training and yet you could barely summon any energy.

At this rate you’d only be able to defeat a raccoon.

“Ugh why can’t I do it…” you slump down on the tree, the target in front of you barely scratched.

You were a first year like your classmates, Gojo, Geto and Shoko but for some reason they were all improving and you were still stuck in the same place like a fly in mud. Your family had a technique, ice manipulation (excuse me while I make things up) but for some reason you were the only person who wasn’t an instant prodigy. It was extremely discouraging, especially when Gojo and Geto were so strong already.

“Hey snowflake, you’re getting better, almost felt a little chill there for a second”

“Gojo… did you come here just to make fun of me?”

“Aw cmon I wouldn’t do that, just wanted to see what you were up to, you weren’t at breakfast.”

“Just training… I’m close to a breakthrough I can feel it”

“Well do us all a favor and figure it out soon because this heat has been killing me- would love a personal air conditioner”

“You threw a rock aimed at his head which of course bounced off thanks to his new trick, infinity.”

“Rude” you just rolled your eyes and moved to stand again, ready to try again.

“Satoru stop picking on y/n” Geto emerged from the trees.

“Huh? I’m not picking on her, if anything she’s bullying me!”

“Yeah like that’s believable…” Shoko popped out behind Geto. Cigarette hanging from her lips.

“Great you’re all here…” you mumbled. Now you can all witness my patheticness…

“We didn’t see you all day, we got worried” shoko ever the sweet one looked at you concerned.

“Well I’m fine” you said with a bit more bite than you meant to.

“Ooh someone’s in a mood”

“Leave her alone Gojo she’s working hard unlike you”

“Why you little-“

“It’s not exactly a lie though is it”

“You to suguru?!? I thought you guys were my friends!”

During their little scuffle you snuck away. Your mind on one thing and one thing only. Getting your damn technique to work.

Once you were far enough away you positioned yourself towards a large boulder.

Ok breathe in

Breathe out

Focus

You raised your hand towards the boulder.

Focus

Focus

Prickles travelled up your arm towards your hand.

Ok now build the energy in the palm

Hold it

Hold it

Don’t lose it come on!

Focus!

Focus!

You trembled trying to control the energy

“FUCK” you felt your body jerk heavily and the energy disappear completely, like it did every damn time before you could even send it out.

You doubled over breathing heavily.

Why?! Why couldn’t you do it!? Were you always going to be this weak??? No, no you couldn’t… if you did they’d leave you behind… you couldn’t be left behind….

Again. You had to try again.

“Ok, focus” you repeated this cycle about a hundred more times or so it felt. It was nighttime but you were still at it.

Just……one……more…..time…..

“Urgh” you collapsed onto your hands and knees. Blood droplets coated the grass. You coughed a few more times before continuing your ritual.

Again… one more time…

But this time when you rose you stumbled and fell again.

Pathetic. Come you useless sorcerer get up. Every bone in your body was screaming but you ignored it completely and rose once more.

Focus

Focus

Foc-

Suddenly your target boulder blurred and you felt yourself tipping to the side.

“Woah hey, you ok?” Gojo…. What was he doing here. And most importantly why couldn’t you speak.

He held you upright and leaned down to look at your face,

“You look like hell…” his eyes gleamed in the darkness, appraising your sorry state.

“Mmfine” you slurred unconvincing.

“Hm yeah sure you are…” Gojo said sarcastically.

“Come on, let’s go find Shoko.”

“I don’t nee-“ your world spin again and gojo gripped you tighter so you wouldn’t fall.

“You were saying?” He raised an amused brow.

You sighed, there wasn’t really much training you could do when you couldn’t stand…

You nodded half heartedly in Gojos direction. You tried taking a step and stumbled,

“Alright stubborn Bambi up we go”

Ah!?

“Gojo I can walk, let me down!” His long legs easily carried you both across the training field in record time.

“Stop moving or I’ll drop you geez”

“Gojo-“you sighed in defeat. Hating yourself even more for getting dizzy again and being forced to lean your head on his chest.

“Don’t wake shoko… just need sleep…” you whispered but you knew he heard it”

He looked down at you and thought for a moment.

“Uh you sure? You were coughing up blood you know…”

“Mm sure…” you mumbled already halfway to lala land. For trash like him, he sure did smell good…

“Ok fine but in the morning you should at least let her-….aaaaand you’re asleep.” He sighed, watching the steady rise and fall of your chest. He frowned a bit at your state. He knew you were trying but some people just weren’t cut out for this line of work. He wasn’t trying to be mean or anything, it was just the truth…

He knew you wouldn’t take that well if he told you that though. Ugh why did things have to be so complicated!?!

****************************************************

The next morning you felt like a hundred bricks were weighing you down.

You groaned as you tried to sit up. Every single part of you ached.

You vaguely remembered last night with Gojo. Heat rose shamefully to your cheeks. How embarrassing it was that he had to carry you and to top it off you fell asleep on him!? How were you going to face him ugh…

It took about a hour for pain meds to kick in enough for you to shower, change and promptly make your way to the training grounds again. You would make sure this time though you wouldn’t push yourself to the point of collapsing.

Ten minutes later you were in front of the same boulder in the same position.

Familiar pinprickles soon formed in your palm

Focus…

Focus…

Focus…

Foc-

“What do you think you’re doing?”

Fuck

Your concentration was abruptly broken by the unmistakable voice of your midnight savior.

“training duh” you said it like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

“Are you really that eager to fall into my arms again?”

You rolled your eyes and turned towards him,

“That was… well I guess I should be thanking you… sorry for the trouble last night…” you mumbled scratching the back of your neck.

“Mm I’d believe you expect for the fact that you seem eager to repeat last nights fiasco.”

“I’m fine now… I’ll know when I should stop…”

That was a lie, you both knew it.

You turned back to your target hoping that Gojo would leave you alone.

Palm raised up

Focus

Focus

Focus

Just a bit more…

Almost there…

Ah! Your body jerked like it did every freakin time and you let out a labored breath.

Gojo watched silently from the sidelines

You tried a few more times, your breathing and now coughing getting worse and worse each breath.

Finally when he felt you truly were at your limit again he decided to stop you.

Your eyes widened in surprise at the hand clutching your wrist because honestly you thought he had left awhile ago.

“What ….are you ….doing…?” You asked between heavy breaths.

“You’re gonna pass out if you keep going”

“I won’t… I’m ok really, just a few more then I’ll stop…”

“Yeah no, that’s not happening,”

“Let go, seriously it’s fine, I need to train-“

“When did you become more stubborn than me huh?” You tried pulling but he wouldn’t budge.

“If I let go are you gonna stop?”

“…… yes”

“You’re a horrible liar” he deadpanned.

“Ugh just quit it Gojo! Don’t you have better things to do than babysit me?? Can’t you see I’m trying to train over here??” You were starting to get really annoyed now.

“….” Should he say it? Should he say that maybe you weren’t cut out for this life? That maybe you should quit trying? Could he say it? It would break you he knew but better a broken you than a dead one….

You saw the change in his eyes and gulped suddenly uneasy, “what…?”

“Maybe…. Maybe it’s time to stop…” in his defense, he really was thinking about what’s best for you.

But you on the other hand…

Your eyes were wide as saucers. His words echoed like a deadly bell that sealed your worst nightmare. He said only a few words but you understood the deeper meaning behind them in an instant.

Weak

Pathetic

Useless

He and everyone else knew it

And now you were going to be left behind.

Against your will tears beagn to burn in your eyes.

“Y-You-“ but the words choked in your throat.

“I w-won’t” you whispered, hot tears now streaming down your cheeks while you yanked your hand away from him and he finally let you.

He looked at you with a face you hated more than anything, pity…

“Stop it….” You felt your emotions start to rise.

“Stop looking at me like that! I will get strong! I won’t stop! I can’t stop! So don’t you of all people tell me to stop!”

“Ok, listen I’m sorry, just calm down alright,” he held his hands up trying to calm you but it just make you angrier.

“No- I won’t calm down! You don’t get to come here and tell me I’m weak when I’ve been trying my hardest to get stronger! Not everyone is a prodigy like you Gojo!! But mark my words I’m going to kick your ass one day and make you regret ever underestimating me!!”

“I’m not trying to call you weak-“

“JUST SHUT UP ALREADY, CANT YOU YOU’RE ONLY MAKING THINGS WORSE! JUST GO ALREADY!”

“Y/n-”

“NO-ENOUGH! IM NOT WEAK! IM NOT WEAK IM NOT WEAK!!”

“CRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAASH”

Both you and Gojo froze, eyes wide at the sudden noise. Slowly your heads turned simultaneously to the left where your hand was outstretched, towards the boulder- sorry correction- the pile of very teeny tiny rubble.

Wha??

“Gojo….”

“Y/n….”

You both slowly turned around to each other

Then promptly burst into excited smiles and loud laughter.

“I did it!!!”

“You did it!!!”

“I did it!!!!”

You jumped onto each other hugging and jumping up and down like children.

“See I told you I could do it!!!”

“You did didn’t you!?!!”

“I’m gonna be strong Gojo!! I will!!”

“You’ll be kicking my ass in no time!!”

You both were laughing like crazy people

*******

“Uhhh…. What the hell did we just walk in to….” -Shoko

“I’m not sure I even wanna know….”-Geto

- How I imagine them hugging lol

****************************************************

Hope you guys enjoyed! This was just a quick thing I wrote, was in the mood for some friendship fluff.

[hellomayu]

jjk actors au 🎬✨

[skysurfing]

funny bunch

[anitalenia]

hey everyone . . .

⋆ ˚｡⋆୨୧˚ I am going to be making a new taglist, so choose what you would like to be tagged in going forward if you would like to 💕 comment down below or reblog ₊˚⊹♡

⋆˙⟡♡ THE GRAY MAN

@/little-miss-chaoss , @/ghostslillady , @/yoichiislovie

⋆˙⟡♡ TRIPLE FRONTIER

@/little-miss-chaoss , @/ghostslillady , @/itspdameronthings ,

⋆˙⟡♡ DCVERSE

@/little-miss-chaoss , @/ghostslillady , @/boobaeri , @/prayingal

⋆˙⟡♡ TMNT

@/little-miss-chaoss , @/boobaeri , @/angiesstarss , @/livingangie

⋆˙⟡♡ SLASHERS

@/little-miss-chaoss , @/boobaeri , @/stygianoir

⋆˙⟡♡ ARI LEVINSON

@/little-miss-chaoss , , @/ghostslillady

⋆˙⟡♡ AVATAR

@/little-miss-chaoss

⋆˙⟡♡ MISC.

@/little-miss-chaoss

⋆˙⟡♡ HEART & DIAMOND UNIVERSE

⋆˙⟡♡ SUKUNA & ROSE FAIRYTOPIA

@/little-miss-chaoss , @/hanqkahqkwn

⋆˙⟡♡ SUGAR WATER , nanami series

⋆˙⟡♡ FAIRY TAIL

@/little-miss-chaoss , @/stygianoir

⋆˙⟡♡ JUJUTSU KAISEN

@/little-miss-chaoss , @/boobaeri , @/hanqkahqkwn , @/cinnamonghostcrunch

⋆˙⟡♡ ANY DIVIDERS / MASTERLIST DIVIDERS

@/bunnysp1ce , @/zhenyiuu , @/julesdesires , @/liliesdiary , @/tiamathh , @/garfieldissocool , @/cinnamonghostcrunch , @/craisinsensation1029 , @/angixxie

₊ ⊹.𖥔 ݁ ˖ you can also choose to be tagged in character - specific posts, as in just one person specifically from the fandom you choose. Thank you if you do want to be tagged ♡

[stsgluver]

synopsis. gojo doesn’t appreciate that one of you cares about your education.

wc. 570

“stop staring at me to distract me!”

“oh, i’m not staring at you to distract you,” satoru tilts his head with a lop-sided grin — you definitely do not miss the way his eyes drop to your lips. “i just can’t help it. my girl is too pretty."

you try and fail miserably not to let him realise how much of an effect those simple words have on you (not that he's not already full aware). “i have to practice," waving your hand towards the door, you wordlessly gesture for him to leave.

he lets out a light chuckle and you can only imagine the cocky smirk toying at the corner of his mouth; you are opting to stare at the practice test paper in front of you and not into the tantilising blue of your boyfriend's eyes for obvious reasons.

“i never asked you to stop." satoru shuffles his chair closer to yours so much so there's a little 'clink' as the metal knocks against each other. his breath fans across the back of your neck as he peers over your shoulder to look at all your empty test answers.

you should've agreed to study with shoko.

you have upcoming written tests with yaga and, unlike your pretty boyfriend, you do not have a well-known family name or millions in the bank to fall back on if you fail.

“it’s off-putting,” you shudder, sparing him a brief glance to see he's already awaiting that look from you. his glasses are pushed back onto the top of his head and his white locks are a mess that ends just above his eyes. his breath smells like the lemon lolly he'd finished only minutes prior.

satoru ignores your complaints, resting one elbow on your desk as he stares up at you. “have i ever told you how hot you are when you're stressed?” your heart skips several beats.

you poke his cheek with your pencil lightly, "is that why you make yourself the main source of it?"

"of course, baby," satoru winks and you roll your eyes at his teasing tone. "you don't find my antics charming?" as much as you hate to admit it, everything about your insufferable boyfriend is charming to you.

"satoru..." you warn quietly. he knows how important this test is to you, however, he was raised as a god. one who always get whatever he wanted and your resolve could only last so long.

his eyes close with a smile, "i love how you say my name. treat me, say it again."

"no. get out."

you poke him again with the pencil but this time he grabs your wrists and stops you from returning your hand to your paper. he pouts expectantly, eyes fluttering open and once again he's taken his dramatics to another level as you're almost positive there's tears in the corners of his eyes.

there must be a look of defeat in your eyes because satoru gives you a victorious grin, flashing his pearly whites, and you let out a groan. "fine. five minutes. you get five minutes of my time and then you can go bother suguru"

satoru jumps up like the excitable puppy he so often is, leaning down to pick you up bridal style and spin you around your room. "yay! i have my girlfriend back!"

safe to say he had your undivided attention for a lot longer than five minutes.

[utenixx]

Gojo accidentally comes out to Shoko in the worst way possible. More at 11.

[joemama-2]

A Series Of Awkward Events: The Grocery Store Encounter

You can feel it, really feel it. I mean, who wouldn’t feel the lingering gaze of the very attractive, teenaged boy standing right next to you in the, suddenly empty, aisle. You’ve been coming to the grocery store every Saturday at exactly 9:30 in the morning, making it a routine. This was mainly because if you came later, you’d be caught up in the rush of families who also decided now would be a good time to stock up on groceries. You couldn’t come earlier because…well you just couldn’t wake up earlier.

You’ve been seeing him for about three weeks now. Every week, he’s in the same aisle as you, looking at the brands of cereal while your eyes gloss over the brands of oatmeal. You didn’t notice it the first time, but it doesn’t take a genius to realize someone is staring at you. And in all honesty, he doesn’t seem like he’s trying to subtle about it either.

Either way, it’s not like you would go out of your way to spark up a conversation first. You’ve lived a very sheltered life, from being homeschooled til earlier this year to having very strict parents, it’s safe to say your social skills are…not up to par. Finally, you decide you’ve had enough of the glances. Your hand reaches out to hurriedly grab a random oatmeal, one you’ve never had before, just to get out of the aisle. However, just as you’re about to turn and leave, his voice cuts through the air.

“That one’s not good, had it before and wouldn’t recommend.”

You stop and slowly turn around to face the boy. He’s grinning now and is it bad to say he has a pretty smile? You shoot a quick look down at the oatmeal in your hands before back at him. Your lips part but the words don’t come out. Damn it. Just staring awkwardly at him with your mouth opening and closing, you just wish the world would swallow you whole. But then, by the grace of whoever’s watching, something comes out.

“Oh.”

Is that really all you can say? A few seconds of silence pass before the boy lets out a small chuckle and damn, it’s almost prettier than his smile. “It tastes bland, almost like cardboard.”

Still, it’s hard to find the right words. He raises an eyebrow at your lack of responses, only then do you realize that you’ve just been shamelessly staring at him. Your hands grip the oatmeal tighter, either for comfort, or a way to silently curse yourself for acting so stupid in front of a boy. A cute one….a really, really cute one. “Oh, that’s—uh—unfortunate.”

He laughs again and you already grow addicted to it. “Want my suggestion?” You hesitate, before nodding. Taking a small, stiff step closer to the boy, you look back at the variety of oatmeal, watching as he points to a specific one. “This one is my favorite, it’s sweet, but not too sweet. Sweet enough to still qualify as a breakfast. Or a snack.”

You reach forward to grab the said box, examining it. With another nod, you put the old, now dented box of oatmeal you first grabbed back in its original place. “Thank you, I’ll…I’ll be sure to enjoy this.” You say with a nod, eyes not even fully looking at his. How could they when they’re the most beautiful pair of blues you’ve ever seen?

Then, of course, another silence, as if he’s expecting you to say something else. Why would he? Can’t he already tell you’re awkward? Can’t he read the room? Your body language? Apparently not. “Gojo Satoru.” He says. Oh, he’s introducing himself. That means he must want to know your name too, right?

“Y/N.” You say timidly, holding your hand out for a shake. Man, this is way too formal of a greeting for grocery store. That same grin makes its way to his face, soon clasping his hand with yours. God, you really hope he doesn’t feel your hand sweating. Or the slight trembling of it. That would be completely embarr—

“Your hand’s wet.”

You freeze, a big wave of embarrassment and shame flooding you. Just as quickly as he said that, you’re retracting. “Sorry, I just washed them.” A blatant lie, but who cares? You’re honestly just trying to get out of this situation now. Yeah, he’s cute, but you’d much rather save your confidence, at least whatever you have left of it, for something you’re more prepared for.

For the first (?) time, you meet his eyes. With a small gulp, you decide now is the chance to run away. “Um, thank you for the oatmeal. It was nice meeting you. Good day.” You take off like you’re on a mission, not even daring to look back. Your face scrunches up and you cringe hard at what just happened. ‘Good day’? What are you, a fifty-year-old man who just saw his colleague for the first time in five years?

It takes a while for you to finish up shopping, considering you’re checking every aisle before you walk into it to ensure that the boy, Gojo Satoru, isn’t in it. Running into him again seemed inevitable, but you made sure that it was possible. It’s almost like a breath of fresh air when you walk out, bags in hand, making your way down the familiar route to your house. It’s a nice day out, very sunny and clouds just clouding.

But of course, things never seem to go your way, do they? Because with one more step, one more snap of the stupid paper bags you were given, one of the bags in your right hand just completely rips. Fruits go rolling down the pavement, bread falling to the puddle of water below your feet, and your dignity washing away down the sewers. Your eyes widen, freezing in place. Lips part as a small, almost unbelievable breath leaves your mouth. It’s a sad scene, really.

So very slowly, embarrassingly, you kneel down to grab your fallen groceries, to stuff into the other two bags that haven't miraculously ripped. It takes a while for a task so small, considering you're holding back tears. You spot the last apple a few feet away and begrudgingly crawl to get it. But a hand beats you to it.

You look up, confused and slightly shocked, but see the boy you just worked very hard on avoiding. Oh Jesus Christ, just how much worse could this day get? "Missing something?"

The hand that was about to grab your apple freezes in mid-air as you contemplate your next move. You nod curtly and he holds it out to you. Your fingertips brush against each other and you can't help the stupid flutter in your stomach. Swiftly, you put the apple in your pocket, having run out of space in your other bags, and stand up. He watches this whole ordeal, even attempting to offer you help, but you don't take it.

You find yourself in another awkward position, but luckily you find your voice sooner. "Thank you."

He smiles, letting out a huff of a chuckle through his nostrils. "No problem, what kind of guy would I be if I didn't help you?" Is that a rhetorical question? You're not sure. He looks down at the bags. "You gonna be alright with those?"

"I will." You say a little too quickly.

While he nods, you look down at his hands. Only then do you realize he's not even carrying anything. He probably sensed your confusion, so he follows up. "Couldn't find anything."

It's a shitty excuse but do you really care enough to question him. So you nod again, lips forming a small line. "Okay..."

"Okay."

You two stare at each other for another few seconds before you turn to leave again, but he stops you. "Are you new to the area?"

Now you don't know what's worse, your classmates being shocked by your existence even though you have been with them for months now, knowing somebody else's name but then not knowing yours, or being questioned about your residency simply because you rarely go out and oh, you have no friends.

You swallow down the lump in your throat and turn your head over your shoulder. "No."

"Oh, really? I've just never seen you around before." That's another knife to the chest. "I know most of the people in this neighborhood, that's why. Usually, when I see a new face, it means they've just moved here."

"I'm not new." You say, now turning your body fully around to face him. "I just like staying inside."

His eyebrows raise, as if shocked. What's so shocking? Was he so popular that the concept of a homebody was beyond him? Well, not like you were being a homebody by choice, it's just something you've grown accustomed to. Something that's now hard to break out of.

"Well, I like staying inside too," He concedes, "But I also like meeting new people. Especially the cute, quiet ones in grocery stores." You hate how your cheeks instantly heat up, nerves taking over. He notices this, taking just the smallest step forward.

"I...didn't run away." You feel the need to justify yourself. "I just need to go home soon."

"Ah, right. Home." He says with a small laugh. "How far is that from here?"

"Why would I tell you that?"

"Just asking."

"We're strangers."

"Well, we could be friends."

Your eyes slightly widen. Friends? Someone actually wanted to be friends with you for once? For a second, you think it's a joke, one that's set up by his friends. You've had way too many experiences like that. Looking around, you conclude that he is in fact all alone. Hesitance settles within you. "Why?"

He huffs. "You're asking why I want to be friends with you?" His question makes you feel dumb.

"Yes, I am." You say, brows furrowing together. "You could be playing a trick on me for all I know."

"Why would I do that?"

"I don't know, but I'm just making sure."

He gauges your reactions to see if you're being serious or not. Once he sees that you are, he sighs. "You seem like a nice person, I like nice people. So, why wouldn't I want to be friends with you?"

You mull over his words for a good minute, having an internal battle with yourself. Is he trustworthy? Does he actually mean what he says? How do you know he won't pretend to now know you next time he sees you? All sorts of questions run rampant in your mind and he can tell, easily. "I'm serious, I wanna friends with you."

You inhale deeply, scrutinizing him before finally saying, "Okay."

He lets out a sigh of relief. "Phew, that was harder than usual. You know, most people agree quite quickly. But you didn't so it makes me even more curious about you."

"Even more?" "Mhm." He steps closer. "I was also curious about your number, but you ran before I could ask."

Damn him, you already said you didn't run away. But at the mention of a number, you can't help but look away. This confuses him. "I....um....I don't have a number." You murmur.

Now his head tilts, convinced you're just making up a lie so you couldn't give him it, which would be understandable. "You don't have one?" You shake your head. "What do you mean you don't have a number?"

Oh god, he's gonna make fun of you, isn't he? "I don't have a phone."

His lips part, letting out a small "oh" and nod in understanding. "So like, you're one of those people who their parents have a tight leash on."

This makes your eyes narrow. Although you want to argue that no, you have a lot of freedom, a part of you agrees. You keep your eyes turned away from him. "Please don't say that."

He runs a hand through his hair. "Sorry, I'm just honest. I mean, what, you're like a teenager and you don't have a phone? Everyone needs a phone now, everyone has one."

"Well, I don't." You quip back, now glaring at him. "I don't have one, you can stop pestering me about it now.

"I'm not pestering, just shocked." You hold back an eyeroll. "So what do you have then?"

"I have a computer, I use it for school." You let out a slow sigh, biting on your lip. "I could...give you my email."

He stares at you for a moment. "You want me to...email you?" When you don't respond, he barks out a burst of laughter. "Email? Email you? Instead of text? Or even call? Wow, that's--"

"You either take it or you don't." You cut him off, a newfound sense of bravery in you. "I don't need a friend who will make fun of me."

This gets him to stop almost immediately. His head tilts as he stares, a sympathetic expression on his face. "My bad, I wasn't trying to." You say nothing in response, an almost defiant look on his face. One that makes him feel like laughing because you just look so adorable right now. With a deep breath, he smiles that sweet smile again, and with a jut of his chin, he replies. "What's your email?"

----------

bonus:

You check your email that night to one from 'thestrongest69'.

"Same time next week? ^.^"

[cherries-in-wine]

Me when I only like fictional men but the fictional men i like keep on fucking dying like wow I can never win