Chapter Text
Utahime was growing tired of staring at her beer. It was supposed to be a good night, something to get her mind off. But Gojo was acting like a jerk in front of their friends, and she just couldn’t figure out why. He kept shooting her strange glances, yet ignored her entirely during the group conversations. She knew they haven’t spoke in a while but ignoring her right now made no sense to her. It was definitely weird. And it was definitely irritating.
This wasn’t Utahime’s typical Friday. She was usually at home at this hour, with a bag of popcorn on her lap and a movie on TV, but Shoko had declared they were long overdue for a night out—it had been months since the group had all gotten together. After college, everyone’s lives had drifted apart. Utahime had started teaching kindergarten, Shoko was buried in long shifts at the hospital, Nanami worked some corporate job that Utahime could never remember the name of, and Geto and Gojo were involved in Gojo’s father’s company—well, Gojo pretended to work there anyway. Meimei was always traveling for her job, so it was nothing short of a miracle that she’d managed to join them this time.
They had picked their usual spot, a cozy izakaya they used to frequent to celebrate back in college. Utahime had been excited for tonight, she loved her friends. She’d been feeling lonely and kinda off these past few weeks since breaking up with her boyfriend of almost six months, a record for her, so a night out with her closest friends was exactly what she needed. She’d also been looking forward to seeing Gojo—he was her best friend, after all, and they hadn’t spoken in a while. She’d tried calling him a few times over the last few weeks to hang out, but he always had an excuse. Now here he was, ruining her perfectly good night with his strange behavior. What was his deal? It was like college all over again but somehow worst.
Utahime had known Gojo since Shoko introduced them in university. She was three years their senior, but Shoko and Utahime had always been close, their families having known each other for years. Naturally, Shoko wanted Utahime to be part of her little group. And in return, Utahime introduced Meimei to them. Geto and Nanami were easy—they accepted and liked Utahime right away, treating her as if they’d been friends for years. But Gojo, of course, did not.
At first, Utahime found Gojo to be an annoying little rich brat, and he did nothing to change that impression during their first few hangouts. He constantly teased her, tugged at her pigtails, made fun of her, and, of course, flirted endlessly, usually at the same time, it gave Utahime some serious whiplash. To her, he was a complete nuisance, but she tolerated his antics for the sake of the group. She was the older out of the two of them anyway, and someone had to be mature about it.
It wasn’t until after Utahime’s accident—the one that left her with the scar on her face—that Gojo began to soften. To her surprise, he visited her in the hospital every single day. Utahime had been shocked when he showed up that first night after everyone else had left—it was the first time they hugged. Gojo held her like he couldn’t believe she was still alive. It was very odd behavior from him, but she was glad nonetheless. It was good to know someone had her back, and that she wasn’t alone. And his hug, surprisingly, made her feel safe. From that point on, they became true friends, sharing secrets, sorrows, and moments of joy together. He still was insufferable at times, but something had changed within him.
Now in the present, they were all talking animatedly about anything and everything, but every time Utahime tried chiming in, Gojo found a way to be rude to her. Like right now.
“Another party? Meimei, you’re going to kill us,” Geto sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. “We’re not that young anymore, you know?”
“Speak for yourself,” Shoko huffed, while Nanami rolled his eyes at them.
“Yes, yes, but tell me—what’s the point of having a penthouse if not for a party?” Meimei smirked.
Her birthday was coming up, and as expected, she was planning an extravagant bash. Meimei’s parties were notorious: lots of alcohol, loud music, and inevitably, someone crying by the end of the night. Last time, it had been Nanami.
Utahime wasn’t a big fan of huge parties, but she wanted to be supportive. “It sounds great, Mei. I’ll be there for you.”
“Utahime, you do know that parties involve having fun, right? Are you even capable of that?” Gojo scoffed, raising an eyebrow at her.
Utahime shot him an irritated glare. “Yes, I know how to have fun. In fact, I’m trying to right now, but you’re being a dick.”
“I’m just saying that—” Gojo started, but Shoko quickly intervened.
“All right! All right! Enough, you two. Let’s change the subject,” Shoko said, waving her hands to diffuse the tension.
“Say, Utahime, would you rather go out with Kusakabe or Higuruma?” Shoko added, trying to pull Utahime back into their silly conversation-turned-game.
“What? Neither… they’re sweet, but I don’t see them that way.”
“Uhh, boring! But if you had to choose?” Meimei pressed, a playful grin on her face. Geto and Nanami were now absorbed in their own conversation, but Gojo was staring holes into Utahime’s head.
“I don’t know, guys, I just don’t think I can pick.” Utahime said and took a sip of her beer. She was 3 beers in, her tolerance was good but she’s starting to get a little tipsy.
“What do you mean, Utahime? I guess it’s true, you only know how to pick losers to date anyway,” Gojo said with a slight laugh, before returning to his soda.
The table fell silent, all eyes on Gojo. Utahime was fuming. She couldn’t believe him.
“What the hell is wrong with you, Gojo?” Shoko punched his shoulder.
“Yeah, man, what the fuck?” Geto groaned, rubbing his eyes in frustration.
“That’s it. I’m leaving, guys.” Utahime began pulling some bills from her wallet to cover her beers and reached for her coat.
Everyone awkwardly tried to convince her to stay, but she wasn’t in the mood for this kind of nonsense. Gojo was the only one who stayed silent, eyes downcast.
“Hime, my darling, don’t go. The night is still young…” Meimei cooed with a mock pout on her lips. “Besides, Satoru’s just jealous,” she added with a smirk.
Utahime turned back to the table, clearly confused. “What could he possibly be jealous about? He’s been ignoring me for weeks, and now he’s insulting me and ruining my night.” She sighed, glancing around at the others. “It was nice seeing you all—let’s do this again soon.”
Before leaving, she paused, turning to look Gojo directly in the eye.
“And screw you, Satoru Gojo. I hope you enjoy the rest of your night.”
With that, she walked toward the door.
—————————————————-
“Why did you do that, Gojo?” Shoko asked, crossing her arms. “She just broke up with that jerk, and you had to throw it in her face, didn’t you?”
“I was just being honest, Shoko. It’s not my fault she doesn’t know how to pick a decent guy,” Gojo replied. “Besides, Utahime’s a big girl—she can defend herself.”
Nanami leaned forward, eyebrow raised. “Correct me if I’m wrong, Gojo, but isn’t Utahime-senpai your closest friend? The one you used to follow around like a puppy in college when you weren’t with Geto?” Gojo’s cheeks flushed red with anger, while Meimei and Geto stifled laughter. “What did she do to deserve that kind of treatment from you?”
“Yeah, Gojo, that was harsh—even for you,” Geto sighed. “I get that you didn’t like her last boyfriend, but she’s over him. She just wanted to have fun with her friends tonight, especially you, and you ruined it man.”
“Hehe… you really fucked up, Gojo,” Meimei chimed in.
Gojo groaned into his hand. “Fine! I know I fucked up, but I just don’t know how to talk to her anymore—not after what happened with that fucking loser.”
“And you still haven’t told her what went down?” Shoko asked, slightly confused.
“I… I didn’t know how.” Gojo rested his head on the table with a dramatic sigh.
A few weeks ago, before Utahime and Kubo broke up, the three of them had gone out for a night together. Utahime thought it was time for her best friend to meet her first real boyfriend, and after much nagging, Gojo reluctantly agreed—how could he refuse her?
They went to a bar close to Utahime’s apartment, and everything was going well. Gojo was doing his best to pretend that he was having fun for her sake. Kubo didn’t seem like a jerk or someone who could hurt Utahime, but Gojo was still wary. Things took a turn for the worse when Utahime left them alone while she went to the bathroom.
Gojo was on his phone, minding his own business; he didn’t want to engage in much conversation beyond what was necessary. But apparently, Kubo wanted to talk. What he said nearly made Gojo drop his phone in shock.
“So, how long have you been into Uta?” Kubo asked, sipping his beer and staring at him.
“What the fuck are you talking about?” Gojo shot back, trying to mask his discomfort.
“I know a guy who’s been friendzoned when I see one. You look at her like she’s yours, dude.” Kubo said, laughing slightly.
“She is mine. My best friend, I mean.” Gojo stumbled through the words, his irritation growing. “Look, I don’t know what you think you know, but you don’t.” He just wanted to be done with this subject—for his sake and for Utahime’s.
“You don’t need to lie to me, Gojo. I know you like her, and not just as friends.” Kubo pondered, a smug grin spreading across his face. “Utahime talks about you a lot. It’s hard to get her to shut up about you, actually. She says you’re the best at so many things.”
Gojo stared in surprise; he hadn’t known that.
“Well, you may be the best at many things, but not at getting the girl you want, since she’s with me now.” Kubo leaned in closer, lowering his voice to a whisper. “In fact, you’re kind of a loser.” He finished with a laugh.
Gojo's jaw clenched as he glared at Kubo. "You think this is funny? You-"
"Well, it's kind of funny," Kubo
interrupted, smirking. "The great Satoru Gojo can't even get a stupid nerd like Utahime."
"You shut your fucking mouth. Don't talk about her like that." He said slowly, half-whispering, his voice turning cold.
"You know what's even funnier? I can talk about her however I want, since I'm the one fucking her every night." Kubo smiled, spotting Utahime returning from the bathroom. "Ah! Here she comes."
Gojo saw red, he wanted to kill him. How dare he talk about her like that. How dare he say those things about them. He needed to punch someone, or better yet Kubo, he needed to-
"Hey, what are you guys talking about?" Utahime smiled at them while sitting in her seat next to Kubo, but her gaze fell on Gojo's tense expression, and her smile faltered. "Satoru, are you okay?"
Gojo got up abruptly. "I'm fine. Just a headache. I'm going home." He needed to leave before he did anything stupid. Like punch that stupid boyfriend of hers.
Utahime looked visibly worried. "Okay, but please text when you get home."
"Sure. See you, Utahime." He didn't say goodbye to that fucking loser. He left some money on the table and stormed out.
Now, the weight of Kubo's taunts pressed down on him. Even though Utahime was single again and free from that fucking idiot, he was still angry. At many things.
Angry at Kubo for what he said and how right he was about Gojo's feelings for her. Angry at how he didn’t know how to talk to Utahime without thinking of kissing her anymore. But most of all, angry at how he knew, he knew she couldn’t possibly return his feelings back.