"I want to see the sea too," Yuji said for what felt like the hundredth time since dinner, still nagging Gojo even as they lay side by side.
"Yes, Yuji, sensei will bring you," Gojo teased, pinching his cheek.
"Now sleep." He patted Yuji like a baby.
"Jingle bell, jingle bell 🎶…" Gojo hummed in a mocking lullaby.
"Hahahaha, sensei, stop that!" Yuji laughed so hard his stomach hurt.
Yuji flopped onto his back, staring at the mirrored ceiling, just like the one above the bathtub. "I feel like I'm looking at Sukuna…"
Gojo followed his gaze and snorted. "Sukuna! Hah, I almost miss fighting him."
After a moment, he narrowed his eyes at the reflection. "I don't like this mirror. I'll get rid of it."
"Why?" Yuji asked innocently.
"Just because. And besides, it's not exactly the best idea to put a giant mirror above your bed."
"Like… cursed?" Yuji tilted his head.
"Maybe." Gojo smirked. "Ok now sleep. Jingle bells, jingle bells 🎶"
Yuji giggled. "No way sensei did this to Fushiguro too."
"Hmph. I did once, when he was small. He gave me the sourest face in history." Gojo chuckled at the memory.
"That's so like Fushiguro," Yuji laughed.
"Instead of singing, how about story time?" Yuji turned to him with wide, curious eyes.
"Storytime, huh? What kind of story do you want?"
"Anything. I don't care." Yuji gave him a pleading look.
Gojo stretched, smirking. "Alright then. There was this guy I knew back in school. Smart, serious-looking, always had his hair perfectly in place. Everyone thought he was the responsible one."
Yuji leaned in. "And?"
"And," Gojo grinned, "he had the worst sense of direction. I mean, completely hopeless. Once, he tried to lead us to the cafeteria, ended up in the girls' bathroom instead. The best part? He still tried to act cool, like, 'I totally meant to come here.'"
Yuji burst out laughing. "No way! Did he really?"
"Oh, absolutely. Another time, he tripped over his own robes in front of a first-year. Spent ten minutes lecturing the kid about 'watching where you walk,' while he was the one face-down on the floor."
Yuji clutched his stomach, tears forming in his eyes. "Hahaha, that's amazing!"
Then, narrowing his eyes, Yuji said between laughs, "Wait… sensei, this is about you, isn't it?"
Gojo gasped dramatically. "Nooo, of course not. Someone else entirely."
Yuji gave him a flat look. "Uh-huh. If he was your friend, then yeah… you two were definitely made for each other."
Gojo's smirk softened, almost fond. "Yeah."
Yuji's laughter slowly melted into a sleepy grin as he curled up beside him. Within moments, his breathing evened out. Gojo remained awake, eyes drifting to the ceiling, that faint smile lingering as the room fell quiet.
+++
They were soaring through the air, Yuji clinging onto Gojo as usual. The wind roared in his ears, but Gojo moved so fast with his infinity that Yuji couldn't even track the landscape blurring below.
"Alright, we're here. Open your eyes," Gojo whispered at Yuji's ear.
Yuji cracked his eyes open and immediately widened them in awe. Before him stretched an endless expanse of deep blue ocean, glimmering beneath the sun. The horizon seemed to melt into the sky itself.
"Whoa…" Yuji breathed, his jaw dropping. "There must be so many creatures living down there…"
Gojo, still carrying him, allowed his gaze to soften as he looked out across the water. "Yeah sure."
With a flicker of movement, Gojo descended and gently set Yuji down on the rocky shoreline. Waves crashed against the stone, spraying cool mist against their faces.
Yuji hugged his arms, shivering slightly. "Urghhh… looking at that endless blue is kinda giving me goosebumps." His voice was small against the sound of the waves.
Gojo chuckled. "Not bad, right? Nature can be scarier than curses sometimes."
Yuji tilted his head, squinting at the horizon. "How do we even cross that? Swim? Or… build a raft or something?"
Gojo raised a brow, half amused. "Swim across an endless sea? You'd be fish food halfway through."
Yuji blinked. "…Not helping."
Gojo's smile dimmed, his voice lowering as his eyes scanned the waters. "I don't think so. I can't sense any life out there, beyond the ocean".
That made Yuji pause. He glanced back at the rolling waves, suddenly feeling the weight of the silence beneath all that crashing sound. A vast, beautiful ocean… but somehow wrong.
Yuji's expression turned hollow. "So it's just us, huh?"
Gojo murmured back, "Yeah… I guess they put us here as some kind of test. Don't worry, I'll deal with them one day."
Then, clapping his hands suddenly, he tried to cut through the heavy mood. "Anyway—let's try crossing this sea." He scooped Yuji up without warning.
"Wait, sensei! Let me rest–I'm gonna vomit, you were too fast!" Yuji pouted, pressing a hand to his mouth dramatically.
"Now, now. Daijoubu~ Sensei will go slower this time." Gojo grinned, pulling Yuji closer before taking off again.
Yuji groaned, but wrapped his arms around Gojo's neck. "Fine… but don't blame me if I puke on you."
The two soared forward, not too slow, not too fast. Beneath them stretched the endless blue, an ocean so deep it made Yuji's stomach drop. The scenery was breathtaking and terrifying.
He peered down at the abyss. "Wow… seriously, there's no one out here beyond the sea?"
"Yeah. Sensei's sure. Or maybe they're all waiting at the edge of the world. That's why my Six Eyes can't see them yet," Gojo replied, half joking.
Yuji shuddered. "Urgh, this really is scary…" He hugged tighter, burying his face against Gojo's shoulder. "Don't you dare drop me, sensei."
Gojo chuckled. "Relax. If I drop you, Yuji-kun will just become fish food."
"Tch! Sensei!" Yuji smacked his shoulder in protest.
"Look there." Gojo pointed ahead. "Dolphins, jumping."
Yuji blinked and sure enough, sleek figures leapt gracefully from the waves, arcing through the air before splashing back down.
His eyes lit up. "Wahhh… that's so cool!" The fear in his chest loosened, replaced with wonder as he watched the animals play in the water below.
Gojo smiled softly at Yuji's reaction, the faintest relief in his eyes.