VEIL (Gojo Satoru X OC X Geto Suguru)

Chapter 4: What's wrong with you?

"Satoru, could you not have pretended at least, to tolerate her?" Geto said, as he entered their dorm. The door creaked open softly allowing a sliver of moonlight to seep into the dimly lit room.

Satoru, seated amidst shadows, looked up from his book, surprise, and relief evident in his expression.
"There you are," he said, his voice carrying a note of casualness. "I thought you might not return tonight."

Geto's response was matter-of-fact, his tone tinged with a touch of bemusement. "Why wouldn't I?"

Satoru couldn't help but tease, a playful smile tugging at his lips. "I don't know, you seemed rather fond of her."

The incredulity in Geto's laughter was palpable. "Are you serious right now? You're jealous of the new kid?"

"You know me, Suguru. When am I ever serious?"

Geto proceeded to shed his coat, his movements carrying a sense of ease. He rolled up the sleeves of his shirt, untethering his hair so it fell gracefully over his shoulders. Settling beside Satoru on the sofa, he draped an arm around him. "You want to talk about something?" he inquired, his voice a soothing presence in the room. Satoru's gaze shifted to Geto's tired eyes, concern etching his features. "You look exhausted."
"I am," Geto admitted "There were a lot of small cursed spirits in class today. I had to wait till the girls had gone to their dorms to take care of them."

Satoru's brows knitted in frustration. "So you do know!" His voice rose in disbelief, directed at Geto.
Geto met Satoru's intensity with a calm smile. "I know you're the strongest, Satoru, but I didn't think you'd underestimate me like that," he chuckled.

Satoru rose from the sofa in one fluid motion, a rush of urgency propelling him. "Suguru! This isn't the time for jokes! There are sorcerers all around this place. Don't you find it suspicious that no one noticed the abundance of cursed spirits loitering about today?"
Geto's response was measured, his confidence unshaken. "I initially assumed they might've ignored the spirits. They were quite small, after all. But then it occurred to me, perhaps they couldn't see them."

"Do you know what that fucking implies?"

"It implies something, we do not understand yet Satoru. But there's no need to be afraid. We are the strongest after all."

Satoru's eyes bulged out in frustration. He struggled to articulate the thoughts and concerns swirling in his mind, a storm of emotions threatening to spill over.

"Stop being so dramatic Satoru." Geto said smiling in adoration. "I'm gonna go take a bath now."

"I don't feel up for it today. I'll see you at dinner." Satoru responded, his voice tinged with an unusual weariness. For the first time, he seemed adrift, lost in his thoughts. Suguru knew Satoru better than most. He understood that something weighed heavily on him, something beyond their conversation about the unaccounted-for spirits. He decided to give Satoru the space he needed, knowing that pushing too soon might only cause more harm than good.
"Satoru," Geto began gently, his voice, reassuring. "I'm here if you want to talk about anything."
Gojo nodded. There was no relief on his face, only conflict.
As the door clicked shut behind Satoru, Geto slipped out of his uniform, the material falling in a soft rustle. Turning on the shower, he let out a deep sigh. As the cold water ran through his long hair, and down his tired limbs, he could feel himself relax a bit.

Gojo walked through the wooden corridors of the dormitory, rubbing his hands together in the cold. The open frames of the corridors let in the wind and light from the outside world. Winter had arrived early that year, and the chill seemed to seep into everything. As he made it to the dinner hall, he could see the warm lights seeping out from the hall's window. The darkness of the night around him contrasted with the orangish-yellow hue of the dinner hall. As he entered, he scanned the room, relief washing over him when he realized she wasn't there.
As he walked through the hall, Satoru's mind churned with questions, each one leading to a dead end. He couldn't shake the feeling that something was profoundly off about her, about Reiki, something he couldn't quite put into words. From the moment his eyes had met hers, a sense of disquiet had settled deep within him, an instinctual wariness that refused to dissipate. The cursed spirits had been hovering over her, around her, but they hadn't been attached to her. It was an anomaly that gnawed at him. It was as if there was an invisible shield keeping them away from touching her. Were the spirits there because of her? That would mean she possessed more negative energy than an average person. But then he surely would've sensed something different about her cursed energy.
Her shield didn't protect her from human touch or the touch of sorcerers, just the curses. That would mean, there was almost no possibility of her having the 'Limitless'. So what was it? What was so different about her? What was the thing that made her so repulsive to him? Why did he have an instinctual urge to avoid her at all costs?