The Strongest | ɢᴏᴊᴏ ꜱᴀᴛᴏʀᴜ

Chapter 24

We somehow always find something to fight about. This time, it's about what we should have for lunch. I'm for burgers, but Gojo wants sushi. We've been walking in circles around the hotel for fifteen minutes now. The sky is covered in clouds, but the weather is still so warm that it almost makes me wish I had left in only my bra.

"You can order a burger at the hotel for dinner later," Gojo argues.

"So can you!"

"But the sushi won't be better than the place around here."

I groan and stop in my tracks to glare up at him. "Please, you damn idiot!"

The man stops, too, and looks down at me. He has this annoying smirk on his lips again, which makes me want to rip him to shreds. It also makes me realize that no matter how annoying his smile is, I will never be able to stop thinking about the way it feels against my skin, about the way his lips feel against mine, and the way he tastes. I will never only hate him. There will always be something else there, too.

"How about this," Gojo suggests. "We have sushi now and burgers at the hotel for dinner. I'll pay."

I narrow my eyes. "Haven't I already told you that you can't buy me?"

"I'm not trying to buy you. I'm trying to bargain."

His stupidity makes me snort. "No. How about we eat burgers now and sushi at that place later? I'll pay."

"Don't you think Yaga would know if we didn't eat at the hotel?" Gojo asks.

I shrug. "What's he gonna do? Keep us here for another night?" I smirk. "We know as well as him that he can't do that." Besides... I'm still asking myself if that would really be such a bad thing.

"Fine. You're paying," Gojo huffs, and I raise my eyebrows at him. He shrugs and grins. "I can be bought."

Chuckling, I roll my eyes and start to walk. Stupid idiot got me to pay for his damn food. He's got me wrapped around his finger, hasn't he? I really don't like that. But when we get to the restaurant and sit down, he looks at me with such a fond smile that I consider maybe it's the other way around. Maybe I have him wrapped around my finger. And then he does some shit like stealing the menu out of my hands before I can decide what to eat, and I get proven wrong. In fact, no one is wrapped around anyone's finger.

"Give that to me, you ass," I hiss and lean halfway across the table to take back the menu.

Gojo holds it just out of reach from me, then leans forward, so he's way too close to my face. "Is that really the best you can do?" he smirks.

Not moving back an inch, I narrow my eyes at him and clench my jaw. I won't let him intimidate me into retreating. He's always been playing unfair, but especially now because he knows that I would potentially give in if he only plays his cards right. Well, maybe I can make him give in, then, too.

I bite my bottom lip and smirk right back at him. "You should have learned not to underestimate me by now."

While Gojo is taking a deep breath, probably to keep himself calm and collected, I snatch the menu out of his hand and lean back in my chair.

"I don't underestimate you," he says, and his serious voice makes me look up at him. "I haven't today, either."

"You said yourself that I handled the special grade just fine. Yet you still didn't want me to go alone today," I argue and put the menu down on the table between us so we can both read it, but neither of us are looking at it.

Gojo's lips are pressed into a thin line, and for a moment, I'm wondering what he's thinking and if he'll tell me the truth. There were some cases where I knew he was lying to me, and some cases where I only found out later that he had. Which one is it going to be this time? Or is he actually going to tell me why he didn't want to split up? And if his answer is going to be that he didn't want to leave me again, I'll walk out of here right now.

"Forget about it," he finally says and focuses his attention on the menu.

I narrow my eyes at him. Ah, option number three: not saying anything at all. Great. How nice. I slam my hand onto the menu to keep him from pretending to read. It takes him a few seconds until he sighs and looks up at me, his eyes glaring over his sunglasses, but I won't let them distract me this time.

"I won't forget about it," I snap at him, trying very hard to keep my voice down. "If you think I'm not good enough, then just say so. You've said it before. So is that why you didn't want to split up?"

"No," he hisses. "I know how good you are, but I knew other people who were good, and it wasn't enough. And if anything would happen to you while I'm there but we're split up..."

I'm startled into silence for just a moment. "But that's not on you," is all I can say.

"Yes, it is!" Gojo sounds frustrated now, pained. "If I lost you because I let you go on your own... If I could have helped you but I didn't know..."

I can't help but feel like there's something deeper going on here. What the hell happened in his past? I know I said I didn't need to know, but that doesn't stop me from being curious. I just don't want Gojo to- God, I don't want him to feel any pain. But I think his pain is so much deeper than just this. Whatever it is, it's in the roots of his being, and it's making him who he is. I don't think that without this pain, he'd be the same kind and good-hearted person he is now. But what do I know? I didn't even like him until a few days ago.

I reach out to softly touch his cheek with my fingertips, then flatten my hand to cup the side of his face with my palm. "It's not on you," I repeat, this time more carefully. "You can't save everyone."

He curls his fingers around my hand and holds me there. "What good is it being me if I can't save everyone?"

I think my heart is breaking. It might actually genuinely fall apart. The hurt in his voice ties a knot in my throat. I've never seen him like this. Ever. Not even when he mentioned his best friend at dinner last night. For a second, I remember that we're in the middle of a restaurant, but no waiter has come yet, and I think it's because they can obviously see that we're having a moment here. For just a second, I hope no one interrupts us. And when the second passes, I'm all Gojo's again.

"You save so many people," I tell him. "So many. And you're a good man. Not being able to save everyone doesn't mean that it's useless to be you."

"But -"

"No, Satoru, listen to me." To be honest, his first name just slips out, but it doesn't feel weird, and I can see his eyes widen just a little. "You are so good. I hate to admit it, but it's the truth." That makes him smile a little. "And you use the strength you have to be good. Look what we did today. I wouldn't have been able to get those boys out if it wasn't for you. I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for you." Shit, my voice is breaking.

Gojo blinks at me, and his lips quiver. Holy shit, what is happening right now? "I just couldn't stand losing... you."

I smile at him and blush. "I promise I'll do my best so you won't have to."

He lets go of my hand, and I pull it back into my lap. "I'm sorry I left you alone with that cursed spirit back then," he mumbles, clearly embarrassed that the apology took him this long.

I roll my eyes a little, but my smile widens. "Yes, well, at least that way I knew what I was capable of. And you said you would have stepped in if I needed help, so..."

"I would."

"I know," is all I say before I slide the menu across the table. "Now pick something. Whatever you want."

He grins, and my heart immediately feels lighter. "You can't bribe me with food."

"No, but I can buy you, I heard," I reply, making him laugh.