Neon Walls

Blue

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Satoru never told on him. He never responded to the photo either.

Their morning lecture was nothing noteworthy, which is good, all things considered. Still, an anxious energy broiled inside Suguru throughout. Seems he wasn't the only one. Every time he snuck a quick glance at Satoru, the guy tapped his heels and spun his pen in elaborate patterns. Much more focused on Yaga than usual too.

Suguru fucked up. Colossally. How he managed to show his face to anyone at Jujutsu Tech after the previous night is beyond even himself.

Despite all of that, getting out of bed was marginally easier. So was wrestling his stiff mess of hair into a bun. Brushing his teeth for the first time in a while brought some relief, but his gums throbbed and bled, that coppery taste lingered throughout the morning.

"Something's come up, no lessons this afternoon." Yaga announced on his way out.

A sharp stab of nerves and paranoia follows. Had Satoru reported it after all? Or did that cursed energy spike from opening the rift in his room trigger Tengen's barriers? Surely not, he hadn't actually begun to summon anything yet.

While he supposes it's progress to feel something , Suguru has nearly forgotten what this anxiety is like. Awful. He hurriedly slides his things off the desk and into his bag, eager to escape for fresh air. Satoru doesn't budge as Suguru passes him and out the door, sliding it closed with more force than intended. A clang echoes off the wooden floors.

"Suguru." A surge of adrenaline accompanies his own name. Yaga's hand rests firmly on Suguru's shoulder, impeding his exit. He can't meet his teacher's gaze, it's too much. He's frozen.

"Yes?" He manages to spit out, eyes still locked ahead.

His teacher sighs. Once Suguru finds the nerve to look, he notices that there is no scrutiny or anger in Yaga's expression. "It's been tough lately for both of you. Everything that's happened, and the burden of your solo missions. Try to take it easy today."

"Understood, thank you very much." Suguru offers with a small bow of his head. Predictably, Yaga's grasp doesn't let up when Suguru tries to keep moving.

"Suguru, your mission for Saturday. I've decided to let Satoru handle it."

"Wha-" Suguru starts, but he can't force his exhausted brain to string the words together. He shakes his head and tries again. "Please, it's alright. You don't need to do that." He takes a breath afterwards like speaking winded him.

There you go again. Burdening him.

As if the verbal abuse and threats weren't enough.

A lump forms in Suguru's throat, he swallows stiffly before adding on. "I can't, sir. I won't take the whole day from him, he's already doing so much." The mask slips a bit, leaving him practically gnawing on the inside of his cheek to keep it together. "And it's my hometown, I know the area better. I did that type of work every day before being recruited. So please."

That mission would take most of the day at the very least. A majority of that time is travel. While Satoru technically can teleport long distances, it still takes a brief toll while his reverse cursed technique catches up. They'd surely expect that of him, and Suguru won't facilitate it.

Yaga looks at him for a moment, the gears turning behind his eyes before finally relenting. His voice lowers. "Alright." He releases Suguru's shoulder. "Satoru's getting the same spiel. No going to the city, no excessive training."

Suguru nods. A wave of relief washed over him. Both from getting his way and for last night seeming to have not been exposed. "Thank you."

Once back to his room, Suguru leans back against the door to shut it. He breathes out slowly, untangling the tie from his hair and letting it down. He shudders from the way the matted mess falls down all at once. Disgusting.