12 Roses

54 | A Retreating Back

Of course, it was impossible for Gojo to know about the dilemma his former student found herself in, not on his own. No one thought upon it — you were the only other person that knew.

A few days before, he was drunk in a bar with the terrible taste of alcohol on his tongue. He always hated alcohol ever since he first went to a bar with Shoko and he had a shot for the first time — it was bitter and burned and it was clear that it was made for someone who was in a little too much pain. That was why he had only ever been drunk twice in his life: the first time he drank alcohol and the last time he saw Suguru.

It was sobering to be scolded by a 16 year old to talk to each other like adults, but he didn't want to be sober when he was watching Suguru walk away from him once more.

Alcohol still burned and left a bitter taste in his mouth that made him crave something that would rot his teeth; he was sure that the bartender could recognize that he didn't drink.

When he passed out against the bar counter, he couldn't have known that it was now his back that faced Suguru.

"Friend of yours?" the bartender asked when Suguru took a seat by Gojo.

"Something like that."

When Suguru reached out to place his hand on Gojo's back, it was whipped away by the towel that the bartender had previously draped over his shoulder.

"'Something like that' doesn't cut it, not here," he said bluntly.

Suguru sighed and pulled out his phone, digging up an old photo and showing it to the bartender. "He's... my friend."

The bartender surveyed him, his mouth twisting suspiciously, but left him alone after a while.

Suguru placed his hand on Gojo's back. He couldn't understand why Gojo would be in such a place. It was noisy, overstimulating, a place that Gojo would've begged to leave back in high school.

"Satoru," he said quietly.

Gojo groaned and turned over like a child being woken up on a school day.

With the bartender's scrutinizing eyes still on him, Suguru did something quite stupid.

•••

Suguru's hand hesitated, then he knocked.

The door opened a few moments later and he was met with a scowling face that looked remarkably like Gojo's, although he wasn't entirely sure why — he knew that Gojo didn't have a son, not biologically.

The boy blinked a few times, then turned towards the kitchen. "Tsumiki?"

"Yeah Megumi?"

"Could you... come here?"

Suguru heard Tsumiki's quiet footsteps move through the house and, when she came to the door, her eyes widened, her brows raised, and one would think she had never seen Suguru before.

"Suguru?" Her eyes moved back and forth. First to Suguru's face, then to Gojo, who was draped on his back with his head on Suguru's shoulder.

"He's drunk."

"Drunk?" Megumi repeated. Even he knew that Gojo would normally never drink.

Tsumiki opened the door more to let Suguru in and she stared hard at his shoes until he slipped out of them and left them on the carpet by the door.

"Where's his room?" Suguru asked.

"Upstairs, third door to the left."

Suguru hummed and went up the stairs.