Chapter 4: Not too late.

He slowly sat up and looked at who was standing beside him. His brain was having trouble processing who exactly it was at first. But when it finally clicked, his eyes widened. His gaze slowly made its way up to look at her face. He was a bit surprised… but at the same time, he didn't hesitate with speaking when he found out it was her.

"N-Nayuri…" He muttered, reaching a hand out and stroking her cheek with his thumb. She sighs as she sat down beside him, holding his hand that was stroking her cheek. He felt her intertwine her fingers with his own. He could feel her warmth too… it was so familiar. He held her hand tightly, almost as though he was afraid of losing her. "Nayuri…" He repeated quietly, unable to muster up any other words. The alcohol was still influencing him, but he managed to have the sense to be quieter and more gentle with her. He felt his body wanting to lean into her, wanting to hold her… Nayuri talked to Geto and Shoko for almost an hour. Geto and Shoko then left the bar after paying. Now it was just Nayuri and Gojo left. "Hey, Gojo. Wake up. It's already 9 pm. The bar is going to close soon." She brushed his hair slowly and gently, like she always did. It was something that she liked to do. Touching his hair.

He slowly opened his eyes as he began to wake up. He let out a small groan and blinked rapidly as he tried to clear his mind out… only to find Nayuri sitting beside him. He couldn't help but let out a small smile at her familiar touch. Her words were enough to tell him exactly what was happening. "Sorry…" He said quietly, closing his eyes again. A small yawn escaped his lips. "I just didn't get up because you felt so warm…" She hugged him suddenly. "You reek of alcohol.." He hugged her back tightly, burying to his head in the crook of her shoulder. He didn't really care about how he smelled… what he cared about was how she felt in his arms again. She felt so warm and familiar. "Sorry… I drank a little too much…" He muttered with a groan, not particularly enjoying how tired and slightly dizzy he felt right now. "Stand up. I'll help you get home. Our— I mean, your place isn't far from here. Okay? Or do you want me to leave you here?" She chuckled. It's been quite a while since Gojo had seen her. And hearing her chuckling like before.. just gave a small feeling of deja vu. He slowly opened his eyes again as he lifted his head up from her shoulder. A small, affectionate smile appeared on his face as he saw her laughing. It was a sight he knew he'd never get tired of. He let out a small huff and wrapped his arm around her back. "Of course I want you to bring me back…" He said quietly, taking her hand and letting her help him up.

They walked out the bar and started walking towards what used to be their house. "..how is Tofu? Did you take good care of him? He seemed really happy last time I saw him." She said as she held his hand tightly, smiling. He was walking beside her, holding her hand tightly as well. She could definitely notice how he tried holding her close as they walked. He let out a small sigh and a smile when she mentioned Tofu. "Tofu's fine…" Gojo confirmed, nodding his head, then adding on to his response. "He's been really well behaved. He's even been going on his usual walks… I miss having him in our bed though.." Nayuri stared at Gojo for a while, before speaking again. "Well, how have you been? I've been thinking of asking you about your well being. Only because you took care of Tofu, okay?.." She blushed a little. She didn't want to admit that she still at least cared about him. "Me?" He asked, a small scoff escaping from his lips. His own well-being wasn't something he cared about right now. All that was matters to him at the moment was being with her. As he walked, it was a bit obvious that he was still a bit drunk… his steps had an evident sway to them, and he held onto her tighter. "I've been… pretty horrible, honestly.." He muttered quietly, keeping his gaze lowered. "Why? Is it because of me? Probably not.." She chuckles. "Is it something that have to do with your job?" She hesitated to ask a bit. He was silent for a few moment, walking alongside her before eventually answering her question. He tightened his grip on her hand and gave her a small nod. "Yeah.." He muttered, his mind replaying all the work and missions he had went on. "I've been working nonstop… and they keep sending me on all these far off missions…" He let out a heavy sigh. "I have so much to do that I completely… forgot to… keep in touch…"

She stopped walking suddenly. She turned to him and tiptoes to reach his cheek. She kissed his softly. He stopped walking as well when she stopped. He raised his head and looked at her… and then she kissed his cheek. Instantly his cheeks flushed red. A small gasp escaped from his lips, and he immediately raised a hand to his cheek, holding it there as he stared at Nay for a few moment. "I-I…" He sputtered out, unable to form a proper sentence. A small smile formed on Nayuri's lips. "You don't need to say anything. I know you probably don't miss me that much..but I do. I miss you, Gojo." She hesitates a little. Gojo's eyes widened, his breath catching in his throat as he heard her say that she missed him. He stared at her as his entire body tensed up. A mixture of emotions suddenly filled his chest. Guilt, sorrow, regret… and a lot more. "I… I do miss you…" He said quietly, taking a step closer and gently cradling her cheek. A sad smile tugged at his face. "I miss you so, so much…" She hugged him tightly. "I'm so sorry, Gojo... I'm sorry for leaving you just like that..I shouldn't have." He immediately returned her hug. He wrapped his arms around her, pulling her close against him and burying his head into her shoulder. His grip was slightly shaky, trembling as he held her in his arms. "No, don't… it's fine…" He let out a small huff and closed his eyes. "…it's me that should be saying sorry..." He says,his voice a bit muffled because of his face shoved into her shoulder. "..I..I love you, Gojo. It's fine if you don't feel the same as I do anymore, I just wanted you to know that I still loved you." Her words sent a sharp wave of nostalgia through him. It brought him back to when they just started dating… and when they confessed to each other. As he was reminded of those moments, his heart tightened in his chest. "I…" He breathed in, pausing for a moment and taking a shuddering breath. Then, a small chuckle escaped from his mouth, and he pulled his head back so he could look at her face. "Of course I still love you…" As he looked at her, she was on the verge of tears. She felt like she could have a mental breakdown. Seeing her nearly cry made his heart ache so much more. He raised his hand and gently wiped away the tears that formed in the corners of her eyes. Guilt welled up inside him, and he felt a lump form in his throat. "Nayuri…" He muttered, closing his eyes and resting his forehead against hers. "..please don't cry… it hurts me to see you cry…" She then couldn't take it anymore with how close they were, and she kissed him on the lips.

The minute she kissed him, all his thoughts went blank. There was only one word that entered his head. Nayuri. It was her who was pressed up against him, her hands on his chest and her lips against his. For a moment, he was stunned, but he quickly melted into the kiss, pulling her closer against him and returning the kiss. Later, she slowly pulled away, then hugging him. He panted heavily, his breath hitching as she slowly pulled away. He was already missing the feeling of being so close to her… and just being able to kiss. The moment she hugged him tightly, he returned the hug. He rested his chin on her shoulder, taking a deep breath and closing his eyes as he focused on the feeling of holding her in his arms. "Gojo..I don't know if you'll remember this is the morning or not, but.. I hope I still have the time to say that..you don't need to be sorry. At first I wanted you to feel guilty for what you did, but now.. I just want you to live happily.. and also, you reek of alcohol. " She chuckles. "You're… too kind…" He muttered quietly, his grip around her slightly tightening. She pats his back gently. "Let's get you home now. I mean, I can't have you sleeping on me now, can you?" She chuckles and smiles, softly and sincerely. He kept his hold on her tight as she chuckled softly. He lifted his head up and glanced up at her, a small smile appearing on his face. "Of course, of course…" He muttered, pausing for a moment as he let out a long sigh. "You are a bit tiring, you know…" He said jokingly, gently pinching her cheek and tugging on it slightly. She then held his hand that was pinching her cheek, their fingers intertwining. "You just want to do this all night, don't you?" She says in a joking tone. "Of course…" He said with a small scoff. He let her hold his hand, intertwining his fingers with hers. "Who wouldn't want to hold the most gorgeous woman in the world?" He grinned at her, gently kissing her cheek and pulling back to admire her face. God… he missed flirting with her.

𝗜𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴..

Gojo woke up on his couch, still in the same shirt as last night. Nayuri wasn't there. He reeked of alcohol. His hair was messy. Was last night all a dream?.. But no way.. He slowly sat up on the couch with a groan. His head was pounding and a bit dizzy from the effects of the alcohol last night. Once he glanced down at himself, he realized he was still in his shirt from last night… did she only bring him home? He sat up and put a hand to his head, gently rubbing his temple as he racked his mind to try and recall what had happened last night.. Gojo then noticed that Tofu was looking at him. Like he waited for Gojo to wake up. But somehow,Tofu looked happy. Did Tofu meet Nayuri last night?..but that would mean that Nayuri went in his house. Which was really messy.

As soon as Tofu met his gaze, Gojo's eyes widened and he immediately sat up straight as memories came flooding back to him. "Tofu!" He exclaimed, immediately getting off the couch and stumbling over to the dog. Immediately after stumbling over to him, he sat down beside him and began roughly petting his head as if he missed Tofu way too much. "Tofu! Did you meet Nayuri?? Did you?!" He asked excitedly, a giddy smile spreading on his face. Tofu just nodded. As usual, Tofu understands him in a way. He let out a small huff at Tofu's answer. The dog's answer told him that Nayuri did indeed stop by. It wasn't a dream… it really happened. He was so happy. "You probably like her more than me, don't you?" He said jokingly, roughly ruffling Tofu's head before leaning down to press a few kisses on his head. He couldn't help his excitement.