The sand crunched softly beneath their feet as they walked side by side along the shoreline, the hush of waves filling the silence between them. Neither spoke, both content to breathe in the crisp, salty air.
But suddenly, Yuji stifled a giggle, shoulders shaking as he covered his mouth.
Gojo tilted his head, eyeing him curiously. "You look pretty happy all of a sudden."
Yuji's cheeks turned pink. "It's nothing—just… thinking about how that bird stole your sandwich earlier."
Gojo pressed a hand dramatically over his chest. "The betrayal still stings."
Yuji's laugh broke through the tension for a heartbeat, but the silence soon returned, but thicker than ever.
Gojo slowed his steps, staring out at the ocean before blurting, almost too quickly, "I… love your smell."
Yuji blinked, his mouth parting in surprise. "Eh?"
Realizing what he'd just said, Gojo scratched the back of his head, ears faintly red. "I mean—your scent. I'm… drawn to it." His laugh came out awkward, almost a mutter. Finally said it…
"Oh." Yuji relaxed, smiling in his clueless way. "Well, I love your smell too, senpai."
That innocence made Gojo wince. His stomach twisted as he tried again, words tangling on his tongue. "No, Yuji. I mean—this is different. It's not like soap or anything simple."
Yuji tilted his head, puzzled. He could see Gojo struggling, hands shoved into his pockets, eyes darting away like he was weighing whether to even keep going.
Finally, Gojo exhaled sharply. "Yuji… if I tell you this, promise me you won't treat me differently afterward." His voice cracked with a rare seriousness that made Yuji's chest tighten.
Is this what senpai wanted to say all along, but couldn't? Yuji wondered.
He nodded firmly. "If it's important, of course I'll listen. Just tell me."
Gojo stared at him for a long moment, then dropped his gaze to the sand. "Since your body changed… there's a kind of scent that comes from you. I catch it every time, and—" He broke off, running a hand through his hair, frustrated at himself.
Yuji's face drained of color. "Wait– do I… stink?" He hurriedly sniffed his shirt, then his arm, panic written all over him.
Gojo laughed, though it was a hollow sound, and quickly waved his hands. "No, no! It's not like that. You smell fine, Yuji. Better than fine." His throat bobbed as he forced himself onward.
He looked Yuji dead in the eye, voice low and deliberate. "Do you know about pheromones? Like how animals in heat give off a signal? That's… what your body does now."
The word heat echoed in Yuji's head, his heart thumping erratically. His lips parted, but no words came out.
Gojo clenched his fists at his sides, fighting to keep his voice steady. "That's why… sometimes I lose control around you. It's not your fault. It's just– how your body is now. And me—" He broke off again, his usual grin nowhere to be found.
Yuji stood frozen, every nerve buzzing. His stomach twisted between embarrassment and something heavier, darker– something he didn't want to admit out loud.
The waves crashed harder, as if echoing the chaos between them.
The guilt gnawed at Yuji, dragging his face down. His lips trembled. "Sorry… I disgust you, senpai."
"No—no, Yuji." Gojo's chest tightened. The way Yuji's eyes dimmed, he hated it. Maybe he'd said it all wrong. Maybe he'd broken the boy he wanted so desperately to protect.
Gojo hissed through his teeth, stepping forward in a rush. "I've never been disgusted with you. Not once." He pulled Yuji into his arms, holding him fiercely, almost desperately.
But Yuji's hands pressed against his chest, trying to shove him away. His voice cracked. "Then why didn't you tell me? Why let me keep thinking everything was fine?"
Gojo's arms only tightened. His words came out ragged, almost pleading. "Because it wasn't you I was afraid of. It was me. I didn't want you to look at me with disgust because of the way I… feel."
Yuji's fist pounded once against Gojo's chest, frustration spilling out in a sharp tremor. "You should've told me! How would I know I was making you uncomfortable?!"
Gojo winced at the blow but didn't let go. "You're right. It's my fault. I thought hiding it was protecting you… but maybe it was just protecting myself." His throat bobbed as he swallowed hard. "I couldn't stand the thought of you hating me for it."
Yuji's breath hitched. He finally lifted his gaze, staring into Gojo's eyes, those impossibly bright eyes now shadowed with something raw, vulnerable.
"So all this time…" Yuji's voice was barely above a whisper. "You only acted that way because of the pheromones? Because my body forced you?" His chest ached as the thought solidified, sour and heavy. The tenderness, the closeness– was it all fake?
Gojo shook his head, voice firm. "At first, yeah- it messed me up. I didn't know how to deal with it. I couldn't help myself. But then…" His expression softened, his arms loosening slightly but never letting Yuji go. "Then I realized I wanted it. Wanted you. Not just because of the scent, but because it's you. It calms me, Yuji. It makes me feel alive. I chose to lean into it."
His laugh was quiet, bitter. "And that's the part that's disgusting, isn't it? Not the pheromones. Me– choosing to let it happen."
Yuji's heart pounded painfully, torn between disappointment and a heat rising in his chest he didn't want to admit. The way Gojo was looking at him, broken and honest… made it hard to breathe.
And deep down, Yuji knew the truth: he had already fallen for him. No amount of denial could erase it.
+++
They stayed locked in that embrace, neither willing to move, the silence thick after the weight of everything that had just been spilled. The only sound was the waves breaking against the shore.
"Can I just say… we're both messed up," Yuji blurted suddenly, his voice cracking with a half-hearted giggle. The smile didn't quite reach his eyes; there was too much ache there.
Gojo huffed, the corner of his mouth twitching. "True. We both are. Especially me." His gaze sank into Yuji's, unflinching, pulling him in deeper.
Their faces were closer now, slowly, inevitably. Neither of them could pretend not to notice.
Gojo's voice dropped, almost unconsciously, words spilling before he could stop them. "You know… if I'd had these feelings back when you were still at Jujutsu Tech, they would've locked me up."
Yuji blinked, startled, then let out a short laugh, shaking his head. "I'm already an adult, senpai. But…" He smirked faintly, though his cheeks were hot. "Guess this makes us look like some weird sugar-daddy situation, huh?"
Gojo let out a shaky laugh against Yuji's forehead, but his breath hitched instead of settling. The teasing words about "sugar daddy" were still hanging between them, absurd yet true, and Yuji's smirk had already melted into something softer, something far more dangerous.
Neither of them moved back.
Gojo's eyes flicked down to Yuji's lips, then up again. He swallowed hard, his grin gone, replaced with raw honesty. "You're gonna ruin me, Yuuji…" he whispered.
Yuji's chest tightened, the air sticking in his lungs. He should've said something, cracked a joke, pushed his senpai away before this went too far– but instead, he leaned forward.
Their lips brushed, tentative at first, then deeper when Gojo finally gave in to the pull that had been gnawing at him for days. The kiss grew desperate fast, Gojo's hands tightening on Yuji's back, Yuji's fingers curling into his shirt as if anchoring himself.
The world around them dissolved: the crashing waves, the salty breeze, the moonlit sand. All that remained was heat, need, and the dizzying realization that they had crossed a line they could never uncross.
When they finally broke apart, breathless, Yuji's lips were swollen, his eyes wide and dazed. Gojo rested his forehead against his, voice rough.
"Still think it's just pheromones?"
Yuji, cheeks flushed and heart pounding, whispered back, "No… not anymore."
+++
The kiss was supposed to stop after a brush, after one reckless slip. But neither of them let go. Gojo pulled Yuji tighter, and Yuji clung back, their mouths pressing harder, hotter, until breath itself felt optional.
Gojo shifted, angling to taste more of him, and Yuji stumbled against his chest. Their balance gave out, and the two collapsed onto the sand, Gojo instinctively bracing Yuji beneath him.
The kiss deepened, desperately, Yuji's fingers tangling in Gojo's hair, Gojo's hand splayed firm against Yuji's waist, keeping him close as if he might disappear with the tide. Yuji gasped into his mouth, and Gojo swallowed the sound greedily, chasing it with another searing kiss.
The cool grit of the sand against their backs was nothing compared to the fire burning in their chests. Every move, every touch, blurred the line between want and need, between wrong and inevitable.
When Gojo finally tore his lips away, they were both panting, their foreheads pressed together, chests rising and falling in sync. His grin was gone, replaced with something fierce, almost reverent.
"Yuuji…" he breathed, voice shaking, "tell me to stop… or I won't."
Yuji's lips parted, swollen and trembling. His heart thundered like a war drum, but the last thing he wanted was distance.
"Then don't," he whispered back.
Gojo didn't need to be told twice. The moment Yuji whispered don't, something in him snapped. He crashed back into the kiss, deeper, rougher, his tongue sliding past Yuji's lips like he'd been starving for it. Yuji arched into him, clutching at his shoulders as if holding on for dear life.
And the pheromone pull made it worse– hotter, heavier. Every brush of Yuji's skin sent Gojo spiraling, every gasp and broken whimper feeding the fire in his veins. His lips trailed down Yuji's throat, teeth grazing before sucking hard enough to leave faint red marks blooming against pale skin.
"Senpai—ah—" Yuji's voice cracked, half moan, half plea. His body betrayed him, arching into the weight above him, fingers clinging tighter as if afraid to let go.
Gojo's laugh came out ragged, restraint slipping with every heartbeat. "Yuji… you're driving me crazy…" The words were more groan than tease as he pressed down harder, their mouths crashing together again in a dizzying clash of heat and tongue.
Yuji's breath faltered when he felt it– the hard, insistent press of Gojo's cock grinding into him through the flimsy barrier of their clothes. Heat bled straight into his skin, sharp and overwhelming, until it felt like nothing separated them at all.
Then Gojo's hand slid lower, fingers spreading, cupping the curve of Yuji's ass in a thoughtless, hungry squeeze. "Ah—" Yuji jolted, a helpless sound slipping past his lips as fire and ice tangled inside him, leaving him rigid in Gojo's arms.
Their chests heaved against each other, breaths harsh and uneven, until the realization struck them both at once. Gojo's eyes flew open, his hand freezing mid-grip; Yuji stiffened, a flush burning across his face.
Almost instantly, they broke apart, clothes rumpled, lips swollen, hearts hammering. Silence swelled between them, thick with what they couldn't name. The heat clung to Yuji's skin, a ghost of Gojo's touch that refused to fade, no matter how far apart they sat.