Work Text:
Gojo is looking out the window again. He does that often these days. Nanami sometimes walks into a room only to find the other man staring out, his gaze travelling past the glass and roaming campus grounds without aim. It's been ten minutes of this already, Nanami looking up from his damages report periodically because he just can't help it. Finally, he places his pen down and calls across. "Gojo-san, what are you looking at?"
For his part, Gojo doesn't startle at the sudden question puncturing the perfect silence of the staffroom. Instead he seems to unfurl from his stupor, moving slow as he rolls his shoulders in a stretch and turns his head to grace Nanami with a smile that would probabaly be best described as serene, if not a bit lazy.
"You're curious?" he asks, teasing obvious in his voice. "Are you ready to admit your interest in me?"
Nanami's lips curl into an easy grimace, his teeth being bared as a warning. This is one thing that hasn't changed since Gojo was released from the Prison Realm. His incessant urge to prod at Nanami hasn't waned in even the slightest. And Nanami is glad. He's not sure what he would have done if he didn't have this familiar back-and-forth to fall upon. Gojo's smile twitches wider in reaction, his eyes sure to be glowing behind the material of his blindfold. "If you can call one question interest, then sure."
"Everything starts with just one question, my dear kouhai." Gojo taps at his chin, once, twice, thrice before seeming to come to a decision. "I'm watching."
"Watching for what?"
"For nothing."
It's hardly a conversation. Nanami blinks, considering picking up his suit jacket and leaving in retaliation for the evasion. Gojo must sense this because he waves both his hands, almost urgent. "I'm being honest. I like just looking at the world." Then, a bit more tentative, maybe even shy. "The leaves are starting to grow again. I don't know why I never paid attention before, using my Six Eyes for everything but this."
Strange, that Nanami hears this admission and feels something solid well up in his throat. The world has stretched its existence around Gojo's body but the man himself has been rushed off his feet for years, never able to see the truth for what it is. And Nanami might not be the Strongest but he can empathise, can understand what it's like to look out the window and realise an entire season has passed him by without notice.
The damages report is still only half done and Ijichi is waiting on its submission. Nanami considers the sprawl of papers, of the back of his own hands, and stands, walking over to Gojo's side in measured steps. Their shoulders brush, Infinity never on now unless it's needed, and Nanami looks out the window. The sun is partly hidden, stuck behind some clouds. But he lowers his gaze to the grounds and finds that Gojo was right. The leaves are growing. They're still small now but give it a month and everything will be green.
"It's pretty," Nanami says, somehow in awe of something which should not be new to him.
When Gojo replies, he can hear the smile in his voice. "It is."
***
Nanami is not an impatient man. He's good at waiting. However, he's been off work for nearly twenty minutes and still has heard nothing from the managers on being dropped off home. If he were the type of person to complain then he would have already but the thought of speaking to a nervous Ijichi about this turns out to be quite the effective deterrent.
Perhaps looking for respite in the library had been too farfetched an expectation. It certainly feels that way when Kugisaki lets out another long-suffering sigh, bickering with Itadori over a stack of textbooks. Nanami's been sat in a nook with a novel in hand and yet he's not managed to make it past the third page, not with the noise coming from the first years.
"How do we find x?" hisses Kugisaki, presumably giving into the stress of their upcoming exams.
"I don't know," Itadori replies, his eyes scanning the page with an expression that implies he's not sure what to look for. This is where Nanami would expect Fushiguro to chime in with his comparatively more secure knowledge, except Fushiguro has been silent this entire time, his head buried in a separate textbook while he scribbles away at what seems to be an essay.
Nanami takes one more look at his watch, though the face is cracked and has been for months it's clear enough to see that twenty-five minutes have gone by. He sighs, getting to his feet and striding across the room to where the children are. Itadori's eyes are twinkling before Nanami's even sat down.
It must have taken restraint for him to not come over and strike up a conversation. The thought is amusing and Nanami slides into the seat next to Fushiguro before steepling his hands before him.
"Would you like some help studying?"
As predicted, both Itadori and Kugisaki are rapt with attention, talking over each other in their relief.
"That would be great–"
"And you say you're not a teacher Nanamin–"
It's all drowned out by a pointed cough. Fushiguro puts his pen down and narrows his eyes. "You should check whether you're imposing on Nanami-san's time before getting excited." While his disapproval isn't aimed at him, Nanami feels scolded too and smiles at how Itadori and Kugisaki have gone doe-eyed in waiting for his support.
"I appreciate that Fushiguro but I can assure you I have nothing of importance to do right now." He gestures at Kugisaki's worksheet. "I take it that your exams are causing you stress so I have no problem helping out."
Kugisaki grins, adjusting her eyepatch in a move that seems to have become habit in the months since Shibuya. Nanami suppresses the urge to touch his own, a matching pair since Kugisaki always buys two whenever she shops, presenting them to Nanami with a little ta-dah every time. Nanami isn't sure on what occasion he could pull off the lilac one but he's determined to make it happen.
"I'm stuck on this question and Itadori is no help."
"I'm trying," Itadori protests, waving his hands around in defense. Nanami just peers at the question before looking over what Kugisaki has written. He clucks his tongue once he identifies the issue.
"You've rearranged the equation wrong. Pass me a pen."
There's a cheer from the kids, even Fushiguro throwing in a muted woo from where he's back to working. Nanami tries not to languish in the feeling but affection makes his heart feel full while he starts to break the problem down step-by-step.
"You're a lifesaver, Nanamin," Itadori says, in plain awe, once Nanami has managed to isolate x. It's perhaps a bit undeserving a tone considering all he's done is a bit of high school maths but Nanami only nods, swivelling the paper around so they can both see it better.
"Do you both understand how I've gotten it?"
"I think so."
Nanami passes the pen back to Kugisaki and points. "Try this next question with it in mind then."
With more enthusiasm than he'd expect from either of them, they dive into the problem, possibly motivated by their competitive nature, hoping to be the one to impress Nanami first. Nanami glances over at Fushiguro who hasn't given into distraction.
I hope they all pass.
Nanami feels Gojo before he sees him, his cursed energy thrumming along his skin like heated water. The physical presence of a body behind him confirms it as Gojo bends down and tosses an arm across Nanami's shoulder, the pressure kept light along his left side to avoid aggravating his burns.
"Ijichi's been looking for you," Gojo says, his voice measured as he scans the table. "But I see you've been busy with your study session."
"Thanks for relaying the message." Nanami scoots a bit closer to Fushiguro but the hand on his arm doesn't drop off. He rolls his eyes. "And I've just been helping with a question."
"What happened to not being a teacher?" Gojo asks, jutting his chin over at where Kugisaki and Itadori are engrossed in their studies. "You're doing a pretty good job of it from where I'm standing."
"The job that you should be doing, you mean."
"Ah." Gojo clutches at his chest with his free hand, indulging in dramatics. "You wound me Nanamin."
Nanami's lips twitch, unfortunately amused by the display. As expected, Gojo's Six Eyes hone in on the minute expression and he grins, satisfied. "Since you're right you should go and head home before Ijichi is called away to do something again. Wouldn't want you going into overtime. I'll do some teachering if I absolutely have to," he says, in perhaps the most beleaguered tone that one can manage.
There's a muffled snort from Nanami's side and Gojo clutches his heart for the second time today. "I can teach too, Megumi. Don't forget who taught you the alphabet!"
"My kindergarten teacher?" Fushiguro replies, dry despite the previous laugh. Gojo's indignant and nonsensical sounds of rebuttal only gets the other two involved, the table once again devolving in a ruckus. Nanami just hums, warmth blanketing him as he pulls at Itadori's worksheet to look over his answer.
Ijichi can wait a little longer, he's sure.