we'll laugh until our ribs get tired

THE OCEAN WAVES sang a beautiful song, one that remains untouched by the corrupted hands of humanity. It was faint and subtle and echoed in the beating, pulsing hearts of seashells. On this winter day, the sky was clear and bright and reflected off the endless water of the ocean. And while it was this scene that made it so beautiful, it was the presence of a few that made the beach much more alive than it already was.

"You're going to get me all wet!" screeched a familiar brunette, an orange coat sitting loose around her body, keeping her warm from the serene chill of the cold evening. "At least wait 'till I've rolled up my pants, you imbecile!"

A pink-haired boy laughed.

"What's the fun in that?" he yelled, elation in his tone. He reached down and cupped the salty water in his hands, feeling it trickle through his fingers. The wind ruffled his hair.

"I hate you!" Nobara screamed, dodging the water thrown onto her.

"No, you don't!" Itadori returned, laughing as she ran away from him. Nobara kicked off her shoes, toeing off her socks and discarding them on the side. She extended her leg, splashing the seawater onto Itadori's body, clad in a green coat with white feathers brushing against the base of his neck.

"I fucking do!"

Yuuji gasped in response. "You love me!"

"Who said?"

He grinned mischievously, chasing after her, and before long, they were both soaking wet, their clothes drenched in everything soft, cool and strangely warm. Yuuji grabbed Nobara's arms, holding her in place. Their bodies collided, and she fell into his chest, knocking the wind out of him. They laughed and wrestled for a few moments, each trying to get the upper hand on the other. Finally, Yuuji had her under him, his legs straddling her waist and her arms laying above her head.

"Fate said," he replied.

Yuuji rose his hand. Two red strings sat in a tiny bow, wrapped around his left pinky finger with each end resting against the edge of his skin, just above his knuckle. It glowed.

Nobara could feel the breadth of a smile stretch across her face slowly. Her eyes softened with warmth and affection, a loving fondness propagating in her body, flowing through her veins and entering every single cell of hers. She had always known that her soulmates lived in the city— the string shortened with each step she made east of her home. Nobara hadn't expected to find them so soon. Yet, here one of them was, in front of her, above her, grinning down at her.

The marigold sun was warm against her skin; it watched the two soulmates fondly, caressing the lives of newly in-loves.

"Still," she told him, "fuck you!" Nobara rolled on her side, lurching him off her body and kicking him closer to the tide. They were both covered in sand, the golden grains lathering their clothes and slipping to press against their skin, all warm and content.

"Now, now," appeased one of their upperclassmen, a second-year at Tokyo's Jujutsu High. His stuffed body came into their view, feet wobbling on the damp surface of the shore. "Let's keep our language to a minimum. We're meant to act as responsible individuals– role models to those who see us. Such is the motto of our famed school."

"Piss off, Panada!" Maki yelled, jumping onto his body and nudging him closer to the water. "No one gives a shit about what our school motto is!" He toppled over, though the fear of ruining his body had him regaining his balance instantly. Panda howled as his rubber boots got wet; he hopped from side to side to prevent the water from sticking to the fabric of his legs and ruining the cotton.

Panda yelled, "That wasn't nice, Maki!"

"Salmon."

He whipped his head over to one of his best friends, beady eyes narrowing dangerously. "I know you're not laughing at me, Toge!"

"Mustard leaf." Inumaki chose the way to say his words precisely. His eyes crinkled with amusement, and he mimicked Panda's previous actions, hopping side to side comedically. It only added fuel to the fire.

Panda scrambled after him. "You little shit!"

He chased the smaller boy up and down the beach like an angry cat chasing its tail. Maki joined in on their little game of chase, grabbing Inumaki's shirt and pulling him to the side, laughing brightly as they managed to dupe Panda time and time again.

"They're acting like five-year-olds," Megumi sighed. He crossed his arms over his chest, dark blue eyes following the red strings that connected him to two other individuals.

Yuuji and Nobara were on their knees, pushing together a pile of sand to craft together a sandcastle. They had on lopsided smiles, carefree and content. "Sometimes, I wonder how we're all fated soulmates."

"Oh, don't be like that, Megumi-chan!" A large hand slapped him on the back, and the boy staggered forward at the unexpected hit. "You should learn how to act the same. The young must enjoy their youth!"

Megumi grunted, "I'll lose brain cells."

"You'd need to have a brain first for that."

Megumi swung his arm into a right hook, and Gojo let him punch him—hard. He wheezed, bowing lowly with his arms coming to wrap themselves around his stomach protectively. Gojo watched Megumi, the boy he had raised from a young age, storm up to his soulmates. Nobara and Yuuji dragged him closer to the shore, the tide carrying them along, gently urging their feet to move somewhere beyond the known and venture into the unknown. They went with it, the sun warming their skin. They walk further in, until their feet sink into the wet sand, and the sea hugs them from the waist down, welcoming. (Gojo swore he heard the sky laugh. He swore he saw their hearts thunder. His six eyes never lie to him).

Gojo smiled softly. His heart swelled with a kind warmth. He had been here once upon a time, years ago. When the days were longer and the nights were warmer. When misery did not fill his every bone and responsibility did not weigh down his shoulders.

His phone vibrated.

Gojo pulled it out of his pocket and checked the screen, reading the name that appeared. He swiped the notification off his screen, his thumb moving right to left. Blue eyes trained onto the picture he set as his lockscreen.

His younger self stood in the middle, dressed in his old Jujutsu High uniform. He had on a pair of round sunglasses, a wide grin perched across his lips as he stared into the camera. Gojo remembered the feeling of that day; he remembered the exact moment he threw his arms around two others. One was a boy, just slightly shorter than him, with long dark hair. He wore the same uniform as him, just slightly altered to be looser (whereas Gojo preferred his uniform to show off his body— yes, he did get it tightened to achieve that effect). The other was a girl, the top of her head reaching the base of his neck. Her hair shimmered like a swan's crystal-clean feather (it was really just a very light pink— Gojo remembered spending hours with his best friend figuring out the colour of her hair). She glared into the camera, but her eyes, shining a sea-green colour, betrayed her expression. Gojo, even now, knew the tell-tale signs of her obvious facades. She was happy. His best friend was happy. He was happy.

They were all happy.

Once upon a time.

"Gojo-sensei?" The teacher looked up to see his first-year student crowding around his phone, curious. "Who's that?" Yuuji pointed at the girl and the boy on his phone. Megumi and Nobara stood behind him, and Gojo was hit with a flash of nostalgia. Megumi had his hands in his pockets (he remembered a boy who would do the same); Nobara arched a brow, one hand on her hip (he remembered a girl who would do the same).

Nostalgia— it was a sensation like no other Satoru Gojo had ever felt before. It burned in his chest, an almost physical pain that could not be described as anything other than overwhelming. The strongest sorcerer smiled softly, empty and hollow. The past weighed on him heavily with its presence, and it was at times like these that Gojo appreciated the use of the black mask covering his eyes.

"My soulmates," he explained.

Satoru remembered vividly the way his soulmates would press against him like flowers pressed against the pages of old books. He remembered vividly the kisses that trailed his neck when it was just the three of them, alone, together. He remembered when their forever began, chest feeling heavy, his heart roaring in his chest— oh, he felt his palms burn that day, felt his mind ache with the thoughts of hundreds, felt his muscles scream with exhaustion. Satoru remembered the relief that came shortly after, the cuddles they partook in. He remembered the feeling of their skin against his skin, lips against lips.

He remembered it all.

"Hah?!" Nobara yelled, staring at him with enlarged eyes. Her scream caught the attention of the other second-years. They paused their attempts to bury Inumaki in the sand, listening to the conversation happening just a few meters away. "Your soulmates? How come you've never told us?!"

And just like that, Satoru remembered the pain. He remembered the arguments, the screams, the yells, the tears, the sobs, the shouts, the whines— Satoru remembered every single thing. He remembered it all as if it were yesterday, and he felt his heart shatter one piece at a time, taken apart by the hands of something unforgiving and unforgivable.

"They're dead."

They were nothing more than a recycled tragedy. Icarus flew too far to the sun and suffered the consequences. Satoru knew what they each embodied. He was the sun. She was the sea. And his best friend was Icarus.

Satoru fell for both of them.

They fell for freedom.

"Oh."