AT FIRST, IT WAS NOTHING more than what he had said; texts here and there about when and where my performances took place.

in hindsight, perhaps it was my own fault, but I couldn't help it. I was scared, you see.

     "fushiguro-san, don't forget to lock up the studio!", one of my dance-mates reminded.

     "thank you, and have a good night!", I called out.

     finally, I was all alone.

     sometimes I stayed a little later than others. I enjoyed watching myself in the mirror and nitpicking every little thing. I liked polishing my imperfections and striving to be even better than my last performance.

     and sometimes I lost track of time because I was so engrossed in my profession.

     "ten already?", I huffed, trying to calm my breathing before packing up all my things to leave.

     swiftly turning off the lights, I internally dreaded the heavy rain that slammed onto the windows and door.

     immediately calling my sister, it was truly unfortunate that she didn't pick up, and neither did tōji.

sighing, I knew that kento was extremely busy these few months as well, for director gege had planned some huge scenes with him and the main character of the show.

"I suppose I can aggressively walk in the rain...", I mumbled, not wishing to sprint and then slip and crack my skull against the pavement.

after all, with my luck, it might just happen.

taking a deep breath, I made sure that my phone was safely tucked away in my dance bag, which I slung over my right shoulder.

as soon as I grabbed the keys and opened the door, a fierce wind had slapped me on the back, alongside the bullet-like raindrops.

hastily locking the door, I knew exactly the bus station that was at most a block away from the studio.

careful not to run nor waste any time, I had trudged my way through the puddles, cringing at my wet socks and tennis shoes that I had changed into.

"almost there", I encouraged myself, as the rain wasn't so bad. it was just like someone was constantly tapping your head in a passive aggressive manner.

yeah, it could've been worse.

as soon as my eyes had landed on the bus stop, I hurried towards it for shelter. however, upon arriving there, I couldn't help but notice an unconscious man sprawled out across the benches, with empty cans of beer littered beside him.

'don't overthink. he's just a regular man also waiting for the bus', I mentally comforted myself.

unconsciously clenching tighter onto the strap of my dance bag, I patiently waited for the next bus to arrive, which should be in about ten minutes.

"ughh...my head...", the drunk man groaned.

almost standing at the edge of the bus stop, I attempted to keep quiet in hopes that my presence would go unnoticed.

"mmm...hey, you!"

I flinched.

"do ya have...water?", he asked, slowly sitting himself up, though he ended up tumbling onto the dirty ground.

"I'm afraid not. sorry", I curtly replied.

"hah?! whaddya mean ya don't have water??"

"I mean exactly what I said, sir. I ran out of water", I replied, feeling my knuckles turn white from gripping the bag's strap so hard.

he did not appreciate my answer.

"LIAR! ALL WOMEN DO IS LIE! SHOW ME WHAT'S IN YOUR BAG!", he demanded, switching up as quickly as the lightning that had just flashed behind us.

it was like a ball of anxiety was dropped into my stomach and stabbed open, freeing all the haywire thoughts that I've been containing up until now.

"sir, please calm dow—"

"SHUT THE FUCK UP, BITCH!", he shouted, lunging at me, as my feet immediately booked it.

not even bothering to look back, I could vaguely hear the stranger's hoarse voice yelling for me to come back.

my heart pang against my chest, making me feel that it could jump out any moment. fumbling with the keys, I hastily shoved the studio key into the keyhole. as I had eventually unlocked the door, I could vaguely make out what seemed to be the drunk man in the heavy rain.

     just as I had slipped in, a simple lock of the door had successfully kept him out. however, it wasn't long before my body had involuntarily flinched at the sight of him banging against the glass doors, demanding for me to open it.

     taking shelter under the desk that was right in front of the doors, I curled my legs close to my body in hopes of gaining more warmth to stop my shivering.

     though in reality, I was also shivering for reasons other than the coldness.

     "please pick up...", I quietly begged, as both my hands clenched onto the ringing phone that I had pressed against my ear.

     the wait was too long for my liking, and my displeasure was heightened upon earning no answer from the other side.

'who else...fumi? no, I wouldn't want her to be out alone at night like this either...'

desperately scrolling through my short list of contacts, my thumb had pressed the one that I hesitated to call since the very beginning.

     the phone rang as I anxiously chewed on the bottom of my lip.

     "moshi, moshi~ didn't think you'd ever call me, fushiguro-chan. so what's—"

     "please come pick me up. I'm scared. it's raining and—"

     another bang against the door caused my breath to hitch. it was oddly silent on the other side of the phone.

     'did he hang up?'

     "send me your current location. I'll be there in five".

     "t-thanks...", I muttered out, as I did exactly as told.

still cowering under the desk, I started to mentally count the seconds that were passing. I knew that gojō probably wouldn't get here in five minutes, so I needed to occupy my mind with something else. there was still muffled complaints coming from the man, but it soon quieted.

     however, another knock had startled me, though this one was much more gentler than the others.

     "it's me, gojō satoru! your savior's here, fushiguro-chan~"

     slowly crawling out from under the desk, I immediately opened the door upon witnessing a drenched gojō who was happily waving at me.

     "ya' crying yet?", he teased, pulling me into a tight embrace, as he whispered something in my ear.

     "he's gone. you're okay now".

     I released a breath of relief, as I unconsciously nuzzled my face into the comforting chest that I was presented with.

     tightly clenching onto the fabric of gojō's shirt that was sticking to his skin, I had asked to be taken home for the night.

     "sit", he commanded, noticing my hesitance on getting his car's seat wet.

"thanks", I uttered, as he handed me a jacket that he had lying around in the back of his car.

     once I entered my address into his maps app, the drive had started. at the time I didn't notice, but soft music was acting as the background noise during the silent ride.

"thank you...once again", I mumbled, not particularly in the mood to say anything more.

I was more mentally exhausted, despite the hourlong rehearsals I experienced everyday.

"sure thing! say, how about you teach me ballet as a reward?", gojō playfully grinned.

"sure", I answered with a weak smile, about to return his jacket, only for him to insist that I keep it for now.

     I didn't have it in me to reject his kindness.

     "great! text me whenever you're free then, fushiguro-sensei", gojō childishly laughed.

     giving him a curt nod, I simply bid him a good night before heading up my apartment complex.

     'I wish I can see kento soon without bothering him...'

     my time with kento had been cut short recently. director gege was ruthless, not giving him a single moment to breathe.

     "apologies, miyako-san. I'm afraid I have to leave for an urgent scene that needs to be re-filmed. I'll make it up to you soon though", kento informed.

"oh, it's no biggie! give director gege and the rest of the cast my best regards", I smiled, as kento had left a tip for our waitress before leaving.

     "for sure. thank you for understanding", he replied, as just before he was about to leave, our waitress had stopped him.

     "u-umm, excuse me! but you're nanami kento, right? from the jujutsu kaisen show?", she asked.

     a few heads turned, as kento had hesitantly nodded.

     "I am", he confirmed.

     I was surprised she recognized him, for the first episode including him had just recently aired.

     "I-I really love your character, and was wondering if we could take a picture together? ah, and is this your date by any chance?", the young girl curiously questioned.

     she wasn't rude or anything, but I just wished that she wouldn't have asked that question, because I already knew what kento's answer would be.

     "ah...we're not...no".

     he shot me an apologetic glance, to which I had just returned it with an understanding smile.

     "oh...s-sorry! I was just wondering, because you both looked good together, but I didn't mean to pry..."

     "it's okay. here, let me take the picture for you two", I offered.

     once the picture was taken, the girl had bowed in appreciation, while kento had swiftly left, for he had received a call from itadori yūji, one of the twins on set.

     I softly sighed to myself, taking my leave as well.

it was then that my phone had buzzed.

it was gojō.

I supposed that we could meet up, since my plans with kento had been cancelled anyways. and plus, I did agree to teach him ballet, even though I very much doubted his ability to even reach his toes.

hence for the remainder of my free sunday afternoon, gojō and I had met at the dance studio where he had saved me from the drunk man. and anyways, it was the perfect time for me to return his dry-cleaned jacket.

unbeknownst to me, the seemingly innocent interaction would ignite a passion within our greedy hearts; one that will never be quenched.

     AUTHOR'S NOTE: please praise me,, I've been so demotivated recently, like—😃

     p.s. gojō  would be a great hip-hop dancer tbh,,

     DAMN GRAVY, YOU SO VICIOUS-
YOU SO CLEAN, SO DELICIOUS!
     HOW COME YOU AINT GOT NO MISSES??
COUNT THE PAPER, COUNT THE RICHES💃🏻🕺