Chapter Text
Around a month into her stay at Jujutsu High, Maki awoke to a dull ache in her lower abdomen. It was subtle (barely noticeable if she tried hard enough to ignore it), but even despite that, Maki knew exactly what it meant.
“Fuck,” she whispered into the quietness of her dorm room. I’m a whole week early, she observed.
Suddenly alert, Maki tossed her comforter aside and quickly got to her feet. She rummaged through her closet for her uniform, thankful for its dark color, and then wandered out into the hallway. Being the only female student, she had the hallway of girls’ dorms all to herself, which was perfect for a day like this.
In her slippers, she quickly walked to the end of the hall, entering the girls’ bathroom. She changed fast, confirming her suspicions and quickly securing herself for the day.
As she walked back to her room, she silently thanked whatever higher power had accounted for her body’s miscommunication and sent her a mission-free day. All she had to do was get through class.
She could do this. After all, she’d have to get used to it anyway. This wouldn’t be her last time with her cycle on campus.
She took a deep breath, gently rubbing her cramping lower belly. She’s been through this before.
She’ll be fine.
—
Maki is not fine.
Just an hour into class, her cramps had only amplified. She’s sweating with a hot flash and yet shaking from the pain. Her legs feel weak and are starting to go numb.
It’s never gotten this bad before, her mind supplied. Nausea rose in her chest, and she quickly swallowed it down.
They were supposed to be taking an exam on domains, and while Panda and Inumaki both seemed to be almost done, Maki had barely finished the first ten questions. Her hand was shaking in her clammy palm.
Gojo kept glancing at her from his desk at the front of the classroom, where he appeared to be filling out a mission report. He had chosen to wear his sunglasses today, meaning that every time he adjusted his vision towards her, she knew.
Question 12, she read. Which of the following is the domain known to be held by select members of the Gojo clan (aka, your ultra-powerful, super good-looking sensei ;D)?
Maki bit her lip as a particularly strong wave of pain past through her, and she shifted in her chair. She quickly circled c. Unlimited Void before taking a moment to breathe. She pushed her glasses up further on the sweaty bridge of her nose.
To her left, Inumaki stood up to hand Gojo his test, and the man smiled at him widely, dismissing the light-haired boy with a thumbs up.
After a few more questions, Maki could feel a headache behind her eyes. Sometimes she wished she wasn’t the only girl (it wasn’t like she could just explain to her male teacher what was going on). Besides, after she finished, she could always go to see Ms. Ieiri - she’d know what to do.
Question 20, Maki read. It was the last question. Name the domain used by the king of curses, Ryoumen Sukuna.
On her right, Panda stood from his place to submit his test, as well. Gojo dismissed him, as well, and Panda wished his sensei well as he exited the room.
Maki scratched out a shaky answer, unsure of what she was even writing. She knew that she knew the answer, but she couldn’t remember what it was at the moment. Her brain was all muddled, the pain making her thoughts fuzzy.
On shaky legs, Maki walked her finished test over to Gojo, who regarded her with an uncharacteristically gentle smile. “All done?” He confirmed, holding his hand out.
She handed him the test as she nodded, not daring to open her mouth out of fear that she might throw up. She was starting to feel a little dizzy where she stood.
Gojo placed the paper on his desk, and Maki moved to leave the classroom. Now that she was done, she could just stop by the infirmary, grab some pain medication, and finally lay down in bed-
“Maki?”
Leave it to Gojo to ruin all of her plans. Typical. Stiffly, Maki turned back around. She felt uncomfortably hot in the remaining specks of summer heat.
“Yes, sensei?” Maki replied, hoping that her discomfort wasn’t too visible. Her skirt was painfully tight. She should change into pajama pants or something softer.
Gojo eyed her with acute concern. “Are you feeling alright?” He asked, cocking his head to the right slightly. “You’re looking a little pale,” he observed.
Maki swallowed thickly and nodded, shifting her weight slightly as her right leg started going numb with pain. “I’m okay, Gojo.”
With a hint of what appeared to be hesitation, Gojo nodded and relented, bidding her farewell as he, too, stood to leave the room.
—
Knocking on the door to Ms. Ieiri’s main office, Maki was surprised to find it empty - the lights were off completely, and there was no sign of the woman being there.
She tried the infirmary next, and as she approached the door, she noticed a handwritten note on the door:
Currently on a business trip - will be back in a few days. If urgent, see principal Yaga.
Thanks,
Ieiri Shoko
Well, crap.
Maki didn’t think her… issues counted as “urgent.” She certainly didn’t feel like explaining anything to the principal, either. As nice as he was, he wasn’t exactly the type of person she wanted to go spilling her womanly secrets to.
Sometimes she wished her sensei was female, like Iori-sensei. Not that Gojo wasn’t a good sensei. He was silly, overconfident, and not the best at explaining things, sure, but he wasn’t a bad sensei. He was great at physical training, and he always treated them to nice meals after missions.
But he wasn’t a woman, and he wouldn’t understand what Maki needed right now. He was immature most of the time, anyway. Who knew how he’d even handle a situation like this?
Maki’s legs were shaking.
She should probably lie down.
The walk back to her dorm was long and slow - she couldn’t go very fast out of fear that she’d collapse altogether, which she’d very much like to avoid.
The second she made it back, she barely had the common sense to remove her shoes before she plopped down onto her bed and curled up into a tight ball. She hadn’t even changed out of her uniform.
Her head pounded and spun around in circles like a fish in a tiny pond, and so she weakly released her hair from its ponytail. Her lower abdomen cramped painfully, and where she had been hot before, she was now freezing cold, wrapping herself up in her previously discarded comforter.
Her uniform was itchy and uncomfortable against her over sensitive skin, but she couldn’t bring herself to move. She let out a small groan. She should remove her glasses before they break.
Slowly, she raised a shaking hand to take them off and place them onto the nightstand. She retracted her hand and wrapped both of her arms around her stomach.
She’d never had cramps this intense before. Not only that, but her whole body was ablaze with pain and a shaky weakness that she couldn’t quite describe. Maki was miserable.
As much as she hated admitting her pain, she had always been a dreadful sick person, craving attention and human interaction. She hated being alone when she felt like this.
Closing her eyes, Maki allowed the pain to wash over her. She let out another small moan, shivering with coldness. Of all times for Ms. Ieiri to be away…
After ten minutes of quiet struggling, Maki was taken by unconsciousness.
—
By the time she awoke, Maki had barely slept. She’d been trapped in a fitful state of half-sleep, hugging her throbbing lower belly pitifully. She couldn’t remember a time she’d felt so restless.
Tears sprung to Maki’s eyes pathetically as the pain overwhelmed her entirely. She needed to get out of her uniform, now sticking to her skin with dried sweat.
…She should probably get help.
But with Ms. Ieiri away on business… its not like she could go to her classmates, and she hardly knew the principal…
Slowly, Maki sat up, bracing herself against the nausea that threatened to expel her stomach. After putting in her glasses, she leaned against her desk as she reached over to her closet, sluggishly procuring some more suitable clothes.
The pain was slowly subsiding to a slightly more tolerable level, and so Maki walked tiredly to the bathroom again to change. Each tiny shift of movement sent a spike of pain through her again, causing her to wince. It took her five whole minutes to change.
Once she was done, she took a look in the mirror above the counter full of sinks. Her face was pale and greasy with old sweat, her eyes glassy with discomfort. There were bags under her eyes, and her hair was disgusting and unwashed.
She was starting to see why Gojo was so concerned about her. If she was being honest… she looked terrible.
After a few moments, Maki turned on the sink and washed her face, hoping that maybe she’d feel at least a little better, but all it did was wash away the greasiness and wake her up a little. It did nothing for the pain or the numbness.
She sighed as she brought her dirty clothes back to her dorm - she’d definitely have to wash her uniform later.
For a solid two minutes, Maki stood leaning against her door in a staring match with her bed, contemplating whether it was worth it to go look for help or if she should just crawl under the covers to die alone.
It was only after a particularly sharp cramp twisted through her, bringing tears to her eyes, that she decided that she didn’t want to be alone any longer. Her miserable state had her sniffling with sobs now, and Maki would’ve felt embarrassed if not for how utterly miserable and exhausted she was.
She wished Ms. Ieiri we’re here, or at least any other woman. Unfortunately, Jujutsu sorcery was a highly male-dominated profession. She’d just have to go to the least… embarrassing option.
Surely, Gojo-sensei has had female students before. She can’t be the first student he’s had who’s struggled like this… right?
Fuck it, Maki told herself, wiping the tears from her eyes and glasses as she swung the door open. One arm by her eyes and the other around her aching middle, she made the (painfully) long trek to the staff offices.
She’d been in Gojo’s office before. It was a nice room, painted in a soft off-white color. There was a desk and file cabinets in one corner and a brown couch on the other side of the room across from it facing a coffee table. Maki had noticed early on that Gojo’s windows were surrounded by black-out curtains (she didn’t know why, but it probably had something to do with the fact that he always covered his eyes). Contrary to his personality, Gojo’s office was actually fairly tidy.
Maki’s hand hovered over the door. She didn’t know why she hesitated to knock considering that he probably could already tell that she was there, but she still felt reluctant.
How does she explain to her teacher, a man, that she is pathetic and doesn’t want to be alone because she’s high on hormones and pain from the cramping in her stomach?
With a shaky hand, Maki knocked.
“Come in!” Gojo called, his voice its normal, pleasant self. Maki would never admit how much better if made her feel to hear a familiar voice.
Sniffling around another tear, Maki opened the door with a trembling hand, ignoring another violent stab of pain rushing through her abdomen and her back. Her legs shook slightly as she entered.
“Maki! What’s up?” Gojo was smiling, looking over at her from where he’d been at his desk, writing on something Maki couldn’t see. His smile faded the moment he saw her - hair down, face pale flushed with pain, one arm clutching her cramping belly, and eyes glassy and wet.
His protective instinct must have kicked in, because he wasted no time in standing and crossing the room to her. His eyebrows creased as he made his way over. “What’s wrong? Are you sick?”
Maki immediately felt guilty as another wave of pain and embarrassment flooded through her, opening the floodgates yet again and sending tears rolling down her cheeks.
Gojo startled a little, flinching back slightly as the girl erupted into sobs. Everything just hurt so much. Maki could hardly stand.
I’ve made Gojo worry about all of this. He probably thinks it’s something serious, her brain told her. Stupid hormones.
He had his hand on her forehead, feeling for fever as his eyes scanned for injuries or causes of pain. Maki’s chest twisted as she realized that Gojo, normally a silly, non-serious, honestly childish man, was making his best effort to help her in her time of need.
It was possibly the first time any adult had cared this much about her well-being.
“You don’t feel warm…” he told her, his eyes locked with hers as he reached for a tissue from the box on the coffee table. He gestured for permission before helping her wipe her face. “Can you tell me what hurts?”
It was possibly the first time Maki had seen the man so serious, but not the first time he’d been gentle. She might have laughed if she didn’t feel so nauseous. A harsh lick of pain gripped at her, and she winced a little.
“G-gojo?” She stuttered out as she heard him close the door to his office.
“What is it, kid?” He urged, his voice low and soft. He was gently pushing her to the couch, and she sat down, silently praying that she wouldn’t end up staining it.
“I-“ Maki’s voice stopped, and she suddenly felt as though she didn’t know what to say. It was embarrassing enough that she was a physical and emotional wreck in front of him, let alone the reason why. Periods were taboo in the Zen’in clan - they were to stay private, and only if help was absolutely necessary was she to go to a clan member, and that clan member was to be strictly female.
She cursed herself for being so weak and giving into her pain so easily as to demand help from her teacher. Its just that they’d never been this bad before, and she absolutely hated being alone when she felt so bad.
She spoke as quietly as she could, almost whispering. “M-my cramps are really bad this month.”
Maki prayed that he got the message without her having to explain further. She barely looked him in the eyes as she saw him process her words.
“Ah,” he responded, nodding. He walked over to his desk, opening a drawer and pulling out a bottle of water and a small white pill bottle. He shook out two, handing both to her along with the water.
What? Maki thought, confused. Wasn’t he weirded out by this? Wasn’t he going to ask why she didn’t just “suck it up, it can’t be that bad” because she was just “being dramatic” and it would all go away in a few hours?
With clammy hands, she took both pills with water, taking a few extra sips. She hadn’t realized how thirsty she was until she’d had something to drink. It landed in her stomach weirdly, but she knew she should drink it.
He grabbed the blanket from the back of the couch. “Why don’t you take your shoes off and lie down?” He suggested, and she nodded tiredly, doing both as slowly and painlessly as she could. She felt a stab of guilt in her chest at the prospect of wasting his time.
As soon as she was horizontal, she curled up, and he draped the blanket over her shivering body. The blanket was soft and smelled like him, making her wonder distantly how many times he’d fallen asleep in his office.
“You know,” he said, not unkindly, and Maki was ready for him to berate her. “It might hurt a little less if you don’t curl up so tightly,” he told her.
It wasn’t what she was expecting, but she did it regardless. The medicine had yet to kick in, and so her body was still aching and cramping up. She pulled the blanket around her shoulders a little tighter. She was freezing.
Gojo knelt down so that he was closer to her eye level, and he gently removed her glasses from her nose. He drew the curtains, engulfing the room in darkness, which helped to lessen her headache a little. How does he know exactly what to do? Maki thought. I thought he was gay… or at the very least single!
“I’ll be right back. Will you be okay on your own for a minute or two?” He asked, eyebrows still creased with worry. Maki nodded a little before she groaned as a particularly powerful wave of agony tore through her. Bile rose in her throat, and she was suddenly in a heat wave.
Maki gagged and sat up, and her teacher was quick on his feet as he reached for the empty trash can beneath his desk. He shoved it quickly under her chin as she retched up bile. She hadn’t eaten today, which made it so much more painful. Each retch sent a new stab of pain through her cramping lower abdomen.
There was a warm hand on her back, holding her weak body steady as she hunched over the waste bin. Gojo was quiet, occasionally muttering out a tiny “you’re okay,” or “it’s alright.” Even if he’d said nothing, his presence alone was enough to make her feel even the tiniest better.
Even if it was embarrassing, she found mind eased at the thought that Gojo was there to help her.
It was better than suffering alone.
After a few minutes, she seemed to have calmed down, and her sensei took the trash from her. He gently helped her lay back down, her head resting on a pillow he’d just placed on the arm of the couch.
Now that the nausea was gone, Maki was shivering with cold again, and Gojo pulled the blanket back up over her shoulders. The vomiting had left her feeling completely drained, but at least it had lessened the pain a little.
Gojo handed her another tissue to wipe her face with, and then he stood and picked up the trash can. “Drink some water, please,” he instructed. “I promise I’ll be back in a moment.”
Maki did as told, watching him leave the room as she sipped on the bottle of water, the taste of bile swishing around in her mouth.
A painful moment later, Gojo returned holding a few different items. Firstly, he handed Maki a towel-wrapped heating pad, which she carefully situated over her cramping abdomen. She was in light shock at the fact that he even knew to get one of those.
Gojo also placed a bottle of red Gatorade on the coffee table, as well as a box of thin crackers. “You don’t have to eat right away but the electrolytes are important since you threw up,” he said intelligently. Sometimes Maki forgot that her sensei was a literal prodigy and genius - or maybe he was just experienced. Maki couldn’t tell the difference.
Gojo’s exposed eyes were glowing blue in the dark room, and Maki found it comforting that she could tell where he was. She took a small sip of the Gatorade, thankful for its taste washing out the sourness of the bile she’d expelled earlier.
Her eyes felt heavy, and she let them fall shut, her previously stiff breathing evening out a little bit more.
“Gojo,” she whispered into the dark room. He replied with a small hum, he himself sounding tired as the sound of a scratching pencil filled the quietness.
“Th-thanks,” Maki said quietly, listening as the pencil sounds faded and Gojo went quiet. She fell asleep before she could hear his reply, but she knew for a fact that he was smiling.
Despite all that she teased him, he was really the greatest sensei Maki could ask for. He made the whole group feel welcome - even the only girl on the team.
Later, she’d find out that Megumi had a sister, and suddenly everything would make more sense.