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Yuji wasn’t sure how he had done it, but he had to deal with it at some point. Being a sorcerer he had never had time for love, for romance, for girls . So it surprised him when his mind began getting stuck on someone as rude and loud as Nobara Kugisaki.
The way Jujutsu High was set up was simple, many different rooms for sparring, equipment, basic living, and fun. Although, the students spent most of their time exercising and sparring, training to be stronger. Yuji didn’t mind the workouts he enjoyed them. He had always been more athletic-leaning than anything else. This gave him a chance to show his strengths. Even without the cursed energy add-on, he was incredibly strong. It always annoyed Nobara and Megumi how he could just … pick them up if he got too tired of hearing them complain. Not to mention, being that ridiculously tall was even more of a pain to them.
“Itadori!” Nobara shouted from across the field, catching him in a moment where his mind had wandered. He was staring out at the sky, thinking about nothing really, when he saw her. As the seasons began to change it made way for shorter uniforms that exposed more skin. Not in a sexual way, but to make room for the heat. Itadori didn’t expect to see her lean arms, flexed in the sunlight, or see her skirt had gone above her knee with no tights. She was practically glowing in the faint light, making her look radiant. Making her look way different than she had before.
He swallowed visibly and looked down at his hands, all clammy and sweaty, “Yeah?” His uniform hadn’t changed all that much; Turning from a long-sleeved shirt and pants, into a t-shirt and gym shorts. The boy didn’t notice, but everyone's uniforms had changed. Why was he so aloof today? It had been all day that his mind was wandering into random places that made no sense. And it was starting to happen with her . I mean, he was a teenage boy, this was bound to happen. He was bound to see her as a girl instead of just Nobara, who he’d always known her as.
“You’re so spacey today. Are you sure that ball Fushiguro hit you with didn’t mess up your brain?” She quirked an eyebrow, her voice turning a teasing edge to it. It was always teasing with Kugisaki, and typically he could take it. But something about the way she spoke, and the way she looked … he found himself averting his eyes instantly. Her caramel-colored hair clung to her sweaty forehead as she pushed some strands away with her palm, “Okay, something has to be up,” she began to walk over to him, narrowing her eyes, “What’s with you, Idiot-dori? Cat got your tongue?”
Yuji glanced at her and cleared his throat. They were only maybe a few feet away from each other. He could see the sweat shining on her skin as she stared at him impatiently. How was she so beautiful? He had always seen her beauty, sure, but never like this. Over some skin, Itadori? Really? He couldn’t have been that pathetic, because Maki was in the same outfit and he wasn’t batting an eye. So … it had to be more than just her looks. He had always loved the banter they shared, how she’d bully him and he’d take it. Maybe less banter and more harassment some would say, but he didn’t care. He enjoyed her company even if she didn’t enjoy his. Well, he thought she didn’t anyway. He was always a bit oblivious. Nobara could smack him upside the head and say “I like you dork” and he’d only focus on the smack and dork part.
Nobara groaned and threw her head back, “Ugh! You’re pissing me off!” She leaned forward and frowned, before raising her hand and smacking her friend upside the head, “Can’t you respond to someone when they speak to you?”
Yuji blinked a few times, “Huh?” He had completely lost himself again in a random set of thoughts, all about her.
“Idiot! An actual idiot!” She grumbled, throwing her hands up in the air, before biting her bottom lip in frustration, “You’ve been weird all week. Either you tell me what’s going on or I’m kicking you.” Kugisaki was right, he had been acting strange. Yuji was always a bit oblivious, right? He could also be oblivious to his feelings, not understanding why he was always spacing out whenever he was near his friend. Or whenever she’d brush against his shoulder, how he’d freeze and stare at the spot. Maybe she was right about him being an idiot.
“Sorry- sorry,” Itadori shook his head and pressed his lips together, “You look nice,” he found himself saying, ignoring whatever it was she had asked. What did she ask? Something of unimportance he assumed. She always talked, which was fine since he always listened.
The girl stared at him blankly for a few seconds as she processed exactly what he had said. Her go-to reactions were violent, so he was surprised it took her a few seconds before she did her signature move and rolled her eyes, “I know I look good, but can you answer the damn question?!”
“What was the question?” He asked after a moment of silence, sheepishly.
Nobara widened her eyes and pressed her lips together to stop a loud and very irritated sound from coming out, “Oh you are just- killing me!!!!” She clasped two hands together across her chest and inhaled sharply, “Why the hell are you acting so weird lately?”
Yuji went to respond, spouting some lines about not getting enough sleep. Of course, she didn’t believe him, she knew it was something more than that. Instead of fighting him on it, as she desperately wanted to do, she crossed her arms and looked away. There was no winning if he wasn’t going to listen. That’s what she liked about him, being able to have a competition where she stood a chance to win. And that’s what he liked about her, losing.
The boy didn’t hear if she was speaking to him anymore, getting lost in the sparkling of her skin. Was it her body wash that added flecks of glitter or was it just natural? Do girls naturally glitter? He found himself aching to touch her arm to see if it was real, to smell her to see what kind of perfume she put on today. He knew she owned lots of them. His favorite was the peachy-scented ones that made him feel as though he was floating.
“Hey… Kugisaki?” Yuji asked after a moment, making the girl turn her head. Some more of her hair fell into her face, causing her to frown and push it back behind her ear. They shared a different kind of eye contact at that moment, something more intimate. It wasn’t like, hot and bothered intimate, but more… he was seeing her for the first time as she was him. Nobara furrowed her eyes for a moment, tilting her head to see what the nature of the question would be. The way his voice trailed off, she thought it was serious. She thought it would be the question.
“Do you think Gojo-Sensei is good at giving advice?” And her face morphed into an irritated frown. Was she expecting something else? Was she expecting him to confess just as he realized how he felt? I mean, Itadori was impulsive but he wasn’t that impulsive.
“Why? You on your man period?” One of her eyebrows quirked up in annoyance.
Yuji visibly turned his head to the side in thought, before groaning like an idiot, “No! I can’t get those! Who’s the idiot now, Kugisaki?”
“Do you even know what sarcasm is? Clearly, it went past your stupid man brain!” She shouted back at him, lifting herself on her toes as she spoke to further prove her point.
He bit back a smile, “Man brain? So I have a man period and a man brain? What’s next?” And then a laugh came tumbling out when she promptly threw her fists and hit him on his shoulder.
This was the reason Yuji found himself so fond of her, their dynamic. He wouldn’t change it for the world, even if it would mean she was nicer to him. Because then it wouldn’t be Yuji and Nobara, it would be Yuji and a stranger. He liked how abrasive and loud she could be, speaking her mind even if it was inappropriate. He and Fushiguro needed that balance in their friend group to live.
He needed … her.