Chapter Text
It was January 13th, 9:59AM. Yuji sat on a small bench in the Jujustu High courtyard, swinging his legs as he played on his Tamagotchi. The little pixel lump hadn't stopped beeping all night, but that was fine, as Yuji couldn't sleep anyways. Not when those long, black eyelashes and perfect green eyes filled his mind...
Speaking of long eyelashes, Nobara walked over, perfectly ginger-dyed hair outshining Yuji's fluffy, pink locks. She had that small smile on her face, the same one she had when she first spotted Gojo sensei holding hands with that cult guy. She sat down next to Yuji, eyeing the little keychain monster.
"Ugh, you still play with those? They're so annoying."
Yuji suddenly froze, then looked over in deep offense, brown eyes widening, and face comically betrayed. After mouthing words without making any sound for a solid 5 seconds, he sat up in shock, and began rambling.
"Excuse me?! This thing is a work of art! A cute little blob that depends on me! Look at those eyes and tell me you wouldn't answer every beep!" He shoved the toy up to Nobara's face with tense hands. Nobara stared at the pixels. The 'cute little blob' was nothing but a cashgrab targeted at morons like Yuji. Infact, looking at the strange thing made her want to neglect it even more. With a deadpan stare, she spoke.
"I wouldn't."
A gasp, and then a quick huff. Yuji grumbled, slumping back and holding the toy to his chest as if to sheild it from Nobara's uncaring words. Nobara just watched, unimpressed and unbothered. She suddenly sat up, looking engaged all of a sudden. Nobara grinned, pointing vaguely towards the dorm block.
"Hey, you know that weird guy? The one who's literally a cultist or whatever?" Her voice was conspiratory and low: gossip mode whacked right to full.
Yuji raised an eyebrow, still rubbing his thumb over his Tamogotchi like he could physically soothe it. He adjusted his hood, then replied, brown eyes sparkling. He loved gossip with Nobara. She was so fun to talk to.
"Oh yeah? The one Sensei somehow got in?" Yuji vaguely knew who she meant. The one Gojo had forced the higher-ups to hire as a 'caretaker' — however, the guy couldn't clean, and there was also nothing to clean. The only place in slight need of a mop were the dorm corridors; the rest of the building was pretty much for show.
Nobara nodded, crossing her legs loosely, and leaning her cheek on her hand. She always had the piping hot gossip. What could she say? Nobody ever acknowleged her, so eavesdropping was as easy as chewing gum.
"Yeah. Him. Sensei was totally brushing his hair yesterday. I saw him! As soon as he spotted me, he went all pink and did that teleporting thing."
Yuji froze, then bent over laughing. Full, snickering giggles that shook every rib in his torso. Sensei... getting flustered over being caught flirting? Haha! As he laughed, he also got a thought. Nobara didn't seem too... against Sensei with a man. That gave him a little spark of hope for his delusion...
Nobara, too, laughed. Her laugh was a bit fuller, not as fast, but real either way. Her hand grabbed her own knee for support, perfect nails digging into her fashionable tights as the duo giggled together. After a minute, she straightened herself up, catching her breath and fixing her hair before carrying on, voice pitched up from excitement.
"Yeah, and get this! Last time I went to get the answer sheets from Sensei's office, there was like... 50 pictures of those two and Dr. Leiri! But, even better, when I looked in the secret drawers, there were pictures of just those two at the movies!"
Yuji listened with that shocked face of his, nodding along. He was twirling the chain of his pixel child, as well as tapping his feet. He was getting energy just from Nobara's overwhelming engaging, positive mood. He spoke, leaning forward like an excited puppy.
"Huh? You think they're like... together?" His tone held a hint of hope. If Sensei could pull such a long-haired pretty guy... maybe he could give him tips on... nevermind
Nobara rapidly nodded, clasping her hands on his arms and giving him a small shake. He got it! She looked around, finding nobody, then whispered anways — Panda's round ears were good when he wanted them to be.
"Exactly," She whisper-shouted. "I knew Sensei ignored all those fangirls on Instagram for some reason."
Nobara reached into her pocket, pulling out her phone, gemstoned phone case almost blinding the poor boy. She tapped it, her homscreen lighting up: her and Maki. Then, she pulled up her camera roll. After scrolling past many mirror pictures and insta-worthy food shots, she showed him an image.
A picture snapped of a polaroid image in a drawer, nestled amongst abandoned forms and tests that needed grading last year. It had been well-handled, and held no dust. It showed that long-haired guy as a teen, surprisingly still as long-haired. Yuji wasn't sure why that surprised him. Probably because it looked way too high maintanence for himself. His eyes then glanced to the other side of the image. A younger sensei; spiky hair a bit more puffed out, sunglasses rather than a blindfold, a wide grin. He had a softer face, and a lot more sparkle behind his eyes. He looked a bit more than happy to be sat next to the other boy.
The two teens were sat in a cinema. Sensei had popcorn all over his lap, and the other boy had clearly had some thrown at him. Someone had braided a small strand of Sensei's hair in that photo. Strange...
Then, suddenly, the gossip was interrupted.
"Yuji! Nobara!"
Nobara quickly scrambled to scroll onto another picture, nails tapping as she hid evidence. This one was of mochi in perfect lighting and with the perfect colour combos. She glanced up, spotting none other than Gojo sensei.
Yuji? Yuji wasn't the brightest. He was still surprised, and was confused when he saw Nobara swipe off. He didn't register Gojo's presence, and just gave Nobara a clueless look. Before he could open his mouth and reveal what the duo had been up to, she cut in.
"Hi, Sensei! What's up?"
The lanky moron looked between his two students. Hmm... something was off. He felt as if... wait. Had Nobara been gossiping again? He decided not to ask — knowing would just make him more suspicious, as he couldn't lie for his life. He just looked at Yuji, then... he spotted that little keychain thing. Cool. In one swoop, he had taken Yuji's precious child.
"Ooh! What's this? Those little ghost things? I have a few!"
Yuji looked panicked. Wait- 'ghost things?' Had Sensei killed every Tamogotchi he owned? He felt a lot more wary of him holding it now. He spluttered out, worried for his poor little creature.
"What?! They're only ghosts if you kill them!" He tried to take back his baby, but Gojo held it out of reach as he inspected the little... thing.
"Huh? Nah, mine are just cooler. They don't beep anymore, 'cause they learnt how to be nonchalant like me."
Nobara groaned. Inumaki senpai had taught him that word last week, and he hadn't stopped using it since. She mumbled.
"That's not what 'nonchalant' means. You just killed off your toys."
Yuji was getting increasingly agitated. Was Sensei really a Tamogotchi-killer? A pixel-neglecter? His big eyes sparkled with concern. He had named that creature and everything. He told everyone it was called 'dotty', but really, it was named after— nevermind. Not important. It was in danger!
Gojo looked personally attacked. Killed off? No, he had just trained the noisy pixel animals. Then, he finally remembered why he came over. He finally gave Yuji the Tamogotchi back — who cradled it close, away from the evil man — and reached in his pockets. Little cards with drawn-on balloons and confetti. Gojo had personally made birthday invites for the party Tsumiki was so adamant wasn't happening.
He pointed at the cards, handing one to Nobara, and slipping one in Yuji's pocket, as his hands were too busy checking over 'dotty'. Gojo leant back, hands in pockets as he looked over the two students.
Nobara scanned the card:
'Tsumiki's amazing 16th! Bring gifts, and snacks. No savoury. January 19th'
And then, a wonderfully descriptive adress:
'Gojo's house.'
Nobara gave Gojo an unamused look, then flipped the card and pointed at the little doodle at the bottom — him and Tsumiki. He had drawn himself as a stickman, and Tsumiki just a little blob with long hair.
"Is this also necessary info? And do you think I know where you live?"
Yuji also piped in, Tamogotchi now safely in his pocket.
"Yeah, and why didn't I get a cool doodle?"
Gojo looked between the two, then chuckled, waving a dismissive hand. He actually ignored all questions, and instead asked his own
"Haha, yeah, yeah... What's Tsumiki's favourite colour...? Just for gift purposes."
Yuji and Nobara shared a look of disbelief. What? Hadn't he known her since she was like... 6? Even if be didn't raise her, not knowing her favourite colour...? They both agreed this was unnaceptable, and ignored him with identical dissapointed looks. Yuji crossed his arms, and Nobara put a hand on her hip.
"You dont know?" Yuji's voice raised in pitch. There was no way this guy was that ignorant... right?
Nobara stood up, grabbing Yuji's arm. She fixed her hair, then spoke, sharp and blunt.
"You better remember. You got like... 6 days. Idiot."
And with that, she dragged the ball of sunshine with her as she went into the dorm block. She wanted Yuji's opinions on a few outfits for the party. Of course she was already planning. Gojo was left there, awkward and now also lost. He hadn't processed the fact the two just... departed yet.
Yuji was pulled along the mildly dusty corridors, past lots and lots of empty dorms. Nobara's shoes made a tapping sound as she walked quickly, her pace even screaming independency. After a brisk drag, they reacted dorm 64. Nobara pushed the handle and stepped in.
LEDs, pillows, stuffed animals, posters, magasines, a mirror. Nobara's dorm was like something straight out a Pinterest post. Walking past her Vogue collection, she reached her closet. She pushed Yuji to sit on her bed – perfectly layed out with fluffy cushions — and then searched.
Yuji looked around in awe. The LEDs bathed the whole room in a soft pink, and her stuffed animal corner looked like heaven on earth. It was way cooler than his single Jennifer Lawrence poster. Damn, he really was basic in comparison. As he sat, entranced by the the vibes of the cosy space, Nobara was in a deep search.
Pink tracksuit? No, she didn't want to steal the spotlight. Black jeans, yellow shirt? What was she, a bee? Orange jacket, white shirt... grey jeans? Hmm... bland. What could she add?
Finally, she got it. The perfect accessory. A cute black headband. It would lighten her basic outfit, but still kept her casual and not the main person. She stepped into the bathroom, quickly throwing the fot together.
Yuji stayed on the soft bed. Wow. Wow. It was... amazing. Then, his phone pinged. He reached in his pocket, pulling out his reliable red and black case. His homescreen? Him, Nobara and... Megumi. His eyes were perfect in that picture. The way they were staring at Yuji's smile... He was getting distracted. He checked his notifications.
Not spam... not from his zombie game... a text. His eyes brightened, and he clicked on it. The contact name? 'Gumi<3.' He looked around — Nobara was still getting changed. He clicked on the message. A confession? A hangout invite? A poem? With a lot of nervousness, he tapped on the text...
'Did Nanami sensei give u homework?' He sighed. Maybe another day...
With heavy thumbs, he typed back. Ugh, Megumi was so hard to read sometimes.
'Yep. I got Maki senpai to do it for me for 5 bucks.'
With that, he tapped off his phone. He didn't need any more bland messages reminding him of how unrealistic his dreams were. Just then, Nobara came out.
The orange jacket matched her hair, the grey jeans making her brown eyes pop. The white shirt broke up the colours, and the black headband tied everything together amazingly. Yuji immediately smiled. Atleast someone had everything together. He stood up, red laces almost tripping him up.
"Woah! You're so good at fashion, Kugisaki! I can only pull off like... 4 outfits, max."
Nobara grinned smugly, looking in her mirror — outlined with soft yellow moodlight strips. Yeah. She looked amazing, as always. She looked at multiple angles, then nodded.
"Don't sound so shocked. I'm always this cool, Itadori."
After a few test outfits to ensure it was 'the look', Nobara hung up the set of clothes, changing back into her uniform. Yuji stood up, admiring the pink glow-in-the-dark stars on the ceiling. Awesome...
Nobara slowly pushed him out. Great hangout, but now she wanted chill time. No-Yuji time. Yuji glanced at her, betrayed she was kicking him out. Before he could complain, she had locked the door. She was very strict when it came to hangout time. After every 2 hours with Yuji, she needed an hour's recharge.
With a very dramatic sad face, Yuji shuffled to his own dorm. As he did, he just glanced around, into some empty classroom — why did the school even have so many? — and saw...
He gasped quietly, covering his mouth. There was Gojo sensei and long-haired dude... giggling and poking eachother's faces. They were definetly together. There was no denying it.
Sensei should have been able to sense Yuji with his 'special eyes', or whatever, but right now? All his focus was on the pretty cultist. Yuji slowly shuffled out of sight. He'd just... pretend he hadn't seen anything. Yeah. Nobara would totally be hearing about this.
After 10 whole seconds of silent movement and watching the puppy love scene, Yuji made it past. He breathed a sigh of relief. Then, it hit him. Sensei totally had a boyfriend. So, maybe he could subtly ask for... how to get with a boy...? No. Stupid. Yuji shook his head, walking down the corridor with a smile, remembering how Sensei had his blindfold off, and how he was blushing. Surely, if that moron could pull such a pretty guy, he could reel in...
Yuji brushed that thought aside. He reached his dorm after what seemed like an infinite corridor, and pushed open the door. His blank room was a stark contrast to Nobara's vibe heaven. He could sort outfits out later. Right now? Naptime. He looked at the time. 2:57PM. Perfect window of opportunity. He put his Tamogotchi down on his bedside table, and then led down. He took his shoes off, but didn't get changed. He hugged his pillow, and also used it as neck support, curling on his side.
After 6 minutes... he found himself still awake. The memory of Sensei and cult dude was too recent. He huffed, trying to will himself to sleep. What else could he do? Pick out an outfit in an ungodly amount of advance time as Nobara did? Nope. He'd just wear whatever he felt like on that day. Try think of gift ideas? He sucked. He just started imagining a flock of sheep, each escaping the pen by making a radical jump over a rocky ravine, just to jump the fence.
One...
Two...
Three...
These sheep were getting more daring. Yuji hugged his pillow tighter in anticipation.
Twenty...
Twenty one...
Twenty two...
Yuji was invested now, some sheep did backflips, others did little tricks in their run-up. Before he knew it, he was out cold by 3:06PM. Prime nap time.