DEBATABLE 𑣲03. gamblers' luck ⤷ megumi fushiguro x fem!reader
-> 2.7k words
the talking stage is always the best judge of character—
—is what you've learned in all your years of being an evil bitch hiding inside the skin of a sweet-hearted schoolgirl.
but unfortunately, even though your exceptional grades, neck-breaking looks, dazzling smile —the list goes on— have made you quite the catch amongst your peers at school, most of them know the gag is up by now.
not that it's stopped any of them. you get asked out almost every other week. sadly, it's always the ones you want the least who seem to be the most persistent.
you've fished your way around enough of the guys at your school with your practised charm to know they're all full of shit. as far as your type goes, anyways; you like the smart, quiet, shy type. the ones who tuck themselves into corners of the classroom and fluster over the slightest touch.
or maybe it's just what works best.
you can't even stand to think about yourself standing next to someone like... well... yourself. of course, you have plenty of redeeming qualities. there's a reason why you're so popular, after all— you're smart, pretty, confident, funny, and you know it.
you've got enough crazy to spread across two people. there's no need to add any more to that equation. the world doesn't need two of you.
thankfully, there's plenty of fish in the sea! all they have to do is fill out the checklist, and they qualify: smart, quiet, shy.
you'd never fancied yourself a gambler. until you started dating.
your talking stage with aoi todo was like looking into a mirror... only if you were two-metre tall dude built like a truck, who let all the unhinged thoughts that lived in your head run free and proudly slept with a body pillow of your favourite idol.
to his credit, surprisingly, he's a straight-A student. that's the smart box checked, at least. but... it's like trying to link two matching magnets. it just doesn't work.
cool guy, though. you'd hang out with him more if you didn't care so much about your perfect princess image. oh, and the body pillow thing kinda gave you the creeps.
noritoshi kamo's talking stage had promising... for all of five days.
calm. intelligent. polite. sticks to himself. doesn't speak unless spoken to. steps to the side when you're passing him in the corridor. the first to be called on by teachers to read lines or run errands.
too perfect. that's your role.
and he's missing the shy component entirely.
you'd complimented his hair once, and he'd simply nodded and said 'thank you' before turning the page in his book. no pink ears. no trembling hands. not even a tiny stammer.
gag. next.
by then, you'd lost hope in the guys at your school. so, it looked like the only option for high school romance left was interschool scouting.
you'd believed kokichi muta was the one when you'd versed his school in debate last semester. he's also the head of the robotics club at his school. a nerdy loser. your favourite victim. seems cold and composed on the outside, only to turn to stammering mush the moment you started speaking to him.
the best part? you'd gone to middle school together. look at that, you already had a connection!
only, it was pointless. because it turned out the adorable stuttering wasn't because of you.
well... it was, but not in the way you'd hoped.
mister kokichi seemed to have eyes only for a certain blue-haired girl in his club, whom he worried would get the wrong idea if she saw you and him standing so close.
you sighed. it hadn't even gotten the chance to bloom into a talking stage. but you were a girl before you were a helpless romantic, and the last thing you'd want to do is violate girl code. so out of respect, you'd stepped back. got yourself two new friends and wingwoman job out of it, though, which wasn't all bad. getting to subtly nudge your friends together and watch them both turn completely pink and the slightest contact was almost enough to fill the loveless hole in your heart.
almost.
and then, just when you'd believed all hope was lost and you were doomed to go through the rest of high school rejecting half the student body without ever once getting to say 'i'm sorry, i have a boyfriend', as if it was a reward for all your hardship, the universe dropped megumi fushiguro right into your lap last tuesday.
he checked all three boxes with a blindingly green tick.
smart? tick.
quiet? tick.
shy? jackpot.
you'd felt like a slot machine, rolling in that final tick before your eyes, watching with cruel satisfaction as the boy drowned in his own speech because you'd so much as smiled at him.
you could hear the happy little winning dings ringing in your ears at your grand victory. not at the debate you'd just won— him. he was all you'd ever dreamt of.
and suddenly, you understood why people gambled.
high risk, astronomical reward.
the seven days had been the most blissful talking stage of your life.
all you had to do was call him 'gumi' and you could practically feel the heat of his furious blush through the phone. he was almost too easy.
that's not a complaint, of course.
tonight, you're versing him again. even better, three days from now, debate camp starts. you get to spend half of the summer watching him break.
too bad you can't spare a single moment daydreaming about long walks down the beach and playing with those spiky strands of hair just to watch him shapeshift into a beetroot. it's the tiebreaker. you have to lock in.
so, of course, you'd prepared yourself accordingly for tonight. outstanding notes to set yourself up for success, six prewritten rebuttals, your inkiest, juiciest pen...
and perhaps a full face of makeup, perfectly styled hair and your sweetest perfume.
never in your life had you gone out of your way to prettify yourself for a guy like this.
a dessert date with your girls? absolutely!
a debate against your week-long talking stage, however..? you'd felt shame and guilt wash over you in every shade and colour as you set your makeup.
were you setting back feminism fifty years by doing this? yikes.
from where you're currently sat, you can practically see the beads of sweat trickling down his neck, despite the the nice summer night breeze letting itself in through the auditorium door, and the school jacket he'd shed onto the back of his seat, leaving him in his white button-down; giving you the pleasant view of his flexing forearms as he writes notes and makes a very conscious effort not to look at you.
the debate hasn't even started yet. the adjudicators haven't even made their arrival. there's no logical reason for him to be writing anything down, really.
and megumi knows that.
still, he keeps his eyes trained on the notebook page, writing something, anything down, all for one simple reason; he knows if he looks up, he'll make eye contact with you. then you'll wave, and you'll smile at him again.
he's not letting that smile ruin his debate a second time. if he can get through the whole thing without looking at you once, there's a chance they could actually win this tonight. this is a life or death situation here.
unfortunately, his teammates don't seem to understand the gravity.
either that, or they just don't care.
"ouuu, she has her hair curled, megumi." yuuji, the menace, leans over his shoulder, his voice sing-song and dripping with provocation, "huuuh... i wonder if she did that for you?"
"shut your fucking—"
"oh look, she's smiling at me!" gojo chimes in.
"no she's not."
"well, she isn't smiling at you." somehow, the idiots have managed to even rope yuuta in. does everyone enjoy seeing him suffer that much?
megumi grips his pen hard.
"kelp?"
he snaps his head up at toge, and immediately smacks his arm, "no, you can't wave at her..! put your fucking hand down."
toge makes a whiny noise, rubbing his arm as he drops it by his side.
"oh hey, she's waving at us!" gojo says cheerfully. the four of them start waving back enthusiastically.
"hiiiii y/n!" yuuji calls across the room.
"hiii!" your sweet voice calls back.
and on instinct, megumi's eyes follow the direction of the voice, completely forgetting his goal.
he locks eyes with you.
and your wave.
and your... smile.
shit.
he looks away so hard he gives himself whiplash.
"ouh." yuuta whispers, his typical kindness failing to hide the second-hand embarrassment in his voice, "that was bad."
"dude, she's laughing at you." yuuji whispers.
"salmon."
"megumi, i thought i taught you how to flirt better than this!" gojo sighs, brows creased as he shakes his head in disappointment.
megumi speaks through grit teeth, "shut—"
bzzt.
all five heads turn to megumi's pocket, the origin of the sound.
slowly, tentatively, he fishes his phone out of his pocket, and checks the notification.
goddamnit.
yuuji's hand lands between megumi's shoulder blades hard enough to send his phone clattering into his lap. he looked up. the adjudicators were coming in.
he swallows thickly, pocketing his phone, trying not to think about that last message you sent. you really seem to get a kick out of messing with him.
he closes his eyes, sucking in a sharp breath as the adjudicators find their seats. he could do this. he's fine.
he's not letting a pretty smile bomb his academic career for a second consecutive tuesday.
the debates begin. yuuji opens for their side. a solid speech. megumi gives him a subtle nod of approval when he sits back down, and yuuji makes a dramatic noise of gratitude in return.
nobara goes up next. almost a little theatrical. it's good.
yuuta's extension is airtight.
it doesn't last long. maki goes up next. delivers point bluntly. megumi furiously scribbles onto his notepad.
by the time the second speakers sat back down, the auditorium was tense.
the scores could go either way.
megumi adjusts his tie. third speaker. his turn. his teammates all hold their breath and give him concerned looks. he scoffs at them. he'd give them the finger if he didn't have all eyes on him.
he steps behind the podium.
doesn't look at you, not once. he'd promised himself. he wouldn't.
"…good evening."
his voice is steady. good.
he continues, "the opposition's model assumes that assigning liability would discourage innovation." he flips a page. "however, industries adapt to regulation constantly. safety standards, consumer protection laws and privacy legislation haven't prevented technological progress—they've encouraged responsible development."
some in the audience nodded.
better. much better than last week. he dismantled one argument. then another, quoted two studies from memory. the words came naturally again. he keeps his eyes trained to the front. speaks clearly. concisely. he can see his team all drop their shoulders in relief. he didn't mess it up. by the time he finished, they all looked like they'd been resuscitated.
megumi allows himself the smallest exhale.
he'd done it.
mostly because he'd managed not to look at you again.
"thank you." he bows his head as he finishes, and returns to his seat. yuuji pats his shoulders rapidly in silent excitement. things are looking up for jujutsu high. they might even win this.
"negative speaker three."
the last speaker for the night.
your shoes tap across the stage floor as you make your way to centre stage. immediately smiling at him. sly and smug, like you know something he doesn't.
your eyes find the front, and your facade clicks into place just like that. you beam, "good evening."
not again.
you thank the adjudicators before resting both hands lightly on the podium.
"the affirmative has given us a lovely speech." you smile pointedly at megumi, "…almost convincing."
scattered laughter.
he folds his arms. you're doing it on purpose.
"…however," you continue sweetly, "they've misunderstood something rather important."
you began dismantling his framework point by point. calmly. methodically. cruelly. every rebuttal landed. every example connected. every transition flowered effortlessly into the next. all with that grin plastered onto your face.
megumi finds himself nodding along once before remembering you were actively destroying his case.
traitorous mind.
"…most importantly," the corners of your lips tug upwards, "the affirmative keeps insisting we should put our trust in them." you look straight at him, tilting your head ever so slightly, "i think that's adorable."
silence.
the room interprets it exactly as intended— a jab at the affirmative team's model. mockery, even.
megumi's brain, however, is currently short-circuiting.
a...dorable?
are you calling him..?
does that mean...?
heat rushes straight to his ears.
you've already moved on, eyes back at the front, "but what have they done to earn our trust? as far as we know, this decision benefits them the most..."
yuuji slaps a hand over his own mouth to stop himself from laughing. gojo's patting him on the back proudly. yuuta's looking at him, expression wide-eyes and far too happy for him. toge quietly whispers "salmon."
you smile innocently. "…for those reasons, we're proud to remain negative. thank you." you say, bowing your head, before wandering back over to your seat.
the rest of the night goes by in flashes. the adjudicators leave to deliberate. they return with an outcome no one is surprised by after that nuclear bomb of a finishing speech you had just dropped.
"the winners of today's debate, and the overall champions of this season's inter-school debate competition …kyoto metropolitan school's girls team."
applause erupted.
the five of you, including your teacher engulfed in a very enthusiastic group hug.
megumi's team exchange sighs and pats on the back of encouragement. second place is still respectable. objectively impressive.
just… not first.
the ceremony blurred together. certificates. trophies. photos.
your team stands shoulder to shoulder at the front of the hall, proudly holding the polished silver cup while cameras flash from every direction.
"one more!"
everyone shuffles closer together. you laugh and steady your friends as nobara nearly knocks maki over trying to squeeze into the frame for pictures that will definitely end up in the school yearbook.
across the hall, megumi accepts his own certificate for second place with a polite smile.
yuuji leans over, whispering, "you know…"
"what."
"at least you lost to your future wife."
megumi elbows him hard enough to make him yelp.
outside, buses slowly roll into the parking lot. the evening air carrying the warmth of late summer. megumi stands with his team while gojo finishes thanking the organisers and seemingly pissing off your team's teacher.
he's halfway through wondering whether he'd ever recover from tonight, replaying the word 'adorable' in his head when he hears a cheerful voice come up behind him.
"fushiguro!"
he turns. you jog over, stopping in front of him, your trophy tucked under one arm, your certificate tauntingly peeking out of your folder.
you look impossibly pleased, "congratulations."
megumi blinks, "…you won."
"i know." you grin, "but second place is still really good."
he rubs the back of his neck, "…thanks."
"i have something." you reach into your school bag.
for one terrifying second, megumi wonders if you're about to produce another devastating rebuttal. he silently prays for the ground to open up and swallow him whole if that's the case.
instead, you produce a small paper bag. you hold it out.
he hesitates, then takes it tentatively.
"…cookies?"
"mhm! they're your reward."
"my reward…"
"…for debating so well."
he stares at the neatly folded top of the bag.
this reward, combined with the amount of time you'd called him a good boy by now...
you must really think he's a dog.
"you... didn't have to."
"i wanted to." your smile softens, "i baked them."
megumi looks up, "really?"
you nod proudly.
megumi could only manage a quiet, "…thank you."
"you'd better tell me what you think!"
"i... will."
your teammates call your name from across the carpark. you glance back over your shoulder. "oh! i should go." you start walking backwards, "bye, gumi! see you friday!"
his ears immediately turne pink at the sound of the nickname out loud. "…bye."
you wave one last time before hurrying back toward your team, the trophy glinting under the evening sun.
megumi looks down at the paper bag in his hands and smiles just a little.
later, at home, away from prying eyes, he opens the bag and pull out one of the tiny pink cookies and takes a small bite. and takes out his phone.
𑣲chapter 2 | 𑣲masterlist | 𑣲chapter 3
syn. megumi has always been serious and put-together, especially when it comes to his academics... until he verses your school in debate club and practically starts foaming at the mouth when you speak.
cw/tags. nerd!gumi x nerd!reader, debate club, kinda academic rivals but not a lot of rivalry, shy loser virgin failure megumi, popular and confident reader, (can u tell i'm watching horimiya), forced proximity/summer camp romance, dirty/suggestive humour, kys jokes. fanart in banner drawn by me!!
{a/n.} kinda rushed im sowwy i wasn't in a writing mood,, if ur reading this as i'm posting, next 2 chapters will be out in a couple hours !!
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