gym rat!toji who is obsessed with you
art by @ ruu_sugu on twt!!
wc: 1.2k fluff, slight crack and also a toji’s a little stalkerish lol based on this req!
Toji at his core, is a loser who when in love, loves hard. It's just that he can’t distinguish the difference between love and infatuation. The lines between crushing and borderline obsessive behaviour were always blurred.
He tried to deny it, constantly grunting to anyone who’d listen that he didn’t believe in cheesy predestined romances. Yet today, he stood beside the weight racks drinking up his reflection. And then it happened. The answer to his qualms, his stare at you bore through the mirror. Amongst the sea of grey flooring in the gym he saw your bright pink set. At first, the hot pink caught his attention. Then you held his gaze. While he was immune to sorcery, there and then he found out you held a different kind of magic.
Today was leg day. Typically he’d choose a different time to go to the gym, early morning or late night often opting to go with Sukuna to train. Yet life had other plans today, Sukuna had cancelled under the guise of being “busy” but honestly what did he have going on in his life? Alas that left him with no option but to go alone, duffel bag in hand, wired headphones connected to his iPhone 6s as he took long strides towards the gym’s entrance.
He’d come a bit later than usual, sleeping in taking advantage of Sukuna not waking him up at the crack of dawn to go lift weights. As he marched up the stairs to the second level he was under the assumption that most people, as it was midday, would be at work thus he’d have free reign over the machines he needed to do his routine. Slipping off his earphones, he scanned the room. Just him and an older man in the corner using the elliptical. Great. Peace and quiet.
Time had flown past as he was engrossed with his sweat ridden reflection. It wasn’t long before his shirt was ditched, not that the material was any useful — the thin white material stuck onto his abdomen, basically an opaque second skin. Standing across from the mirror he grabbed continued his squatted weights, it was only until he had come up from his third rep, he saw you walk past.
Headphones blasting so loud that he could hear the faint thumping of the base. Taken aback he halted his movements and sat watching your reflection in the mirror. Was he enthralled? No— he must’ve just never noticed you before. Perhaps your routines clashed, I mean who would be at the gym this time — did you not have a job or classes to go to? He shook his head trying to get the image of you out of his mind.
The next day Toji woke up to the tattooed delinquent asking if he wanted to go to the gym again. Honestly, he couldn’t brush off the ache that was left in his calves and upper thighs. The slight burning sensation in his legs (and his heart when he saw you) gave him motivation to agree to the man. It was 5am, way too damn early for working out but if he could just drag his reps, maybe he’d see you again?
It took three days for Toji to come back and see your face again. The new routine clashed with his commitments but he was hungry to see you again, so midday gym sessions it was. It took two weeks of altering his schedule to observe you. Monday you did weights. Thursdays and Saturdays you did cardio. And on the rare occasion he saw you in a bright set he inched closer towards you. By week three, he had Sukuna in his ear about how he had to “grow some balls and approach you.”
“I mean, bro you’re already a glorified stalker,” his roommate muttered, mouth half full of instant ramen.
“Stalker? C’mon… it’s not stalking,” He tried to explain, his nonchalant facade wearing thin. It wasn’t stalking, it was… spatial awareness. I mean what if you hurt yourself? He was just looking out for you.
Sukuna chuckled, “Keep telling yourself man.”
Toji checked the time, almost noon. He should be off by now. It was Monday, so naturally he’d also do lifting today.
Mid-set he paused his music he heard the sounds of soft chatter and the familiar sound of loud music. Infatuation consumed him. He even searched for the song you played the other day and added it to his workout playlist. That way he could subtly keep a part of you with him each workout. It was like you had possessed him and transformed him into an unrecognisable beast. That's what he’ll tell himself for now. That this insatiable desperation to be near you is nothing but natural. Picking up his phone again he typed in the google search bar,
Hunching over his dark screen, Toji's breath hitched for a slight moment, unsure if it was from the exercise he’d just finished or upon the confirmation that you were here and better yet, walking up to him? Was he dreaming? For a split second he considered thanking the universe, perhaps fooled by sheer delusion, he thought you were steadily approaching him. His brain was clouded by a rush of dopamine upon completing his final rep of bench presses further amplified by the mere arrival of you in his life.
Heaven’s incarnate. You were. However, what you were not was ignorant. You saw it. The man in his black compression top that was currently suspiciously burying his face in his phone after eyeing you. As you walked to grab a dumbbell, he was the first to talk.
He cleared his throat before he stammered. “Uh—your outfit’s nice. The pink. It’s… cute…” Shit, all that confidence suddenly dissipated.
Emerald eyes met yours, raking up and down your body before darting away. For a split second he looked unsure, like he regretted saying it. He could smell the mixture of your perfume and sweat, he swore you’d be the end of him.
Upon further inspection, he was cute. A little rigid yet he carried an air of abashedness. It felt like he was judging you slightly, was the outfit too much?
“Thank you…” you scanned the man up and down searching for something to compliment him on aside from his obvious Greek god physique, “you’re cute too.” Upon hearing that his lips parted into a boyish grin. You could’ve sworn you saw a sparkle in his eyes as he tilted his head in slight confusion to the word ‘cute’. He’d been a lot of things in his life but never cute. You were funny.
“Cute? I usually don’t get that, you new here?”
“Are you saying I stick out?”
His eyes widened slightly, “No…” he scratched the top of his head, “I mean— not in a bad way.” in the back of his head he swore he could imagine Sukuna laughing at him. He’d somehow managed to insult the girl he’d spent the better part of a month obsessing over. “You stick out, in a good way,” he couldn’t help the smile that was now plastered on his face.
He looked away before, clicking his tongue, “I just meant… the pink. It’s-”
A pause permeated through the cool air.
At the same time you’d blurted out, “Do you…want my number?”
Scratching the back of his neck, his jaw tightened. God, this was embarrassing.
a/n: my longest fic so far 🙈🙈🙈
reqs open ! also reblogs, comments and likes are highly appreciated!
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