bestfriend!yuji who thinks that he has no chance with you (he definitely does)
fluff
it was getting entirely out of hand, to the point where megumi’s left eye had developed a microscopic, rhythmic twitch whenever all of you were in the same room.
there was a distinct difference between being a good friend and whatever it was that yuji was doing. yuji wasn’t operating on normal human frequencies anymore; he was a highly concentrated wave of devotion that required him to subconsciously monitor your exact coordinates, comfort levels, and nutritional needs at all times. the truly agonizing part of this whole situation was that yuji honestly, genuinely believed he was pining from a tragic, unrequited distance.
“man,” yuji sighed, his chin resting heavily on his arms as he slumped over the small wooden table in the break room. he looked like a golden retriever that had been left out in the rain, despite the fact that he was perfectly dry and had eaten three bowls of rice an hour ago. “i just... i don’t know how guys like gojo-sensei do it. how do you even get someone like that to notice you? she’s so cool. fushiguro, be honest, do you think she likes guys who can cook? i could learn how to bake those fancy little french pastries. the ones with the layers. do you think she’d like that?”
megumi didn’t look up from his book. he simply turned the page, his knuckles whitening slightly against the paper. “itadori. you made her bento this morning. it was shaped like a bear.”
“that was just a nutritional baseline!” yuji defended instantly, sitting up with a look of pure, desperate longing in his eyes. “a person needs a balanced breakfast! that doesn’t mean she wants to hold my hand during a movie! i’m practically invisible to her, man. i’m just the guy who hangs around and breathes her oxygen. if i asked her out, she’d probably laugh and think i was pulling a prank. my heart would literally disintegrate into ash. like a cursed spirit, fushiguro. gone.”
megumi finally closed his book with a soft, ominous thud. he stared at his friend, trying to calculate how much brain damage yuji had sustained in his life to arrive at this specific level of dense. “yesterday, she said she was slightly warm, and you constructed a makeshift fan out of cardboard within four seconds. you didn’t even use cursed energy. you just moved your hands really fast.”
“that’s just basic manners!”
“you carried her up three flights of stairs because her shoelaces were untied and you didn’t want her to trip,” megumi countered, his voice dangerously level.
“the stairs were slippery!” yuji wailed, burying his face in his hands. “you don’t get it. she’s like... a masterpiece. and i’m just a guy who knows how to do a kickflip. i have no chance. zero. negative numbers.”
before megumi could commit a felony, the sliding door opened, and you walked in alongside nobara. the second your shoes crossed the threshold, yuji’s entire posture changed. it was an instantaneous shift; his spine straightened, his ears practically perked up, and his eyes locked onto you with a degree of focus usually reserved for high-stakes exorcisms.
“hey,” you said, offering a small, tired smile as you dropped into the empty chair next to yuji. “the training grounds are freezing today. i think the wind is coming straight from the mountains.”
yuji didn’t say a word. he didn’t even look at his own hands as they moved with the practiced efficiency of a surgeon. within three seconds, he had took off his oversized, fleece-lined red hoodie, shrugged it off himself, and gently helped you put it on. he tucked the soft fabric around you, his fingers lingering for just a fraction of a second against your collarbone to make sure the chill was sealed out, before pulling his hands back and shoving them into his uniform pockets.
“thanks,” you mumbled, instantly buried in his warmth and the faint, comforting scent of laundry detergent and whatever body wash he used. you pulled the sleeves over your hands, sinking into the collar.
“yeah, of course,” yuji said, his voice dropping into a soft, casual register that completely contradicted the fact that his internal organs were currently performing backflips. “can’t have you catching a cold. you’ve got that exam tomorrow, right? need your brain working at a hundred percent.”
nobara paused, her hand hovering over the back of a chair as she watched this sequence of events play out. she looked at yuji, then at you buried in his giant hoodie, then over at megumi, whose jaw was clenched so tightly he looked like a gargoyle.
“hey, yuji,” you said, reaching into your pocket and pulling out a slightly bruised mandarin orange you’d grabbed from the cafeteria. “do you have a knife? the skin on this one is really thick.”
“i got it,” he said immediately.
he took the orange from your hand. yuji didn’t use a knife. he used his thumbs, peeling the rind away in one seamless, removing the little white strings so you wouldn’t have to deal with the mess. his fingers were steady, careful, and incredibly gentle as he split the fruit into perfect, individual segments. he laid them out neatly on a clean napkin he’d pulled from literally nowhere, pushing the finished product toward you with a small, encouraging nod.
“there you go. the sweet ones are usually the smaller pieces,” he murmured, his eyes tracking your expression to ensure you were satisfied.
“you’re a lifesaver,” you said, popping a segment into your mouth.
yuji’s face remained entirely neutral, but megumi could see the way the boy’s legs were practically vibrating under the table from the sheer rush of being praised. it was pathetic. it was magnificent. it was driving megumi to the brink of insanity.
“so,” nobara started, leaning against the counter and crossing her arms. her eyes narrowed as she watched yuji reach over, pick up your heavy leather canvas bag from the floor, and settle it comfortably over his own knee so it wouldn’t get dirty. “itadori. can i ask you a question?”
“hmm?” yuji looked up, his hand still resting protectively near your side of the table. “what’s up, kugisaki?”
“what did you do an hour ago?”
“i went to the convenience store down the street,” he said, blinking innocently.
“and what did you buy?”
“oh! i got that specific chocolate drink with the milk and two pumps of vanilla. the one with the extra meringue sprinkled on top.” yuji reached down into his bag and pulled out the plastic cup, which was perfectly chilled, sweating slightly against his palm. he placed it right next to your napkin of oranges, straw already unwrapped and inserted. “here. they finally had the good meringue back in stock.”
you blinked, looking up from your fruit. “wait, really? they told me yesterday they were out until next week.”
“i asked the guy to check the back crates,” yuji said, giving you a bright, close-eyed grin that could have easily powered a small metropolitan area. “told him it was an emergency. he found a whole tin of it.”
megumi made a sound in the back of his throat that sounded like a dying bird.
nobara stared. she stared at the chocolate drink, then at the peeled oranges, then at the enormous red hoodie currently engulfing your torso. she looked at yuji’s face, which was full of nothing but pure, desperate desire to please you, completely devoid of any realization that he was acting like a husband of ten years.
slowly, with the deliberate precision of a predator stalking its prey, nobara walked around the table. she didn’t say a word until she was standing directly behind yuji. then, with a sudden, violent burst of movement, she reached down, grabbed a fistful of his inner uniform collar, and yanked him backward out of his chair.
“woah! kugisaki—choking! choking!” yuji gasped, his hands flying to his throat as she dragged him a few feet away from the table.
“shut up,” nobara hissed, her voice a terrifying whisper as she pointed a manicured finger directly at you, who was currently taking a sip of the perfectly customized latte. “look at that. look at her.”
“i’m looking!” yuji squeaked, his cheeks flushing a violent, immediate pink. “she looks great! the hoodie suits her, right? do you think i should buy her one for her birthday? or is that too forward? maybe a scarf? a scarf is safer—”
“yuji,” nobara interrupted, her voice dropping into a range that promised physical violence. “what the hell? i thought you guys were dating?”
yuji froze. his entire body went rigid, his eyes widening to the size of dinner plates as his brain completely stalled out, the gears grinding to a screeching halt. “w-what?” he whispered, the syllable popping out of him like a deflating balloon. “dating? us? no! no way! we’re not—i mean, i wish, but no! why would you say that? don’t say that out loud, she’ll hear you and get weirded out and then i’ll have to move to a different country!”
“are you sharing a single brain cell with the curses you fight?” nobara demanded, shaking him by his collar until his pink hair flew in every direction. “you peeled her fruit! you gave her your clothes! you went into the back storage room of a convenience store for a specific topping because she mentioned it once days ago!”
“that’s just being neighborly!” yuji yelled back in a panicked whisper, his hands flailing. “if fushiguro wanted an orange, i’d peel it for him too!”
“if you touch my food, i will sever your fingers,” megumi said from the table, not looking up.
“see? fushiguro’s just picky!” yuji argued, turning back to nobara with a look of absolute, soul-crushing earnestness. “i’m not dating her, kugisaki. i’m just... trying really hard to be a good friend so she keeps letting me sit next to her. if i told her how i actually feel, she’d realize i’m just a big dummy who follows her around like a stray dog.”
nobara let go of his collar so abruptly that yuji stumbled backward, hitting the wall with a soft *thud*. she stared at him, her expression a mix of profound disgust and deep, spiritual exhaustion. “you.. are a medical marvel,” she muttered, rubbing the bridge of her nose. “i genuinely don’t know how you survive on a daily basis.”
“hey, yuji?” your voice cut through the tension, clear and soft from across the room.
yuji was back at the table before nobara could even blink, his entire demeanor resetting into that attentive, hovering stance. “yeah! what’s up? is the drink bad? is it too sweet? i can go back—”
“no, it’s perfect,” you said, looking up at him through your eyelashes, your fingers curling around the warm ceramic of your hands inside his large sleeves. a very real, very noticeable shy smile had crept it’s way to your pretty face. “i was just wondering... if you weren’t busy tonight, maybe you could help me study? and... i don’t know. we could get dinner after? just the two of us?”
yuji stopped. the entire world seemed to drop away around him. his heart gave a massive, violent thud against his ribs, his chest tightening in a way that had absolutely nothing to do with training or stamina. he looked at the shy smile on your face, the way your fingers were twisting the hem of his hoodie, and something in his chest completely melted into puddle of warm, gooey mush. he knew damn well he didn’t know shit about math.
“yeah,” yuji said, his voice softer than usual, a genuine, completely unforced smile breaking across his face as he leaned down slightly, bringing himself to your eye level. “i’d love to. i’ll make sure you pass that test, okay? whatever you want to eat, it’s on me.”
from the corner of the room, nobara let out a loud, dramatic groan, throwing her hands in the air as she turned toward the exit. “i can’t do this anymore. fushiguro, we’re leaving before the sheer density of his skull creates a black hole and swallows the school.”
“agreed,” megumi said, already standing up and slipping his book into his pocket, passing yuji with a look that said you owe me your life.
as the door slid shut behind them, yuji didn’t even notice. he was already pulling up another chair, drawing himself right next to you, his shoulder brushing against yours as he reached out to slide the rest of the oranges closer to your hand.
❣︎ ⋮ 𓏵‧ . yuji loves his shy girlfriend. . . pure tooth rotting fluff 𓏲 !
yuji itadori was often described as loud, sometimes even rather childish, yet he always seemed to know the right thing to say. and even when he didn’t, he had that easygoing charm that drew everyone into his orbit. he was sunshine in the form of a boy with calloused hands.
you were the exact opposite.
despite your boyfriend being the most outgoing, loud person you knew, always having something to say, always able to blend into any crowd, you wished you could operate the way your boyfriend did. you were often described as quiet, and even peculiar at times, never knowing what to say. and when you finally gathered the fading courage to speak, it somehow always came out wrong. you were always met with blank stares and judgment-filled looks.
you laughed at all the wrong things. you somehow managed to trip over your own two feet. and you found yourself more often then not wanting to shrink away into the comfort of your own solitude.
how did she end up with him?
it’s something you’ve heard people say in passing. it’s something you’ve even wondered yourself at times.
but whenever you begin to express that doubt, you’re met with immediate denial. in fact, it’s one of the few times you ever see your goofy boyfriend become somber and quiet, his lips pressed into a thin, serious line.
“why do you keep saying that?” he asks softly. “seriously, why?”
his voice isn’t teasing this time.
“i’m with you because i like you. it’s really that simple. there’s no hidden catch or anything.”
his tone drops into a hushed reassurance.
“so don’t listen to people like that, okay?
his large hands immediately cradle your face, palms splayed across your cheeks as he presses a soft kiss against your temple, letting his body melt into yours.
yuji is always there to make sure you’re comfortable.
like when the two of you run into his old classmates from middle school. their boisterous voices call out across the street, and yuji immediately turns around, his hand settling on your shoulder.
his head tilts slightly, baby pink strands falling around his face and framing his sharp features. his eyes, deep pools of honey-brown, soften as they meet yours. a small smile appears, one he seems to save only for you.
“there’s no need to be shy,” he says gently. “they’re nice, baby.”
you crane your head, finally getting a look at the group behind him. they’re all broad shoulders, smug grins, and the exact kind of faces that make your stomach twist.
“are you sure, yuji? they look kinda…”
you trail off, trying to find the nicest possible way to phrase it, but there really isn’t one.
“mean.”
he glances back at them, making sure they aren’t paying attention before looking at you again.
“okay,” he admits with a sheepish smile. “maybe a little bit.”
you give him a look.
immediately, he brightens.
“but it’ll be okay. we gotta at least give them a chance.”
he looks down before holding out his pinky.
you intertwine yours with his without a blink of hesitation.
his smile widens, cheeks a delicate pink as he grins.
“pinky promise. everything’s gonna be okay."
and during the conversation, whenever their attention shifts toward you, yuji is always there, throwing you a small encouraging smile. a silent reminder that he’s right beside you.
when you and yuji first met, it was, very oddly, mundane.
you were sitting on a bench in the courtyard when a flash of pink hair came barreling through, coming to a halt at your feet. his hands appeared to be covered in dirt and scuff marks, probably from training, you imagined.
he spoke now, a little out of breath, clearly sheepish as he came to a stop like he hadn’t expected anyone to be there. “uh—hey… sorry,” he started, rubbing the back of his neck as if suddenly aware of himself. “can you unscrew the lid on this? i would, but my hands are dirty.”
he gave a small, airy laugh after saying it, like he was trying to make the whole thing feel less awkward. in his hand was a red metal bottle. it matched the red of his shoes, you thought faintly.
as you finally lifted your head to meet his gaze, you were greeted by amber eyes—soft, wide, unguarded. tanned skin. pink hair with brown peeking through his undercut. his eyes crinkled when he smiled, sweat still clinging lightly to his brow.
he was beautiful. almost angel-like, bathed in the sun’s radiant glow.
the moment you fully took him in, you felt the air leave your lungs, halted and stuck in place. somehow, the sight of him spoke directly to your heart. your mind became a haze, and you found yourself nauseous with a lovesick feeling.
with clammy palms and shaking nerves, your weak, hesitant hands twisted the cap off while an expectant yuji waited, watching you with open, patient curiosity that somehow made it worse.
when you finally handed him back the bottle and cap, your skin still felt like it was burning from his proximity.
“ah—thanks,” he said quickly, like he’d just remembered his manners, then hesitated for a second as if thinking. “uh, actually—can you hold the lid for me? i’ll go fill this up real fast. i really don’t want it getting dirty.”
you nodded before you could overthink it.
he sprinted off and was back in less than thirty seconds, sporting a wild grin and messy hair from the run. you watched him chug the water, his adam’s apple bobbing with every swallow. afterward, he brought the back of his sleeve up to wipe away the water dribbling down his chin.
you also noticed his hands were clean now.
he must have washed them in that little time span.
he’s quick.
when you handed him back the lid, he thanked you with such enthusiasm it was almost comparable to a little kid in a candy store. and he was completely genuine about it.
“seriously, thank you,” he said, almost too earnest, like he meant every syllable, which he did. that’s how yuji itadori was. there wasn’t a single malicious bone in his body. his heart was pure, and you were sure that if he were cut open, he’d bleed gold.
“i’m yuji itadori, by the way. before i forget—what’s your name?”
“y/n,” you replied, almost too quietly, but you saw the way his ears perked up like a puppy dog.
he flashed a boyish grin, followed by a quick wave like he was already comfortable talking to you. “nice to meet you, y/n! and hey, thanks again. i’ll see you around.”
you were sure he only meant it as something polite. something most people say and forget.
but it wasn’t.
after that, you started seeing him more often. and every time he spotted you, he’d call your name from a distance loudly and proudly, full of pure enthusiasm as he gave an excited wave.
sometimes after practice, he’d drift back toward the courtyard without really thinking about it, like something about it pulled him in, hoping to find you sitting on that bench. and when he did, he always sat with you.
he found everything about you softly endearing. and stupidly cute. you were adorable in his eyes.
inevitably, things soon blossomed into something more.
yuji was patient enough to get to know the real you, and somehow, he’d come a long way since then. you both had.
when you first met, during those early days of getting to know each other, you could barely maintain eye contact. the second his pupils met yours, and you noticed the way his lashes fluttered whenever he blinked, brushing gracefully against his skin, your eyes would dart elsewhere.
you often found fiddling with your hands and zoning in on your nail beds and cuticles far more interesting than looking at him.
he’d tilt his head, following wherever your gaze wandered.
“hey,” he’d say softly. “look at me.”
“why?” you asked, defensive without meaning to be.
“please.”
you’d only look at him for a brief second before a dazed smile painted his features.
really, he just wanted an excuse to drink in your face and pretty eyes.
yuji loved how shy you were.
he loved his shy girlfriend—his complete opposite in every way.
and even now, after all this time, you still squirm under his compliments, still turn red under his touch and gaze. the smallest things he does still send butterflies fluttering through your chest like it’s the first time all over again.
he never judged you.
never mocked you.
when you went out to eat, he always ordered for you. in public, his hand was always in yours or resting at the small of your back, steady and grounding. his attention never drifted—it always stayed on you.
yuji was like the sun, and you were the moon.
warmth and quiet reflection, two forces entirely different from one another yet chasing after each other, bright golden rays and a silky moonlight glow, a perfect contrast, softening one another in the sky.
yuji adored his shy girl.
he liked knowing he was one of the few people who got to see that unguarded side of you. that he was the only one who could pull a real, unfiltered laugh out of you.
and he especially loved the way he was always the one to kiss the embarrassment off your face.
when anxiety started creeping back in—thoughts turning inward, your face going red again—yuji was always there.
kissing your cheeks, your nose, and then finally your mouth. soft, incessant pecks of love scattered across your face.
his lips were warm against yours, his palms cradling your face like something precious. your hair caught gently between his fingers as he held you there, unhurried.
and when he pulled away, there was always that brief moment where you went quiet, a little dazed, like you had to come back to yourself again.
and he was always already stupidly smiling when you did. a big dopey grin plastered across his face.
masterlist - kofi - emergency comm info!
note : plz this is so self indulgent also peep naruhina in the banner i love them they’re so dear to me and i felt like they fit this fic so much. . . also bc naruto and yuji are literally so similar and hinata is acc me, like i said self indulgent forgive me 𖾕𖾝꙼ᩚ𛲕𖾟 !
taglist : @xoxojisu @esilek @candiiee @cvnt4him @congratsyouarebunny @lotusstarr @cupkiki @3lenaatvt @badslittlemuffin @dreamcastgirl99 @wonubby @dienamiight @sofi4dsam @kawaiiclubdaily @therefore-evermore @luckybibucky @changkyunnnie @twoplayergaymers @izutwos @doubelieveme @ivankinnieclatter @roronoafushiguroaratakahakari @green-orange-bloom @sparklylanddetective @lem-hhn @gaige312 @ryobaby @hrts4cupid @buuxbear @b00rants @v4mp1r3b4tzz @trilxogyyy @loveergirll @searchingfornothinggg @megumisrighttoe @rarebambi @vitya124 @sogmarizzler @lilfluffybunny @dreamyreadinglover @nonokoo @yxo7 @sunnyfieldsz @ludmiig @azizxxxah @lun3z @sweetwonieee @yutterfly @aimseve @fayezombiez take a look at this post to be added, or removed!
a/n: scheduling this for yuji's birthday. let's see.
I NEED A BIG, BIG, BIG BOY !
WARNINGS: 18+, mdni, fluff, explicit (just a tad), aged-up (down? idk) yuji (21), reader is 21, established relationship, not proofread (i will do it asap i promise).
CHARACTER: itadori yuji.
WC: 1.2k
art creds: @kcokaine (ily) :: divider creds: @cursed-carmine :: based on this ask
Yuji had gotten big.
Not all at once.
It had happened slowly over the years you’d been together, bit by bit, until one day you looked up at him and realized he’d grown into someone entirely different from the boy you started dating at 16.
At 21, he stood a towering 6'4, broad everywhere.
His shoulders filled doorways, and his arms had thickened with years of stubborn gym routines, muscle packed over muscle from all the bulking and cutting he’d thrown himself into.
Whenever he walked around shirtless, you could see the shape of it all.
The work, the strength, and most importantly, the quiet pride he never really talked about.
Yuji never acted like someone intimidating.
He still grinned too easily and laughed a little too loudly.
He still grabbed your hand when you walked somewhere together, like he was afraid you might wander off.
But when he hugged you now, something had changed.
His arms drowned you.
Your face ended up pressed into the middle of his chest, the warmth of his body surrounding you until it felt like you disappeared inside the embrace.
Yuji loved hugging you.
Loved it in a way that felt almost absentminded. It was like breathing, something his body did automatically whenever you were near.
He’d pull you into him while talking about something random.
He’d drag you against his side when you walked past.
He’d tuck you under his arm on the couch until you were practically folded into him.
You had been on the heavier side for as long as you could remember.
Soft everywhere, plush thighs, a round stomach, arms that never quite slimmed out no matter how much you grew.
It had never been something you hated. Just something you carried with you.
Still, growing up, you’d quietly accepted some things weren’t meant for you.
Being lifted easily.
Being tossed onto couches.
Being wrapped up in someone’s arms until you drowned.
That kind of affection didn't seem reserved for you.
But Yuji never treated your body like something fragile or inconvenient.
If anything, he seemed to enjoy it.
His hands always found your thighs when you sat together, big fingers squeezing them absentmindedly.
When you lay together, he liked resting his head against your stomach, one arm hooked around your waist while he scrolled through his phone or talked about whatever was on his mind.
Sometimes his cheek pressed there just a little longer than necessary, his hand spreading over the softness like it was the most comfortable pillow he’d ever found.
If you were standing nearby while he sat, he had a habit of pulling you between his knees and wrapping his arms around your middle.
Not tightly. Just enough to keep you there while he leaned his chin against your abdomen, gazing up at you to continue the conversation.
Other times, he’d pull you fully onto his lap, your weight settling on him while he kept doing whatever he’d been doing, scrolling through phone or talking about the gym like nothing had changed.
His hands would always settle somewhere.
Large and warm.
He simply liked the feeling of you under his palm.
And the strangest part was that Yuji never seemed aware of any of it.
To him, it was simply normal.
Normal to pull you closer, or to carry you across rooms when he felt like it.
To bury his face into your chest, ass, or stomach when he wanted to be near you.
You realized one evening just how much things had changed.
Yuji had wrapped you up in one of those enormous hugs of his, lifting you slightly off the ground without even breaking conversation with someone else across the room.
Your feet dangled for a moment.
Your entire body pressed against him, completely surrounded by muscle and the easy strength he carried so effortlessly.
For a second you just stayed there.
Held.
Safe.
And it struck you then, quietly, almost shyly.
The thing you had once thought wasn’t meant for you had been happening all along.
You were the girl being swallowed up in someone’s arms.
Sometimes he lifted you without even thinking about it.
With an arm around your waist and a hand under your thighs, he would give a gentle nudge upward until your feet left the floor.
There was never any strain in his face.
No hesitation.
Just the casual certainty of someone who knew exactly how strong he was.
It would turn you on to no end.
And Yuji wasn’t oblivious to your ogling either.
He noticed it almost immediately, the way your eyes lingered on him when he stretched, the way your gaze followed the movement of his arms when he pulled his shirt off after the gym. Not that he minded.
If anything, it made him grin, because more often than not he was already staring right back.
Five years together meant Yuji had seen every curve of your body, had held you close enough to memorize the shape of you beneath his hands.
And somehow, even after all that time, it still never felt like enough.
He still looked at you like there was something new to admire.
The way your posture made everything you wore sit just right on your body. The way fabric clung to your curves, filling out clothes in a way Yuji found impossible not to stare at.
Crop tops had always made you a little self-conscious.
Yuji knew that.
But he still encouraged you to wear them around the apartment sometimes. Never pushy, just a casual suggestion here and there.
It was only because he wanted to see your hips.
Your soft, full hips that peeked out whenever you wore something low-rise at home, the curve of them impossible for him to ignore whenever you moved around the kitchen or passed by him in the living room.
His hands always ended up there eventually.
Settling around them like they belonged there.
Large palms resting against the plump flesh, fingers pressing slightly into your skin as if he liked the way it gave in beneath his touch.
Sometimes he’d squeeze gently, like a makeshift plush toy.
The sex was even better than either of you could have imagined.
Yuji made shameless use of his strength when it came to you.
His hands moved you wherever he wanted, lifting you into his lap, turning you toward him, pulling you flush against his chest, all with that careful gentleness he had reserved for you.
You would always end up exactly where he wanted you, like he’d simply decided that was where you belonged.
But he had his preference set aside for the mating press.
He called it the holy grail of sex positions, loving the way he could admire your body, watching it jerk and buck against his mean thrusts.
But most importantly, he loved the way his fingertips dug into the plush of your thighs during the mating press, folding your legs into your chest as you would give into his hold.
And later at night, he would make sure to clean you up, no matter the time.
He would insist a warm bath was necessary, even if you were half asleep in the shower, leaving him to do most of the work.
He never complained either. If anything, he only found more opportunities to touch you.
Afterward, he would dress the two of you, lifting you with that same ease as your head instinctively tucked into the curve of his neck.
Yuji would carry you down the short hallway without any rush, the steady rhythm of his steps lulling you further into sleep.
He would lower you onto the bed slowly, one hand lingering warm against your side for a moment after you settled against the mattress.
He would turn off the lights and return to you, slipping under the sheets as his arm wrapped around your waist from behind, pulling you back against his chest until your body fit neatly into the space he made for you.
His hand would spread over your stomach again, his body a steady source of warmth.
a/n: i feel like i went a little overboard with yuji's "big hands" but fuckkkkk am i a sucker for buff yuji so i kept it ahhahahah.
the arcade was super loud with all the blinking lights and the sounds of people hitting buttons, but yuji didn't seem to mind at all. he was just standing there by the claw machine where you left him, looking around like a lost puppy. he had his hands in his pockets and was bouncing on his heels, waiting for you to come back from the bathroom.
when you finally walked up behind him, you were hiding something really big behind your back. you had a huge smile on your face because you knew he was going to love it.
"hey baby! i'm back," you said, poking your head around his arm.
yuji spun around so fast he almost tripped over his own feet. his eyes lit up the second he saw you. "there you are! i was starting to think you got lost or maybe moved to a different city without telling me. it was getting lonely over here by the racing games."
you giggled and pulled the giant pink plushie from behind your back. it was a massive, round, fuzzy kirby with the cutest little red feet and a big happy face. "tada! i didn't actually go to the bathroom. i went to the high-stakes crane game in the back and won this for you!"
yuji’s jaw literally dropped. he looked at the kirby and then back at you, his face turning a little bit pink to match the plushie.
"no way! you got that for me? for real?" he reached out and took it, hugging it to his chest immediately. it was so big it almost covered his whole chin. "whoa, it's so soft. wait, why did you pick this one specifically?"
you reached out and squished the kirby’s cheek. "yes, because it reminded me of you. he's pink and round and everyone loves him. plus, he's always hungry, just like you are."
yuji let out a huge laugh, leaning his head back. "hey! i'm not that round! okay, maybe i'm a little bit hungry right now, but that’s just because the smell of the popcorn is everywhere."
he looked down at the kirby again and gave it a big squeeze. he looked so happy, like he had just won a million dollars instead of a stuffed toy.
"thank you so much, babe. seriously. this is the coolest gift ever," he said, looking at you with those really soft eyes that always made your heart flutter. "i’m gonna keep him right on my bed. but since he reminds you of me, does that mean i have to start acting like a video game character now? do i have to start inhaling things?"
"please don't inhale the arcade snacks, yuji," you joked.
"fine, fine," he laughed, tucking the kirby under one arm so he could grab your hand with his other one. "but since you won me a prize, that means i have to win you an even bigger one. or at least buy you some nachos. come on, let's go find a game that gives out way too many tickets!"
he started pulling you toward the skee-ball machines, still clutching the giant pink kirby like it was the most important thing in the world. every time someone walked past, he showed it off a little bit, looking totally proud that his girlfriend was a pro at arcade games.
so if I tell you, then promise me I can take it back
yuji x fem!reader // drabble // basically just fluff // everyone is 18+ // no use of y/n // yuji is so whipped // yuji confessing to you // took me a second to get this one out, I kept getting hung up on the dialogue and I've been a bit busy // ps yuji is the most perfect man to ever exist, ty that's all // whipped yuji series guys??
part one , part two
"You've been acting weird," you say as Yuji starts to pull his hand from yours.
"Weird? Me?" He shakes his head, quickly flashing you his boyish grin that says 'everything is totally fine'.
"Yes, weird, you." You put your hands on your hips with a little pout when he fully slips his hand from yours. "Stop bullshitting me, Yu. I know you."
"I-" He's suddenly at a complete loss for words—how the hell is he supposed to tell you he's in love with you? That's why he's been acting so weird lately, pulling away because he can hardly think straight whenever you're near him now. And the small touches, they all feel too much, too much when his heart races anytime your fingers intertwine with his.
And the thought of telling you all this, that he could lose you over his feelings? It already has him spiraling, scared to lose even a sliver of you.
"I… uh- I just…" His eyes dart past you as he puts a little distance between you two, and the movement alone leaves a pit forming in your stomach.
"If you don't want to be friends or something… You can just tell me."
"Wait- what? No," He shakes his head, hands instinctively pulling you into his chest before he can even think about it. His arms wrap tightly around you, muscles flexing as he holds you closer. "Never that."
"Then why are you acting like this?" You ask quietly, "One minute you're like this, holding me. And the next you're so… distant."
The guilt's already eating him alive, hearing the hurt in your voice. Knowing he's the reason you've been feeling like this, all because he's been too scared to tell you how he really feels.
"Honestly," He lets out a shaky breath, mumbling softly in your hair. "I'm scared… so damn scared."
"Of what?" You ask, lashes fluttering up at him. "It's just me."
He laughs softly, "Just you?" His eyes flick to your lips—fuck, he just wants to kiss you. "You say that like it's any easier."
"C'mon, Yu." You lean up, pressing a reassuring kiss to his cheek.
His cheeks heat, "S-shit, you can't do stuff like that."
"Like what?" You ask, leaning in again, pressing another quick kiss to his cheek. "This?"
He's left a stuttering mess, "y-yes, that," and before you have the chance to tease him any further, he blurts, "I'm just scared of losing you."
"Losing me?" Your smile falters, "You'll never lose me, Yu."
"Just… promise after, we can go back to normal," he looks down at you with pleading eyes, as if he needs to hear you say it, needing to hear he can take it all back, that it wouldn't change anything between the two of you. "And you'll forget I said anything at all?"
"Promise," you say, offering your pinky.
He laces his pinky with yours, taking a deep breath as he squeezes his eyes shut like he's bracing for impact. "Fuck, I'm so nervous." He lets out an awkward laugh, rubbing the back of his neck. "It's just… every time I look at you, all I can think about is how pretty you are," he cups your face in his hands, thumbs gently brushing your cheeks, "what it would feel like to kiss you."
Slowly, he leans in, "it makes it really hard to think about anything else," he murmurs, stopping only inches from your face. "Truth is, I don't want to be your friend."
Yuji can't stop looking at your lips, and god, it doesn't help, it's been the only thing he's been able to think about for weeks—kissing you, holding you… touching you. And when you don't pull away, looking like you want to kiss him just as bad, he closes the distance.
"I want more with you." His lips brush over yours, "I want you."
Your pulse races as his lips press against yours, slow, almost timid, as he nips at your bottom lip, desperately wanting to know how you taste. And when your tongue slips past his, he can't help but stifle a moan into your mouth, letting himself get lost in you entirely.
"I love you," he murmurs against your lips.
When a moment passes, and you don't say anything back, he starts to pull away.
"I'm sorry if that's too soon-"
Your lips crash against his, hands threading through his pink hair as you pull him right back down to you, kissing him deeper because god, you need him to know you want him just as much. And if he had given you a moment, you'd tell him that a million times over.
"I love you too, Yu." You laugh softly, pulling away from the kiss. "You didn't even give me the chance to say it back."
He pouts, "You took so long, I thought you didn't feel the same."
Now you're full on giggling, "it was hardly even a second."
"And that's too long."
"You're just gonna have to learn how to be patient," you tease further, too caught up in how cute he looks when he's all pouty.
"That's impossible when I'm in love with such a pretty girl." his sudden rasp catches you off guard as he nips at your bottom lip. "Makes me not wanna be patient."
"Yuji-" Your breath catches as he trails kisses along your neck, sucking at your sensitive skin.
"Shh, baby…" The sudden petname has your knees feeling weak, "I need this- you… please."
You only manage a nod as he continues nipping at your skin, sucking purple marks until everyone knows you're his.
"I want everyone to know you're only mine," he trails his kisses back to your lips, stopping to admire how beautiful you look when you're all flustered and breathless.
"Only yours," you say back, between breaths.
"Promise?" he asks, tucking a strand of hair behind your ear.
"Promise."
as always I appreciate all reblogs, comments, and likes <33
divider creds: @/pxrce-lain + @/uzmacchiato + fanart by @/syllysmot
it had been such a hard day, the one that just makes you numb and exhausted physically and mentally. and all you really craved was your boyfriends warmth.
oh.
right.
he was your ex now.
you didn't mean to text him, it was just an intrusive thought, muscle memory almost, a simple
"can you come over?"
you didn't expect anything, it was wrong of you to do so.
but lo and behold he was standing at your doorstep with your favorite comfort food.
"you came?" your voice barely above a whisper, cracked and tired.
"you called." his voice was soft. steady, and his eyes even softer, filled with love.
to him, it didn't matter what you both went through, how messy it had gotten between the two of you because if you needed him, he'd always come.
always.
thinking about this andd
yuuta, yuji, izuku, kirishima, rin, reo, akaashi, iwaizumi, levi, armin, chuuya and your favs!!
you’re both sitting on the floor of the dorm common room, backs against the couch, some random show playing that neither of you are really paying attention to.
yuji’s talking — he always is — going on about something that happened during training, hands moving, voice bright.
you’re smiling.
watching him more than the screen.
and then it slips.
“—and i just thought, like, if you were there it would’ve been way more fun ‘cause i like being with you more than anyone el—”
he stops.
you blink.
yuji freezes. completely.
his brain catches up to his mouth a second too late.
“…wait.”
there’s a long pause.
slowly...slowly, his face starts turning red.
“i didn’t mean— no, i did mean that— but not like— i mean—” he’s spiraling now, hands coming up to cover his face. “that sounded weird, right? that sounded weird—”
you laugh softly.
“yuji…”
he peeks at you through his fingers, mortified.
“sorry.”
“…why are you apologizing?”
“because i basically just—” he cuts himself off, groaning quietly. “i’m bad at this.”
you tilt your head slightly.
“bad at what?”
another pause.
this one feels heavier.
yuji lowers his hands slowly, looking at you properly now — really looking, like he’s trying to decide something.
and for once…
he doesn’t dodge it.
“…i like you,” he says.
it’s simple.
no joke. no deflection.
just honest.
his ears are still bright red, voice a little unsteady, heart pounding rapidly— but he doesn’t take it back this time.
“like… a lot.”
the room feels quieter now.
your heart definitely doesn’t.
You stare at him, mouth shut.
yuji laughs nervously, scratching the back of his neck, face red.
“i wasn’t planning to say it like that,” he admits. “i had a better version in my head.”
you then smile. just abit.
“i think this one’s better...”
he blinks, not expecting anything.
“…really?”
you nod.
and that’s all it takes.
the tension in his shoulders drops instantly, relief washing over his expression so clearly it almost makes you laugh again.
“okay,” he exhales, grinning a little now. “good. ‘cause i don’t think i could redo that.”
you nudge his arm lightly.
“so what now?”
yuji looks at you for a second.
then, carefully, like he doesn’t want to mess it up
he reaches for your hand
holding it, oh so gentle.
just like that time when he massaged it.
“now…” he says, smile softer this time, “i keep liking you. just… louder, i guess.”
and somehow...
he still looks just as love-drunk as before.
If anything, it's more.
Grinning, hand squeezing one another's.
It's not the confession he planned but this works too..
special grade socerer yuji itadori is tasked to excorcise you- but he finds himself defying orders trying to save you instead
cw ⋆.˚ modulo-ish au, sorcerer!yuji, cursed!reader, gn!reader (they/them are used sparingly for narrative purposes though i was trying my best to avoid prns all together), yuta and tsurugi (he's kinda oc for the plot ngl) are side characters, family abandonment issues, mild depictions of violence, descriptions of anxiety/depression, mentions and mild depictions of death, fluff, slight teacher!yuji, he's such a sweet boy ugh my heart, a bit suggestive, tension and yearning, slowburnish, angst, the confession makes me want to sob its so beautiful, pet names (baby), ending is tragically romantic
wc ⋆.˚ 7.9k
a/n ⋆.˚ i worked SO fucking hard on this, i am so proud of how it turned out and i genuinely think its one of my best works to date so please show some love 🥺👉🏼👈🏼 song inspo: 'give you everything' by wearethegood
gojo headquarters feels as cold as it always does when yuji walks into yuta’s office at 4 pm wednesday evening. he’s hyperfocused on his laptop, and yuji watches the reflection of what looks to be a game of solitaire in his glasses’ lenses.
finally, yuta takes notice of his colleague and friend. “ah. hey, yuji,” he smiles, minimizing the tab to give him his full attention, “thank you for stopping by.”
yuji returns the friendly smile, but his chest hurts. he’s exhausted. the curses have been running rampant more than usual lately, and unfortunately, given his grade, he’s the go-to sorcerer to clean things up.
“where is it?” yuji asks, already knowing what is about to be requested of him.
yuta’s expression is apologetic. he hates doing this. but, yuji is the only special grade sorcerer left that can handle the tasks now that yuta is elderly and becoming sickly, and the rest are dead. “there’s a special grade curse in the outskirts of katsushika. it was last sighted on the shore of edo river.”
yuji simply nods before seeing himself out of the office.
the sky grew darker whilst his was inside of the building, the short days of winter quickly making themselves known as the november air turns crisper. he pulls his bomber jacket tighter around his body as he swiftly shifts through the foot traffic and train rides, arriving in the neighbourhood of katsushika within an hour.
to the average person, it would simply seem like a quieter night with the inhabitants opting to stay inside. but to him, as a sorcerer, he can see the dark energy emanate from every corner of the streets, and it’s especially concentrated towards the riverbank just as yuta had alluded to.
yuji readies himself as he makes his way there, having to stealthily exercise a few low grade curses in the process. when he finally arrives at the black mist, he nearly passes out. the smell is overwhelming, and he can barely see a thing.
“christ,” he mutters, pulling his face mask out of his pocket and placing it over his nose and mouth.
he moves silently, eyes searching hastily for the heart of the cursed energy. his breath stutters for a moment when they land on a curled-up body lying on the gravel a few feet away. somehow, even from as far of a distance as he’s standing from it, he can see their tears. and the wails, god the wails, break his heart; they’re so full of pain and turmoil that he hesitates to take another step forward.
but you notice him, and you shriek, the black mist swirling violently around you as your anxiety rises. your emotions affect your abilities, you know this much. but that’s all you know about it. your parents abandoned you at the age of ten, leaving you to fend for yourself as a mere child. survival for you consisted of hiding in bushes to protect yourself from potentially dangerous humans and natural conditions. you never learned what was wrong with you nor how to control it, no one was around to teach you. as you grew older, you picked up bits and pieces of understanding from meeting other curses, yet still, many things remained unknown.
“w–who are you?” you shudder, eyes wide as you stare at the man before you. he looks kind, but then your eyes drop to the pistol in his hand, and your heart breaks. you thought maybe, just maybe, he was someone coming to save you. “ha,” you huff out a weak laugh, “are you here to kill me?”
yuji swallows. his hands are shaking around the trigger. “yes.”
he senses it. he knows that you’re not like other special grades, that your moral compass is sound. your energy draws him in like a moth to a flame, because he was once like you– burdened with abilities he had to learn to control before he destroyed everything.
but orders are orders, and he doesn’t know if you’re capable of reacting the same way he did when he was once in your shoes. he points the barrel at you as he dares to take another step forward, your heart racing from the click of the safety being switched off.
three more steps.
one more.
the metal rests tautly against your forehead, and you don’t dare to move an inch. he can hear your shaky breaths and see the red of your eyes from crying; he thinks that if he closes his eyes while he takes your life, it will make things easier for him to complete the job.
but then you whimper, and his heart completely shatters in that moment. he looks at you, body shaking not from the cold, but from fear, slowly lowering the gun to point it back towards the ground. you don’t know what to do, what to say. is he… sparing you?
“w–what are–”
bang.
the piercing clang of the bullet indents the earth and you scream from the sudden loudness of it all. you’re just staring back at him, confused yet grateful.
“i have to make it convincing,” yuji states, clicking the safety on once again before putting the pistol away. “the bullets are made of highly lethal cursed energy. i only had one left.” you just blink at him, still trying to process what had happened. “they know my aim is impeccable,” he continues, “so if they think i shot it, whatever happens next will be seen as beyond myself rather than failure as a sorcerer. they trust me.” he pulls the mask down, revealing his face.
“why,” you croak, shuddering as he kneels down to your level, “why are you letting me go?”
“because,” there it is again, the look from earlier that convinced you he is a kind person, “i know that you don’t mean to hurt anyone.” his words rest comfortingly in your chest, and you see that the black mist begins to dissipate. he notices, too. “what’s your name?”
“y/n,”
“how old are you?”
“i don’t know,” you try to think, “somewhere between twenty five and three hundred at this point.”
he frowns. “and you’ve been roaming around on your own since you were a child?”
your mouth drops open in shock. “how did you know?”
“i just do.” truthfully, he wasn’t sure himself, how he knew that you’d struggled since you were so young. it came to him almost as if it were a message from the gods. “something just… told me, i guess?”
you laugh, and he’s a bit startled as the now translucent grey mist dances with your joy. he truly finds it fascinating how your cursed technique changes along with your emotions and moods. “are you a god?” you tease.
“i suppose sorcerers are something like that, aren’t we? do you know what a sorcerer is?”
you nod. “i’ve learned a number of things over the years from other cursed spirits i’ve met, but i still lack a lot of knowledge.”
“i can teach you,” yuji offers, sending you a kind smile, “there’s a lot i don’t know, too, but i know what is necessary.”
“how?” you question. “i can’t leave this place. i’m afraid if i do, i’ll accidently destroy all of tokyo… maybe even beyond that.”
“then, i’ll come to you,” he says, “when i can, i’ll come here in the evenings and help you.”
“you’d really do that?” your eyes are glassy and he feels a pang in his chest.
“i would,” he smiles again, “let’s figure you out together, okay?”
“yuji,” yuta’s voice is stoic and harsh as he walks into the training room. yuji backs away from the punching bag and turns to his friend and supervisor. “that curse you exorcised the other week… did it actually die?”
yuji’s brows furrow. of course, he knows the truth, but he can’t say that. “i thought so,” thankfully he’s good at lying. it’s a skill he picked up over the years for protective measures, but he only uses it when necessary. your situation he deemed as such, “why, what happened?”
“all of katsushika was destroyed last night,” yuta says. yuji’s heart stops. all he can picture is the inhabitants screaming in terror whilst you cry and beg yourself to stop. “houses have been ripped apart, blood is painting the streets… it looks like our job here is far from finished. we need to destroy that curse.”
yuji doesn’t know what to say. he just tries to breathe, slowly nodding. yuta takes his leave shortly after.
that evening, yuji looks for you instead of going straight home after work to take a hot shower and sleep like he knows he should. he’s scared for you and his heart burns with sorrow for those you’ve harmed.
he feels sick. seeing everything that yuta described right in front of his very eyes makes him feel faint, weak. it’s nothing he hasn’t seen before, but this time, it feels different.
“y/n!” he grits his teeth, yelling your name as he runs towards the river. the mist is thicker and darker than before, and there’s an agonizing, demonic groan originating from deep within. “fuck, where are you?!” he’s suffocating as he trips over an object he can’t define, squinting his eyes and trying to locate your shadow in the center of the storm.
“y–yuji,” you choke. he hears you call him, but it’s distorted and ominous. he isn’t scared of you, though. his concern rests in if he can get you to safety or not. he knows full well yuta is gathering up a group of sorcerers with the intent to contain then kill you. “i’m sorry, i’m sorry, i’m sorry,” you repeat like a prayer, legs curled up against your chest as you rock back and forth. you can see him, but he can’t see you. you desperately want to reach out and grab his hand.
“tell me where you are,” he coughs, crawling forward, “i need you to lead me.”
you hesitate, but do respond to him. “just a little further and you’ll reach me.” his hand finally brushes against the sole of your boot a few moments later. “here i am.”
the mist begins to calm once again, and yuji lets out a dramatic exhale both from finally finding you and being able to breathe normally again.
he feels happy to see you, but worry swells in his chest when he notices how destroyed you look. you're pale as a ghost, brittle and quivering. your eyes are bloodshot and puffy, too. he knows why, how could he not? you just massacred an entire neighborhood without even knowing how.
“what happened?” he asks calmly, sitting down beside you. he rests his hand comfortingly on your thigh and you sniffle.
“i– i don’t know. i was sleeping and had a nightmare, the next thing i know i’m awake and seeing everything around me set ablaze and people screaming on the streets.” you lift your palms up to him, the ones he couldn’t make out in the dark mist earlier. they’re covered in soot, almost like they’d been burnt to a crisp, but no wound is present. you look so afraid. “i did this, yuji… i killed all of those innocent people in my sleep. i can’t–,” you choke out a sob, and his grip tightens on you, “i can’t live like this. i never asked for these abilities. i never meant to… fuck,” you hiss, pulling at your hair aggressively. yuji’s free hand reaches up to grab your wrists and stop you, and though you’re crying uncontrollably, you manage to calm a little from more of his touch. “you should have killed me,” you grit, looking at him with eyes full of both truth and sorrow, “you should have left the gun pressed to my head pulled the fucking trigger.”
“no,” he asserts, looking you dead in the eye with determination. “i trust my instincts that you’re not a bad person. you deserve a chance.”
“but, yuji!” you yell, and he jumps, surprised by your raised voice, “i killed them! they’re dead! these beautiful people are dead because of me!”
yuji doesn’t know how to prove his point to you past the fact that he’s experienced the same thing. when sukuna was finally released from his body all those years ago, he felt the same remorse and pain that you are now, but he eventually learned that it wasn’t his fault. it never was. and you, though he has no knowledge of where your abilities come from, yuji’s convinced they aren’t innate.
he wraps his arms around your shoulders and pulls you against his chest. you’re taken back at first, but soon allow yourself to sob in his arms as you return the hug, hot tears soaking through his sweater as your shaking fingers curl into the wool. he just sits there, hands cupping the back of your head as he tries to soothe you, tries to calm your restless heart. his fingers running through your hair has a quicker effect on you than you realize.
the black mist warps abstractly from your rollercoaster of emotions, but it eventually settles into the translucent, baseline grey as your pulse steadies.
yuji doesn't expect to see tsurugi, yuta’s grandson, standing there when his surroundings become visible again. their eyes widen once they take notice of each other, and though yuji’s panicking, he squeezes you tighter rather than push you away.
“yuji… what is the meaning of this?” tsurugi furrows his brows in confusion. “why are you holding that curse?”
“their name is y/n,” yuji shocks himself with his hostile outburst. tsurugi doesn’t know the truth, he’s just doing his job.
“it has a name?”
“don’t call y/n ‘it’!” tsurugi winces, stepping back slightly from the fellow sorcerer, “and they’re not a curse!”
“but the energy… it’s the most powerful i’ve seen in a while–”
“y/n needs help, not death!”
tsurugi doesn’t know what to say, but something tells him that yuji’s reasons are valid.
he sighs, kneeling down in front of your two huddled bodies. “my grandfather won’t be happy about this.”
“then you better keep your mouth fucking shut.”
tsurugi laughs. seeing yuji angry like this was always entertaining, because he rarely acted out as such. “y/n can’t stay here,” he says, “we need a secure location, both for their sake and the city’s.”
yuji’s apartment is small, but can comfortably occupy two people.
“are you sure about this?” you ask hesitantly, twiddling your thumbs in the doorway.
he sends you a soft smile and nods. “i’m sure. plus, you’ll be safe here. the property is infused with cursed energy that cancels out abilities. nothing can hurt you and vice versa as long as you stay within the complex’s boundaries. none of my colleagues are allowed to stop by unannounced, either, and there’s no way for them to sense your presence.”
“that… sounds ironic,” you chuckle, “a curse that erases curses, yet itself stays visible,” tucking a loose strand of hair behind your ear. yuji watches your movements, remembering what your pretty locks felt like beneath his fingertips when he held you earlier. his stomach flips.
“cursed energy and the entire power system has a funny way of working,” he hums, “it’ll make more sense as we move further along in your studies.”
he heats up a pot of tea and prepares a quick egg fried rice while you shower and become more accustomed to your new living situation. yuji nearly drops the scorching pan onto his foot when you step out of the bathroom with your hair up in a messy bun and sporting the oversized tshirt he lent you. he’s never asking for it back now. fuck.
he shakes his head briefly in an attempt to clear his head, finishing up serving the rice into a set of blue, floral ceramic bowls. he joins you in the couch shortly after, placing the tray with your food and drinks on the coffee table in front of you. “eat up,” he smiles, “i’m actually a pretty damn good cook.”
your heart doesn’t know what to do with itself. this is the first time you’ve ever been shown any amount of care, and your head is spinning. it’s hard to trust, though. you think yuji is a good person whom truly wants to help you, yet at the same time, how could you fully believe that when your whole life all you’ve ever been shown is the opposite?
yuji notices your hesitation. he never pushes, always keeping a certain amount of distance that allows you to feel safe and come to a conclusion in your own time. he chats with you casually, which confuses you slightly. is he your elder? or are you his? you’re not even sure if this is your first life or not. but here you are, presently in your twenties, trying to navigate whatever the hell this is. whatever you are.
“i’m sure you wonder why i believe you’re a good person after what you’ve done,” yuji starts slowly, setting his empty bowl back onto the tray before lifting the mug of tepid tea up to his lips. he doesn’t mean any harm by the statement, and you know that, though the brutal honesty stings a little.
“yeah,” you respond, voice small, “i do.”
“it’s because i was like you once.” your eyes shoot wide open as you whip your head to look straight at him. he chuckles and he sips his tea. “you seem surprised,” he smiles with a hint of playfulness. he continues. “when i was in high school, my body was possessed by the king of curses. ryomen sukuna, ever heard of him?”
you nod slowly. “i’ve heard that name before.”
“he’s sealed away in a very secure place now. no one has even dared to search again after what happened back then.” the bottom of his mug taps the coaster, “at first he had little control over me, but once the cursed energy increased in power, i lost to him almost entirely.” he looks at you and his expression is warm. “i don’t think you are a curse, i think somewhere in your lifetime a curse possessed you.”
you want to believe him. you really do. “how can you be so sure?”
“because if you were really a malevolent being, i don’t think you would be crying your heart out over humans that are dead because of you.”
his words hit you hard in the chest, and you squeeze your eyes shut tightly to let them settle.
you try to believe this isn’t who you are. you are not bad. none if this is your fault.
but you don’t know.
you fall asleep shortly after, belly fed and body full of warmth as your head falls onto yuji’s shoulder. he smiles to himself, choosing to stay seated for a while so as to not disturb you. once he starts to feel himself becoming tired, he gently lifts you into his arms and takes you to his bedroom, carefully tucking you into the sheets.
“yuji,” your voice is quiet, but for once, it doesn’t sound terrified.
his hand pauses on the doorknob on his way out as he slowly turns back to face you again. “yeah?” he asks softly.
“thank you,” you hum, exhausted as you begin to slip away into slumber again, “i owe you everything.”
he releases a faint laugh. he’s not sure if it’s because you sound so cute when you’re sleepy, or out of ridiculousness that you assumed you owed him anything. maybe both. he is just doing what he feels is right.
“you owe me nothing,” he hums quietly, “just stay alive for me, okay?”
“okay,” you squeak, exhaling softly. “stay with me tonight?”
his heart clenches and his lips part. “what?”
“i want you to stay with me,” you repeat, a bit louder, “you are planning to sleep on the couch, right? i’m sure it’s too small for you. and this is your home, you shouldn’t have to give up your bed for me. you’re already doing more than enough by allowing me to stay here.”
he’s afraid to move, afraid to speak. he wants to say yes, but isn’t sure if he should. he is a man of high self-control, but still. he finds you beautiful. he’s already admitted that much to himself. the last thing he wants to do is make things more complicated and uncomfortable. he’s here to protect and help you, neither of which warrant romantic involvement.
“please.”
your sweet, raspy voice begs him and he can’t refuse. “sure,” he replies, pulse achieving dangerously high levels.
he maintains a gap of space between your bodies as he lay on his back beside you; he’s unsure if he’ll sleep even a wink, especially when you roll over with the cutest whine sneaking past your lips and your arm lands across his stomach. he freezes.
“you’re so warm, yu… ji…”
yeah, he definitely isn’t sleeping at all.
things begin to settle into place after that night. yuji’s home starts to feel like yours, too, and you’re managing to grasp everything that he’s teaching you on a regular basis.
“i know i can’t help you with any real combat training right now,” yuji says apologetically, “but hopefully the concepts and discussion points are enough to suffice for the time being.”
you nod, biting your lip as you stay curled on the couch hugging a pillow. “everything you’re teaching me is extremely helpful, yuji. thank you.”
he smiles wider than he means to. it’s just, with your dynamic for the past few months, he’s having a hard time hiding how he feels. he loves having you around. your company has brought a flicker of light back into his monotonous, gruesome life.
you keep it to yourself, but you feel the same way. yuji is the first person to treat you as an equal, and kindly at that. he cares about you so much and it never goes unnoticed. whilst you choose to regularly say ‘thank you’, oftentimes you want to say ‘i love you’ instead.
but you don't, because part of you believes that once this is all over, once you’ve learned to control your abilities and have figured out who exactly you are, you’ll part ways and he’ll just become someone you once knew that helped you through a difficult time in life.
yuji isn’t thinking that way at all. in fact, he’s working hard behind-the-scenes to figure things out so you can stick around– preferably with him– and live freely without being cursed.
“i have to get to work,” he thrums, “but there’s leftover rice porridge in the fridge for breakfast. a few eggs, too, if you prefer that.” he slips on his coat, “pizza is in the freezer, onigiri in the crisper. help yourself to anything, as usual.”
“thank you,” you grin, standing up to join him by the front door. he tilts his head at you curiously, because you’ve never done this before. normally, you stay seated on the couch and just bid him goodbye from there. this time, however, your body moves on its own. your arms wrap around his waist suddenly, and his sharp inhale of breath is quiet enough that you don’t quite catch it. “stay safe out there, and don’t catch a cold.”
he wants to kiss you and call off work so he can just love on you all day. but he can’t and he hates it. “i will,” he swallows hard, reluctantly enclosing around you.
the apartment feels too big when yuji’s gone. it’s practically an expanded studio in terms of size, but it seems like a mansion with countless rooms when he’s not occupying the space with you.
it’s lonely, too. you know it’s for your own good, and to keep others safe. but still, you feel restless. you haven’t stepped beyond the complex in months, because once you cross over that barrier, all hell has the capacity to break loose.
yuji notices you’re quieter than usual when he comes home that evening, immediately frowning upon seeing you preparing boxed ramen at the stove.
“what happened?”
you both love and hate that he’s so observant. “nothing,” you say. you’re not lying. nothing ever happens since you’re basically quarantined for the foreseeable future, secluded within the tiny walls that feel like they start to swallow you up at times. sometimes you manage to take a walk outdoors within the boundaries, but it’s not enough. “i just– i just want to be able to go outside without worrying.”
yuji’s stomach sinks as he removes his jacket and shoes, sliding into his slippers before shuffling towards you. he stands behind you and places his broad palms comfortingly on your shoulders. your heart leaps from the touch.
“i’m sorry,” he apologizes. “i know this isn’t ideal right now. i’m just afraid if you leave, they’ll find you and–”
“i know,” you switch off the burner and sigh, turning to face him with a sad smile, “you don't have to explain. i know i have every right to walk out of here and risk my life, you’re not keeping me here unwillingly and you've never made me feel that way. you’ve never forced me.” he feels a bit relieved. “i know damn well the minute i step past the barrier, i’m fucked. anything could happen. i’m scared of that. at the same time, i’m going crazy in this space. it’s beautiful, it’s warm– fuck, i’ve never had a real home up until now– but i’ve also never been nauseous from the sight of white paint and now it’s all i ever feel lately.”
yuji feels awful. all this time, he never knew how you felt. he was so scared of what would happen to you that he believed his only option was to have you stay with him, somewhere he knew you wouldn’t be harmed. you’re right, he’s never forced you to stay, never said anything in order manipulate you into doing so. you could leave at any moment.
his fear clings onto his chest like stubborn glue and all he can do in that moment is hold you tight. you sink into him without hesitance, squeezing your arms firmly around his body. you feel a tear land on your exposed shoulder.
“i’m sorry,” yuji croaks, fingers curling hopelessly into the material of your shirt, “i’m so sorry you’re unhappy. i never wanted you to feel that way again.”
“it’s not your fault,” you assure him, nails running comfortingly up and down his back, “it’s the world’s for being so cruel.”
he leans back enough to look at you, following your thumbs until they land on his cheekbones to wipe away his tears. he sniffles, and he can’t stop staring into your eyes– they’re so pretty and bright, despite you sharing you’re feeling so empty. your gaze catches his, and in that moment, time stops. the ramen has been long forgotten, and his face sears beneath your hands.
“yuji,” you call his name gently.
he sucks in a shallow breath as if he hadn’t had oxygen in years. “yeah?”
“i love you.”
his eyes grow wide, but he doesn’t look away. “you– you what?”
your smile makes his chest want to explode. you are the most beautiful person to ever grace the world in his eyes. “i love you,” you repeat, feathering your thumbs across his cheeks again. this time, with the intention of showing him your deep affection, rather than trying to rid him of his heartbroken tears. “i love you, yuji itadori. you’ve shown me nothing be pure love since the day we met, and i’m forever grateful for that. i can’t imagine my life without you. i wouldn’t be alive if it weren’t for you. despite my own inner battles, you have made me the happiest person on earth.”
he releases a strained sound as his head falls forward, chest erupting with laughter a few seconds later in both joy and disbelief. “holy fuck,” he huffs, “i– i never thought i’d hear those words coming from you.”
“is it that shocking?” you tease, dropping your hands from his face to rest them at his waist again. “i thought i was doing a good job at dropping hints.”
“unfortunately, i was too preoccupied with my own feelings towards you to notice.”
you stick your tongue out playfully and move your head in closer to his. “does that mean you love me, too?”
“guess i’m not the only one who missed all the hints.” he smirks.
your lips finally press together, and it feels like centuries of pent up love are being poured into each other at this moment. his hands hold your jaw so delicately firm while he deepens the kiss, pressing your back against the front of the stove. you’re both completely breathless when you decide to break apart, pressing your temples against one another as you take a minute to catch your breath.
“i love you so fucking much, y/n,” yuji exhales, “i won’t allow you to feel so broken anymore.”
“yuji itadori.”
yuji jumps from the low roar originating out of yuta as he storms into the training room, slamming the door shut behind him. he’s never used his full name like that, and he’s only ever seen him this angry at persistent cursed spirits.
yuji swallows hard, feeling afraid of his friend and boss for the first time in a very long time. he opens his mouth to speak, but yuta’s booming voice stops him before he can.
“how long?” he’s pacing along the floor, clenching his jaw so hard yuji thought it might break. “how fucking long have you been housing that curse?”
yuji feels dizzy, ears beginning to ring as he starts spiraling into a panic. fuck, fuck, fuck! how did he find out?
“answer me!”
his breath shakes. “s–six months.”
yuta’s jaw falls slack, and then laughs hysterically in shock. “six… six months? are you fucking serious right now?” yuta loses his balance for a moment, yuji running over to his side to help him sit down on the couch in the room. this amount of stress can’t be good for an elderly man. yuta slaps his hand away, “don’t touch me,” and yuji flinches, stepping back.
“i’m sorry…” he exhales, darting his eyes towards the ground, “y/n doesn’t want to hurt anyone–”
“it has a name?” yuta scoffs. “yuji, i trusted you to do your job! katsushika is obliterated because of that thing, and you’ve been protecting it this whole time?” yuji feels scared. “you, of all people, should know how dangerous curses of that grade are!” he glares at him, irises full of disappointment. “you’re on probation for the foreseeable future. starting today, you’re only handling paperwork.”
“yuta– wait, let me explain–”
“what possible explanation could you have for this?”
“my experience with sukuna is exactly why i saved y/n! they’re not like the others, they’re like me!”
“where’s your proof?”
yuji goes quiet. “i… haven’t found it yet. i just… feel it.”
yuta sighs, leaning forward into his hands as his elbows rest on his knees. “a week. one fucking week to plead your case and if you have nothing, it’s over. i’m being lenient here, giving you the benefit of the doubt.” he looks up at yuji’s panicked expression, “your insatiable desire to help others that you see yourself in is going to get you and everyone else killed.”
“i won’t let that happen.” yuji swears.
yuta’s smile tries to be empathetic, but its sad. “tell that to the thousands dead in katsushika.”
yuji feels sick when he returns home to you that evening. he fully expected to find you already dead on his floor, assuming yuta to have sent men without a warning to storm into his apartment before he confronted him earlier, regardless that he offered him a chance to prove his argument. he thought maybe it was a bluff. a situation like this would be the only time the rule of ‘not showing up unannounced’ could be nullified.
but you’re there, smiling so brightly at him from the kitchen counter as you hold up a pot of steaming, freshly made omurice to show off. yuta truly hadn’t made any moves yet.
“hi, yu,” you beam, “i made dinner! sorry i didn’t wait for you, i was starving,” you chuckle, placing the pan back on the trivet.
he can’t help it. yuji bursts out into tears, falling to his knees as his sobs echo piercingly off the walls. you feel frantic, spoon clanging against the plate as it drops from your hand, jumping out of the stool immediately to go to him.
“yuji?” you pry gently, “baby, what’s wrong?”
“they know,” he gasps, wetting the floor as he grasps at you desperately. “s–somehow they found out about you.”
“oh,” is all you say, pulling him closer against your chest. this is something you expected to happen eventually, and frankly, you were surprised it hadn’t sooner. a few tears of your own spill out as yuji sobs into your chest, your two bodies sitting helplessly on the kitchen floor. “hey, it’s going to be okay,” you try coax him, “i’m still here, i’m alive.”
“i–i don’t know,” he chokes, head tilting up to look at you. his tears have slowed a little, though his heart is still deeply shaken. “if i can’t figure out what– who you are in a week, then they’re going to kill you.”
you kiss him gently, being sure your lips tell him that you’re safe for now. “we’ll figure it out, i know we will.”
the knocking comes three days later while you’re home alone. it’s loud and impatient, your body jerking abruptly from the sudden bang on the door.
you don’t move at first. it’s very easy to tell it’s not yuji on the other side. you cautiously lift your body from the couch, careful not to creak the floor as you slowly shift towards the balcony. the fire escape offered you a way out.
the knocking starts again, this time more thunderous than before, just as you slide open the balcony door.
your eardrums rupture as there’s a clang similar to the bullet yuji shot away from you the night you met, the door slamming open aggressively against the wall seconds later as your eyes meet those of the intruder.
tsurugi’s look brutally cold, and you freeze in place.
why is he here? wasn’t he the one who helped you and yuji?
it starts to make sense. of course it does. he’s the only other person who knows about you. who else would have opened their mouth to yuta?
“good to see you again, y/n.”
his voice makes you want to vomit. you’re breathing heavily, dragging your weighted body towards the fire escape. but tsurugi’s quicker than you, grabbing your waist and pulling you back over the balcony railing and into the apartment. you kick and scream, his hand slamming over your mouth before anyone else can hear.
“we can do this the easy way or the hard way,” he grits, gripping you harsher. tears flood your eyes as you continue to squirm, but there’s no point. you can’t fight back here without your abilities, and not when you’re drowning in panic, body weak. “hard way it is, then.”
his fingers press into the side of your neck, your vision quickly growing blurry as everything fades to black.
where you awake is cold and dark. there’s a distant echo of water droplets, and soon you understand yourself to be underground somewhere, perhaps a cave.
“thank god, you’re alive.”
your head turns sharply towards the voice, eyes growing wide at the sight of yuji in front of you. he’s chained to the wall, managing to drag himself in your direction enough to be a little closer to you. still, several feet of space remains.
“yuji–” the clanging is loud as you feel the pressure on your own wrists, realizing right then you, too, are chained. “where are we? what’s going on?”
“i–i have no idea. i just know tsurugi–”
“good morning, sunshines.” tsurugi sings, making a dramatic entrance into the space.
yuji’s scowling, shaking angrily as he pulls at the metal. “what the fuck is this, tsurugi? why are you doing this?”
“because,” his smile disgusts you. it’s full of arrogance and downright evil. “weaklings like you have no place in this world.”
“what?” yuji spits, grinding his teeth, “if anyone’s weak here, it’s you. couldn’t even fight without being a coward about it first, chaining us to a damn wall?” tsurugi’s nostrils flare as he picks up his foot, shoving the heel of his boot into yuji’s chest. he groans as his back slams against the protruding rocky wall behind him, then laughs in pure rage and pain. “you should have tried me back then, tsurugi.”
“shut the fuck up or i won’t hesitate to kill you now.”
“yeah?” yuji looks crazy. “pretty easy to figure out this place you’ve got us in is nullifying our abilities, but do you know how to kill someone without your crutch? think you can swing your sword with no cursed energy and actually get a hit from it?”
yuji keeps pushing and you stay silent. you’re not sure what you could say to change anything, nor do you know if tsuguri is capable of what yuji is suggesting.
tsurugi grabs yuji’s jaw and tilts it upwards aggressively. he digs his heel further, making sure it stings, as his fingertips bury into the hollows of his cheeks. “keep talking and see what happens, bastard.” he seethes, releasing his head harshly enough that it slams against the rocky wall. yuji grunts in agony, but he’s not afraid of him.
yuta’s already suspicious when he doesn’t hear from yuji that morning. he’s never been one to skip out on work without a heads up first, so naturally, he’s concerned.
tsurugi rushes into headquarters around noon without a word, brushing past his grandfather. must have been a difficult assignment, he thinks. or… something is extremely off about his energy.
yuta’s brows furrow as he follows tsurugi into the training room, just observing for a few moments before he announces his presence. tsurugi is raging, practically pounding holes into the punching bag with each hook.
“fucking asshole,” he mutters to himself. hit. “i’m gonna kill him, i swear to god.”
“tsurugi.”
yuta’s voice causes him to pause, slowly backing away from the equipment. “hey, gramps,” he greets, acting as if nothing is wrong, “is there something you need? i’m kind of busy here.”
his eyes narrow slightly, but not too much. “i was just curious if you’d heard from yuji at all. he’s never failed to show up without calling in first.”
yuta notices. the flinch of tsurugi’s thumb, the subtle tightening of his jaw, the quiver in his step. he knows something.
“no idea,” tsurugi shrugs, quickly darting his eyes back to the punching bag.
yuta’s ability to lie convincingly surely didn’t pass on to his grandson. “well, if you hear from him, let me know.” he says simply before taking his leave.
once he’s back in his office, he quickly calls his most trusted agent to gather a few men for patrol.
“follow him,” he says, “tsurugi’s up to something. stay low and out of sight, you got it?” there’s a low grunt in agreement on the other side of the speaker.
“yuji,” you wince, watching as he hammers the metal of his cuffs against a protruding piece of the rock wall, “please stop, you’re hurting yourself!”
he hisses as the gravel stabs his palms for the god knows time, pointlessly adding to his already bloody and bruised skin.
“but i think i almost–”
“yuji.”
he blinks at you, eyes lowering as his face grows into a look of defeat. he knows you’re right. he’s desperate, but his strategy isn’t working. he’s only wounding himself.
tsurugi walks in shortly after, carelessly sliding a plate to each of you with a dinner roll and a few cheese blocks.
yuji snorts,“what is this, the renaissance?" then scoffs, “why are you even bothering to feed us when you’re going to kill us both anyway?”
“because i do have some sense of moral,” tsurugi huffs.
“hm.”
eating with cuffed hands is a bit of a challenge, but doable. tsurugi just stares at you and yuji as you eat, like he is plotting how to end you both right in that moment. he might as well have poisoned you two by now– that seems like the fastest, simplest way.
there’s a loud, booming clatter from just beyond the rocky wall behind tsurugi, presumably near the entrance of where he regularly departs and returns. you drop the bread out of your hand startled. tsurugi whips his head in the direction of the sound, unsheathing his sword.
“what the hell?” he mutters. “who–” there’s a loud wisp through the air just before he screams, back slamming harshly into the gravel a second later. his hand cups his shoulder where he had been shot, gritting his teeth. “fuck!” he growls in pain, looking at his palm to see it stained with blood.
three men in black suits enter the space just then with guns pointed at tsurugi, none of whom you recognize. yuji gasps beside you when a fourth body emerges from behind the three of them.
“yuta?” he questions in shock. “what are you doing here?”
“i figured something was wrong when you hadn’t shown up to work without notice earlier this week,” he replies, “and my grandson here is a terrible liar.” he glares at tsurugi still hissing in pain in the corner, now restrained by the three suited men. “i had some of my men follow him.” yuta takes a few more steps forward, stopping just mere inches away from your malnourished, shivering body. he sends you an apologetic smile, kneeling down as he takes off his coat to drape over your shoulders. “you must be y/n.” he retrieves a small handgun from his belt, aiming perfectly at the cuffs to break the metal off without harming you. you sigh in relief once your wrists are freed.
yuji’s watching the interaction, still dumbfounded by the turn of events. did yuta find something out about your curse in his absence? he wants you dead, so why is he acting so kind and freeing you?
yuta silently backs away from you, then approaches yuji, offering the same warmth from the cardigan layer he had hidden underneath the jacket. yuji blinks, watching as a gentle smile appears on his face just as he finishes wrapping it around his shoulders. “here,” he says, then makes the same precise shot, metal clanking on the ground moments later.
whilst both you and yuji sit there at a loss for words, yuta begins to speak further. “i… may have figured out what– who y/n is,” he says. his face doesn’t read very happy about it, and yuji’s stomach twists sickeningly. yuta takes a deep breath, then looks directly at you. “it seems you are a dark reincarnation of susanoo, god of storms.” your eyes widen, heart pounding violently. suddenly, the chaotic, clouded dust that always surrounded you makes sense. he looks back at yuji, “i know you don't want it to be the truth, but y/n is a curse. separation is not possible.”
“is the energy something that can be contained?” yuji dares to ask, swallowing hard.
yuta’s hopeless expression doesn't seem to waver. slowly, he shakes his head. “it is far too powerful for even the strongest of sorcerers to control. the only solution is–”
“death,” you complete his sentence, voice low and breathy, but everyone in the room catches it all the same. this is something you have always felt deep within since you were old enough to understand you were different, but tried to ignore it. “the only way it can be stopped is by killing me.”
yuta’s eyes drop to the gravel with a deflated sigh. “yes.” he says. “that’s correct.”
“what?” yuji’s eyes are bursting out from his head as he crawls over towards you, wrapping you tightly in his arms. he looks at yuta again, “how, then? how is it that the suppression barriers are working? if the power is too strong, then why–”
“i don’t know, yuji,” yuta answers honestly, “but if y/n steps outside of the barrier, japan is done for. we’re lucky their full power hadn’t been realized yet when they were roaming around katsushika. but we don’t know how much time we have left until that time comes. and it will.”
“you’re not fucking killing y/n!” yuji yelps, shaking helplessly as he keeps you close.
“he has to,” you gulp, shivering as tears begin to form in your eyes. “if he doesn’t, i’ll destroy everything. he’s right.” you inhale a sharp breath, “i–i can’t live inside the barriers for the rest of my life. that’s a prison sentence,” you look at him, eyes pleading, “death will grant me freedom.”
“y/n…”
you kiss him, feeling the wet tears dripping from his own eyes splash against your cheeks as you stay tightly pressed together, savouring the sweet and final moment together. yuji rests his forehead against yours with his eyes squeezed shut as you pull away. “let me go with you,” he huffs, “i’ve lived over eighty years. that’s long enough.”
“yuji,” yuta calls him, “you know i can’t let that happen. we need you. you’re all we have left that can handle–”
“kill. me.”
yuta’s breath hitches in his throat, chest tightening at the determination burning in his comrades eyes. he wasn’t going to back down.
“you know there are others that are just as strong as me,” yuji asserts, “don’t pretend that’s not true!”
yuta stays silent, simply motioning one of the three men to step up beside him, the other two still keeping tsurugi restrained.
“are you sure you want this?” yuta asks yuji calmly.
yuji nods. “yes,” he answers in confidence. “if y/n has to die, then i die, too.”
yuta quietly guides the guard to help you and yuji out of the underground– the cursed bullet won’t work inside, as its been established. you and yuji stay obediently perched just beyond the exit, fear glossing over your irises as you stare at the two men, still holding onto each other tightly.
yuta’s hands shake as he releases the second gun from the holster– the ones used back in the cave earlier were full of regular bullets– then lifts the barrel and points it straight at your head. he can hardly stomach ending your life as it is, after understanding yuji’s love and devotion to you, but he definitely doesn’t have any will to do the same to his dear friend, someone he has known for so much of his life. he silently commands the guard to point his gun at yuji.
“i’m sorry it had to end this way,” yuta’s throat cracks with remorse, tears forming in his eyes as the two of them pull the trigger.
the last thing you feel is yuji’s hand grasping onto yours as a puff of smoke clouds your vision before total darkness.
