Chapter Text
Itadori never wanted to hurt Junpei. All he wants to see when he looks up at him standing over the unconscious bodies of his peers is the friend he laughed with, but he can’t ignore the suffering he’s causing. That doesn't mean he wants to hurt him though, and that’s what he tells himself in his anger, born out of frustration and confusion. Itadori avoids his attacks as much as he can, dodging and running, but he can only do that for so long. He still holds his breath as he punches Junpei hard enough to send him flying through the window, sending shattered glass everywhere, and sighs in relief when he sees his jelly-fish like Shikigami cushion his fall. Itadori still feels a pang of guilt when he hits him again, launching him back into the building and going in after him.
While Junpei pulls himself up and is still on his knees, recovering from his attack, Itadori lets out all his frustration and disappointment, his voice cracking as he yells. Above all he feels betrayed. It’s as if he barely knows the boy slumped over in front of it, as if that time they spent together didn't mean anything. But everything changes when Junpei cuts him off with a shout, taken aback by his shrill cry. He gasps and stares with wide eyes as tears start to roll down Junpei’s face, soon flowing down freely. When he lifts his head up, framed by wild hair that hangs in his face, Idatori can finally see the pain in his eyes. His expression is twisted in confusion and agony, and he realizes he isn’t acting out of anything inherently evil at all.
That’s why Itadori doesn’t dodge the next attack. He just lets the Shikigami impale his shoulder and side, hunching over and clenching his jaw as he bears the pain. It’s not a lethal wound, at least not for now and not for him. And he’s sure Junpei has suffered more, and is suffering more, than he is right now. He just didn’t stop to consider his friend’s reasons.
“Why didn’t you dodge it?” Junpei’s voice is softer than before and trembles slightly, his eyes full of horror and guilt. The Shikigami behind him dissolves, leaving Itadori’s wounds empty and letting them bleed, but he ignores it in favor of approaching Junpei.
Itadori walks slowly, limping and leaving a trail of blood behind him. “Sorry,” he chokes out weakly, “I said a lot of self-important stuff without understanding anything.” Each step feels heavier than the last but he makes it in front of Junpei, and his body is already working to heal itself thanks to Sukuna, the cursed spirit remaining dormant.
He lowers himself down, crouching so he’s eye level with him, “Tell me what happened.” He leans forward, meeting Junpei’s watery eyes with intense ones of his own, “I swear I won’t curse you anymore,” he promises, his voice firm, “So please...tell me.”
Junpei’s whole body shakes and he brings his hands up to wipe away his tears, but more just come streaming down from his puffy eyes. He lets his hands drop in his lap and he stares down at them as he talks, his voice shaking just as much as his limbs. “I-I...I found her at home and she was-!” He shakes his head and sniffles, “I w-wasn’t there and, my mom...I could barely recognize her, it was so bloody a-and…” Itadori tenses when he realizes what this is really about, his chest tightening painfully, and he so desperately wants to say something but he lets Junpei finish. “I-It was a curse attack, nothing else could have done that...and she’s gone, I-I didn’t even get to say goodbye.”
Itadori swallows down a bitter lump in his throat and reaches out to cradle Junpei’s trembling hands, “No way...Your mom…” Junpei doesn’t say anything in return, only letting out quiet sobs. It’s easy for Itadori to understand Junpei’s downwards spiral to where he is now, and the answer to his seemingly hopeless situation is just as easy, at least to him.
With a sharp inhale, Idatori’s sad eyes harder and he squeezes Junpei’s hands to get him to meet his gaze. “Junpei, come to Jujutsu Tech,” he says firmly, although his voice is still soft, “There are lots of crazy strong teachers and reliable friends there.” Junpei stares at him in disbelief and his tears dry up, watching Itadori get more impassioned. “If we all work together, I’m sure we can find whoever cursed your mom. Then you can make sure they get their due!” he exclaims, “Let’s fight together!”
Junpei is speechless for a moment, unable to wrap his head around why Itadori would want to help him, especially after hurting so many people and hurting him. The offer is tempting, particularly because Itadori is a part of it, and maybe he can let himself want something good. Junpei feels himself start to nod and words of agreement are right on his tongue but Itadori snaps his head up when he hears footsteps coming from the dark stairwell.
A strange man reveals himself with open arms, long light hair tumbling over his shoulders and his pale skin covered in stitches. “Who are you?” Itadori demands, not noticing the recognition in Junpei's tired eyes as he looks back at him. The newcomer doesn’t respond and Itadori stands when he saunters down the stairs, taking a defensive stance while Junpei stays seated.
“Nice to meet you, vessel of Sukuna,” he muses. Itadori narrows his eyes and tries to read him, feeling pulsing energy coming off of him that isn’t human at all, even though he looks and talks like one. He’s never seen a cursed spirit like this before but there’s no other explanation. His realization is too late, and before Itadori can do anything, the cursed spirit’s arm swells and transmutes before shooting out towards him.
“Mahito, wait!” Junpei protests, in a panic, but the arm flies right past him and slams Itadori against the window.
He grunts as all the air in his lungs is knocked out and he struggles under the hold of the giant hand, glaring at Mahito’s almost playful expression. Itadori can’t help but feel stupid for getting himself into this sitaution, he should have realize Junpei must not have been the only one involved and he definitely should have recognized Mahito based on what Nanami told him. And now he hasn’t exactly left himself with many options. His first thought goes to the still panicked boy standing there frozen.
“Junpei, run!” he shouts, “I don’t know what relationship you have with him, but right now, just run! Please!”
Junpei turns to face him, a confused look in his eyes, and he opens his mouth to protest, to tell Idatori to calm down and that Mahito isn’t a bad person but deep down he knows that isn’t true. He knows what he did to all those people was wrong. The urgency, and above all concern, in Itadori’s voice and the menacing energy creeping closer behind him forces his body to move before his mind can tell it to. He sprints down the hallway with tears blurring his vision, barely knowing where he’s going, and just narrowly misses Mahito’s hand reaching out for him.
Mahito doesn’t seem to expect him to run, pouting a bit, and in his momentary distraction he loosens his hold on Itadori just slightly. But it gives him just enough wiggle room and time to kick him off, letting his cursed energy flow through him and channelling it into the kick. With Junpei having made his escape, and hopefully running far away or hiding somewhere nearby, Itadori feels no reservations about letting himself be taken by his rage, all controlled through his cursed energy. Maybe the exercises Goju had him do were actually pretty useful.
Itadori ignores the pain of his steadily healing wounds and does the same for the new ones he collects throughout the fight. He continues pushing through the pain to keep attacking Mahito, driven by his anger in Junpei’s stead, and thankfully Sukuna can easily block Mahito from transfiguring him, although he doesn't seem to be interested in helping any more than that. Itadori doesn’t realize how remarkable it is that he can actually hit the cursed spirit and inflict damage until Nanami comes to his aid just in time, relieved to have extra help. Although the older man ends up needing his assistance rather soon, Idatori’s able to break through Mahito’s domain while the other is trapped inside.
In the heated urgency of the battle Itadori doesn’t think to mention Junpei, only remembering he’s out there somewhere, waiting for him, when he’s slumped over on the ground, barely able to move after sinking all his energy into one last attack. An attack that didn’t work. If he had the energy, he would be pissed Sukuna was the one to send Mahito running. The cursed spirit was no doubt injured but he managed to slip away through a sewer grate, and no matter how much Itadori screams at his body to move, his muscles only twitch pathetically. Even in this state, he can only think about Junpei, his murderous anger towards Mahito an afterthought.
His eyelids flutter and he struggles to hold onto his consciousness, his vision blurring as Nanami comes into view. He’s crouching over him with concern in his eyes, and he’s shouting his name. Or at least he thinks he is, his voice drowned out by the ringing in his ears. Itadori manages to rasp out a few words before his body finally gives up on him and he passes out, his mind enveloped in darkness.
“J-Junpei...I have t-to...find him.”
Itadori isn’t sure how long he’s been out by the time he comes to, but he sees the grey sky when he opens his eyes. He’s laying on his back, Nanami must have rolled him over, and when he turns his head he sees they’re still outside on the school grounds. Itadori sits up slowly with a groan, his wounds still hurt but he must have healed enough to wake up. He lifts his head to see Nanami standing with his back towards him, relaying orders over the phone. Itadori can hear the sound of cars driving towards them nearby, assuming it’s backup Nanami called in, but he doesn’t care about that.
“Did you find him?” He gets the other’s attention and he turns around, saying a few more words before hanging up on whoever was on the other line.
Nanami ignores the question for now and approaches him, “How are your injuries?”
“Fine,” Itadori lies, bringing his hand up to his shoulder, “Did you find Junpei?” he asks again.
“The kid? No, not yet,” he replies bluntly, “I had the area blocked off to hunt down that cursed spirit but we haven’t been able to find him. So I don’t think the kid could be far off either.”
Itadori nods and slowly pulls himself up onto shaky legs, waving away Nanami’s approach to help. “Okay, he must have hidden somewhere after I told him to run. I need to go find him.” He starts making his way towards the school building and Nanami wordlessly walks beside him, only saying something about it when Itadori shoots him a curious look.
“I’m not going to let you seek out a potentially dangerous curse user by yourself, especially when you’re still injured.”
Itadori presses his lips together and casts his gaze downward, “He’s not dangerous. He’s just...misguided and in pain.” Nanami only grunts in response to the whispered words.
They start by going back to where Itadori last saw Junpei, pausing when he sees his tears still on the floor along with his own dried blood. He goes in the direction he ran in and they walk quietly, occasionally calling out his name. They cover any directions Junpei could have run in, check in rooms and down hallways. The effort seems fruitless until Itadori catches the worn down label on a closed door that reads ‘Film Appreciation Club.’
“He’s in here,” he says firmly before even opening the door.
“How do you know?” Nanami’s question isn’t answered but he’s surprised to find Itadori’s right when he opens the door. They step inside to find a trembling body cowering under one of the desks in the corner. Nanami immediately feels he isn’t a threat in his state, despite the cursed energy coming off of him, and he hangs back to let Itadori handle the situation. He doesn't think crowding the boy is going to help.
Itadori approaches cautiously, taking slow steps, but the sound of his shoes against the hard floor alerts Junpei and he jolts, nearly hitting his head on the underside of the desk. The panic fades from his eyes a bit when he recognizes Itadori and he crawls out from under the desk, getting to his feet and wiping away the dried tears from his face before he speaks up.
“W-what happened? I heard lots of yelling and fighting. Is Mahito okay?” he asks, the worry in his shaky voice obvious.
“He tried to kill us but we held him off,” Itadori answers bluntly, “He got away though...You do realize he’s a cursed spirit right? And he was using you and was going to hurt you eventually.”
Itadori doesn’t like the hesitant glance away from Junpei, or his shrug and refusal to answer. At least he seems unsure about it. He decides not to push the topic right now and smiles tenderly at him, “That doesn’t matter right now. All that matters is you’re okay and I was able to save you. And you’re gonna come with me to Jujutsu Tech, right?” he asks hopefully, well aware that he’ll have to come with them whether he wants to or not.
Junpei still looks unsure, and Itadori catches his eyes glancing behind him. He turns back to see Nanami standing by the doorway with his arms crossed. “Oh! That’s Nanami! He’s one of the sorcerers that went to Jujutsu Tech. He may seem scary but he’s really cool, he’s saved my ass a few times,” he tries to reassure him with a laugh.
Nanami greets him with a nod and keeps his distance, noticing how hesitant Junpei seems. “You obviously have talent so I’m sure we can find a place for you at the school. But we’ll need to discuss accommodations with Gojo and the principal,” he explains matter-of-factly, “Most of all, we will be able to keep you safe and give you a place to learn about your powers in the right way.”
Itadori nods quickly and grins, “Yeah! It’s a great place. And I’m there!” he exclaims, his heart fluttering when he sees a small smile graze Junpei’s lips, “My friends and I will keep you safe. And we’ll help you avenge your mom,” he adds, his expression turning serious for a moment. He reaches out his hand towards Junpei to take, holding his breath while he waits. Junpei stares at it for a moment before he accepts the offer, his fingers cold against Itadori’s.
Things move rather fast after that. Well, fast for Junpei. Itadori, on the hand, is eager to speed things up, if anything. They leave the school grounds after Nanami confirms that Mahito really did escape and leave the clean up and media for Iijchi. Nanami manages to meet with Gojo to discuss the situation, knowing he has more pull with the principal too, and he’s uncharacteristically serious, inspecting Junpei closely. Itadori can sense how uncomfortable he feels and steps in front of him, taking over answering Gojo’s questions when the other starts fumbling and stuttering. He’s obviously incredibly anxious about admitting to working with Mahito, and Itadori is careful with his words.
Gojo doesn't comment on his student’s actions and just raises his brow, a small smirk coming to his lips. After some deliberation, Gojo decides Junpei should stay with Itadori in the hideout. Afterall, Mahito will probably be looking for him and he doesn’t have anywhere else safe to stay. That way he can start basic training with Itadori while Gojo makes arrangements with the principal. Itadori practically beams when he hears that, grinning at Junpei and immediately telling him they’re going to have so much fun training together and promising to cook for him. Junpei just smiles faintly and takes his word for it.
The hideout isn’t very lavish at all. It’s clean and has basic necessities, the living room and kitchen both in the same large space with the bedroom and bathroom separated off to the side. It definitely looks like it’s underground, with the walls made of large stone bricks and no windows anywhere to be seen. Junpei looks around hesitantly as he pads inside, clutching a duffle bag full of belongings by his side.
“Well this is it!” Itadori exclaims, gesturing with his arms wide, “It’s not much but it’s home for now! Soon you’ll see Jujutsu Tech is much nicer!” Junpei just nods silently and notices the mess on the kitchen table, it looks like Itadori was just in the middle of cooking, and the clothes strewn about the basement apartment.
“Oh! Sorry about the mess,” Itadori mutters, embarrassed by the clutter and quickly trying to straighten up even though Junpei already saw everything. “I didn’t know I’d have company other than Gojo,” he says as he picks up dirty clothes off the floor, glancing behind him to look at his teacher leaning against the stairwell.
“Don’t worry about it,” Junpei mumbles as he walks further into the space, peering over the couch to see a bunch of DVDs organized in different piles on the coffee table and the floor next to the TV. He raises his brow and sets down his bag to pick up one of them, “Why do you have so many of these for?” he asks curiously, moving a few of the DVDs around so he can get a look at those hidden deeper in the pile, “I love some of these.”
Itadori is glad for the topic change and grins at the question, “Those are for Jujutsu training!” he exclaims, getting a confused look from Junpei, “Gojo has me watch the movies while I focus on keeping my cursed energy steady, so I can learn not to let my emotions affect the output.” Junpei doesn't look completely convinced and even Itadori seems a little unsure. He just laughs and rubs the back of his head, “It made more sense when Gojo explained it.”
“That’s basically what it is,” Gojo adds as he pushes himself off the wall, “But you’ll find out more tomorrow when I come back to start training both of you. I can assess where you’re starting from, Junpei,” he hums, noticing the boy tense up. “I’ll leave you two for the night,” he starts to turn around to head out but looks behind his shoulder to add something.
“Oh, and there’s only one bed,” he says with a cheeky grin, “I’m sure you two will figure it out until we bring in another one. Have fun!” He exclaims childishly and waves, halfway up the stairs already.
Junpei’s face is flushed bright red and he clutches the DVD he was holding against his chest, his eyes flickering up at Itadori before immediately looking at the floor. He can’t even think about sharing a bed with the boy without his cheeks heating up even more. He’s too embarrassed to talk first, but thankfully he never has to worry about that with Itadori.
“I didn’t think about the bed,” he mutters, blushing just as hard, “But I can take the couch until we get a second one! I can move my stuff out of the bedroom so that can be your space.” Itadori misses the disappointment in Junpei’s eyes, the other still averting his gaze as he nods a bit.
“Oh...Okay, that works,” he mutters, biting back his instinct to insist that it isn’t necessary. He doesn't want to look completely pathetic in front of Itadori.
There’s a moment of awkward silence where neither of them really know what to do. Itadori is so used to being in this space alone he feels weird about another person being here, even though it’s not a bad kind of weird. He wants Junpei here, and he wants him to feel comfortable. But that’s not something Junpei is used to, and he can’t help but feel guilty about being in Itadori’s space.
“Well!” Itadori breaks the silence, “This is usually around the time when I cook dinner so I’ll make us something and you can get settled in my-in your room?” he suggests, gesturing towards one of the two doors that Junpei assumes is the bedroom. He just nods and mutters a quiet agreement, heading into the room with his bag. Junpei makes the effort of unpacking slowly so he doesn’t have to go out there until dinner is ready. It’s not that he doesn’t like Itadori, quite the opposite actually, he just needs space for himself with everything that’s happened.
Eventually the food is ready and Itadori calls Junpei out, setting down two bowls of beef and broccoli over rice on the small table. Junpei thanks him quietly and the moment he takes a bite he immediately exclaims how good the food is and starts eating faster.
“Thanks! I really like cooking actually, especially for my friends,” he replies with a grin, “I used to cook all the time for my grandpa! He liked this meal especially.”
Junpei notices the sad smile on his face and freezes, immediately feeling guilty, “Oh! I’m sorry. When did he…?”
Itadori just shakes his head and smiles reassuringly, “No worries, and it was a few months ago. I miss him but...I try to think about all the time I did get to spend with him. And he wouldn't have wanted me to be too sad.” He takes another bite, his mouth a little too full, and chews with his cheeks bulging slightly. He can immediately tell what Junpei is thinking about, or rather who he’s thinking about, from the grief stricken look in his eyes. But he doesn't pry and just waits for him to speak up.
“I tried to cook for my mom,” Junpei mutters, poking at a piece of broccoli in his bowl, “I wasn’t very good at it,” he adds with a dry laugh, “She didn’t cook a lot either so we had a lot of instant food and take out...But sometimes we’d find the time to cook together.” His voice gets choked up and he stops talking, taking another bite of his food to fill his mouth.
“We can talk about something else, you know?” Itadori offers, his voice and eyes tender.
Junpei nods and sighs shakily, forcing a thankful smile, “Sure...Tell me about your teacher? He seems like a pretty odd guy…” He couldn’t have asked a better question and Itadori immediately launches into a rant about Gojo, telling Junpei the best stories he has while gesturing wildly. And soon he has him laughing, tears coming to his eyes. Itadori decides he never wants to see him cry from anything other than happiness again.
The pair spend quite a while just talking, even while Itadori cleans up and washes the dishes. Junpei is surprisingly talkative when he gets him started about something he’s passionate about, and the conversation is quickly steered towards movies. Itadori’s glad he can actually participate in the discussion this time since he’s seen a lot of the movies he’s bringing up. Before they know it it’s gotten pretty late and Itadori decides it’s time to go to bed when he notices Junpei struggling to keep his eyes open and yawning constantly. He only protests a little bit before reluctantly getting ready for bed in the bathroom. When he comes out he finds Itadori preparing the couch, laying out a blanket and pillow. He mutters a quiet ‘good night’ and flushes when Itadori says it back loudly, grinning wide. Junpei averts his gaze and retreats to the bedroom, taking a while to get his heartbeat to slow down before he can even try to fall asleep.
Gojo abruptly wakes them up the next morning, barging into the basement and shouting loud enough for Itadori to fall off the couch in surprise. He groans as he stands up from the floor and rubs his head, “Gojo? What are you doing here so early?”
“Early?!” Gojo laughs heartily, “It’s nearly eleven! You two slept in quite late, huh?” He glances at the bedroom door when it creaks open and Junpei pokes his head out curiously, his hair still wild and sticking out in all directions. “Well, you two better get ready quick. We’re going to train today!”
Itadori sighs loudly and shoots a smile over to Junpei, saying good morning and insisting he use the bathroom first. They get ready and have a quick breakfast, Gojo annoying them to eat faster. He doesn’t even let them clean up before ushering them to the center of the room, where there’s the most space.
“Okay!” Gojo claps his hands and faces an obviously very nervous Junpei, “I know Itadori’s skill level but I need to see where you’re at so just show me what you can do. Don’t worry about hurting me or anything, I can very easily block you. I’m the strongest.”
Junpei furrows his brow and glances at Itadori with a hesitant expression, unsure if he believes the bold claim. He just laughs and pats his back reassuringly, the frail boy stumbling forward slightly from the force of the touch. “Don’t worry about Gojo! He is the strongest.”
He’s convinced enough and takes a deep breath as he closes his eyes, letting the cursed energy flow through his body. A large jellyfish-like creature with a semi-transparent blue body and electric yellow stingers manifests behind him. Gojo raises his brow at that and whistles, inspecting the Shikigami with interest as it floats, bobbing slowly. Itadori has seen it before but he didn’t have the chance to really look at it, he didn’t have time to while being attacked. And he has to admit the jellyfish is rather cute, especially with its black beady eyes. He wonders if it’s as squishy as it looks but he decides against touching it. Junpei gestures subtly and two of the tentacles extend and reach forward, spikes suddenly growing from the ends. He doesn’t attack though, just showing Gojo what he can do, and the man almost looks disappointed.
Gojo hums softly as he comes closer, poking at one of the tentacles and chuckling when it jiggles like he hoped it would. “This is a very interesting Shikigami,” he muses, “Other than the spikes, does it have any other traits?”
“Y-yeah, it has a poison too,” Junpei replies, “It’s paralyzing and burns the person with these black spots.” His voice gets quiet and he lowers his gaze, his mind elsewhere for a moment.
“That’s useful,” Gojo comments simply, “I do sense high levels of cursed energy, certainly enough to see curses and maybe exorcise them. But not enough to have an innate technique, especially not one that could conjure a Shikigami this big.”
What he’s saying isn’t phrased like a question but it’s obvious he’s asking for some sort of explanation from Junpei. He hesitates for a moment, pressing his lips together in a thin line, “Mahito taught me how to do it. He showed me my technique so I could fight.” That’s all he’s willing to admit but it’s enough for Gojo.
He nods slowly and hums to himself, pacing back and forth a few times while he talks. “I see, so normally you would not be able to have a cursed technique, or at least you wouldn’t be able to grasp it by yourself, but Mahito showed you it...I’ll need you to tell me more about him, but we’ll leave that to another time.” Junpei looks relieved he doesn't have to talk about that anymore, at least not yet.
Gojo stops to face the two boys again, “You can stop, Junpei,” he gestures at him with a wave, and he lets the Shikigami dissipate. “You both have similar things to work on, which is good. Junepi, you have a cursed technique and have the cursed energy to use it but only to a certain extent. At some point you will be limited if we don’t strengthen your foundations.”
He turns to point at Itadori, “And you don’t have a cursed technique yet so you use pure cursed energy and channel it into your martial arts. Both of you would benefit from continuing to learn how to control your emotions when using cursed energy.” Gojo glances at Junpei pointedly, watching him shrink from just his gaze, “You obviously have a lot of negative emotions to draw on, but you need to learn to do this in a controlled way. Your use of cursed energy is sporadic and wild when it needs to be constant. Since you're a fan of movies, this training should be fun for you. Itadori, get the doll.”
Itadori looks deflected and stalks off to get the cursed corpse from its spot by the TV, “I thought I was done doing that?”
“A refresher course is never a bad idea, plus I want you to do this with Junpei and show him how it’s done. We can continue working on territorial expansion soon enough.”
Junpei perks up at the mention of movies, having been hoping he would get to do that sort of training the moment Itadori mentioned it, and glances at Itadori while he brings back a strange looking plushie, “A doll?” he asks with a tilt of his head.
Gojo grins and holds up the doll by its head, wiggling it around so the long arms jostle. “That’s right!” he exclaims giddily, finding his confusion quite amusing. He throws it to Itadori and he fumbles a bit but manages to catch it. “Show him how it works.” Itadori nods and furrows his brow in concentration, a faint blue aura appearing around his hands as he channels cursed energy into the doll, the creature limp and snoring.
Without warning, Gojo screams while he jumps at him with his arms raised and reaching out to almost grab him. Itadori jumps up and gasps, the cursed energy spiking and the doll waking up to punch in a few times. He curses and drops the doll, rubbing his aching shoulder.
“W-What the hell! Warn me next time,” he mutters, glaring at his teacher. But his expression softens when he sees Junpei laughing, covering his mouth with his hand.
“That would have defeated the purpose,” Gojo jumps, bending down to pick up the doll. “Even though cursed energy is fueled by negative emotions we need to learn to control them. To keep the doll asleep, you need to provide it with a constant input of cursed energy without letting your reactions to whatever’s going on around you affect that, including a movie. Got that?”
Junpei nods hesitantly and gasps when he throws the doll to him, almost dropping it. He presses his lips together in a tight frown as he considers the training. He isn’t sure how good he’s going to be at this, controlling his emotions isn’t something he’s ever been good at, and Mahito encouraged him to let himself indulge in his anger. He never mentioned anything about trying to control it. Plus, he’s going to have to do it while watching movies of all things. They could not have picked a mundane activity that evokes more emotions for him.
Gojo leaves them to their training for the day, telling Itadori he's in charge and should guide Junpei. He immediately notices how uncertain Junpei is and reassures him that Itadori will help him, joking about how long it took him to get the hang of it. They settle on the couch and Itadori tries to find a movie Junpei doesn’t have too strong an opinion about, not wanting to start with something that’ll stir up too many emotions. It takes a while, and they get sidetracked with engrossing conversations a few too many times, but they find a cheesy action film to put on.
With both their hands on the doll, they get started. Junpei immediately finds out how difficult this is. Within the first few minutes, his cursed energy spikes and the doll wakes up, Junpei needing to force himself to calm down and only after the scene pases. This continues to happen and it doesn’t seem to get better as the movie progresses. If anything it gets worse, his right side soon aching from being hit so many times. He barely cares about the movie but even the small levels of investment cause his emotions to flare enough for the doll to wake up. Junpei’s frustration grows too, the boy huffing out and cursing each time he fails, and that only makes it worse. Itadori notices rather quickly how discouraged he’s getting, not having woken up the doll himself this whole time, but he doesn’t say anything for now, just checking in on him every now and then.
His difficulty with the training reaches its peak when there’s a flashback of the main character’s mother dying. Junpei immediately tenses up, his eyes going wide and his stomach turning in the worst way as he watches the scene unfold, having flashbacks of his own. Unsurprisingly, his cursed energy spikes and the doll reacts right away and lashes out at him. He cries out of frustration and winces at the hits, giving up and taking his hand off the doll. Itadori looks up at him in concern and opens his mouth to say something when he shoots up from his seat and throws the doll across the room with a yell. Junpei’s shaking hard and his hands are balled up into tight fists, struggling to hold tears back.
Itadori scrambles to grab the remote and pauses the movie, looking up at Junpei with concern in his eyes, “Are you okay? Sorry, I haven’t seen this movie before so I didn’t know it would have-”
“I’m just-! I can’t do this!” Junpei throws his hands up in frustration, “I can’t control my emotions or my energy or whatever! I suck at it and I should just go back to-!”
Before Itadori can think about what he’s doing he grabs Junpei’s hand, the boy falling silent and staring down at him with watery eyes and flushed cheeks. “Just because you can’t do it right now doesn’t mean you won’t even be able to,” he reassures him, his voice soft, “You have to be kinder to yourself. Why don’t we try it again, without the movie?”
He doesn't give Junpei the time to protest and squeezes his hand before going to grab the doll. He takes his hand again and pulls him down onto the couch, the doll between the two of them. Itadori holds the top of the toy with one hand and Junpei’s hand with the other, letting out a constant flow of energy.
“I don’t think I can-”
“Before you touch the doll again steady out your breathing first.” He ignores his protest and stares him down until he sighs loudly and nods. Junpei takes in a shaky breath and focuses on his breathing, trying to copy Itadori’s. When his breathing has steadied out, Itadori speaks up again. “Okay, good. Now focus on your emotions, but don’t dwell on them, just let them flow through your body. Don’t let them affect your breathing or your body, just accept them and let them leave.”
Once Itadori feels he might be ready, he brings Junpei’s hand over and places it on the doll, “Now, channel those emotions into cursed energy, but keep everything steady.” Junpei forces himself to maintain his balanced state and he lets out a weak flow of cursed energy, creating a purple aura. He watches with intrigue, expecting the doll to wake up. But it stays snoring.
Junpei grins wide and looks up at Itadori, “I’m doing it!” he exclaims giddily.
“Yeah! Of course you are!” Itadori beams and nods quickly, laughing with him.
Getting a little too excited, Junpei needs to take his hand off the doll and he sighs out of relief, “That felt...good,” he admits, “How did you learn how to say stuff like that? It didn’t seem like you…”
Itadori can’t deny that and smiles sheepishly, “One of the DVDs is a meditation guide so I just copied what they say, maybe we should have started with that one.” Junpei rolls his eyes and giggles, seeming to have forgotten his anger. He suggests they continue with the movies, wanting to try it out to see if he can maintain it for longer, but quietly asks if they switch to a different one. Itadori is already ahead of him and takes out the DVD, picking a light hearted animated film he’s seen a few times already. Junpei has a way easier time with it, and only wakes the doll up a couple of times, both of their faces shining with pride.
Needless to say, the pair spend a lot of time watching movies together during the first week in the hideout. Not that either of them mind. Junpei gets increasingly better at controlling his cursed energy output and they’re able to move on to movies he actually likes, happily ranting about the obscure films and their making and importance. Itadori is glad to just listen, but he often finds his eyes drifting over to Junpei, his heart fluttering while he watches the boy talk animatedly. Even though he is a little tired of watching movies all day long, he’ll never grow bored of spending time with Junpei. And thankfully Gojo reassures them it’ll be over soon.
He’s been stopping by at least once every two days to check in on their progress, drop off supplies, and update them on the situation on the outside. Apparently he’s been able to make arrangements with the principal to allow Junpei into the school, leaving out exactly how he was able to leverage that, but Itadori can’t help but feel disappointed it’ll only be after the Goodwill Event. He lets them know they’ll be able to join their classmates once everything is in order, particularly the guarantee of Junpei’s safety and getting all the necessary information from him about Mahito and his operation. He doesn’t know that much, and he’s nervous about admitting the details, obviously ashamed, but he reluctantly agrees to tell Gojo everything he knows.
While they’re still stuck in the hideout, Itadori and Junpei become more comfortable with each other. Particularly Junpei. And their conversations move away from just movies and Jujustu training. Itadori talks a lot about his life before becoming Sukuna’s vessel, and obviously Junpei asks to hear that story, his eyes shining bright and exclaiming that it sounds like a cool supernatural action movie he would love. Even though Itadori talks the most out of the two of them by far, he tries hard to get Junpei to open up, steadily showing him that he genuinely cares and wants to get to know him. And that’s not something he’s used to. Itadori has a tendency to bend social rules, like getting a little too close while they talk and blurting out personal details. Junpei isn’t really surprised since that’s just his personality and he has been pretty isolated. But he still never gets used to the sudden personal questions.
“Did you ever date anyone while you were in school?”
Junpei’s face feels like it lights on fire and he nearly chokes on his food, forcing himself to swallow down. That’s certainly not the kind of conversation he expected to have over dinner. He lowers his chopsticks and glances up to see Itadori staring with hopeful, eager eyes while he waits for an answer.
“Uh, no, not really,” he mutters, his voice laced with sadness, and he hesitates before adding, “I guess I did have crushes though.”
Immediately intrigued, Itadori shifts closer and leans forward with his chin resting on his hands and his elbows supporting him on the table. “Oh yeah? Like who?” he hums curiously, wiggling his eyebrows at him.
Junpei can’t help but giggle and waves his hand, “Oh, it was nobody important,” he tries to brush him off but Itadori doesn’t seem like he’s backing down, still staring intensely at him. He fidgets with his fingers and shrugs,“Just this...this guy,” he admits, looking down at his hands.
“Oh! A guy!” Itadori exclaims as he straightens up. Junpei tenses and half expects him to react negatively. But it’s quite the opposite, and Itadori couldn’t be more giddy, his heart pounding against his ribs. “That’s cool! I’ve had crushes on a few guys, never dated one though.”
“Really?!” Junpei snaps his head up, staring at him with wide eyes and a light blush on his face.
Itadori doesn’t seem to understand what part of that statement he’s surprised by though, “Yeah, I’ve only ever dated girls. Not ever for very long though.” While Junpei is still processing what he said, Itadori’s already moving the focus of the conversation back to him, “Tell me about your crush though? Do you have a type?”
Junpei’s cheeks only get hotter and he presses his lips together, “I didn’t know him very well but he was one of the only people at my school that was nice to me...And he was really good looking,” he adds with an awkward laugh, but Itadori just smiles and nods to encourage him to continue. Junpei shifts in his seat and has to think about the second question, pushing his food around in his bowl. It’s only when he looks back up at Itadori that he feels like he has a good answer. “A guy who’s strong, in body and heart, but is kind despite that.”
“I like skinny emo guys,” Itadori responds immediately, making Junpei sputter before he bursts out into nervous laughter. “And tall girls with big butts,” he adds with a grin. He finds Junpei’s reaction pretty funny, although he isn’t sure why he’s laughing.
“S-So do you have any crushes? Like right now?” he works up the courage to ask the question burning on his mind, his blush reaching all the way to his ears. His food is long forgotten and getting cold.
Now it’s Itadori’s turn to get embarrassed, something that rarely happens. He can’t help but smile to himself while he plays with his chopsticks, his own bowl empty by now. Someone immediately comes to mind and he guesses he can’t deny it any longer. “Yeah, this guy at Jujutsu Tech. His name’s Fushiguro,” he admits, not looking up to see the disappointment on Junpei’s face, “He’s pretty quiet and not very emotional but he cares a lot. And I miss him a lot.” He feels Sukuna’s interest peak at the conversation, and he’s relieved when he doesn’t interject, just paying more attention to what’s going on instead of laying dormant.
“O-Oh,” Junpei forces himself not to sound sad, “He sounds nice!” He tries to feel happy for Itadori. And he is, he’s his friend after all. But he can’t help the pang of jealousy in his chest. “Sorry you can’t see him though...When do you think you’ll be able to?”
Itadori shrugs and leans back in his chair, looking up at the ceiling. “I don’t know, whenever Gojo decides it’s a good time to reveal I’m, you know, alive,” he hums, his sad smile growing into a grin. “But then we’ll go to Jujutsu Tech together! And you’ll meet him and we’ll all be friends!” he exclaims excitedly.
Junpei can’t stop himself from smiling at the thought, even though that feels very far off and barely real to him. Why would Itadori’s friends want anything to do with him when they already have him? “I would like that, I’m sure your friends are really nice...And what about the guy? Are you gonna try to ask him out?” he asks, his curiosity getting the better of him.
From the look on Itadori’s face, it’s as if he’s never thought of the idea. He smiles to himself, his blush getting darker, and rocks his chair back a bit, balancing on the back legs. “I don’t know. Maybe? I don’t even know if he’s into guys so...I mostly just want to see him again, I don’t care if we just stay friends. But maybe I’ll think about it!” Junpei laughs at that and shakes his head, not understanding how he can approach stuff like that so casually, even though he obviously cares about it. Wanting to shift the conversation away from his crush, Itadori steers it in a completely different direction, not really one for subtlety.
“Hey! We should go watch a movie sometime!”
Junpei takes a moment to process what he said, the gears in his head turning, “But…That’s what we’ve been doing all day for over a week?!” His voice cracks a bit and he gives him a confused look, tilting his head. It’s not that he doesn’t want to hang out with Itadori, he very much enjoys spending time with him, and above all watching movies, but the sudden suggestion baffles him.
Itadori laughs loudly at that and shakes his head, “I mean like we should go out to a movie theater! I thought it might be fun to do something and I know you really like movies and you probably miss seeing them somewhere other than on a couch in a basement. Plus there are probably new ones that came out and I don’t want you to miss anything…”
He smiles sheepishly and looks at him hopefully, Junpei’s chest blooming with warmth. The thoughtful offer means more to him than Itadori can know, and he decides not to mention that he doesn’t really like new movies, or anything that’s come out in the past two decades. Junpei just nods with a smile, “I would love that...But is Gojo really gonna let us out of here? Wouldn’t that be dangerous?”
“I’ll talk to him! I’m sure I can convince him!” Itadori reassures him, “And we’ll make sure to be careful, we’ll wear disguises or whatever. It’ll only be for a few hours and then we’ll come right back here. It’ll be worth it to go out with you!” He stands up and starts putting away the dishes, and Junpei feels a bit more confident about the idea, especially with Gojo’s approval.
The next time Gojo comes to visit them in the hideout, Itadori excitedly mentions the idea. He seems a little surprised, figuring they spend enough time together as it is, and he glances between the two of them with a sly smile. He shakes his head and says something about it being too dangerous, reassuring them that they’ll be out of here soon. But Itadori insists, saying that they’ll only be out for a few hours and will wear disguises, and he tries to convince him by complaining about how difficult it’s been having to stay in the hideout for so long. Gojo crosses his arms and stares the pair down, unable to resist Itadori’s puppy eyes for long.
He rolls his eyes, not that they can see it, and reluctantly agrees. Itadori cries out in celebration and throws his arms around Junpei in a hug, surprising him but he returns it slowly, obviously not used to physical affection like this. Gojo does set some ground rules. They need to tell him exactly where and when they are going and text him about their movements, as well as turn on the location on their phones so he can track them if necessary, and lay low of course. Itadori readily agrees, too excited about going out to really mind any of that.
Junpei soon finds out that Itadori has a very different definition of what a disguise is and what it means to lay low. On the day they decide to finally go out, having picked a movie showing, Junpei comes out in black skinny jeans and hoodie with sunglasses and a baseball cap to find Itadori wearing something very different. He has on basketball shorts paired with red sneakers, a yellow hoodie, a fisherman’s hat, and red glasses with blue lenses.
“What-? What are you wearing?” he snorts, covering his mouth as he laughs.
Itadori faces him and looks down at his outfit in confusion, “It’s my disguise? Does it not look good?” He looks genuinely unsure what Junpei is talking about, and seems almost upset with a down turned pout.
“No-! It looks...It looks good,” Junpei stiffles his laughter, “I like it, it’s just...It’s not exactly ‘laying low.’ You’ll draw a lot of attention like that so maybe wear something dark?” He tries to let him down gently but he isn’t lying about the outfit looking good. It’s ridiculous and so far away from anything Junpei would wear but Itadori somehow looks great in it, his almost oblivious level confidence carrying the look.
Itadori presses his lips together and hums, thinking about it for a moment before he concedes. He slumps his shoulders and sighs dramatically, “Fine, I guess you’re right...I’ll go change. But take one more look to appreciate how good I look!” The grin returns to his face and he gives a spin, showing off his outfit and beaming proudly when Junpei laughs and claps for him. Turning on his heel, Itadori goes to find something else to wear in his suitcase of clothes, now laying open on the living room floor. He finds the plainest dark outfit he has and starts pulling off his hoodie and shirt underneath in the middle of the room.
Junpei’s eyes go wide and his face heats up, not realizing he would just get changed right in front of him. He nearly squeaks and quickly turns around to give him privacy, but not before he catches a look of his muscular back, trying desperately to erase the memory from his mind. It stays lodged in there though, even when Itadori says he’s ready and he turns around, wearing a much more appropriate outfit. Maybe going to the movie theater will make him forget about that.
It’s almost cathartic to finally feel the sun on their skin and the soft breeze again, neither of them caring that it’s a little too cold today. Itadori is giddy the moment they step outside and even happier when they’re walking down the streets of the city, almost forgetting to text Gogo that they left. He babbles excitedly and points out different stores and landmarks he remembers, Junpei glad to just listen. Itadori’s mood is infectious too and he finds himself feeling happier himself, not realizing how much he missed being outside. It’s easy to appreciate the little things in life with Itadori.
They take their time getting to the movie theater and buy tickets for a new horror movie that came out, Junpei has been meaning to see it and Itadori is happy to let him pick the movie. But he soon regrets not being more involved. It's only fifteen minutes into the movie and he’s already tense, gripping the popcorn bucket hard and his hand shaking as he brings fistfuls to his mouth. He glances at Junpei when he reaches over to grab some popcorn too and is shocked to see he’s completely relaxed, somehow grinning as he watches the screen intently.
“How are you not terrified right now?” Itadori whispers as he leans over towards him, wanting to keep his voice down even though they’re two of only a few people in the theater.
Junpei chuckles softly and raises his brow, “I didn’t expect a cool Jujutsu sorcerer to be wimp,” he teases, having gotten comfortable enough with Itadori to do that, “If you get too scared you can hold onto me,” he adds, only half joking.
Itadori pouts at him and glances at the screen worriedly, the music building, “I’m not a wimp!” he exclaims a bit too loud, “I just...I’m used to real life stuff and this is different cause I can’t do anything about what happens.”
“So fighting curses and transmuted humans is real life stuff?” Junpei asks with a soft laugh, “But a serial killer isn’t?”
“Exactly! You get it,” Itadori whispers back, not seeming to pick up on the sarcasm in his voice, and Junpei giggles with a shake of his head. He notices Itadori leaning in steadily closer until their sides are touching over the armrest between them, not that he minds at all. Right as Itadori starts focusing on the movie again instead of the popcorn, there’s a jump scare that Junpei saw coming a million miles away.
While Junpei laughs at it, Itadori nearly jumps out of his chair as he jolts, letting out a quiet yelp. He jerks so hard he almost throws the popcorn bucket from his lap, more than a few kernels going flying. Itadori instinvely grabs Junpei and clings onto him, eyes wide as the classic chasing scene through the house plays out. Junpei can’t stop himself from laughing at his reaction and only quiets down when someone a few rows behind them shushes them. He covers his mouth with his hand to try to quiet down but that only makes Itadori giggle with him, partly out of nervousness and the rush of adrenaline.
Even after Itadori calms down, he keeps holding onto Junpei, his grip tightening whenever something particularly scary happens. Junpei doesn’t mind at all and he even leans into it, trying not to think too much about how much he enjoys the intimate touch. Itadori only fully realizes how close they are when the movie ends and the lights slowly turn back on.
His eyes widen and he pulls away with a blush, “Oh! Sorry about clinging onto you the whole time...I think maybe I am a wimp when it comes to horror movies,” he apologizes with a laugh, smiling sheepishly.
Junpei blushes even harder than him and shakes his head, “I-It’s okay!” he sputters, “I said you could so...I-I don’t mind you holding me, or whatever,” he adds, his voice drifting off at the last part and he looks away.
Itadori looks relieved and grins, “Good!” he exclaims, “We should probably go back before Gojo gets mad,” he says as he stands up, the other people in the theater already making their way out. Despite what he said, they still go back the long way, just to enjoy being outside a bit longer. They don’t know when they’ll be able to leave again.
“Are you really not scared of real life things?” Junpei asks out of the blue while they walk back, still thinking about what Itadori said.
He looks at him with a soft hum and considers the question seriously, stuffing his hands in his pockets. “I wouldn't say I’m not scared, a lot of scary things have happened to me and I was definitely afraid while they were happening, but I don’t run away from stuff,” he replies with a soft smile, his mind elsewhere, “I’m not afraid of dying, that already happened to me,” he adds with a laugh.
Junpei can’t stop himself from laughing along with him, and he feels weird about making fun of something so serious but Itadori makes it comfortable, “If you’re not afraid of dying then what are you afraid of?” he asks after a moment.
“Not dying a good death,” Itadori answers immediately, his gaze hardening, “And not saving people I could have saved.”
The air around them is suddenly tense and Junpei is silent for a while, he’s not sure what he expected but it definitely wasn’t that. He can't help but admire Itadori, even his fears are brave. He smiles weakly and looks up at him almost in awe, “I wish I was like that. It’s not fun being afraid and regretting things…” His voice fades to a whisper and he looks down at the floor, at least until Itadori pulls his attention back with a sudden exclamation.
“I don’t think that’s a bad thing!” Junpei stares up at him, confused by his wide smile. “Being afraid sucks but it’s normal, and that means you actually think about stuff before you do it...Gojo and Fushiguri said I should work on that more,” he laughs softly, “And regretting things means you’re becoming a better person because you’re realizing your mistakes, rights?”
All of those things come so easily to Itadori, and they seem obvious to him, but Junpei struggles to wrap his head around it. It doesn’t see how being afraid could ever be a good thing. But maybe it doesn’t have to be as bad for him anymore. Junpei just nods silently and mulls over what he said, Itadori forcing himself to stay quiet and just enjoying the walk back.
Despite Itadori being somewhat right, that doesn’t make Junpei’s nightmares any less painful. He’s always had problems sleeping, always with bags around his bloodshot eyes from staying up all night watching movies because that’s better than laying in the dark and staring at the ceiling. But ever since meeting Mahito and his mom’s murder they’ve gotten worse, epsecially since he’s needed to confront his own actions once he joined Itadori here. With a small space like the basement, even with his own room, they’re hard to hide. And it was only a matter of time before he had a particularly bad one.
Most of the time he wakes up before the screaming starts. He jolts awake in a cold sweat and scrambles to turn the lights on, taking a few minutes to calm down his uneven breathing before he sneaks into the bathroom. Itadori is a pretty heavy sleeper so he hasn’t noticed yet, or at least he hasn’t said anything. But it’s kind of hard to ignore a shrill scream ripping through the silence of 3am.
Itadori jolts awake and bolts off of the couch, almost tripping over the coffee table with all the lights out. He takes a moment to figure out where the scream is coming from and immediately assumes Junpei is being attacked. Without so much as a knock, Itadori bursts into his room, in just boxers and with his fists up ready to fight off the threat. But he soon finds there isn’t one. It’s just Junpei, sitting up in bed with bewildered eyes full of fear and tangled blankets kicked down to the foot of the bed.
“W-what-?” Itadori lowers his arms and looks around the room, confused, “What’s going on? Are you okay? I heard you screaming?” Adrenaline still pumps through his body, blood rushing in his ears, and he tries to come down from his protective state.
Junpei looks embarrassed, of all things, with his eyes cast down and a guilty expression. It’s only when he sniffles and wipes his face that Itadori realizes he’s crying. “I-I was just a nightmare,” he mutters, trying to downplay its seriousness. But Itadori can tell otherwise from his trembling voice. “I’m sorry I woke you up...You can go back,” he adds through sharp inhales, struggling to steady his breathing and hold himself back from outright sobbing.
Itadori doesn’t leave, staying firmly in place. He furrows his brow in worry and resists the urge to immediately scoop him into his arms, deciding that talking is probably a better first step. “Oh, I’m sorry. I wanna help though, what do you need? Do you want me to stay?” he asks with sincere concern, “I can talk with you about it too if you want, or just listen.”
“I-I’d like you to stay,” he mutters, barely audible, “But I don’t think I wanna talk about it.” He fails to get his shaking under control and tears just keep streaming down his cheeks, at least glad it’s dark so Itadori can’t see what a mess his face really is.
“That’s okay,” Itadori says tenderly as he slowly sits on the edge of the bed, “You don’t have to talk about it.” It’s not like he can’t guess what the nightmare was about. He still feels awkward just sitting there while Junpei cries and can’t resist asking a question, “Does this happen often? I mean...since you’ve been here?”
Junpei suddenly feels guilty for hiding this from him, forcing himself to nod. But he can’t bear to look up at Itadori’s face. “Y-yeah, I’ve always had them but they got really bad a-after-!” He can’t bring himself to finish his sentence and just cries harder, bringing his hands up to cover his face.
Itadori immediately feels bad about asking and shuffles closer, waving his hands and reaching out as if that’ll help. “I-I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have asked,” he stutters, more flustered than Junpei’s ever seen him, “Should I...C-Can I hold you? Is that okay?” he asks, desperately wanting to do something to help.
All he needs is the smallest nod from Junpei to close the gap between them and he wraps his strong arms around the smaller boy. He pulls him in closer and holds him against his chest, Junpei shuffling so his face is buried in his shoulder and he loosely wraps his slender arms around him. If he weren’t so distressed, he would take the time to notice how built and solid Itadori’s torso is, but right now he’s focused on not spiraling into a full blown panic attack. Itadori rubs small, soothing circles into his back while his other hand cradles his head tenderly and he slowly rocks their bodies from side to side, his heart aching at the choked out sobs that wreak Junpei’s body. He’s shaking like a leaf and feels fragile enough to break if Itadori hugs him too hard, and his tears and snot soon get all over his shoulder, not that he cares at all.
Junpei’s breathing doesn’t seem to get any better. If anything he’s having a harder time, his chest expanding and contracting too fast to be healthy. Itadori quietly whispers in his ear to copy his breathing and he exaggerates it, letting his chest puff out and fill completely with air before holding it and exhaling loudly through his mouth a few seconds later. He repeats this at a steady pace and Junpei eventually copies it, finally able to get air in his lungs. His tears start to dry out on Itadori’s shoulder and he realizes he’s stopped crying too, just limp and exhausted in his hold.
Itadori smiles as Junpei finally relaxes and stops his swaying to pull back just enough to look down at his face, “How are you feeling?” he asks with a tender tone.
Still clinging onto the back of his shirt, Junpei lifts his head up. His eyes are red and puffy and his hair hangs in his flushed face, “B-better,” he chokes out, his voice raspy from crying. He sighs shakily and closes his eyes as he yawns, letting go of Itadori’s shirt to cover his mouth.
“You’re tired, you should try to go back to sleep,” Itadori hums while he pushes Junpei’s hair out of his face. He inadvertently reveals a few circular scars that could only be burns from a cigarette butt on his forehead, not even realizing they were there since they’re always covered by his hair. But he guesses that’s the point. Itadori isn’t able to hold back his gasp and he pulls his hand back despite the fact that Junpei was leaning into it. When he sees the sorrow in Itadori’s eyes, he immediately knows what happened, and Itadori feels the need to apologize, his voice quiet.
“I-It’s okay,” he mutters, reaching up to check if his hair is covering the scars again, “I am tired but...I don’t want you to leave.” He casts his eyes downward out of embarrassment, thankful that his cheeks are already red.
Itadori is glad that he brushed off the small incident and smiles fondly, “I can stay,” he offers, “Is it okay if I sleep with you?”
Seeming to be the only one who realizes the innuendo, Junpei’s face heats up and he nearly chokes on his own spit. But he nods quickly, not trusting his own voice to reply. Itadori doesn’t pick up on his embarrassment and just pulls back so they can reposition themselves. They shuffle under the covers, Itadori getting up to close the door before he joins him in bed. At first they’re rather far apart, Junpei fidgeting with the edge of the covers while he looks at anything but the boy in bed with him. But Itadori immediately shifts closer and moves to wrap his arms around him again, freezing mid motion when he feels how tense Junpei is.
“Is...Is this okay?” he asks hesitantly, his hands and arms hovering over Junpei’s curled up body.
Even in the dark, Junpei can see his eyes with how close they are and he hesitates, “I-I...I guess but,” he pauses and nibbles on his bottom lip, “Don’t you have someone you like already?”
“You can like two people.”
His answer is simple, just like he is, and it borders on a confession. Even though there isn’t necessarily anything romantic about what they’re doing, Itadori doesn’t say that. And Junpei notices, trying not to get too flustered and just nodding before giving him the go ahead. He pulls him against his chest, resting his chin on top of his head, and they shift around a bit until they find a comfortable position. Junpei’s body slots almost perfectly against Itadori’s, his face tucked into his chest and their legs tangled together. Their breathing steadies out together and soon syncs up. Junpei drifts off faster than he’s used to and soon he’s snoring quietly. He sleeps more peacefully than he ever has before in his life.