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Itadori Yuuji likes it when things move fast. They never sit still for long, always keeping up with the fast paced life they lead.
But after stealing what was apparently a charm, being caught up in multiple dangerous situations, getting possessed by a curse or demon or whatever only to be told they'd be executed in the near future, well…
They decide that there's such a thing as going too fast, even for them. They feel like they haven't had a moment's rest in years when they collapse into bed after meeting their new headmaster. Now they're in Tokyo and…
"Boring. Go beat someone up or whatever. I'm bored, brat."
Ugh, their head hurts. Eating that finger was so gross, the second one even worse so than the first one. And even though they have control, once they're alone for a few minutes, they begin feeling a bit anxious. They know that they can keep control, they're sure of that much, but if they fall asleep here… in this new, comfortable bed…
What if their lack of actively suppressing the curse dude makes it easy for him to resurface? If they fall asleep, won't they endanger the entire school, maybe even all of Tokyo?
Yuuji crawls under the bedsheets and curls up, unsure of what to do with themself.
"Demons don't need sleep, you know?" Sukuna laughs his annoying and headache inducing laugh. Can't he just shut up? "No such luck, idiot. Either you sleep now or your body will give out later. And don't call me annoying. Listen to yourself."
Yuuji punches their pillow and get out of bed. This isn't gonna work. They need to go out and clear their mind with a little walk or whatever. Fresh air is never a bad idea after all.
They don't go very far. It's colder than expected out here and they're way too tired to focus on their surroundings. It's just no use. Eventually they'll have to take the risk of sleeping. If they don't, they'll collapse in time anyway. But right now it seems much too dangerous.
Not to mention stressful. They sit on the cobblestone path leading to some other area of the school they haven't seen yet. It's huge here, really…
Somewhere they hear water flowing, the air is nice and clean, lots of greenery is part of the campus…
So peaceful and nice. The noises of busy Tokyo don't make it here, huh?
"What are you doing out here?" A voice startles them from dozing off. Had they been any less tired they'd have got into a fighting stance, ready for anything. But as is, their reflexes are delayed and Fushiguro comes into view before they can move a single inch. "You're gonna catch death out here."
Death, haha.
Well he is right, they're freezing. Their eyes are dry too, so they blink a few times. Ugh, so tired.
They yawn. "Just needed some fresh air."
He crosses his arms, unconvinced. Though he doesn't press, he just stands a few feet in front of them, looking them over inquestively. Gosh, he can be so intense.
Yuuji gets up and shakes their head. They really don't want him to get the wrong idea or worry, so they should probably go back inside. They do not want to get sick after all. Stupid Sukuna and his fingers…
"Shut up." Sukuna comments quietly. He's ignored.
"Well then, I'll be going inside!" They try their best to sound cheerful as ever and turn to make their way to the dorm building.
They do not come very far however. Fushiguro follows them, catching their arm before they can reach the door leading inside.
"Wait." He says and they have trouble not staggering when they're unexpectedly being restricted from moving another step forward.
Huh?
"What is it, Fushiguro?" They blink in confusion, slowly moving their head to look at him. He lowers their arm before letting go entirely.
"You're… hiding something, aren't you?" His eyes are hard as stone, yet they don't seem intimidating one bit. He wants to know what's wrong and help.
"I, uhm." Yuuji averts their eyes. Damn, they're not good at this. They're supposed to help others, not the other way around… but then again. "Simply couldn't sleep, so…"
"Did something happen?" He continues to inquire, definitely not satisfied with their answer.
Ah, whatever. He won't back down, will he?
"It's that Sukuna dude's fault." They purse their lips, feeling oddly vulnerable. Not a good feeling.
"Did he come out?" Fushiguro furrows his eyebrows, instantly alert and probably ready to pounce.
"No, he didn't." Yuuji shakes their head. That's just it, though. "But what if he does?"
Fushiguro takes a breath and releases it. He takes a step to the side, away from the door leading into the dorms. "Come on, let's get something to drink."
Huh? They're in their pyjamas, basically, they definitely don't have money with them--
"I'm paying." He adds when they hesitate to follow. Well… okay. They catch up to him, but keep quiet. All the way to the vending machines by the campus entrance, the two of them stay silent.
It's after they both have cans of soda in their hands that he speaks again.
"So that's why you can't, or rather, won't sleep?" He takes a sip of his apple soda and moves to lean against the wall opposite of the drink machines. A faint glow illuminates the entrance to the jujutsu tech school campus. It reminds Yuuji a bit of that night when their grandpa died.
"Yes. I can't know for sure what's gonna happen if I sleep, right?" Yuuji plays around with the cap of their soda can. Lemon lime is one of their favourites. "Even I can't say what's going to happen when I'm unconscious. Sometimes he tries to take over even now, so…"
Fushiguro pensively watches the exit and what lies beyond for a few minutes. He takes sips here and there but otherwise stays completely quiet. They don't make eye contact, feeling heavy rather than light now that they've told him of their problem.
It should be normal to share troubles and burdens amongst… friends. They know that, so why do they feel guilt? Why do they feel like they should have kept acting like everything was okay? They don't wanna be a burden on anyone. Fushiguro is going through a lot every day simply by being a sorcerer. He doesn't need the extra load.
"Listen, Itadori." Fushiguro lowers his soda can. "If he wakes, one of the teachers is bound to notice. And if he takes over, don't you think you'd notice and wake up?"
That's a lot of what ifs and possibilities. So far only Goujo sensei has been able to deal with Sukuna. Who knows if there's even anyone else out there capable of stopping Sukuna?
"Eh, probably a few of those shitty sorcerers." Sukuna muses, unhelpful as ever.
"What I think doesn't really matter, does it?" Yuuji still feels cold. "No one knows for sure. And the teachers… are they strong enough to, you know."
The can cracks in Fushiguro's fist, a few remaining droplets of soda sprinkling out. They expect him to look mad, but he doesn't. He looks perfectly calm, even.
"Maybe on their own they aren't, but if two of them join forces it wouldn't be a problem." He sounds sure of his words. Sure enough that Yuuji begins believing him. "Besides you've only consumed a mere tenth of Sukuna."
A tenth. Two fingers out of twenty. They finally take a sip of deliciously sour soda and sigh blissfully. So good.
"Think you can sleep now?" Fushiguro throws his can and it lands in the garbage bin next to the vending machines with perfect accuracy.
"Well, probably." They nod and watch him move away from the wall. He quietly makes his way back to the dorms, making sure they follow him a few times.
He's such a weird guy, but Yuuji definitely sees him as a friend already. He doesn't look it, but he's a caring and strong person. They count on him.
"Thank you, Fushiguro." They say once the front door of the dorms comes into view. They see someone standing there, probably waiting for them. Oops. They didn't think any of the staff would notice them taking a tiny stroll outside. Or, well, they've been gone for a bit, huh?
"Hey, you two! Get back inside!" The woman calls to them, letting them know they've been caught. No way to escape this scolding.
"Thank god it's only Ieri-san." Fushiguro mutters under his breath. He bows to her in greeting once close enough. She's carrying a tortoiseshell cat on her arm, petting it slowly. It stares at them unblinkingly. Scary, but so cute.
"Don't you know to stay in your beds after ten? It's in the house rules." Ieri-san yawns and motions for them to get in.
"Yes, I'm very sorry!" Yuuji instantly apologizes and hurries to get past her and into the warm, warm dorms. Ah, so nice…
"So, why were you out?" She corners them indoors, not letting them flee to their room. "Not some fight, I hope."
"No, we simply couldn't sleep." Fushiguro answers lowly before they can say a single word. Nicely put! They nod to underline the truth of his statement.
Ieri musters both of them for a few moments before she buys their explanation. "Alright, but don't do that again. If you need anything, I'm up late most days anyway. Don't just walk around outside, come see me. Or another staff member. Get it?"
"Yes, I'm very sorry!" They bow to her quickly and offer a smile. They're grateful for her words. There's always someone to talk to, huh?
"It won't happen again." Fushiguro adds to their apology and averts his gaze. He adds some almost inaudible words. "Not soon anyway."
They want to snicker. But she seems to not have heard him, so they refrain.
"Alright, good. I won't tell the headmaster, but I should probably tell Satoru…" She muses, turning to face the stairs leading up to the second floor. "Now, off to bed you two. You'll need that energy pretty soon."
With that, she ascends the stairs, waving over her shoulder when they wish her a good night.
Wow, she's such a cool… teacher? Is she a teacher? They don't actually know. Maybe she's training the upperclassmen? And she's beautiful too…
"We got lucky there." Fushiguro sighs, rubbing his right eye. He looks pretty beat; maybe he's not back to a hundred percent yet. Oops. They should have got him inside sooner. His injuries were pretty severe, weren't they? "So, are you gonna try to sleep?"
Will they? It still gives them anxiety, but…
"Probably." They decide. After all, there's capable people all around them. Like he said, if something were to happen, people would notice. Though, there's still an issue now that they think about it.
"Probably?" Fushiguro repeats, side eyeing them.
"Yeah, I don't know. What you said makes sense, but…" Yuuji passes by him and walks up to their room, playing around with the doorknob. "It's just, what if he does come out? I know you say people will notice quickly, but Sukuna… he was pretty fast. He could get away. Or kill someone before anyone realizes he's taken over. It's just too dangerous."
"You're not as stupid as you act, brat." Sukuna laughs inside their head and they gently slap their temple. Ugh, he needs to shut up.
Fushiguro takes the wrist of the hand they used to slap their temple with and tugs. He looks so tired. "Come on. We're not done talking."
They allow him to drag them into their room. When he makes them sit down, they have to yawn. They don't even want to know what time it is. They're keeping him awake…
"I don't know what else to tell you." Fushiguro stretches his arms to the ceiling. "I can't guarantee nothing will happen if you doze off, but if you want to… if it helps, you can sleep here. If he takes over your body, I'll notice."
What? Yuuji doesn't know how to feel about that. Their face warms up a bit. Sleep… over? How cute-- now, how sweet of him is that? They acknowledge that it'd put him into danger the most, but he's also pretty strong.
Can they accept his proposal, though? It is pretty selfish. They can't deny that some company sounds beyond incredible, though. While they know that everyone else's safety is the most important, they also have to admit that they, themself, feel pretty damn scared.
They can't tell anyone that, ever.
They're so tired, they lay their head on the low coffee table they sit at. What's the point of arguing any further? They'll soon pass out, whether they want to or not. Scary.
"Okay, I'll stay." They close their eyes, hating their own vulnerability once again. "Thank you, Fushiguro. Really."
He clicks his tongue. "No, you will not sleep on the table. Get up."
Huh? Oh right, they probably shouldn't. They force their eyes open once more and somehow make it to their feet. They can't help a slouch. But where do they sleep then?
"Here, the couch." He gestures at a chaise lounge in the corner of the room. Wow… it looks more elegant than the bed. Comfier too. And they're to sleep there?
He tosses a blanket at them. "Catch."
It hits their head, but they can't be mad. It feels super soft.
They're curled up in it, spread out on the chaise and happy in no time at all. Maybe their eyes are sparkling? They've never even seen a chaise lounge in real life…
"Thank you." They smile his way. He simply shrugs and turns the lights off, moving around the room for another moment before he settles into bed.
For a moment it's quiet; Yuuji begins to reflect about the events that led to this. Fushiguro spent his time with them instead of sleeping. Buying them a drink, listening to them, giving advice and even letting them sleep over…
He doesn't appear to be that kind of person, not outwardly. He's a really good guy, through and through, though. Makes Yuuji smile to themself.
Even more so, when a weight settles on their chest, hair tickling their chin. A warm paw touches their cheek and they feel something thump against their leg.
They curl a hand into the soft fur of the divine dog, finally able to doze off peacefully.
Sukuna never resurfaces that night.