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Nobara slammed the door of her room shut with a force that shook the thin walls of the aging dormitory building she called home. She loosened a shoe with one foot, about to slip it off, then decided to whip her leg out and wickedly kick the off-brand label through the room instead, where it slammed into the farthest wall with a satisfying bang. A second later, the other shoe followed suit.
Muttering to herself, she stripped off her uniform and threw the pieces hither, thither and yon - leaving small piles of polyblend in various places throughout the room. She continued muttering a steady stream of profanities as she wriggled into a pair of jeans and a hoodie, opting for comfort over style after the day she’d had.
“God fuck damn shitballs!” she shouted to no one in particular, plopping down heavily in her desk chair and slumping forward against her knees. Unconsciously biting down on a nail, she chewed with wild abandon until she remembered the manicure she had gotten only yesterday, and hurled out a slew of other curses as she picked carefully at the carnage on her finger, despite knowing her attempts to restore the French manicure was for naught.
Nobara’s phone pinged. Another text from that idiot Itadori or that window-licking ninny-muggins Fushiguro. Why wouldn’t they leave her alone?
Okay, fine. They were probably worried at how she stormed off after they left the café, shouting unladylike profanities over her shoulder in response to their queries. But she had been set-off, okay?
That girl. Yuki or something.
No, Yuko.
Yuko Ozawa.
She went way out of her way for her. She’d tried to help her. Help her and Itadori make a love connection, but they were both too inept to even figure out how to piece together a proper conversation. It wasn’t hard, for fuck’s sake. Hello, I’m Yuko. I’ve loved you since Junior High, since I eavesdropped on your conversation and heard you say you loved my elegant handwriting and the way I ate food. It’s weird, I know, but you had me at elegant. Cue swoon. Followed by, hello, Yuko. I DO remember you. Your handwriting was as elegant as the way you shoved onigiri into your gaping maw. I was immediately taken with you. Please, come away with me and let me attempt to put my lips against yours without the demon in my face trying to eat you, mouth first.
Or something. Whatever. It was just so frustrating!!
Sarcasm aside, the set-up was perfect. Easy. Why couldn’t Itadori do something right for a change?
And okay, that girl wasn’t the sharpest tool in the shed either, apparently, but she could have tried harder when Nobara had gone to all that fucking trouble. It was…well it was just plain rude to sit there like some kind of knuckle-dragging moron with hearts in her eyes and not even go to the effort of trying harder.
And…and…
Stupid Itadori! What kind of idiot likes girls for their handwriting anyway? Idiot. That girl obviously had a lot of other things going for her. She was tall, and while she didn’t precisely have a big ass, it was still an ass that stood out. Even Nobara could tell that, for fuck’s sake. Totally Itadori’s type. Why couldn’t he have just been cool for a change? Nobara huffed out an exasperated mutter. It’s not like she had that kind of body. She was small. Waifish. Beautiful in a dainty, pixie-like way. But not in an Itadori way. So he should have pounced when he had the chance. Right?
RIGHT?
Nobara sat and stewed, and sat and stewed some more. Eventually she got up, wandering around her room with her arms wrapped around her body. She picked up a framed picture of herself, Itadori and Fushiguro. It had been taken after they had gone to an Eve concert that evening. A rare occurrence where they’d gotten permission to stay out late for a social event. Itadori had hummed a song she’d loved that they’d heard live that evening – Kaikai Kitan. Fushiguro hated the song, said how nobody else in their right mind liked it and said it suited the theme to a poorly thrown-together anime. She’d told him to fuck off. But Itadori shared her taste in music, and they’d had a blast. Her joy was reflected in the rare, open-mouthed smile she had while he had his arm hooked around her. Fushiguro also managed to loosen the stick in his ass in a way that looked relatively pleasurable, because he was actually smiling for once. Kinda. One of his lips was tilted up at the side, so a smile it be in her opinion.
URG. Damnit, they were both so fucking annoying. Especially today. She was especially annoyed today.
Maybe it was PMS.
She slammed the photo back down on the desk, muttering angrily to herself.
Why was she so pissed-off, anyway?
Granted, being pissed-off was kinda her thing. She had the market cornered on being a cantankerous bitch, and she owned it. But Nobara was particularly peeved today, after that stupid incident. Itadori should be paired up by now, with a girlfriend tucked underneath his muscular bicep.
Nobara froze.
His arm. His arm, for fuck’s sake. Why the fuck embellish?
Like, okay. Itadori is pretty amped. He has muscles for miles, and those arms really are something else. When he pulls her into a hug against her will (which is always when it comes to hugs), or grabs her after training and swings her around in circles as he cackles against her protests (which is also always), or even during training, when he pins her to the ground with those arms and…
When he pins her down on the ground and…
And…
FUCK.
Okay, he’s hot. Hot in a Mr-Potatohead-kinda-way. Fine. Nobara was already well aware of that fact. But there is nothing wrong with making an observation, right? It wasn’t like she isn’t hot, because she sure as fuck is. And just because she isn’t scouted or hit on as often as Itadori when they go out, (or ever), it doesn’t mean others don’t know it. Quite the contrary. They know precisely what kind of hot commodity she is, so much so that she intimidates men enough that they keep their distance.
A bubble of something rose up in her chest, and she belched to try to knock it loose. When that didn’t work, she slammed a fist against her ribcage. When that didn’t work, she reached for her hammer…
ping
Goddamnit!
Nobara reached for her phone, and finally opened the texts. There was a slew of messages from both Itadori and Fushiguro, and two from Gojo.
12:45
Gojo: Oh haiiiiii…. Can you grab me some mochi from that awesome place we love in Ginza, since you’ll be in the neighborhood? It’s the least you can do since your fantastic sensei does sooooo much for you!! And will continue to do for you if you get him some mochi mochi mochi~~~~~~~ I know you waaaant to! You know, because I am such an *~*~*AMAZING*~*~*~ sensei!!!
12:47
Gojo: Lemon flavor.
The phone pinged again.
12:48
Gojo: And orange. Thank youuuuuu ~(Ovo)~
Nobara rolled her eyes, giving her phone the middle finger before responding.
5:46
You: You’re too late, I’m already home. Sorry.
Nobara flicked to Fushiguro’s messages, sighing as she read through them.
3:39
Megumi: Are you okay? Why did you run out of there so fast? What happened?
3:39
Megumi: Was it something I said? Or was it Itadori? Do you want me to hit him for you?
3:40
Megumi: I wouldn’t mind.
Nobara snorted. Fushiguro loved Itadori, but loved pretending he didn’t even more. They were best friends, but for some reason, he pretended Itadori was as annoying as Nobara found him.
Okay, well, Itadori wasn’t always annoying, she had to concede. And there were times he was borderline tolerable.
Okay fine. The truth is that Itadori is the most fucking lovable person on the planet, and the fact that he doesn’t realize it is even more endearing. He’s like a puppydog. Everywhere he goes people just want to pet and love on him.
Well not Nobara.
Nobara knows the truth.
Itadori may be adorable, but he’s also fucking annoying. Those puppydog eyes? Give me a break! She was too smart to fall for that routine. Though… she wouldn’t mind having people fall all over her for a change. Use it to her advantage. She’d take them shopping, get them to buy her a few cute outfits, make them carry all of her bags without a single word of complaint…
Okay, sure. So minus buying her clothes (he was broke as a joke like Nobara), Itadori did that already. Often. Without a single word of complaint.
And he would never let a gaggle of teenyboppers distract him, following loyally behind Nobara as she stalked through the streets of Tokyo like the world was gonna end and she wasn’t going to get that Black Halo Sanibel two-piece mini dress that just screamed her name…
But without fail, Itadori marched to the beat of her drum. He knew how important fashion was to Nobara, how much it made her feel somewhat normal in this dumpster-fire life they lived together. Her feelings mattered to him, so he made sure to do whatever he could to accommodate Nobara’s whims. He was just fucking there. If there was one thing you couldn’t argue with, it was Itadori’s sense of loyalty.
Pure puppydog, through and through.
3:56
Megumi: We’re about to get crepes from that place beside Komehyo. Figure that is the best place to wait for you to catch us up since Itadori insists it’s your two favorite places on the planet.
Damnit, Itadori! What do you think you get from being so fucking nice all the time? Nobara thought. It was just so fucking…unnatural!
Nobara groused even more. The guy really was like a puppy. No matter how many times you kicked him, he still loved the fuck out of you.
4:47
Megumi: We’re actually kinda worried about you. We missed the 4:25 train, and the next one isn’t for 45 minutes. So you have that long to text us back if you want us to meet you if you’re still in the city. Otherwise we’re on our way home.
5:01
Megumi: Train is here, too late. Hope you’re okay.
Nobara sighed. The last message was sent ten minutes prior, which meant they’d be home in about an hour.
Stupid idiots. Why couldn’t they find something else to do in the city for a while instead of following her home like a couple of ducklings? She wanted time to herself for a change, especially after what they put her through today! It was damn near impossible with Itadori and Fushiguro always lingering around the first-year dorms. And she sure as fuck didn’t want to see Itadori right now! Not after he fucked up so badly and pissed her the hell off.
There was never any privacy to be had around the joint. It was always Itadori in her space. Itadori, trying to hang out in her room. Itadori, wanting to try her new nailpolish and letting her making her paint it on his nails. Itadori, barging into her room to grab a load of her laundry to run it through the washer with his stuff when she knew he just wanted to see her underwear, because he was just being nice creepy. Itadori, letting her making her try out a new recipe he baked for her to cheer her up. Itadori, letting forcing her to sleep in his bed with him after her screams from a nightmare woke him up.
…I-Idiot.
Nobara flicked over to Itadori’s messages with a sigh, bracing herself against the inevitable annoyance in store for her.
3:55
Itadori: Hey! Where did u go????? We’re looking everywhere. Why did u run off? We’re worried, u know!
3:56
Itadori: Kugisaki, u need to tell us where u are, okay?
3:57
Itadori: Megumi summoned his demon dogs, now ur in for it!
4:05
Itadori: They didn’t find u. Guess u hopped on a train. \o~~~~~
4:10
Itadori: Kugisaki, whatever is going on, we’d be grateful if u could at least let us know if ur ok. Or better yet, why u ran off in the first place? If we did something to piss u off, we’re really sorry! Please just text, ok? Ok.
4:11
Itadori: Kugisaki come on!
4:50
Itadori: We missed the first train… Oh! Fushiguro said he told u already. So can u message back or what? What is wrong with u? Why are u acting so weird?
4:56
Itadori: Kay the train is here. If you don’t tell us where u are, we’re just gonna come home.
4:58
Itadori: Are u ok? For real, I am really worried, Nobara.
Nobara froze. Itadori never used her first name. He must be actually, legit worried about her.
Something in Nobara’s chest hopped up again to that uncomfortable place, refusing to dislodge. Might be gas. Whatever the case, it was fucking uncomfortable. And of course, it was due to that dim-witted Nancypants Itadori! What in the name of fuck was wrong with the dude? Just because she ran off, he had to go and get his knickers in a twist?
The thought of Itadori in knickers made something snap inside her, dislodging the other thing in her chest and replacing it with a strange heat that rippled through her body and hit her core like a lightning bolt.
Damn fuck shit damn friggen…!!
When the boys get home, she is gonna… Oh you just watch, she is gonna…
What is she gonna do?
Nobara sighed.
5:08
Itadori: Hey, listen. We’re on the train. But honestly, I’m really worried about u. You don’t understand what it’s like to have someone run off like that, screaming like a banshee down the streets of Kichijoji, do u? Because I can tell u this, it really sucks! So if ur home and ignoring us, then U suck and I’m really just…angry!
Sweet Itadori. Seeing him try to be antagonistic was like picturing a kitten chugging a beer. It just didn’t mesh. He was too pure of heart.
Oh well.
Nobara refused to feel guilty. She was still busy being indignant, goddamnit.
Seeing Itadori with that Yuko. Like, she was right there and he did nothing. But it didn’t make her feel anything but angry, right?
So why did she feel… relieved?
It had to be because she was home, and she’d worn the new shoes she bought on her last shopping excursion with Maki. They ate into her ankles, and she had blisters. Blisters she wouldn’t have had if she had been minding her own fucking business instead of wandering around Tokyo trying to set Itadori up with the homunculus that ate like some goddamn fairy goddess apparently.
Fuck.
5:11
Itadori: So listen. I assume ur okay. I mean, ur the toughest chick I ever met. Anyone who would try to hurt u would be in for a huge surprise. I have never met a girl I’ve ever felt so confident could take out on entire branch of the Yakuza with nothing but a hammer and a few nails. But that’s not just it. Fushiguro told me what you guys had tried to do and I wanted to say thank u. Thank u for trying to set me up with Yuko. I know you went to a lot of trouble, and I appreciate it. But the truth is…
[Message truncated]
“NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!” Nobara shrieked into her phone, at the top of her lungs, before whipping it into the wall. It shattered into a thousand pieces, and Nobara did something she almost never did. She regretted her actions.
As she watched her stipend for the next couple of months disappear with the life of her iphone, Nobara sniffed. A big, fat tear rolled down her face, and she hastily wiped it away.
It was the money she was crying over, not the frustration at not hearing whatever Itadori had to say. Even though she knew that whatever it was, it was significant, and for some reason she knew she needed to hear it.
Nobara face-planted into her bed and bit into her pillow. For some reason, she was still crying about the iphone. With an exasperated sigh, she rubbed her face and rolled onto her back, staring up at the ceiling as she chewed her lip and willed the tears to stop.
There was no way she was crying because of Itadori. No sir.
Nobara sighed again.
It was because of Itadori.
It was because the thought of Itadori with some girl made her profoundly, irrationally, and insanely upset.
The realization made Nobara sit upright in bed, rigid as a plank, like she’d been electrocuted. She couldn’t believe she’d come to that realization. It was crazy, right? Itadori was nothing more than an annoying hanger-on. She tolerated him, and maybe she was fond of him at times, yeah – but it wasn’t anything more than that.
Right?
Fuck.
Without a working phone, Nobara had no way of knowing if the guys were back yet. She knew she had to test her theory – whether Itadori was the culprit of these unwanted, irrational emotions she was experiencing and not a raging case of PMS.
With a loud, annoyed huff, Nobara pulled herself out of her bed and grabbed her shoes, throwing them hastily on her feet and made her way out the door. She went down to the first floor, where the boy’s rooms were, and knocked loudly on Itadori’s door. After a few moments, she tried Fushiguro’s door. Neither of them answered, so they weren’t back yet.
Maybe if she rushed, she could catch them somewhere on the paths nearing the dorms.
With every step she took, her resolve strengthen.
She had to see…
Had to see, had to see, had to see…
But see how? What could she do?
The feelings of unease were swirling inside her, along with a need to do…something. The thought of seeing Itadori right now, of coming upon him suddenly on the path, made her insides heat up in a strangely pleasant way.
She picked up the pace, rushing quickly and searching up and down all of the pathways leading towards the school from the outside.
They weren’t there. Maybe they weren’t back yet?
There was one last place to try. Nobara hurried, knowing she had to find Itadori and quickly. She had to know. She HAD to know.
Throwing open the doors of the cafeteria, she was welcomed by the sight of those she was seeking. Itadori was sitting on one of the benches across from the nearest table, with Fushiguro standing on the other side, bag in his hand indicating they hadn’t been back to the rooms yet. Gojo was there too, one leg on the bench, leaning down with his usual lopsided grin as he chatted up the object of her search.
At the sound of the doors crashing open, all three looked up towards Nobara, freezing in place.
Before she knew what she was doing, Nobara was striding through the room, feeling her cursed energy gathering and swirling inside her as her emotions ran amok. Gojo looked alarmed for a moment, standing upright and about to speak when Nobara climbed the table and threw herself at Itadori.
Knocking him backwards onto the ground, Itadori grasped Nobara in his too-muscular arms, concern and shock marking his features.
“Wha--?!” he started, when suddenly Nobara slammed her lips against his, silencing him.
There was a collective intake of breath and nobody knew what was happening, all assuming Nobara was in the throes of a psychotic break. And maybe she was? She had no idea. All she knew was that Itadori’s lips were soft, pliant, even in his shocked state. They felt… well, they felt good! And all of a sudden, he was kissing her back.
Aha… so this was it. This had been what she was missing, what she’d been seeking.
“Well then,” Gojo said from above them, the grin he bore evident in his voice.
“Uh…” Fushiguro said.
Nobara ignored them both.
A feeling of peace and calm encircled Nobara, and she pulled away, staring down into Itadori’s face contemplatively.
“Well, fuck,” she said.
Itadori only blinked, like the idiot he was.
Even still, Nobara could only smile.