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Megumi arrived at the park about fifteen minutes early. He considered taking a lap around so no one would know he was the first to arrive but decided against it and resigned himself to being seen waiting. Less than five minutes later, Yuji arrived.
“I have never seen you early for anything,” Megumi said. Yuji placed down a small bag of marshmallows in front of Megumi and said, “I knew you would be here already so I’m still technically late.”
Megumi dared not respond, even his facial muscles didn’t move.
“Have a marshmallow,” Yuji said. Megumi watched as Yuji popped a whole one in his mouth. He frowns. He picked one up and took a bite.
“It’s not a cup of tea, Fushiguro, don’t be dainty.” Yuji popped another one in his mouth.
“You’re not supposed to eat them, dummy!” Nobara yelled, throwing down her own bag of marshmallows. Yuji smiled like a chipmunk, his cheeks puffed with marshmallows.
“Maf eh bfgng trah,” Yuji said with a mouthful. His mouth was not that full and Megumi knew he was doing it to piss off Nobara. Megumi offered Nobara his half and she smacked it away. Megumi shrugged and took another bite.
“You eat like a princess,” Maki said from behind him, making him jump. She threw down another bag of marshmallows and an old plastic shopping bag.
“Fnk you,” Yuji said, after putting another marshmallow in his mouth.
“No one was talking to you,” Maki said.
“Why do we need so many marshmallows?” Megumi said, ignoring Maki.
Yuji gasped dramatically and Nobara humphed. Megumi just looked at them.
Maki rolled her eyes. “Itadori told Kugisaki that he could fit more marshmallows in his mouth than her and Kugisaki can’t let anything go so now they have a bet, and we are the judges.”
“I can let things go,” Nobara said.
“I brought extra marshmallows because I knew Yuji would eat his.”
“ ’told ya,” Yuji said.
“Okay, enough talking let's start,” Nobara said. She pushed Megumi off the bench and sat across from Yuji at the picnic table. Megumi and Maki stood beside the table.
“Classic rules,” Maki said, “one marshmallow at a time, and after each marshmallow, you must coherently say the phrase ‘chubby bunny.’”
Nobara and Yuji nodded seriously. Megumi thought for a brief moment that he was dreaming.
“If you are caught chewing, swallowing, drinking, or spitting you will be disqualified.”
Nobara and Yuji didn’t break eye contact. Maki placed two bottles of water on the table.
“Who wants to begin,” Maki said. Megumi just stood there.
“Ladies first,” Nobara and Yuji said at the same time. Maki nodded and gestured to Nobara.
Nobara took a marshmallow out of her bag and placed it in her mouth. “Chubby bunny,” she said.
Yuji did the same. “Chubby bunny.”
By the third marshmallow, the phrase was starting to get distorted. Neither player was discouraged, however, and the game continued. By the fifth marshmallow, Nobara had to take a minute to move the food around her mouth and Yuji was loudly sucking back drool.
By the tenth marshmallow, Yuji couldn’t close his mouth. Megumi watched as Yuji’s lips closed around the tenth marshmallow. Yuji was pulling his lips together so tightly to keep the marshmallow in before he relaxed, mouth opening, and he said, “chubby bunny.” Or something close to it anyway. His mouth was red from strain and wet and- Megumi looked away.
Nobara looked slightly green at the thought of another marshmallow before sitting up and pushing another one in her mouth. “Chubby bunny,” she said.
Yuji picked up another marshmallow and pushed it in his mouth with his thumb. He hooked his thumb around his cheek trying to push the marshmallow into the side of his mouth so he could talk.
“chubby bu-” Yuji couldn’t finish and suddenly Megumi understood what the extra bag was for.
Yuji’s eyes went wide and he pulled the plastic bag off the table and spit out all the marshmallows in his mouth into the bag. He lifted his head up and had spit and white marshmallow drool dripping from the corner of his mouth. He looked up at Megumi and Maki then at Nobara. Megumi denied that the red-faced, panting, drooling image that Yuji painted wouldn’t live in his dirty mind rent-free forever.
Megumi looked at Nobara, who smiled victoriously before grabbing the bag from Yuji and spitting out her mouthful. It was nauseating to watch, Megumi thought.
“I win,” Nobara rasped, before spitting a glob of marshmallow into the bag.
“I concede,” Yuji said. He reached into the bag of marshmallows and had another. Nobara lifted her head, looking at him in horror. Just the thought of another marshmallow in her mouth made Nobara feel green.
“You’re a monster,” Maki said to Yuji. Yuji just smiled, having another marshmallow.
Megumi sat down on the other side of Yuji.
“Honestly,” Maki said, sitting down across from Megumi, beside Nobara, “I don’t think I can eat after seeing that.”
“Wasn’t Yuta supposed to come?” Yuji asked. “It’s not like him to be late.”
“He told me that he couldn’t make it, something about needing planning time,” Maki said.
“What did Inumaki do this time?” Megumi said.
“I didn’t even ask,” Maki said. Yuji handed Megumi a marshmallow, and Megumi took it without thinking. Maki rolled her eyes at them.
“Bet after all those marshmallows I could spin in a circle and not vomit,” Yuji said.
“You’re on,” Nobara said at the same time Maki said, “please don’t.”
Yuji jumped up from the table and walked about fifteen feet away onto the grass. He and Nobara stood next to each other about six feet apart.
“Time us,” Yuji yelled.
“Don’t yell,” Megumi said.
“No,” Maki yelled back. She pulled out her phone anyway and hit “Start” on the timer when Kugisaki shouted.
“They are so stupid,” Maki said. Megumi didn’t answer. He still held Yuji’s marshmallow in his palm. Looking down he thought that maybe ten marshmallows was a lot. And not being able to swallow didn’t bother him. He crushed the marshmallow and ate it, chewing quickly to quell his thoughts.
Nobara’s turns were getting oddly wide before she fell down, and fell down again as she tried to stand back up. Yuji laughed at her before falling face-first into the dirt next to her.
“Seventy-six seconds,” Maki called.
“Doesn’t count,” Nobara yelled, trying and failing to stand up. Yuji, accepting defeat laid on his face with his knees bent, ass up in the air. Megumi refused to look at him.
“Yes it does,” Yuji’s strained voice hollered.
“I didn’t vomit, I fell,” Nobara said, sitting up slowly and crossing her arms. Yuji rolled over.
“Bet I could do a handstand and not fall even though I am dizzy,” Yuji said.
“No!” Maki and Megumi called, standing up from the picnic table.
“You’re on!” Both Yuji and Nobara stood up shakily and faced away from the table. Nobara tucked her shirt into her shorts.
“Time us,” Nobara said.
“No,” Maki said, and this time she didn’t. She turned to Megumi and said, quieter, “Why do they need a timer? Whoever falls first is the loser.”
Megumi shrugged and sat back down. He watched as the two pulled into a handstand. Nobara looked poised and collected despite being upsidedown. Yuji looked like a child who had too much sugar. His shirt had fallen, hiked up to his armpits, his stomach on display. The waistband of Yuji’s pants seemed to be unaffected by the change in gravity and Megumi dragged his eyes down the “v” of Yuji’s hips and up to his pectorals. Yuji had an unusual kind of body, packed with muscle and strength that gym rats could only dream of, but his body was still soft and pinchable and Megumi wanted to hold on to him and never let go.
Yuji’s back started to arch too far, pulling him down and making him waiver. He seemed to sense he was in danger of losing again and kicked Nobara, without falling. Nobara fell sideways and immediately retaliated pushing Yuji out of his already collapsing handstand. The two chased each other further into the park.
“I should have timed how long it would take Yuji to turn on her,” Maki said.
“Those two are dancing on their own graves,” Megumi said.
“Why is Yuji the only one who can get Nobara up like that?” Maki said. Megumi looked at her.
“I am sure if you ask nicely, she would do a handstand for you,” Megumi said. Maki slapped his arm.
“That is not what I mean and you know it.”
“I don’t know what you really mean, though,” Megumi said.
“I mean,” Maki said, “no matter what I say or do, she doesn’t challenge me. I mean, we argue, but she never gets animated like that.”
“They are just goofing around, Maki. That’s who Yuji is.”
“I know, but,” Maki looked down at her hands and sighed, “she doesn’t goof like that with me.”
“So?” Megumi said. “That’s not who you are.”
“I guess.”
“You don’t need to get her attention,” Megumi said, “you already have it.”
“There is something about Itadori that brings out something in her. Something I don’t get to see often.”
“A frightening competitive spirit?”
“I’m never talking to you again.”
“Wait, Maki,” Megumi said. “I get it. As I said, that is who Itadori is. Kugisaki isn’t like that around you because she doesn’t have to be.”
Maki didn’t answer.
“Yuji is just so human,” Megumi said.
Maki looked at him like he was insane. “I should hope he is or he has some explaining to do.”
“That’s not what I mean,” Megumi said.
“I don’t know what you mean, though,” Maki said, mocking him.
“I mean,” Megumi said. “I mean he is human. He is so human, so raw, he makes us all want to be more. Not more like him, exactly, just more.”
Maki didn’t say anything. She just looked at him. She seemed to be thinking.
“He is just so much more than anyone I have ever met,” Megumi said. “He is like the break of dawn on New Year's day; beautiful, reliable, full of possibilities, and never-ending.”
“I think you shouldn’t be allowed out of the house anymore,” Maki said. Megumi was inclined to agree.
“But I get it,” Maki said, “somethings you just can’t let go of.”
Yuji was running full speed back towards the picnic table. His speed was impressive and Megumi just watched him come.
“Fuuushiiiguuurroo!” Yuji yelled, grabbing Megumi’s shoulders as he came to a stop behind him. “Protect me, she’s gonna kill me.”
Nobara reached the table and Yuji ducked behind Megumi. Nobara was out of breath and red-faced.
“Yuji Itadori,” She huffed out. “I am gonna beat you silly.”
Megumi felt Yuji squeeze his shoulders tighter. He could feel Yuji’s heaving breathing and the small pathetic laugh he let out. Nobara put her hands on the table and bent over, catching her breath. She stood up suddenly and pulled Maki up with her.
“Come along Maki,” Nobara said. “We’re getting away from these shysters.”
Nobara put her arm around Maki as they walked, pulling her close as they laughed at the boys behind them. Maki was right, Nobara was different around Yuji. He could bring something out of her that no one else could. But walking arm-in-arm with Maki, Megumi could see that there was something in Nobara that she only showed to Maki.
Megumi watched as Yuji cleaned up their marshmallow mess.
“Sorry we ruined our picnic plans,” Yuji said.
“Not your fault,” Megumi said. “We set a date and time but we didn’t even plan who would bring food.”
“Let’s go get food,” Yuji said. “Make it a real picnic.”
Yuji paused, eating another marshmallow. “But we will be inside at a restaurant.”
More like a date than a picnic. “Okay.”
Yuji patted his pockets. “Let's run back to my room, I forgot my wallet.”
“My treat,” Megumi said, “clan money.”
Yuji smiled at him. Megumi looked at him. He hoped that Yuji was seeing him. Seeing what Megumi was showing him. Only him. And hoped there was something in Yuji that only he could see.
“Where do you want to go?”