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When Yuuji had invited Megumi to cook with him, he hadn't intended for it to be a date at first. They rarely got a day off—usually after sustaining some sort of injury—and Yuuji didn't want to waste his precious time walking into town to eat out. Megumi wasn't supposed to move around too much, anyway. While Yuuji had been thrown around for most of their last mission, he had only a few bruises to show here and there, whereas Megumi looked much worse for wear.
Even if it wasn't his fault, Yuuji still felt guilty. No matter what he did or how much danger he threw himself into, Megumi somehow always ended up with more severe injuries, and Yuuji grew increasingly worried with that. Today, he'd wanted to make sure Megumi had something delicious to eat, so he quickly checked what the kitchen cabinets had to offer and then invited Megumi to join him.
Yuuji hadn't intended for it to be a date. But when Megumi accepted without batting an eye despite not caring much for cooking, he couldn't stop his heart from skipping a beat. Maybe Megumi had simply grown bored with spending time alone in his room, or he only tagged along because Yuuji had assured him he wouldn't have to prepare anything himself if he didn't feel like it. Whatever it was, the fact that they now stood together in the dorm's small kitchen was enough to paint a permanent smile on his lips.
The recipe for the meatballs they were about to make wasn't hard, but Megumi still stuck mainly to handing Yuuji whatever tool he needed, cleaning up after him or asking questions about the process. Yuuji didn't mind doing most of the work, even if he wanted to teach him a few tricks here and there. After a while, he started worrying that Megumi might be holding back because he wasn't feeling well and asked, “Are you alright?”
Megumi nodded. “Just enjoying the moment. It's not often that it's just the two of us. It's nice.”
He could feel his cheeks heat up at Megumi's words and lowered his head on instinct so he wouldn't catch the redness of his face. Yuuji had tried to suppress his crush on Megumi for months already, because a crush on your best friend only ever got in the way. Nothing made him happier than spending time with Megumi, yet at the same time it stressed him out. It didn't help that, lately, Megumi had started to look away shyly whenever their hands brushed. He'd avoid his gaze but never pull his own hand away, and it both confused and excited Yuuji to think about his reasons.
“Yeah, it is,” Yuuji agreed in a low voice. “I'm glad I asked you. I didn't think you'd actually cook with me, though.”
“I'm not really getting much cooking done, to be fair,” Megumi pointed out as he raised an eyebrow at him.
Yuuji blinked at him for a few seconds, both surprised and abashed at his words. Was Megumi indirectly complaining about him hogging all the work? Did he want to learn the recipe by actually going through the steps himself? Afraid that he'd slipped up, Yuuji hurried to apologise.
“Ah, sorry! Do you want to help me chop this? Here, I'll show you.”
Standing closer to Megumi, Yuuji placed the spring onions on the chopping board and grabbed a knife.
“It's really easy, see?” Without thinking, he handed the knife to Megumi and guided the other's hand with his own, showing him how to chop in the most efficient way. Yuuji only realised what he'd done when he felt Megumi's hand tense beneath his own. He couldn't tell which was louder; the scream he let out inside his head or the way his heart beat against his chest. As casually as possible in the situation, he let go of Megumi's hand. “A-anyway, that's how you do it. Make sure everything blends together nicely.”
Without daring to take another look at Megumi, he hurried to the sink, silently cursing himself as he washed his hands. Yuuji was deeply afraid of crossing a line, either by making his crush too obvious or confessing his feelings straight away. Once you said something out loud, you could never take it back; it was irreversible, born into the world to either bring fortune or misfortune. It was one thing if Megumi returned his feelings, but if he didn't, they could never go back to how they used to be. Yuuji didn't want to make Megumi uncomfortable, and—most of all—he was infinitely scared of losing him.
After calming down his racing heart, Yuuji took a peek over his shoulder. Megumi was still chopping away, and even from where he was standing, Yuuji could tell that his ears were burning in a lovely shade of red that stood out against his black hair. The sight made him weirdly happy, despite his ever-present fear of upsetting his best friend.
Yuuji didn't notice that he was staring at Megumi until his friend cleared his throat to catch his attention.
“Say, Itadori…” he began, his brows furrowed.
Yuuji felt his palms begin to sweat. “Hm?”
“This… isn't a date, right? Or is it?” Before Yuuji could react in any way, Megumi shook his head and dropped his gaze again. “Sorry, that was weird, forget about—”
“It is,” Yuuji interrupted with a firmness that surprised even himself. For a second, he wanted to take back his words, lock them up inside his mind again out of fear of being rejected. Megumi's eyes, suddenly focused on him, scanning his face for any signs of insincerity, almost stunned him into silence. But he couldn't falter now. There was only one way to go now.
Straightening his back, Yuuji continued a bit louder this time, “It's a date. If you want it to be one, I mean.”
Megumi seemed unsure at first, as if he had thought about that possibility a million times and still hadn't arrived at a satisfying answer. He didn't look Yuuji in the eyes, but a smile graced his lips nevertheless. It was the tiny, content smile he sometimes allowed to slip past his well-trained self-control, the one that had his long lashes kiss the skin right beneath his eyes. Breathless, Yuuji wondered how it would feel if Megumi kissed him.
“I'd like that,” Megumi answered, quietly but firmly, and Yuuji hoped that—at the end of the day, when they had finished the meal they were trying to prepare—he might be able to find out how Megumi's lips tasted. With a huge grin stretched across his face, Yuuji approached Megumi again, and carefully, hesitantly, linked their hands together.
Yuuji certainly hadn't intended this to be their first date, but he couldn't be happier about it.