Archive of Our Own

yuji saved this moment for the biggest moments of his life that he gets to share with kugisaki, and that's sharing the stage, together as idols, in front of one million people that they get to call their fans who have supported them along the way.

"thank you so much to everyone who have been listening to our music! this may come as a surprise, but i actually have a solo, as our encore."

a guitar is handed to yuji, along with a chair right in the center of the front stage. nobara, who is completely dumbfounded, stood there in confusion. why wasn't she told? where was the communication in this? when did they decide there would be an encore?

"kugisaki-san, please walk up to the middle stage." and there she went, confused out of her mind, but obeying nonetheless.

"i'm sure this is all a shock to all of you and to nobara, but i'm sure you'll pick up the hints along the way." yuji has that smile on his face. the camera pans to him, showing up on all three screens for everybody to see. eventually, it switches to the female star, who stands there wondering what he meant.

the crowds, who were wilding, were shut up as soon as yuji holds his hand up.

"don't spoil this, guys! to all you smarties, don't say anything!" a genuine laugh leaves the pink haired idol.

"the title for this encore is, let's fall in love for the night, by finneas." about more than half fans in the stadium who had known this song, were screaming. they knew what was coming, it had clicked.

-

"yuji! have you seen my-" kugisaki walks in on itadori, panicking. he stops what he was practicing, fear in his eyes.

"please tell me you didn't hear that." yuji begs for what he wants to hear.

"i mean, i heard some muffled singing before i came in. what, it's not like you're watching porn. unless...?-" her voice's pitch rises, with yuji shaking his head.

"of course not! i have some sense. anyway- what did you want again?"

-

it all clicked. she wasn't sure, so kugisaki was left bewildered.

to yuji, his heart was pounding in his ears. there was a mix of excitement and anxiety in his mind, but he couldn't back down now. he's been given his guitar, and everyone is waiting for what he had to show eagerly. this was it. this was the big moment.

anxiously in his seat, there's a mic propped up in front of the idol, with a guitar in hand.

start

"let's fall in love for the night,
and forget in the mornin'

play me a song that you like,
you can bet i know every line

i'm the boy that your boy hoped you would avoid,
don't waste your time on jealous guys, fuck that noise

i know better,
than to call you, mine."

the fans scream out, hearing yuji's acappella cover of the song for the first time. many are recording, many are singing along.

yuji looks happy. he practiced this song in a tight schedule, and did it all secretly without his duo knowing. he made sure that he would memorize the lyrics and chords.

nobara could see that ; all she could see was yuji, and yuji only. her ears drown out the sound, hands over her mouth as she realized it felt nostalgic, watching him play guitar.

working their way up, starting from a simple acappella cover, to being successful idols, felt like such a short time. they were only high-schoolers, but they both were passionate about music.

tears form in her eyes, feeling the hard work crash on her. she thought they could do better, when the answer was right in front of her.

itadori taps his foot, matching the beat with his knocks on his guitar.

"you need a pick me up?
i'll be there in twenty-five

i like to push my luck
so take my hand, let's take a drive

i've been livin' in the future,
hopin' i might see you sooner

i want you, riding shotgun
i knew when i got one right"

with his vocal range, yuji manages to surpass everybody's expectations with his soothing voice. they all knew he could play instruments, but to have a surprise set up, the fans had loved it even more.

many thoughts had run through his mind before this moment.

what if she rejects me?
what if she sees me as a good friend or acquaintance only?

but there was no way. they had been friends since their third year in middle school. ever since they stepped into each other's lives, the two were stuck like glue.

-

"who knew, itadori! you only sing love songs! you're just a single loser. ha!" the group of boys had laughed at him.

if nobara hadn't stepped in, they wouldn't have sung in harmony.

if they hadn't sung in harmony, they wouldn't have become best friends.

without them being best friends, she wouldn't have ever brought up them uploading covers on youtube.

without those covers, that passion for music would die off.

"let's become idols!" both yuji and nobara exclaimed in sync. they smiled and laughed at how their minds were alike.

the minds of third year high-schoolers were really enthusiastic.

but who knew it would take them somewhere that brought them happiness?

-

"let's fall in love for the night,
and forget in the mornin'

play me a song that you like,
you can bet i'll know every line

i'm the boy that your boy hoped you would avoid,
don't waste your eyes on jealous guys, fuck that noise

i know better,
than to call you mine"

the idol gets up, a mic attached to his head and is now switched on, allowing him to move freely while still playing the guitar.

"i love it when you talk that nerdy shit,
we're in our twenties talkin' thirties shit

we're makin' money but we're savin' it,
'cause talkin' shit is cheap, and we talk a lot of it

you won't stay with me, i know,
but you can have your way with me till you go

and before your kisses turn into bruises,
i'm a warnin' "

watching her duo was like watching him in their younger days. he would always fool around, but when singing with her, was always focused and content with their creations.

as nobara tries wiping her tears, she realizes that a flow is running down, the pieces coming together.

the song, the lyrics, her being at the middle stage, is this real?

she hoped that this wasn't a prank. her feelings for yuji had become concrete the more they stood together, in success. their story together, nobara had started to gain feelings for him. but to keep their relationship intact and their professionalism, she kept quiet for the sake of their job.

itadori, on the other hand, had a serious talk with their manager. it took some scolding and a few words, but he had gotten through.

as he was singing, yuji had been slowly making his way down the stage down to the middle, eventually reaching his destination, where kugisaki was standing.

as soon as he made a stop, the stadium goes silent.

"let's fall in love for the night,
and forget in the mornin'

play me a song that you like,
you can bet, i'll know every line

'cause i'm the boy that your boy,
hoped that you would avoid

don't waste your eyes on jealous guys,
fuck that noise.."

with a gentle and soothing voice, the light strums of the guitar had gotten through to his duo.

there's a pause, with a slight pickup of nobara crying. yuji's eyes soften, wanting to reach out and comfort her. but he realizes that she's smiling. she's crying out of happiness and it fills his heart with guilt. the fact that they get to stand on this stage together, not one bit of both of the idols had felt like they wanted to be solo artists. whatever they had, they made sure they overcame it together.

the guitar can be heard once again, but even softer.

"i know better,
i know better,
i know better than to ever, call you, mine..."

he ends with the last few notes, sliding the guitar on his shoulder, to his back.

"kugisaki nobara, i'm really grateful for this moment. i get to stand here with you, on this stage that we dreamed of. i tried so hard to hide this from you."

sobs could be heard even louder as he holds her mic up, trying to speak. she fails, pulling it back down. she covers her face, not wanting it to be seen.

"so may i ask you,
will you be my girlfriend?"

yuji gives her a soft smile. he kneels, attempting to see her face. he tries peeking from the side, but chuckles as the other idol covers it.

as soon as he stands up, she hugs him tight and plants a kiss on his lips.

the stadium screams out to the duo, in disbelief that what they had seen was true. their ship had come true. all those damn fanfics had come true, minus the smut.

itadori hugs her back with tears too, running down his cheeks. they were so happy together, that they had even kissed a second time.

kugisaki backs away, hearing the fans yell out to them. "say yes! say yes!" they exclaim.

"then, yes itadori yuji, i'll be your girlfriend. i'm in your care."

the stadium couldn't be happier.