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The most boring part of the day is the moment that missions end and that fever that flourishes starts to burn out. It’s worse on nights where there’s nothing to do — nothing to distract in which it lets thoughts linger. Thoughts no one really wants to have because they’re boring as fuck.
There’s nothing entertaining, no battles, no curse spirits. Anything on Kinji’s phone right now doesn’t seem fun either. Kinji groans out of boredom, his fingers are becoming restless, mindlessly scrolling on videos he couldn’t care less about. Maybe he could play some gambling games.. most of them he’s gotten banned on because he’s not of the age to gamble his life away but he’s figured it’s because he keeps winning therefore they don’t want to give him anymore cash.
Replaying previous battles works for a bit, sparking a bit of pride in him but at the end of the day, it’s boring when he knows the outcome of them. He wins and the curse spirit diminishes into nothing.
It’s moments like this where the day is over and the sun starts to peek through his curtains to tell him that it’s leaving. He really wishes he could at least play games with classmates like he used to do before he attended Jujutsu High. Instead he’s laying in his bed — he could be training but he’s not — staring at a ceiling, bored out of his mind.
While replaying things he could’ve done better — things that might’ve made his fever linger a bit longer than it normally does. It was nothing too interesting… It was boring compared to the rest. Maybe if he went on more dangerous missions, that fever would linger inside of his veins a bit more.
The curse dissipating into nothingness with a guttural roar and whine was something he enjoyed hearing because it meant he had won. But it’s a past win therefore meaningless.
A thought enters his brain and it’s Hoshi. They’re less advanced in their combative abilities and their cursed technique is used as a support rather than damage, their cheerfulness stays in his brain. Hearing them further away run towards him and smile at him as if he’s achieved the abolishment of all bad things in the world.
They’ve had missions together for ages and it’s always been fun. There’s not a mission he can remember where he’s been by himself. God— the two of them have changed. Kinji used to never have second thoughts about them, he just forgot about them being in the same year group, he didn’t wait for them when they’d go on missions together but a lot has changed. Now, automatically he just assumes Hoshi is coming alongside him even if it isn’t a mission between two people. If anything, he just mentions it to Gojo and suddenly they’re going together even if Hoshi doesn’t need to be there. Kinji is willing to take a lecture from those old higher-ups always yammering about rules if it means he gets to spend time with Hoshi.
It’s a similar feeling that bubbles inside of him: feverish, hot, warm, thrilling. This isn’t some pachinko game though yet it’s fun so he keeps thinking. Suddenly boredom is an emotion that strays away from him and he forgets what it is. He places a thumb into his finger as he bites it, the other hand running his hand through his hair. He keeps rethinking about Hoshi’s smile, their hand placed on their hips as they yammer about how he shouldn’t provoke the higher-ups and curses so much. Depending on the time of the day, sometimes the stars in their eyes shimmer and dance around in their pupils.
God— he really likes it when they get all frustrated with him. Their nose scrunches up, pouting and movements become more exaggerated and that’s when he can see their ass and hips swing around a bit. That’s when he loves to laze his eyes on them. He does it mindlessly.
There’s a knock at the door, “Hey Hakari, are you in there?” What a convenience, it’s Hoshi, not like it would be anyone else.
“Yo, come in.” He sluggishly sits up from his bed as he hears the doorknob turn and the door creak. “You bored or somethin’? Movie night?”
Hoshi looks over at him, a bit reluctant but they make their way over to him, sitting beside him. “Bored, yeah. Movie night? Honestly I’m not feeling it..” Hoshi shrugs before looking over at him with a grin, “buut.. I did have an idea! Wanna sneak out?”
Kinji looks at them, surprised by the suggestion. “I mean, why not. Aren’t you scared we might get caught?”
“If I’m with you, I’ll be fine. We’ll share the blame! Plus you never really cared too much about getting in trouble now, do you?” They look at him with a smile, it makes his heart skip a few beats.
“Nah, I don’t.” Kinji chuckles and he can see in their eyes that it amuses them. “Where we headin’?”
“It’s a secret!” Hoshi smiles, grabbing his hand before they stand up and tug him. Rushing out of the hallway and opening the door so loud that he’s sure if anyone else was in their dormitories, they’d wake up. Their hand was warm in his.
He swears that the lights in Tokyo are dimmer than they usually are. The stars are brighter and they glisten in sequences. They slip around into the night with a light amount of bustle around. They don’t get far but it doesn’t really matter. There’s no destination in mind and he enjoys that. There’s a possibility they'll get caught. There might be a possibility they’ll get caught by the police and interviewed because they’re two idiots running and giggling around alone in the night. They might get lectured when they get back but the chance of them getting pulled back to their dormitories is low. Just darting around alleys, streets, and sitting around in parks. Hoshi was infectious, their smile and laugh as they pointed at some idiotic thing that wouldn’t be as funny in the sunlight, it made him laugh.
“Come on, let’s just go onto a train and see where it takes us.” A bit reckless but seems better than being cooped up in his room. “Maybe we’ll get lost and call Gojo-sensei. Have you ever wondered what he sounds like when he’s angry?”
“Nah, couldn’t care less either. The man probably wants us to have fun anyway. Isn’t he dealin’ with the first years now?” Hoshi nods, he grabs their wrist, it’s soft and smooth before pulling them into the train. It’s empty. Not even a stranger in sight.
“Do you ever hate Jujutsu sorcery, Hakari?”
“Annoyed at it? Yeah. Hate? Nah. Don’t think I could ever hate something. They give me my fever after all.” Kinji explains, “they’re controlling freaks.. that's when it runs cold. Sometimes I wish I could just do my own thing. Leave it all behind, maybe start something new with Jujutsu, that’s a true gamble begins, ya know?”
“Hey! If you leave it all behind, you’d be leaving me behind. You better not do that, especially not after this adventure we just had and are having!” An elbow is shoved into his gut where he wrenches a bit.
“Come on— I wouldn’t do that.” He says
“You would if it was for the sake of gambling. God— you’re such a bad friend.” Hoshi pouts, putting their hand on their hip and turns around. Fuck, they’re adorable when they act mad.
He glances at their ass before he turns them around, “nah, I’d take you with me if I did something new. Come on! Only if you want though— couldn’t force ya.”
“Of course I’d wanna go!” Their arms wrap around his as they pull and push him around the moving train which makes them almost trip over before he catches them. The stars in their eyes get bigger, glimmering and dilating as they look at him, he starts to laugh, a blush tinting all over his face. “I’m still not forgetting you saying you’d want to leave it all behind though. And stop laughing at me!” Hoshi mutters while looking away, he chuckles.
“Alright alright.. I’m just laughing cause it’s cute, that’s all! I’ll make sure to make up to you! It’s cold right? Here, have my fur coat. Wear it for the time-being. ” Kinji says, taking off his coat and placing it around them. Their frown softens as they huff. God, they’re cute. He wishes he could kiss their cheeks. Albeit it's a bit oversized but it works, he honestly wishes it would become a part of their uniform.
“Hey, Hakari?”
“Hm?”
“Do you reckon we’d be close enough on a first name basis yet?” Their voice is soft, hesitant, almost as if they’ve wondered this for days.
“Yeah,” He wonders what his name sounds like with their voice. It slips into a thought of what their tongue feels like against his. “Are you telling me that’s what you want, Kirara?” He leans forward into their face. Kirara’s face burns pink and he can feel warmth radiate off of them.
“Kinji sounds too formal.. What about Kin-chan?” Kirara changes the subject which makes him laugh, he loves it when they’re flustered. The nickname makes him feel warm as well.
“I dunno, why don’t you say it over and over again and I’ll see how I feel ‘bout it.”
“Kin-chan! Kin-chan… Kin-chan—” They attempt different varieties of saying his name, saying it low, high, happy, sad, annoyed, yet all Kinji can focus on is how nice their voice sounds. The nickname makes his heart wring out pure snappiness. He’s distracted with how their lips move when saying his name… he wants to get closer. He can’t— they’re only friends. Friends with benefits technically— but— fuck it. “Kin-chan, do you like this? Kin—“ Before Kirara can finish their sentence, he kisses them, he feels bad for interrupting them but he's sure he can find a way to make it up to them. It was a risky gamble but Kirara melts into the kiss. Their hands caressing the side of his face.
They don’t let go of eachother. He feels like he’s melting into Kirara’s touch, his tongue against theirs and he can smell their perfume that they must’ve exclusively put on for this. Sneaky— his hands are against their asscheek, pulling them closer. His hands move to her waist, hips and ass. He swears that this is what bliss feels like.
The train comes to a sudden stop, it jolts them away from each other. Kirara stumbles and he catches them once again and they giggle. He thinks that the both of them will choose to stay so they can kiss all over again yet Kirara grabs his hand and starts to pull him away. The station isn’t anywhere that he recognises, it’s the outskirts of Tokyo.
“Did you get us lost?” Kinji asks and they look back at him with a smile.
“Maybe. Doesn’t matter though, come on!” They drag him, he doesn’t know where he’s being led but he doesn’t mind. They’re running up a hill, it’s dark to the point he pulls out his phone for a flashlight but he doesn’t think Kirara needs it all to navigate through these parts. They’re following their heart.
Soon enough, they’re on top of the hill. They fall back into the ground, giggling. “Come on, Kin-chan!” While he’s standing up, he can see the distant buildings and lights from Tokyo. It’s nice.
Kinji leans back, savouring the cool night air as he gazes up at the vast expanse of the starry sky. He kind of wishes he had his coat on right now but he doesn’t mind. Kirara lays beside him, their hand brushing against his, their soft giggles a delightful melody in the serene night. The thrill of their earlier kiss lingered, the fever hadn't burnt out yet. Their presence was a warm glow that made his heart race when he glanced at them.
The stars were scattered across the night, twinkling brightly against the dark canvas. “My grandma used to talk to me all about stars. Tell me how fate was destined based on what the stars wrote for us.. just some people aren’t smart enough to read it. With Tokyo lights, it’s pretty hard to see them clearly. Of course that might be a myth but I still think it… I mean it’s worked out for me! Don’t you find them beautiful?”
“Yeah,” Kinji replied, turning his head to look at them. It’s not as beautiful as them. They lay there in silence, the cool grass beneath them and the vast sky above.
“Kin-chan,” Kirara said softly, turning to face him. Their hand on his chest. “Did you know that some constellations are actually love stories? Well.. tales.”
“Really?”
Kirara points to a cluster of stars, “See those stars over there? That’s the constellation Andromeda! According to Greek mythology, Andromeda was a princess who was chained to a rock as a sacrifice to a sea monster. Perseus, a hero, saw her and fell in love at first sight. He rescued her and they got married.” The way Kirara can talk about stars as if it's as easy as knowing it off of some textbook is something that he doesn’t know how Kirara can do it so effortlessly. “Yeah, and there’s another one. Look over there.” They pointed to another group of stars. “Most of the stories are tragic because they’re forbidden… I don’t know why love is so hard in these tales. It’s kind of a mood killer to talk about.”
Their voice is soft as they continue to talk, he wants to kiss them every time they muster up another word. “Every constellation has its own tale of love and adventure… It's weird to believe it completely but I think it’s pretty neat. Sorry— god— did I— sorry! I didn’t mean to talk so much.” They start to stammer and start to chuckle out of embarrassment.
Kinji has been staring at them for around 4 minutes straight as they have been talking. Watching them smile and point to the skies. Admittedly— he hasn’t been paying attention at all. Maybe that makes him a bad friend? “No— it was cute— it’s cool.”
“Okay..” Kirara lays back down, staring at the stars in silence. Their fingers fidgeting as their fingers slowly make their way to Kinji’s. He feels their warmth. “I love you, Kinji. I’ve loved you for a while now.”
That’s the first time they’ve said I love you to him — it almost makes him say “huh” out loud. If he’s honest, it’s the first I love you where he actually feels like the fever inside of him is going to make him overheat.
The words hang in the air, and for a moment, time seems to stand still. Kinji’s heart races, his mind processing the weight of their confession. He feels a warmth spreading through his chest. He’s not surprised… he just never really realised.
He reaches out, gently cupping Kirara’s face in his hands. “I love you too, Kirara,” he whispers, his voice steady and sincere. “I didn’t realise it until now, but I do.”
Kirara’s eyes fill with tears, their smile radiant. “Really?”
“You bet I do. Hey— don’t cry, it’s almost as if you didn’t expect me to like you back.”
“I didn’t— you always act so casually with me! Maybe it’s natural charisma or something— it’s hard to tell! It’s not like I have any other classmates to compare it to!” Kirara rambles, trying to get rid of their anxiety. Kinji kisses them again, the stars above witnessing a moment of pure bliss.
When Kirara pulls away, they lean close to him, “let’s stay like this for a while.. okay?”
”Okay.”
Why The only star that matters here is Kirara Hoshi.