Chapter Text
Ding!
The light from his phone screen briefly illuminated his dark room, accompanied by a sound announcing a new message. It was incredible how his mind—which just seconds before had been drifting into unconsciousness—swiftly awoke.
Still half asleep, Yūta grabbed his phone from the nightstand and, with heavy eyes, tried to read the notification. When his brain half-deciphered the letters that formed a name, he almost jumped. Blinking once more, he sat up in bed, unlocked his phone, and read the message.
Are you awake?
Yes.
It should be embarrassing how quickly he replied.
But it was nothing compared to how quickly he got out of bed (almost falling flat on his face), took off his pajamas, and changed into the workout clothes he found. He grabbed his shoes and, as quietly and quickly as he could, left his room and headed for the training track.
It wasn't that late, though most had already retired to their rooms. Others were probably in the common room, but since Yūta had a mission in another prefecture the next morning, he'd thought going to bed early was a good idea. Well, that idea was completely discarded.
Not that he minded.
"Hey, I thought you weren't coming," Maki called from the field, hand on her hip and an amused look on her face, probably because of how flustered he looked.
Yūta couldn't help but smile; though a little embarrassed, he jogged over to her. She was dressed comfortably, too.
"Did I make you wait?"
"Barely. But I thought you were going on a mission tomorrow?" They both started warming up while chatting. Yūta nodded at her question. "You know you can say no? It's not like you have to get out of bed for this."
"I wasn't in bed. Besides, it's not an obligation. It helps me rest better." He hoped that with two truths, his first lie would go unnoticed.
Seeing Maki's lack of rebuttal, the boy felt victorious.
As they jogged through the field, their conversation was varied and light. In all honesty, Yūta couldn't be worried about the exhaustion that would knock him back into bed as soon as he returned to his room, and that perhaps some assistant would come to wake him up in the morning after he overslept—again—because at least for a while, that night he could spend with Maki.
...
It was a night where sleep was more elusive than ever.
Exhausted from the mission he had just returned from, his mind restless and his soul uneasy, still carrying his katana, Yūta had wandered through the gardens of the western area, walking along the cobblestone path until he was a few meters from the field. It was the faint sound of her footsteps, more than her presence, that alerted him that Maki was there. He watched her for a while until she called to him.
“Just because you’ve improved at suppressing your cursed energy doesn’t make it invisible, you know? You’re still pretty noticeable.” Maki observed him, noticing not only his uniform and katana, but also the clear fatigue on his face. “Did you just get here?”
“A little while ago. But I wanted some fresh air.”
“Rough day, huh?”
Yūta didn’t need to answer for her to know, because in recent years Maki seemed to have acquired a knack for recognizing when Yūta was being consumed by stress or anxiety. Such stupid worries, she’d say.
“If you’re not going to sleep yet, do you want to join me?”
The offer, which began as a casual invitation, became an almost indispensable routine. Except when they were away on a mission, Yūta would join Maki for a run. Even if they had trained late, they would meet there.
...
—Another lap? she offered.
Yūta was just catching his breath. He was lying on the grass, with Maki sitting beside him. He turned his face slightly to look at her. Maki was already watching him with amusement.
"Ah, is this too lame?"
"Yeah, a bit." Her laughter was one of his favorite sounds. He didn't care if it was at his expense. He smiled, pleased to see her like this. "Looks like I haven't trained you enough."
"Isn't it unfair?" He sat down, having caught his breath. "Maki-san is superior, especially when it comes to stamina."
She smiled at him, a gentler gesture than before. Then, her hand moved closer to his face, brushing away the hair that had fallen haphazardly over his eyes. Yuta remained still, unable even to breathe normally. The casualness of Maki's actions still affected him.
It was thanks to the light from the lamps that he could clearly see her face, that he could meet her gaze. In moments like this, the urge to be honest with her about his feelings was greater and almost unbearable. And sometimes he felt the change in the atmosphere, heavy with anticipation for something he didn't dare to pinpoint.
Stunned by this, he leaned back slightly, and with that movement, the tense atmosphere dissipated like mist. Maki tilted her head slightly, looking at him questioningly. Yūta waved a hand over his face, trying to fan himself.
"You are flushed."
His nod was stiff. "We did a lot of laps, that's why."
"Uh-huh. Hey, I've got an idea for that." She stood up easily, and Yūta looked at her with silent doubt showing on his face. She returned his gaze with a playful look and offered him her hand. "Let's go."
"Where to?"
She rolled her eyes and took his hand, pulling him to his feet.
"To the kitchen."
...
When Maki said that, he thought they were going to get water or iced tea. It hadn't occurred to him that they'd be sitting at the kitchen counter eating at two in the morning.
"Why are you making that face? Don't you like that flavor?"
"We shouldn't be eating this."
"Why not? We train a lot, and ice cream doesn't have that many calories; you won't gain weight from it."
He chuckled a little at her attempt to avoid what he was trying to say.
"We shouldn't eat it because it's not ours."
Maki pretended not to hear him, far too pleased with the last-minute dessert. Yūta sighed, defeated, and continued eating. He promised himself he'd get more later.
"I don't think consuming sugar before bed is a good idea either."
"Oh, for crying out loud. You fight curses, and you're worried about sugar before bed?"
"Maki-san, you're very rigorous when it comes to training, but your eating habits aren't the best."
"You'd be the same if you'd grown up somewhere where the food you were given was bland and the vegetables tasteless. Besides, if we’re talking about bad habits, your dark circles tell a more alarming story.”
Yūta muttered, "It's not really my fault," as he ate the reason they'd started arguing.
After a while, Maki stretched her arms out on the counter and rested her head on them, waiting for Yūta to finish his ice cream. He felt nervous at being watched, and the light dessert was becoming difficult to swallow.
"Speaking of which, shouldn't you go to sleep already? What time do you have to get up in the morning?"
He hesitated to answer, but there was no point in lying to her.
"...at six?"
Her eyes widened slightly, then she frowned. Yūta quickly continued:
"It’s okay, I'm not sleepy. And I took a nap before dinner, so..."
"Before dinner? Are you saying it was after afternoon practice? What, you slept for like half an hour? You consider that a nap?"
The boy shifted uncomfortably at her irritation.
"I do. Besides, I can go several days without sleeping."
She snorted, skeptical of his answer.
"You're an idiot when it comes to yourself, you know that?"
His only response was a nervous laugh, which was by no means a rejection of the girl's recrimination. Maki glared at him, and the only peace offering he could think of was to offer her his ice cream. The girl hesitated for a moment—more out of his attempt to appease her than to eat more ice cream—and accepted. She leaned slightly toward him, opening her mouth and capturing the spoon and its contents.
He held his breath, dumbfounded by the action. He'd thought Maki would take the spoon, not eat from his hand.
No, wait, that's my spoon. Why did she eat from my spoon...?! He swallowed hard. Maki didn't move either; she seemed to be realizing what she'd done. She looked up and met Yūta's gaze. To his surprise, he saw a faint blush on her face. He could feel his own face burning.
The heavy atmosphere he'd felt earlier returned. His stomach clenched with nervousness and pressing anxiety, and the breath he held was almost painful. It was strange, because he was sure that the slightest movement between them would break that atmosphere of expectation, but when Maki leaned closer to him, he swore the heat he felt on his face spread throughout his entire body.
They had been so engrossed that it wasn't until they sensed the cursed energy that they realized someone was approaching.
Like shattering glass, the atmosphere dissolved at the interruption. Maki exhaled, almost so softly that he could have mistaken it for a sigh. Yūta blinked, confused by what had happened.
"Oh, Maki-senpai, you're here too," Itadori said with a yawn. It was more than obvious from his face that he had been asleep until recently.
"Were you woken up by hunger?"
"It was thirst," the boy said, heading for a glass of water, completely oblivious to his superiors' unusual mood. At least until the glass of water he drank helped him wake up more. He looked at them in bewilderment, as if only just realizing they were actually there.
"Um… did I interrupt something?"
Yūta didn't answer right away, but that was because he still hadn't recovered from what had happened before his junior arrived.
"...just having a midnight snack," Maki said, gesturing to Yūta's now-melted ice cream and her own empty bowl.
"Ah... but all that sugar will keep you awake."
Maki snorted, giving Yūta an amused look. He smiled weakly. Itadori refilled his glass with water and headed back the way he had come. "Then, I’ll see you guys around."
Even after Itadori's footsteps faded, neither of them spoke. Yūta stared at the counter, trying to regain his composure. He focused solely on regulating his breathing and calming his mind. At least his face no longer felt hot.
He didn't know what had almost happened. He glanced sideways at Maki. Her back was straight, but their closeness wasn't much different than before. Her face looked annoyed. Yūta felt that familiar anxiety in his stomach, this time from the thought that what had happened earlier had upset her.
"We'd better go."
He nodded, but doubted he'd be able to fall asleep. He picked up both bowls and carried them to the sink. The walk back to the dorms was quiet. When they reached the point where they parted, Maki stopped, as if she wanted to say something. Yūta noticed this from the way her eyebrows furrowed slightly, and she looked at him with hesitation. But she didn't speak. He didn't know if he was disappointed by it, afraid of what she might say to him.
"I'll see you later."
"Good night," he said, his smile not entirely genuine. Maki gave him a look he couldn't quite grasp, then walked away. He lingered for a moment before heading to his own room.
Each step only increased the chaos in his mind. When he was inside his room and closed the door, his legs seemed to give way, sliding down until he was sitting on the floor. The sigh that escaped his lips was deep, exhausted, and trembling.
The day had been far too long, and although his body felt tired and his emotions were a jumbled mess that was clouding his judgment, he was certain he wouldn't be able to sleep.
...
“Yūta, I heard the principal yelled at you yesterday,” Gojo said with amusement, reveling in the boy’s embarrassed reaction. As if Gojo himself hadn’t been scolded almost every day when he was a student. But hey, Gojo found it more than amusing; after all, his obedient and responsible cousin was finally showing a rebellious side. “Would you mind explaining why?”
Yūta wasn’t alone when his teacher said that. More than one person became interested in the conversation. Maki, among them, was too intrigued to ignore Gojo, as usual.
The boy didn't answer immediately, thinking about what to say to get out of it. But Gojo didn't give him a chance.
"Nobara, maybe you know? After all, it was on the mission he went on with you."
Yūta looked at her cautiously, hoping the girl wouldn't give their teacher what he wanted.
"Uh, nothing much happened..." She recalled the mission, and there was nothing relevant that told her the reason for such a scolding. Yūta almost sighed in relief until she continued, "Besides oversleeping that morning. They made me go wake him up. It's in extremely poor taste to keep a girl waiting. Your beauty sleep isn't more important than mine. It's not like it's going to help you much either."
Ouch?
"Now, children need to sleep well so their brains develop properly. Yūta, try to go to bed early, or at least don't stay up late before a mission."
Gojo could sometimes be considerate. He was grateful that he didn't elaborate.
"Ah, maybe you should keep those late-night dates to a minimum, at least when you have to wake up early."
No, he took it back: Gojo wasn't considerate.
Panda laughed. "I wonder who he's going on those dates with, huh, Toge?"
"Salmon."
Worried, he glanced sideways at Maki, who hadn't commented on the matter. But he could see the annoyance in her eyes: when their gazes met, Yūta couldn't help but flinch; too embarrassed to maintain eye contact, he looked away.