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"Aren't we a little too old for this?" Megumi makes an expression full of judgement and exasperation at his friends who were currently arranging a blanket fort in the middle of the common area of the first year dormitory.
"You're never too old for fun, Fushiguro!"
"Tell him, Yuji! Noba-chan, pass me that pillow, please?"
Of course, it was hard to resist even for Nobara when your excitement was so contagious. If this was Itadori's idea, there is no doubt she would've hurled all sorts of criticism in her first breath. Your line of logic was that despite being highschool kids (even if the school is of sorcery, which is very unconventional) all of you rarely ever do silly things like this.
Though, Megumi still thinks this particular activity was supposed to be done as children, not as seventeen-year olds.
"Gojo-sensei showed us his photo album back when he was a student!" Yuji grins, and you nod along with him, working in tandem as the two of you enthusiastically cover the various pillows with soft blankets. Nobara helped out too, though mostly by handing stuff to you and Yuji.
"It looked so nostalgic", you sigh, hugging a pillow with a dreamy blue cover to your chest, "it reminded me that we don't have enough memories together. So, we had to do this! You'll like it too, Megumi, I can assure you."
"I really doubt that", he sighs but when Yuji throws a pillow at him, he caves in and half-heartedly helps with the fort. Now, with the four of you working together (even if it really was just you and Yuji who were completely passionate about it) The fort eventually stood on its own.
"It's done, it's done!" Yuji cheers and Nobara smacks his back, scolding him to be less loud before the second years come to check in. "That would be embarrassing." You nod, "and Panda-senpai would destroy our fort wanting to get in."
For some reason, Megumi thinks you have an entirely different perception of Panda but then, Yuji starts to usher everybody in, "get in, get in!"
"Ugh, it's cramped, Itadori if your feet touches me, you're dead."
"What?! Then sit in the corner! Fushiguro, come here too!"
With some adjustments, you found yourself in the snug pillow fort, right between Nobara, who was on your right and Yuji, who was on your left with Megumi on his left. There was some awkward, silent shifting to get everyone comfortable and then, there was complete silence.
"So? Now what?"
You crane out your neck to look at Megumi, "take a pic, your arm is the longest."
"That's not true", Megumi gives you a look but your resolute expression is stronger. It's a well-known fact that whoever is the closest to the camera gets the worst facial proportions in a selfie. Yet still, Megumi takes the picture anyway. Nobara reaches an arm out to smack his head because he clicked it when she was mid-way blinking, but she accidentally smacks Yuji instead, who jerks back and exclaims loudly, "ouch!"
With his movement, the pillow fort almost collapse and all of you make various types of panicked noises but alas, the fort does not yet give up on you and tumble down entirely.
"My hair, it's ruined!"
"Whose feet is that?! Ew, get it away from mine!"
"Ouch—! Kugisaki, don't jerk like that!"
You giggle but after a few more minutes of adjustment (and a lot of limbs over each other) you finally lean back and let out a relaxed sigh. Nobara's head is on your shoulder, and Yuji's arm is behind your head. Megumi's right leg is too long and keeps reaching out of the fort, so you grab it and lay it upon all your laps.
You almost laugh again, you must all look so silly right now. There are a few more photos taken (and you even try to replicate the 'candidness' that you saw in Miss Shoko and Gojo-sensei's highschool photos) with every pose change, someone or the other gets poked by an elbow and then, you spot Nobara's horrified face, only to turn behind and see Megumi, who looks awfully similar to someone who has to sneeze.
"Wait, wait, wait, hold it in, Fushiguro!"
"Don't do it, I'll kill you! Ack—! Itadori, push him out!!"
In interest of maintaining proper hygiene, Nobara pushes you towards Yuji, who in turn ends up getting jerked entirely to the side and unintentionally forcing Megumi to fall out of the fort. He sneezes, a pretty quiet and covered one, and then looks back at your dramatic expressions. He would feel betrayed by this united effort of getting him out of this fort if it weren't for the fact that this was all very silly.
"Ahaha... I thought you'd sneeze like Gojo-sensei, since you're kind of like his son and all..."
"? That does not even make sense."
Yuji chuckles awkwardly, and then leans back in to the fort to make space for Megumi, you get squeezed between him and Nobara again. However, this time, Megumi's attempt to get inside the fort results horribly. The habit of parkouring must have shined through, because Megumi grasped the fragile pillow wall as if it was made of cement and then, the fort finally takes its last breath.
Which was met with a lot of mourning.
"No, no, Fushiguro, don't move!"
"It's going to fall on us! Itadori, get out! Hold it!"
"What?! It's just pillows, you do it, Kugisaki!"
The pillow fort tumbles, descending upon all of you and entrapping you all in its fluffy embrace. Another sessions of panicked noises and yells resound in the air. Your laughter finally breaks the chaos, and all of you manage to escape from the clutches of the soft cotton and fluffy blankets. Nobara playfully hits your shoulder with hers and Yuji laughs along, even Megumi is smiling.
"Hah, it really was a kid's activity", you laugh, before cleaning up the mess with Megumi as Nobara and Yuji debate over the choice of movie to choose. You really hope Nobara wins. You don't want to see that weird movie franchise Yuji is obsessed with, as much as you love him— you don't want to see it ever again.
"See, didn't I tell you it would be fun?" You grin at Megumi when you catch the soft smile on his face as he folds the blanket. His breathy laugh makes your heart happy, and eventually, you all again squeeze onto the singular sofa with a blanket thrown over you and a movie running on the TV, the dialogue barely being heard with Nobara and Yuji's still ongoing debate and your laughter.
Even if you have to face death every day, none of you could not think this was worth all of its trouble.
From behind the sliding door of the common room, a particularly annoying mentor is busy clicking this rare moment of childish innocence in his beloved students. It's important to commemorate such moments. He knows so because the photo album in his shelf has never gathered dust— and also because Gojo would definitely tease Megumi and you about this later.
