Chapter Text
“A wife?” Toge softly asks, trying to make sure he heard Yuuta correctly.
He’s able to speak now, only soft words, after learning how to control his cursed speech a bit more now that he’s older. He still has to be careful, of course, and not overdo it, but he’s managing. It’s especially easy when he’s speaking to people like Yuuta, someone with an absurd amount of cursed energy and power.
Yuuta, his best friend since their first year at Tokyo Jujutsu High, just nods as he continues to spiral. “The Gojo clan says I need to be married if I’m to become the next head of the clan. They said I need a wife! Inumaki-kun, I don’t even have a girlfriend!”
Well, this certainly is unexpected, but then again, Toge isn’t surprised in the least. Clans in the jujutsu world have always been like this, and he’s sure they’ve had a million rules and protocols about things dating back to the beginning of time. The Gojo clan, especially, has always been rather strict, even more so after Gojo Saturo came into the picture.
Luckily for Toge, the Inumaki clan isn’t too concerned with him getting married since they’re still trying to rid the bloodline of the snake and fangs seal. He’s very far down in the line of succession to be the next clan head. So, for now, Toge gets to do as he wishes, and currently that means helping out at Tokyo Jujutsu and occasionally going on missions.
Still, it seems silly, putting such a heavy requirement on Yuuta, considering that he’s the future of the Gojo clan. It’s also sneaky, only voicing the requirement after Yuuta has done everything else that’s been asked of him so that he can take over the clan. He’s been working on this since their graduation, after it was revealed that Gojo’s will was for him to take over.
Well, the urgent meeting they requested with Yuuta this morning makes a lot of sense now. It hasn’t been that long since Yuuta’s birthday, after all.
“They told me they don’t want a repeat of Gojo-sensei,” Yuuta confesses, looking beyond stressed despite only being twenty-three. Thankfully, there is no one around this area of the school this late in the afternoon.“But even still, a wife?!”
Toge reaches over to pat Yuuta’s shoulder with his remaining hand to express his support. This certainly is not an ideal situation, but still, it’s not the end of the world. All Yuuta has to do is find someone to date and eventually marry; it can’t be that hard, considering how great a guy he is.
He’s not the only one who thinks that. Maki and Panda, their friends from school, also think that, as well as Nobara, Megumi, and Yuuji. Even the students are always asking Yuuta whenever the man comes around to help teach them and whatnot if he’s married or he’s dating someone.
The students are always wondering why Yuuta is still single, and honestly, Toge has been wondering the same for a while now, too. Yuuta is tall, polite, handsome, sweet, caring, a prodigy of a sorcerer, and not to mention very well off now that he’s considered a member of the Gojo clan.
They’d asked once if Toge was dating him, and that’d made Toge laugh because in what world would they be dating? Students can be so silly.
“Do you want to get married?” Toge asks the most important question because, unless Yuuta wants that too, nothing else really matters.
Yuuta’s eyebrows furrow as he looks between Rika’s ring hanging from the necklace around his neck and Toge. “I wouldn’t mind having someone in my life,” he reveals, blushing. “I think it could be nice, coming home to someone at the Gojo Estate that isn’t…one of the clan elders. It might make things there more bearable.”
The sight makes Toge smile behind his mouth-covering. Really, Yuuta is too cute!
“That makes sense,” Toge says, having heard one too many times already about how annoying the Gojo clan elders tend to be.
Of course, Yuuta would never speak ill of them, but Toge has gathered enough context whenever they spend the night together. Since Yuuta technically lives at the Gojo Estate now, he’ll sometimes spend the night with Toge, who lives at one of the sorcerer apartments at the school.
“I just don’t know how I would even go about finding a wife,” Yuuta laments. “If I’m not dealing with the Gojo clan, I’m spending time with my little sister, or I’m here, taking missions and helping students.”
“Yuuta,” Toge cuts in to stop Yuuta’s spiraling. “I’ll help you,” he offers.
Yuuta’s eyes go wide. “You’ll help me, really, Inumaki-kun?”
Toge nods and smiles, feeling endeared and annoyed that, despite how long they’ve been friends, Yuuta still calls him by that nickname. It’s sweet, of course, but Toge isn’t a teenager anymore. Still, it’s nice, still being special to Yuuta despite how high the man has risen in the jujutsu world.
“Trust me, we’ll have you married by the end of the month,” Toge promises. “Leave it all to me.”
Now, Toge might not look the most social, given his cursed speech, but he’s actually rather extroverted, even more so after graduating from school. Sure, most of his real-life interactions involve people from the jujutsu world. Still, he’s also managed to connect with people online, given how much he enjoys gaming and scouring the internet.
He can do this; he can help Yuuta get married. It’ll be easy; besides, anyone would be lucky to have someone like Yuuta in their life. He’s sweet and caring, really, he’s the ideal guy! Really, it does not get anymore husband material than Okkotsu Yuuta.
“Stay tonight,” Toge offers when the sun begins to set. “We can get started after dinner.”
Yuuta blushes a little. “Actually, I was already planning on staying,” he reveals, much to Toge’s delight. “If that’s alright with you, of course!”
“Of course,” Toge reassures him, never once having denied Yuuta spending the night since they graduated and even before that.
This is just perfect then because now, they can get started on their new mission, getting Yuuta a wife, tonight. Then again, Yuuta is always staying over at Toge’s apartment. He basically has his own space here, considering how often he spends the night. Of course, Yuuta could have his own apartment at the school too, but he never likes being alone for too long, so he always chooses to stay with Toge whenever he comes around.
They’ve known each other for so long that they’ve settled into a nice routine. They tend to spend most of their free time together, and Toge always enjoys it, even more when they get assigned to go on missions together, which is rare these days.
It’s just easier, alright! Yuuta takes hard, long missions, and sometimes when he returns, he doesn’t want to make the journey back to the Gojo Estate. It’s easier if he stays at Toge’s apartment. Sure, there are available rooms at the school for sorcerers, but Yuuta likes familiarity, so staying with Toge works out the best.
They head toward Toge’s apartment, and Toge already has plans to make Yuuta’s favorite tonight. He might as well, after the day Yuuta has had after meeting with the Gojo clan elders.
“Thank you, Inumaki-kun, I can always count on you,” Yuuta whispers, putting his arm around Toge as they walk.
Toge smiles up at Yuuta. “Of course, you’re my best friend.”
It’s after they’ve finished eating dinner that Toge gets to work, knowing there is absolutely no time to waste.
He pulls out his laptop and sets it on the low table once Yuuta has cleared off the dishes after insisting on washing them. Really, he’s such a proper guest. “So, what kind of wife do you want?”
Their options are a bit limited since it has to be someone from the jujutsu world, but that’s fine. There are many single sorcerers all over the country who wouldn’t mind settling down with the new head of the Gojo clan; Toge is sure of it.
Yuuta sits on the other side of the low table, anxiously fiddling with Rika’s ring as he watches Toge get to work. He tends to do it when he’s feeling a bit overwhelmed. “Someone nice,” he finally answers after a bit of thought. “Funny as well. I want someone who enjoys nature, things like flowers.”
Toge jots it all down. It takes him a second since he only has one hand to work with, but he manages. “Anything else?”
“Someone who likes cooking.”
Toge nods as he adds it to the list. “Any preferences like hair color?”
He knows Rika had dark hair, so maybe Yuuta likes women with dark hair. He’s not too sure, though, not really remembering Yuuta ever showing a preference for such a thing whenever they’ve watched movies together. It was mostly him and Nobara pointing out the attractive actors and actresses while Yuuta just smiled and said everyone in the movie did well.
“Anything is fine,” Yuuta mumbles. “I like anything, but I guess if I needed to have a preference, I think your hair is a really pretty color,” he confesses, catching Toge a bit off guard.
“Really?” Toge asks since he’s never really put much thought into his hair.
Yuuta nods and reaches over to twirl a piece of it between his fingers. “Yeah, it reminds me of the sun, especially when I was abroad with Miguel,” he explains. “Bright and soft.”
Toge can’t help but blush a little at the compliment and at the touch. “Well, I’ll put down that you like any color but have a slight preference for light hair.”
“Okay, what else?”
“Height?” Toge asks. “You’re really tall.”
“I want someone shorter,” Yuuta answers, looking deep in thought. “Shorter, for sure,” he says. “Maybe around your height, it’s a good size difference.”
Toge frowns, offended. “Yuuta.”
Yuuta laughs softly under his breath. “What?” He defends himself. “You’re shorter, Inumaki-kun, it’s not a bad thing. I actually think it suits you really well.”
Toge chooses to ignore that, knowing it’s true. Everyone is taller than him at this point, even Nobara, the only one who was a similar height to him during school. Well, whatever, Yuuta is right, he would look nice next to someone a bit shorter than him.
“Personality type?” Toge moves on.
“Talkative,” Yuuta says, smiling now. “I don’t like silence, I like it when there is commotion, a lot going on. I don’t like being alone.”
Toge nods as he jots that down, finding it funny that Yuuta prefers things chaotic now. When Yuuta first arrived at the school during Toge’s first year, he was so shy and quiet. He’d been thrust into chaos, and now, it seems that he can’t quite live without it.
“So, show me what I’m working with,” Toge requests after putting his laptop away. He scoots closer to the low table and leans on it, reaching over to grab Yuuta’s hand. “Pretend this is a date and we’re still getting to know each other.”
He intertwines their hands, taking note of how big Yuuta’s hands are. That’s good, people like a man with bigger hands than them.
Yuuta blushes a fierce shade of red. “Inumaki-kun!”
“I’m having such a good time with you, tonight, Okkotsu,” Toge teasingly gushes, batting his eyelashes to get his point across. “Thank you for taking me to dinner,” he keeps going, remembering every leading actor from past romance dramas, anime, and movies he’s seen.
“Um, yeah, of course,” Yuuta mumbles. “I’m having a good time with you as well!”
Toge smiles. “We should do this again.”
Yuuta swallows and nods, and it’s then that Toge notices the man’s hand is getting sweaty.
“You’re too nervous,” Toge points out. “It’s alright, it’s just me,” he breaks character for a second. “Deep breaths, just be yourself, it’s okay.”
Yuuta does as Toge says and takes a deep breath. “It’s hard not to be nervous,” he admits, clearing his throat for a second. “You’re just so pretty,” he confesses, making Toge blush. “Compliments are good, right?”
Toge nods and tries to ignore it. “Good job, that’s good,” he praises Yuuta. “Compliments are always nice.”
“I’ll keep going then,” Yuuta decides as he caresses the back of Toge’s hand with his thumb. “Your hand is so soft, I like holding it,” he goes on. “I like how the color of your shirt makes the color of your eyes radiate, it’s like I’m looking at flowers that just bloomed.”
To emphasize his point, he reaches over with his other hand and thumbs at the corners of Toge’s left eye, the touch soft and sweet. “Your eyelashes are so pretty, too.”
Toge leans back so fast that he almost falls. “Good job!”
His heart is beating way too fast for this. Clearly, his poor heart is beginning to get the wrong idea. In Toge’s defense, it’s hard to stand firm when a man like Yuuta is being sweet to you. Still, they’re friends, and he’s got to remember that.
“Careful, Inumaki-kun!” Yuuta warns as he tightens his grip on Toge to save him from falling back.
“We should sleep,” Toge decides. “Tomorrow, let’s go shopping in the morning.”
Yuuta keeps a hold of Toge’s hand. “Shopping? Why?”
“You need new clothes, stylish ones,” Toge explains. “You have to look nice on dates, although I might need to recruit some additional help for this.”
He’ll reach out to Nobara later to see if she’s free tomorrow morning. She’s usually down for shopping at any time, so he’s almost positive she’ll join them.
“I trust you,” Yuuta admits. “I’m sure I’ll look fine in whatever you choose.”
Toge narrows his eyes and leans closer to the table, feeling a bit bratty now. This close, he can still see the scars across Yuuta’s forehead. They mostly remain hidden under his hair, but they’re still there, a reminder of the past. “I could choose the worst outfits in the world for you.”
“I think you always look nice, so I doubt that,” Yuuta says, smiling when Toge flusters. “Thank you again for helping me.”
“Of course, you’re my best friend,” Toge reminds him. “I would do anything for you.”
“Are you two stupid or something?” Nobara asks Toge, readjusting her eyepatch.
They’re waiting for Yuuta to join them since the man had a few things to do before meeting them at the shopping center. It’s probably related to the Gojo clan, and Toge silently curses them for stressing Yuuta out so much since the man is already doing everything he can to meet their requirements.
He needs to relax. Yuuta can handle himself just fine; it’s just easier said than done, though, since he’s always worrying about Yuuta. It’s hard not to worry when Yuuta is so good to him.
Yuuta made them breakfast this morning before departing to take care of the clan issues, always such a good friend. He’d made some of Toge’s favorites, even going as far as grabbing one of Toge’s favorite drinks from one of the school’s many vending machines before waking Toge up for the day. It was all really sweet.
Honestly, Yuuta is such a good friend.
Toge readjusts the mask on his face and glares at her. “What are you talking about?”
“I just don’t understand,” Nobara says, leaning back into her seat. They’re waiting at a small cafe that looks out into the shopping district. “Why is he looking for a wife or anyone at all, for that matter?”
“Because he needs one,” Toge mumbles, confused as to what she’s not understanding. “I told you all of this already.”
He did, last night, he literally sent her a lengthy message explaining all of this.
Nobara stops and takes a second before speaking again, tearing into her pastry. “But you’re always with him,” she points out. “Seriously, if he’s not busy with the Gojo clan, he’s always with you,” she states as she eats.
“He’s my friend,” Toge reminds her. He moves his mask up a little to help himself to a sip of his drink, all while keeping an eye out for Yuuta. “Of course, we’re always together.”
“Yeah, because you’re essentially like his wife,” Nobara scoffs, making Toge choke on his drink.
“Wife?” Toge says, coughing up the coffee. “Me?”
“Yes, you!” Nobara laughs as he chokes, clearly enjoying his suffering. “You’re practically married to him!”
Toge blushes and looks around, afraid Yuuta is already here and overheard that. He’s being irrational, of course, because they would’ve felt Yuuta’s cursed energy the moment the man was a kilometer away.
“You’re blushing,” Nobara keeps teasing. “You really are like his wife.”
“Nobara!” Toge hisses, ignoring the looks some people send them. “I am not his wife, shut up.”
“You kind of are,” she points out as she begins to list things off, counting them on her fingers. “You cook for him, you spend time with him, you let him sleep over, you comfort him, you–”
“Stop!” Toge cuts her off, nearly knocking their drinks and food off the table as he attempts to reach over and cover her mouth. “None of that means I’m his wife,” he defends himself. “He’s my friend, I do those things because he’s my friend!”
“Megumi and Yuuji are my friends, and I sure as hell do not do half of those things for them,” Nobara snorts. “They’d have to be really good friends, if you get what I mean, which you should, since you’re like his wife.”
Toge really wants to reach over and strangle her, but it might be rather hard, given that he’s only got one hand. Still, she’s being crazy, saying Toge is Yuuta’s wife. How ridiculous.
Sure, Toge does a lot of things for Yuuta, but that’s because they’re friends and they care a lot about each other. That’s normal; normal people take care of their friends. Yeah, there might be a few weird things they do sometimes, like sharing a large, spacious futon on missions that take them out into remote parts of the country, but that’s it. It’s not like they wake up cuddling or anything of the sort.
Nobara is being crazy. Yuuta and Toge do not act like a married couple; that’s just insanity. Besides, Toge would know if he was acting like someone’s wife; he’s not that dense, come on, now.
“Well, I am just his friend, and I’m going to help him find a wife,” Toge stands his ground. “So, please, help me.”
Nobara narrows her eye as she looks at Toge. “Is that really what you want?”
Toge nods, wanting nothing more than to help his best friend. “Yes, I want to help him,” he confesses. “So, please, help me find Yuuta a wife.”
“Fine,” Nobara gives in. “We’ll get him some clothes today to help him get started and maybe some undereye cream for those dark circles he has. He’s the next head of the Gojo clan, and that only should be more than enough to get him married.”
Toge sighs in content, happy she’s on the same page as him now. He tells her about the night before, about their small practice date, just so she knows how much progress they’ve made.
It seems to give her an idea because her face lights up.
“I got it! I know how we can really help Yuuta!” Nobara gasps. “You have to take him on a real date, like in public, so he can really experience things and be prepared to meet potential wives. It’ll prepare him for anything, and from the sounds of it, he needs all the help he can get,” she goes on, looking very satisfied with herself. “Trust me on this, I know what I’m doing here.”
Toge frowns, thinking about how long Nobara has had feelings for Maki, their friend and the current head of the Zenin clan (well, that's left of it), and how she’s never once acted on them.
“I don’t see how taking him out on a real date will help him,” he says instead of what he’s currently thinking. “We already did the practice one, and he did great.”
Well, Yuuta was nervous, but still, he did his best.
“It’ll help him because it’ll be a new environment and in public,” Nobara points out. “Also, you can’t dress like that,” she warns, pointing toward his outfit. “No, you have to dress up, really dress for the part so we can make sure Yuuta sweeps you off your feet!”
“Dress up?” Toge asks, not really getting it.
He doesn’t dress badly, but maybe she wants him to wear something nicer, something more formal?
“I’ll handle it, don’t worry,” Nobara promises, probably sensing his confusion. “After we’re done shopping for Yuuta, I’ll get some things for you and bring them over after we set up a date,” she explains. “Just trust me.”
“Fine, but you need to help me find him people to date, aside from me,” Toge stresses, knowing Nobara knows a lot of sorcerers around their age.
“I got it, don’t even worry about it,” Nobara reassures him. “Just send me his preferences, and I’ll handle it,” she promises. “I mean, I already have a pretty good idea, but you know…”
It’s then they feel Yuuta’s cursed energy, and sure enough, the man is walking toward them with a smile on his face.
A few people turn to look at him, some with interest and some with a bit of fear in their eyes.
Yuuta’s face lights up when he spots them, Toge especially.
“I’ll help you, alright, don’t you worry about a thing,” Nobara promises, looking between Yuuta and Toge with a mean grin on her face.
The shopping goes well for the most part. Toge gets banned from approving Yuuta’s outfits because Nobara says he’s too biased and says everything looks good. Sure, that might be true, but in Toge’s defense, Yuuta looks good in literally everything. He’s only stating facts; that’s it.
Nobara isn’t as biased, and after a few hours, she’s made Yuuta try on at least a million outfits. She’s got a sharp eye for fashion, though, and has no hesitations about swiping Yuuta’s flashy Gojo clan card to pay.
“You’ll be wearing this one on Saturday,” Nobara says after finding an outfit she deems worthy of a date. “Yeah, it’s perfect, this is the ideal date night outfit!”
“Saturday?” Yuuta asks. “Date night?”
“You have a date,” Nobara fills him in, glancing over toward Toge. “With him.”
Yuuta gapes at that, and his eyes go wide. “With Inumaki-kun?! Like a real date?”
“Maybe,” Nobara says with a grin. “Do you like the sound of that, Yuuta?”
Yuuta flusters. “Well, I mean–”
“It’s just a pretend date in public. It’ll only look real, and it’ll help you practice for when you actually go on a real date,” Toge tries to explain, cutting Yuuta off before the man works himself into a panic.
“Yeah, practice,” Nobara mumbles, pulling out her phone and handing it to Toge. “Write down your size for clothing and shoes. I’m going shopping for your outfit after this.”
“We can join you,” Toge offers, taking her phone and typing in the details.
“Nope, this is a solo mission I have to complete on my own, just trust me,” she explains, taking her phone back and snapping a few pictures of Toge’s face, nearly blinding him with the flash. “Just for reference!”
Nobara messages them the date details a few days later. They’ll be going out to have dinner at a nice restaurant before taking a romantic stroll through a privately booked botanical garden, of course, since she is taking advantage of the Gojo clan's money.
Yuuta and Toge will meet at the restaurant, and from there, Nobara will observe them from afar, Yuuta especially so she can give him pointers on what went wrong and what went right. Yuuta worries he’ll fail, and Toge does his best to reassure him that things will be fine.
Yuuta, of course, is a little sad they have to arrive separately, even if he understands that Nobara wants him to have the full date experience. The man hates acting alone, but Toge reassures him that they’ll be reunited soon enough and get to enjoy some good food together.
“Absolutely not!” Toge hisses when he sees the outfit Nobara has laid out for him, almost letting his cursed speech slip through. “Are you insane?”
She came over to his apartment to help him get ready before they head to the restaurant. Toge thought she was just being nice, but now, seeing the outfit she has for him as well as the accessories, she was definitely not being nice. He should’ve known she was going to pull something like this. She’s never been one not to give something her all.
“Come on, Yuuta has to actually practice if he wants a wife!” Nobara argues, setting up her hair tools and hair extensions on Toge’s low table. “You can’t just show up dressed like you usually do if you want him to practice,” she explains. “You need to look like a completely different person or else, he’ll feel way too comfortable and won’t give it his all.”
Toge scoffs, but he knows that she’s right. Yuuta is too comfortable around Toge, and he needs practice. He just never imagined that would require him to wear a skirt, out of all things, honestly, the things he does for his best friend.
“Now, go wash up and change so I can do your hair and makeup. There is no time to waste!” Nobara orders, clapping her hands together. “Yuuta is waiting!”
Toge goes and does what she says, changing into the outfit once he’s done washing up and drying his hair. Honestly, it’s not a bad outfit, and the fabric is pretty soft. Still, it’s a little out of his element, wearing a long-sleeved flowy blouse with a skirt and tights underneath. At least the blouse hides his missing arm, so, overall, a solid choice for a top now that he really thinks about it.
“It’s short,” Toge mumbles, pulling at the skirt as he comes over to sit at the low table. “Are you sure this looks good on me?”
“It looks so good on you, you have nice legs!” Nobara reassures him, already heating her hair tools so she can get to work. “Besides, you’re wearing tights, so don’t worry, no one will see anything,” she promises. “Now, hold still, I’m going to transform you into a completely different person!”
“Fine,” Toge accepts his fate and lets Nobara get to work.
It seems that she was not kidding when she said she was going to transform him because in the matter of an hour and a half, he looks like a completely different person. She does his makeup, covers his cursed markings on his face, and adds hair extensions, suddenly making him have long hair that cascades down his back.
“You look incredible!” Nobara gasps, snapping a few photos of him once she’s done working her magic. “I have to show everyone!”
Toge stands up and goes to look in the mirror so that he can get a good look at himself.
“Oh,” he mumbles under his breath, leaning into the mirror.
He looks nothing like himself, no, he almost looks like a doll, and his mother. Nobara did a great job on the makeup, and now the cursed markings on his cheeks are completely nonexistent, buried beneath soft makeup and blush.
His hair frames his face more, and his eyelashes are way more exaggerated than before. Honestly, his eyelids feel a bit heavy, but he assumes that’s just the makeup and whatever else Nobara put on him. Even his lips are glossy.
He licks some of it off his lips, and Nobara wastes no time in scolding him.
“No, don’t do that, you’re going to ruin it,” she stops him. “Well, I guess it’s not the end of the world since I’m putting the lip gloss I used into your purse so you can touch it up as needed, along with your throat medicine,” she says, stuffing a little hangbang with all the essentials. “Just in case you stumble across a curse or two.”
“Are you sure this is going to work?” Toge asks, closing his eyes so he can see the eye makeup on his eyelids. It really seems to enhance the violet hue of his eyes.
Nobara nods and hands him the purse. “Yes, trust me, you look incredible!”
Toge decides to trust her because they’ve already come this far, and besides, she did send him some people he can connect Yuuta with. So, there is no time to waste; they need to get Yuuta ready to date, and if that means he has to wear a skirt, so be it!
“Here, this is the last touch,” Nobara says, getting some platform boots out of a shoebox once she’s done painting Toge’s nails. “It completes the outfit.”
“You’re kidding,” Toge scoffs, looking at the platform on those things. “If I trip in those, they’ll break my neck.”
“No, you won’t, stop being dramatic. Besides, it goes with the outfit, and I know damn well you’ve wondered what it’s like to be tall,” she teases. “I mean, I have, it’s why I wear tall shoes.”
Well, she’s not wrong, Toge has wondered a few times. He’s always been a bit envious of his taller friends, Yuuta especially, since he stopped growing after his first year at Tokyo Jujutsu High. He would’ve liked to be taller, but then again, it’s always been nice being able to fit underneath Yuuta’s arm during missions and whatnot. All platonic, of course.
Once Toge is fully ready to go, they depart for the restaurant, thankfully avoiding students and sorcerers at the school. He gets the hang of walking in the platform boots quickly, which is good because the last thing he wants to do is fall on his date with Yuuta. That would be just embarrassing.
“Now remember, try and let him lead the date, but don’t let him steer off course too much,” Nobara advises Toge once they’ve arrived. The restaurant is located in a nice area of Tokyo, and Toge can only guess Nobara picked this place since Yuuta can afford to pay for it now with Gojo clan money. “You’re too lenient when it comes to him.”
Toge frowns, feeling a bit strange about being out without anything covering his face for once. “I am not lenient with him.”
“You totally are,” Nobara teases. “I would say you’re the most lenient when it comes to him,” she goes on. “Because you’re essentially his wife.”
“I’m not his wife,” Toge reminds her for the nth time. “But fine, I’ll do my best to let him lead the date,” he gives in, slinging the little handbag over his shoulder. Really, she’s got to let that wife thing go. Toge and Yuuta aren’t dating, much less married. Just the thought of it is silly, right? Yeah, it’s silly. “He’ll do fine, just like he always does. He’s a prodigy, after all.”
Honestly, the handbag isn’t too bad. He was able to put his phone in there, his wallet, and a few other things. He understands why people carry these around now. They’re super handy. He could even put an onigiri keychain on it or something.
“Right, I’m sure that’s why he’ll do well, no other reason,” she keeps taunting him.
“I’m being serious!” Toge stresses.
“Fine, you’re being serious! Good luck!” Nobara smiles, laughing as Toge struggles to get out of the car without falling on his face. Maybe he hasn’t quite mastered the platform boots just yet. “You got this!”
“You’re literally the worst,” Toge mumbles at her, turning around when he senses Yuuta’s cursed energy coming up behind him.
“Inumaki-kun, is that you?”
Nobara waves at them and drives away to park, leaving Toge alone with Yuuta.
Toge turns around, feeling his heart thump against his ribs hard enough to crack them. Suddenly, he feels nervous, and he shouldn’t feel nervous; no, he’s worn a skirt before. Sure, that was just a prank orchestrated by their late teacher, but still, this is nothing new, so why is he blushing so hard under all the makeup? Maybe because Yuuta hadn’t seen that in real life, even if their friends had sent him photos of the whole ordeal.
It’s just Yuuta; he knows Yuuta, this is his best friend. He shouldn’t feel nervous, but it’s hard not to feel nervous when Yuuta is staring at him with so much intensity.
“Yuuta, hi,” Toge greets him, feeling his mouth go dry at the sight of the man. “Ready for the date?”
Yuuta says nothing, just continues to stare as if they’ve never met before.
Toge moves a bit closer, frowning now. Things are starting off much differently than Toge had expected. “Yuuta?”
It certainly doesn’t help that Yuuta looks good tonight, really good. He’s wearing the outfit Nobara picked out for him, and he did his hair too. He looks so handsome, so put together, and here Toge is, wearing a damn skirt and platform boots. He’s even wearing makeup, too, and has hair all the way down his back.
“Wow, you look–” Yuuta starts to say, gaping like a fish out of water.
“Silly,” Toge cuts Yuuta off, adjusting his handbag on his shoulder when it starts to slip again. “It was Nobara’s idea, so you could get the full date experience. I look silly, I know,” he rushes to explain, face burning now underneath all the makeup.
Yuuta shakes his head, eyes wide as he looks Toge up and down. “No, it’s not silly at all, you look nice,” he admits, blushing. “Really nice, especially the hair, I love the hair,” he states, laughing nervously. “Honestly, I love everything about you tonight.”
Now, why in the world is Yuuta blushing and acting like this? That’s only going to make Toge blush even more. This isn’t supposed to feel like a real date, no, not at all, this is just practice!
Well, at least Yuuta complimented him; that’s good practice for a real date. He’s already doing so well. Toge knew he’d do well, so he’s not too shocked. Honestly, Nobara needs to have some more faith in Yuuta.
“You look nice as well,” Toge compliments him back, taking a deep breath to try and ease the blushing. “Are you ready for our date?”
Yuuta nods, offering Toge a shy smile and holding his hand out after wiping it on his pants. “I’m ready, come on, let’s go have dinner,” he says. “Honestly, I’ve been missing you all day, so it’s nice to be reunited finally,” he admits before narrowing his eyes once Toge comes closer and he gets a better look at him. “You’re so much taller with your new shoes on. I think I like your normal height better, though.”
Toge is taller like this, so he doesn’t quite fit under Yuuta’s arm as well as he normally does. He doesn’t hate it, but Yuuta is right, he likes his normal height better.
He takes Yuuta’s hand and interlaces their fingers together. He leans in, smiling now, feeling like his normal self despite the hair and makeup. “You’re just jealous I have some height now,” he decides to tease a little.
Yuuta laughs, and suddenly, things are fine between them again, even if they’re about to go on a date. “I miss your cursed markings,” he confesses, looking down at Toge’s face with narrowed eyes. “I never realized how much they suited you before tonight.”
Toge sticks his tongue out for a second. “I still have this one,” he teases, laughing softly when Yuuta stumbles a little at the sight. Really, he’s so silly sometimes. “You alright?”
Yuuta nods, looking straight ahead now with way too much focus. “I’m fine!”
He sure doesn’t sound fine, but Toge just imagines it must be nerves, since they’re about to go on a date, one that Nobara and Toge are going to grade Yuuta on. It’ll be fine once they’re seated, Toge is sure of it.
“Come on, let’s go on our date!” Yuuta mumbles, pulling Toge into the restaurant like it’s now or never.
Toge follows after him, knowing better than anyone that Yuuta is going to do great tonight. He can just feel it, deep in his soul, and no, it’s not favoritism, Nobara, far from it, actually!