Chapter Text
Yuji realized it in the dumbest way possible.
They had been discussing strategy for a mission when someone's hand brushed Megumi's. It was there for about two seconds. Nothing more, it was small, harmless. Yet, for some wierd unknown reason, Yuji zoomed in on it, he stared at the contact until the person's hand moved. Nobara was the only one to notice anything off.
"Hey Yuji, you okay?"
"My stomach hurts."
"You just got punched through a building yesterday."
"Not like that. Like emotionally."
Nobara looked confused for about 2 seconds before redirecting her gaze to Yuji's and suddenly, realization dawned on her face."Ohhh. You are so stupid." Nobara said, her eyes widening as the pieces clicked together.
"Hey Lugisaki! I'm in crisis mode over here!" Yuji said, clutching his stomach as if in pain.
"You're in crisis mode because you have the personal awareness of a brick." Kugisaki hissed, leaning over so Megumi wouldn't hear them. Megumi, still looking over the mission blueprint was completely oblivious to the epiphany happening across from him.
"It took you someone brushing his hands for two seconds to finally rub your remaining braincells together?"
Yuji looked back at Megumi. Megumi was frowning over tge map, his dark hair messy, and his pale fingers stretching over a perimeter line. The urge to walk over and shove anyone else out of the way and stand woth Megumi was overwhelming and unbearable.
"Is this what a heart attack feels like?" Yuji asked.
"No, that's jealousy, and it means you're totally whipped. Finally." Nobara replied.Yuji blinked, "like, whipped with a belt?"
Nobara sighed, "I can't believe I have to explain emotions to an athlete."
"Hey! I know emotions."
"You know hunger. Sometimes rage, not the same thing."
Yuji looked genuinely offended, "I've cried during movies!"
"You cried because the dog died, also, not exactly the emotion we're talking about here."
"The dog always dies!" Yuji said in his defense.
Nobara pincged her nose in annoyance, "You've been following Megumi around for months."
"We're teamates!"
"You save him first everytime."
"He's always in danger."
"You know how he likes his coffee."
"He doesn't even like coffee."
"Exactly! You know he prefers tea!"
Yuji opened hsi mouth and tgen closed it, "..huh."
"You know when he's had enough sleep."
"He gets a tiny wrinkle in between his brows when he's tired."
"You know which convinience store's rice balls he buys."
"The salmon ones are when he's in a good mood."
"You remember his divine dogs birthdays!"
"They don't have birthdays."
"You tried to give tgem birthdays.".
"They looked left out."
Nobara threw her hands in tye air, "Exactly!"
Megumi finally looked over,
"What are you two talking about?"
"Nothing" Yuji managed to squeak out.
Megumi just blinked,
"..okay."
Yuji groaned into his hands and Nobara leaned towards him,
"You've got it bad."
"I thought I was just protective."
"You are."
"I thought I just liked being around him."
"You do."
"I thought he was jsut really cool."
"He is. Sometimes."
"So all of that can be a crush?"
Nobara gave him the kind of smile reserved for particularly slow children in preschool,
"Congragukation, Yuji Itadori, you have discovered being in love."
In love, tge words hit him hard.
His brain automatically replayed every interaction he'd had with Megumi ober tge past year.
Waiting aftrr training vecause Megumi always packed up slower.
Automatically looking for him in a room.
The big grin he'd always gotten whenever Megumi alughed at his jokes, which didn't happen alot.
Tge sinking feeling whenever Megumi got hurt on a mission.
The warmth of walling shoulder to shoulder on long days.
"Oh."
_Oh_
"Yeah." Nobara said.
"Oh no."
"There it is."
"What do I do?"
"Nothing. You're inable of acting under pressure."
"I can!"
"You just asked me if you were having a heart attack."
"That was honest!"
"It was embarassing."
"I don't even know how this happened."
"It probably didn't happen at ince, it usually doesnt. Sometimes you just keep choosing the same person over and over until your brain catches up."
Yuji looked at Megumi again. He was absentmindedly twirling a pen while looking through notes.
As if sensing the attention, he looked uo. Their eyes met and Yuji forgot every language he had learned.
"What?" Megumi asked.
"Your hair's wierd."
Fuck. That was Not what he meant to say.
"It's always like this."
"I know."
"Then why did you mention it?"
"I don't know."
A pause, tgen,"... You're wierd."
Megumi returned to tge map with the same deadpan expression hed worn all morning.
Yuji watched for a second longer before dropping his head back on the table and graoaning.
Nobara couldn't help herself. She burst out laughing.