when you and yuji pine for each other
a/n ~ omg sorry friends i’ve been uber busy this is (imo) kinda meh, took a cute request i got, hope u like!
you’re standing in front of your mirror, one shoe on, one shoe off, staring at yourself, mouth twitching into a grimace.
“you’re literally almost ready,” nobara says from your bed, already dressed, already perfect, scrolling through her phone. “don’t start acting brand new now.”
you groan, dragging a hand down your face. “i don’t even want to go. it’s gonna be sweaty and loud and someone’s definitely gonna throw up in a sink.”
“that’s the ambiance,” she says flatly.
“i’m not going,” you decide, crossing your arms.
she gives you a look like you just said something deeply embarrassing on behalf of both of you. “yeah you are.”
you groan, falling back onto your bed. “i literally don’t want to.”
she leans against your desk, arms crossed, smile a little smug. “yuji’s gonna be there.”
and there it is. the trapdoor.
you sit up slower this time. “okay?”
“okay,” she repeats, dragging the word out. “so you’re going.”
“that doesn’t mean anything,” you say, but your voice is weaker now and less convincing. traitor.
nobara snorts. “he wants you.”
you roll your eyes so hard it’s a miracle they don’t get stuck. “no he doesn’t.”
“he literally looks at you like you invented oxygen.”
you stare at her. she stares right back, unblinking, like she’s waiting for you to catch up.
you huff, grabbing a pillow and throwing it at her. “shut up.”
she grins. “finish your makeup.”
on the other side of campus, yuji is sitting on the edge of a couch that has seen better days, bouncing his knee restlessly. megumi stands nearby, arms crossed and watching him with the kind of tired patience usually reserved for children and idiots.
“is she gonna be there?” yuji asks, trying to sound casual and failing spectacularly.
megumi stares at him. “can you please, for the love of god, just make a move tonight.”
yuji chokes. “what—no, i’m not—what are you talking about—”
“everyone knows you like her,” megumi says, cutting him off. “it’s actually painful to watch.”
“no i don’t,” yuji insists too fast. there’s a beat, and his ears go pink. “do you—i mean, does she like me?”
megumi lets out a long, suffering sigh. “yuji.”
“everyone knows,” he repeats. “it’s sickening. you’re both obvious.”
yuji blinks, processing that, heart doing something weird and loud in his chest.
the party is exactly what you expected when you get there. too loud and too hot and bodies packed together, red cups everywhere, people yelling at each other across the room. you wince, tightening your arms at your sides.
you hover near the entrance for a second, already regretting your life choices. “don’t you dare,” nobara says, grabbing your wrist before you can even think about leaving.
“you were about to leave.”
“…i was thinking about it.”
she gives you a look, pulling you further into the crowd, weaving through people. you try not to look around too much. you keep your eyes on the ground in front of you, try not to search for him.
it doesn’t work. you spot him almost right away.
he’s hard to miss, with his pretty salmon hair. he’s across the room, laughing at something one of his frat brothers said, eyes bright. there’s something easy about him, something warm. your chest tightens.
“there,” nobara says, already clocking your line of sight. “target acquired.”
too late, because she’s already dragging you over. yuji sees you coming before you can prepare yourself. his whole face changes, like someone turned the brightness up, and nobara pokes your arm, giving you a look that screams “i told you so.”
“hey,” he says, a little breathless when you stop in front of him.
and it’s awkward, because you’re both suddenly aware that you’re standing a little too close, with a tension that this isn’t just passing each other between classes anymore, or seeing each other through friends.
nobara lets go of your arm with a satisfied hum. “okay. i did my job,” she says, already backing away. “don’t waste it.”
“wait—” you start, but she’s gone. she wiggles her fingers at you, smiling, and you stand there frozen. you finally turn back to yuji, who’s smiling softly, and you nearly implode.
“i didn’t think you were coming,” he says.
“i wasn’t going to,” you admit. “but, um…yeah.”
“oh.” he scratches the back of his neck, cheeks already tinting pink. “i’m glad you did.”
your heart does something inconvenient again. “yeah?”
there’s another fragile pause, like you’re both trying to not mess up the moment.
“are you having fun?” he asks.
you glance around. “i just got here, but, uh, definitely the time of my life,” you say a little dryly.
he laughs at that, a soft huff. “yeah, it’s kinda…” he gestures vaguely around the room, where a group of people are doing a keg stand. “…a lot.”
“that’s one way to put it.”
you fall into conversation shortly after. it’s easy with him, easier than you expected. about classes, about stupid professors, about that new movie you both hated for completely different reasons. he laughs a lot, like everything you say is worth hearing. you find yourself laughing too, forgetting about the noise and the crowd and the fact that you didn’t even want to be here.
yuji rocks back on his heels then forward again, like he’s building up to something and then psyching himself out. “um—do you wanna—like—we could go somewhere quieter? if you want. no pressure or anything, just—”
“yes,” you say a little too fast. you both blink and you clear your throat. “i mean. yeah. that sounds good.”
his grin breaks out instantly, a little stunned, like he didn’t expect you to say yes. “okay—yeah, cool. um, follow me?”
he doesn’t grab your hand right away, just kind of hovers near you like he wants to but is still asking permission without saying it. you smile and reach for his hand yourself, brushing your fingers against his. he freezes for half a second, then laces your hands together like he’s been wanting to do that for a while.
your heart does that thing again. seriously. it needs to relax.
he leads you through the crowd, weaving past people who are too busy being loud to notice anything else. up a set of stairs, then another, and then to a little hatch in the ceiling with a pull-down set of stairs. the music has dulled now, the bass thudding faintly through the walls.
when he pushes open the door to the roof, it’s like stepping out of a different version of the night. cool air hits your face and the city stretches out, lights blinking softly, the sound of it humming in the distance.
“better?” yuji asks, letting go of your hand reluctantly.
“way better,” you say, exhaling softly. you walk over to the railing, leaning against it. he joins you, close enough that your shoulders almost touch.
neither of you say anything, but the space between you is full in that strange, buzzing way, like something is about to happen and both of you know it.
you glance at him. he’s already looking at you.
“so,” he says, smiling a little.
he inhales, looking to the side for a moment. “should i just go for it? i’m gonna go for it.” yuji looks back at you and how you seem a little confused. “megumi says i’m obvious.”
your eyes widen a fraction. “wh—”
“he says if i don’t make a move tonight he’ll kill me, which he probably would, so..what do i have to lose, i guess. my dignity, maybe, if this goes to shit,” yuji says, rambling now.
your lips part a little, heart thumping in your chest.
“i don’t know if you…knew this, but i like you, y/n. a—a lot.” he runs a nervous hand down his face, through his hair. “i know we don’t know each other too well, but—i think you’re really pretty, and you’re super nice to me whenever we talk. and you’re cool with others. you’re just—you’re—you.”
you watch how his usual easy confidence stumbles, the way he looks at you like this suddenly matters more than anything else he could say tonight.
“…i mean,” he starts, then stops, then laughs nervously. “i’m really bad at this stuff, so this is—”
he searches your face. “okay…good or—”
“good,” you interrupt, smiling just a little. “nobara says i’m obvious too.”
he blinks. “wait. really?”
you shrug, suddenly very interested in the skyline. “maybe.”
“…does that mean—” he starts, voice quieter now.
you look back at him. “yeah,” you say.
you see something in his shoulders loosen. he steps closer, slow and careful. you don’t move away. his hand finds yours again, warm and steady.
you don’t let him finish.
you close the distance first, because if you don’t, you might lose your nerve, and that would be tragic and embarrassing and just the kind of thing you don’t want to happen.
your lips meet his, soft and a little off at first, noses bumping in that clumsy way that makes you both laugh quietly against each other.
then his hand tightens around yours, the other coming up to rest on your waist. he hums into your mouth, your lips bracketed together, and your free hand comes up into his hair, pulling him closer. your tongue gently licks its way through his lips and you swear he makes the softest sound that could’ve been a moan.
when you pull back, you’re both a little breathless, a little dazed. he’s smiling a cute toothy grin. “so,” he says, voice soft, hopeful. “does this mean i can, uh…take you out? like, properly?”
you raise an eyebrow, pretending to think about it, even though your heart is still doing cartwheels. “i don’t know. you seem kinda obvious. might be embarrassing for me.”
he groans. “don’t start.”
you laugh. “okay, okay. yeah. you can.”
his grin comes back instantly, brighter than before.
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