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The shirt Yuuji’s wearing is not his.
It’s a stylish thing, all black with white trims and collar and soft to the touch. It’s also quite comfortable despite stretching slightly over his broad shoulders and chest, the hem too short to even graze the top of his pants, so instead it rests just short over his belly button. Quite refreshing, if you ask him, especially on such a nice sunny day, paired with a pair of his usual baggy jeans held up by a belt. It’s a look and Yuuji can’t help but grin a little as he passes his reflection in a shop window.
To be fair, he didn’t really choose this outfit on purpose – he wanted to make a short trip to the grocers and had blindly grabbed for the first shirt in his peripheral vision and only later wondered why it felt a little tight. He’s pretty sure it’s Nobara’s shirt, she’s the shortest after all. Megumi’s shirts are always oversized for maximum comfort, not to mention usually way longer due to his lanky build. Yuuji enters the grocery store and discreetly sniffs at the collar of the shirt – fresh detergent and light floral scents waft into his nose. Yeah, definitely Nobara’s. Hopefully she won’t kill him for stretching the fabric out.
He walks along between the crates of fresh produce and picks out the ingredients for tonight's dinner, making sure to add some extra ginger, lest he wants Megumi to pout throughout the entire evening. A group of girls, not much older than him, pass him with quiet giggles as they eye his shirt with obvious delight, and when he moves through the snack aisle, he notices some boys craning their necks to follow him. For some reason, one of them flushes terribly as the others elbow him with mild laughter and Yuuji wonders what’s up, but shrugs internally and instead goes to the coolers to get a box of popsicles. Then he grabs another box, because he knows his sensei won’t stop at 3 popsicles, so he might as well be prepared. Honestly, consuming this much sugar should be a federal crime at this point and Yuuji muses, that maybe sensei needs it to fuel his ridiculous height. Can someone get that tall from just eating sugar? He would try, but considering that not only the little voice in his head, sounding suspiciously like his dear old man, would throw a hissy fit, together with Sukuna, he’s pretty sure he couldn’t stomach such atrocious quantities he’s seen his sensei eat.
Nobara once suggested putting a lock on their little sugar bowl, sitting next to the coffeemaker in the kitchen, just to at least stall the sugarmaniac for a little while. So far they haven't and the sugar cubes continue to go missing every few nights. Yuuji’s lips quirk at the thought as he sets his basket down at the check out and automatically reaches towards some of the lollipops in the stands to add one to his purchase. On his way out, he helps an old lady with her bags and walks her to her bus stop, as she comments lightly on his shirt with a small smile.
“One of my granddaughters is very enamoured with this style of shirt. Can’t say I understand, but maybe I’m just a little too old to pick apart today’s fashion.”
Yuuji laughs. “It’s not really mine, I just grabbed it by accident. All I can do is hope my friend won’t throw a fit over it!”
They reach the bus stop and the lady rewards him with an affectionate pat on the head, for which he obediently crouches down, and a candy bar, which she honest to god just pulled out of nowhere. Grandmas, truly earth’s biggest mystery yet. Yuuji’s pretty sure he’s carrying more sugar on himself than actual vegetables. As soon as he finishes that thought, he can feel his cheek splitting open as a familiar, obnoxious drawl spills out from between the pointed fangs.
“Don’t you dare ruin my body with those sugary foods, brat.”
Thankfully, Yuuji’s already far enough from the city crowd so no-one will notice the extra mouth and eyes growing on his face, but he still smacks a hand over Sukuna regardless.
“First of all; it’s my body, you bastard. Second of all; they’re not all for me, I’m sharing them!” Yuuji hisses at him and feels how the back of his hand morphs into a scowling mouth as a single eye opens above it.
“Why would you even consume such lacklustre nutrients – they are way too sweet anyway.”
“How would you know?” The boy glares at the curse on his hand. “You never even tried chocolate. What a sad life you live, old man. You could afford to lighten up a little.”
The eye bulges slightly in affront. “You impudent, snot-nosed, little–!”
“Nope, not listening!” With unapologetic glee Yuuji revels in the slight choke as he stuffs Sukuna back into his proverbial Pandora’s Box in his head. He can feel the curse simmer with wrath and Yuuji projects the image of a middle finger in his mind, just to piss him off a little more.
“Megumi,” Nobara drawls languidly over the soft tunes of Lil Nas X’s Montero as she applies another coat of black polish (he refuses every other colour) onto Megumi’s nails. They’re sitting in the common room on the couch, Nobara’s little suitcase full of nail supplies resting on top of the coffee table with her phone attached to a speaker as it plays their shared playlist on Spotify. Premium even, since Gojo-sensei rarely used his own so they bullied asked him to join his account. Megumi grunts in lieu of a proper answer and Nobara rolls her eyes – boys . “Have you seen my black shirt? The one with the white trim.”
Briefly, he looks up from his phone in his freshly manicured hand and Nobara knows he’s watching those animal videos again. “You mean the one Yuuji’s wearing?”
Nobara groans. “Goddammit, that stupid himbo is gonna stretch it out with his stupid muscles!” Despite her irritation, her precision in painting Megumi’s nails doesn’t waver. “That thing was brand-new too!”
“Watch your shit better then. He probably found it in his stuff and just took it.”
She grumbles, glaring at him as she shoves his hand into her portable nail dryer. “It’s not my fault that suddenly all of our laundry became a free for all. You keep taking my socks,” she says, pointedly looking down at Megumi’s feet, stuck in colourful Keroppi socks.
“Oh yeah?” he tries to defend himself despite the rising blush on his cheeks. “You are literally wearing the sweater I’ve been looking for since last week.”
“Pfft, technicalities.”
“What the hell, Nobara,” Megumi begins as the girl points her tongue out at him, when someone enters the common room, followed by the sound of rustling plastic bags. They both look up to see Yuuji setting the bags down on the dining table, smiling brightly.
“I’m back!”
“Welcome back,” the other two echo in greeting, when Nobara finally catches sight of her shirt. She gasps. “So you did take my shirt! It better not be stretched out!”
Yuuji startles slightly and picks at the shirt he’s wearing. “Well, it’s not really my fault – it was in my room when I took it. By accident .” He moves to deposit the two boxes of popsicles into the freezer, before grinning. “I like it though! Where’d you get it? I’ve never worn a crop top before.”
“That’s because it isn’t!” Nobara wails, knowing she’s lost her shirt for good now that she knows that not only does the resident sunshine like it, but he also looks better in it. How unfair. “Ugh, fine, whatever. Keep it, but you owe me!”
“Yes!” Yuuji pumps his fist, before clapping his hand together in thanks. “You’re the best, Nobara! I promise, I’ll get you something new next time we go out.”
“You better,” the girl mumbles, swiping Megumi’s phone from his hands (“ Hey !”) so she can take pictures of Yuuji’s outfit. “So unfair how you look better in it than I ever did. Look over here and pose for me.”
He does so, doing an exaggerated kissy face, while holding up a pineapple as if he’s in a fruit commercial. Nobara snorts, but takes the picture anyway. Megumi meanwhile takes his hand out of the dryer after the beep and inspects his shiny black nails, mostly to distract himself from staring at the exposed strip of skin of Yuuji’s midriff for too long. But as always, peace never stays with him and once again frolics away from him as soon as Yuuji approaches them to jump onto the couch.
“Oh, are we painting nails again?” he asks excitedly and immediately scours Nobara’s collection of colours when she hands him the box of nail polish. He sits between them, folding his legs underneath himself and the girl next to him throws her own legs over his and crosses them comfortably while reclining back onto a mountain of pillows. Yuuji’s knee digs slightly into Megumi’s thigh, but he doesn’t move away – instead, he reaches over to give Nobara the file from the coffee table so she can start on Yuuji’s right hand as he picks out a colour. As Megumi sits back, he catches a glimpse of something colourful underneath Yuuji. He snorts.
“You keep giving me shit about your socks, when Yuuji is literally wearing them too,” he announces to Nobara, who immediately tries to peer underneath the other boy’s legs. Yuuji blinks, before almost gracefully unfolding a leg from beneath him to show off the socks he’s wearing. They watch him wiggle his toes underneath the fabric and Nobara shrieks as she reverses her hold on the glass-file as if she’s now holding a knife, ready to shank the boy next to her.
“My beloved Kuromi socks!” She grabs Yuuji’s ankle with her strength of an enraged teenage girl plotting murder, and pulls him a little closer as if she couldn’t believe her eyes, that her favourite pair of limited-edition Sanrio character socks are being desecrated by an under-appreciating teenage boy. Said boy squawks at the sudden tug, holding the box of nail polish closer to his chest to prevent the bottles from spilling out. “How dare you besmirch my Kuromi with your filth!”
“ Filth ?!”
“I’ll kill you!”
“Wait! Wait! Wait!”
Megumi, next to the chaos, let’s go of a quiet, amused huff. He’s gotten his hands on his phone again and he quickly snaps a photo of a curled up Yuuji, shrieking in terror as Nobara descends upon him, his ankle still in her hand. He sends it to the group chat with the second years – Inumaki-senpai immediately answers with a damn guess itdori’s gone for good now huh , followed by various laughing emojis from Panda-senpai and a simple lmao from Maki-senpai. Megumi feels warm hands gripping the fabric of the hoodie he’s wearing and he looks down onto Yuuji’s terrified face.
“Help me, Megumi! Why’d you sell me out like that?!”
Megumi looks up to see Nobara being held back by the other’s leg. She gnashes her teeth.
“No. Figure it out on your own.” he says dully and Yuuji squeaks.
“How cold! You’re just leaving me like that?!” His big honey-brown eyes then zero in on the hoodie the other is wearing – a familiar teal with big pockets and long strings. He gasps. “Fine! Then I won’t lend you any of my hoodies ever again!”
Megumi glares at him. “You wouldn’t dare .”
“Try me!” Yuuji yells back and promptly shrieks, when Nobara shoves his leg aside and finally reaches for him.
“Do it, and you can say good-bye to all my sweaters, I guess,” Megumi threatens back and the other goes slack for a second, big eyes pleading.
“ Noooo ,” he whines, hugging the box of nail polish as if to comfort himself. “Your sweaters smell nice and are the best to sleep in!” Yuuji confesses bluntly, oblivious to the violent blush erupting on his friend’s face. Nobara is sufficiently distracted by that and instead takes to pointing at Megumi, cackling gleefully.
Well, until the boy swings a pillow into her face to shut her up. Instant silence follows.
Then, Nobara grips her own pillow and launches herself right at Megumi with a roar worthy of a lion. The boy is really starting to regret his life choices up to this point. Yuuji continues to lie curled up where the girl had left him.
“Can I get my nails painted?” he asks over the noise of battle. “Can I please get my nails painted?”
They don’t hear him, not with Nobara pelting Megumi with two pillows, to the point where she chokes off his Demon Dog command. However, the shikigami did manifest nonetheless, but recognises that his Master is no real danger at all. So instead, the black dog crawls onto Yuuji, who’s happy to shower the animal in baby talk and kisses.
Yuuji’s nails shine in a brilliant shade of baby-blue as he sets down the rice bowls onto the table, when Gojo-sensei arrives in their kitchen with all his usual obnoxiously cheerful fanfare. He’s holding a bag of Uncle Tetsu’s Cheesecake Shop, which he wiggles around for the students to see.
“Sensei brought dessert!” he flaunts and Megumi rolls his eyes. “Am I not the Best?”
“The very Best!” Yuuji cheers as he and Nobara look at the bag with shining eyes. He then darts back towards the cupboards to get one more plate. “Here, sensei! Come eat with us, food always tastes better with other people.”
“Yuuji-kun, you’re spoiling me! I’m gonna start putting on weight with your cooking,” Gojo complains playfully, but lets himself be led to the table and sits with them all. They help themselves with the food, idly holding conversations and Nobara shows off the nails she’s painted to her sensei, who whines that he wants his painted too after dinner. As they eat, they all separately pick out the ginger to give to Megumi, who wordlessly munches them down with a slight glimmer in his eyes.
It’s domestic bliss, sitting at the table and eating dinner with the ones closest to you, exchanging stories of the day and laughing over the silly spats they had before. Nobara laments how the boys are being insufferable sock-thieves as Yuuji prepares to slice the cheesecake sensei brought into nice, equally sized pieces and insists on leaving some for the second years. He’s barely halfway done, when Sukuna decides to make an unfortunate reappearance, which has Megumi holding his knife in a manner that promises unending amounts of pain if the curse attempts anything.
“What the hell is this, brat,” Sukuna spits from Yuuji’s cheek, eyeing the cake distastefully as if it personally was responsible for chopping his twenty fingers off. “I told you not to feed my body this sweet shit.”
“You haven’t even tried it!”
“Leave him, Yuuji, the creaky old fart doesn’t deserve this goodness,” Nobara growls, using her middle finger to pull down her lower eyelid as she points her tongue out at Sukuna, when his eye glares at her. He bares his teeth at her and snarls.
“Watch your mouth, brat number 2,” he says, before disappearing again. They breathe a sigh of relief, until his mouth pops up on Yuuji’s hand again. “Also, the shitty Six Eyes is wearing your socks.”
And while she knows she shouldn’t believe anything that spills from the tongue of the King of Curses, Nobara whips down to peer underneath the table to see a mildly sweating Gojo wear–
She lets out an enraged scream that rattles the entire dorm and nearly causes Yuuji to drop the knife as Megumi chokes on his drink.
“ My one-of-a-kind special-offer one-time-deal Cinnamoroll socks with the ultra-soft paw-pads !”