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INTRODUCTION
If only you had scrolled far enough down on RateMyProfessors would you have seen the copious amounts of reviews that heavily mention group projects. Better yet, if only you actually read the syllabus, where it's mentioned multiple times that group projects are a vital part of the curriculum. Maybe then you wouldn’t still be on the roster for Psychology 101, never being one to enjoy relying on others for a passing grade.
It’s far too late now anyways to even consider dropping, a few weeks into the new semester and all the other courses are full and you need this elective to complete your degree on time. So when you step into class and notice “Group Project #1 Overview” illuminating from the projector, you gnaw at the inside of your cheek in stomach-churning anticipation.
Most of what your professor explains is redundant, how you and your partner must collaborate and split the workload evenly, how this project alone is 15% of your final grade, how late work will not be accepted, and so forth. You begin to drown out her voice, twiddling your pen between your fingers until you finally hear, “Alright, I’ve listed your assigned partners and topic on the final screen, please start coordinating with them for the few minutes left in class.”
Just as you’re about to stand from your desk to see who you’ve been partnered with, a familiar pink-haired male makes his way towards you, calling your name before saying, “Hey, we’ve been paired up for this project! I’m Itadori–”
“Oh, I remember you,” You interrupt his introduction, thinking back to the few times you’ve seen him around your co-worker at Jujutsu Java, the small coffee shop you dedicate 20 hours a week to, “You’re friends with Kugisaki.”
“Yeah! I am–”
“You’re also the one who clogged our toilet at work, twice.”
Itadori’s face blooms into a deep shade of pink at the unexpected memory, nervously scratching at the back of his neck, “Yeah, I am, sorry about that.”
“It’s fine,” Although the look on Nanami’s face, your manager, when he had to call the plumbers twice in a span of ten days was anything but, “So what’s our topic for the project?”
He glances down at his notebook where he seemingly jotted it down, “We’ve been assigned...the psychology behind love and attraction.”
Love; you don’t think you’ve ever felt love towards another person in a romantic setting, any partners you’ve been with in the past were short-lived and not once did either of you utter those three words that symbolize love . Romance is not something you’re well versed in, so the idea of having to write and present a project on the topic has your shoulders tensing at your sides.
“We have to do four case studies that support our research,” Itadori continues to vocalize his notes, brown eyes squinting as he struggles to read his own poor penmanship, “One of them being our own personal experience, the other three from observing others. We can use the textbook or sch- schol-”
“Scholarly.”
He nods at your aid with an embarrassed chuckle, “Thanks, yeah, scholarly articles as sources for our research. We have to finish both our separate eight-page papers and the presentation in four weeks.”
Four weeks? Between your part-time job and eighteen credit workload, finding an opportune moment to sit down and work on this project is going to be fairly difficult for you. Let alone compromising between not only your availability, but your partner’s, which is one of the many reasons you despise group projects in college in the first place.
To make matters even more complicated, you’re quite sure that Itadori is a star athlete for the track and field team, which means you’ll be juggling his insanely busy schedule right alongside yours in an attempt to find the perfect allocations of time.
Just as you’re about to raise the question on how the two of you will meet up for your case studies, your alarm for your next class causes your phone to violently vibrate in your pocket. Itadori seems to have a similar reminder on his own as he swipes away at the notification, “I have to get to practice, but we can talk more about the project later?”
“Yeah, sure–” You’re about to ask him for his number so you can coordinate a time and place but he’s already out the classroom door before you can, his speed obviously the contributing factor as to why he’s considered one of the best sprinters your university has ever seen.
There’s little time to dwell on how you’re going to get in contact with your partner before next week’s class as you too are now rushing out the room towards Differential Equations, also known as the worst math course to ever exist on the face of the earth. As you saunter quickly across the center of campus in dreaded anticipation, you jot down a mental tab to ask Kugisaki for her friend’s number at your next shift.
CASE STUDY #1
It’s been a few days since you were given your first group project assignment and just your luck, you have yet to get in contact with Itadori. Bumping into him between your other classes proves futile and at your last shift Kugisaki called out due to needing to study for an upcoming exam. Given the short allocation of time for the project, four weeks, you can already feel your nerves fraying from the lack of initial progress.
Fortunately, or unfortunately, your mind is rather distracted this Friday afternoon by the bustling rush of customers at the usually quaint coffee shop. You’ve only been on the clock for twenty minutes and there’s already dark blotches of espresso and creamer staining your uniform, an altercation has broken out over somebody using two outlets to charge their electronic devices, and an argument is occurring between your manager and a middle-aged customer who claims they ordered whole milk when it clearly states low fat on the mobile order they sent in.
The craziest part? You’re unphased by it all, having been employed at Jujutsu Java since early last semester. Hell, a panda could walk through the front door and order a large caramel macchiato frappuccino and you’d prepare the drink with no questions asked.
This heavy foot traffic only lasts for around an hour anyways, maybe two at most. Once the evening rolls by, the flow of customers steadily reaches a comfortable crawl. It’s also around now that Nanami leaves the small cafe in your hands for the remaining hour and a half, never being one to enjoy staying overtime. After wiping down and refilling all the machines, you normally spend this down time organizing your planner, crossing off things you’ve accomplished that day along with scribbling down things you need to tomorrow. For the most part everything has been slashed through, all but one thing. Get in contact with Itadori for the project!
It’s almost like the words are taunting you as they remain unscathed by your pen, but you quickly slap your planner shut when the entrance bells chime to signal a new customer. Imagine the look of surprise on your complexion when that customer is none other than the man you’ve been trying to find for the past few days.
“Is Nobara working?” Itadori asks as he approaches you with haste, “She left the keys to her dorm in mine and she’s not answering her phone…”
You shake your head, “No, she’s not on the schedule again until next week, but–”
“Maybe she’s with Maki…or with Megumi...or both...” He thinks aloud to himself, eyes scrunched in concentration.
When you clear your throat, his mumbling comes to a swift halt, “Ah, sorry, I’ll be out of your hair now–”
“Wait!” Your voice booms throughout the small cafe, gathering the attention of the few patrons inside for a brief moment, “I just, I’ve been trying to get a hold of you for our project, we should figure out when we’re both available to do the case studies.”
“Oh, sure!” He slides out his phone, leaning his elbows on the wooden countertop as he searches for his calendar app. Flipping your planner back open, the two of you begin to compare schedules in search of a mutual opening. Only, a majority of your free time is while Itadori is at practice and his is while you’re working.
“How are we going to make this work…” You gnaw at your bottom lip, about to suggest sacrificing what little leisure time you get to yourself on the weekends when the bell hovering over the wooden door chimes once again.
A couple enters through the wooden door with their fingers intertwined between them, walking straight towards your counter with content smiles on their complexions. Itadori shuffles aside to allow you to take their order, appearing busy on his phone while you prepare the caffeinated drinks. When you set the two piping hot cups of coffee within their grasps, they express their gratitude with hearty thanks and a few dollars in the tip jar before heading towards one of the many open tables.
You can’t help but watch them as they place their drinks down, one of them rushing to the other’s side to pull out their chair for them. They sit down and seem to teasingly commend their partner on their act of chivalry, laughter falling from both of their lips. Based on surface observations alone, you believe that they’re most likely a couple who’s only started dating within the past couple of months.
“Have you figured out what we should do about our project?” Itadori snaps you out of your faze, awkwardly shifting on the balls of his feet.
In that moment it feels like gears have finally settled into their proper places, slowly churning until it generates enough power to illuminate the lightbulb inside your brain, “Oh!”
Yet again, you manage to speak just a little too loudly and grab the patrons’ attention, including the couple you were observing only moments ago. Itadori’s eyebrows raise as well, waiting for you to elaborate on your sudden exclamation.
“Okay,” You wait for the customers to lose interest before leaning over the counter to express your revelation, “A lot of couples usually come here, like the one that just came in, yeah? So, what if we do our case studies here, while I’m working?”
“Wouldn’t your boss get upset with you though?” He asks, looking around as though he’s trying to find said manager.
You shake your head, “Not entirely, you could come in while it's slow in the evenings, we’ll take separate notes and compare once I close, as long as I provide for the customers and I’m not disrupting them.”
Analyzing their habits in romantic situations wouldn’t be considered disrupting them, right? At least, that’s what you tell yourself as you wait for Itadori to consider your proposal.
He’s quick to shrug with indifference, “I don’t mind then, when should we start?”
“Hm…” You glance back over at the couple who’s now heavily invested in conversation in between short sips of their drinks, “How about now, with those two over there?”
Itadori squints at the couple before asking, “I know I’m kind of stupid, but what exactly am I observing them for anyways?”
“Well, just the way they interact with each other, like body language and stuff, the chemistry–”
“Chemistry? I thought this was for Psychology class.”
There’s a brief silence shared between the two of you before you explain further, “I meant how well they seem to get along as a couple, not literal chemistry.”
“Oh.”
Itadori ends up grabbing a table closer to the couple as you remain behind the counter, grabbing the nearest writable surface and a pen to jot down your observations. The first thing you notice is the way they naturally lean towards one another when speaking, most likely hanging onto every word that passes their lips with interest. Their eyes seem to never waver from one another’s, only ever to glance down at their drink.
This continues on for a while longer, though a few customers walking in tear your attention away, hoping that your partner will follow through with additional comments from the ones you’ve already made. As you hand the gentlemen in front of you his change, you catch in your peripheral vision the couple heading out of the shop into the cool evening.
The time doesn’t even dawn on you until you glance at the clock and realize you’re ten minutes away from your shift ending, only one other patron remaining in the cafe as you rush to complete your closing duties. Fortunately, you had done most of it earlier due to sheer boredom, so by the time the last customer exits and you flip over the sign to closed you’ve finished all that’s required of you.
“Let’s compare notes,” You perch yourself at the table Itadori has occupied himself at, slapping your small paper of scribbled notes down for him to read over.
“Um,” He scratches at the back of his neck, causing you to raise your eyebrows in dreaded suspicion, “I didn’t realize you meant literal notes.”
In order to keep your composure in check, you lay your palms at the sides of your face before dragging them down, letting out a quiet sigh, “Okay, it’s fine, just– just tell me what you noticed about the couple.”
Much to your surprise, he was quite keen in his study, reciting information that you hadn’t been able to get from such a far distance. He mentions the way they spoke, how their pitch was a few octaves higher than when they were ordering drinks from you, how they’d lay their fingertips against each other’s arms while laughing, how one of their cheeks were dusted in a soft shade of pink the entire time.
Once you finish writing all of this down, you feel much more confident in the results of your first case study, “Now we have to compare our findings to scholarly articles as a way to back up our observations, we should also look up some articles before we do our next one so we can look for specific actions or movements.”
“Got it,” You’re not sure if Itadori actually does, but his smile is reassuring enough for now, “It’s getting pretty late, do you need me to walk you back to your dorm?”
“No, it’s alright, you don’t have to,” The sentiment is appreciated, but you’d like to stop at the corner store on your way back and don't want to inconvenience anyone, “You should probably find Kugisaki, since you have her key and all.”
The realization that dawns on him makes it near impossible for you not to giggle, “You’re right! Gah, she’s gonna rip me a new one! I’ll see you later!”
He zooms out of the cafe in a similar fashion to that day in class, once again showing off his superhuman agility in an attempt to save himself from the wrath of your co-worker. Although he’s a bit slow in the academic department, you’re hopeful that you can manage to get a passing grade on this assignment, giving you a sense of relief as you turn off the lights and lock the front door to Jujutsu Java.
CASE STUDY #2
Ten days, nearly half of the twenty-eight you’ve been given to complete this project have gone by and your internal panic is only at a light simmer. Due to an upcoming tournament, Itadori has been finding it difficult to meet with you during your evening shifts, usually sending an apologetic text with a cluster of sad emojis to follow. You’ve considered attempting the studies on your own, but that would leave Itadori in the dust when it comes time to write the papers.
Any negative or pessimistic thoughts running through your mind vanish though when your partner manages to show up tonight, albeit sweaty with an ace bandage wound tightly at his ankle as he asks, “Do you have any ice?”
It turns out that he twisted his foot during sprints today, but nothing a few days of rest couldn’t fix just in time for the track tournament a few cities over. You urge him to sit at the nearest table and elevate his leg on the opposite chair, rushing to the back to compile some ice into a bag.
On the bright side, you’re not working alone this evening, Kugisaki manning the counter while you unintentionally play nurse for her pink-haired friend. She makes some kind of teasing remark to Itadori, as evident by the subtle flush dusting his cheeks, just as you’re walking back out to the main room and handing him the makeshift ice pack.
“Thank you,” Itadori sends you a soft, genuine smile before he lays the bag over his swollen ankle, hissing at the freezing temperature, “Sorry I haven’t been able to come by recently, we’ve been doing extra practices in the evenings for the upcoming tournament.”
“It’s alright, you’re here now, let’s just hope a couple comes by in the next two hours,” You sigh as you glance around at the few unvacant tables, not a single pairing in sight.
The first hour is uninteresting; you return behind the counter and chat idly with Kugisaki in between fulfilling customer’s orders. Itadori pulls out his laptop while keeping his leg raised, seemingly bored staring at what you can only presume is homework on his screen.
Your hope dwindles with every customer that’s not a pairing walks in, fearful that you may not be able to finish your second case study before Itadori leaves for his tournament. That is until two people walk past the tall glass windows at the front of the shop, pressing their lips to one another’s in a brief kiss before heading straight towards the entrance. In a desperate attempt to get Itadori’s attention without disrupting the other patrons, you fling the nearest pen towards him and watch as it connects square in his chest.
“Hey!” He shouts, which in the end does cause a few customers to glance over to see what’s happening, “What–”
The couple enters and saunters past him as they head towards your counter and the dingy lightbulb in his head flicks on, frantically opening up a blank document on his computer to actually take notes this time. You take their orders and work alongside Kugisaki to make them quicker, handing them their coffees with a courteous smile.
After taking their drinks they head towards the far corner of the cafe, secluded from the other customers as they immediately fall in quiet conversation. You squint in an attempt to capture their body language, but of course they decide to take the table furthest away from where you stand.
“Go sit next to pinky over there if you need to do your project,” Kugisaki startles you as she speaks up at your side, “We get like one customer every ten minutes, I can stay here while you two act like creeps.”
“Are you sure?” You don’t acknowledge her comment, though you know it's all in good fun.
She nods, “Listen, somebody’s gotta make sure he doesn’t fall behind anyways.”
Itadori’s shoulders jump when you suddenly grab the chair next to him, pulling him out of the trance he had fallen into watching the pair, “Is everything okay?”
“Yeah, I was having trouble catching little details from the counter so–”
You’re interrupted by a loud voice that echoes through the small cafe, a shout that has your head snapping immediately towards the couple as they now stare at one another in deafening silence. One has their fingers curled tightly at the edge of the wooden table, knuckles flashing bright as they tear their gaze away from their partner in favor of glaring at the small words scribbled along the paper cup.
It’s rather difficult to watch as their situation continues to grow more uncomfortable, the both of them shrinking into themselves and backing away from each other as they continue arguing at a lower octave. You glance over at Itadori and notice that he’s typing away at his keyboard with a frown tugging at his lips.
Just as you resume watching the pair, he clears his throat and calls your name, “I don’t remember if you’ve told me before, but what major are you?”
“Huh?” You look over at him and notice he’s turned himself away from the fighting couple, his back to them as he waits for your response. After telling him you ask, “Why?”
“I was just wondering. What um, what do you hope to do after college?”
“Can we talk after we finish taking down notes?” Your eyebrows are knitted together in confusion, unsure of why he’s asking all these questions now .
Itadori doesn’t leave you wondering for long though, “Yeah, sorry, I just, I feel weird watching these people fight.”
“Oh,” That makes sense, you think to yourself.
Itadori almost resembles a distraught puppy in the way he empathetically watches the pair in the corner and you understand where he’s coming from. It wasn’t like you could intervene though, and even if you weren’t working on your project their occasional raised voices would capture the attention of people anyways, as evident by the few patrons who are trying to discreetly witness the altercation.
It’s not much of a surprise to you when the one who shouted first promptly exits the cafe, leaving their partner to sit by their lonesome as they sip the remainder of their hot drink. You and Itadori share a solemn look before you leave your notes with him and return behind the counter to finish your shift.
While you’re aiding Kugisaki with cleaning all the machines for closing, somebody clears their throat from behind you, “Um, excuse me…”
“Hi, how can I help you–” You start your usual cheerful greeting when you realize that it's the one who was left behind by their partner.
“Would I be able to get a slice of cake to go?” They ask in a low tone, “If you have any left, of course.”
Most of the baked goods had been purchased throughout the day, but you manage to find a few slices of a chocolate cake that neither you nor Kugisaki had gotten rid of yet. You wrap it up and hand the small container to them, thanking them for their patronage.
“Oh, but I still need to pay for it–”
“Don’t worry about it,” You gesture with a wave of your hand, “On the house.”
Eyes growing wide in surprise, they ask for confirmation, “Are you sure?”
“Positive.” Their expression shifts to one of gratitude before they wish you a good night, exiting the cafe with what you hope is an extra bounce in their steps.
Nobody else enters the cafe for the remaining few minutes that it’s open, which allows you and your co-worker to finish cleaning up while the other patrons make their swift exit. It’s only ten minutes past closing that Kugisaki leaves for the night, wishing both you and Itadori good luck on your project.
“Can I get a free slice of cake too?” Itadori asks you just as you head over to his table once more, a hopeful gleam in his eyes.
You roll your own pair before reaching for your notes, “I felt bad for them, thought maybe that could somewhat cheer ‘em up.”
“I hope so too, that was so awkward having to watch.” He admits sheepishly, “Is this really gonna be useful for our project?”
“Yeah, we’ll be able to compare and contrast our findings between these last two studies as well as the eventual third case, using the scholarly articles to support it. Our personal experience will give a more in-depth discussion on our subject, since we can only witness these couples from an outsider’s point of view– are you okay?”
Itadori seems to snap out of whatever trance he fell into, a nervous flush spreading over his cheeks almost immediately, “Oh! Yeah, yeah, I’m fine...I just like the way you explain things, especially since I’m pretty dumb when it comes to all of this.”
You can feel your own complexion grow warm at the compliment, hiding yourself away behind your laptop screen as you start to type up your notes into the shared document, “Don’t sell yourself short, you were able to remember lots of details from the last study without even taking notes.”
Since you don’t glance up to gauge Itadori’s reaction, you miss the endearing smile reserved for you that stretches across his lips. The two of you grow quiet as you add to the ever-growing document, only speaking up to comment on the similarities the two of you found when observing the torn couple.
Just as you finish listing your last few bullet points regarding the couple’s obvious physical distance when arguing between one another, you hear a low groan escape Itadori’s mouth. He follows it by rubbing at his temple with his fingertips, face scrunched up in pain.
“You alright?” It’s a dumb question, obviously something’s wrong, but you ask nonetheless.
“Yeah, it’s nothing,” Itadori tries to play it off though, “Just a headache, it’s been a long day.”
He’s surprised to see you lift yourself from your chair, heading towards the counter to the machinery that’s long since been cleaned. Scrambling around in search of the ingredients, you exclaim aloud when you manage to find exactly what you need for the drink you have in mind.
When you return to the table yet again you’re carrying a small cup with steam pouring out of it, placing it directly in front of your partner, “Ginger tea, I’d give it a few minutes to cool down before drinking it but it should help with your headache.”
Silence permeates the air as Itadori finds himself at a loss for words at your act of kindness, but he manages to express his gratitude with a small “thank you” before blowing gently on the hot beverage. After wiping down the machinery yet again, you pour yourself a small to-go cup of the leftover tea for later and head back over to the table for the upteenth time that day.
“Are you going to be alright heading back with your ankle like that?” You peer over at his still elevated leg as he sips away at his now nearly finished tea, noticing the ice has long since melted into a cool puddle of water within the bag.
He nods, groaning at his stiff leg muscles when he finally sets said leg down from the chair, bending his knee a few times like he’s dealing with a rusty gear, “Yeah, doesn’t hurt as much now, I should be okay. Thank you again, for the ice pack and the tea and everything.”
“Don’t worry about it,” You wave him off, “It’s getting late though, we should probably call it a night.”
“Do you need me to walk you back to your dorm?” It’s the same question from the week prior, offering to escort you back to your abode, although this time he’s nursing a wounded foot.
Which gives you even more reason to shake your head, not wanting him to further irritate his injuries especially right before leaving for a tournament, “I’ll be fine, I want to head over to the convenient store anyways.”
“I’ll go with you!” Itadori exclaims as he packs away his belongings, “I should probably get some pain killers anyways.”
So the two of you head for the corner store near campus after locking up the cafe, eventually stepping into the heavily air conditioned space as you search around for some late night snacks. Once you’ve snatched your favorites into your arms and lay them out on the counter to pay, Itadori’s right behind you placing a small bottle of over the counter pain medicine next to your bag of chips.
Despite your protests he insists on paying for it all, stating that it’s the least he can do for all the kindness you’ve shown him since the two of you have met. When you wish him a good night before parting ways towards your respective dorms, you can feel your stomach erupt with what many people would consider “butterflies” as he smiles and wishes you the same.
That evening you don’t end up eating any of your snacks, thinking it must’ve been poor food that’s caused your tummy to twist the way it has, ignorant to any other possibilities. At least, for now.
CASE STUDY #3
Another week has passed, meaning there’s only less than two weeks remaining before you’ll have to present your topic in front of your entire class for a passing grade. Itadori and you have been able to make steady headway on your workload thanks to the power of Google Docs, what with you catching his little profile image appearing in the top corner of the shared document on occasion.
He’s been away to attend the track and field tournament a few cities over and you still snicker to yourself thinking back on his numerous messages complaining about the smell or how bumpy the bus ride was to the hotel. Things had escalated rather quickly, now that you think back on it; the two of you went from rare and formal text communication to rapid messages throughout one another’s day.
It had started with him asking what he could do for the project while he’s away, but quickly dissolved into conversations about everything and anything. Whenever Itadori spotted a cute dog on his early morning jogs he’d snap a photo and send it your way, when he found a funny meme on social media he’d screenshot it and share it with you, when he came in first place in the 100 meter sprint he sent you a selfie of him holding his shiny gold-plated medal with an ear-splitting grin across his lips.
You’ve attempted to reciprocate his zealous texting habits, often sending him photos of a new, aesthetically pleasing looking drink you’ve made or an animal you’ve spotted on your walks to and from work. Speaking of work, Kugisaki’s teasing has been relentless when she spots you smiling down at your phone when you get a chance to check it. She’ll jab at your side with her manicured finger, asking you who the lucky guy or gal is as if she doesn’t know who you’ve been speaking to all this time.
As much as you try to convince the brunette it’s not like that, she rolls her eyes and asks you to tell Itadori she says hello nonetheless. Fortunately, you get a break from her wrath this shift, working alongside your manager Namami instead.
Despite his stiff shoulders and uptight appearance, he’s rather lax with you and the other employees given you don’t slack and don’t force him to remain overtime due to incompetence. You’ve only seen him truly on edge a handful of times and that’s typically when the owner of Jujutsu Java, Gojo, wanders through the front doors to see how his establishment is faring.
Today is not one of those days, meaning Nanami is in rather a stoic, albeit content mood as he aids you in preparing drinks during the afternoon rush. It’s during this rush that your mind wanders to Itadori, wondering what he may be up to, if he’s returned to campus yet, if he’s texted you at all...thoughts that only began frequently plaguing your mind a few days ago.
Your complexion feels hot and your stomach is in disarray as memories of his soft smiles appear like photographs in your head, reminding you of the butterflies in your upper abdomen only a week prior. These feelings are rather foreign to you and although they bear similarities to your research for your Psychology project, you play it off by telling yourself that you must be catching a cold.
“Are you alright?” Nanami snaps you out of your trace just in time for you to stop yourself from overpouring the scalding hot coffee, the dark liquid threatening to roll over the lip of the cup if you move too fast.
“Sorry, sorry,” You apologize as you carefully pour some of it out to make room for creamer, “Won’t happen again.”
It doesn’t, thankfully, as you will yourself to stop thinking about your project partner and focus on the tasks at hand. Which works, for the most part, and before you know it the afternoon rush has come and gone.
“Good work, you always manage to handle the large crowds well,” Nanami praises when the cafe quiets down, returning to its usual ambiance of light chatter and low jazz music, “I’ll be leaving shortly, Kugisaki will be coming in for her evening shift soon, before you leave let her know that a new toaster is supposed to be delivered to the cafe while she’s on the clock.”
“Thank you, sir, and I’ll be sure to let her know!” You nod before starting to clean the overused utensils in the sink.
It’s quiet for a short while as you continue your busywork, humming along to the gentle music playing through the overhead speakers. Wrapped up in your own mind once more, you don’t notice somebody’s entered the cafe until they clear their throat a few feet behind you.
“Oh! Sorry–” An apology rolls off the tip of your tongue just as you turn around, surprised to see Itadori of all people standing on the other side of the marble counter.
“I hope I didn’t scare you,” He muses, scratching the nape of his neck while his opposite arm remains behind his back, “We got back earlier than expected so I thought I’d stop by, I um, I have something for you too.”
“What is it? You know, you really didn’t have to get me anything...”
Your words die in your throat when he brings his hand forward and uncurls his long fingers, revealing a small chibi-like figure of your favorite animal. It’s quite honestly adorable with large, round eyes that bulge out of its head when squeezed all while dangling from a silver keychain ring.
“The other night you were talking about your favorite animal and at one of the rest stops I noticed this in the shop and thought you might like it, I know it’s not much really but–” His ramblings are cut off when your body collides with his in a tight hug; the pink-haired male didn’t even notice how quickly you rounded the counter as he had struggled to meet your gaze of admiration.
“Thank you, Itadori,” You mumble before pulling back just as fast as you crashed into his muscular figure, remembering that you are in fact at work and on the clock, even if it's not for much longer, “I love it, thank you for thinking of me.”
“Ah, that’s not really that hard to do–”
“Oi, Yuuji, did you win the tournament?” Kugisaki’s voice booms through the coffee shop as she arrives for her shift, a smug smirk playing at her lips that tells you she absolutely witnessed your exchange with her friend only seconds prior.
“I did!” He grins brightly, reaching towards his chest for a medal that’s not there, “Damn, I left it back in my room, let me find the photo I took of it...”
You take this opportunity to head towards the back and clock out for the day, grabbing your belongings from the nearby locker. As you take out the small keyring that currently only holds the brass key to your dorm, you quickly fasten the silly, albeit sentimental keychain onto it.
“Your shift is over?” Itadori asks when he sees you walk back out through the employee’s only door no longer adorning your usual cap and apron.
His stature deflates when you nod, adjusting the heavy bag that’s slung over your shoulder, “Yeah, Kugisaki and I swapped shifts this week since she had an exam this afternoon.”
“Oh, I was hoping we could work on the next case study today, but if you’re busy–”
“I can stick around here a bit longer, might be easier anyways since I won’t have to worry about working.” The words slide past your lips before you even get an opportunity to think about if you actually do have anything particular going on later. If you do, though, it’s not important, not when Itadori is smiling from ear to ear and you’re the sole reason for it. So you find a table towards the back of the cafe, far enough away from where Kugisaki resides at the counter to minimize her seizing chances to tease you.
The two of you fall into comfortable conversation while waiting for a couple to step through the doors, mostly about topics you’ve spoken about vaguely through text messages over the past week.
“The last time we met up, you asked me what I plan to do with my degree and stuff but I never asked you, so what do you want to do with yours?”
You watch as Itadori shrinks into himself at the question before nervously responding, “Oh, I um, I’m not really sure, actually. I haven’t even declared a major yet, I’m just finishing my general courses and then deciding, which I have to do by the end of this semester.”
“Oh, alright,” That makes sense, you think to yourself, “Do you have any ideas on what you might declare?”
He shakes his head, “Not a clue, to be honest, I’m kind of lost when it comes to trying to decide my future. I only started college right after high school because I was offered a scholarship for sports and I didn’t want to lose it by waiting.”
A frown pulls down on your lips when you notice his solemn shift in demeanor, almost as though he’s ashamed for being unsure of his future. There’s a part of you that oh so desperately wants to grab his calloused hand that’s resting on the table in an act of comfort, but you resist the urge in fear of awkward repercussions. So instead, you hope to soothe the unease in his chest with your words alone.
“You’re so much smarter than you give yourself credit for, Itadori, I know you’ll figure it out. Even if it’s not now, or not soon, that’s okay! I’m always here too to help you, you’re my friend, you know.”
His eyes grow wide like saucers, an immediate dark flush taking over his complexion before he buries it away in his hands, “T-Thank you, seriously, god you’re so kind, you know even before we got partnered up I–”
The bell that hangs over the entrance jingles violently, which causes the both of you to snap your attention towards the couple who’s just walked in. At least, you think they’re a couple, based on the way the taller one’s hand presses to the other’s back, guiding them towards the counter to place their orders.
“I’m sorry, what were you saying?” Realizing that Itadori was in the middle of speaking, guilt washes over you for falling so easily distracted by your surroundings.
He shakes his head with a gentle laugh, “You know what, I actually forgot, it’s fine really! Should we use them for our last case study?”
“Sure,” You glance back over at the supposed couple and any doubts you have vanish when you witness the taller one press their lips to the top of their partner’s head as they wait for their drinks.
The subtle display of affection and comfort the two of them seem to have around one another has you convinced that they must be well acquainted. Whether they’ve been in a romantic relationship a long time or they were friends prior to dating is out of your realm of knowledge, but you can already notice the small differences between them and the couple from the first study.
There’s no nervous tapping of feet or shaky voices as they grab a table rather close to where you and Itadori reside and engage in conversation, no awkward laughter or diverting eye contact. Instead, they lean into one another’s space just the perfect amount, fingers lazily intertwined on top of the table while their other hands hold their warm beverages.
Deep down, much to your dismay, you find yourself yearning for the relationship they appear to have on the surface. You’ve prided yourself for so long on being comfortable alone, embracing your independence in fact, but the thought of having somebody to resort to when things grow difficult is very appealing. Somebody to kiss the top of your head and gaze at you like you’ve just put the stars in the sky. Someone to hold you close when you crave it the most, someone to live life alongside with, you could only dream of experiencing that.
Eventually, you divert your attention to your laptop, teeth gnawing at your bottom lip as you try to focus on the document in front of you. Your fingers anxiously tap at the wooden tabletop, reading the words on the screen time and time again but none of it is sticking, not when your thoughts are so much louder.
“You alright?” Itadori asks as he picks up on your distress, eyebrows pulled together in concern as he reaches over and grabs your hand in his, “Are you sick?”
In that moment your mind grows silent , “I’m okay, um, I’m just worried about our project, I think. Wanna get a good grade, you know.”
“You’re the smartest person I know– don’t tell Nobara I said that– but I don’t think you’ll have to worry about getting a good grade!” When he squeezes at your sweaty palm you glance up at Itadori and meet his gaze, his brown eyes warm and comforting as he shoots you a toothy grin.
Behind you, two chairs screech as they’re pushed back into place, the couple you were once observing making their way towards the exit hand-in-hand. A part of you hopes that Itadori gathered more intel than you did, given the way you practically short-circuited halfway though. Fortunately, those rather negative thoughts are far from your mind now, focus shifted to finishing the outline for the third and final case study.
Well, excluding the personal experience case, which you still are at a loss for how you’ll be completing that portion of your paper. Let alone using your lack of experience to compare it to the other three case studies. You start to wonder if Itadori has personal experience with love or attraction , or if he’ll be struggling to think of what to write just like you.
Before your mind can wander any further, your alarm on your phone blares to life, reminding you of the exam you have for one of your other courses in an hour, “Ah, shit.”
“What’s up?” Itadori asks out of sheer curiosity.
“I have to get back to my dorm,” You quickly close your laptop and slide it into your bag, “I have an online exam that I completely forgot about, next week we should meet up to work on our papers and the presentation though.”
“Yeah, okay, do you need me to walk you back?” He begins to put his own stuff away, slinging his backpack over his shoulder as though he’s already prepared to go.
Which, this time, you decide to oblige, “Sure, I’d like that.”
So the two of you swiftly make your way towards the front doors of Jujutsu Java, waving goodbye to Kugisaki before starting the mile long walk towards campus. Conversation starts with the project, deciding on an exact day for your final meetup before both the paper and presentation are due. A part of you feels a sense of sorrow over this project coming to an end, having enjoyed working alongside Itadori as your dynamic’s quickly shifted to one of mutual friendship over the past few weeks.
“Watch out,” Speaking of the pink-haired male, his large hand suddenly seeks the curve of your back, palm pressing strongly against your frame. He guides you in front of him to avoid stepping in the mess of spilled food on the sidewalk, something you wouldn’t have even noticed had it not been for him. Your skin feels so warm where he’s touched you, that infamous twist in your stomach returning at full force.
So, maybe it’s not a cold, you think, but the idea that these feelings are something akin to your research still hasn’t fully crossed your mind.
The both of you reach the crossroads between your separate dorms before you know it, bidding Itadori a good rest of his day as he wishes you good luck on your exam, the one you’ve already forgotten about again because you were too busy thinking about him .
So, maybe it is similar to your research, but doubt still weighs heavily on your mind, at least until this weekend.
CASE STUDY #4 (PERSONAL EXPERIENCE)
Weekends at work are one of two things: if you work the afternoon shift it’s typically calm, serene with a few rushes here and there, or, if you work the morning shift, absolute hell. This Saturday in particular you are in fact working the morning shift, having come in at eight in the morning to an overly enthusiastic Gojo and an extremely tense Nanami.
The line’s nearly outside the door as you haphazardly throw on your cap and apron and start taking orders, aiding your manager with the insane rush. An iced caramel cappuccino here, a black coffee there, a double shot espresso on ice for the rude gentleman who claims he’s running late for work, it feels as though the crowd of customers is never-ending.
Fortunately it's rushes like these that make the minutes race by and before you know it, there’s only twenty minute remaining of your five hour shift. Although the same fortune has not been bestowed on your manager, as evident by the way Nanami prepares himself an excessively caffeinated drink while Gojo pops out of his office to pester him about making one for him, too.
With all the running around and catering to customers your mind’s been rather preoccupied, unable to truly think long enough about anything, including Itadori. Bittersweet is the best way for you to describe how you feel about your final meeting next week, knowing you’ll no longer have the excuse of schoolwork to see the bright-smiled male.
On the other hand, Itadori seems to have no problem finding ways to see you outside of your scheduled meeting time, given he’s just stepped through the front door. Well, more like bolted, his heavy breathing making you believe he must’ve ran over to Jujutsu Java.
“Are you almost done with work?” He asks slightly out of breath, palms resting flat on the counter as he attempts to steady his breathing.
“I’m out in fifteen minutes,” Your eyebrows knit together in confusion, “Why? Did you want to work on the project today–”
Itadori’s quick to interrupt despite his disheveled state, “No, no, there’s this fair downtown, and I...I wanted to know if you’d like to stop by it with me.”
“So you ran all the way here from campus to ask me?”
“Nobara said you work early on Saturdays, so I didn’t want to miss you.” He’s somewhat composed after a few long, deep breaths, using the back of his hand to swipe at the beads of sweat that’s accumulated on his forehead.
Your own hand cups over your mouth, desperately trying to stifle quiet laughter, “You have my phone number, you could’ve called or texted.”
“Oh, that’s true,” Itadori’s cheeks bloom a light pink at the realization, “Too late for that now, what do ya say? Will you go with me?”
Of course you will, there’s no hesitation in the yes that you voice aloud, followed by a, “I’d love to.”
You’ll never grow tired of seeing that large, jovial grin spread along his lips, a smile that reaches his eyes each and every time it's directed at you. It’s practically contagious with the way your lips curl up and mimic his own as you resume the last ten minutes of your shift.
The walk to the fair isn’t too treacherous, in fact it's closer in distance to Jujutsu Java than your campus. They’ve blocked off the street for the weekend’s activities, allowing vendors and attractions alike to take up the long, narrow road.
Once the two of you set foot into the traffic of people exploring the fair, Itadori’s palm seeks your back just like the other evening, using this simple touch as an attempt to keep him from losing you amongst the crowd. This also allows him to easily guide you closer to him, close enough for his lips to nearly ghost over your ear as he asks, “So, what do you wanna do?”
“I’m not sure,” You half-shout back, “I don’t really go to these things that often–”
That’s when an unfamiliar figure accidentally brushes past you, well, more like bulldozes with the way you nearly fall backwards from the collision. Itadori is quick on his reflexes though, sliding his hand down your arm until his fingers weave between yours, pulling you close to his side as you regain your balance.
“Jeez, people should watch where they’re going, are you okay?” His grip on your hand is unwavering, but the comfort of his warm palm pressed to yours also has you unwilling to let go.
You nod, reassuring him that you’re fine, “Thanks for keeping me from eating concrete.”
“Anytime,” He laughs and suddenly the small debacle minutes ago is the farthest thing from your mind, watching the way his eyes crinkle as he lets out a series of chuckles.
Your fingers remain woven through his as the both of you continue to explore the small festival. There’s not too much that interests you other than the plethora of food, most of the stalls selling antique products far from your measly college budget. You don’t mind, or rather, you’re much more occupied glancing over at Itadori and gauging his reactions instead.
That is, until you spot one of the few carnival-like games a little ways away. It’s one of those test your strength machines, the ones where you take a mallet to a lever that sends a puck upwards towards a prize-winning bell. It’s not the game itself that entices you to steer Itadori towards it, but rather the adorable plush of your favorite animal that’s situated next to the other prizes.
“Wanna take a shot?” The older gentleman overseeing the attraction asks once the two of you are within close proximity.
You reluctantly let go of Itadori’s warm hand to grab some cash from your wallet, exchanging it for the mallet that’s dangling from his fingers. The hammer-like object is heavy as you wave it over the lever, knuckles straining from your punishing grip on the handle.
After a long, deep inhale, you slam the mallet down onto the lever with all the strength in your figure you could possibly muster. There’s a brief moment of silence where you wait for the bell to ring, but it never comes.
“Better luck next time,” The old man says as you step back to see that you only barely made it halfway up the tall pole.
Quickly catching on to your disappointment, Itadori hands the operator cash from his own pockets and makes his way over to where you still stand, arms snaking around you from behind to grab at the heavy mallet. You can almost feel his broad chest as he hovers behind you, causing your complexion to grow absurdly warm.
“What prize do you want?” His voice is so close to you, a sharp chill racing down your spine as he fully takes the hammer from your grasp.
Peering up, you point at the doe-eyed plush, “That one.”
“Alright, let’s win it with our combined strength!” You already know his hands are much larger than yours from holding it only moments prior, but it’s comical how small yours are in comparison when attempting to overlap his for a grip on the hammer. This physical closeness has your head spinning, heart pounding, and palms sweating, all physical symptoms you’ve read time and time again in scholarly articles for your research project.
There’s not much time to dwell on that; Itadori starts a slow countdown from five, each syllable rolling off his tongue as your stomach lurches with anticipation. The second he says one he slams the mallet down on the lever with what feels like superhuman strength. It's less than a second before the bell rings to life, signaling his victory.
“Congrats! Pick any prize you’d like,” The gentleman gestures towards the large array of stuffed animals, but Itadori quickly walks over, reaches up, and grabs the one you want off its hook.
Itadori squeezes at its soft material, glancing up to see you impatiently waiting for him to hand it over, “It’s pretty cute, maybe I’ll keep it for myself.”
“Traitor.” You spit out, trying to mask the smile that’s threatening to expose your façade as you shoot him your best pleading gaze.
“Okay, okay! Fine,” He tosses it your way with a light chuckle, watching you quickly curl your arms around the silly plush, “Where to next?”
Next, you stop by a little stall offering kebabs, an assortment of meats and vegetables lining the grill as their poignant aroma pulls in customers walking along. Itadori pays for the both of you, despite your protests, only asking that you let him try yours in return.
This isn’t how you expected your weekend to go, originally anticipating two days worth of work and studying with the occasional television show binge. Now here you are spending the late afternoon with your project partner munching on kebabs and winning stuffed animals, almost as if it’s a date .
Date, you can already feel your complexion warming up at the thought alone. You start to consider that maybe you want this to be a date, that all these feelings you’ve been desperately trying to push aside and make excuses for is something similar to infatuation .
That maybe, just maybe, you’ve found yourself with a crush on Itadori Yuuji.
“Oh! I’ve always wanted to try one of those!” Speaking of Itadori, he interrupts your internal struggle with his mouth half-full of meat, pointing eagerly at the mechanical bull ride that’s been set up.
The bull itself is made of hard metals, but it’s surrounded by inflatable flooring which allows for a safe fall off of the robotic animal. There’s a short line of people waiting for their chance to prove their strength and balance, now including Itadori as he rocks on the balls of his feet in excitement.
“Looks like you win a prize for staying on for at least two minutes,” You read the rusty sign, albeit slowly due to the way it sways back and forth, “Oh! It’s free tickets for a fireworks show they’re having later tonight, though you could probably just watch from afar for free anyways…”
“I’m gonna win those tickets,” Itadori’s eyes blaze with fierce determination, stretching his arms behind his head in a dramatic show of preparing himself for the mechanical contraption.
He reaches the front of the line rather fast, the two of you watching as person after person fails at acquiring those tickets. You still stand by the fact that you could probably watch them from a distance anyways, but Itadori reassures you anyways that he’s going to win.
“Next!” The operator shouts, signalling for him to bounce along the inflatable plastic towards the bull.
He throws his leg over its back with ease, getting a firm grip on the handlebars attached to its neck but not without shooting you a pair of thumbs up in confidence first. There’s a countdown from three as you watch the machine come to life, rocking back and forth slowly as it builds momentum.
Other patrons of the fair watch as Itadori rides the bull with ease, unphased by the rapid twists and turns as he reaches closer and closer to hitting that two minute mark. You find yourself cheering him on, his eyes immediately seeking you out among the crowd that’s formed around the circumference of the attraction.
“Twenty seconds left!” The young man working the bull announces, “Oh! Almost got him!”
Itadori clutches at the head of the bull in panic, his iron grip wavering for what reason you don’t know, but you’re too busy glancing at the clock to watch it tick down from ten, nine, eight…
“Three, two...one! We got a winner ladies and gentleman! Our first one of the day!” He allows himself to be tossed from the machine as onlookers applaud him, the line to ride much longer than it had been when the two of you first walked over.
“Did ya see that! I told you I’d win!” Itadori waves the two tickets in the air as he jogs towards you, an accomplished smile so bright it could blind somebody, “Now we’ll have a great view of the fireworks tonight! If you want to, of course.”
You reach up and snatch one of the flimsy tickets from his grasp, “I’d love to.”
While waiting for the sun to slowly cast itself away, you and Itadori continue to explore the fair, winning prize after prize from the multitude of games. The both of you came to an agreement when your hands were too full to carry all of the adorable stuffed animals, handing them out to small children whenever they crossed your path.
All but one of course, the one he had won for you during the test of strength. That one remains tucked securely underneath your arm as you walk towards the large field of grass the fireworks show is meant to start any minute now . You would have been here sooner given Itadori didn’t wait in a twenty minute line for churros.
It’s quite a relief to be off your feet as you land on the soft earth with a thud, stretching your legs out in front of you. Your project partner follows suit, sitting close to your side as he too lays his tired legs in front of him.
The loud chatter from the rather large crowd makes it difficult for you to hear your own thoughts, let alone Itadori’s voice as he calls your name, asking, “Do you want a churro?”
“What?” You cup your ear in hopes of hearing him better the second time around, “Can you repeat that?”
“Oh, I asked if you want a churro–”
A loud boom cracks against the atmosphere, followed by a dazzling array of lights as they shine and shimmer with the sunset as its backdrop. Your attention is quickly captured by the fireworks display, eyes wide as you stare ahead.
Silence befalls nearly everyone as you watch the light show, including Itadori who’s resorted to setting a churro aside for you just in case. So maybe it was worth it for Itadori to ride that mechanical bull to get such a close, unobstructed view of the fireworks, the beautiful assortment of colors painting the evening sky a clear testament to that.
The thought of the pink-haired male has you turning your head to capture his reaction to the light show, only to meet his soft, adoring gaze. Nothing is said between the two of you at first, watching as the fireworks bounce off the corners of his pupils, reminiscent of flashy glitter.
“Thank you for coming with me today,” He says quietly, never once breaking eye contact, “I’ve had a lot of fun, classes have been getting really stressful with midterms coming up, you know., so it’s been nice to forget about it all today, with you.”
“Me too, Itadori, thank you for inviting me,” You send him a gentle smile, feeling his leg brush against yours as he scoots closer.
“You um,” He finally tears his gaze away, playing with his fingers as he mumbles, “You don’t have to be so formal, Yuuji’s fine.”
Though he quickly meets your eyes again when you respond, “Sure, Yuuji.”
His first name rolls off your tongue with such ease, causing your tummy to erupt with metaphorical butterflies. Well that, and the way his nose is only inches away from ghosting over yours. You really do have a crush on the man in front of you, you think fondly as everything else around you fades in the background. The other people, the fireworks, everything except Yuuji.
Now’s even the perfect chance for you to tell him how you feel, with a beautiful array of lights as your witness, but you’re still trying to fully figure out said feelings in the first place. All of this is foreign for you, romance is foreign to you outside of books and movies and the research you’ve done over the past couple of weeks.
There’s also the underlying trepidation that he only views you as a friend, a colleague of sorts from working alongside this project together. The dark cloud of rejection looms at a distance, scaring you enough to want to lock your feelings in a tight box and throw away the key.
“Can I get something off my chest?” Yuuji suddenly asks, breaking your train of thought, but the question is rhetorical, “I’ve really enjoyed hanging out with you these past few weeks on the project...and I think you’re a really lovely person and...I think I have f–”
“Oi! I didn’t know you two were here!” Kugisaki’s voice rings out, startling the two of you as you glance back towards her with slight frustration.
A raven-haired male trudges behind her, glancing over at Yuuji, “So this is why I was dragged to the fair instead of you, cause you’re already here.”
“Did you ride the bull to win free tickets to the show?” She’s unphased by their friend’s displeased attitude, taking a seat behind you on the grass and kicking off her sneakers, making herself comfortable.
Yuuji nods, but for a brief moment you see a flash of irritation run along his features, “Yeah, it was easy .”
“For you probably,” The other male, who’s name is still unknown to you, also sits down to form a makeshift circle, “I had to try it three times to win so Nobara would shut up.”
“You shut up Megumi–” She glances between you and Yuuji, finally catching on to her untimely intrusion, “Wait, did I interrupt something?”
“No, nope, it was nothing,” Yuuji shakes his hand vehemently, “I guess we can all enjoy the fireworks now.”
So you resume your attention to the end of the fireworks display, the sound of Kugisaki crunching on what you believe to be one of Yuuji’s churros closer to your ear than you would prefer. Speaking of Yuuji, you look over and frown at the forlorn expression he wears as he watches the show, an uncharacteristic look for your usual cheerful friend.
In an attempt to grab his attention, you lay your sweaty palm over his hand, curling the pads of your fingers as they press to his own perspired skin as you whisper, “You okay?”
“Yeah,” Yuuji smiles warmly, that look of sorrow wiped clean from his visage, “I’m good.”
He boldly turns his hand so that his palm is now parallel to yours, lacing his fingers between your own in a similar fashion to when the two of you held hands so as to not get lost amongst the heavy crowd. This time felt different, though, it felt less like two friends trying to stay close in a sea of people and more like something couples often partake in.
You decide at that moment exactly how you’re going to confess your infatuation to the man beside you, and when you’re going to. Although the risk of rejection hangs heavy on your conscience, you think maybe, just maybe, if you think back on his body language towards you all these prior weeks and compare them to what you’ve witnessed in your case studies, you might come out a victor.
CASES ANALYSIS & CONCLUSION
Time always moves slower when you’re glaring at the clock, watching each tantalizing second tick by. Even when you glance between the analog clock hanging above Jujutsu Java’s entrance and the entrance itself, seconds still feel like minutes.
Not a single customer has stepped past the threshold towards your counter in nearly half an hour. Only one patron remains inside, cooped up in the back corner on their computer typing frantically as they occasionally take sips of the second hot chocolate they ordered. Your shift ends in fifteen minutes and for once, you’re not looking forward to it.
What you were looking forward to was your project partner, Itadori Yuuji, entering the quaint coffee shop at the time the two of you had discussed prior, which came and went an hour ago. No calls, no texts, nothing to let you know he would be running late, which is very unlike the man you’ve been getting to know this past month.
Then again, it’s only been a month, so maybe this is his true behavior. You try to shake the negativity from your mind, but it only overwhelms you tenfold because of this stupid confession you had planned. In your paper for this project lies your personal experience portion finished, your heart laid out on a digital screen in size eleven font in Times New Roman.
Except, he’s not here to read it, to learn of the way your heart pounds so loud whenever he’s within your vicinity, how your palms grow so sweaty they have their own ecosystem, how happy you feel whenever the two of you spend time with one another, especially that weekend of the fair.
In an attempt to return to the rational side, you prepare your favorite warm drink for yourself, hoping it’ll ease your frayed nerves and aching chest. The liquid rolls down your throat, much hotter than anticipated, resulting in a dramatic series of coughs.
“What a shitty day,” You mutter to yourself once you’ve calmed down, your back to the front door that had opened in the middle of your fit.
A throat clears behind you, causing you to nearly leap out of your skin before you hear him speak, “Yeah, tell me about it.”
The average person would’ve most likely received some form of whiplash from just how fast you spun around only to be faced with a bruised and battered Yuuji. He shoots you a smile, albeit a pained one, as he begins to explain his mess of a complexion before you even get the chance to question it.
“I’m really sorry I’m late, I um, I got hit with a vaulting pole at practice today.” Your eyes widen before cringing at the thought alone of how painful that must’ve been, “Nearly knocked me out cold, but I’m feeling better now!”
“Are you sure you don’t need to get some rest?” Your eyebrows knit together in concern, counting the large, dark splotches along his skin until you reach nearly half a dozen.
Yuuji carefully shakes his head, “I mean, probably ? But I’m okay for now, besides I didn’t want to let you down with the project.”
“You were hit with a pole, let me at least make you some tea to help with any pain,” You begin to gather the ingredients needed, the same ones from when he had developed that raging headache a couple weeks back, “Did you like the ginger tea last time?”
“Yeah, thank you,” He thumbs back towards the wide array of empty tables and chairs, “I’m gonna go sit and work on the paper.”
You nod in acknowledgement, getting right back to work at preparing the soothing hot tea for his consumption. The one customer who had spent hours at their laptop packs their things and exits just as the clock strikes eight, signaling the end of your shift.
There’s still quite a few things for you to finish as a part of your closing routine, but you decide it can wait for now, bringing over both the freshly brewed tea and your bag to the table Yuuji resides at, “Here.”
“Thank you, again,” He blows on the piping hot beverage before attempting to take a small sip, hissing at the sudden heat that’s filled his mouth, “So, did you want to work on the presentation or finish our papers first?”
Your heart pounds loud against your ribs at the mention of the paper, remembering why you had been so distraught in the first place when you thought he wasn’t going to show up. The words stare back at you on your screen, the section titled “Personal Experience” taunting you of sorts.
“Let’s finish our papers first, how much of it have you done?” Your index finger taps anxiously against your keyboard, waiting for his answer.
Yuuji seems to open his own document before responding, “Not too much, I was actually wondering if you could help me, maybe read over the one section I finished? I want to make sure it makes sense, my brain’s a little scrambled– worse than usual.”
“Yeah, I don’t mind–” You click on the link he’s emailed you with his document and your jaw snaps shut at the specific portion he’s sent you: personal experience .
He says something that flies over your head as you start to dissect his writing, reading each and every word with bated breath and a twinge of envy for whoever he’s speaking about in these paragraphs. The overall sentence structure is a bit shaky, his word choice rather simple, but you can tell he’s poured his heart and spilled it inbetween the lines of this paper.
It starts with admiration from afar, being too afraid to say anything until fate’s pushed both him and this mystery person alongside one another. That’s when he begins to notice his admiration evolve into adoration; his palms would always perspire heavily around them, his heart felt like it was going to escape from his chest with how hard it would beat, his tongue felt heavy when he’d try and speak, it was all telltale signs of his complete and utter infatuation.
But then he goes into specifics of which situations truly solidified his feelings for them and your eyes widen as the shared memories flood your mind: bringing him ice for his sprained ankle and preparing him a warm drink to combat his headache, reassuring him that he’s doing his best and that they’ll be there for him, spending an entire afternoon at the fair , where he tries to confess his feelings under the fireworks but his friends inconveniently interrupt.
“Yuuji–” You start, glancing next to you as he sits much closer to you than he had been moments prior, “This...you…you...”
“I really wanted to tell you that night during the fireworks, but then Nobara showed up and I got nervous, so I thought maybe if you read how I’ve been feeling it’d be better...” He explains with a sheepish grin.
“Seriously? ” He’s a bit taken aback by your words, but his shoulders slouch back down when it's followed with laughter, “I was um, I was going to have you read my personal experience portion that details my feelings for you .”
Yuuji’s eyes stretch wide like saucers at your impromptu confession, “Wait, wait, you like me?”
“I do, yeah,” You suddenly grow shy from his intense gaze, “Do you want to read my paper?”
“Of course,” He leans into you when you tilt your laptop in his direction, his thigh pressed to the side of your own as he takes in the words on the screen.
The silence is deafening as he takes in your own infatuation for him, eyes scrolling line by line until he reaches the end where you admit that you’re fearful of rejection and that’s what had you flipping back and forth in your head on whether or not you should confess in the first place.
“Me? Reject you?” Yuuji scoffs at the insinuation, “I thought I was the dumb one.”
“Hey!” You exclaim before the both of you fall into a fit of laughter as it bounces off the walls of the empty coffee shop.
It’s when you calm down that you realize just how close Yuuji’s face is in proximity to yours, his nose nearly brushing over your own, “Yuuji–”
“You know, I was going to try and kiss you too, at the fireworks show. I thought it’d be romantic, if you returned my feelings of course.” He admits, cheeks dusted a light pink at the second confession.
Your own complexion grows warm at the thought alone of kissing Itadori Yuuji, “Well, I’m returning your feelings now .”
“I mean, I’m uh, I’m a bit nervous now, being put on the spot, besides I don’t want to mess up–”
His ramblings die in his throat when you surge forward and press your lips against his own slightly chapped pair, hand reaching up to gently cup at the side of his jaw that’s not littered with contusions. Quick to return your passion, he kisses you back despite the ever growing smile that’s forcing its way onto his mouth and rendering kissing difficult.
Although careful not to disturb his multitude of bruises, your lips eventually part in favor of deepening the kiss, head tilted to the side so as to not clumsily bump noses. Yuuji’s hands remain on the table for only a few more seconds before he reaches around your waist, the chair you’re occupying screeching as he drags you nearly into his lap.
“So um,” Yuuji stammers when the both of you eventually pull away for oxygen, but also partially because you remember that there are cameras at your workplace, “Would you want to go on a real date with me? Maybe after the project’s finished– oh my god, the project, we gotta finish it!”
“Do you want to go back to my dorm and finish it there? My fluffy beanbag is much more comfortable than these rusty old chairs,” You suggest with a laugh, already beginning to pack your things away.
He returns your laughter, nodding, “Sure, you didn’t answer my question though, about the date.”
“Don’t play dumb,” You flick at his forehead, “Of course I’ll go on a date with you.”
Once you finish up your closing shift duties after putting them off for half an hour, the two of you head back to your dorm and finish both your papers and the presentation with the rising sun as your witness. What originally had been a group project you were not looking forward to with a partner who you had never spoken more than a sentence to prior has blossomed itself both into a flourishing relationship and a 96 on the project as a whole.
You also gained a closer friendship with your co-worker Kugisaki and eventually their other friend Fushiguro Megumi, which you later find out the two of them had placed bets on whether or not the two of you would end up together by the end of the semester.
“You owe me twenty bucks!” The brunette shouts at Fushiguro a week later when you head in for your usual afternoon shift, fingers intertwined with Yuuji’s as he insisted he walk you to work before his track practice.
The other male grumbles before grabbing a wad of cash from his pocket and smacking it down on the counter, “I really didn’t think he’d get the courage to do it.”
“Megumi! That’s mean!” Yuuji whines before squeezing your hand, “I’ll pick you up later, yeah?”
“Sure,” You feel his lips press to the side of your head briefly before letting go entirely, heading towards the exit while waving off Kugisaki’s obnoxious gagging noises.
Yeah, you think fondly to yourself as you watch your boyfriend wave goodbye once more through the large bay windows, you could get used to this.