Chapter Text
Nightmares. One after the others, a secret he keeps to himself. No one can save him from such twisted alternate reality that his own brain creates, so there can be no good in sharing the suffering with others.
But as Yuuji opens his eyes, he is already standing by the door. A few steps further from the bed compared to yesterday.
Not again, he curses.
Of course it's Sukuna's doing. Everyday trying to gain more control of his body using any opportunity that he can grasp, especially when Yuuji is sleeping. He was easier to control before, but now he's doing everything on a whim, as if he can't stand just staying still.
He can't tell Gojo about this situation no matter how urgent, it might earn him the death row sooner than he wishes to be.
Maybe you should, Sukuna's voice suddenly rings in his head. Weak little brat, I've warned you that I won't just stay still inside your pathetic body.
Yeah, maybe after you learn more than how to take baby steps, Yuuji replies. He's getting sick from the lack of rest he's experiencing, so the mockery could only go so much before he accepts the challenge.
Oh, you will regret talking back, Sukuna replies. Before he realizes it, his right hand suddenly goes numb and the next thing he knows is that he's punching himself right at the jaw. The fist hits so hard he crashes the wall on his side, landing on his knees, banging his head in the process. Not only painful, it is really loud.
That's new, he notes. It's been so long since Sukuna last control his body parts, and it raises serious alarm that Sukuna might not be joking about his words after all.
I'm closer than ever to claiming your body, as you can tell. Know your place before you get cocky, brat, Sukuna sneers at him once more.
Why don't we try another one? Yuuji replies instead. Careless about his consequences as he's emotionally on edge from the exhaustion.
It's been days with not a single proper rest. It's about time he goes ballistic. He wonders if the nightmare is the effect of Sukuna's doing, or if the nightmare causes exhaustion that helps Sukuna to take over. Either way, he will just keep himself awake until the morning, again.
"Itadori! Are you alright?" Megumi demands as he bursts the door open. His face shows pure panic, he looks down on him and then his stare frantically scatters around the room to check for the situation. Behind him is Nobara pushing right past him to get inside the room, her expression matches his.
"The wall! What on earth happened to this wall?!" She gasps out exasperatedly.
Yuuji can tell they were running here as fast as they could from the way they are catching their breath. Megumi is in his white t-shirt and pajama pants, meanwhile Nobara wears a matching polkadot pajama.
He didn't expect she'd wear a polkadot pajama. With a hammer in her hand at that. No pocket of nails, which is silly as Yuuji wonders what good would that hammer be for a battle without her nails.
Yuuji chuckles, trying to ease himself preparing for excuses. "Calm down, guys. I just wanted to go to the bathroom but I slipped and hit the wall."
"Your head and jaw are bruised, you idiot! Do you think we buy that?" Nobara cries out frustratedly as she kneels down in front of him. She's grown much more observant than he remembers.
What he didn't expect is to have her throwing away the hammer to the side and reach out to hold his face with her hands. She observes him further, tilting his head toward many angle more than needed. Her hands feel warm and surprisingly soft, he thought she would have rough hands like his due to the battle they constantly have to endure. But hers are surprisingly ladylike, nice and small.
"Oy, did you hit your head too hard to explain correctly? What's going on?" Megumi asks, leaning against the door frame with his hands crossed in front of his chest. The panic is now switched with his usual flat expression.
"Unless you want me to hit your head the second time, you better tell us what happened," Nobara warns, like a grim reaper ready to take soul. So contradict with how her hand felt just moments ago. Now those hands are gone, and Yuuji oddly finds it tingly when he remembers the sensation it leaves on his skin.
Yuuji sighs. "I was having an argument with Sukuna. It got really frustrating so I punched myself in the face," Yuuji answers, twisting the detail about Sukuna taking control of his hand. "A little too hard," he adds. "But I'm fine. I'm sorry to wake you up!"
Now it's Megumi and Nobara who sigh, out loud. "All of this just because of some childish feud, get a grip! Disturb my sleep one more time and there will be a new collection to your bruises," Nobara threatens as she gets up from the floor. Yuuji follows her to get up, apologetically grinning at them.
"Not gonna happen!" he brightly says. "Thank you for checking up on me though."
"Yeah, you'd better be," Nobara hisses at him as she turns her heels and leaves.
He follows her again, stopping next to Megumi who still lazily stands there. They lock eyes briefly, and Megumi is obviously trying to read him deeper. But as Yuuji's buoyant express stays, he decides to let it slide.
Megumi leans out from the doorway, patting Yuuji's shoulder. "If anything unusual happens, tell us right away. You've been nosy these past few nights."
The words make Yuuji shivers. He should've known how easily busted his situation would be with Megumi's room right by his side. A reminder for him to be extra careful from now on.
"Don't worry, everything's fine. I just get hungry sometimes so I often look for midnight snacks," he reasons, still flickering the grin on his face delightfully.
"Sure," Megumi replies. "And don't get yourself killed over some arguments with Sukuna, alright?"
"Of course!" Yuuji beams out. "Thanks once again."
Though he might seem like he's very chill about it, Yuuji is actually very thankful of the gesture that Megumi and Nobara just did. He feels warm and, in a sense, protected by their behavior. He really appreciates their visit to check on him.
Megumi only nods in response, then leaving toward his room. Yuuji watches as he disappears behind the door, then he sighs.
Quite a scene to unravel, surprisingly Sukuna didn't meddle. It might be because he gets benefit from their situation not being found out. Yuuji is sure he's planning on something. But he rather not think too far about it for now.
As he turns around, his eyes watch the broken wall where he crashed earlier. He hopes no teacher pay his room a visit, it might cause him a violation warning for breaking the school's property. He can already imagine how Gojo would happily give him some creative punishment in return.
His eyes land down, and he notices something on the floor that is unfamiliar to be inside his room.
Nobara's hammer.
*****
Yuuji decides to return the hammer despite Nobara's warning. As he stands in front of her door with her hammer in his hand, he prepares himself to knock at the wooden door.
"Didn't I told you not to bother me anymore tonight? Do you want a third bruise?" Nobara barks as soon as she opens her door. She glares at him with her usual sinister stare.
Normally, he would grimace in horror already, which he silently does inside. It's just a natural reaction to follow their dynamic. Nobara is a scary woman, so he naturally just avoids her wrath at all cost. Most of the time, it's fun to play along even though her punches actually stings.
Yet tonight, the exhaustion is quick to catch up to him. With the little energy left in him, he tries not to be blue. "No need to be violent! You left this, I promise to go back now." He grins as he hands over the hammer.
Nobara looks at him, a dagger like stare, as she takes her hammer. She looks annoyed, but there's something else with the stare. "Alright then, go. You look so tired these past few days. What have you been up to anyway? Quarrel with Sukuna?"
She tells him to go yet she holds him with a question. Yuuji can't really tell what she wants, not that he has the energy to process much.
"Yeah, the nightmares," his tongue slips. He initially wanted to say quarrel or whatever it was, but somehow he spills the truth instead. Too late to take it back as Nobara narrows her eyes in question. "I..." he tries to find excuses, but he suddenly hears footsteps coming. If it's Megumi, there's no way he wouldn't join their conversation. And knowing Nobara, there's no way she would drop the topic down until she gets a proper explanation. "Can I get inside for a minute?"
That sounds wrong. And he's prepared to be slapped right away.
"For conversation!" He adds frantically. "There's something I want to tell you."
Nobara seems to notice his urgency because she glances at the direction of the footsteps, and then she steps aside, much to his disbelief and relief. "Get in," she says.
He quickly does so, having Nobara to close the door behind him.
It feels awkward and odd to be in a girl's bedroom. There's really no rule that forbids this, but he still finds himself being in a very uneasy situation. After all, this is the first girl's bedroom that he enters throughout his life. He can't help his eyes to wander around in curiosity. It's basically a dorm room like his, no posters or any catchy belongings. Nobara seems not to have many items scattered around, very neat. What stands out most is probably the smell. It smells sweet and feminine, and there's something very Nobara about the room. Very pleasant to say the least, but Nobara will kill him for being a creep if he ever says that out loud.
Yuuji is quick to seat himself on the floor before Nobara gets any wrong idea. Making sure she knows he comes here with no ill intention.
You act like a virgin, Sukuna finally says something. This is getting interesting.
Shut up.
Oh, you're definitely a virgin. Good luck, brat, Sukuna mocks.
Yuuji tries to calm himself down, preparing for what to explain next.
"You know I'm not scared of you, right?" Nobara says as she tilts her head with a smirk. She's sitting on the floor by the side of her bed, feet crossed, hammer in hand. "I can always crack you open if you try to do anything ridiculous. So stop acting like I'm a helpless bird in a cage."
The words are hard to interpret when he has so many things going on. He doesn't even understand why she feels that way. "I'm just giving space so you would feel comfortable."
"Yeah, that makes me feel pissed instead. Sit closer like you normally do, you said we'll be having a conversation."
Yuuji goes along. Maybe his natural reaction again, or maybe he's too tired to rational it. He wants sleep so desperately, but at the same time he knows he will not be able to sleep again.
"Sorry if that's how you feel. I didn't mean to," he mutters as he sits next to her. An arm length distance, his back against the bed.
It smells even more like her, and somewhat he feels more tired.
"Just cut to the chase, what do you want to tell me? Is it related with the nightmare you mentioned?" Nobara asks, her voice soften a little, just to her normal voice, but a slightly sleepy.
"Yeah, the nightmare," Yuuji says.
He doesn't know if he's being irrational or impulsive or both, but he has the sudden urge to tell the truth to Nobara. At least partly. Nobara might be a good help because she's smart, she can keep a secret, so she might find a solution to this situation. Matter of fact, Megumi can also help. But Yuuji always feels uncomfortable when he has to involve Megumi with Sukuna. Just a hunch, a feeling in his gut, that he has to separate Megumi and Sukuna as far away from each other as possible.
"What about it?" Nobara asks, for once she doesn't sound demanding, just purely curious.
"I've been having nightmares these past few days, terrible ones. I don't know if it's Sukuna's doing, but it's really messing with me," Yuuji explains.
"That doesn't sound good," Nobara comments, concern fills her brown eyes. Looking at her from up close, he's reminded once more of how pretty she is. A natural thought that he always buries as quickly as it appears. But for once, he wants to acknowledge it. Her beauty under the dark, such pretty eyes, pretty nose, pretty lips. "Exhaustion doesn't sound good for a vessel of the King of Curse. He might take over if you're not careful."
Yuuji is snapped away from his thoughts as he hears the statement. He wonders if he should be honest with that part too.
"I keep waking up whenever he's trying to take control," Yuuji says.
"For now, but we don't know what might happen later," Nobara replies. "The sooner we get rid of the nightmare, the sooner you will be able to rest."
"That's what I have in mind too," Yuuji agrees. "The problem is I don't know how-" he yawns, squinting his eyes to wake himself up. "To get rid of the nightmares."
The stay silent for a while. Nobara looks like she's trying hard to figure something in her mind. He wants to figure something too. But in the process, borrowing her pillow to rest his chin on would be good, so he does. He takes it and hugs it, smells like fresh laundry. Nobara seems to want to comment about him stealing her pillow, but decides last minute not to.
She's back to being focus, and Yuuji watches her being focus.
So pretty, he thinks to himself. He didn't know he like short haired girl, but that hairstyle looks so good on her. Her hair is the color of caramel, even under the dim light he remembers just nice the color looks. It reminds him of the caramel used to make dango. Pretty. Nobara is pretty.
*****
He dreams of eating dango. The sweet dango that he has long forgotten. He can't remember the last time he eats it, but he still remember the taste and how it smells. Like warm caramel.
Yet in his dream, the dango smells like Nobara's room. Which gets him to think.
Didn't he come to Nobara's room yesterday?
Yuuji opens his eyes so quickly, waking up with a jolt as his consciousness resurface.
The first thing he sees is the wall of Nobara's room, which is the last thing he saw last night before drifting to sleep.
He definitely fell asleep, because now the room is bright from the sunrise that illuminates through the window. There's a weight on his forearm, and he looks sideway to see Nobara sleeping against him. His first response is to freeze.
They are both sitting against the bed. He's hugging a pillow in front of him, meanwhile Nobara curls up beside him. She's sleeping so peacefully, and beautifully too. He wonders if she will yell at him once she wakes up, but the thought itself makes him smile.
He should not. He should be running for his life instead. The hit will be painful and her scream would be horrifying. Yet he feels content. He feels thankful that she's letting him take a proper rest for once. Maybe the nightmare will leave him after all.
"Kugisaki," Yuuji calls out gently, trying not to surprise her. "Hey, Kugisaki."
"Hmm?" she mumbles, hand gripping his arm tighter.
She reminds him of a koala, fluffy and clingy. And he realizes that it is a strange thing to think of because Nobara is definitely an angry tiger with sharp fangs if she resembles an animal. "Wake up, it's morning already."
"Already?" Nobara echoes, her voice sounds small and raspy. It's adorable. And something about it makes Yuuji’s chest feel so tingly.
"Yeah, it's morning," he says.
Nobara opens her eyes at last, rubbing it lightly. As she looks up, her whole body freezes. For somebody who can run with a hammer toward his room in the middle of the night, she takes her time to realize their situation.
Like a cat, she jumps away, scurrying back to give distance between them. She looks at him through the confusion as she still connects her mind on their situation.
"What are you- ah, right, you fell asleep," she says, trying to erase her sleepy voice and her panic.
Yuuji catches the rosiness spreading on her cheeks. Though her eyes are staring firmly and her expression solid, he thinks she's not as casual about the situation too.
So pretty, he subconsciously praises.
It's unlike him to care so much about someone's look. Maybe because he's been so sensitive lately.
"Yeah, I fell asleep I think," Yuuji agrees. His voice sounds deeper because of his sleep. Which means he got a proper sleep, after so many nights. "Thank you for letting me sleep here. I had a good rest." He gets up from the floor, not wanting to invade Nobara's space any longer because he's received so much from her already.
"God, my body hurts," Nobara hisses as she gets up to plop herself on top of the bed. "Did you have nightmare again?"
"No," Yuuji smiles. "I dreamt of eating dango."
Nobara snorts, but she smiles at his statement. "Be careful to not get caught on your way out," Nobara warns as Yuuji is about to open the door.
He gives a thumb up, then proceed to carefully leaves the room.