The Songs You Grow To Like Never Stick At First (Chapter 3)

The songs you grow to like never stick at first (Chapter 3)

Chapter 1 ++ Chapter 2

Falling for your best friend is a blessing and a curse at the same time, especially when it’s painfully obvious that your friend doesn’t feel the same. So what is Yuuji supposed to do? He doesn’t want to lose you but also can’t help wanting to get out of the friendzone. Maybe his other friends can help him. Or he just has to wait because sometimes the songs that become our all-time favorites are the ones that don’t stick at first.

Pairing: Yuuji x Reader (female) Genre: College AU, fluff, my attempt at humor, friends to lovers Word Count: 5.5k Playlist: College AU Warnings: 18+, slow burn, a lot of cheesiness, pining, unrequited love in the beginning, alcohol, masturbation, sex dreams. All characters are of age. The story and my blog contain 18+ content. Minors don’t interact.

Chapter 3 This conversation's still dead on arrival. And there's no way to talk to you.

"Yuuji, are you ok?"

Yuuji blinks at you sleepily. You're sitting across from him in your usual booth in the coffee shop you always go to, stirring your coffee as you let your gaze travel over Yuuji's face. The concern in your eyes is making him feel warm. He wants to smile at you, but it turns into a hearty yawn. He sighs and stretches before rubbing his eyes, trying to chase the sleepiness away,

"Yeah, I'm fine!"

"I'm not so sure about that. You have some really dark circles under your eyes, Yuu. Maybe you're coming down with a cold."

"Nah, I... I was just staying up late playing video games."

He quickly takes a sip of his own coffee to hide his gradually blushing face as the memories of last night come back to him. He could never tell you the real reason for his loss of sleep: His dirty dreams starring you as his sexy girlfriend.

He sees the pictures so clearly in his head: The two of you tangled in bed, your fingernails digging into Yuuji's back, legs wrapped tightly around his hips, and his name on your lips as you writhe beneath him. He imagines he can even hear your voice, breathless and needy, moaning loudly with every snap of Yuuji's hips. "Yes, right there, Yuu!!"

He feels so guilty. How can he sit here and look into your eyes after having another dream like that?

You are so worried about him catching a cold or something! While the truth is that Yuuji didn't get enough sleep because he had to jerk off two times to the fantasy of fucking you until you screamed his name.

And it's not just the sex dreams that haunt him. He has other dreams too. Dreams where he holds you and kisses you sweetly. Dreams where you are on romantic dates, hold hands and whisper sweet love confessions to each other.

He can't even say which dreams are worse. The romantic ones or the dirty ones.

The romantic ones make him sad when he wakes up because the longing in his heart is even worse after hearing you say "I love you, Yuuji." in his dream. And the dirty ones turn him into a horny mess who has to shove a hand into his boxers and pump his throbbing cock frantically until he cums all over his hand and abs while moaning your name into his pillow.

Yuuji's cheeks are burning by now. He almost jumps when your cold hand presses against his forehead.

"Are you sure? You look a bit flushed too. Maybe you have a fever!"

Yuuji shakes his head vehemently.

"No, really, I'm fine!"

You sigh, your hand still resting against his forehead,

"You'd tell me if something was wrong, right?"

"Of course...I... sorry (y/n), I'm really fine. You don't have to worry."

He manages to smile at you and puts a hand on top of yours before adding:

"But you know what? Your hand feels really cold. Are you sure you aren't coming down with a cold?"

He gently pries your hand away from his forehead and intertwines it with his. It really feels cold, and it's the perfect excuse to hold hands with you. An opportunity too tempting to let it pass. And so Yuuji reaches across the table to do the same with your other hand. He holds them both gently, keeping them enveloped in his larger hands, sharing some of his body heat with you.

You laugh softly, eyes crinkling happily.

"It's so convenient to always have my personal heater with me!"

Well, at least that's a little thing to make up for the wet dreams he has about you. Something to ease the guilt a little bit, at least. Yuuji smiles and rubs his thumbs gently over the back of your hands.

"Oi, what are the two of you doing? Did you start a palm-reading business now, Itadori?"

Yuuji yelps as Nobara's bag slams down on the bench next to him, only missing him by a few centimeters.

"Hey, be careful, Kugisaki!"

But you laugh, squeezing Yuuji's hands and looking at him with an amused expression on your face that makes him laugh too.

"You should totally do that, Yuu! Imagine all the middle-aged women flocking to you! "Did you hear about that new palm reader? Karen, I am telling you he is so attractive, um, I mean spiritual!" You could make a fortune! Maybe consider offering your services shirtless."

Yuuji's heart is doing that thing where it beats so fast that he's sure he'll get a nosebleed or something. Did you just call him attractive??

"I mean, I could do deeper readings in the backroom. That would probably get me some money."

His reply sends you into another fit of laughter, and Yuuji's heart is about to beat itself out of his ribcage. You look beautiful, shaking with laughter, eyes sparkling happily, and your hands grab his tightly.

It would be so natural for the two of you to be girlfriend and boyfriend, wouldn't it be? Yuuji's chest tightens. What he wouldn't give to be allowed to close the distance between you, lean over the table and press his lips onto yours, muffling your sweet laughter with his mouth and feeling you smile into the kiss.

Next to him, Nobara is laughing too while scrolling through the messages on her phone. Or more like one particular text conversation. The one between her and Maki. She turns to look at Yuuji with a grin on her face.

"Can you also do a reading for me? I wanna know if I'll get laid on the party tomorrow!"

"What do you want me to say? That I see a tall, dark-haired hottie in your near future? Most likely, it will just be Fushiguro who chides you for being embarrassingly drunk and drags you home before you can put dirt on his name. So I wouldn't get my hopes up."

Nobara rolls her eyes, and her elbow connects painfully with Yuuji's side. Yuuji thinks that she has no right to be so dramatic because everyone knows that her crush on Maki is requited. If anyone is allowed to mope, it's definitely him!

But you called him hot and talked about him being shirtless, so maybe not everything is hopeless. Yuuji likes to think of himself as an optimist, so he'll try to focus on the silver lining. Maybe the party is exactly what he needs to take things between you a step further.

One of the pros of living in a college town is that Yuuji gets invited to parties almost every weekend. He knows so many people, and there's always an occasion that calls for a get-together.

Yuuji likes going to parties. He can chat with people, get tipsy, be the star of the karaoke squad, and dance as much as he wants, having the time of his life.

Especially when you are next to him, sharing a mic with him, laughing and singing off-key with him, taking his hand to do some stupid dance, your carefree laughter filling up the room as Yuuji spins you around.

Maybe he enjoys it a bit too much, when a dirty song is playing, and he has his hands on your hips and you grind your ass against his crotch. Of course, he can't do this for more than one song, or he'll have another big problem in his pants. But it's so much fun, and he can unashamedly enjoy being close to you and touching you.

But there's a con too. Because those parties can quickly turn into an emotional rollercoaster for Yuuji when he sees other people flirt with you, and he gets reminded once again that he has no right to be jealous because you are just his friend, nothing more.

But that doesn't mean he can't glare at that blonde guy from the volleyball team who flexes his arms anytime you walk past him. Usually, Yuuji gets along with him, but if he decides to start hitting on you, he won't be on Yuuji's list of people he likes anymore!!

Yuuji knows that the real problem isn't the guys who try to hit on you, though. Of course, they do that. Because they see the same thing, he does. That you are amazing! Kind and sweet and funny and smart and so beautiful! Of course, they want you too. He cannot blame them. The only one to blame is himself. Because he's incapable of telling you how he feels. It has to change! No, it WILL change tonight!

Maybe it's the beer he has been drinking or that passive-aggressive emo song that's playing on the stereo at the moment. But suddenly, everything is so clear to Yuuji. He has to confess to you! He can do it! No more excuses! Tonight will be the night!

You told him he is hot. You said he'd make a fortune if he did palm readings shirtless! That has to mean something! Fuck it, he's gonna get his girl tonight!

You choose that moment to grin brightly at him and take his arm to pull him to the kitchen for a refill of your drinks. And Yuuji revels in the way your fingers tighten around his biceps. You feel perfect here by his side, touching him, being so close to him, showing everyone that you are here with him.

When the two of you reach the kitchen, you step away from Yuuji to get another mixed drink while he opens the fridge and bends down to get more beer.

He grabs a bottle and straightens up again to look over where you are leaning against the kitchen counter, watching him with a happy smile. It looks like you were checking out his ass, but maybe that's just wishful thinking.

Surprisingly the two of you are the only ones in the kitchen at the moment. The party noises, the chatter, the music, everything is a bit muffled as Yuuji's attention zooms in on you.

His stomach makes a flip. Now would be the perfect moment to tell you how he feels!

Before he can think about it too much, he blurts out:

"(y/n), you're my favorite person!"

Your smile grows even wider, and your hand lands on his arm again, rubbing it lightly.

"Aww, Yuuji, you're so sweet! You're my fave too!"

Oh god!

Yuuji's eyes widen as he stares at you in complete bafflement. Is this really happening? His heart is beating so fast that he thinks it should make a loud thumping sound. He shifts closer to you, leaning in ever so slightly.

He is your favorite person too? You like him back? That's what it means, right? Oh god, oh god, oh god! His gaze slips down to your lips. Is it ok if he kisses you now? Maybe he should ask again just to make sure...

So he locks gazes with you, his honey eyes looking hopefully into yours.

"Really? I'm your favorite too?"

"Sure, you're my best friend after all! What would I do without you?"

You roll your eyes in mock exasperation and shove Yuuji playfully before hoisting yourself up on the kitchen counter, grabbing your drink, and holding it out for Yuuji to clink glasses.

Oh...ok...

Yuuji's reply gets stuck in his throat. It's better to just stay silent. The conversation's been dead on arrival anyway.

It's hopeless, isn't it? He means something completely different when he talks about the connection the two of you have. To you, he is a friend, but you don't see him like a guy you could imagine dating.

A lump is forming in Yuuji's throat. He feels so stupid.

He touches his beer bottle against the glass you are holding but doesn't take a sip and instead sets the bottle of beer down on the counter and mumbles something about going to look for Fushiguro, which you answer with a quick smile and wave.

Yuuji tries his best to smile back at you. That's what you need, right? You need him to be your best friend, your sunshine boy with the bright smile. And of course, he'll continue to give you this. Even though he feels like crying at the moment.

He has to get out of here before his emotions are written all over his face!

He pushes through the throngs of people until he reaches the door that leads to the backyard, stumbling out into the chilly night air.

He takes several deep breaths in an attempt to calm down and get his stupid feelings under control. Why is he like that? Why did he have to fall for his best friend? Why is he too dumb to tell you how he feels? Why can't he make you see him as someone you'd like to date?

He bites his lips hard and walks further away from the house. Then, in the very back of the garden, he lets himself slide down against the fence, sitting down on the grass, knees pulled up to his chest, hugging himself.

Loving you is often painful for him. But it's even worse tonight here at this celebration. Usually, Yuuji is the life of the party, one of those people who challenge others to karaoke battles and the first one on the makeshift living room dancefloor when one of his favorite songs starts playing.

But it's hard to be that guy when he feels so heartbroken.

Once again, he asks himself what he's doing wrong. Is he maybe too much of a clown? Clowns aren't hot. He's pretty sure about that. They aren't dating material, as Nobara would say.

Yuuji is the nice boy, the funny one, the joker, and the slightly dumb idiot who can be counted on to carry your books and bring you home safely but not the one who makes someone's panties wet. Once again, he wishes to be more like his brother Sukuna. It's not fun being the sunshine boy if it means you only get friend-zoned all the time.

"Oh fuck. Why can't I be enough?"

The night doesn't have an answer for him. And so Yuuji just sits there, resting his chin on his knees and listening to the distant sounds of the party. After a while, the urge to cry dissolves, and the desperation gets replaced by something else.

Anger.

He is angry at himself. Why is he making such a big deal out of this and wallowing in self-pity here?

This isn't fair towards you! He cannot blame you for not wanting him. He is supposed to be your friend and should love you in a platonic way, be there for you, be by your side through good and bad times.

But he's a rather shitty friend tonight, isn't he? Hiding away in the darkest corner of the garden like a coward. He should be in there with you and make sure you have fun.

He shouldn't be one of those guys who blame you for not loving them back in a certain way!

He sighs and gets up, brushing some leaves and grass off his jeans before strolling back to the porch. Enough of these emo thoughts! He will be by your side at this damn party if it's the last thing he does!

On the porch, he gets greeted loudly by some guys from the basketball team. They're holding up their bottles and chanting, "Tiger of Jujutsu University!" Yuuji cringes at the nickname, but it's nice that they are so happy to see him, and so he grins back at them and high fives all of them as he makes his way over to the door that leads to the kitchen.

It almost feels like walking towards an important game, and all his teammates are hyping him up. He definitely needs some hyping up, so this is great! Thank god for jocks!

He sees you immediately. You're still leaning against the kitchen counter, drink in hand, but you aren't alone. A tall figure is standing in front of you now. Kamo.

Yuuji has no beef with the guy. He barely knows him, to be honest. He seems chill, a bit overambitious maybe, at least that's what Fushiguro has complained about several times. But he's an ok guy, Yuuji guesses. So he shouldn't feel so irritated by seeing him here talking to you.

This stupid jealousy has to stop! Yuuji wishes he wouldn't feel this way. It makes him feel guilty.

Get a grip, man! Be a good friend!

Your eyes catch Yuuji's gaze at that moment, and he waves at you, enthusiastic as always, big smile and sparkling eyes as he struts over to you and Kamo. He can do that! He can be normal and not ruin your fun evening!

"Heyyyy, what's up??"

He stops next to you, still smiling.

"Oh, Kamo's just telling me about his upcoming karate tournament."

Yuuji nods and leans against the counter, watching you and Kamo chat, and occasionally he contributes to the conversation. But he realizes quickly that Kamo doesn't reply to Yuuji's comments, that he glares at him anytime Yuuji tries to catch his eye.

Oh, so that's it, hm? Kamo doesn't want Yuuji here? He wants you all to himself.

It has Yuuji on edge. Uneasiness is simmering underneath his skin. He wants to reach out, put an arm around you or ruffle your hair. Just do something that lets Kamo know that he can't have you. That you already belong to Yuuji!

But Yuuji knows he can't do that. He has no claim on you. But it's so damn hard to hold back. He has to shove his hands deep into the front pocket of his hoodie to stop himself from making a fool of himself.

And then he notices something else, and it fills him with growing anger. Kamo is pretty drunk, which seems to make him a bit too bold for Yuuji's taste.

He keeps leaning closer to you, towering over you and talking into your ear, his lips almost touching your skin. His hand lands on your shoulder repeatedly, squeezing it and rubbing it. He keeps invading your personal space.

It makes Yuuji's hands ball into fists.

He turns his head to look at your reaction and what he sees makes his blood boil. You don't like Kamo's advances either. You turn your face to get away from Kamo's mouth on your ear, you shrug your shoulder to show him subtly that you don't want to be touched like that by him. Yuuji watches in growing alarm as Kamo ignores all the hints you are sending him and keeps on touching you.

And then it's enough! Before he can even think about what he's doing, Yuuji's hands are on Kamo's shoulders, and he shoves him off you, making him stumble back against the fridge.

Kamo exclaims hotly:

"What the fuck, Itadori?! Get your hands off me!"

But Yuuji doesn't back off. Instead, he grabs Kamo's shirt and twists his fingers angrily in it, and slams Kamo against the fridge.

"You better get your hands off (y/n)! You're making her uncomfortable! Get a fucking hint!"

He is so angry! His gaze is boring into Kamo's, and he tightens his hold on his shirt, pushing the other boy once more against the fridge. Kamo's eyes widen in fear. Yuuji knows he can be pretty impressive when he gets angry. No one expects it from the nice guy with the big smile.

But he is pissed off. He is frustrated with everything! This stupid party, his even stupider feelings, that stupid emo song that's stuck in his head, his stupid dick which will make him have wet dreams about you again tonight, this stupid fridge with the stupid motivational quotes stuck on it! And most of all, with fucking stupid Kamo who touches you against your will!

Yuuji shakes him, feeling a grim satisfaction upon hearing the soft thud of Kamo's head hitting the fridge.

But suddenly, your hand lands on Yuuji's shoulder, squeezing it gently and making him stop mid-move.

"Let him go, Yuuji. I think he gets it now. It's ok, I'm fine."

Yuuji looks at you, and he sees the worry in your eyes. The last thing he wants is to give you a reason to be concerned. And so he lets go of Kamo's shirt and takes a step back. But he still glares at the other boy.

"You're too drunk, man. Go home and drink some water. I don't want to see you around here anymore."

Kamo straightens up and smoothes down his shirt, looking nervously from Yuuji to you.

"I'm sorry! Listen, I didn't mean anything bad...sorry."

The anger is still running hotly through Yuuji's veins, and his patience is wearing thin. His voice comes out in a growl:

"Just go. I can't guarantee for anything if you don't walk out that door right now."

Kamo finally gets the hint, turns on his heel, and flees. Yuuji exhales and turns around to face you.

"Are you ok?"

You smile at him, looking as if you are close to bursting out laughing.

"Yeah, I'm fine! Thank you, Yuuji. Sometimes I wonder what I would do without you. Did you see his face? He was so scared of you!"

Yuuji shrugs,

"I hope he was! I saw his hands all over you and saw red! Are you really ok?"

"Yeah, don't worry. I'll be fine with you as my knight in shining armor, right?"

Yuuji knows you don't mean to sound flirty, but your words still give him butterflies. Yes, he wants that! He wants to be your knight. The one who protects you and takes care of you. He wants to be the one who sweeps you off your feet, the one who holds you in his strong arms and lays the world at your feet.

He smiles and takes a step closer to pull you into one of your usual friendly hugs. You gravitate towards him automatically, your arms wrapping around him like they did so many times before. One arm over his shoulder, the other beneath his arm. It makes your face press against his collarbone, and he can't help but sigh happily at the feeling. His chin rests on the top of your head, and it feels perfect.

Like you are exactly where you are meant to be. In Yuuji's arms.

But the thing with hugs among friends is that they are over too quickly, and before Yuuji can really enjoy it, you already let go again and take a step back.

"It's pretty late anyways, and I have economics with Mr. Nanami in a few hours, so we better get going."

Yuuji nods, he isn't in a party mood anyways after his little breakdown, so it's a relief that you want to leave. Sleep will be good for him too.

"Yeah, let's go!"

Reader's POV:

Yuuji follows you through the hallway, which is still inhabited by a rather tipsy crowd, and so the two of you have to make some funny dance moves to shimmy through the group of people. All the while, Yuuji is handing out high fives and receiving back-claps from all the jocks.

But Yuuji's other hand stays on your back all the time, steering you safely through the crowd. He's reaching out sometimes to clap a shoulder and signal some other guy to make room. Your best friend is like that, always so caring.

A fond smile spreads over your face as you remember how you met Yuuji.

You were anxious about moving away from home and attending college here, where you knew no one. Living alone for the first time in your life. It was scary, and your parents back home were worried too, calling you every day, making sure you were ok and safe.

Then you met Yuuji, and suddenly you had someone by your side who always looked out for you.

Your dad is more relaxed now that he knows there is this strong boy who can protect you. You smile at the memory of being on a video call with your parents and Yuuji bursting into the room, but instead of leaving, you waved him over, and he happily sat down next to you, not annoyed at all by the prospect of meeting your parents.

Yuuji waved at them with his big sunshine boy grin and greeted them and talked to them so politely and kind that afterwards your mom was high-key in love with him ("Such a handsome and kind young man! Tell him I said hello!") and your dad had adopted Yuuji as his son ("He's a good one! Keep him around!").

Yuuji who told your dad not to worry about all the parties that were taking place here because Yuuji would make sure to always bring you back home safely. "She never has to walk home alone, sir, I promise!"

And he sticks to that promise.

No matter how short the walk to your dorm is, Yuuji always accompanies you.

He once had a meltdown because you told him you had to ride on the train alone in the middle of the night because your other friend went home with some guy she had met at a bar.

Yuuji's tan face had gone an unusually pale shade, and he had insisted vehemently that you should have called him so he could have picked you up. You had laughed and told him it was literally 1:00 am, and he had been fast asleep. But Yuuji didn't laugh. It was one of those rare moments where he had a very serious look on his face and told you that he didn't care what time it was. "You call me next time, promise me, ok?"

You chuckle softly at the memory as you finally make it out of the house, and you and Yuuji start walking down the street that leads to your dorm.

It's only a short way from here, and it lies in the opposite direction from Yuuji's apartment, but of course, Yuuji will bring you safely to your door, waiting there until you are inside and give him a little wave from the kitchen window that faces the street.

A warm feeling washes over you. You are truly blessed to have a person like Yuuji in your life. Sometimes you wonder how things would be if you were more than friends. You never told anyone about it, but you had a big crush on Yuuji back when the two of you had just met. Actually, it started on the very frist day you met. Yuuji was funny and sweet and really sexy too, and after a long look into his honey eyes, you already felt your heart racing and the butterflies doing the Macarena in your belly.

But you shoved those thoughts into the farthest corner of your mind because you didn't want to mess things up by having romantic feelings and risk losing your safe space and personal sunshine. Yuuji was too important to you.

And he seems so far out of your league. Yuuji is this popular and perfect heartthrob everyone has a crush on. He could have anyone he wants. But he never dated anyone since you met him, which convinces you even more that Yuuji has very high standards, and you could never be someone he likes romantically. So the wise thing to do was to ignore those stupid feelings and distract yourself with other guys.

You are ok with it by now. Yuuji is your best friend, and that has to be enough.

Lately, he keeps sending you those cheesy pickup lines, and sometimes they make your heart beat suspiciously fast, but you always tell yourself to calm down because you know Yuuji doesn't mean it like that. He probably just read those somewhere and thinks they are hilarious, and now he sends them to all his friends.

No, Yuuji will never be your boyfriend. But he is your best friend, and that's the most beautiful thing in the world, and you'll do anything to keep this special connection the two of you have.

You'll be ok as long as he is your best friend.

Your thoughts get interrupted by said best friend cursing loudly and then yelling heatedly:

"Hey, Kamo! I told you to fuck off! Are you really gonna be a creep who follows us?? Oh, um, sorry! I didn't mean you! Sorry, I thought you were someone else! Have a good night, man!"

You turn around to see Yuuji scratching his neck and giving some obscure figure in the distance an apologetic wave. He turns to you with a cute embarrassed expression on his face, making you burst out laughing.

"Wow, you're really out here fighting dragons, huh, Yuuji? Please bring this helpless princess home, oh my brave knight!"

He laughs and rolls his eyes in mock exasperation, huffing dramatically as he lets his gaze travel over you and raises his eyebrows.

"Can't be much of a princess who's still out at an ungodly hour like this, smelling of alcohol and showing that much skin. Probably more of a tavern wench. But I'll escort you home safely nonetheless."

"I hate you so much!"

"I hate you more."

You both laugh at your exchange, and Yuuji reaches out to elbow you affectionately. You bump into his side, chuckling and leaning against him when you feel his body heat.

You shiver slightly because unfortunately, you decided earlier tonight to go without a jacket, but now it's pretty chilly outside.

Only a moment later, Yuuji shrugs out of his red hoodie and pushes it into your hands.

"Here, put that on. I can see you're shivering from the cold."

"But what about you?"

"I'm fine! You need the hoodie more than I do. You know, I naturally run hot."

"Such a hottie!"

"Hey! I am really hot!"

"Yes, you are! Did you hear me say anything different??"

You chuckle loudly and reach up to ruffle Yuuji's hair, and in turn, he throws an arm around your shoulder and pulls you along down the street towards your dorm, safely escorting you like the real-life knight in shining armor, or more like in a red shirt and washed-out jeans, that he is.

Yuuji's POV:

Yuuji closes the door of the dorm he shares with Fushiguro carefully behind himself but realizes a second later that he wouldn't have had to bother being silent because he can hear the sounds of the tv coming from the living area.

He kicks his sneakers off before strolling over to the couch where Fushiguro is lying comfortably under a big blanket and watching some nature documentary about wolves.

Yuuji plops down next to him, barely missing Fushiguro's legs, making his friend sigh exasperatedly, but he sits up straight to make room for Yuuji.

"Why are you still up, Fushiguro? Were you waiting up for me?"

"Of course not. How was the party?"

Before he can stop himself, Yuuji blurts out:

"She doesn't want me, Fushiguro. She'll never want me!"

He was ok on the way home! It was nice to walk with you, his arm around you, joking around with you and teasing each other. He really thought he'd be ok! He'd marveled at the sight of you in his hoodie, feeling his heart doing somersaults because he really really liked seeing you in his clothes.

He'd been fine when you hugged him and kissed his cheek before saying good night and disappearing into your dorm.

But then Yuuji had walked down the moonlit streets on his own, and the feeling of loneliness and longing had come back to haunt him.

Fushiguro turns his head to look at him.

"You're drunk, Itadori, aren't you?"

"Just a little. But were you listening to me?! She doesn't want me! I almost kissed her! For fucks' sake, I almost kissed my best friend and messed up everything! Oh god, I was so close to fucking everything up! I'm so dumb!"

Suddenly he's spiraling down as the whole implication of what he almost did and how he could have ruined your friendship forever comes crashing over him. How could he have been so stupid? How could he have misinterpreted the situation so severely?

"No, you aren't dumb."

That gets Yuuji's attention. He pulls away enough to look at his friend with surprised big eyes. He knows that he and Fushiguro love each other in a friends-for-life way, but usually, Fushiguro is pretty mean to him. So hearing him claim Yuuji isn't dumb for once is new.

"I'm not?"

"No, not in that way, at least. You're a good person, Yuuji. You have a good heart, and you love people so much and make them feel special with your kind words and your whole being. You aren't dumb for loving someone and wanting them to love you back."

Yuuji sighs and slumps against Fushiguro, leaning heavily against his roommate, head resting on his shoulder. He sighs unhappily.

"I feel so bad for wanting more. Being friends with her should be enough. I tried so hard to suppress it. I swear I really did! But I just can't stop feeling this way."

Fushiguro reaches out, long slender fingers awkwardly patting Yuuji's hair.

"She loves you too. Maybe not in a romantic way. But she loves you. And maybe one day she will wake up and realize that you are everything she ever wanted."

"The songs you grow to like never stick at first."

"What?"

"That song was playing at the party, and I kinda related to it."

"Yeah, I guess that's quite fitting. Just don't give up, Itadori."

Fushiguro's calm deep voice is so soothing, and his fingers in Yuuji's hair feel very comforting too, so Yuuji sighs and leans on him gratefully, trying to focus on the tv. Maybe Fushiguro is right, and things will fall into place one day.

He spends the next hour learning that wolves are mad cool and almost falls asleep on Fushiguro's shoulder while thinking about the way you looked in his hoodie and how your smile put the stars to shame.

Before he can drift off to sleep and another round of dirty dreams, he pulls out his phone to send you one last Inumaki-approved message:

"I'm always tired but never of you. uwu. Good night!"

Yayyy, finally a new chapter! (And finally, we see reader's POV too). I am so sorry that it took so long, but thank you so much if you are still here to read more about College!Yuuji's adventures! Please let me know what you think about the chapter! The song Yuuji and reader were dancing to at the party is 679 by Fetty Wap feat. Remy Boyz. And yes, he was singing it into her ear. I would have fucked him right there on the dancefloor lmaoo. The next chapter will have more sleepless nights, a new man in reader's life, a scene in the rain, and lots of emo(tions) lol! Comments and reblogs make me happy :)

Chapter 4