Shopping for your heart

“Ah, Itadori. I had a really good time today. I uh, really appreciate you hanging out with me. Even my mom likes you,” He lightly fidgets with the hem of his purple shirt, “would you like to uh, go get some coffee or something tomorrow?” He closes his eyes, bracing for yet another person to decline his friendship. He was used to it, no one wanted to be around him forever. But he had hope, so much hope. He knew Yuji was different for two different reasons. Yuji had always listened to him and his dumb problems, even gave him advice. And Yuji made him feel warm, it’s the only words that described it. It washed over his body like a shower at the perfect temperature. It made him happy but worried about whether he messed up. Oh, if he messed up Yuji would never talk to him again, he’d be screwed.

“Oh yeah, I’d love to! Could we go shopping after? I think It’d be fun.” Shock, complete and utter shock flew through his body. Yes… It wasn’t just a yes, it was a yes, and Yuji wanted to spend more time with him. And not just that. Yuji was adding on to his idea.
“Y-YES! Oh, uh. Yes, that’d be great. I’ll see you tomorrow.” He slowly starts to walk away, the thoughts of tomorrow flooding his mind. His brain drops back into reality with a soft hand on his shoulder.

“Oh uh. Do I.. have your contact info? Just so I know where the cafe is.” His heart stops. His number??? No one had ever asked for his number before. Well, this was also the first time he had had a genuine friend he found himself, or that his mom hadn’t asked to hang out with him. That was an embarrassing confrontation.

“Yeah uh, I believe. Let me check,” He holds out his phone and reads Yuji the series of numbers. He finishes the last four numbers and looks up at the pink-haired boy in front of him. His tongue wedged between his teeth in focus as he punches in the numbers. He then moves up his face, light brown freckles dot his cheeks and forehead in an unknown pattern. His face marks showed lighter on his face as a deep scar would. He wants to know what they’re from, who hurt Yuji like that.

His concentration is broken by a slight vibration from his phone.

“Hello! it’s Yuji =>” It takes everything in Junpei’s brain to not melt on the spot. He never expected him to text like that but it fits him almost too well. Even the face reminded him of his friend.
Friend
He’d have to get used to that word.

He wakes up the next morning nervous as ever. But he decides to lay in bed a bit longer. Normal friends don’t get that feeling in their stomachs, do they? Oh no, he can't already have a crush on Itadori, he’s only known him for a short time. Well, it’s not like he had had a true friend before. Maybe it was normal to grow crushes, actually no it isn’t. Junpei either needs to bite the bullet and make it obvious and suppress it. With that, he got up and dressed.

A buzzing on his dresser could only mean Yuji, he was the only one that texted him.

“Gm! When are we meeting? Also is it alright if I spend the night?” He pauses and stares at the message, then rereads it. Oh… he’d never had a friend over for the night. Yuji had been over for dinner tons of times but never slept over. His thumb lightly hovers over the digital keyboard, trying to put thought to words.

“Yeah sure. Meet around 11?” He exhales a breath he didn't even know he was holding. Not even minutes after his message he saw the three bubbles dance on his screen and a response comes swiftly after.

“Sure! See ya in a bit!!” Junpei can feel the excitement slowly bubbling up in him. A dull nervousness pangs in his stomach as well but he tries to disregard it. He was going to meet up with his friend.