𝐂𝐡𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐦𝐚𝐬 𝐋𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐬, Inumaki Toge

XII, christmas lights.

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"INUMAKI!"

Inumaki looks up, fumbling with the cup of steaming coffee warming his hands as he looks up at the familiar cadence of his name exclaimed in Gojo Satoru's voice. His initial anger at the man has long since dissipated, leaving only relief at seeing him approaching with a bouncing fifteen-year-old holding up his phone camera beside him.

"INU!"

Inumaki smiles slightly at the sight of his two friends, undiminished by the odd stares Itadori Yuuji, receives from passersby oblivious to his fame. he bounds up to Inumaki, shoving his camera in his face, way too close for comfort. "Hey, Itadori," Inumaki says with a small laugh.

"Who needs a whole group Christmas meetup when you have this, right?" Gojo jokes. Inumaki laughs once more, this time filled with wonder that the sound comes so easily to him now. It's almost like breathing when he's around his friends.

"So true, Gojo, so true," Itadori agrees, waving the camera around wildly. "So what do you have planned for today, Inu?"

Startled, Inumaki glances over at Itadori. He did not plan anything — in fact, he had no idea Gojo and Itadori were actually coming, much less filming him. "Wait, I was supposed to plan something?"

"You're the one who lives here, man," Gojo says, "You got any Points of Interest for us? Anything to put on the itinerary?"

"Well, uh, Oxf—" Inumaki catches himself before he says Oxford Street aloud. "There's the Christmas cruise on the River, but—"

"Yeah, yeah, we know, Inu, get on with it," Itadori says impatiently. Inumaki is unraffled by this — he has long since adapted to Itadori's loud, unpredictable (in a good way, he assures) nature.
Gojo stifles a laugh, and they follow Itadori down the street as he wanders off with his phone.

Gojo nudges Inumaki as their feet tread a path across the cobblestone street. "How's the sinking ship?"

Inumaki glares at Gojo, but there's no real heat to it. He's already accepted that she's not coming back and it's just time to move on for him. A shake of the head. "Already at the bottom of the ocean."

"Ah," Gojo says, sucking in a breath. "Maybe it's for the best."

"Yeah I suppose," Inumaki says, noncommittally, and he lapses into silence.

The rest of the day passes in a blur. Inumaki, Gojo and Itadori meet up with some other people, Itadori bouncing with energy all the way, and the trio just spend the day having fun, and they find themselves on Oxford Street at the end of the day when Itadori has stopped recording on his phone and the three of them are just walking down the street, themselves.

"Hey, Inu," Itadori suddenly says. "I thought you had a girlfriend."

Caught off guard, Inumaki blanches. "What?"

"Yeah, yeah, we spoke to her once, remember?" the boy asked Gojo. "Inumaki wouldn't let me record it, because of his privacy and shit."

"Itadori," Gojo chastises, giving Itadori a dirty, warning look.

"What?" Itadori immediately protests, defensive at once. "Jesus, I was just asking a question."

"Well, then ask another one!"

"What's wrong with you, man?" Itadori demands. "You're being a bitch."

"No, it's okay, Gojo," Inumaki says, swallowing. "Stop barking at him."

Gojo gives Inumaki an odd look, but he steps down with a small nod. Itadori is looking between the two of them. "What? What is it? Spit it out, bitch, the suspense is killing me. Did you two plan something?"