.

.

Double Time

nine

.

.

The night starts off rocky

.

.

.

The club was bustling with people by the time you and Megumi arrived. Not too surprising given how popular N Club was with all kinds of partygoers that were drawn to the venue for its lavish setup spanning across three entire floors and with each floor designed to match a different theme and music style. The luxurious atmosphere and variety made the club attractive to older and richer clientele that can afford to pay the premium, as well as the general revellers looking for a treat and to have a taste of how the wealthy party. Ginza had a lot of fancy establishments but N Club was the most extravagant by far and the prices definitely reflected on that, so you were surprised to find that Yuuji's group had reserved a table on the second floor.

The building was as glamorous as you remembered it being and there was always something exhilarating about being escorted past the queue of people waiting outside in the cold. As you were led deeper into the club, you took note of the people around you, many already drunk and unaware of their surroundings as they danced away without caution. Moving onto the second floor, it was slightly quieter with the DJ opting for less house pop hits and more dark trance beats. The dancefloor up here was smaller as well in consideration of the closed off reserved tables scattered around the room, it felt like a nicer room to be in as you could still have a conversation without having to shout.

Nobara was first to spot you and she pulled you into a big hug, gushing on about how classy you looked and you could tell she was already a bit over tipsy but you didn't mind as you hugged her back and complimented her stylish outfit. She looked amazing in her mini skirt, crop jumper and thigh high boot coordination, and it was clearly a well thought out ensemble that was perfect for the occasion. It was funny how you were worried that wearing a dress might have been too much but you still managed to look underdressed compared to all the girls around wearing stunning outfits… this included Eri and her friends.

It was going to be awkward, you knew this going in but just knowing in advance did not help much as you gave them a strained smile and said hello. Eri returned the greeting with a shy smile but her friends barely acknowledged you, particularly the girl that gave you the death stare last week, she didn't even look your way. God, it was so fucking awkward but you were proud of yourself for at least making an effort and you were glad that you had the chance to do it without Megumi around otherwise that would have just made it expediently worse.

Thankfully Yuuji was next to spot you as he too pulled you into a hug and he then proceeded to introduce you to some of his friends you haven't met yet. Some were faces you have seen around campus and at the house party but didn't get a chance to speak to then, you did your best to remember names to faces but it was bit of a whirlwind and you just nodded and smiled your way through the introductions, already knowing full well you will have to ask Megumi for the names again after.

After the fuss of your arrival ended, many of the group opted to head to the dancefloor while a select few spread themselves out to mingle without crowding around the small table. It gave you a moment to breathe and you were happy to hang back to get your bearings before plunging into the pool of sharks. The glass of wine you had earlier had all but worn off now so you and Megumi stood out as the only ones still sober in the group. Out of the people still around, many were probably already on their sixth or seventh drink as they happily swayed to the music whilst engrossed in conversation. It was going to take a bit of time and a few more drinks for you to reach the same level as everyone else but you took your time with it, not quite so keen on drinking too much too quickly less you made a fool of yourself again.

There were half full bottles littered across the table but no glasses in sight so you and Megumi went to the bar to order yourselves drinks instead. After you paid for your drinks, you were joined at the bar by Nobara who was after a glass of water. Once you all had your drinks in hand, you walked back to the table where the three of you sat down. There was a small stack of coats and bags in the middle of the booth's seats from where the others had dumped their things while they danced so you had to sit around that; Megumi and you on one side, while Nobara on the other end of the booth.

It was nice to finally be able to get to know her a little more knowing that she was one of Megumi's closer friends being part of their trio with Yuuji, and she has always been so friendly with you even before you got close to Megumi. It surprised you to learn that she moved to the capital for her studies all the way from Iwate, you wouldn't have guessed with how much she has assimilated into the city's culture but now that she was tipsy you heard a bit of her regional dialect coming through every now and again.

"You've really got to stop complaining about your hometown every time you get drunk," Megumi said unhelpfully when Nobara got up to the end of her story where she had to say goodbye to her childhood friend. "It's one thing hearing it once or even twice, but this is the ninth time I've heard it."

"Oh, shut up. Some of us weren't born lucky enough to live in a big house in the middle of Tokyo," she quipped back. "And sorry [y/n]-san, I didn't realise I've been talking this entire time."

"No, not at all," you gave Megumi a look. That was unnecessarily mean of him. God knows you've done far worse when you're drunk and he always gives you a free pass. "I think it's a good thing to want to leave home and see what the world has to offer. I felt quite confined back home as well so I know the feeling of wanting to be somewhere else."

"Yeah, that's right," she said, her eyes sparkling in awe. "Where are you from, [y/n]-san?"

"Okinawa."

"Whooaa, no way!" she exclaimed animatedly, looking a lot like Yuuji when he gets excited about something. "I've always wanted to go. I heard the beaches are beautiful."

It was kind of adorable how moments ago Nobara was raving on about how sophisticated the city was and how much she preferred it to the boring old countryside where she was from, but now she was going on about how much she wanted to visit your mostly barren island with conveniences far fewer if not the same as her own home.

"They are!" you grinned back. "We live near a beach so feel free to visit anytime."

"Hear that, Megumi?" Nobara smirked at her friend. "Looks like I'm invited to vacation at [y/n]-san's and you're not. How about that?"

Megumi stared back at her blankly but you were pretty sure you saw the start of one of his infamous grimaces beginning to appear, but he did not get a chance to respond when you were joined by two guys.

Your attention was instantly drawn to the newcomers as they slid into the booth on Nobara's side.

"Hey ladies, Fushiguro," the leader of the duo greeted with a brash smile. The two were definitely familiar to you but you only remembered the name of the person who spoke and you were fairly certain his name was Yamazaki. Judging from the smile leaving Nobara's face, he wasn't someone she enjoyed being around. "So how come you and [l/n]-san were late, Fushiguro? We've been waiting for you since two bars ago."

"We weren't in any rush," Megumi shrugged back. "I didn't think it'd make that much difference whether we were here or not."

"Well you not so much, but some of us are excited to see [l/n]-san, right?" he said to his friend who nodded back fervently. "You two have kind of become the talk on campus. People were expecting you to be dating someone like Gojo-sensei, [l/n]-san. So you can imagine my shock when I found out you were seeing Fushiguro."

"Oh really?" you asked quietly as you took a deep sip from your drink, understanding very quickly why Nobara did not like him. "And why's that?"

"Well I mean… out of everyone, why him?" Yamazaki asked blithely. "Isn't Fushiguro a bit… dull?"

Yamazaki may have spoken in a jokey voice but you did not miss the little self-satisfied smile that appeared on his face when his lackey snickered beside him. And neither did Nobara.

"Hey, what the hell!" she spoke with surprise anger in her voice. "That's so uncalled for."

"Chill out, Kugisaki. It's just a joke," Yamazaki chuckled mirthfully before turning his attention to Megumi. "You know it's a joke, right Fushiguro?"

"I'm sorry, maybe I'm just slow but aren't jokes supposed to be funny?" you said with coldness in your voice even you hadn't expected. Yamazaki's smile faltered when he faced you, clearly just as surprised by your tone. "I don't get it. Can you explain it to me please."

"Uh…" he glanced at his friend. "There really isn't much to explain-"

"Right, so you're just not very funny then."

Nobara burst out laughing that moment and gave you an actual pat on the back. "You heard her, Yamazaki. Go away and come back when you have something actually funny to say."

The two guys turned to each other and thankfully got up without another word and left you in peace. You were sure you heard Yamazaki muttering some obscenities under his breath but you ignored it, the important thing was that he's gone now and he would know better than to approach you again tonight.

Everything about him ticked you off, his horrible attitude and particularly the way he spoke down on people rubbed you the wrong way. Sure, his comment about Megumi upset you but it was especially annoying that not only did he insult Megumi but found a way to do it by bringing up false comparisons to Satoru. You weren't quite sure if he mentioned Satoru as part of his ploy but as stupid as it was, it worked.

"That was spectacular, [y/n]-san! It was like watching a movie, you're surprisingly ballsy," Nobara's eyes were twinkling again. "Those bastards had it coming for the longest time as well. They've always been awful to be around and I don't understand why Yuuji keeps inviting them."

"Birds of a feather flock together?" Megumi murmured as he took a sip of his drink casually, looking as if he hadn't just said anything. "…What?"

"Is that meant to be a joke?" Nobara crinkled her nose at him and he shrugged back. "God, you know what? You are dull and super gloomy to boot! Why is [y/n]-san even dating you? You don't deserve her!"

Megumi shot her a look but did not respond.

"You know [y/n]-san, a word of warning. He might not look it but he's quite the serial heartbreaker," Nobara made a show of leaning into your ear and whispered loud enough for him to hear, obviously to get a rise out of him. "The only thing he has going for him is his face, don't say I didn't warn you."

"Really, now?" you couldn't help but join in the teasing after his rude comment. "I'm shocked. I wasn't aware of your reputation, Fushiguro-kun."

"Of course you wouldn't, [y/n]-san but it's a well-known secret amongst us first years!" she said dramatically, grinning gleefully when you unexpectedly joined in on her antics. "I mean just last week, it was Eri-"

"She's lying," Megumi blurted out, sounding rather defensive. You couldn't help but smile at him losing his composure. "I hardly even talk to her."

"Yeah, my point exactly," she cleared her throat as she narrowed her eyes to a spot on the other end of the room and you looked over to find Eri and her friends standing there. They had obviously been watching but had busied themselves with something else the moment you looked over. "You know she likes you."

"I stand by what I said. I hardly talk to her and I don't even know her."

"I think she means you kissed her and then ignored her?" you weighed in, not too sure you were enjoying how long this conversation was now dragging on. Okay maybe you were a little curt which could have made you sound a bit jealous, but why were they looking at you as if you just spoke a different language? "… What?"

"I never kissed her," Megumi said. "Why do you think that?"

What.

"Because the- well, the truth or dare thing…" you trailed off, wondering where you went very wrong with this and how you were probably making yourself look like an idiot by making assumptions. "You said you kissed someone… in the room…"

"Yeah, Yuuji."

"Wait, what?" your head was spinning. You had to have heard wrong, right? "You kissed Yuuji. Seriously?"

"Well technically he kissed me," he said with about as much enthusiasm as a teaspoon. "It was another stupid game and he was really drunk."

"It was pretty sad actually. None of the girls wanted to kiss him so Megumi was sacrificed," Nobara recalled. "I have to say… it wasn't quite as exciting as we all thought it would be."

"Oh, you poor thing," you smiled at Megumi. "I guess that explains why he was so interested about whether we were dating or not."

Nobara chuckled at that but your attempt to redirect the conversation did not sway Megumi.

On two separate occasions back to back now has he been the butt of the conversation and while nothing Yamazaki or Nobara said really bothered him all too much, he was slightly miffed you had so easily joined in on teasing him and now he had the chance to get back at you.

Plus, it wasn't often that he found himself in a position where he had something to tease you about; for the longest time it's felt like he's been the one doing the chasing, it was rather refreshing to think that you were capable of being jealous.

"And you were very interested about some girl I supposedly kissed," Megumi put an arm around you and while it wasn't anything too risqué, it felt a little embarrassing considering the distance you two had kept in public and the fact that Nobara was right in front of you. "Jealous, are we?"

"Not the slightest," you tried to brush him off but you could tell from his expression that he wasn't about to let this slide so easily.

"Or were you more concerned about all the hearts I've broken?" his voice was right by your ear now, sending low shockwaves down your body. Fuck. Him. "Well?"

"Okay, ew. I'll be going now," Nobara said as she quickly finished her glass of water and stood up. "Get a room."

Much to your dismay, she then walked off which no doubt drew more attention to you now that you were the only two sitting at the table and you were getting seriously embarrassed with the way he was latched over you, head nuzzled against your ear as he whispered naughty things in your ear.

One of his hands crept dangerously close to your thigh and you wondered if he had any concern about the people around you or perhaps he had forgotten about the fact you were meant to keep a distance outside, but honestly, at this point who were you even fooling? The answer was probably yourselves.

"You're really enjoying this, aren't you?" you lightly smacked his roving hand away. "So much for keeping a low profile."

"Well the night finally got fun for me so I'm sure you can forgive me for enjoying myself a little bit at your expense," he pulled away as he chuckled in that dark sexy way he did when it was just between you two. Megumi then picked up his drink and took a deep sip, completely unaware of the way you were staring at his throat bob like a madwoman. "To be honest, I didn't think you were the type to get jealous at all. You're always so rational so it's nice to see that you can get jealous over me. It's cute."

"… I'm human just like you, Megumi. I'm actually irrational more often than you think."

"Yes, I suppose you are," he looked you in the eye with unexpected intensity before he smiled and you hadn't been prepared for that at all because you pretty much melted right there on the spot, nearly knocking over a bottle when you fumbled into the table. Megumi's eyes widened and he caught the glass with surprising ease before turning to you. "Geez [y/n], you've only had one drink."

"It's not the drink, it's you," you sighed. "Give a girl some warning before you do that."

Not that you believed Yamazaki when he called Megumi dull, but maybe it was a good thing Megumi was usually so indifferent around others to the point that some idiot would think he was dull. Little did those same idiots know that they were being protected by his lack of interest in anything, that the power behind a simple smile on Megumi's face would have girls stunned left and right by his good looks.

"Do what?"

"Never mind," you coughed slightly before finishing your drink. "I think I'm going to dance with my new friends."

"Your one new friend, you mean."

"Yeah sure," you rolled your eyes as you took your coat off and added it to the pile. "And you can just sit here and brood by yourself or come join me."

"I think I'll brood."

"Suit yourself."

Before coming out, Megumi had had his reservations about tonight. He's already mentioned earlier that he'd much rather just lounge around in your flat, watch some of those overdramatic soaps that you were somehow fascinated with and spend rest of the weekend lazing together. It was less stress for both of you but most importantly, he would have you all to himself.

A night out already sounded awful but to add to that there were going to be all these extra people that he did not particularly like and he hated the idea of having to expose you to that discomfort or put that extra pressure on you when you were already stressed out, but despite his concerns the night had been going better than he expected and a part of that was how well you handled those morons.

Another smile appeared on his face again as he watched you venture onto the dance floor, completely oblivious of how all the girls in his vicinity turned to stare at him, taking in how uncharacteristically vivacious he looked tonight. The smile only grew wider (and a few staring girls actually gasped) when you found Yuuji and Nobara on the dance floor and the pair erupted into cheers when you joined them. If there was one thing Megumi was glad about coming out tonight, it was how genuinely happy you looked with his friends and the thought that perhaps things will work out in the end. That he did stand a chance in the grand scheme of things. That his friends' childish antics didn't put you off. That he wasn't too young for you.

From the corner of his eye, he noticed Yamazaki standing a little further away, his sidekick gone off somewhere, still looking salty when their gazes met and Megumi could not help but smirk before he stood up to join everyone. Not at all concerned that he was probably going to make a fool of himself with his terrible dancing.