A/N: (Yuuji was perfect in the anime! Major props to his animators and voice actor. :D I hope we get to see his second appearance, too!)
Super funny note that I wanted to share with you guys: According to a tumblr post, many of the AssClass characters are actually named for the 47 Ronin. And, "the historical Ushioda Takanori (Nagisa's namesake) apparently had a wife named Yuu. The in-story Yuuji might've been named after her, as a joke."
…So in a weird way, this pairing is kindof semi-canon. O-o; (I always knew Yuuji would be the wife, lol)
Nagisa had insisted on walking Yuuji home. "You've had a bit of a shock," he said, dutifully keeping alongside Yuuji as they set off.
Yuuji gulped. That was a bit of an understatement.
Still, it wasn't like anybody would be able to tell now. For all the world, the two of them looked like a pair of normal teenagers on their way to the train station. Yuuji lived kind of distant from the Kunugigaoka suburb, so he had taken public transportation in order to get here. It was Nagisa who had offered to show him the most direct way back.
Around them the neighborhood slowly passed by. The sidewalk slid beneath in endless gray slabs, while a wooden fence bordered their left, passing just beyond Nagisa. Above the top of the fence, sloping housetop roofs could be seen. Now that the two of them had wandered away from the main streets, there were much less people about. The few that did pass hurried by, clutching their jackets around them against the cold.
Nagisa himself looked so natural in this light, Yuuji thought as he glanced to his left. The boy's hair blended in with the muted colors of the sky. He had also changed into regular clothes at some time when Yuuji hadn't noticed. He wore a thick coat now, suitable for the chilled air. A strap bracelet hung from his left wrist like a fashion mark. And instead of black, the boy's pants were now a soothing shade of blue. For one moment a glimpse of dark color flashed beneath the hem, making Yuuji wonder if they were reversible.
Nagisa moved down the street with the carefree swing of a middle-schooler, looking out at the world with a light expression. Not a trace remained of the "waiter" that had been before.
Before Yuuji could think on it for too long, he found himself drawn into a conversation with the other boy. Nagisa stretched, sighed, and before Yuuji knew it they were minutes deep into some subject or other. The two of them talked about random things, chatting lightly about topics worn thin by millions of conversations over the course of human history. The weather. Recent news. Weekend plans. Excitement over new video games. A few complaints about people they knew. Movies.
"Did you hear…"
"Yeah, so I…"
"Really?"
"No way!"
"What about…"
"Then…"
As they walked, Yuuji felt himself slowly relax. Words came from his mouth in a steady tempo, each one humming through his chest. The world passed by around them, turning into a half-remembered gray blur. All the while the two of them kept talking about usual things, led on by the light sound of Nagisa's laughter.
Meanwhile, Nagisa touched Yuuji's arm at all the right moments. He kept the conversation flowing, his steps always setting a quick pace down the street. He responded and asked good questions. He even gave Yuuji a light shove when the other made an off-color joke.
Yuuji shoved back, joining in, as the rhythm of normal life slowly overtook him. A hand wave here. A laugh there. Both changing mindlessly from one topic to the other, none of it of any consequence. Before long, things felt just like they always had. Effortless, unimportant—simply floating on the surface of existence.
A pleasant feeling glowed inside Yuuji's chest. Things were going well. Everything felt so familiar all of a sudden, so comfortable. In fact it was so easy to slip into, this rhythm, that Yuuji could almost forget all about…
Deep in his subconscious, the thought stirred Yuuji to speak.
"Um," he said, turning his head toward Nagisa to get the boy's attention. "Thanks. For, you know, back there. I just realized that I never thanked you properly."
"Hm? Oh, you're welcome!" Nagisa said, in a way that was far too cheerful for what they were talking about.
Many meters down the road behind them, a boy-and-girl couple walked, growing ever more distant until finally they reached a corner and turned, vanishing from view. Nagisa waited for a few moments more before he lowered his voice and spoke. "So, you really won't choose to forget."
Yuuji tried to not show surprise at the sudden change in Nagisa's demeanor. He shook his head. He clung tightly to the strap of his messenger bag across his chest. "I told you, didn't I? I-I'm not going to run away."
Beside him, Nagisa gave a silent nod. Yuuji couldn't tell for certain, but he thought that he sensed a hint of respect within the gesture.
Then Nagisa looked over at him and flashed a grin. "Hey, remember when you told me about your dad? Does he still have that grudge against asses?"
"Oh god, don't remember that." Yuuji made a face, struggling to hold back a laugh at the same time.
"It's pretty hard to forget," Nagisa teased. "The Assman TV Personality. Able to hold onto somebody's butt for 24 hours straight, was it? They should create a new category for that in the next Olympics. I'm sure he'd be the star of Japan."
Yuuji felt himself settle back into easy laughter. A rhythm started up between them again, but this time it was easy, natural. Not calculated.
He and Nagisa teased each other, bantering and joking around until the laughter and topics at last petered out and they simply walked together in comfortable silence. Yuuji listened to the sound of their feet tapping together against the sidewalk. There seemed to be a strange lightness around his shoulders. And some warm, happy sensation hovering on his face. Was that a smile? It might have been. Yuuji tilted his head back, electing to simply enjoy the feeling.
"Yuuji," Nagisa spoke.
"Hm?"
"Do you still like me?"
Yuuji's feet scuffed against the ground.
Oh. Oh. That. Of course. All of Yuuji's insides seemed to seize up at once. It felt like someone had just thrown a heavy weight into the center of his chest. The response that came out of his mouth was a very elegant "Uhh…"
"You were pretty open about it back then. I thought it was obvious," Nagisa said. He looked up at Yuuji with clear blue eyes. There was no judgment hidden within them. Only an open, observant gaze.
"Uh, well," Yuuji stuttered. He hid his face with one hand to cover a growing blush. That question just had to bring up all those thoughts and feelings again, goddammit!
He tried to say 'no'. The word waited on Yuuji's lips, expectant and automatic, as if it was ready to leap off. Or like it had been put there. Yuuji tried to concentrate on thinking over the fluttering of his stomach. That was what he should say, right? According to norms, according to a lot of people, according to the fact that he didn't want to hurt Nagisa…
Yuuji buried his face in his hand. He could tell that he was blushing hard, probably red as a literal tomato. Dammit, why did he have to be a person who blushed easily?
This could all be solved so quickly. Just one short denial and it would all be over. But the word was stuck. It wouldn't come out.
"W-well," Yuuji said.
He took a deep breath and began. "I…guess? I mean, you are the same person that I, er, that I saw that night, right? So everything that I was thinking about them back then was also about you, only, not really because I, I didn't know and, well, it was confusing, so maybe it was just-"
Yuuji bit down on his tongue. Judging by the look Nagisa was giving him, his answer wasn't making any sense to the boy either. God, everything was coming out all wrong.
He took his hand away from his face and sighed, deciding to just say whatever came to mind. "Look, Nagisa, you're…amazing," he said. "You're smart, and you're sweet, and you're kind. The kindest person that I've ever met, in fact. I seriously can't believe how nice you are sometimes. You taught me a lot, and it really…it really helped me out."
Yuuji swallowed. "And…that hasn't changed."
There was a sudden fluttering in Yuuji's heart, making his face burn and his stomach jump. He clamped down on it, stifling the spark. Dammit! He hadn't felt that annoying feeling since back in the hotel. It made his thoughts go all funny, like his mind was filled with a thick fog that made it hard to think.
He snuck small glances at Nagisa out of the corner of his eye, too fast to really see the boy. "So I don't care how you were dressed, a lot of things are still the same. And wh-when I look at you, I guess…those feelings are still there somewhere?" His voice trailed off at the end, shrinking down into a tiny squeak.
The bizarre reality of the situation suddenly sank in. A moment of panic clenched in Yuuji's chest, waves of self-consciousness washing over him until he felt like he wanted to die. Oh god, what was he thinking? He had never...this wasn't...god dammit!
Yuuji checked his feelings, frantically reviewing his personal history. The faces of endless half-remembered people and club scenes passed him by. Girls, girls, girls everywhere. Never a guy. For one moment, Yuuji felt like breathing a sigh of relief. Yeah. See? He had tons of guy friends, but hadn't ever looked at one in that way. There was nothing wrong with liking guys, of course, Yuuji believed that, he had just never been into one personally.
Although—a sudden moment of realization struck him—maybe…maybe he just hadn't ever really looked.
Yuuji shook his head, trying to clear his thoughts. Still, falling in love with a guy when you thought he was a chick had to be straight. ...Right?
"I mean," he blathered. "A smile is gender-neutral, isn't it? So if I liked you for it back then, then I should still like you now."
There was no response from Nagisa.
A long, awkward silence fell. On the left, the fence passed by in a continuous row of brown. Through the sky, distant birds flew like dots high above. The slightest of breezes kicked up for a moment and then faded.
Yuuji fidgeted with his sweater. The loaded quiet was almost unbearable. He counted to ten before taking a deep breath. "Hey, Nagisa…"
The boy shot him a glance.
Yuuji's shoulders slumped. "Why do you even talk to me? I'm so…normal. So dumb. So weak. I acted like a total sleazebag to you back on that island."
And now I find out that I don't know anything about you, he thought, images of Nagisa holding a knife echoing on inside his head.
"I didn't realize it before, but," Yuuji said, hating himself more with each passing word. "I might have just been getting in your way. Nothing but a side character..."
There was a long moment of quiet. So much so that Yuuji almost thought that the other boy had forgotten his question when Nagisa suddenly spoke again.
"I like you."
Those three words pierced the silence like tiny darts. They ripped pinpricks through the air and flew, lodging straight into Yuuji's heart. This time his feet actually stopped. He turned and stared in disbelief at the blue-haired boy.
Nagisa gazed right back. His eyes were open and honest, as clear as twin ponds. Behind him and to the side, the lights of the train station blinked in faint chorus. "I think that you're a good person," Nagisa said. "And I can tell you mean well, most of the time. I don't think the others know how nice you can really be."
Nagisa reached up and swept a strand of blue hair behind one ear, in a gesture that looked almost bashful. "When I saw you again at the table, I was…really happy," he said. "I'm glad that we met."
Yuuji stood still. The world seemed to have come crashing to a semi-halt around him. He couldn't breathe. But he didn't care.
Then Nagisa gave him another smile. It was a small one this time, and curtailed at the ends with embarrassment, but just as perfect as all the others before it.
"Talk to me again sometime," he said, and the words felt like they were coming to Yuuji through deep water. "Here. My number." Nagisa held out a small piece of notebook paper, trimmed to a perfect rectangle.
Slowly, Yuuji reached out and took it. He held the paper tight as if the entire world depended on it.
Nagisa turned to the side. "I think you're interesting, Yuuji. Well…bye, then."
He set off and started to leave, pausing a few paces away to look back over his shoulder. "Or, hopefully… See you later."
Yuuji stood absolutely still, his mind repeating every word that Nagisa had said over and over. He watched as the paper—that wonderful, impossible piece of paper—fluttered in his fingers.
By the time he had recovered, snapping his gaze to the left and mouth dropping open to call out Nagisa's name, the boy was gone. Not even the ghost of a blue-lined figure was left on the breeze. People began to pass by all around Yuuji, jostling him as they headed both into and out of the station, but the figure of Nagisa was nowhere among them.
How does he do that? The thought flashed unbidden through Yuuji's mind. A small shiver of excitement ran across his skin. Some part of him, some insane fragment of his being, felt almost like it couldn't wait to find out.
Eventually, Yuuji shook himself, forcing his legs to move as he entered the train station. He left with the feeling of magic on his fingertips and a thick fog still in his head. Somehow, the cold didn't seem too bad anymore.
Yeah. Yuuji was pretty sure he was the luckiest person on earth.
Afterword: Important announcement!
See, I'm not really sure where to go from here. The truth is, I have tons of ideas and events that I hold as headcanon for these two, but writing all of it out would require three entire separate story 'arcs', like a fanfiction series. I've written super-long fanfics before, but I'm not too keen on dedicating myself to a years-long project atm, to be honest. (Besides, the beginning part of this story is unfortunately where things are more vague to me) I might see if I can collapse them all into one timeline for this fic, but I haven't had much luck with thinking on that so far… A lot of my imagined events have to do with Yuuji and Nagisa as adults. ;;
So, after this chapter, this fic might be more episodic in nature.