Salmon - Agree/Affirm
Bonito flakes - Disagree/deny
Kelp - Greeting
Mustard Leaf - Concern / Worry
Salmon Roe - To grab attention
Tuna - Focus
Tuna tuna - Look
Tuna mayo - Talk
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Why is he here? Okkotsu is covered in sweat from his morning jog. He finds himself in Y/L/N's neighborhood. He stops in front of her driveway with a heavy breath. Okkotsu flutters his eyes closed as he leans forward with his hands on his knees. He tries to calm his breathing by inhaling and exhaling through his nose.
There's a minor sound of the door opening and a rustling of bags. Okkotsu slowly opens his eyes and cast his sight towards the noise. Y/L/N is distracted by the phone in one hand while her other hand carries a few plastic bags. The two then make eye contact when she looks forward. Okkotsu visibly sees her face pale over and her eyes widening in surprise.
Before Okkotsu can say anything, Y/L/N quickly turns around to face her back to him. He notices the tips of her ear redden. He watches her head tilt downward to look at her pajama's that clings to her body. A simple white tee with a cute cartoon character and a pair of shorts to match. Her hair is messily put together in a bun with a few strays falling on the sides.
"O-Okkotsu?" You stutter out his name while clinging onto the recycled plastic bags close to your chest. He's the last person you'd think you'll see this morning. You mentally curse yourself for having your guard down. You'll have to make yourself more presentable at any surprise encounter from today onward.
You hear the sound of his shoes dragging slightly against the pavement of your driveway. He's slowly walking towards you but you hear him stop directly behind you. You're unsure what kind of expression he is making or what he'll say. But you do know how tense you're feeling from his eyes staring at you. There's nothing you can do now but look at him.
Running away from him seems a bit foolish. Bracing yourself, you slowly turn around to make eye contact with the boy. You hesitantly lift your eyes away from the bags in your hands to Okkotsu's eyes. You notice the way his bangs cling to his forehead from the sweat. Nervously, you take a better look of Okkotsu. He's in a solid colored tee and a pair of gym shorts with sneakers.
Your looming stare must've made him shy when you notice him shift slightly. His eyes avert to the side and he crinkles his nose adorably. Okkotsu raises one hand over his mouth to clear his throat. "Morning." Okkotsu mutters quietly under his breath.
You nod your head slowly to his words before parting your own lips in response. "M-Morning. Were you on a jog?" Your tone comes out shaky from how awkward you feel. Okkotsu simply nods his head. You watch his hand sweep his bangs out of his face.
His eyes lower to the trash bags in your arms, a finger pointing to them. "Taking out the trash? Need a hand?" Despite Okkotsu asking, he's already reaching for the bags out of your arms. He takes them away from you and walks over to the recycling bin, tossing them inside.
You're sure he did that to get away from the awkwardness. But the atmosphere still lingers. You utter out a thank you before clasping your hands behind you. "Do you...usually jog around here?" You ask a question you clearly know the answer to. Not once have you seen Okkotsu around these parts in the morning.
He shakes his head, gulping the saliva that builds in his throat. Okkotsu keeps his eyes down to his shoes. You notice his jaw tighten and he's searching for words in the pavement. Pursing your lips, you squeeze your hands together. "Would you like a water bottle? It would be bad if you passed out on your jog back to the dorms."
"Yeah, that would be nice." Okkotsu raises his eyes up to meet yours. You form a tiny smile and nod to his words. You quickly turn around and rush back inside the house. You don't relax until you close the door behind you. Releasing a deep exhale, you shake out your arms from the nervousness.
You stride over to the refrigerator to grab a bottle of water before stopping in front of the door. You're not ready to feel the tense awkward atmosphere again. You wished there was something you and Okkotsu had in common. If you find that something, maybe it'll break the ice. Your hand clenches tightly on the water bottle and you brace yourself for the upcoming stiff conversation.
Okkotsu wears a distracted look when you step back outside. He seems troubled just like you are. You wonder if he's also thinking the same thing you just had. The corner of your lips curl when you look at him. You hurry over to Okkotsu and extend the water bottle to him.
Okkotsu snaps out of his thoughts when he sees a bottle in front of him. His eyes look up to see Y/L/N's tiny smile on her face. He feels a tight squeeze in his chest as he reaches out to take the water from her. Okkotsu whispers a thank you before cracking the bottle open. He averts his eyes elsewhere when he drinks the water.
He intended to only take a sip but the water bottle goes empty when he pulls it away from his lips. Y/L/N refrains from commenting on how quickly he's drank the water. But he can easily read her bewildered expression. Okkotsu tosses the water bottle into the recycling bin before he speaks up. "Do you usually get up this early Y/L/N?"
Her eyes pull away from the recycling can and they rest on his face. She nods her head, still carrying the tiny smile on her face. "I'm more of a morning person. Ita however likes to sleep in." She giggles when she thinks of Itadori.
Okkotsu finds it peculiar that she brings up Itadori when he asked a question about her. Curious, Okkotsu asks Y/L/N another question. "Speaking of Itadori, are you and him close?" Y/L/N raises a brow, tilting her head slightly. She parts her lips slowly but quickly closes them back up.
You raise your hands in front of you and wave them drastically. "We're good friends but if you're thinking about the other kind of closeness-- we're not." You're unsure why you feel so flustered from Okkotsu's question. Maybe you misread his question. But to be on the safe side, you want to clear up the air.
Okkotsu wears a peculiar expression. He seems surprised but also uncertain. "Is that so? It's possible for two opposite genders to be friends without someone falling in love?" Okkotsu speaks more to himself but Y/L/N can hear him loud and clear with how quiet the neighborhood is.
Your jaw drops slightly when you hear Okkotsu's words. Love? With Itadori? You can't see him anything more than a friend. A best friend possibly even given the short amount of time the two of you known one another. You feel the need to speak up again.
"I-Itadori is a nice guy. He's really reliable and he knows how to cheer me up. He also easily understands my feelings without having to ask me what's wrong." The more you go on about Itadori, the more you realize this doesn't sound like you see him solely as a friend. "But." You purse your lips, feeling Okkotsu's attention on your face.
You keep your eyes still on Okkotsu. "He's also an idiot that teases me too much. He can be stupid at times especially with his studies. And I always find myself having to watch after him and stopping him from making the wrong choices. It's like I'm his older sister or something." You let out a dry laughter, a smile on your face when you think of the pink haired boy.
"So...yes. It's possible for Itadori and I to just be friends. Is there a reason why you asked this question Okkotsu? Do you have a friend you like?" Your brows raise in curiosity when you finish your sentence. Okkotsu silently keeps his eyes on you, his expression unwavering.
"Possibly. I'm not too sure." Okkotsu answers honestly. You're surprised he even gave you an answer. Your lips form an 'O' shape. You avoid asking further questions. It's rude of you to pry for more information especially about a sensitive topic like love.
Clearing your throat, you untangle your fingers from one another. You muster a smile on your face when you look at Okkotsu. "Well, I'm sure whoever they are, they'd be happy to know you care about them." Okkotsu's eyes waver slightly when you look at him. He darts his eyes back down, teeth clenching.
Maybe you shouldn't have loosely said those words. They can easily give Okkotsu false hope. But it's too late for you to take them back. Okkotsu slides his hands into his pockets and exhales softly. "You shouldn't speak so loosely without knowing the whole situation Y/L/N." Okkotsu lectures you for the very thing you already thought about.
Nibbling your bottom lip, you tuck a few stray hairs behind your ear. You're not sure what to say in response. He's right. Now you're the one to search for answers from the pavement underneath your feet. Okkotsu speaks up again, saving you from finding a response.
"You should head back inside. I'm going to head back to the dorms for breakfast." Okkotsu glances your way and you nod your head in response. You raise your left hand up to say goodbye to him before heading back inside. "Have a safe jog back Okkotsu."
Okkotsu gives a short nod to his head and he remains rooted in his spot, waiting for you to leave first. You turn around to hurry back inside. But you're unable to move any of your muscles suddenly. "Stop." The familiar word reminds you of the one you heard from Inumaki. But, this voice belongs to Okkotsu.
What's going on? Does Okkotsu have cursed speech as well? But if that's the case, how can he easily speak to you compared to Inumaki. The boy walks in front of you, his eyes full of distraction. You remain quiet when you see Okkotsu in your view.
The difference from Inumaki's and Okkotsu's cursed speech, is that the duration is shorter. "Did you...just use cursed speech on me?" Your eyes stare directly into Okkotsu's eyes. He nods his head and speaks nonchalantly.
"I have the skill to copy techniques. But they're not as effective compared to the original user. Sorry for testing it on you. There was just something I had to tell you." Okkotsu lacks any distinct expression on his face. He crinkles his nose slightly when he prepares himself to speak up again.
You tense up, feeling that what he plans to say is something important. Why else would he have controlled you to stop? You hold your breath, anticipating whatever Okkotsu has to say. He parts his lips slightly to speak in a hushed whisper. Thankfully your close distance allows you to hear him clearly.
"I found myself jogging here for some reason. I don't know why so I hope you don't think I'm stalking you or anything. I was clouded with finding an answer to your sudden sight of color. Maybe that's why my legs guided me here." Okkotsu speaks one sentence after the other. He's finding himself rambling which is rare.
The sudden sound of Y/L/N giggling stops him from spiraling further. He watches her shoulders shudder and her right hand raising over her lips. She's trying her best to hold back her burst of laughter from him. He's unsure what she finds so funny about this situation. "What is it Y/L/N?"
You shake your head, inhaling deeply to rid you of your laughter. "It's just..." A giggle escapes your lips and you quickly bite down on your tongue. "You have such a serious face while explaining your thoughts to me. I didn't once think you were stalking me Okkotsu. But, maybe I should now." The last sentence is a complete tease but Okkotsu seems to take you seriously from his widen eyes.
You feel the need to quickly tell him you're joking around. "I'm just teasing you Okkotsu." His eyes soften when he listens to you. "Thank you. For trying so hard to finding an answer for me Okkotsu. But I'm sure you have more important things to worry about."
Extending your right hand out, you hesitantly pat his shoulder before giving him a firm squeeze. "You're pretty nice Okkotsu. Asides from using the cursed speech on me earlier." You giggle and lower your hand back by your side. "Hurry back and eat breakfast. Enjoy the rest of your day Okkotsu." You cheerily smile at him before heading back inside before he manages to stop you again.
Okkotsu turns around to see the front door close behind him. He then casts his eyes down to his shoulder. He feels the radiating heat from his shoulder where Y/L/N touched. Okkotsu then scrunches his nose. "Did she just make fun of me?" Okkotsu mutters under his breath with a shake to his head and a scoff.