Mirrors ◇ Joji x Reader

Intermission: I Remember...

Two Years Ago...
Thursday, December 3

I'm losing my fucking mind. This is my first semester in college and next week is finals week. I've been studying since last month but Pre-Calc is getting to me.

Why are Trig identities so confusing!? What the fuck is a logorythm!? Asymptotes!? FUCK!!!

Not only am I stressed to shit for finals, but I just moved here so I could easily get lost if I'm not paying attention on the Subway. "Here" is Manhattan, New York. And if I get lost, I'm fucked because I'm already late for class. And guess what class it is? Fucking Pre-Calc. I want to die.

As soon as I heard the train conductor say "137th Street - City College", I shot up out of my seat. This was my stop. I stood in front of the door, waiting for the train to stop so that I could sprint out.

The doors opened. My feet went flying. All I could focus on was running and keeping my math papers and notebook in my hands so that maybe, maybe I'll get there just in time. I looked at my watch.

11:58.
Class starts at 12.
It takes 2 minutes to walk up the hill and 2 more to get to the 6th floor.
If I sprint the whole way up the hill and take the escalators, I'll make it!

And I intended to do just that. I sprinted through the mini-park that was just outside the Subway station. Sprinted across the street. Up the hill. The campus was in sight. I checked my watch again.

11:58:56
A little more than a minute. I can make it!

Just as I was about to reach the top of the hill to cross the street, I crashed into somebody. Papers flew. Some landed on the floor, others on nearby dog shit that no one bothered to clean up.

"FUCK! WHAT'S WRONG WITH YOU!?" I ran my fingers through my hair.

"What's wrong with you? Stupid fuck, watch where you're going!" The guy revolted before walking on.

This dude was ugly. And he stunk like piss. Dickhead.

I picked up some of my clean papers, turning around and pouting at the soiled ones. Those were the most important. I still had way more papers to clean up. A nearby pedestrian saw everything and came over to help.

"What a dickhead. New Yorkers, amirite?", he mumbled as he helped me clean up.

"Yeah... It's like they all have skyscrapers up their asses."

There was a silence. I looked up at the helpful stranger.

He was biting his lip, holding back a laugh. His lips were so... Unique. They were full, but not plump. His eyes looked tired, but not physically. He looked as if he was tired of humanity.

"That's so true." He snickered as he handed me a handful of papers.

As he looked around for more, he frowned at the mess of feces that had combined with my notes.

"Aw, shit. I'm sorry." He scratched the back of his head.

"Oh no, don't apologize for him. But thank you for helping out." I gave him my most grateful smile.

"No problem... Uh, my name's George. But my friends call me Joji."

Huh. Interesting nickname.

I stuck out my free hand for a handshake. "I'm (Y/N)."

"(Y/N)... That name suits you."

"You think so?"

He nodded. "You look like one... It matches with your aesthetic, you know what I mean?"

"Uh... I think so."

"I'm guessing you're a student here?" He said as he pointed at my school.

"Yeah, and that anus made me late for class." I sighed.

"How about you skip class and chill out?"

"But... It's a math class..."

"Then you can tell your professor that you were being tutored by your Japanese friend." He gave me a wide, stupid smile. "Plus half of your papers are ruined with dog shit anyway"

I paused for a moment. I fucking hated this class. But I needed to pass with at least a C to stay in my major. Fuck it, I'll look up some YouTube videos online.

"...Okay."

That was the day we met.

A/N: Thank y'all so much for supporting my stories! And for the newcomers, welcome! I'm hoping to write some more stories (including some that focus on other YouTubers and celebrities), and if I get enough support I'm thinking of doing some one-shots later. Stay tuned for more!