Archive of Our Own

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Megumi, with flickering and rapid blinks grogily forced his heavy eyelids open. His head was pounding and his whole body seemed heavy for some strange reason. A stinging feeling lingered on his bottom lip that he was desperate to rub away. He almost felt as if he’s still stuck in a dream, allowing his mind to carry him while the rest of him was rushing to catch up. However this thought was immediately shattered as the blinding, piercing light flashed into his eyes. He snapped his eyes shut, the throbbing in his head only got worse with every movement. 

His mouth produced a pained sound he could barely hear himself. A sharp high-pitched ringing noise coursed through his head. The unpleasant taste in his mouth was beginning to seep into his senses even though his mouth was completely dry. His attempt to erase the horrible feeling by swallowing failed, leaving him to feel completely defeated. 

What the hell was wrong with him? 

It certainly seemed like his entire body had been tossed under a bus or he was suffering from the worst flu of all time. Whatever it was, staring into the deceiving light above him was only making it worse. Yet for some reason his eyes were determined to ignore the stabbing in his temples. Awaking him to the world around him. 

At first, his vision was a blur. Nothing wanted to focus, only increasing his disorientation. And god was he dizzy. Eventually the mess of blobs and colours formed an image he was actually able to perceive. The cream plastered ceiling and two blades of a fan entered his vision.

Where the hell was he? And why was every thought like a shock to his brain? 

He shifted his eyes to the left, glancing at a closed non-fiction book sitting on a small wooden side table. With another blink he saw a small polaroid slipped in between the pages. A warming sense of familiarity passed into his head.

He had recently switched to using a polaroid of himself, Itadori and Kugisaki as his own bookmark. The other two were nagging him to stick it on his wall like how they had. But he believed that would be out of place. One tiny polaroid would just seem tacky hanging up there all alone. So as a compromise, instead of tucking the photo into his drawer for safe keeping, he decided to use the memento as his bookmark. He convinced himself that it was just to please his friends.

Maybe it was in the beginning anyway. But maybe because it reminded him that he wasn’t so lonely anymore.

He let himself stare at the book for just a second longer. Not wanting to cause his body any more strain than it was already in. However the more he kept his glance in the same position, the more the bells in his head began to ring. He swore he recognised that title somewhere.

Wait.

He jerked his head upwards dramatically. Which unfortunately triggered another dizzy spell and his stomach churned violently. The minute he figured out where he was, Megumi vowed the first thing he’d do was gulp down two paracetamols whether he had water or not. There wasn’t anything he hated more than feeling completely useless. Well actually, he might hate losing the people he cares about even more. But it really wasn’t the time to contemplate his deepest darkest fears. 

Once the haziness faded, Megumi looked across at the clean wooden desk, books neatly stacked, sitting at the far side of the room. The mint green curtains either side of the sliding glass doors were left open. Allowing the orange rays of sunlight to cast onto the clear hardwood floor. The combination of the stupid fluorescent bulb and natural sunlight illuminating the room was really doing its best to fuck up his head as much as physically possible. But that wasn’t enough to make him forget his sudden realisation. 

This was his room. 

With an embarrassing amount of force, he pushed his body up grunting, his hands digging into the mattress for stability. Pursing his lips together brought his attention to the scab on his lower lip. How it got there was a mystery but he chose to ignore it for the meantime.

He felt the weight that had been crushing his stomach slip down to his lap slowly. Peering downwards resulted in Megumi’s heart nearly leaping out of his chest. He really shouldn’t have been that surprised when everything about this current did not have any logic so far. 

Head curled on Megumi’s upper thigh, with one arm draped over his lower torso and the other gently tucked beside Megumi’s hip, was a fast asleep Itadori. How the idiot was still asleep was beyond him as that position looked the furthest thing from comfortable.

Itadori let out a few heavy breaths every couple of seconds which sent flutters throughout Megumi’s entire body. After further inspection, he realised both of them had fallen asleep in yesterday’s clothes. They must have been really out of it for neither of them to change into their pyjamas. 

Nevermind that. The bigger question was why the hell had Itadori passed out on top of him. And why did he let him? 

He groaned, placing a hand on the back of his head while he wondered what to do with the sleeping moron. Waking up Itadori was cruel, especially as he looked so peaceful in his current state. Like he didn’t have a death sentence looming over his head as every day goes by.

And as much as Megumi hated to admit, he didn’t hate this current situation. Sure, some part of him was internally freaking out, but not because of any uncomfortableness. But because the lack there of. There was even something calming about having Itadori intruding on his personal space. This was the first event at that time that Megumi wasn’t enthralled by confusion, annoyingly. 

For some time, Megumi had come to terms that he had feelings for his best friend. He could down play it and call it a silly crush brought on by teenage hormones. But he was far too aware of his own feelings for his own good.

In his defense, denying your feelings for your best friend was extremely hard when you lived, trained, worked and hung out with them everyday. All that shared time together only made them grow stronger too. And if he was being entirely honest with himself, his feelings towards Itadori were never weak to start with. From the first day they met, Megumi could never get that pink-haired dumbass out of his mind. 

He huffed under his breath. Curse his stupid, stupid feelings. Not like they would be reciprocated either. He was ninety-nine percent sure Itadori was straight and even if he happened to like guys, he would be the last person Itadori would ever fall for. No sane person would fall in love with someone who couldn’t protect them multiple times. 

No good person would fall for someone as cynical as himself.

But as Itadori unconsciously pushed his head deeper into Megumi’s thigh, it seemed like he didn’t care about Megumi’s failures. Forcing Itadori awake would be incredibly brutal. However, having this amount of contact with Itadori was awakening his thoughts about his pathetic crush. Which wasn’t something he was ready to tackle again at that very moment. 

Megumi was selfish after all. He saved people unequally based on whether he considered them a good person. So in theory, waking up Itadori from his slumber should’ve been easy for him. 

“Itadori,” he whispered. His voice came out low and dry. It lacked any sense of authority or urgency. So he cleared his throat and suppressed the guilty feeling in his stomach. 

“Itadori!” he called out. Itadori’s eyes popped open dramatically while a shocked expression sprawled all over his face. A cramp immediately took over Megumi’s stomach. 

“Fushiguro?” Itadori croaked. Their eyes were locked onto each other, neither one wanting to be the first to break contact. All while Itadori still hadn’t moved from his sleeping position. 

“Why were you asleep on my bed?” Megumi asked sternly, brows furrowed. He watched as Itadori’s face went from utter perplexity to a troubling awareness. His eyes widened the moment he comprehended exactly where his head had been laying. 

“Huh?!” Itadori gasped, scrambling to reposition him. Except he didn’t account for just how little space a single bed contained. Resulting in Itadori tumbling off the bed and smacking right onto the floor. Or so they thought. 

“Ah!” a loud, brash feminine voice screamed from floorboards. Megumi swung his head around to the side of his bed. What met him was a view of Kugisaki sprawled on the floor with Itadori completely crushing her torso. How did she end up in his room as well?!

“Get the fuck off me Itadori!” Kugisaki attempted to yell but all the wind had been knocked out of her. Instead it came out as more of a sad wheeze. Itadori swiftly jumped off the floor and took a massive step away from Kugisaki. His hands braced over his face in case Kugisaki would go for the attack. The thought made Megumi want to gag. Clearly he was the only one whose body felt like it had been run over by a truck. 

“Ugh can you be quiet. My head is killing me,” he groaned. 

“Me too. And that freakin’ light is just making it worse,” Kugisaki complained, slapping her hands over her eyes. She still hadn’t moved from the floor, probably signifying she may be in the same discomfort as he was. He wasn’t going to lie and say that didn’t make him feel slightly better about his own weak state. 

The main light was flicked off by Itadori. Who appeared to be in a much better condition than the two of them. The lack of eyebags was the most prominent sign. 

“Wow you guys look terrible!” Itadori chuckled as he leaned against the wall. 

“Shut the fuck up,” Megumi and Kugisaki grunted. Finally, Kugisaki limply dragged herself off the floor and sat up. She looked as if she was about to fall back asleep at any moment. And her colour was paler than normal. Whatever happened last night seemed to only affect her and himself. So if Itadori managed to escape their miserable state might mean Sukuna played some role in it. Thankfully, he didn’t have to wonder anymore as Kugisaki’s curiosity took over her. 

“What even happened last night that I ended up here? I can’t remember anything,” she said, head in her hands. Megumi showed his agreement with a tired nod. Itadori tilted his head and blinked back at the two of them. The cogs turning rapidly in his head. Megumi could feel a pout form on his lips.

Having Itadori be the carrier of information was a dangerous game to play. He might be even worse than Gojo. Because while he will draw out the waiting process and tease you for being clueless, at least Gojo always had his facts right. 

“You guys seriously don’t remember?” 

“If we did, we wouldn't be asked dumbass,” Megumi sighed, his patience wearing thin. Itadori released another light laugh which Kugisaki yelled at him. Ironically, that only ended up worsening her’s and Megumi’s headaches so Itadori got the last laugh. The two winced as Itadori continued to laugh and their pain. 

“Sorry sorry, my bad! Well, after our super hard mission last night we decided we should celebrate our hard work for once,” Itadori began cheerily. Megumi and Kugisaki shared a brief look of confusion before allowing Itadori to continue. 

“Anyway what we ended up deciding on was to buy a few beers and have a toast,” 

Regret poured into Megumi’s body. He feared he knew exactly where this was going. 

“And a few beers turned into a ton of beers. So we got pretty drunk. I mean that explains why you two look close to death,” Itadori explained with a jokey tone and a smirk on his lips. Usually he would’ve slapped Itadori square on the face for taking pleasure in his suffering. He made a mental note to get Itadori back the moment he could think straight again. “Honestly I can’t really remember that much other than we had a lot of fun.” Itadori added, scratching the back of his head sheepishly. 

Well, that was somewhat helpful, he supposed. He would’ve preferred if Itadori knew more than the bare minimum but it was a few things more than Megumi could recall. A vague memory flashed into his head of the three of them clinking their bottles together. But other than that, nothing. He really was in no position to be complaining. 

“How come you’re completely fine then? It’s so unfair,” Kugisaki grumbled, then quickly picked her phone off the ground, getting startled by just how late in the day it was. 5pm to be exact. They must have really let themselves go the previous night. Once they recovered from the time scare, Itadori just shrugged and finally answered Kugisaki’s original question. “I dunno. I’m just as confused about that as you are.” 

“Sukuna, probably.” Megumi suggested. That was the most logical explanation anyway. Since alcohol was technically a form of poison if too much was ingested, Sukuna the King of Curses and Poison, most likely had some form of resistance. As Itadori consumed enough alcohol to become drunk, Sukuna probably nullified the side effects of intoxication. In simpler terms, Sukuna’s resistance allowed Itadori to be spared of the hangover.

Whether Sukuna could’ve used his power to prevent Itadori from being drunk in the first place was another story. And Megumi couldn’t disregard the possibility that Itadori, the machine he was, simply didn’t get hangovers because of dumb luck. 

The other two were staring back at him, waiting for him to explain. But frankly he really wasn’t in the mood to go through his theory when there was a high chance the other two wouldn’t get it anyway. “It’s complicated,” he sighed “I’ll explain later”. He’d rather use his limited amount of energy to try and remember last night's events. He really hoped he didn’t do anything that would make him lose all self respect. 

“Stop thinking so hard Fushiguro! You’ll fry your brain!” Itadori teased. 

“Oh shut up,” Megumi replied, avoiding Itadori’s gaze. A warmness rushed into his cheeks. Dammit. That idiot could always read him like a book. 

“You didn’t deny it!” 

“There’s no point in denying it if-” he was cut off by a concerned filled whispered from Kugisaki. His heart stuttered. 

“Oh no,” her voice hushed at first, “Fuck fuck fuck! This is not happening!”. The sudden volume change sent a shiver down his spine. How hard was it for people to be quiet when he specifically asked for it? 

“What is it?!” Itadori asked, rushing over to where she was sitting. Kugisaki practically shoved her phone into his face. The panic was written all over her face. Jaw clenched and rapid blinks. Itadori’s mouth hung open once he had finished reading whatever was on that screen. “Oh my god,” was all Itadori managed. Megumi could tell one part of Itadori was desperately trying not to burst out laughing, while the other was legitimately shocked. Kugisaki whipped the phone in Megumi’s direction as Itadori was attempting to pull himself together. 

On the screen was an email addressed from “@Tanaka’sBoutique”. There was a small image of a beautiful, white silk gown in the middle of the email. From what Megumi could make out, the dress was long and flowy with an abstract lace design on the sides and sleeves. To say it was elegant was an understatement. But the words “Thank you for your purchase!” and “Total fee:  ¥18000000” were the things that really jumped out at him. He awkwardly turned his head to Kugisaki’s direction, her head bowed in shame. “You didn’t…” he breathed. He did a terrible job of hiding his judgement.

“Don’t look at me like that,” she said, shaking her head. 

“You bought a freakin’ wedding dress Kugisaki!” Itadori screamed, erupting with laughter. 

“Be quiet, please,” Megumi practically begged even though he was seconds away from joining Itadori’s cackling. Gojo was going to have the time of his life making fun of her. If he even noticed the transaction from his account. He was so rich that over a million yen meant as much as one yen meant to the average person. 

“This is not funny! Gojo-sensei is never going to let me use his card again!” Kugisaki whined. 

“Oh please, Gojo wouldn’t give two fucks about it. That fool is loaded.” Megumi stated. He’d seen Gojo walk into designer shops and easily spend over a million yen each time. He rarely even paid the price tag a glance. So Megumi was confident the most punishment Kugisaki would get was public humiliation. That was if he or Itadori didn’t spill to the second years first. 

“Yeah exactly! And Sensei’s on a mission right now so you can return it before he notices.” Itadori reassured her. Kugisaki nodded but her body hadn’t stopped trembling. 

“I swear if I see Gojo-Sensei before I return this stupid dress I’ll go crazy!” she exclaimed. Then she shifted her entire focus directly on Itadori. “How the fuck did you forget I bought a flipping wedding dress?!”. Itadori jumped slightly, not expecting the confrontation. 

“It’s not my fault I can barely remember anything! I can really only remember that since you reminded me, getting drunk and–” Itadori’s breath caught. A look of realisation mixed with horror took over his face. An overwhelming silence flooded the room. 

“And what?” Megumi questioned cautiously. Itadori turned to face him, biting on his bottom lip uncomfortably. His gaze fell on Megumi, entirely locked on what seemed to be Megumi’s mouth. Megumi tightened his shoulders, wishing someone would say something to relieve them of this tension. He lightly brushed the scab on his lip with the tip of his finger. It was just a nervous tic but Itadori flinched with the action. Before he had a chance to call out to Itadori, Kugisaki was the one to break the silence. 

“Whatever, I’m going back to my room to sleep for a few hours before I attempt to get a refund,” Kugisaki said. Itadori gave her a hand as she pulled herself off the floor. “Uh me too. I’m still exhausted from yesterday,” Itadori agreed, his voice uncharacteristically shy for him. 

“Um okay then…” Megumi replied, unsure where to look. 

Kugisaki made her exit swiftly but Itadori lingered by his room. Tightly holding on to his door handle. Megumi knew there was something he was hiding from him. And it was killing him that Itadori was leaving him in the dark like this. Whatever it was couldn’t be that life altering could it? 

“You really,” Itadori paused, taking a deep inhale before speaking again. His voice shaky. “You really don’t remember anything last night?” 

He hated how terrified Itadori sounded. And how his whole face was plastered with shame. So devoid of its usual warmth and life it possessed. But nothing was coming to his mind. God he hated being the clueless one.  

“No. I don’t,” he answered timidly. Itadori clutched his door handle harder which caused his knuckles to turn white. He nodded and began pulling the door open wider. Megumi couldn’t take this. “Itadori–” 

“Listen, Fushiguro.” Itadori spoke. The atmosphere felt like it was suffocating them both. “When you do remember- you might regret it. I’m sorry.” With that, Itadori slipped out of his room and closed the door firmly behind him. Megumi wished he asked Itadori to wait. Having things left unsaid only made him anxious. He had to learn that the hard way a year ago.

He collapsed down onto his pillow. Letting his matted hair sink deep into the fabric. It didn’t bring him any comfort though. He was just as bewildered as he was frustrated. His exhausted brain cells were on overdrive. Frantically trying to piece together the missing memories.

Megumi shut his eyes tight. A few fuzzy images that he could barely work out developed the darkness like an old photograph. There were some muffled shouts from Kugisaki and excited suggestions from Itadori had become present too. Except none the two sets of information were coinciding one bit. They were disjointed at best and incomprehensible at the worst. 

And there wasn’t anything regretful striking him either. Itadori could be quite dramatic at times. Especially when it came to Megumi. Maybe he was overthinking it?  

Sliding his tongue over his bottom lip again, he hoped it would jumpstart his recollection of events. The wound was a thick but stumpy line and was very shallow. He must have bit it by accident in the midst of the chaos. A flickering memory of a sharp tooth grazing his bottom lip flashed into his mind. Then, that same tooth sunk down and broke the thin layer of skin. The warmness trickling down his lip matched the warmness that was softly imbuing in his left cheek. And then–

“Tomorrow, will you regret this?”

Both of his lips were then brought to the same temperature of his cheek. 

Megumi ripped his eyes open with a harrowing gasp. His hands clutching on the bedsheets so hard he wasn’t sure how they hadn’t ripped. Sweat pooled on his forehead as he replayed that new, frightening event over and over again. 

It didn’t make a difference that none of the images had properly formed into perceivable shapes. Or that the voice was like static. He didn’t need all that clarity to understand what his brain was trying to convey him. And by the carefulness and vulnerability incorporated in their tone, he didn’t need to guess who had said that to him. 

He blinked hard. No, the same sequence of events hadn’t changed or disappeared. In fact, it had just become even more vivid. And in a flash, it was like Megumi was transported back in time. His slow ass brain had finally gotten itself up to speed and decided to unload all the locked memories on to him at once. Giving him no time to fight the denial any more. He was well and truly fucked. 

Friday, 18 hours ago:

It was meant to be a simple mission. Exorcising a first grade curse in a local elementary school. Shouldn’t take them longer than twenty minutes between the three of them to get the business done. That’s what they’d been told anyway. 

What they hadn’t been informed of was that this curse could clone itself. So the battle turned into a three versus ten for the majority of the fight. Coming in all arrogant didn’t exactly work well in their favour either. Their guards had been lowered to the point where they’d been ambushed by the ugly, grey, five eyed curse. Luckily, none of their injuries went beyond grazes, light cuts and bruises. They’d received far worse over the past couple of months. 

The mission that was supposed to be wrapped up in under thirty minutes ended up taking them just short under the two hour mark. While his muscles were aching and he was feeling somewhat fatigued, there was a stream of adrenaline flowing through his blood and all around his body.

He was aware this was exactly what he signed (well, forced) up for. The life of a Jujutsu Sorcerer was extremely unpredictable and at every corner you had to be ready for things to take a turn for the worse. But he still got that childlike thrill when he and the others defeated a curse way above their level. 

And it looked like Itadori and Kugisaki shared that trait with him. It was like they hadn’t just spent the past two hours pushing past their limits. They’d all broken into their usual flow of conversation. It was mostly a mix of bantering each other and gushing about how awesome it felt when the curse finally disappeared. Even though those two drained both his normal energy and cursed energy right out of him, Megumi didn’t want to ever imagine what it might be like if he lost these comforting conversations. 

As they recalled all the events of the fight, an idea suddenly sprang into Kugisaki’s mind. Her face lit up with eagerness and excitement.

“Man, we should actually celebrate our hard work for a change! We totally deserve to after the ass kicking we just handed to that curse!” 

She threw her hands up in the air, fists clenched. Itadori’s hazel eyes turned into stars. Megumi suppressed the corners of his lips from lifting. 

“Hell yeah!” Itadori cheered. There was a look of innocence in his enthusiasm that Megumi desperately wanted to protect. Endearing, was all Megumi thought as he watched Itadori and Kugisaki become more hyped for the next few hours. “Are you in Fushiguro?” Itadori asked, facing him with a gleaming smile that made Megumi’s heart skip a beat. He couldn’t be the one to ruin their fun. But he also knew how wild Itadori’s and Kugisaki’s ideas could be. 

“Depends. What are you thinking of, Kugisaki?” he asked. 

“Don’t worry, nothing too crazy for our boring Fushiguro-kun!” Kugisaki teased. Megumi rolled his eyes while Itadori laughed beside him. That earned him a hard tug of his ear. He felt little to no remorse when Itadori let out a yelp. The traitor deserved it. 

“Go on then,” he grumbled, releasing Itadori’s ear. 

“Well the other sorcerers usually go out to a bar after a hard mission-” 

“No way. It’s not like we’d even get served in a bar anyway,” Megumi reasoned. 

“Well yeah obviously! I’m not an idiot. I was just thinking we could buy a few beers or something and have a toast back at the dorms.” 

That wasn’t that bad he supposed. It was actually nicely thought out. He was never overly interested in alcohol but it wasn’t something he was ever opposed to either. And he’d rather try it for the first time around Itadori and Kugisaki than at one of the upperclassmens’ parties. 

Drinking in the dorms was a bit risky but the first year dorms were separate to the main building. Gojo’s room was at the very end of the corridor but he was currently away in South Korea for a seemingly difficult mission. For tonight at least, they were in the clear. 

Buying the beer wouldn’t be too much of an issue either. All three of them possessed a fake ID that made them at least twenty one. Jujutsu High said if people didn't take them seriously in an emergency, claiming they were a legal adult increased the chance people would follow their lead. However, this backfired on the school more often than not. There’s a reason why Ieiri became an alcoholic and chain smoker at fifteen. They could actually just steal a bottle of wine from her laboratory if they were really desperate. But Megumi had a strong inclination she’d notice immediately the next day. 

“I’m down. Fushiguro?” Itadori was staring at him with anticipation. Whenever Itadori asked him something, looking at him like Megumi was the only thing in the world, saying no to him was impossible. Not like Megumi was going to decline this time but, wow Itadori never gave him a choice. 

“Sure but how are we getting the alcohol past Ijichi?” he pointed out. 

“Oh yeah…” Itadori realised. Kugisaki bit her lip and peered up at him with pleading eyes. “Well, I was thinking… you could hide it in your shadow?”

Megumi glared back at her with a disapproving stare. In reality, he didn’t mind performing the task. It was just fun to make Kugisaki sweat a bit. Especially after formulating a plan that relied entirely on him to succeed. 

Kugisaki slapped her hands together as if she was praying. And in a way, he kind of was. “Please Fushiguro! We’ll have so much fun I promise. And I’ll stop making fun of your style choices for… a week! C’mon please,”. He hadn’t expected her to beg as much as she did. And honestly her constantly complaining about how dull his fashion sense was didn’t bother him the slightest. It was somewhat thoughtful of her to compromise with that though. 

A proud smile formed on his lips causing Kugisaki to pout. Knowing now that she’d been played by him. “If you insist, then fine I’ll do it.” he agreed, a hint of smugness in his tone. After a slight dig at him, Kugisaki gave him a grateful smile and an honest “Thanks Fushiguro,” before they made a quick detour to the closest convenience store. 

~

“To being badasses and kicking curses’ asses!” Kugisaki cheered. All three clinked the lips of their beer bottles together. Megumi allowed a quiet smile slip onto his face. This was the first time he’d truly let himself relax all week. He glanced over to Itadori who returned the stare and matched his smile. His hazel eyes were so hypnotising the more Megumi gazed into them. If he was braver, he might’ve let himself submit to his hypnosis. Itadori wouldn’t hurt him. Not on purpose anyway. 

He broke himself out of his trance quickly. Itadori chuckled lightly beside him. “To being badasses and kicking curses’ asses!” they chorused back, albeit Itadori’s tone was packed with a lot more enthusiasm than Megumi’s. 

Megumi took a slow, cautious sip from the bottle. The liquid sat in his mouth for a brief second before he swallowed it down. The taste was surprisingly solid. He enjoyed the bitterness and crispness of the beverage more than he originally predicted he would. It would be better if it had a touch of ginger but Megumi thought that about most foods and drinks. 

They had gotten back to the dorms around ten minutes ago. For some reason his dorm was declared the unofficial hangout dorm every time the three met up. So after getting changed into clothes that weren’t stained from nasty curse juice, the other two showed up to his dorm bright eyed and bushy tailed. Itadori immediately proclaimed himself as the DJ for the night. Kugisaki complained of course but was quickly silenced when Itadori pointed out who landed the final blow on the last curse. Megumi didn’t care for either of the twos’ music tastes so the outcome didn’t faze him. 

He had already executed his role seamlessly for tonight’s activities anyway. The cashier barely even checked his fake ID. They ended up buying two eight packs because there was an offer to buy two, get one for half price. Obviously, they weren’t planning on drinking all sixteen in one night so they’d just save any extra for another time.  

Dropping the crates into his shadow not only kept them hidden from Ijiichi but also kept them at a cool temperature. Megumi decided to only take three bottles at first to prevent the others from warming up too much. Everything was going perfectly according to plan. 

Two and a half beers later, Megumi would say he was nicely tipsy. His body felt at least five kilograms lighter and his brain had become spacy. Normally, any sign of him losing control sent him into panic mode. But the hip-hop song, blaring in the background of lively and entertaining chatter with his friends, created an environment he felt completely at ease in. It was probably the alcohol causing his relaxed state. Or maybe, it was that Itadori and Kugisaki appeared to be a lot more tipsy than he was that made him better about his own state. 

When they were in mid discussion of who had the coolest fighting styles (personally he thought Itadori did but he’d never admit that to the other two) Itadori leapt up like he’d just figured out the plan to acquire world peace. 

“Hey! What about we have a competition right now!?” Itadori roared. 

“What, like fighting each other here?” Kugisaki questioned sceptically with one of her eyebrows raised. 

“Hell no!” Megumi yelled, frowning profusely. He took quite a bit of pride in always keeping his room organised and tidy and frankly he’d like to keep it like that. 

“Obvisouly not here! I meant outside against those grade four curses!” 

While Tegen’s barrier did an excellent job of hiding Jujutsu High from most curses, there were always some low level curses that spawned in the woods surrounding the school. They were never higher than grade three and never left the woods so all the sorcerers just left them alone. Seeing no point in using any extra of their limited cursed energy on passive curses. 

That never meant no one couldn’t exorcise them though. And what’s the harm in a little extra training? Totally not an excuse to highlight their stupidly competitive nature or to goof off. That could never be him. 

He gave Itadori his approval with a sly smile, warning him not to get too cocky. Itadori just laughed casually and stuck his tongue out at him. “Right back at you Fushiguro,” he taunted and nudged him playfully in the shoulder. Kugisaki let out a drawn out sigh and pulled open the glass door. A rush of cool, refreshing winter air blew into the room. His body produced a light shiver that travelled all the way up his back.

“Can you two stop flirting so we can get to the fun part already?” she said mockingly. The short copper-haired girl bolted out the door before she heard their responses. 

“Flirting!?” he and Itadori yelled. Shooting each other a rapid, anxious look. Their heads turned back away from each other so quickly neither registered each others’ flustered expressions. The apples of Megumi’s cheeks felt like they were on fire. His heart rate had to be the same level now as it usually was after a hard mission. They chased out the door after Kugisaki. He hoped Itadori hadn’t noticed how he hadn’t denied Kugisaki’s accusations. Even though knowing that Itadori didn’t try to deny them too, swirled around in his head like a broken record. 

The woods were brimming with curse spirits the deeper they went. Said curses were just sitting there idly, their eyes focused on the intruders invading their space. Most of them weren’t any bigger than your average puppy. And they certainly weren’t nearly as cute as a puppy either. So they wasted no time tearing into these curses like there was no tomorrow. 

Kugisaki went first. Raising up her hammer with a well wound grip and a villainous smile. Both Megumi and Itadori took a large step back when they saw the murderous look on her face. She drove one nail through a string of five curses, pinning all five to a single tree. With a crisp snap of her fingers and a shrilling announcement of “Hairpin technique!” the nail expanded and pierced through the curses in a matter of seconds. Expelling a splatter of slimy purple goo onto the ground. 

“Way to go Kugisaki!” Itadori whooped. 

“Yeah, that was pretty impressive,” Megumi agreed unenergetically, standing there with a hand on his hip. Kugisaki’s face turned from pride to irritation in the blink of an eye. 

“Pretty impressive? Oh just you watch Fushiguro!” she threatened. Megumi sighed while internally laughing to himself. He watched as Kugisaki went into a high kick at a curse lurking amongst the tree branches. Scary, he thought but didn’t open his mouth again until Kugisaki had run out of nails, giving her some honest praise. 

But his attention on her skills were halted immediately as soon as Itadori struck a curse with a fatal punch. He didn’t even use Black Flash yet Megumi was mesmerised. Itadori leaped sideways, his scarlet hoodie lifted up ever so slightly, revealing a sliver of his defined and smooth torso. Making Megumi’s hands feel unbelievably clammy. When the sturdy sole of Itadori’s shoe burst open the curse Megumi was gifted with a view of Itadori’s incredible form. 

He was always conscious that Itadori was remarkably attractive. But gazing at Itadori’s grey sweatpants hugging his bulging, muscular thighs. And his sharp jawline that possessed his charming bubbly smile Megumi had grown so fond of. Partnered with hair coloured like bubblegum flowing in the tame breeze, Megumi began to feel his previous thought was an understatement. His breath was half taken away as he stared at Itadori who kicked two curses into the ground. 

Wow. Itadori was beyond hot. 

Unfortunately, his personal gawk fest ended far too early for his liking. Or maybe that was for the best. Because by the way he was staring at Itadori like he was a piece of candy would’ve definitely given away the feelings he kept a secret for a reason. 

“Not bad Itadori,” he complimented. The composed voice he put on faltered a bit. Itadori didn’t say anything at first but then with a widened smile he placed a firm hand on Megumi’s shoulder. “Never change Fushiguro,” he said and the earnestness from his tone made Megumi’s heart skip a beat. Then he felt the same hand on his shoulder give him a light shove. “Your turn!” Itadori sang. 

Right, he still had to go. Wanting to show off a bit but not make too much of a racket, he summoned his divine dogs. They followed his orders by ripping into the curses hiding behind tree trunks. Then he slipped into the shadows, grabbing his blade from the darkness before popping out to slice a crowd of curses on the grass. If only all missions were this easy. 

Of course he enjoyed fighting grade ones and hey, taking down that special grade is still his highest achievement. But sometimes, he wondered what life would be like if all of his duties were as simple as taking a grade four curse. Or if he didn’t work in the world of curses at all. Would he really be happier? 

Just for a second, he whipped his head around to his friends. Kugisaki had an engaged smirk on her lips, like she was somewhat proud of him. And Itadori’s caramel eyes were directed at him. His mouth hung barely open. An overpowering heat flooded into his body. He flicked his vision back to the curse fleeing for its life. No, he wouldn’t allow himself to get his hopes up. 

Clenching his free hand into a balled fist, he opened up the shadow realm directly under where the curse was running. Distracting from how Itadori had stared at him the same way Megumi stared at him. 

Megumi wasn’t destined for happiness. He knew this the moment Tsumiki was cursed. And when Itadori came into his life he thought, maybe, just maybe he’d defy destiny. But he just had to dumb enough to fall in love with a boy who’d probably be executed before he finished high school. To fall in love with a boy who couldn’t love him back. So even if he was normal, he’d still be cursed. 

But why obsess over a reality he didn’t live in. He’ll never be able to outrun his fate. And these moments are the closest to happy he’ll get. So he’ll treasure them like how sorcerers treasure their life. 

He swayed slightly, managing to keep himself up right. The alcohol was really messing with his balance now that the adrenaline was wearing off. Loud shouts erupted from behind his back which startled him more than he wanted to admit. 

“You rock Fushiguro!” Itadori cheered, bounding over to him. “Man, I wish I could use shikigami! You make them look so cool!”. Megumi’s face turned an embarrassing shade of red. There were so many words correlating in his head that he was struggling to put meanings to. And Itadori was just beaming back at him like Megumi’s brain wasn’t about to short circuit right there. 

“I have to admit that was really good,” Kugisaki admitted, feigning agitation, “But you definitely didn’t win.” 

Megumi frowned. “What, like you did?” 

“Yeah obviously!” 

“What no it was definitely m-” Itadori’s counter was interrupted by distant but angry yell from deep in the forest. 

“Who’s there!?” a deep booming voice roared. Megumi vaguely recognised the voice as Yaga’s. And it was evidently clear that he was the furthest thing from happy.

All three froze. Their faces riddled with pure fear as they looked at each other. Praying one of them would come up with some idea to get out of this. They definitely wouldn’t get back to Megumi’s dorm before Yaga caught them. Especially since they were in pitch darkness in the middle of a forest they’ve never explored before. 

A spark lit inside his brain. Without hesitating, he grabbed Itadori and Kugisaki into his embrace and whisper-yelled “Hold on tight!” as he dunked them into the shadows. He guided them through the maze of darkness. Both clinging to him for dear life which only raised his anxiety. After a few seconds, they emerged from the shadows and the bright ceiling light of Megumi’s dorm washed away the shadow. 

Itadori and Kugisaki desperately gasped for air, sputtering and coughing on the floor. “Give us a heads up next time dude,” Kugisaki complained once she got her breath back. Itadori nodded along in agreement, still fighting for air. 

“A little thanks would be nice but fine,” Megumi grumbled, staring down at the two idiots he called friends on the floor. For a change, Kugisaki didn’t have a comeback. They were all silently staring at each other. Pondering whether that really just happened and how the hell they got away with it. Then all three of them burst out into uncontrollable laughter. They were gasping for breath in the best way possible. None of them needed to say anything. Not like they could with each one of them still splitting their sides laughing. Megumi couldn’t remember the last time he’d laughed this much, or hard. He didn’t think he ever had. 

Once the chorus had died down, they broke into discussion about who won their little competition. And when that conversation ended they started another. Well, it was mainly Itadori and Kugisaki doing most of the talking with Megumi adding in the odd thing every so often. But that was normal for them. And he enjoyed it. More beers were opened and some tossed into Megumi’s shadow to hide the evidence. Some were just rolled under his bed when he got too lazy to keep opening his shadow. 

Hours passed where they sent them doing completely random activities like imitating their teachers. Megumi even witnessed Itadori and Kugisaki attempt to do this famous lift from this movie "Titanic". He got hurled with comments about how he was uncultured for not knowing it existed. Honestly if he wasn’t drunk he might’ve known the plot. 

In the end Kugisaki came crushing down onto Itadori’s chest after holding her in the air for a good few seconds. If Megumi wasn’t so concerned with his friends’ conditions he would’ve deemed it impressive. Of course Itadori spotted the worry on Megumi’s face and gave quiet reassurance. “It's okay,” he said, tilting his head to peer up at Megumi from the floor. Those small gestures from Itadori always made Megumi’s heart thump twice as fast. 

He wasn’t sure what number of beers he was on when Kugisaki started ranting about her crush on Maki. She groaned about how her senior was the coolest person alive and wouldn’t reciprocate her feelings since she was one year younger. Megumi wasn’t sure why that would play a part in Maki’s feelings. But he knew all too well about how the brain makes you think ridiculous things when you’re in love.

At one point he recalled Itadori suggesting she should organise a grand gesture so Maki would take her seriously. Kugisaki agreed with a roar. Saying something about she’s so serious about Maki that she’d marry her. Megumi was about to cut in to get them both to calm down when Itadori declared how that was the perfect thing to say to Maki. He gave up trying to reason with them after that.

Some ideas were tossed around before Kugisaki ultimately decided on ordering a wedding dress for their newly arranged wedding? He was really losing track of everything that was happening. The exhaustion of planning this gesture (and the sheer amount of alcohol she’d consumed) caught up to Kugisaki in an instant. As soon as she finished her online order of a luxury wedding dress from a local boutique, she passed out on the floor right beside Megumi’s bed.

He and Itadori were now the only ones awake. The thought made his stomach flip. His room got noticeably quieter. Itadori was sitting at the end of bed, legs crossed and his hands holding him up on the mattress. Megumi’s back was leaning against his bedframe for support. His legs were also in a criss-cross position like Itadori’s. Usually he could sit in silence for hours. But it was weighing on him like a  car pressed on his back. He slowly looked up, ready to say something he wasn’t sure what yet. However Itadori had the same idea. Their eyes met. The urge to speak melted away. Both were too busy being lost in each others’ irises. 

Megumi didn’t count how long he stared for. A knowing atmosphere of peace and understanding flooded the room. It was nice. Allowing himself to become enthralled in Itadori’s eyes. He hoped Itadori felt the same way about him. 

“Fushiguro,” Itadori said after what felt like centuries. There was a little pink hue in his cheeks that Megumi guessed was from the alcohol. “What are you thinking about right now?” 

Megumi thought about his answer. His mind was like static. Too many feelings were brewing in there for him to form into a sentence. So instead he answered honestly. 

“You,” he stated. His breath caught after the words left his mouth. God he was so embarrassing. And he probably sounded like an absolute creep too. This was his sign to never drink again. 

Itadori let out the softest of chuckles. He scooted himself just a bit closer to Megumi. Delicately, he reached out and laid his palm on Megumi’s wrist. When Megumi didn’t recoil, his wrist was encased with Itadori’s fingers. Then Itadori spoke, voice low and hushed, “You’re so pretty Fushiguro.” 

This was a dream. All the beers he’d drunk were probably sending his brain into delirium. His mind was playing a cruel trick on him since it knew Megumi wasn’t in the right state of mind to counter this situation with logic. 

The calloused fingers gripped his wrist slightly tighter. Every touch caused goosebumps to pop up on his skin. “You okay?” a voice enmanaged with care whispered. He nodded his head robotically. Swallowing down the rock lodged in his throat.

If this was a dream— why did it feel so damn real? 

His gaze still hadn’t faltered from Itadori. And neither had Itadori’s. With a shaky inhale, he said barely loud enough to hear, “You are too. Pretty I mean,”. But Itadori heard him. He always did. His pupils dilated further and Megumi heard the tiniest exhale slip out of his mouth. 

Inching himself closer, Itadori’s knee knocked against Megumi’s but neither pulled away. With both of their knees lightly touching off each others’, Megumi unclasped his wrist from Itadori’s grip and flipped his hand around to intertwine their fingers together. Itadori’s thumb gently stroked the back of hand while his serene smile was skyrocketing Megumi’s pulse. 

Megumi kept waiting for this to feel like a mistake. For the shame to consume him in any second if he just acknowledged the grand scale of this situation. But it still hadn’t come. He didn’t ever want it to. 

In this light, he could see everything. The lack of distance between them. A very subtle glow on Itadori’s skin while also having a few flaky pieces on the very side of his face. The two scars carved under his eyes for Sukuna’s two extra eyes. Which stung his heart every time he noticed them. Yet, Megumi was fighting everything in his body to not lean in and kiss Itadori right there. 

Because even if Itadori was the vessel of Sukuna, even if he was just a normal teenager. He was still Itadori. He was still beautiful. 

“Itadori?” Megumi breathed.

“Yeah,” 

Megumi took a heavy breath while Itadori was still brushing his hand. “What do you wanna do right now?” 

Itadori’s thumb froze. He awkwardly shifted his vision down to the mattress and then to the wall. Tension piling on top of them like a mountain made up of a million curses. Itadori nervously fidgetted with the hem of shirt. Appearing to be carefully determining the correct choice of words to say. It was an unfamiliar sight to experience Itadori being as apprehensive as he was now. Finally, Itadori focused his attention back on Megumi, his eyes filled with wariness. 

“Are we thinking about doing the same thing?” Itadori mused in a serious tone. 

If it was kissing the face of each other then yes, Megumi was imagining the exact same scenario as Itadori. He’d never be that lucky though. Surely not, right? 

“Probably,” he hummed. The word falling out of his mouth before he had processed the weight of what he just admitted.

A hand traced up his left arm and then rested on his shoulder. Itadori leaned forward. The gap between them grew ever so smaller. With a mellowness packing in his voice, Itadori answered, “Then I want to do that.” 

The alcohol making him brave, Megumi briskly said “Do it then Ita-” 

His order was cut off by Itadori lunging forward. One hand was still placed on his shoulder while the other slid into his hair. Supporting his head as Megumi was pushed down onto the pillow. 

Their lips crashed together. Chasing after each other like they were famished creatures. It was messy and unorganised. Two things Megumi usually loathed. In this instance, he loved every part of it. He cupped Itadori’s cheek, his thumb brushing the scar under one of Itadori’s eyes. Then he slotted his other hand on the top of Itadori’s head, ensuring he was the closest he could possibly be to him. 

The kiss was mostly teeth at first. And they both tasted like beer. Ignoring that, they slowly found a comfortable rhythm. Every movement became precise yet passionate. He’d never felt so alive. A muffled laugh was exhaled in Megumi’s mouth. He returned the action by releasing his own light giggle as Itadori kissed him over and over again. 

They took the shortest of breaks for air. Panting and gasping before they dived straight back into each other’s mouths. He was mostly making up his next move on the spot having never kissed another person before. Itadori seemed much better at this than he was. Which just made Megumi kiss him harder the more he thought about why that could be. 

“Itadori,” he muttered between kisses. 

“We’re literally making out, are you really still calling me that?” Itadori sighed, tilting his head to find the best possible angle. Megumi just smiled on Itadori’s lips. 

“Fine, Yuuji. You’re so fucking incredible,” he gushed. Even though his eyes were mostly closed, he felt the corners of Itadori’s lips lift. “You too Megumi. You know that right?”. He felt silly with how his stomach flipped when Itadori called him by his given name. A name he resented all his childhood was made to seem the most precious thing in the world by the way Itadori said it. 

Megumi wasn’t even given the chance to respond as Itadori began sucking on his bottom lip. He didn’t care though. Honestly, Megumi would let Itadori do anything to him at this moment and he wouldn’t care. This was more than he deserved. He’d take whatever Itadori was willing to give him. Nothing more nothing less. As long as he was happy. 

Suddenly a sharp tooth dug too far into the layer of skin on his bottom lip. He tasted the blood before he felt it trickling down his chin. Itadori pulled away in a panic. “Shit! I’m so sorry, are you okay?” he asked, sounding incredibly flustered. 

Cute, he thought, smiling to himself. His lip was throbbing but he didn’t feel an ounce of pain. Just pure bliss. 

“I’m fine,” he reassured with a chuckle. A warm finger gently swiped away the blood streaming down his lip. “Don’t worry about it.” 

Playing with a soft strand of Itadori’s hair, the boy in question gazing down at him with a sparkle in his amber eyes. The hand that was originally tucked into his hair had migrated on his cheek. He leaned into touch even if it meant getting some blood stained on his face from Itadori’s thumb. 

“Megumi?” 

“Yeah?”

A pause followed by an anxious breath. 

“Tomorrow, will you regret this?” 

Megumi blinked. Would he? He’d been yearning for Itadori for a couple of months. Getting to kiss him was also something he’s considered a bonus. But Itadori still wasn’t his. He didn’t know what this was. 

Itadori was drunk. This could be the impact of alcohol making him act all crazy. More than likely it was just a spur of the moment decision he made. Something he’ll laugh off tomorrow and blame the beers. Megumi would understand if he did. This was probably a mistake by Itadori. And they should stop before the damage becomes unfixable. 

But Megumi was also drunk. And the feeling of horror hadn’t trickled into his mind once. Confusion? Yes, that had popped into his mind a few times. Partner that with fear and there were the two emotions that were swimming around his head like they owned it. But shame, horror or regret? No, not even once. 

Bringing his head up, he pressed the softest of kisses right in the centre of Itadori’s lips. Opening his eyes ever so slightly, he spoke the only words he was certain were his honest feelings.

“Maybe,” 

Then his eyes were overcome with heaviness. His body finally catching up with the fact it was five in the morning. Tiredness consumed his body as he closed his eyes. Knowing he wouldn’t open them again for a good few hours. The last thing he heard was a nearly silent “Okay then,” from Itadori. Who planted one last heavenly kiss on his cheek before Megumi lost consciousness. 

Every single event from last night was playing in his head in high definition. This was not happening. This was not him. 

Fushiguro Megumi did not get wasted with his friends. He did not sneak out and fight curses in a forest he’d never stepped foot in. He did not kiss his crush in a drunken state knowing there will be serious repercussions of his previous actions. 

Yet, he did. 

The kiss with Itadori lingered in his mind. All the times they touched and whispered words of sweet nothings to each other too. He was such an idiot. How did he let himself lose control like that? 

But the question that was plaguing him the most wasn’t that. It was more nerve wracking. Especially since his answer was still undecided. Because even though he was intoxicated, even though Itadori was intoxicated and his emotions were fully fueling every decision he made last night,

Did he regret it? 

Megumi slapped his hands over his eyes and released a pained groan. Because after all of that– 

“I don’t know,” he sighed. Turning into his pillow as his brain taunted him with the kiss over and over again.