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04:05 am, July 15th
Megumi lays in his bed, twisting and turning. He can’t get the images out of his head… one second he sees Yuuji’s stupid grin, and the next he sees his empty eyes, collapsed on the cold hard concrete, blood gushing out of his chest as his heart lays in the damp grass a few feet away. He remembers the exact feeling. Being bent over his lifeless body, holding back tears as he tries to stay strong for him. How he had desperately hugged him, trying to soak in every last bit of warmth he had.
But Yuuji Itadori, the kindhearted dumbass who Megumi loves so dearly, is gone. He saw his body when Shoko was treating it. He had felt a stinging shiver run down his spine as he struggled to keep it together. Itadori laying there, lifeless, cold and desaturated, was so wrong. So sick. That sight goes against everything right in this world… It’s the wrong god damn body that’s laying in that morgue.
It should’ve been Megumi laying there.
It should’ve been him.
He wakes up in a cold sweat, breathing heavily. His body feels wrong. His room too.
Nothing seems to be right. As his fingers dig deep into the skin on his biceps, Megumi starts crying. Really crying. His mind keeps getting flooded with Yuuji. Every little pout, stretch and smile plays in his head but it repeatedly gets cut off by the sight of Yuuji’s dead body, his completely limp face, eyes wide open but blank as paper.
That was the first time he ever saw Yuuji’s face fully rested… It was horrible. It felt like it went against the laws of nature.
It wasn’t just Yuuji that died that day. It was Megumi too. He didn’t know it was possible for things to get even worse. Even beforehand, Yuuji had been his only lifeline… he’s what saved Megumi. So what do you do when you lose your lifeline?
Everything hurts. Fucking everything. No one else seems to quite understand just how much this is affecting him. No one fathoms the pain of not getting the chance to confess. Of freezing in place instead of acting. This unbearable pain could’ve been much more tolerable, had he just told him the truth instead of just watching on like an idiot.
I love you.
Just three words. Just one act.
If only he had just told him. It wouldn’t have saved Itadori, but it might’ve saved Megumi.
Even if he was rejected, it would’ve been much better than this hell of Megumi’s own making. The hell of constant questioning, regret, unsureness and unrequited love.
He glances at the letter on his nightstand. The one he had written shortly after Yuuji’s passing. Megumi’s not spiritual, not even in the slightest. He normally would just think that this is pointless bull’, but in that moment he understood. In that moment it felt like the only way to come into contact with him. The only way to just send one last message, to get his feelings out.
“Itadori. If only you knew how I feel.
If only you knew that ever since the day I first saw you, I’ve loved you. It’s pathetic really but you brought something into my life that I couldn't afford to lose again. But I have. My lifeline.
I love everything about you. Your dumb crooked smile, your loud laugh, your positive reassurance at any moment and most of all how you always saw right through me.
I don’t know how I’m gonna live without you. I honestly don’t think I can. But I’ll try my best.
Just for you. “
Megumi slaps himself hard, leaving a red imprint on his right cheek. He sits up in his bed, looking at the watch, praying that it’ll be morning soon. Praying that he won’t have to rot up here for much longer.
It’s 6am.
Fine by him. He fatiguely pulls on his everyday clothes, each action feels heavier than the former. At least today will be a great distraction, the exchange event with their sister school in Kyoto, is today. Hopefully that’ll help get his mind off of things.
It’s been 2 months since Yuuji…- Every single night has been like this one, flashbacks, crying, nightmares, more flashbacks and even more crying. Therefore Megumi hasn’t slept much, he’s tired, traumatized and somehow even more antisocial than before, it’s really taking a pry at his already shit mental state.
He pulls himself up, making sure he looks somewhat presentable, before walking towards the kitchen to grab a cup of coffee. The hallways are all quiet. So quiet in fact that Megumi can only hear his heart beat faintly and the sounds of his feet on the floor. The silence is momentarily interrupted by floorboards creaking as he steps on them.
The kitchen is even worse, now that he isn’t walking.. he can’t hear anything but his own breathing and pulse. The coffee machine wheezes as the water heats, and Megumi starts zoning out again.
Yuuji would’ve loved this day… getting to fight and make new friends? That would’ve been right up his alley. Megumi though? He’s just happy to get a distraction from his own mind.
BEEP. The coffee machine sounds. He grabs the finished cup and sits down to drink and scroll on his phone. The blue light from the screen faintly lights up his face, as he sits in the dimly lit kitchen. Even social media feels painfully boring lately, the same jokes repeated constantly and endless amounts of bigots.. Nothing works. Absolutely nothing works to keep his mind occupied. Everything is just dull and ugly.
------------------------
07:35 am, July 15th
“Megumi!”
huh?
“Megumi!!” Satoru grabs his shoulders, a bright smile playing on his face.
“‘Morning, Gojo.” Megumi replies in an annoyed tone, but in reality he’s very grateful that Satoru is here.
Satoru grins “Guess I shouldn’t be surprised you’re acting all tough, but come onnn—”
Megumi ignores him coldly, sipping his coffee.
“You seriously like that shit? Odd kid..”
“Not all of us are addicted to sugar, you know?”
“Be happy it’s not something else” Satoru bickers back as he pours half a ton of sugar into his tea (if you can even call it tea at this point).
"Tsk.."
“You excited to meet the Kyoto students?”
“I guess, yeah. I don’t really care about this competition.” This time Megumi actually isn’t lying. Most things feel kind of pointless to him lately, just lack of motivation, he assumes.
“Live a little, kid” Satoru ruffles Megumi’s already disheveled hair.
He quickly brushes away Satoru’s hand, grimacing.
“Leave my hair alone. And for the love of whatever’s up there, stop calling me kid. You’re not my dad.”
Satoru smiles sympathetically behind Megumi.. He knows that he doesn’t mean it that harshly. He knows him better than anyone. Megumi’s a good kid, he just doesn’t like to show that side. Satoru had very quickly figured out that Megumi had feelings for Yuuji. And now, after his death, it’s even more apparent than before.
He eats less, he avoids people as much as possible (yes, even more than before) and every time Satoru walks past his door at night, he hears the sobs. He hears the pain in his voice when he almost pleads for Yuuji to come back, in a whisper. It hurts to see the boy who he’s raised as a son, lock himself away like this. And it hurts even more knowing that it’s completely unavoidable.
Yuuji is alive.
He’s alive, under a mile away from the heartbroken Megumi, who sees his dead body every night in his dreams. It’s absolutely horrible. But today it ends. Today Yuuji will come back.
Satoru puts on a big smile before plopping down in the chair opposite Megumi.
“Not your dad? I might as well be.” he jokes, but that statement is completely sincere.
“Yeah yeah, sure.”
“I love you, kid.” Satoru says teasingly.
“Jesus, you’re way too much.” Megumi grimaces, pretending like that didn’t just make him feel a whole lot better.
“Fuck you! At least say it back!” Satoru demands leaning over the table.
“Fuck you, Gojo.” Megumi replies, the corners of his lips twitch as he holds back a smile.
Satoru mockingly gasps, “WaOw, so much for saving you, brat!”
Megumi chuckles a bit. It’s the first time in 2 months he’s even as much as smiled. The last time was when Itadori was nerding out about some horror movie, and Satoru had caught Megumi smiling to himself.
----------------------------
11:13 am, July 15th
It’s a sunny day today. The first- to third-year Tokyo students are gathered in the school's courtyard. Maki is standing around, looking pissed as always, Panda and Toge are chatting and Nobara is angrily venting to Megumi about an annoying guy she’s talking to.
Megumi doesn’t care. “If he's a dick, then drop him. I really don’t see the issue” He says tiredly, earning a glare from Nobara. She goes back to texting, grumbling something about “Men…”
Shit, this feels so wrong. This setting just doesn't feel right without him. Not at all.
The Kyoto students have arrived, everyone is talking and verbally fighting. Especially Maki and her younger sister Mai.
But the whole thing is interrupted when Satoru comes over, rolling a big box in front of him. “Hello students! I just came back from a little trip, and so I brought you some souvenirs!” He says excitedly, throwing some weird dolls to the Kyoto students.
“And now for you, my own students! I have something very special for you all…” he says, dragging out the suspense as much as possible, before dramatically opening the box.
Out jumps Yuuji, grinning and hitting a stupid pose, clearly expecting everyone to cheer or something.
Satoru excitedly smiles, doing jazz hands. “It’s your long dead friend, YUUJIII!”
No one reacts, they just freeze. Megumi does the same but internally he’s having the worst mental breakdown of his life. He fights for his breath and his whole body starts to feel heavier, his knees feel like they could collapse any second now and he’s shaking. Violently. Is this real? What the hell is wrong with them? Do they think this is funny?
He’s about to cry as he stares at Yuuji with empty eyes, but manages to pull himself together.
Yuuji is frozen in place. Frozen with that dumb smile of his, still playing on his face. He looks shocked and confused as everyone just stays silent.
A few minutes later everything has quieted down, Yuuji is acting normally but a bit awkward as he tries to explain to the others what happened. Megumi is sitting in the shade of a tree, desperately holding back a sea of tears. He’s angry. So fucking angry. How could they do this to him? Why didn’t Gojo say a thing?
His mind races as he watches Yuuji smile again. He saw his dead body. He felt the warmth leave his body in real time.. He saw the blood… all the blood, like a waterfall, pouring out of his chest.
A terrible feeling starts building up inside him. That feeling that everyone knows, that everyone fears.
He hurries to the bathroom, just managing to bend over the toilet before throwing up. He pants, head still tilted over the toilet bowl, just in case. Tears start forming in his eyes, slowly rolling down his cheeks. He feels sick, like something is seriously wrong.
“Fushiguro? Are you okay, dude?” He hears Yuuji’s voice ask in a concerned tone.
“I’m fine” Megumi forces out, his voice cracking slightly. It’s bullshit, and he knows that damn well, but the thought of Yuuji seeing him like this is just unbearable.
Yuuji walks into the bathroom. “I can smell the vomit, man. Stop lying to me.”
“I said I’m fine.”
“We both know that's a lie.”
Megumi stops for a moment before speaking, “Itadori… Why didn’t you tell me?”
“I- I wasn’t allowed to!” Yuuji explains, knowing that he hurt Megumi.
“Since when did you care about that?” he sneers, holding back tears.
“Listen, Fushiguro, I’m sorry-”
“-Well sorry doesn’t fucking cut it now, does it? I have been mourning your death everyday for 2 months now, for no damn reason.” Megumi’s voice cracks at that last part, he’s so angry and heartbroken but at the same time, just so happy to see Yuuji alive.
Yuuji looks away. “I know.. I- I wish I had done something. But honestly a little part of me thought you might be better off without me..”
Megumi’s eyes widen and he gets up, revealing his bloodshot eyes and deep eyebags. He’s completely destroyed. Yuuji gives him a tight hug, holding him close.
“I’m so sorry!” he apologises, holding back tears as well.
Megumi nearly can’t handle this, he’s shaking. The last time he touched Yuuji was when he was dying. Megumi had hugged him as tightly as possible to get every little bit of warmth left, sobbing loudly as he felt his best friend pass away..
Now he can’t even bring himself to hug him back.. not even talk. All he can muster is to say “It’s okay…”
----------------------
02:49 am, July 16th
That night Megumi’s nightmare are even worse. He keeps seeing Yuuji laughing and smiling, but now in every image of him, he has blood spilling out of every possible opening, it’s gushing out and his skin looks like a paper doll. He constantly feels like there’s something happening to Yuuji. Like he’s in danger. But of course that’s not true, Megumi has simply discovered his biggest fear… Seeing Yuuji die again.
He twitches and flinches in his sleep, waking up in a cold sweat and tears repeatedly throughout the night. Around 3 am, he wakes up a final time and decides that he can’t stand this anymore. He needs to see Yuuji. His nightmares keep making him believe that he’s dead, so Megumi just desperately needs to see him in order to relax. It’s the only way.
He pulls on some casual clothes and runs his fingers through his hair, before starting to exit the room. His breathing is hitching as he walks quietly to Yuuji's room, carefully opening the door and stepping inside. There he is. Lit up by the soft moonlight lies Yuuji, sleeping peacefully. You can clearly tell he’s alive, even in the dark he’s just so saturated. He has this odd ability to just… shine. Every time he comes near, it feels like a heavy weight is lifted off of Megumi’s shoulders.
Megumi can’t help but smile as tears well up in his eyes. They’re burning as a result of the heavy amount of crying and lack of sleep he’s experienced tonight, and most nights until now. He thinks back to the first time he saw Yuuji, and watched him beat his poor teacher so badly, it hurt to watch. The best part being that he didn’t even process his power, he was just happy to get out of school early.
Everything about him is just so pure… or mostly, at least. Megumi thinks, glancing up at the lewd poster hanging above Yuuji’s messy bed. He’d put that thing up the second he stepped foot in the school. Megumi definitely didn’t understand the appeal. The woman on the poster just feels so… flat, and yeah she technically is, but that’s besides the point. It doesn’t feel like it reflects Yuuji at all, but then again he’s just another straight teenage boy, this behavior isn’t that wild, still though.
Megumi rolls his eyes a bit as he crouches down beside Yuuji, looking at him through softened eyes. He feels like a creep but that doesn’t really seem to bother him right now. He just needs Yuuji here. He needs to know he’s well.
Megumi gently brushes away an eyelash from Yuuji's cheek, in a long soft stroke. He proceeds to just sit there and stare, feeling completely safe and content. Maybe a little too much cause he soon starts to feel his eyelids grow heavier and heavier.
---------------------
07:22 am, July 16th
A beam of sunlight hits Megumi’s face, his eyes fluttering as he opens them. He wakes up tucked into Yuuji’s bed, it’s warm and smells like that cheap cologne he always wears. But this must mean that… Sure enough, Megumi looks beside the bed to see Yuuji sleeping on the floor wrapped in a blanket. He seems very at peace, fully asleep.
Megumi panics slightly, realising the situation.. FUCK. He mutters to himself, getting out of bed in a haste. He quickly hurries into his own bedroom before anyone else could have a chance of noticing. As he throws himself onto his bed, he feels how hot his face is, he’s blushing like crazy. No way in hell, this just happened.. He covers the lower part of his face with his hands, just simmering in the embarrassment.
Later that morning, Megumi is sitting outside under a tree in a nearby field and drinking his black coffee. It’s summer so the weather is just perfect for it. Especially since everyone else is inside, eating breakfast together in the kitchen. He tries to enjoy the simple morning but he can’t get his mind off the embarrassment of being caught by Yuuji. God, he must hate him now. It makes him feel like a pathetic creep-
“Yo Fushiguro! I thought I might find you here!” Yuuji yells while jogging over to him, with a bright smile.
“Itadori- I-!”
“Don’t worry I haven’t told anyone. You’re fine.” He reassures Megumi “But I would like an explanation.” He jokes a bit with a very awkward chuckle.
Megumi’s eyes soften before immediately being forced back to his stern look. “Listen, I'm sorry, okay?”
“Don't apologize, just tell me what happened!”
“Nothing happened, my best guess is that I sleepwalked.” Megumi defends, making a valid attempt to cover himself.
“Bull’. Just tell me what happened. I won't judge.”
“Swear?” Megumi grumbles
“Swear.”
He gives up.. “I- I just needed to see you.” Megumi says honestly, looking down in embarrassment. “I’ve had nightmares every night since I saw you die.. The most horrible nightmares. I see your dead body, and all the emotions come flooding back to me. I just needed to reassure myself that you were still alive. and I guess I must've fallen asleep..”
Yuuji’s face softens immediately. “I’m so sorry… I didn’t mind, to be completely honest with you.. Whatever you need, I’ll help you with.” He’s way too damn empathetic for his own good.
Megumi breaks character, his voice breaking as he pulls Yuuji into his arms. “It’s good you’re back, asshole.” He mutters, his voice as cold as he can muster.
His shoulders shake as he holds on to him for dear life. He doesn’t want to let go. It feels like if he lets go, Yuuji will just disappear again. He can’t take it anymore. He shakes his head in embarrassment, “I’m sorry… I-” He stutters out.
“Hey, hey, Don’t worry about it..” Yuuji says, holding him closer. “Seriously, it’s fine”
The two of them just sit there under the tree for god knows how long, hugging each other.
The sun shines through the leaves, sparkling them in the soft light, as they sit in the damp grass.
Megumi wants to say it so badly.. just those three words. I love you. But he can’t. He just can’t risk losing him yet again. He shivers, pulling out of the hug and just sitting there beside Yuuji, who softly leans into his side, resting his head on Megumi's shoulder.
“You mean a lot to me, Fushiguro, I hope you know that. I mean… you’re the reason I didn’t get executed and all that.” Yuuji admits quietly, he’s always been much better at casual affection. But this time he seems more nervous, like there’s more behind it than usual.
“Uh, yeah… you too.. I guess." Megumi manages to say. This is the first time he’s responded positively to anyone’s affection.
Yuuji smiles widely to himself, knowing that even just that is a win coming from Megumi. He rests fully into his side now, feeling like he’s so close that he could just fall right through him. Perfect.
They sit in silence for at least 10 minutes, just enjoying each other's company.
“Megumi! Yuuji! Whatcha doing?~” Satoru asks teasingly.
The two boys start panicking in sync, sitting up right and trying to act casual. Of course, they fail horribly but it’s the thought that counts.
“We were just chatting!” Yuuji says, forcing his normal wide smile. Megumi nods nonchalantly in agreement.
Satoru holds back a laugh at how similar they are to him and his old friend.. He gives the two boys a once over.
“Is that so?”
“YeAH- about…” Yuuji picks up a random leaf in panic “This leaf!”
The excuse is so bad that both Megumi and Satoru facepalm in sync. He really is terrible at lying.
“You’re actually hopeless, Itadori,” Megumi says in a disappointed monotone voice.
“What the hell, man, you’re supposed to be on my side!!”
“Be a better liar then! I’m turning against you solely because of your lack of communication skills.”
“Jerk!”
The two of them bicker as Satoru watches on with a grin. These two dumbasses are just eerily similar to how he and Suguru were back then. The lighthearted fights, trying to cover up affection and the secret crushes of course. He sees right through both of them. In the back of his mind, though.. He’s just hoping these two turn out better than they did. He wouldn’t wish the pain that relationship caused him upon his greatest enemy. That’s a lie. He wouldn’t hesitate a second.
“Alrigth, alright, enough fighting!” He breaks them up with a laugh, pulling Megumi back by the collar of his uniform, like a lioness handling her disobedient cub.
The two boys stop fighting, and Megumi is smiling, like an actual full smile. Satoru has known this kid since he was, what? 6 years old? And he has NEVER seen him smile like this before. It’s so extreme that it makes him kind of emotional.. It's bizarre but also incredibly heartwarming.
“Look at you, kid. Smiling. I thought you were allergic to all emotions besides anger.” Satoru teases.
Megumi forces the smile away but the corners of his lips are twitching. “Shut up, will ya?”
It’s subtle but Satoru notices… He didn’t say anything about the nickname. What is going on? Is this Yuuji’s doing? That kid has really changed Megumi, whether he knows it or not.
--------------------
03:17 pm, July 16th
Megumi, Nobara and Yuuji are in Tokyo, walking through the shopping district to buy snacks that they can sneak into the movie theater for cheap, in a bit.
Yuuji has somehow convinced them to go see the newest movie in that series he loves. Human Earthworm 4. Delightful full name, right?
Yuuji has so often nerded out about this movie to Megumi, that he eventually decided to give him tickets to go see it together. It was like a little “welcome back from the dead” gift, as Satoru dubbed it.
Nobara throws another shopping bag onto Yuuji. “Hold this,” she says casually before starting to look through her phone.
“You know that we were just meant to buy snacks, right?” Yuuji asks, through sharp breathing being weighed down by the bags. Apparently even supernatural strength isn’t enough to keep up with her excessive shopping addiction.
Nobara nods. “I did, I just bought a bit of cute clothes too.”
Megumi rolls his eyes, “You have serious issues.”
She glares at him before going back to her phone.
The three of them walk into the theater, pockets secretly filled with snacks. But of course they still have to get popcorn and soda, it’s not a real movie theater trip without that.
Megumi turns to yuuji, giving him a once over, he’s still carrying 3 full shopping bags.
“You and Kugasaki, go put the bags in a locker. I’ll order the popcorn.” He orders firmly, nodding towards the hallway.
Yuuji nods with a smile "Caramel flavor for me. You better remember!” he yells back before walking off with Nobara. As Megumi stands in the long line, he stares in the direction Yuuji went. His eyes go matte, getting flashbacks again. He’s been getting those everytime Yuuji is out of his sight, since he came back. It must just be the fear of losing him yet again, that’s his best bet. But god, it hurts.
However, the flashy images of Yuuji’s bloody dead body are cut off when he feels a tap on his shoulder.
Eyes widening for a second and he slowly turns around. It’s a young girl, his age. She’s pretty, he supposes.
“Hey, I’m ___, are you here with anyone?” The girl asks in a sweet voice, standing just a little too close. Megumi as always doesn’t process that he’s being hit on. He just glances around in confusion.
“No, I’m here with two friends.” He answers politely, hinting at the locker rooms with his eyes.
She smiles “Oh, how nice! What are you seeing? I’m seeing a really cute romcom today, all alone.” the girl says with a soft laugh, though Megumi has no idea what’s supposed to be funny.
“Human Earthworm 4” Megumi answers nonchalantly. “We’re seeing Human Earthworm 4.”
“The weird slasher movie..?” The girl asks in slight confusion, she clearly didn’t take Megumi for that kinda guy. And she’s right. He’s solely doing this for Yuuji.
Megumi nods, giving her a small smile, but mostly because he’s thinking of Yuuji. “Yeahh, it’s a gift for my friend, don’t worry I ain’t that weird.”
She looks almost relieved at those words, responding with a slight chuckle. “Sooo… what’s your name?”
“Fushiguro.” He answers, still not having figured out that she’s hitting on him.
“Fushiguro—” She says performatively, dragging out his name in an obvious attempt to woo him.
Megumi looks confused
Meanwhile Yuuji and Nobara are coming out from the lockers, it had taken forever to find a key, but they eventually managed. Walking out from the hallway he sees the girl talking to Megumi in a flirtatious manner, getting all up in his face. For some reason that he can’t explain, he feels off.
He instinctively balls his hands into fists so his tan knuckles turn white. Why is she talking to him? Is he flirting back? Surely not, right? That dummy probably hasn’t even realised that she’s flirting yet- (Bingo, Yuuji) But what if? (No.)
Yuuji watches on as the girl leans into Megumi’s personal space, smiling sweetly. Hell no. He walks over and slings his arm around Megumi’s shoulder, overly excited.
"Hey, Megumi!” He says, using his first name to make sure that the girl knows they’re close. He glares at her before hitting Megumi playfully.
Megumi looks even more confused for a second before realizing… Shit, she was definitely flirting.. He pretends to be annoyed by Yuuji, but in reality, his heart is pounding in his chest so hard that it almost hurts. Yuuji called him by his first name for the first time…
Nobara watches on, shaking her head at them. She knows damn well what’s going on here.
The poor girl from before just turns around, ignoring them in annoyance. Which is very fair, honestly.
Before the movie starts, they quickly sit down in the middle of the room. The best seats, staring straight at the screen so no neck pain for them, hell yeah. Nobara plops herself down in the middle seat, grinning menacingly, knowing she’s splitting up the couple, cause there’s NO WAY she’s letting those two get boyfriends before she does.
The two boys reluctantly sit down on either side of her. Megumi hands Yuuji his popcorn, his eyes looking in the opposite direction.
"Thanks."
The lights slowly dim, there's only like 7 other people in the whole room, besides them. The movie starts and it’s honestly not too bad. But that’s only the beginning. As the gory scenes start to roll in, Megumi’s flashbacks begin coming back even worse, feeling nauseous.
Being in a completely dark room, he can’t look at Yuuji for comfort. His chest is hurting with how hard his heart is pounding and he can’t get the images out of his head. One scene is particularly bad… When the mad doctor cuts the man’s chest open and starts pulling out and dissecting his heart. Megumi tears up a bit before slowly moving his arm behind Nobara's seat, gently holding onto yuuji’s shoulder from behind.
At first Yuuji flinches a little but when he realizes it’s Megumi, he simply moves his arm behind the seat as well, grabbing Megumi’s hand softly. He knows what’s happening and he feels terrible, so this is the only way he feels he can truly help. Megumi dries his tears away with his other hand, before giving Yuuji’s hand a squeeze. His heart is pounding again. But this time.. not from fear but from being extremely flustered.
This is amazing, Megumi keeps thinking to himself, now very grateful for the lack of lighting since it makes others unable to see just how red his face is, right now. He can’t focus on anything besides Yuuji’s rough hand’s gentle grips, which squeezes him instinctively at every scary scene. Megumi has to hold back a laugh every time, playing Yuuji’s voice in his head.. "Scary? Ha! It’s nothing to me.” he had said it with so much confidence before they got here.
It’s adorable,
The two of them spent the rest of the movie like that, Nobara is completely unaware. She’s way too busy with grimacing and dramatically looking away at all the horror.
As the credits start rolling, Yuuji gently squeezes Megumi’s hand three times before letting go, and getting ready to go as the light slowly turns back on. Megumi is blushing hard right now. That was the best movie of his entire life, but if you asked him to summarize it, he couldn’t tell you a single thing.
Yuuji walks back out, excitedly rambling to Megumi about the movie, while he just holds back a smile, trying to look annoyed.
“-OH and the CGI! It was so SICKK!!” He continues on.
The corners of megumi’s lips curl up reluctantly. “yeah, it actually was kinda cool.”
Yuuji’s eyes scrunch up as he smiles. “So you liked it?”
-
“I guess, yeah.”
Mere milliseconds after those words left Megumi’s mouth, he feels a pair of strong arms wrap around him. Yuuji laughs and hugs him tightly.
“I knew it!” He exclaims with childish excitement.
Megumi can’t help but smile as Yuuji holds him so casually. And as he instinctively raises his arms to hug him back, he quickly stops himself, pushing him away instead. Yuuji stumbles back, looking mad.
“Yeah yeah, stay out of my space, Itadori.” He mutters in embarrassment, his ears dusted with pinks.
-------------------------
10:46 pm, July 16th
Megumi is alone in the kitchen, grabbing painkillers from the upper cupboards, before bed. He’s still shaking and scared anytime he can’t directly see Yuuji. This fucking sucks. He pops a couple pills, about to flush them down with water. But right as he’s tilting his head under the faucet, he spots a figure in his peripheral vision, it’s so dark that he doesn’t recognize who it is. That’s until the dark figure suddenly opens its mouth and speaks.
“Fushiguro, hey.” Yuuji’s tired voice says softly, careful as to not disturb the others who’re sleeping.
Megumi forces an annoyed face, looking away and drying water from his chin. “Hey, you need something?” he asks in his typical no-nonsense tone.
“No, it’s just…” Yuuji begins, sounding much more nervous than usual. “I wanted to say that if you need it… you can always sleep in my room.”
Megumi’s eyes widen and his entire face goes red as a tomato. God, he’s thankful for the darkness right now. “No no, why would I need that?” he tries to act “It’s just some nightmares, I’ll be fine.”
“Are you 100% sure? I’m worried about you, Fushiguro.” Yuuji says, walking over to him in the dark. “I lo- care about you, dude. I get how hard all of this must’ve been for you. Just tell me if there’s a way for me to help, alright?”
Megumi scoffs performatively. “Stop reading so much into it, I just told you, I’ll be fine.”
Yuuji raises his hand and before Megumi even has the chance to react, he slaps him across the face, with an annoyed face.
"Man! What the hell was that for??” Megumi exclaims in a loud whisper.
“For being a bitch.” Yuuji says immediately. “Stop trying to act cool, I just want to help you!
Megumi balls up his fists “You can’t, okay? Give up. You’re the whole problem!”
Yuuji’s face drops at his harsh words, letting his arms fall. "What..? What do you mean..?”
“If you had just not eaten that damn finger, things would’ve been different! Now I can’t even fucking look away from you for one second without being terrified of losing you again!” He says in a fit of rage and grief, looking at the ground. He barely holds it together as he glances up at Yuuji’s face. He looks destroyed..
They stand there in silence for a couple moments. Both not looking at each other, the pain in the others eyes is simply too much to handle for them.
“Sorry..” Megumi mutters before walking past Yuuji and out of the room.
------------------
01:22 am, July 17th
Yuuji is lying in his room, staring at the bland wooden ceiling. He hasn’t rested his eyes for even a second since that conversation with Megumi. He knows that there is a very big change that he’s hurting right now. A big chance that he’s having those nightmares again but refusing to reach out for help. It’s classic Megumi. Just suffering in silence even though no one would waste a second before jumping in to help him. But he seems to ignore that fact, thinking that he’s undeserving.
Should he check on him? It couldn’t hurt, right?
Yuuji gets dressed quickly and sneaks carefully into the hallway. The crappy floorboards creak under his feet as he quietly walks toward Megumi’s room. He opens the door to see how the pale moonlight pours in through the windows, bathing Megumi’s pained face in the light. He’s not sleeping peacefully, much more the opposite actually. He shakes, flinches, twists and turns in his sleep, and there’s a dried tear staining his cheek.
Yuuji glances at his body, realizing that he’s actually never really seen him without his uniform or something adjacent. But unfortunately he also realizes the most likely reason. Megumi’s body is covered in scars. Deep cuts. Yuuji has to cover his mouth as he sees them, tearing up.
This is a very intense sight. Seeing him having nightmares so bad that he’s crying and flinching in his sleep, the pills on his nightstand and the deep self-inflicted wounds covering his body. Why can’t this boy just ask for help?
Yuuji carefully lays down next to him, holding his hand softly in a desperate attempt at easing his pain. He quietly whispers “It’ll be okay… I promise.” Megumi doesn’t wake up, thankfully, but he stops moving as much, seemingly his subconscious is slowly calming down. Yuuji smiles to himself through the tears.
“I love you, Fushiguro.” He takes the chance to whisper quietly, now that he can’t hear. It feels like a heavy weight being lifted off his chest, to finally say it outloud. Oh, how he wishes he could tell him for real…
He throws his eyes around the room. Looking from the door, he’d always thought it looked pretty neat in here, but from this view, he can look right through the facade. It’s filthy in here, everything has just been pushed out of sight.. There’s empty cans scattered about, dirty clothes in small piles, used food trays and worst of all a bloody razor blade on his floor next to the bed.
Yuuji turns, laying on his side looking directly at Megumi, who’s still shaking in his sleep, it’s a heartbreaking sight but at least he’s here. Yuuji lays there silently, studying every part of his face. His dark long eyelashes look so pretty like this, with his eyes all relaxed, and his lips are slightly parted as he breathes in and out heavily.
A small 30 minutes pass before Yuuji remembers that he should probably leave before he actually falls asleep and makes the same mistake Megumi did. He ever so slowly gets up from the bed, looking longingly back at Megumi before sneaking back into his own room.
----------------------
08.00, august 6th
Megumi stares at the classroom wall as Nobara and Yuuji chat, excited as always. These past couple weeks have been pretty bland, just mission after mission, he’s still sleeping quite badly too.. everything just sucks as of late.
He zones out and his dark eyes go matte with fatigue. Everything is awfully quiet but at the same time ear piercingly loud. He can hear every pulse of his heart, every rustle of leaves and every laughing voice coming from his friends. Are they his friends, though? They all just feel like empty shells of the people they once were.. Even Yuuji’s stupid smile can’t make him feel anything other than pain, and every time Satoru opens his mouth, Megumi gets pissed off.
He’s still mad about his lies.. His mind can’t even fathom how he didn’t at least hint at it. Just hint that Yuuji was alive, instead of watching him suffer in silence. Because of course Satoru knew how he felt, Megumi knows that too. He and Yuuji have always had this weird power to see right through him, to see how he actually feels. But that just makes it sting so much worse that they didn’t help him.
Yuuji had his phone number, for fuck sake! He could’ve just lied, and texted him anyway. Megumi thinks before scoffing quietly. No he couldn’t. Yuuji can’t lie, it seems to be physically impossible for that idiot, every time he tries it just goes horribly wrong. Cute.
Megumi then feels a warm sensation on his neck. It’s Yuuji’s hot breath, gently hitting his skin.
"Pssst, Fushiguro! Earth to Fushiguro!” Yuuji whisper-yells into his ear.
Megumi pushes him away, grabbing him by the hood. “What do you want?” he asks before looking fully around and realizing that all the other students are looking at him, including the second- and thirdyears. His eyes widen slightly and he quickly lets go of Yuuji, shoving him off, scoffing and looking away with a light dust of pink on his cheeks.
“We’re going to a party tonight. All of us. You coming?” Maki asks in her typical harsh tone. A tone that seems to run deep in the Zenin family.
Megumi looks at her and the others through tired eyes, shrugging “What for?”
They all roll their eyes a bit, knowing he’d say that.
“Not everything has to have a reason, you know?” Maki sneers “Also, I’m changing my statement. We’re going to a party tonight and you’re coming. No excuses, Fushiguro.”
“Sure, whatever.”
The other students celebrate the winover briefly, laughing. They managed to get Megumi “Not Tonight” Fushiguro to go to a party with them, that’s something worthy of a trophy.
Yuuji hits his shoulder and grins “Hell yeah! I knew we could win you over.”
“Yeah, yeah but just leave me alone until then, I need to charge.” Megumi grumbles, acting like he doesn’t want the exact opposite.
“Aye aye!” Yuuji says with a salute, solely to annoy him.
-----------------------
04:34 pm, august 6th
Yuuji knocks on Megumi’s door, he’s been in there all day, now and he’s getting a bit worried. After seeing the real state of his situation, Yuuji's been very affected, constantly fearing for his bestfriend’s wellbeing.
“Fushiguro! Hey, can I come in?”
He hears rustling in there and the sounds of metal hitting metal. And all he can do is hope that it’s not what he thinks it is.
“No, give me a second.” Megumi grumbles through the door, sounding a bit off. “Come in..”
Yuuji opens the door with a forced grin that Megumi sees right through, it’s not just verbally that he’s a bad liar. “Hey, man! Just wanted to know what you’re wearing for the party tonight?” he asks, looking at megumi, who’s just laying on his bed with one headphone in his ear. Yuji tilts his head in curiosity.
“No idea. Haven't given it much thought.” Megumi says nonchalantly, not even looking at Yuuji. But that’s a straight up lie. He’s spent at least an hour today trying to figure out what to wear that won’t show his skin. His worst nightmare is that people find out, especially Yuuji.. If Yuuji found out… he doesn’t know if he could ever show his face to him again.
Yuuji pouts a bit in disappointment, he’d been looking forward to it. “Damn, really?”
Megumi nods casually “how about you?” he asks, trying to sound indifferent but he’s actually really curious.
“Me? Oh yeah, I know! I’m just wearing jeans and a hoodie.” Yuuji explains with a smile. “Want me to help pick for you?”
“Actually that’d be okay..” Megumi gives him tired nods, finding him kinda adorable.
Yuuji grins “I’ll make you the best looking guy in there!” he says with full confidence before starting to look through his closet. He wants to make sure to only pick skin covering pieces, to help Megumi as best as he can.
Megumi lets out a soft laugh, disguising it as a cough. “Thanks, man.”
After a few minutes, Yuuji has thrown together a simple outfit consisting of a grey undershirt, a black Weezer tee and a pair of dark jeans. It’s actually not too bad.
“Tadaa!! What do you say? It’s the pinnacle of fashion, right?” Yuuji asks, hands on his hips in pride.
“Not too bad, Itadori.. I can tolerate it.”
“TOLERATE IT?? What do you mean you can tolerate it?? This outfit is the hottest you’ll ever look, and it’s all me!” Yuuji yells in defense, but looking at Megumi's horrified face (*Flustered*. He's flustered, Yuuji is just kind of dumb), he immediately back tracks, throwing his arms around in defense. “Obviously I didn’t mean it like that!! It was just like a bro to bro thing, ya know?”
Megumi laughs a little, not being able to hold it in. “I know, dude, I know. No need to get defensive.” He covers his face as casually as possible.
Yuuji laughs as well, feeling embarrassed. “What would you have done if it wasn’t?” He asks back, disguised as a joke.
Megumi goes beet red, and shakes his head, pretending not to be affected at all. “What the hell is that question??” he asks back with a faked laugh, avoiding the question.
“I don't know, it just came out, guess I was curious!” Yuuji replies also laughing. And that’s when it hits him that this is the first time he’s seen Megumi laugh since everything happened. “But good to see you laugh at my idiocy! I don't often get to see you smile, fushiguro!”
Megumi chuckles nervously, “Can’t blame me for laughing at this shit. You’re a dumbass.” He responds, again just avoiding the heavy part. He can’t stand being vulnerable. Being weak and defenseless. So if he just dodges his feelings, he can’t let it show.
“Yeah yeah, fuck you!”
Oh, how Yuuji missed this. He missed having an actual fun conversation with Megumi. Just this. Sitting in his room and laughing… Genuine laughs. Not laughs forced through a wall of pain. Genuine, real laughs. His heart is hammering against his ribs. Why did he even ask that question earlier? As if there’s even the slightest chance of his love being reciprocated! What was the goal with asking that? Megumi is constantly getting hit on by girls, so there’s no shot he’s not straight as a ruler.
---------------------------
09:53 pm, august 6th
The Students have all snuck out and taken the bus to central Tokyo, where they walk to the place where some friends of friends are throwing a big party.
Yuuji and Megumi are the last to walk in, looking around the room, loud music blasting through speakers. Megumi sighs, he’s wearing the fit that Yuuji picked out, and he does in fact look pretty great. Yuuji clearly knew what he was doing. Or maybe he just knew what he’s into…
Even Yuuji seems to be a bit overwhelmed when they enter the room. “Wa-ow, that’s a lot of people…”
Megumi nods in clear agreement. “Too many people.” He adds, in slight annoyance.. He had no idea that there would be this many at the party. He hates big crowds, and especially with the loud music and alcohol, this is his worst nightmare.
But it’s not like he can back out now. He’s shaking a bit as he steps in..
Yuuji follows with a smile. “Are you good?” He suddenly asks, his voice soft but just loud enough to be heard over the deafening music.. “You’re shaking”
“Yeah, yeah. Just not good with crowds.” Megumi blurts out, normally he’d never admit something like that but Yuuji made him completely forget to be tough.
Yuuji puts a hand on his shoulder. “Do your best, Fushiguro. I can go home with you if it gets too much.” He offers kindly, tilting his head to the side with a warm smile.
“Sure. Whatever, I’ll be fine, don’t treat me like a kid.” Megumi sneers and looks away.
As he does so, Yuuji rolls his eyes a bit before hurrying over to the others, pulling Megumi with him by his sleeve.
"Itadori! Fushiguro! Good to see you!” Nobara exclaims with a drink in hand, smiling.
Yuuji waves “Heyyyy!!”
The night carries out to be loud and wild.. At least for most. Yuuji and everyone else go onto the floor, dancing and having fun. It’s pretty intense, and Yuuji is making lots of new friends. What superpower is that boy has, that gives him the ability to make friends so quickly? That’s something Megumi will never understand. And it works on him too, clearly. Weird.
Megumi is left alone without anyone realizing, not even Yuuji. Not that he cares of course, it’s just… interesting. In a lone corner furthest away from everyone, Megumi stands with a cheap dark beer. It’s not good. Pretty bland, actually, but it’s the only thing keeping him going. This sucks so bad. He stands there alone and watches Yuuji jump around with everyone. Part of him wishes that he was strong enough to join them but no. No, absolutely not.
He feels his heartbeat start to spike, slamming against his ribs as he slowly feels his throat tighten up. Not now. Please, not right now. He closes his eyes and lets himself sink to the floor, hoping that people are too focused on partying to even notice him. He tries to breathe slowly but it’s hard. It's so hard.
Everything is spinning and spinning. He feels like he’s going to puke and his lungs continue to shrink until he nearly can’t breathe. He gasps for air and the tears in his dark eyes threaten to spill at any moment.
“Hey, what’s going on??” Yuuji’s voice echos through all the noise.
Megumi waves him away and continues to shake as he tries to breathe.
“Don't try that shit with me, I ain’t dumb.” Yuuji says and slowly helps him up, but his legs are weak.
"No no, don’t..”
“We’re going home, Fushiguro.” His voice is firm but comforting.
Megumi stumbles onto his feet again, still shaking and panicked. “No, I’m fine, seriously, please go back to having fun with everyone else. I’m not worth your time.” He desperately tries to sound convincing and normal.
Yuuji tilts his head down a bit, looking at Megumi like he’s dumb. “Shut up.” He says simply before grabbing his hand and getting him out of there. “I was starting to get bored anyway.”
Megumi accepts his fate, embarrassed, but he lets Yuuji lead him to the bus stop. As they walk he subconsciously tightens his grip on Yuuji’s hand, longing for the touch. The city lights paint his face in the most beautiful way that makes Megumi unable to take his eyes off of him.. And as he watches him closely, his mind starts wandering.
"Thanks.." Megumi mumbles as they stand at the bus stop, waiting for a ride.
Yuuji turns to him with a slight smile, making a confused expression. “Huh? Can’t hear you”
“I said thank you.”
“HUH?”
“Tha- you can hear me, can’t you?” Megumi's face drops even more.
Yuuji grins proudly “You bet I can.”
“I hate you.”
“No you don’t.”
“I do, stop talking back!” Megumi grabs his shoulder roughly, yelling in his face, making Yuji nod and apologize dramatically. “Idiot.”
“Seriously though! Do you actually hate me?” Yuuji asks a bit nervously, but still plays it off with confidence.
“Yeah, No shit.” Megumi rolls his eyes, pausing for a second “Well… I don’t particularly hate you..” He admits more quietly.
“I knew it!”
“That doesn’t mean I like you!” Megumi barks up in defense.
Yuuji doesn’t reply, he just smiles to himself, and a second later the bus rolls in front of them.
The bus ride is long and quiet. They’re both just staring out the window, thinking about each other but both convinced that their love is unreciprocated. Megumi puts in one of his headphones before quietly offering Yuuji the other piece. Yuuji holds his breath as he puts it in his ear, being met by Megumi’s rock music. It may not be his personal favorite but he smiles regardless, liking the feeling of sharing music together.
They watch all the bright lights throughout Tokyo’s moonlit streets, pass them by as the music continues to play through both their ears. Megumi tries to hold his breath steady, this time not because he’s anxious but simply because he’s flustered.
He gently traces his fingers over the seat, searching for Yuuji’s rough hand. Their fingers meet, gracing
each other. They both blush, looking in opposite directions, as Megumi softly wraps his fingers around his hand, just holding it still, with the utmost care.
Yuuji’s heart starts pounding faster and he covers his face with his free hand. He tells himself that it must just be a result of the alcohol that Megumi drank earlier, but deep inside his heart he knows that’s just an excuse. He returns the gesture, holding his hand back gently.
They sit like that for the whole bus ride and don’t say a single word to each other the whole rest of the night.
----------------------------------------
06:57 am, August 7th
Megumi gets up early as usual to get his coffee. This night was one of the longest he’s ever experienced, minutes felt like hours as he laid awake, thinking about that busride. 40 long, amazing minutes, holding Yuuji’s hand and looking out into the night. It was perfect. So perfect in fact, that he hasn’t been able to stop thinking about it, it’s driving him mental.
He throws his legs lazily out of his comfy bed, sitting there on the edge before starting to laugh like a madman. It’s completely uncontrollable, joyfilled laughter, escaping his cracking lips and filling the room, as he bends over his legs, bouncing his feet. He’s overjoyed, so much that it’s starting to hurt his chest. Just the thought that there’s even a slight chance Yuuji could love him back, is making him lose it.
The normally cold and nonchalant Megumi giggles like a little kid for at least a full minute before managing to compel himself as he puts on a pair of pants. He pulls a sweatshirt over his head as he’s walking to the kitchen, floorboards creaking in the quiet summer morning and early sunlight shining through the large windows.
He stands in the naturally lit kitchen, bathed in the warm light, as his coffee finally finishes brewing. The hot mug is carried with care in his twitchy hands, all the way out under a large tree in a field close to the school. He sits, leaning flush against the old bark, glancing between the damp grass that’s yet to be dried by the sun, and the soft swirls of steam floating up from his scolding hot coffee. It’s nearly the perfect morning. Nearly.
“Hey, Fushiguro!” Yuuji’s warm energetic voice bleeds through all of Megumi's senses.
“Oh, hey.” Megumi greets him quietly, giving him a subtle but rare smile. It’s the perfect morning.
Yuuji smiles widely and plops down next to him. “Nice spot.”
“Yeah, it’s nice, huh?”
“It’s great!” Yuuji’s voice cracks and he flushes and they both just stare awkwardly into nothing.
“Th-thanks”
“y-”
“...”
“.....”
“.......”
“so-” x2
“...”
"You go first-”
“No, no you go-”
Yuuji takes a deep breath, exhaling with a nervous chuckle.
“I was just wondering…” He pauses. “Last night on the bus.. were you drunk or was that, right, just.. you know…?”
Megumi’s eyes widen in surprise, he starts scratching his arm nervously. He really doesn’t wanna mess this up. This could make or break everything.
“I- uhm.. Well, what do you want to be true?” He asks slowly, glancing at Yuuji’s hands to his eyes.
They sit in silence, just staring at each other awkwardly. Hands rub arms and fingers start fidgeting, they’re both so nervous.
“Ita- Yuuji, do you remember the first time we met?”
Yuuji’s eyes widen immediately as Megumi uses his given name for the first time. “I- uh, yeah. Yeah, I do. Why?”
“Did you ever wonder why I asked for there to be an exception just for you? Why I didn’t execute you on the spot for eating that stupid finger?” Megumi asks, looking away, plucking out bits of grass from the ground.
“I thought it was just to use my body as a vessel for Sukuna’s fingers, right?”
“Oh it was… Partly..”
“Partly?-”
“Yuuji, ever since the day I first saw you, I’ve loved you. I don’t know why and I don’t know how. I don’t fall in love. This was never normal. But I guess… neither are you. Even though I'd only known you for less than a day, I couldn’t let you die, I must’ve grown attached, I suppose.” Megumi speaks softly, being completely vulnerable. This is incredibly out of character for him, so much that it shocks Yuuji as well.
He continues, eyes glistening as he forces back tears, speaking fast as a result of the nerves. “Seeing you die is the worst thing that ever happened to me, I still see the gory scene every time I close my eyes. I can’t stand not being with you. I’m terrified of losing you again, so much so that I feel like I can’t let you out of sight. There’s a big chance that this will make you hate me or think I’m a weirdo. It’s understandable, I would too but just please give me a chance-”
He’s cut off by a warm feeling filling his whole body, something soft pressing against his lips and a gentle hand on the back of his head, gripping his messy hair. His eyes widen before falling shut as he melts into the kiss, cupping Yuji’s face with careful hands.
The kiss carries on, gentle and full of love as they sit under the crown of the large tree above. But then Yuuji breaks for air, with that stupid but amazing smile of his playing on his face, laughing softly “You fucking dumbass.” He insults lightheartedly.
Megumi’s stern look returns “What do you mean dumbass?? I was being vulnerable, you dick!”
“There he is!! Good ol’ pissed off Megumi.” Yuuji laughs and teases.
“Oh, why did it have to be you..?” Megumi groans and puts his head in his hands.
A satisfied grin spreads over Yuuji’s face before he puts a hand in Megumi’s hair.. “I love you.”
There they were. The three sacred words he’d been dreaming of saying ever since he got to meet Megumi. That same Megumi who is now red as blood behind his hands, hiding a smile.
“I-... I love you too, Yuuji. More than you could imagine." He says back, immediately cringing at himself out and shaking his head while looking down.
“Awwww, you’re so bad at this.” Yuuji holds back a laugh as he teases him relentlessly. It’s true, though, Megumi is horrible at affection.
He glares at Yuuji before scolding him “Stop making fun of me when I'm being vulnerable, god damn it!!” He says it very harshly, but deep down it’s very lighthearted and Yuuji knows, so he just rests his chin in his palm and smiles.
“Nah, hell no. I take the confession back! I hate you.” Megumi says and squints his eyes.
“NOOO!!!” Yuuji jokingly falls forward to beg, making Megumi break out in laughter.
As Yuuji almost instantly falls into the chaotic chackling, he tackles Megumi making them both tumble into the tall uncut grass around the tree. They start playfighting dramatically in the field, rolling around and exchanging quick teasing kisses. They of course think the overgrown, long grass around them is hiding everything… But not when the person spotting them has 6 eyes.
Satoru stands a little away, smiling to himself as he watches the two newly fallen lovebirds throwing each other around in the grass. I knew it. He thinks proudly, very pleased with himself for figuring out such an intense mystery. He can’t help but laugh a little as he sees Megumi's head poking up from the grass and falling back in pain, followed by Yuuji, sticking his head up with a horrified look on his face as he starts apologizing way too seriously.
They're adorable, both of them. He knows he shouldn’t snoop on them, but something about them and their relationship is just incredibly healing to him. Or at least it helps fill up the gaping, Suguru-shaped hole in his chest. It shouldn’t and he wishes it didn’t, cause the implications there are horrible, but it does. It really does, every little part of it. He loves them both way too much. As a teacher and as a father, a proud one of both.
--------------------------------
09:17 pm, August 7th
Yuuji walks through the door to Megumi’s room, completely battered and bruised. He had just now returned from a mission that took an unexpected turn; there was an unregistered special grade at the location. He just managed to survive and hold the curse back until The Satoru Gojo could be alerted and come to help. Everything turned out fine, but as a result of being unprepared, Yuuji had taken some pretty hefty blows. This had been supposed to be an easy job and he was already not that focused, so the Special grade had gotten off to a very good start with him.
But Megumi didn’t know this so he immediately gets up, holding Yuuji’s shoulders firmly. “Yuuji! Shit, are you okay?” He asks in slight panic, voice filled with the utmost genuine concern.
“I’m fine, don’t you worry!” Yuuji says with a weakened laugh. “The job took a turn. There was an unregistered special grade there that we hadn’t been aware of.”
Megumi looks horrified at the idea of Yuuji getting into danger. “How did no one know? Is everyone safe?”
"Calm down, Megumi. I only got a little scuffed, Gojo handled the rest. It's okay.” Yuuji looks amused at Megumi’s reaction. He seems so much more real now.. Confessing must’ve really taken a weight off of his shoulders. Either way Yuuji is happier than ever, it feels so nice to just be sure. Though, looking back now, neither of them truly understand how this didn’t happen earlier, it was always painfully obvious.
“Sorry, you scared me. Just walking in all beat up, how’d you expect me to react??”
“Why’d you think I came in here, jackass?”
“Oh so you’re just straight up evil? Alright, got it.”
Yuuji laughs and Megumi’s mouth twitches as he holds back a frighteningly persistent smile, threatening to shine through.
-------------------------------
07:14 am, October 21st
Megumi is at his usual spot, sitting beneath the large, now orange, tree in the field, listening to music. With a mug filled with hot, freshly brewed black coffee, held firmly in his hands, he sits and stares. Anytime he finds himself here now his mind wanders to that morning over a month ago, that perfect morning…
This past time after he and Yuuji found each other and eventually got together has been the best time of his entire life. After growing up completely cut off from his emotions, rarely ever smiling.. This feeling is insane. He’s constantly smiling and laughing when he’s around Yuuji, it’s almost bizarre… he can’t truly recognize himself anymore. How can someone like that idiot flip his whole life upside down like this? He always did hear people talking about the powers of love, and all that gnarly crap. He’d never believed in any of that before now, not before meeting Yuuji, seeing his dumb bright smile light up everything around him..
He really is something else… Yuuji Itadori.
Megumi takes a sip from his mug, letting the steam hit his face like a warm embrace, as the catchy riff of his favorite Weezer song plays, finishing off the setting perfectly. Music occupies his busy mind, as he drums on the ground with his feet while bobbing his head in satisfaction. This is exactly what a great morning looks like to him, early fall, no stressing conversations, no one there to judge. Just good music, good coffee and a good spot. He looks up at the tree crown calmly before gently closing his eyes, just becoming one with the music.
Then a familiar sensation fills his senses, a known figure gently leaning against his side.. The boy stays quiet so as to not ruin Megumi’s moment, simply resting his head on his shoulder. Megumi smiles to himself and puts an arm around the other boy, who closes his eyes calmly.
“Hey, Yuuji.” Whispers Megumi against his forehead, brushing his lips against the skin and adjusting himself to make it more comfortable for the other party.
Yuuji smiles and just settles quietly against him, feeling free to not have to act all happy and energetic around Megumi compared to everyone else. “Hey…” He mumbles, seeming fatigued.
"You okay? You look like you haven’t slept in years.” Megumi says back quietly to tease him, lifting up his head with a finger.
“Yeah might as well not have… I couldn’t sleep, I didn’t get a single closed eye all night.”
“Damn, well I feel for you, but why didn’t you just come join me like usual?”
“I didn’t wanna bother you.” Yuuji admits, resting his tired head on Megumi’s shoulder once again.
"Ah come on. That’s not fair.”
“What?”
“Insinuating that I wouldn’t like for you to spend the night? I’m not a monster, man.” Megumi laughs softly to himself.
“Yeah, Yeah.. Let me be insecure for a second. I need to be humbled anyway.” Yuuji mutters the last part as he looks up at the tree crown longingly. “I always feel like I wanna crawl up there… I think about it every time we sit here..”
Megumi tilts his head looking at him. “Then why don’t you?”
“Just- it’s probably not that good if you didn’t like it”
“If I didn’t like it? What?-”
“Well you must’ve climbed it before, you’re here all the time.” Yuuji says like it’s common sense. “If it was good, that’s where you would be sitting instead of here.”
Megumi looks at him with an eyebrow raised in confusion. “Do I look like the treeclimbing type?”
“I mean… yeah. Kinda. It does give, like, the emo vibes, right?”
“I’m not emo, though?”
"Really?" Yuuji asks in an almost disappointed tone.
“Obviously not!” Megumi barks back.
“So, what are you listening to currently?”
“Linkin Pa-”
“So you’re emo.”
“Linkin Park is not e-” Megumi tries to protest.
“Sure it isn’t” Yuuji rolls his eyes with a smirk.
“Y-”
"Suree"
“It’s not e-!”
“SUREE…!”
“Fuck you.” Megumi mutters and looks off.
“I love you~.” Yuuji says in a sing-songy tone after him.
“I love you too..” Megumi grumbles as Yuuji directs his head back and kisses him. The stubborn black haired boy can’t help but melt into it, kissing him back as he gently situates a hand in his annoying boyfriend’s pink hair.
They sit there for a moment, smiling against the other party's lips and giggling. Their relationship is still a complete secret to everyone else (with the sole exception of Satoru Gojo, but they don’t know that), and it’s been hard, keeping up the facade at all times and not being able to show affection. So it’s moments like this that keep them going, sitting in secret and kissing under the large tree, as fall slowly fades the colors away.
Yuuji suddenly sits up, looking stunned.
“Shit, how’d I forget!” He exclaims in embarrassment. “I came out here to tell you that we’re going pumpkin carving since Halloween's coming up! I must’ve forgotten the second I got here, damn it.”
Megumi looks at him a second before starting to laugh, which he tries to muffle with his hand. “Oh no, how horrible.” He says in a monotone voice to mock Yuuji’s overreaction to forgetting something so simple.
Yuuji slaps him, not hard but just to get the point across. “I’m panicking here!”
“I get that, but calm down, no one died.”
“Oh but someone will, if you don’t stop patronizing me!”
Megumi looks smug. “Yuuji, what does ‘patronizing’ mean?”
Yuuji’s eyes widen as he gets called out on the new word he just learned. He scratches the back of his head nervously. “It’s like… being mean..?”
Megumi looks at him with lighthearted judgemental eyes, finding his attempt at sounding academic cute. Yuuji looks pissed now.
“Sorry, that was patronizing of me.” He apologizes teasingly before speaking genuinely, “When is it?”
-------------------------
03:20 pm, October 21st
Satoru is driving to the pumpkin patch with the first years, chatting on and on, just being a nuisance (as always). He grins giving Megumi, who’s sitting silently in the passenger seat, a light nudge. “So, what’re you carving, kid?”
“A pumpkin.” He replies… Smartass.
“Ha ha, funny. Grow up. What’re you two carving then?” He asks, redirecting his attention onto Yuuji and Nobara.
“Oh, I don’t think I've thought about that yet! Probably just a classic face… maybe?” Yuuji responds completely genuinely, scratching his neck.. He’s really excited, and it shows.
Nobara nods in agreement. “Same, I was considering carving a cat, though.”
A few minutes later, they’ve arrived at the pumpkin patch. Yuuji and Megumi are walking through the field together, behind Satoru and Nobara, subtly having their little fingers wrapped together. The soft breeze hits Megumi’s face as he walks on wobbly knees, holding back a smile, he’s so head over heels, it’s almost pathetic at this point..
“That one's nice, right?” Yuuji asks, pointing at a big smooth pumpkin. His face is lit up, smiling like a little kid.
Megumi looks at him with an amused expression, though with loving eyes. “A bit big, isn’t it?” He asks, judgingly.
“Boring.”
“Just being realistic, dude.”
"Well, stop that.” Yuuji jokingly sneers.
They shove each other a bit, playfully. Megumi ruffles his hair aggressively, while mocking him in a lighthearted tone.
Nobara nudges Satoru with her elbow to get his attention.”Have you noticed their fingers?”
He laughs a bit and nods “Oh I’ve noticed much more than just the fingers.”
“Oh so I’m not the only one that figured it out?” She asks in amusement.
Satoru shakes his head “Yeahh, they’re not slick about it..”
They both look back at the two boys who’re still teasing each other and nearly holding hands. They clearly think that they’re being subtle and no one knows, but they’re far from correct. Both of the observers laugh with each other, enjoying the obliviousness of the two lovebirds.
“So... How’d you figure it out, Gojo-sensei?” Nobara asks curiously.
++
Satoru laughs even more, thinking back. “I knew it from the second I first saw them together. Megumi was immediately acting weird, but it was confirmed when he pulled the whole ‘I don’t want him dead. For personal reasons’ thing.”
She chuckles before telling her own story “You know the day they and I went to the movies? Itadori and I saw Fushiguro unknowingly get hit on, and Itadori’s fists were turning WHITE as he watched in pure jealousy. -Before he ran over and clung dramatically onto Fushiguro to scare her off.”
Nobara and Satoru laugh hysterically and share stories, meanwhile Yuuji and Megumi have now picked out two pumpkins. Two of which Megumi is now caring, stacked on top of each other, as he holds onto the top with his chin. He’s struggling, but he’d never admit that to Yuuji.
“I think we did pretty good!” Yuuji says proudly, skipping beside the pressed Megumi.
“Yeah, me too-” He manages to reply, completely focused on not dropping the beforementioned pumpkins.
Yuuji chuckles, looking at him. “You need some help there?”
“No, I’m fine.” Megumi grumbles, stubbornly.
Yuji ignores him fully, taking the top pumpkin and holding it himself. He lays his head lazily on Megumi's shoulder as he laughs. “That was pathetic.”
“What?? I can’t help you now??” Megumi asks back angrily.
“And I can’t help you, when you clearly need it?”
Megumi rolls his eyes, his cheeks flushing with light shades of pink.
Satoru turns around and waves them over, a knowing smile spreading across his face.
“Come on, let's carve ‘em!” He calls out. “And whatchu blushing over, Megumi?!”
Barking back at him, Megumi yells “I was not fucking blushing, get it together!!”
Yuuji holds back a laugh as they catch up to the two others.
“Sure you weren’t..” Satoru mutters before raising his voice again. “Yuuji! You ready?!”
“Sir, yes, sir!!” Yuuji jumps into a salute, bowing dramatically.
Laughs spread through the group, even infecting Megumi, who tries his hardest to suppress it.
The carving stations are flooded with people. Friends, couples, first time parents with their kids, grown families, fakes and loyal people.. Satoru is grimacing as he scrapes the pumpkin meat out, and Yuuji is just happy as always, doing his best. It’s cliché, but he truly is like the human version of a golden retriever.. There’s always a happy smile on his face, he’s never cruel, and just grateful for even the smallest of things. Those traits are definitely what attracted Megumi in the first place, but they also place him a simmering threat. What if Yuuji doesn’t actually love him? He might just be content with what he managed to pull, and is now subconsciously tricking his own brain into thinking that he is into Megumi! (Stop stretching, Fushiguro…)
Megumi watches as Yuuji carefully stabs the poor, helpless pumpkin over and over, biting his lip in concentration. He has fully focused his entire brain into this project, it’s quite the amusing sight. There’s clearly not a single thing going on in his mind besides Pumpkin. A soft laugh threatens to escape Megumi's pressed shut mouth as Yuuji starts swearing in a whisper, trying so hard to get a perfect line.
“It’s not life or death, you know?” Megumi digs at him.
Yuuji doesn’t even answer, way too focused on his work, simply putting a finger up against Megumi’s lips to make him stay silent.
As he feels Yuuji’s fingers against his own skin, Megumi’s mind goes blank for a quick second before he rips his head away. “Stop that!”
Satoru and Nobara laugh at them, not even trying to hide it at this point.
“So... Itadori, Megumi.. When’s the wedding?” Satoru asks, teasing them without any remorse.
The two boys freeze in place and slowly stand upright.
“What do y-” Yuuji tries to lie but is cut off by Megumi before he can do any damage.
“Huh?” The black haired boy asks in a judgemental tone.
Nobara jumps onto Satoru’s game. “You two. You didn’t think we’re that dumb, right?” She asks in amusement.
“What? We’re not together!”
“She didn’t say that! So why are you defending yourself already, huh? Got something to tell me, Megumi?” Satoru asks with a smug expression. They’re caught.
Megumi is about to start yelling, when Yuuji kisses his cheek quickly, glaring back at Nobara and Satoru. “What’s it to you?!”
They all burst out laughing as Megumi lets his head hit the table with a thonk, covering his face.
Yuuji shakes his shoulders with a cackle. “Come on, they can know!”
“Not like there’s any undoing that now, anyway.” Megumi grumbles into the hardwood table. He wants the earth beneath them to swallow him whole. With all these non-sorceres around he can’t even hide in a shadow.
“You two make a cute couple, Megumi.” Satoru says more sincerely, messing up the boy’s hair even more. He gives him a warm smile. “It makes me happier than you could ever know. And it’s not like I didn’t know already.. I’ve always known.”
Megumi looks up, shocked by Satoru’s actual, genuine words. It’s not often he’s serious like this.. “Are you making fun of me?”
Satoru chuckles a bit. “Nah, I’m not that bad.” He stands up and walks to the other side of the table, giving Megumi a tight hug. He doesn’t say anything, he just pulls him close and is now embracing him, with a comforting hand settled on his back.
“Wha-” Megumi raises his arms about to shove him off and yell.. But before he can they go limp, hands dropping to his sides as he melts into Satoru’s arms, accepting his fate.
“I support you no matter what, kiddo, remember that.” Satoru says genuinely with a fatherly smile. “Now let’s finish the pumpkins, gaybo!” He sits him down aggressively, giving each of the boys a hard pat on their heads, both letting out a surprised yelp and instinctively taking themselves to the head in non-existent pain.
The white haired man laughs in satisfaction, hoping to give Megumi and Yuuji the support, reassurance and comfort that he never got himself. It’s far too late for Satoru, but if he can at least save these two morons, that’s all that matters to him.
-----------------------------------
To be continued… (Thank you so much for reading)