Chapter Text
“Fushiguro!”
Megumi stood in the courtyard, turning his head to see a pink blur approaching him at a concerning speed. Yuuji, seemingly in a rush, was in front of Megumi before he could even utter a response. He blinked and took in Yuuji’s excited form, nearly vibrating where he stood.
“Gojo-sensei said you can make a clone of yourself now! Can I see?”
Said teacher made his way over to them at a leisurely pace, blindfold on paired with a self-satisfied grin. “That’s right Yuuji-kun! Our Megumi here has been working extra hard training on his own for a while now. I’m pretty sure he even has some secret projects he hasn’t shared yet.”
Megumi shot a glare at Gojo but did not refute those statements. He sighed before explaining, “The clones are still a work in progress. Their forms don’t stay long.”
Yuuji was still looking at Megumi with expectant eyes that nearly blinded him. Megumi felt the discomfort build in his stomach, mouth failing to offer words of rejection. A grumble escaped him as he grunted out a quick, “follow me”. With no hesitation, Yuuji followed him to what seemed to be a less used training room accented with a wall of mirrors.
Yuuji cocked his head as he took in the layout of the room.
“Why are there mirrors? To help your form?”
Megumi settled in the middle of the room, casting a glance back at Yuuji. “In a way. The technique I’m practicing requires me to replicate myself so having a visual aid is helpful.”
Yuuji hummed and nodded. “I guess that makes sense. The mirrors make it feel like a dance studio.” There was a pause before Yuuji continued, “Was this room always set up like this?”
Megumi coughed, shifting his body away from the mirrors.
In lieu of an answer, Megumi dryly said, “Do you want to see or not?”
Yuuji excitedly raised his hand and quickly sat down like a child waiting to be called on by a teacher. Megumi could almost see a tail wagging and perky ears on him if he looked close enough.
Collecting himself, Megumi murmured quietly as his hands settled into a familiar form. The shadows around his feet expanded into a pool with ripples across the surface like black water as if someone stomped in a puddle. The water splashed upwards, continuing to grow before morphing into a humanoid shape.
By the time Yuuji blinked again, there was a shadowy form standing next to Megumi. The outline was Megumi to a tee but the shadowy form lacked Megumi’s facial features and complexion.
“Whoa, it’s like you brought your shadow to life straight from the ground!”
“... I did.”
Yuuji responded with a grin before getting up to walk towards the shadow Megumi. He circled around it, little oohs and ahs as he poked different areas. Megumi had mixed feelings seeing Yuuji closely investigate his shadowy form. It’s as if he felt Yuuji’s phantom touch on himself, which was a very dangerous thought process to go down.
“There’s a cold feeling when you touch it”, Yuuji commented. Right as he said that, his finger phased through where Megumi’s heart would be. Surprised, he looked over at Megumi for an explanation.
In that moment, Megumi felt hyper aware of his own heartbeat loud in his ears. A moment of silence passed before Megumi settled his thoughts, “Like I said, it’s a work in progress so they don’t stay tangible long. The goal is for them to be able to mimic me completely and be out for however long is needed.”
“Is the process different from when you summon your shikigami?”
Megumi nodded, “The flow of energy and where I’m pulling from is different than when I summon my shikigami. This requires more intentional focus when manipulating the form emerging from the shadows.”
“Hence why the mirrors here would be helpful in speeding up the process for Megumi-kun to get his shadow clone down!”
Gojo’s voice filled the room as he leaned against the doorway, startling them. Megumi twitched, quickly dispelling his shadow with a bad feeling creeping up again.
“Ne Yuuji-kun, wanna hear the story behind this room getting the mirrors?”
“Oh right! Fushiguro didn’t answer my question earlier!”
“It’s not an interesting story”, Megumi said before grabbing Yuuji’s hoodie, briskly dragging him out the room.
“Hey! Fushiguro, where are we going?” Yuji asked while grabbing at his own hoodie.
“To spar.”
“I can walk there just fine!”
Megumi ignored him, determined to keep Yuuji from looking at his face until it cooled down. He felt his ears heat up once he sensed Gojo wanting to bring up embarrassing old memories. He sighed, tuning in and out of Yuuji’s comments as he dragged them to their usual training room.
They got to it pretty quick, falling into familiar play and dance. Megumi noticed early on in his spars with Yuuji that there was this sense of comfortability. His thoughts and movements were different when sparring with him compared to other classmates like Maki-senpai.
He wasn’t sure how to articulate just how exactly their sparring sessions were different if anyone were to ask him to explain. It felt like being pulled in by the addictive warmth of the sun, blinding when met head on but inexplicably tempting to keep looking at. He had a feeling if Kugisaki heard that, she’d make a face at how corny it was.
Megumi felt his muscles lose tension as they continued to spar, almost enjoying the burn that replaced the tension. While he worked up a sweat, he saw Yuuji covered in a thin layer of sweat. His natural athleticism is almost scary, Megumi thought. After an hour or two passed, Megumi bested Yuuji, flipping him over his shoulder straight to the floor where he heard an oomph escape Yuuji as he lay splayed out. He glanced down, seeing the flush on Yuuji’s face, chest rising and falling as he began to regulate his breathing from their training.
Megumi quickly took a seat next to him, back to Yuuji’s face. The room was filled with their synchronous breaths as they came down from the adrenaline high. What should’ve been an awkward silence felt strangely peaceful. Megumi felt his eyes close as he took in the silence, not quite drifting to sleep, just savoring the moment.
In standard fashion, Yuuji broke the silence with a shameless compliment, “Your technique is so cool Fushiguro. I would love to see two of you.”
Despite knowing the comment’s innocence, Megumi couldn’t help but feel his ears heat up again. Glad that it could be attributed to their physical exertion, he shrugged and let out a quiet thanks. Unwilling to look at Yuuji’s face again, Megumi excused himself to the showers.
Megumi took a cold shower to clear his head, ready to lay down after an unexpected turn of events for the day. He had his towel around his neck, still drying his hair as he walked past the common area. The scent of something savory filled his senses along with the sound of Yuuji and Nobara’s voices.
“Did you know a shadow feels like a wave of cold passes through you?” Yuuji said in between bites of his noodles.
“Hah? What are you talking about?” he heard Nobara ask with a confused look on her face.
“Today! Gojo-sensei told me that Fushiguro was working on being able to make a clone of himself so I asked him if he could show me!”
“Uh huh, so Fushiguro showed you and you touched it?”
“Wouldn’t you wanna try to?”
Yuuji asked as if it was the most obvious course of action. Nobara made a face and quickly raised a hand out in front of her, “No thanks. I don’t need to be touching Fushiguro more than what’s required from our training.”
“Hey! When you put it that way, you make it sound weird…” Yuuji said, trailing off with an awkward scratch of his cheek. Nobara let out a long sigh, nearly ending the conversation there.
“Anyways, what exactly did you do when Fushiguro’s shadow self came out?”
Yuuji looked up, recalling the moment. “I was in awe watching it become Fushiguro, just shadowy with no face. Since it didn’t share his facial features, I got up to look more closely. Then I got curious if it would feel different so I poked around in a few spots.”
“Did you even ask if it was okay to touch?” Nobara asked flatly. Yuuji’s sheepish smile was all she needed to answer her question. Her eyes drifted to the entrance of the common room where she thought she saw movement.
She hummed, thinking of what exactly to ask next. “Did anything happen after you touched it?”
“Well I was poking pretty randomly to be honest. By the time I poked near the chest around the heart, my finger phased through a little and I felt a wave of cold wash over me.”
“Was that all?”
“Hmmm… I think so? Fushiguro started talking about how they don’t stay around long yet and then Gojo-sensei came in.”
“How boring”, Nobara bemoaned, “Fushiguro didn’t react when you touched it?”
“Oh, I wasn’t paying attention so I don’t remember.” An ouch came from Yuuji as Nobara flicked his forehead.
“You two are hopeless”, she said aloud, putting emphasis on two.
“Kugisaki?”
She let out a long sigh, “It’s nothing, just finish your noodles Itadori. They’re all soggy now.”
Leaving the common area, she passed by Megumi’s room, debating on how much to intervene or not. She stood in front of his door with a frown, tousling her hair in frustration before coming to a decision.
With a kick to the door in place of a knock, she said, “Oi Fushiguro! I know you’re in there.” She paused, listening for movement, growing more annoyed when she heard none. She growled before kicking again.
“You better let me in or else I’m marching right back to Itadori to let him in on your—”, she halted as the door swung open to a miffed-looking Fushiguro.
She smiled as she walked right by him, leaning against his desk. She gave him a pointed look, gesturing toward the bed.
For a moment, Fushiguro stood there seeming to mull over something before closing the door and begrudgingly taking a seat on his bed.
“So”, she started, “you had fun eavesdropping?”
Fushiguro gave her a bored look, “Get to the point Kugisaki.”
“You’re such a buzzkill!” she said, throwing her arms up in the air before settling to cross them.
“Fine”, she humphed. “You think Itadori isn’t gonna notice your crush on him eventually?”
Even though Megumi said nothing, his body betrayed him as he tensed and felt the warmth trickle up his spine to his ears again.
“It’s nothing.”
“Nothing my ass!”
“Drop it Kugisaki.”
Nobara felt frustration bubbling up again, ready to grab Fushiguro to shake some sense in him. She dragged her hand across her face before looking at him again, “Look Fushiguro, Itadori may be dense at times but he isn’t as oblivious as others might think.”
“... I know.”
“I just want you guys to stop dancing around each other. It can get pretty tiring watching”, she says bluntly. She analyzed Fushiguro’s face and nearly cried out when she saw confusion littering his expression.
“Fushiguro.”
“Hm.”
“Did you ever stop and consider if Itadori had similar feelings?”
There was silence across the room before Fushiguro answered with near certainty, “He doesn’t.”
“What supports that conclusion?” Kugisaki asked quizzically.
Megumi’s face scrunched just slightly, looking like he’d rather be anywhere else. “Itadori’s a good person.”
“That’s all you’re gonna say?”
“...”
“Fushiguro what the hell? Is this self-deprication talk or am I missing something else here?”
Megumi’s hands tensed, throat feeling stuffed. If he opened his mouth, he wasn't sure what kind of response would come out. Anger? Embarrassment? While Fushiguro was thinking, Nobara internally screeched and silently walked toward him. Similar to earlier with Yuuji, she flicked Megumi’s forehead.
Quickly, she cut him off before he could say anything, only able to make an offended face. “Look, you and I both know these kinds of talks suck and are damn awkward. I just want you to know whatever low shit you’re thinking about yourself isn’t the reality we see, especially for Itadori. You should see how he smiles and brightens up with you. Even if he hasn’t realized it himself, he definitely enjoys being around you the most. As for why,” she trailed off with a nonchalant shrug.
She gave him a quick but firm pat on the shoulder, smiling while tensing her grip, “Let’s not have to do this again, ‘kay?”
She turned to walk away, a wave with her back turned before purposefully leaving the door open.
Megumi watched her walk away, annoyed yet touched as he barked out a “Kugisaki!” but no response, only an empty hall and open door.
He walked to close the door, returning to his bed, curling up on his side. He felt like it had been the longest day of the whole week and wished for sleep to come. He laid there, feeling his eyes grow heavy as he stared at the wall he shared with Yuuji.
Megumi was back in the training room with mirrors, staring at his clone. It had his facial features, complexion and all. He stretched, preparing for a quick spar. His clone acted on his will so it mimicked his actions.
They exchanged blows, switching between hand to hand and using training weapons. His goal was to find subconscious weak points as the clone had moments of free will he allowed. His eyes narrowed as he utilized the shadows in the room to disappear into.
Eventually, the spar reached a standstill. As Megumi prepared to try using his Shikigami, his ears picked up a faint noise outside. The crunch of sand and gravel getting closer to the building. Having a guess of who it could be, Megumi dispelled his clone, opting to settle into stretches.
“Fushiguro, you there?” Yuuji said as he stood outside the entryway. Megumi made an affirmative noise as Yuuji stepped inside.
“What is it?”
Yuuji flashed a smile erring on the side of sheepish as he explained, “Since Gojo-sensei gave us the rest of the day off, I wanted to see what you were doing. I don’t really have a plan for the rest of the day.”
Megumi stared before saying, “You want to see the dogs.”
Somehow, Yuuji grew even brighter and gave an eager nod.
“Please Fushiguro! I’ve been dying for some quality healing time!”
Megumi snorted. “You know that’s not their purpose.”
“Oh come on Fushiguro! Don’t act like you’ve never summoned them for cuddles.”
Megumi stayed silent, keeping as neutral of a face as possible. In a matter of moments, his Divine Dogs appeared, quick to flock to Yuuji. Yuuji cheered happily as he sat on the floor, arms open to them. He was alternating between them, giving them pets and belly rubs.
Megumi smiled at the wholesome moment in front of him before shaking his head fondly, unbeknownst to the other in the room. He heard Yuuji talk to them, give compliments, shove his face in their fur as he spoke some more. His dogs looked content to indulge him, all but melting into Yuuji’s lap.
The peace that enveloped the room was nearly tangible. Megumi had laid down to the side, eyes closed aside from the occasional glance back at the black and white pile on Yuuji.
Yuuji met his gaze, a dopey grin and a sparkle in his eye. He opened his mouth to speak but Megumi beat him to it.
“No rabbits.”
Yuuji gave an exaggerated frown. “Aw man. C’mon Fushiguro, just one or two?”
Megumi shot him a look with a raised brow. Yuuji sighed dramatically as he rolled onto his back, adjusting the dogs with him. “Fine.”
With that, Megumi thought there would be another moment of peace and silence. He settled back into a more comfortable position, taking in the warmth of the sun as its rays poked into the room from the small windows near the ceiling.
“Then what about you?”
Megumi’s eyes shot open, immediately confused if he heard right. He risked looking at Yuuji, just to find him already staring.
“What?”
Without missing a beat, Yuuji said, “Can I lay with you?” It was not a hidden fact that Yuuji was a very tactile person. The silence dragged on longer than Megumi would've liked but he wasn’t sure what to say. The warmth he felt in his body could no longer be attributed to just the sun’s touch.
“Or can you summon your clone?”
That snapped Megumi out of his thoughts. He must have been making a confused face because Yuuji quietly continued, “I’ve been feeling a little… away from myself at times ever since I came back to life. The feeling of something or someone on me, like a weighted blanket, feels nice.”
Megumi felt his own chest constrict as he saw a flash of the horrific scene from the detention center, accompanied by the echo of Yuuji’s voice.
“If not, it’s okay Fushiguro. Thanks for bringing the dogs out”, Yuuji said with a soft smile as he tenderly petted their heads.
Megumi felt a flurry of emotions inside at the sudden intimate moment that was haunted by one of the most traumatic moments of both their lives. He felt so conflicted, trying to decide what part to even address. It was a given that in the jujutsu world, their time could be cut short whenever. It was rare to have a second chance, practically unheard of. It’s no surprise they had trauma from their experiences and no practical advice of how to healthily address it. It’s always just “Keep doing your job as a jujutsu sorcerer. You knew this was part of the job” as the unspoken message in response to things like this.
He felt like he had to squash his silly crush clouding his thoughts as well. Yuuji was sharing the space with him, being open and vulnerable for once and here he was getting almost excited at the misinterpretation of Yuuji’s prior statement.
He was too deep in his thoughts to realize that not only did his Divine dogs join his side, Yuuji moved closer as well.
“Are you okay Fushiguro?”
Yuuji asked about an arm’s width away from him, careful to not touch as he saw Fushiguro’s face scrunched. Megumi blinked, startled at his own lack of awareness to not have noticed them all getting closer. Mind a mess, Megumi looked at Yuuji’s chest, reminding himself that there was a heart beating strongly inside.
“...idiot.”
“Hey, I was being nice!” Yuuji said automatically.
“Why did you come here Itadori?”
“Uh, you’re gonna have to be more specific Fushiguro. Do you mean Jujutsu Tech or this room…?” Yuuji trailed off, unsure of what Fushiguro was asking.
“Why did you come to find me Itadori?”
Yuuji sat with a pensive look on his face, “...because it’s lonely without you Fushiguro.” Megumi willed himself to not misconstrue the statement, slightly gritting his teeth before taking a breath in.
“You can spend time with the others too.”
Megumi felt himself wanting to say more, add on “not just me and my shikigami”. He recognized his words were tinged with a negative meaning so he left the words unspoken. Unfortunately, it was moments like this when Yuuji was uncannily perceptive and heavy hitting in his own words.
“I enjoy being around you the most, Fushiguro. It’s not just because of your Shikigami”, Yuuji said earnestly, gaze paralyzingly magnetizing.
Megumi thought he was going to explode from the roller coaster his nervous system was going on. He couldn’t believe what was happening. His eyes trailed up to Yuuji’s face, meeting that unwavering gaze before shifting to Sukuna’s marks. He couldn’t help but to then look at Yuuji’s lips before darting back to his eyes. Yuuji’s gaze softened and he leaned a fraction closer to Fushiguro, silently taking the brave first step to whatever was stewing between them.
“—guro!”
Megumi felt himself lean in before leaning away, confused at Yuuji’s lips not moving yet hearing his voice. He blinked, seeing the scene in front of him blur. Almost bittersweetly, the last thing he saw was Yuuji’s soft smile before he felt his body become cold.
“Oi Fushiguro, we’re gonna be late!”
He groaned, rolling away from what seemed to be Nobara’s voice following after Yuuji’s. He motioned to pull his blanket up but was met with nothing. Glaring over his shoulder, he saw Nobara holding his blanket with an unimpressed look on her face and Yuuji beside her.
“Get out.”
“No can do, we have a mission so get out of bed you grump.”
“Gojo-sensei told us this morning. Only that it was pretty far from here”, he heard Yuuji say, “I thought he stopped by your room too to tell you.”
He mentally cursed at whatever that blindfolded man was playing at, not informing him. He let out a muffled sigh into his pillow, conceding to the fact he had to get up.
“Fine, I’ll be out in 10 so get out.”
“Jeez, someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed”, Nobara said sarcastically. He could see the gears turning in her head as a mischievous glint appeared in her eyes. “Or do you need some help waking up a bit more? Hmm? Why don’t you help him, Itadori?”
Yuuji made a confused face and was about to question what she meant but something hit the side of his face. Nobara also made a disgruntled noise as something collided with her face as well. Megumi watched as his pillows fell to the floor after hitting their targets.
“Get. Out.”
Yuuji was quick to put his hands up in surrender, “We’ll leave you to it Fushiguro. Ijichi will debrief more about the mission in the car.” Nobara seemed to have a curse ready on her tongue but Yuuji was moving her towards the door as he moved to leave.
Finally, Fushiguro was alone after getting them out. He glanced at the clock, wanting to crawl back in bed seeing that it was only 5 AM. His head felt jumbled after the eerily realistic dream of a heart-to-heart with Yuuji. He shook his head, standing up to get ready and not dwell on the pandora’s box that is Yuuji Itadori in his head.
Once they met at the car, Ijichi had a worn out look on his face once they said Gojo-sensei didn’t tell them any other details about the mission aside from it being outside of Tokyo. There had been reports of a disturbance in the Yamagata Prefecture, specifically at the Kamo Aquarium. Ijichi elaborated that there were two Grade 2 curses, potentially stemming from a pair of workers recently laid off. The scheduled shows have been temporarily discontinued due to an irregularity in that area of the aquarium.
“Ooh! What shows?” Yuuji asked.
“I believe they have one for sea lions and then also specialize in jellyfish showcases.”
“... Jellyfish?” Yuuji repeated in an unusually quiet tone.
Megumi turned his head away from the window to look over at Yuuji, noting that he was no longer comfortably sitting back. His back was taut and his gaze was intense, looking at Ijichi through the rearview mirror.
“Yes Itadori-kun, jellyfish. This aquarium is known for having the most jellyfish in the world.”
“I see”, Yuji remarked quietly as he forced his body back into his seat. Ijichi looked concerned but continued his explanation with darting glances every once in a while. Nobara shifted her body from the front seat, making eye contact with Megumi, brow raised. She subtly nodded towards Yuuji and Megumi shrugged, unsure of what made Yuuji react that way.
For the rest of the car ride to the train station, Yuuji hadn’t said another word. When they all shuffled out of the car, he let out a quick thank you but otherwise seemed to be in a different headspace. To Megumi, Yuuji seemed to be on autopilot, passively reacting to whatever was said and going along with the motions.
However, the closer the train got to their stop, Yuuji had gotten more fidgety. His leg bounced, hands restlessly flexing to the point that Nobara even nudged him just to get his attention but it didn’t last very long.
It wasn’t a breath of fresh air or relief getting off the train at Tsuruoka Station. There was a strange look on Yuuji’s face, still spaced out. Megumi and Nobara gave him space after the attempts to get his attention in the train fell short with noncommittal replies or a plastic smile. His reactions only made their concern grow.
“Fushiguro, what do you think is making him like this?” Nobara whispered under her breath.
Megumi looked at Yuuji’s back as he was walking ahead of them and thought back to the car conversation. “He started acting strange after Ijichi mentioned the jellyfish being a big feature at the aquarium.”
Nobara still had a confused look on her face as she also recalled the conversation, “Does he have a negative experience with the sea or something?”
“Not that I know of. Itadori never mentioned going to the beach or aquariums much growing up so I don’t think he had a negative experience with jellyfish directly.”
Accepting that their guesses were going nowhere, the two put a pause on the discussion and walked in silence the rest of the way.
Once they arrived at the aquarium, Megumi casted a curtain in the blink of an eye and the sky turned dark. It was past closing time by the time they arrived by a few hours so there was no one left on the premises anymore. The goal was to finish before the last night train back to Tokyo.
After a quick scan around the perimeter, they headed inside. Ijichi said the curses were most likely deeper in the aquarium layout since the laid off workers were in maintenance positions. Any other time would have made the blue lights and quiet hums around them beautiful but it felt more somber than anything because of the tension surrounding Yuuji.
The cursed energy grew thicker as they walked deeper, passing more displays and exhibits. Based on Ijichi’s description, one of the curses was smaller in stature, had an ability that covered a lot of surface area with patches of strange algae and an accompanying stench. Other workers have been reporting feeling intensely sick in certain areas of the aquarium. The larger curse had the ability to regenerate from pieces cut off from itself and some sort of stinging ability when its limbs made contact. They both thrived in the low light atmosphere of the aquarium.
It was decided in the car that they would split up, Megumi taking the smaller one on alone while Yuuji and Nobara paired up to go after the larger one.
They entered a space that had a large wall of blue, jellyfish of different colors and sizes floating around. Silently, Yuuji walked toward the glass, features illuminating his skin. Megumi saw Yuuji’s fists clench and jaw tighten before he took an audible deep breath, followed by a shudder that wracked his whole body. A slap echoed through the room and both Nobara and Megumi blinked in surprise.
When Yuuji turned around, Megumi saw a complicated yet determined look on his face. There was a shine in his eyes that definitely didn’t come from the lights, lips in a tight line.
“You good?” Megumi asked, breaking the silence.
Yuuji took another deep breath. “I’m… good now.”
Nobara shot him a calculating look, eyes unreadable for a split second. She walked up to Yuuji and punched him in the gut.
“You better be! Don’t even think for a second that you’re scot-free. We’re talking about this back at school. Fall asleep and you’ll see what happens!” she said menacingly. She yelled a c’mon over her shoulder as she walked down the hallway where the path diverged. Megumi saw her shaking out her hand and heard light grumbles as she walked away.
Air escaped Yuuji after her punch before a small smile grew on his face. He looked up at Megumi, straightening from his hunched position.
“Sorry, I must have been weird the last few hours”, Yuuji said while his gaze flitted between Megumi, the tank, and Nobara’s disappearing figure.
A moment of silence passed as Megumi looked at Yuuji before also looking at the tank, pulling at his collar to obscure his face.
“... As long as you’re okay.”
Yuuji gave him a warm smile before lightly jogging toward Nobara. Megumi stood for a second, watching him disappear. He sighed, running his fingers through his hair before setting off in the opposite direction for his target.
Megumi summoned his Divine Dogs as he treaded carefully where the algae covered more of the walls and floor. The room was even darker than the rest of the aquarium, making it harder to see where untouched surface areas were. His head started to feel slightly off but he shrugged it off, pushing forward. He noticed Shiro stood some feet away, hackles raised as it stared ahead. Kuro began growling lightly, body lowering closer to the ground as it stalked forward next to Shiro.
He gave them the signal to move ahead, initiating combat. There was this strange feeling inside of him from the way Yuuji had been acting and the dream he was abruptly woken up from. Deciding to fight a little differently, Megumi sunk into a shadow after evaluating the curse’s movements. He popped up at the edge of the curse’s shadow, making contact with quick jabs and counters.
His Dogs worked to fill in the moments between his attacks, syncing with each other. Megumi felt an idea flash by and leapt backwards, summoning his clone. Technically, he told Yuuji a white lie in that they can last longer than he initially said. It just so happened that Yuuji’s curiosity paired with the visual of him touching his clone was a bit too much to bear at once so his technique wavered.
His clone distracted the curse as it worked together with the Divine Dogs. Megumi dashed toward a switch that ended up turning on overhead fluorescents.The curse made a garbled noise as the room became more illuminated. Its movements grew sluggish but released a flare of cursed energy that made the air heavier. Megumi felt his lungs struggle as he rejoined the fray, a strange taste lingering in his mouth the more he breathed.
Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed Shiro also becoming sluggish near the edge of the room. The curse’s blood colored Shiro’s muzzle, clearly from when it took a chunk out of the curse.
Megumi felt a sinking feeling in his stomach at the influence the curse was having on living beings. Toxicity… airborne? Direct contact? Both?
It made Megumi think back to the fuzzy memories with Tsumiki growing up. Their run down apartment that functioned as home had reoccurring mold in the bathroom that often made him feel bad. Tsumiki never let him deal with it and always shooed him away with a smile before putting a mask and cleaning gloves on. By a stroke of luck, good or bad, Gojo waltzed into their lives and got them into a better apartment. It wasn’t anything extravagant because Tsumiki made it clear she didn’t want him spending a lot of money when they barely had things to move in. He stopped feeling as sick the more time passed that they lived in the new apartment. He could recall Shoko’s voice saying something along the lines of “acute…exposure… symptoms like fatigue…”. He shook his head, focusing back on the present.
After dismissing his dogs, Megumi finished up the battle with his clone luring the curse’s attention one more time and rushing in for a definitive hit. He was eager to leave the room as his disgust grew now that the lights were on, revealing how many patches were around the room.
He stepped outside, taking in the fresh night air. He heard Nobara and Yuuji approach from behind. Minor injuries, more guts and blood on them than anything. Nobara was complaining at how messily Yuuji fights sometimes and Yuuji just shrugged, only pissing her off more.
Their bickering became white noise to him as they headed back to the station. They barely caught the last train. Megumi sent a quick message to Ijichi, confirming that they boarded and their ETA. He replied with a brief text and noted that they could write a report on the mission result tomorrow after they get some rest.
They ended up taking a nap on the train back, which resulted in a groggy silence on the car ride back to Jujutsu Tech. It was late into the night after they all washed up when he realized he hadn’t eaten since the day prior. He had half the mind to just skip eating but Yuuji protested and insisted they all eat together, promising he’d be quick cooking.
Megumi didn’t have the energy to fight back and saw no escape to Yuuji’s dinner so he accepted his fate. Nobara was still doing her skincare routine and drying her hair so it fell on him to assist Yuuji in the kitchen.
Yuuji smiled and gave him the simple task of peeling and grating the ginger and garlic for the meatballs. Meanwhile, Yuuji worked on the broth while humming quietly. Megumi basked in the domesticity as they brushed shoulders every once in a while.
He internally admitted that the food was worth the work and the wait instead of skipping dinner. Nonsensical topics came and went during their meal, emphasized when Gojo dropped in to give some souvenir desserts. He plopped down in the space between Megumi and Yuuji, much to Megumi’s annoyance because of his long limbs invading his space.
At the end of the meal, they snacked on the desserts while Nobara made an annoyed face at Gojo’s delighted comments about his students accepting his love.
“Don’t you have somewhere else to be, old man?” Nobara said with a leg ready to kick Gojo out.
An affronted noise escaped Gojo’s lips, “Is this the thank you I get? I waited in an extra long line for these. I was even thinking about which flavors you each would like!”
Megumi rolled his eyes and took another bite, shifting his body away from Gojo’s theatrics.
“Prickly as ever Megumi! Did I really raise you this way?”
A pillow made contact with Infinity right in front of Gojo’s face. Yuuji made a tired but intrigued noise, “Thanks for the sweets Sensei! Do you have childhood stories of Fushiguro?”
Before Gojo could answer, Nobara cut him off. “We can hear that another time. Remember what I said Itadori? What was up earlier?”
Yuuji, who was flopped on the floor next to Gojo, was silent for a moment before saying, “Jellyfishes remind me of Junpei.”
“Junpei?” Nobara and Megumi both looked puzzled hearing the unfamiliar name. Gojo readjusted, settling a hand on Yuuji’s head. “The kid from when you were with Nanami right?”
Yuuji nodded. The connection of jellyfishes to Junpei was still unclear and Megumi felt like if they didn’t continue the conversation, it would be a long time until they could revisit it.
“Why jellyfish?” Megumi asked.
Yuuji’s brows furrowed as he sat up, hands clenching his clothes before relaxing after a breath. “The cursed technique he had after Mahito altered his soul had a jellyfish.”
Silence blanketed the room. Nobara sighed and shuffled toward Yuuji, flicking his forehead. Yuuji was about to retort but Nobara pulled him into a hug.
“Tell us this stuff sooner you dumbass”, she said with faux annoyance. Yuuji’s back was pressed into Gojo’s side as Nobara growled, reaching over to Megumi. A hard yank of his uniform had Megumi messily joining the impromptu hug. He didn’t love being slightly draped over the table and Gojo but relented when he saw Yuuji lean into the mess. The conversation died there and Gojo tousled their hair before warping away with a reminder to rest.
They eventually split for the night with full bellies, ready to pass out. However, Yuuji trailed behind Megumi, not going to his own door. Megumi gave him a tired, questioning glance. Despite the strange memories of his dream resurfacing, he decided to take a leap of faith in guessing what Yuuji wanted.
He opened his door, silently letting the gesture speak for itself as Yuuji came in a moment later. Using the last of his energy, Megumi summoned his Divine Dogs and a small rabbit pile. He could feel Yuuji’s pleased aura and laid down.
A quiet, “thank you Fushiguro” floated to his ears. He faced Yuuji and took in the scene like deja vu but not. He wanted to commit this scene to memory as reality instead. A simple hum in place of “you’re welcome” came out as his response.
Yuuji began talking, but it seemed like he knew it would be one-sided. Megumi just listened to his voice, once again feeling his eyes close every so often. Yuuji made an innocent comment saying how his shikigami felt like a weighted blanket that almost got Megumi to fully wake up again. He luckily didn’t and relaxed further as Yuuji switched to speaking to his shikigami.
Megumi didn’t dream that night.
Megumi woke up to sunlight streaming in, warmth on his face. He blinked the sleepiness away and silently stretched. As he motioned to sit up, his foot grazed against something soft on the floor.
There laid Yuuji in a pile of rabbits, his Divine Dogs, and a stray blanket. Yuuji’s arm was tucked underneath his head, seemingly acting as a pillow. The blanket’s presence confused Megumi but he dismissed the lingering question in his head in favor of lowering himself to the floor. He gave Kuro, who was curled against Yuuji’s legs, a few pets when he saw Shiro’s eyes begin to open. Shiro was nestled against Yuuji’s abdomen, head tucked under Yuuji’s chin.
Megumi felt his heart warm at the domesticity of the situation. He was quick to give Shiro some belly rubs before any morning wiggles came out. He seldom had his dogs out with him overnight but on the off chance they were, they were prone to bursts of energy in the morning. He deduced Yuuji’s sleeping form as a factor to their lethargy.
Some rabbits began twitching near Yuuji’s head, softly nudging the messy pink hair. Megumi dismissed them before their little movements could wake Yuuji up. He didn’t truly think they would since Yuuji tended to sleep like a log anywhere. As he reached to pet Shiro’s side, the backside of his hand grazed Yuuji’s chest. He felt a strong, rhythmic ba-bump that made him pause.
His brain told him he should retract his hand but the feeling of warmth against his hand and a beat that signified life, overrode any thoughts he could have had. The heartbeat was almost hypnotic. Megumi felt an overwhelming desire to bring his ear close, to ground himself by being as close as possible to the source.
His fingers twitched at the building desire he felt inside but Yuuji shifted, arm now hanging over Shiro’s side in a half hug. He quickly retracted his hand, feeling the bed frame hit his back as he put distance between himself and Yuuji.
Luck was not on his side because Shiro didn’t like Megumi moving away and disrupting the peace. He saw Shiro do a big stretch, followed by a groan. The wiggles began as Shiro shifted under Yuuji’s arm. All the squirming had Yuuji begin to wake, face scrunched as he felt something tickle his chin.
As if that wasn’t enough, Shiro fully kickstarted the morning with a sneeze that reverberated against Yuuji, effectively waking him up.
“Wuh?” Yuuji croaked. Noise was a mistake because Shiro, as well as Kuro, took that as a sign to bombard Yuuji’s space.
“Oh! G’morn—!” Yuuji spluttered as Shiro’s muzzle invaded his view. His face was covered in licks before he could get a proper sentence out.
Megumi watched in bemused horror, albeit with slight judgment, as his dogs acted like hyperactive puppies bombarding Yuuji. Whatever morning atmosphere was there before Yuuji awoke was gone with the wind. Megumi snorted as Yuuji fake cried out to him.
He finally got up, slipping out of the room to get ready for the day, leaving the mess on his floor alone. They’ll still be at the same spot when I get back, he thought. Feeling more awake after washing his face and brushing his teeth, Megumi stretched as he leisurely walked back to his room. A simple swing of the door revealed Yuuji in an upright position, still with the dogs, one on each side under his arms.
“So cold Fushiguro! You left me to suffocate via snuggles.”
Megumi gave him a blank stare and quietly beckoned his dogs. They slowly peeled away from Yuuji and returned to Megumi before barking. He gave them a firm pat on their heads before dispelling them, leaving just himself and Yuuji in his room.
“Sleep well?” Megumi asked aloud.
Yuuji stood up, doing a full body stretch that revealed the smallest peek of skin as his shirt rose.
“Yeah, better than I have in a while.”
Megumi’s gaze followed the movement, making him feel the need to move briskly past Yuuji before he stared any longer. A content sigh escaped Yuuji’s lips as he finished his stretches. He turned to Megumi, comfortably slinging an arm around his shoulders.
“Thank you”, Yuuji said earnestly. Megumi felt warmth bloom under his skin, unsure of what to do with the sincerity and literal physical proximity of Yuuji in his space.
“...it’s nothing”, he said as nonchalantly as possible before shoving a hand in Yuuji’s face.
A squawk emerged from Yuuji.
“Go wash up, you smell like a dog.”
He felt Yuuji’s mouth shift into a grin against his palm. His eyebrows rose, turning to look at Yuuji’s face while quickly lowering his hand.
Yuuji’s grin was bright and playful as he said, “Whose fault is that huh?”
Megumi would’ve choked right then and there if he didn’t catch himself. Yuuji leaned closer to him and Megumi swore he saw Yuuji’s eyes follow his hand. Nothing else could be said or done because Yuuji stood up normally and proceeded to leave the room with a pep in his step, off to wash up.
Megumi could only stare at the open door, Yuuji long gone from his line of sight. He felt around his sheets behind him, grabbing his pillow and promptly smothered himself.
What the hell? What kind of morning is this? Does Itadori just feel better today after… yesterday?
Megumi felt like he was going crazy, his thoughts and life growing more Yuuji-centric as the days went by. Barring the elephant in the room that is Sukuna, Megumi would dare to say he felt like Yuuji was living in his head. He wasn’t sure what to do with himself since he couldn't deny how much being around Yuuji made him feel safe and content.