Chapter Text
Megumi sees the post when he’s lying in bed on an uneventful Friday night, in the middle of going through Sukuna’s ‘🏉’ instagram story highlights ( again ) — the one where he gathers all his sweaty post-game selfies, and those loud, rowdy videos of his team in their bulky rugby uniforms doing their silly little man-chants in the locker rooms before a game is about to start. He’s skimming his eyes over the way Sukuna’s got his pink hair styled up in that usual deliberately clean but messy way of his, one lone little strand hanging strategically over his forehead and brushing over his eyebrow, when he gets a DM from Tsumiki.
tsu.mikimouse
lollll megumi look what i found
[ tsu.mikimouse SENT A LINK]
Attached to her message is a link to a post. When Megumi presses on it, he’s led to another instagram page. The username is a bunch of random letters and numbers haphazardly put together with no real meaning that Megumi can decipher, and the photo Tsumiki has linked him to is a picture of Megumi in the library. He’s got his face and focus on his books, pen in his hand as he studies at one of the big tables at the corner of the library that no one really uses, his glasses perched low on his nose, face concentrated. Judging from his navy jumper and white collared-dress shirt combo, this picture was taken just a few days ago. He’d know, because he vaguely remembers throwing the same navy jumper into his laundry basket earlier this week after a good session in the library.
Behind Megumi in the photo is a man sitting a few chairs down, face somewhat familiar but one that Megumi can’t put a finger on yet. He’s got an undercut and a thick set of pink, fluffy hair, clean in the way that it’s been slicked back but with some messiness like it’s been played with, ruffled and moved out of place. A visible scar runs vertically above the man’s left eye and through his eyebrow – and his big, big eyes stare directly at Megumi in an almost theatrically longing way.
He’s quite handsome. But Megumi doesn’t know who he is, so his eyes dart down to the caption below the photo.
‘ @Yxxuji403 why is yuuji looking at fushiguro like he’s his whole world? i cant believe i caught such a perfect moment on camera’
Megumi cocks an eyebrow. He clicks on the username, then finds that the feed of the unknown, grey-faced profile is filled with pictures of the same man that was in the photo behind Megumi. Oh .
Understandably, attending a prestigious sports school in bustling Tokyo only meant that the chances of finding rising talents with pretty faces were all the more likely. Many are already in line to join professional leagues or national teams. It’s the kind of environment that breeds fan followings. To attract a few admirers here and there wasn’t all that surprising.
Megumi’s never experienced such popularity firsthand - rhythmic gymnastics was a lowkey sport, and no one in the school really, truly cared about it. It wasn’t like Sukuna’s rugby, or Tsumiki’s volleyball, with games constantly garnering large crowds with even larger cheers and chants. Megumi had his coach, his small team of four other rhythmic gymnasts, Tsumiki, and Kamo watching him from the bleachers. At one point, he had Sukuna there, too.
It was the first time Megumi’s seen a fellow student having a whole page dedicated to him. It’s almost a little comical.
What Megumi is more surprised at though, is why he’s in one of the photos on a Yuuji page, and why this photo with him in it is the post with the most engagement within the whole profile, with over a thousand likes and a few hundred comments. He glances briefly at the timestamp — it was posted three hours ago. He clicks ‘see more’ in the comments section and his eyebrows rise at the stuff he finds.
@its_aerik who is that ??
- @yumi.xd Itadori Yuuji. He is in the boxing team
- @its_aerik yes i know that. i meant the other guy
- @yumi.xd Oh I don’t know sorry
- @ChocoxRain That’s ryoumen’s ex
- @its_aerik Like Ryoumen Sukuna?
- @ChocoxRain Yes
- @its_aerik Like rugby team captain Ryoumen Sukuna?
- @ChocoxRain Yes
- @its_aerik Damn
- @ChocoxRain Yeah
- @its_aerik Does he have a profile?
- @ChocoxRain @ Fushiguro_Megumi
- @its_aerik Thanks
@ItaIta_Inmyheart As a long-time fan of Yuuji, Fushiguro has my blessing to date him.
- @toru.sa87 Nobody needs your blessing lol
- @nikonicon didnt fushiguro get his heart broken just last year? i don’t think he’s ready to date yet…
- @ItaIta_Inmyheart Who cares. Hot people should be together
- @BerryBrue Really?? By who??
- @nikonicon ry***** s*k*n*
- @BerryBrue Ryoumen Sukuna?
- @nikonicon are u stupid i censored his name for a reason
- @BerryBrue Ryoumen was too good for him anyway
- @nikonicon take that back u stupid bitch. no he wasnt
@ruyixchang itadori looks so handsome as always ackkkk!!!!! cant u look at me that way too ?!?!
@XiconXiconi2 Isnt this Ryoumen’s ex boyfriend ??
@Yuujisss99 I don’t know who Fushiguro is but I need to find out now. He is quite beautiful. Does he study in the library often?
@Yuuji_Bubble ive never seen itadori with that look on his face before … i cant breathe yall
- kyungjie I want someone to look at me the way itadori looks at fushiguro ><
@Yuujis_03World Yuuji fans, should we create a fanclub for Fushiguro too?
- @jjkyulki Agree!!
- @Yuujis_03World They need to get together ASAP!!
- @jjkyulki It would be an eye candy explosion!!!!!
- @Yuujis_03World Totally!!!!!!!! I’m going to create a fanpage right now!!!!!!
There are a few things Megumi has deducted from the comments. First, he’s known as Ryoumen Sukuna’s ex, and not as Fushiguro Megumi from the men’s rhythmic gymnastics team. Second, some people are willing to come to his defence despite not really knowing who he is. Third, those people seem to know a lot of what’s going on in his life -- maybe a little too much -- including his break up with his ex-boyfriend. Fourth, Yuuji has a lot of fans, and they kind of want Megumi to date him. Fifth, oh my god , people are aware of his break up with Sukuna.
Megumi is very uncomfortable. He opens his DM with Tsumiki and types in a very eloquent reply.
Fushiguro_Megumi
???
tsu.mikimouse
congrats baby u got ur first ship !! pre-championships too AND with itadori that’s very impressive
Fushiguro_Megumi
I literally don’t know who that is
Also people know that me and Sukuna broke up?
tsu.mikimouse
omg baby it’s Itadori Yuuji. look him up he’s a fine man
ofc ppl know u guys broke up u deleted ur ‘My Boy <3’ highlight on ur profile and also all ur pics together. what do u expect
u know how popular Sukuna is his fans are everywhere
getting on my nerves all the damn time
Fushiguro_Megumi
I didn’t think people paid attention like that :(
Ok brb let me search him
Megumi types in ‘Yuuji’ into his instagram search bar and the first username that pops up is indeed the same Yuuji in the photo. His profile picture is a sunset-tinted selfie of himself taken from a low angle, accentuating another scar that Megumi hadn’t noticed earlier, marring the corner of his mouth. He has a lot of followers. He must be a celebrity that Megumi hasn’t heard about yet.
His profile description reads ‘Itadori Yuuji | ’03 | A champion is someone who gets up when they can’t - Jack Dempsey | Boxing is life 🥊’ and a quick scroll through his feed is enough to confirm that yeah, he’s really fit, almost unfairly so. His account is filled with pictures of himself, mostly closeup selfies, some professionally taken photos from what Megumi observes to be proper photoshoots, some group photos with his friends who are also very fit, and some photos of him in the ring, adorned in full boxing gear. There are also candids of him mid-game, with a gloved fist extended in a punch and the other held defensively near his face, his face fierce and concentrated, sweat glistening and dripping down his skin under the ring lights. Megumi presses on the first highlight on his profile, titled just a simple ‘:D’.
It’s a bunch of random pictures and videos that have no correlation with each other whatsoever. There is a selfie of him mid-rollercoaster, grinning and throwing a peace sign at the camera even though the flesh of his lips are pushed back ridiculously by the force of the wind. There is another picture of him pointing at a stray dog on the street, with the caption, ‘DOG’. There are videos of him in a karaoke room with his friends, singing something out-of-tune while aggressively striking a tambourine against his thighs.
Megumi scrunches his nose in a grimace. A bit too boyish. Uninhibited. Not Megumi’s type at all. He exits the highlight before he gets to the end of it, and doesn’t explore the rest of the highlights on his page which, by a quick glance at the titles and little circle previews, are stories of his behind-the-scenes from photoshoots and snippets of his boxing matches.
He sends Tsumiki a reply.
Fushiguro_Megumi
Not my type lol
tsu.mikimouse
lol megumi i knew you’d say that
even when hes looking at you like this ??? :((
[tsu.mikimouse ATTACHED AN IMAGE]
Megumi presses the photo. It’s a closeup screenshot of Yuuji staring at him longingly at the library from the post. Megumi blinks, unimpressed.
Fushiguro_Megumi
Lol
What if he wasn’t even looking at me
tsu.mikimouse
oh baby hes definitely looking at u
trust me i know where u like to sit and the only thing behind u is a bookshelf
Fushiguro_Megumi
Maybe he just had a lot in his mind and happened to be looking my way
tsu.mikimouse
yeah a lot in his mind
about u…. :O
Megumi sends Tsumiki a rolling eyes emoji and exits the app. He places his phone by his pillow and rolls to lay on his side, closing his eyes and willing himself to sleep. He wants to wake up tomorrow morning to have an eventful, productive work-filled Saturday.
Megumi almost forgets about the post and about Yuuji entirely, except it seems like the whole world doesn’t want him to.
His profile has been getting a lot of engagement. There is an explosive increase in follows, likes and comments on his posts, some that even date back until two years ago, and DMs — the DMs . They got so bad that Kamo told him to temporarily disable it until things calm down. Tsumiki told him to entertain them, ‘ just give them what they want, it’s good exposure for you, you can think about the consequences later!’
Megumi followed Kamo’s advice and turned the function off in his settings.
The only reason Megumi’s profile isn’t private is because he needs to start building a repertoire somewhere. Tsumiki takes some really nice pictures of him mid-routine during his gymnastics practices and the very few intra-university competitions he’s had the chance to participate in the past two years. There are pictures of him mid-air, executing a graceful leap with toes pointed and legs extended, body creating smooth, flowing lines as he moves. There are some where Megumi is holding a ribbon, trailing behind him in a vibrant spiral, fingers delicately poised around the apparatus as he transitions into a turn or a stretch, gaze intense yet soft.
One day, you can show these pictures to a scout, or a talent recruit, when the time comes, when you feel like it, Tsumiki had told him.
Megumi likes the pictures that Tsumiki takes of him. Whether or not he’ll ever use them for the purpose Tsumiki takes them for, he’s unsure.
Megumi’s profile usually doesn’t get much engagement. His posts, even his favourites where he’s mid-air, barely get past the usual 20 something likes, usually from Tsumiki and Kamo’s friends, and sometimes Sukuna’s friends who still talk to him. Ever since The Post, however, his inbox has been blowing up with messages asking him about Yuuji. What do you think of Yuuji? Are you guys really dating? Why aren’t you following Yuuji yet? I didn’t know Yuuji swung the other way. Megumi, were you his gay awakening? How did you guys start dating? You guys look so good together. Please, won’t you post a picture together?
He wonders if Yuuji is getting similar messages, because if his inbox is the only one getting harassed, then that would be a little unfair.
The Post has gotten over a thousand comments now, all about how Megumi and Yuuji should get together because they would just look so good, or about how Megumi and Yuuji should not get together because who even is Megumi anyway, to the rising star of their campus, to the face that’s plastered on the covers of sports magazines, to the boxer that’s won multiple inter-collegiate matches despite only being in his first year? Megumi is more surprised that a photo of what is essentially just Yuuji and Megumi being in the same room has drawn so much attention. It was simply a moment captured perfectly by a golden camera and a dedicated fan, creating a whirlwind of a mess that neither of them would have expected.
Megumi finds it easier to forget about the whole ordeal with his instagram inbox disabled now that his phone isn’t pinging with new messages every couple of minutes. But one morning a couple days later, he wakes up and something he had been half-dreading has happened.
The first thing he sees through his crusty eyes when he unlocks his phone is a message from Tsumiki.
Miki Nee-san
baby u better follow him back
Megumi blinks the sleep away and opens the cursed app to find out that Itadori Yuuji has followed him on instagram.
“Oh boy,” he says out loud to himself, rubbing his eyes. Yuuji must’ve been getting messages in his inbox too and finally succumbed to what Megumi could easily guess were the ‘ Why aren’t you following Megumi yet! ’ messages.
His phone pings from another message from Tsumiki.
Miki Nee-san
megumi think about it
how many fans u can get from this
the annual winter showcase is only a few months away
more fans = more attendance just for YOU
like imagine a whole section in the bleachers for fushiguro megumi
= more exposure
= SCOUT RECRUIT? JAPAN NATIONAL TEAM?
Megumi
Wow
Miki Nee-san
follow him back
Megumi
And if I don’t?
Miki Nee-san
baby i only want the best for u
also hes probably the only guy hot and popular enough to replace lil sukuBITCH
so follow him back
Megumi
Don’t call Sukuna a little bitch :(
And I don’t need a rebound :(
Miki Nee-san
but thats what he is baby :((((((
yeah u dont NEED one but doesnt mean u CANT have one
loosen up and have some fun little brother
Megumi pouts silently at his screen, brooding, pondering. He hovers over the follow button next to Yuuji’s profile picture.
“Fuck it,” he says, and presses the blue button, watching as it turns from the blue ‘follow’ to the dark grey ‘following’. Then he waits.
@Fushiguro_Megumi youve disabled your inbox and I dont know where I can get your number. message me? ;)
…is what Megumi reads when he presses the ‘ punchyuuji_03 mentioned you in their story ’ notification that popped up on his phone. He blinks his eyes quickly and reads it again. It’s a selfie of Yuuji in a black hoodie, pink hair unstyled and unkempt. His hand is pressed against his bangs, flattening them against his forehead. He’s pressing his lips together in a straight line, cheeks rounding out. The message to Megumi is big and highlighted in white, like he wants the whole world to see. Megumi groans out loud.
Tsumiki leans against his side, straw in her mouth from where she’s been sipping on her shake — some sugary salted caramel and vanilla abomination (“You’re gonna die one of these days if you keep drinking those.” “Don’t be jealous, Gumibear. You can just ask if you want to try some.”) Then her eyes widen. “Is that what I think it is?”
He lets Tsumiki grab the phone out of his hands, watching her eyes scan the words on the phone before she’s guffawing, wheezing out a “he put in a winky face!” a few times too many, slapping her own thighs and making the bench they’re sharing shake a little. Kamo grimaces from across them and shushes Tsumiki down because they’ve attracted a few eyes from the other tables around them. Megumi notices some people starting to whisper to each other, muttering under their breaths, some taking their phones out and taking a few pictures quietly as if Megumi doesn’t notice them pointing it directly at him. It almost feels like everyone around them knows who he is now and are finally realising that he’s there. He sinks down in his seat, not used to such blatant attention.
Megumi crosses his arms on the table and plants his face into it, whining, and the words he says next come out muffled. “He’s doing it on purpose. Does he enjoy this? Because I don’t.”
“I like him! He knows what he’s doing!” Tsumiki hands Megumi his phone back and then slings her left leg over the bench so she’s fully facing Megumi, a mischievous look on her face. “So? Are you going to message him?”
Megumi turns his head, half of his face still buried in his hoodie-clad arms, and glares at her. He starts to regret not taking a little more time to get ready this morning, comb his hair a little bit, put some balm on his lips. He would have, had he known there were going to be so many cameras pointed at him today. “Seriously?”
“Want me to do it for you?” Tsumiki makes grabby hands towards his phone but Megumi is hiding it under his arms before she can snatch it away. “Come on, baby. Have a little fun. You’re graduating in a few months, don’t you want to leave with at least one interesting campus story you can tell at a party?”
Megumi pouts at her and turns to look at Kamo for help. “‘Toshi-senpai.”
Acting cute is futile. Kamo is smiling suggestively and very unhelpfully at him, shrugging his shoulders. “It can’t hurt to send him a message. It seems like he likes you. If anything happens, you know we’ll always be here to help you out.” Tsumiki lets out a little celebratory whoop and Megumi deflates in his seat.
“Not you too…”
“Go on,” Tsumiki cocks her chin towards the phone in Megumi’s hands. “I’ll be right here for moral support.”
Megumi purses his lips at her, dissatisfied that both his loyal friends are not backing up his choice of just pretending his problems do not exist. He very reluctantly opens up Yuuji’s profile, pressing the ‘message’ button next to his picture.
His thumbs hover hesitantly over his keyboard. He types out a ‘ Hey ’ and then erases it quickly. He types in a ‘ Hey :)’ and then erases it again. Should he include emojis to appear friendlier? Does he want to appear friendly? What if Yuuji thinks Megumi is flirting with him?
“Oh my god Megumi,” Tsumiki grabs the phone out of his hands and is typing something in immediately. Megumi yelps, something shrill and high-pitched and laced with panic – a sound he’d never think would come out of his own mouth – as he stretches his arm in an attempt to get it back. He’s unsuccessful.
Tsumiki has a pleased look on her face as she hands the phone back after a few seconds. “See? Not that hard.”
Megumi scans the screen of his phone quickly, heart pounding in his ears, to see that Tsumiki has sent Yuuji a ‘ Hi. Have you been getting lots of messages too? ’
He breathes out a sigh of relief and then Tsumiki is linking an arm around his neck, leaning her cheek against Megumi’s head. “You thought I was going to send him something embarrassing? I wouldn’t do that to you.”
Megumi turns his head, Tsumiki’s face still leaning against it from the top, and glares at her through his lashes. Tsumiki pinches his cheek.
“I’m pretty much your manager now. I’ll never do anything that’ll harm your reputation.”
“Then you better let him go, unless you want to start up some spicy rumours,” Kamo says in a shushed voice from across them, eyes shifting suspiciously around the room. Megumi realises that a lot of eyes are on him again – on how Tsumiki has him in her hold.
Tsumiki’s arm is off of him immediately, and she laughs, sheepish and loud and exaggerated to make sure everyone can hear. She grabs the hood of Megumi’s hoodie and uses it to pull him up and off the table, as if she was picking up a cat. “He’s my baby brother,” she announces. Then, she links her fingers with Kamo’s across the table, raising their joined hands so everyone can see. “And he’s my boyfriend.”
Megumi blinks and stifles a giggle at the very scandalised look Kamo has on his face, cheeks getting redder by the second.
His laughter doesn’t last long though, because the next second his phone pings with a DM notification.
punchyuuji_03
hahaha yeahhh i have
it’s crazyyy
btw are u free anytime today?
can we meet up?
i have a proposition :D
Megumi had wanted to say no. Wanted to type and send in a ‘ I am not free, I will never be free, please never suggest to meet up ever again ’. But having Tsumiki leaning over his shoulder and breathing down his neck and reading every message Yuuji sent only meant that there was no way he was going to escape this. He was, however, fortunate enough to delay the meeting until the day after.
The only thing that saved him from meeting up with Yuuji on the day itself was Tsumiki running her hands through Megumi’s hair, pinching at his cheeks, and telling him that “no no no , you can’t meet him for the first time looking like this. He needs to be blown away by you, baby. I’m going to make you look so breathtaking he won’t be able to take his eyes off you.”
Megumi had told her that he didn’t want Yuuji to not be able to take his eyes off him. “I don’t actually want to date him,” he had said, and Tsumiki had nodded dismissively and told him to be quiet as she continued to apply a reddish-pink tint on Megumi’s lips.
So now he’s here, standing in the middle of the common campus garden, clad in a striped turtleneck, an oversized denim jacket, dark slacks and black dress shoes, carefully accentuated with a light brown belt and a few rings on his fingers that glint under the sun. His eyes have been lightly lined, eyelashes curled, nose bridge and cheekbones highlighted, and lips tinted with rouge. Tsumiki had let out a satisfied exhale earlier that morning when she finished dolling Megumi up, patting his hair and assuring him that if “Yuuji doesn’t fall in love with your perfect spring boyfriend look today, somebody else will.”
Megumi feels pretty but also a little overdressed. Maybe it’s just because he’s not really used to dressing up. He also doesn’t want Yuuji to notice that he’s dressed up because that would mean he made an effort to look good to meet him and he doesn’t want to look like he put in the effort — why would he?
He turns his head, eyes squinting against the sun as he searches around for the big tree near the water fountain, the one with lots of shade , as Yuuji had described to him in his message after they agreed to meet. After some mindless walking through the garden, he spots a man sat under a tree, looking directly at him and waving his hand very enthusiastically,
Megumi isn’t the greatest with new people, more so if he’s alone. More so if the person he’s meeting is also the person that hundreds of people want him to date and the both of them are aware of it. His fingers fidget nervously against the hem of his denim jacket as he walks over to where Yuuji is sitting under the tree, painfully casual.
Fuck , he muses internally as he gets closer. Yuuji is cute .
Yuuji stands up to greet him. “Hey!” he says with a smile. It’s big and wide and bright and accompanied by a little dimple. His skin sports a nice tan and glows splendidly under the warm Sunday sun. He’s a little taller than Megumi, and it takes Megumi everything not to let his eyes fleet down to his chest, to the outline of his pecs, nicely accentuated under the plaid shirt he’s wearing.
Eyes up, Megumi!
“Hi,” he greets back timidly. They exchange a handshake, and Yuuji looks him up and down very blatantly, before his eyes finally land back on Megumi’s face.
“Wow,” Yuuji says, rubbing the back of his nape. His cheeks are darkened, and his smile is wobbly. “You – uh,” is he nervous? “You look good, senpai.”
“…Thanks,” Megumi says. You look good too , he wanted to continue, but can’t find himself to voice the words out loud. He really wishes Tsumiki was here to help him out.
Yuuji’s smile grows wider as he sits himself down. He’s got a gingham red and white blanket laid down on the soft green grass, and there are a few containers laid neatly in front of him, filled with food. “Come sit,” Yuuji says, holding his hand out. Megumi doesn’t understand what he’s supposed to do with it until Yuuji reaches out further, gently taking his hand, guiding him to sit across from him.
Yuuji’s palms are warm and calloused, fingers thick and lined with healed blisters.
Megumi vaguely gestures at the containers between them. “You’ve prepared a picnic.”
“Picnics were pretty high up the list on websites for first date ideas,” Yuuji says, putting a bento box in front of Megumi and opening the lid for him. Tender slices of caramelised pork are arranged on a bed of fluffy white rice, garnished with chopped green onions. The mix of ginger and soy sauce smells delicious . “This is kind of embarrassing, but I asked around to find out what you liked to eat. A little bird told me your favourite dish was shōgayaki .”
Megumi feels his ears warm and tries to ignore the casual slip of first date ideas as he takes the pair of chopsticks Yuuji hands him. He shoots Yuuji a small smile, touched. “It is. Who’d you ask?”
“Your fans,” Yuuji scratches at his lip scar, watching intently as Megumi takes his first bite. “How is it?”
“It’s delicious. Did you make this?” Megumi asks, then, when he processes what Yuuji’s just said, he quirks an eyebrow. “What do you mean my fans ?”
“Oh yeah. I think they’ve pretty much occupied my entire inbox. I mean, a lot of my supporters have sort of become yours now, too, I think,” Yuuji laughs, picking up a sandwich from another one of the container’s he’s prepared, putting the entire thing into his mouth. Megumi’s gawks at him. Why wouldn’t he just bite out of it? “They really helped me out today,” he gestures generally at the space around him. “Like, what to do, where to have the picnic, the kinda food I should bring. I’ve never really done this stuff. I guess they wanted to help me make it nice!”
“This stuff?”
“Like, dates and stuff.”
This is not a date. It’s not, right? Megumi’s sure he had agreed to meet up, not to go on a first date.
Megumi can count his friends on one hand. He’s gonna need to ask Tsumiki later on who else could’ve known what his favourite food was.
He chooses not to dwell on it. “Well…It’s the same for me. Like — your fans in my inbox. Um – It’s been happening for a while actually…ever since that picture of us in the library came out. I actually had to turn off my DMs for a while because I kept getting so many messages.”
Yuuji seems to have finished his second sandwich, hands clapping together to wipe the little bits of crumbs away. “That’s kind of what I wanted to discuss today, actually. I’ll cut right to the chase, if that’s okay.” His voice drops, lower, quieter, like he’s telling Megumi a secret. His face leans in closer too, and it has Megumi leaning back and away instinctively.
“Let’s date.”
Megumi blinks at him. Waits for him to continue, but Yuuji is looking at him expectantly with his big, wide, shining eyes like he’s expecting an answer.
“Uh,” Megumi fidgets. “No?”
Was that rude? That was a little rude, wasn’t it. “I have nothing against you, but I’m not really interested in having a relationship right now—”
He’s cut off by Yuuji’s laugh, soft and airy and boyish and … handsome. He’s waving his hand at Megumi, shaking his head, though his eyes don’t meet Megumi’s own. “You’re cute,” Yuuji says, and Megumi bites the inside of his cheek. “But I don’t mean for real.”
“Then what do you mean?”
“Look. This is the most engagement my profile has ever had — ever . And getting engagement is really important to me when it comes to getting new gigs. Three different sponsors have contacted me in this past week alone asking if you and I were interested in doing a photoshoot together! That’s crazy . This — us,” he gestures at the small space between the two of them, “This could be a really, really good thing for the both of us. It’s the same for you too, isn’t it?”
Megumi blinks, lashes fluttering. He doesn’t really quite get it yet. Yuuji continues, “I’ve been watching your profile too. Your followers have gone up a crazy amount ever since that picture of us got big. People love you and they love the idea of us — together. I get the rat race, senpai. It’s difficult getting yourself out there, to make your name known. But some gigs with me would be a great way to get your name and face around - to get people to know more about what you do and how good you are at it. Networking around might even land you a scout recruit right off the bat.”
There are bound to be lies in the industry, if not now then definitely some time in the future. But the idea is still absurd, nonetheless. “Are you joking? I’m not going to be your PR stunt.”
“Not joking. And if this is a PR stunt, it’s going to be a mutual one. Senpai, if you get some exposure, people are going to see how incredible you are. You’re not exactly invisible right now, either. People are curious about you, trust me.”
Megumi’s toes wiggle anxiously inside his dress shoes.“I don’t need fake attention. I wouldn’t know how to deal with it.” I want to earn it , he wants to say, but that would be a lie, because Megumi doesn’t, not really.
“I get that. But sometimes, you need a platform to show people what you’ve earned. Look at me – half the stuff I’ve done wouldn’t mean anything if I didn’t have people watching. It’s not selling out; it’s levelling the playing field.” Yuuji holds both Megumi’s hands in his and grins all toothy, eyes glinting, unperturbed by Megumi’s hesitance. “I’ll help you. I’ll guide you every step of the way, if you want me to. And you know, if you’re not into relationships, this’ll be perfect. No feelings involved, no commitment, all business. You can do whatever you want when there aren’t any eyes around. You do your own thing and I do mine.”
Yuuji’s warm, pleading, puppy-dog eyes are convincing and hard to say no to. Megumi looks down at how Yuuji’s hands completely engulfs his, and it makes him feel funny. “And – senpai, I think anyone else would’ve gone crazy with the attention or make it weird. But I think you’d keep us in check.”
Megumi glances away, conflicted. “This is ridiculous.”
Yuuji only grins at him and squeezes his hands playfully. “Maybe. But it could work. Plus…” his grin softens. “...it might not be so bad. Hanging out with me can’t be the worst thing in the world, can it?”
Megumi rolls his eyes but the corner of his lips threaten to quirk up. The detail doesn’t go unnoticed by Yuuji, whose eyes sparkle in hope.
“So, what do you say? Be my pretend boyfriend?”
Megumi bites his lip, looking up at Yuuji through his lashes.
You’re never gonna get anywhere, Megs. Not like this.
You’re always following along. You don’t push for anything. I can’t keep carrying someone who doesn’t even know what they want.
It’s Sukuna’s words that ring in his ear, that strike something sharp and hurtful deep in his gut, that finally makes him close his eyes in defeat, sigh, and tell Yuuji, “Okay.”
“Yes! Yes, perfect, thank you so much Fushiguro-senpai,” Yuuji squeezes Megumi’s hands, shaking it a little in a show of victory, before finally letting go.
“Alright then. We should probably discuss the technicalities.”
“Okay. Like what?”
“So — first, the things we’re going to do to make this relationship come to life. I think social media is very important. It’ll be our number one tool into putting our relationship out there, since it’s where it started in the first place. We have to make use of it.” He pauses, looks around, and his eyes glint at something behind Megumi. “We can make use of it right now, actually.” His arm reaches out for something somewhere behind where Megumi is sitting.
He sits back at his spot with a grunt afterwards, and he’s holding a small, white flower in his hand. He shoots Megumi a lopsided smile as he shows it to him. “Can I put this over your ear?”
Megumi touches his ear instinctively, pulling shyly at the lobe a little. “Sure.”
He tucks some strands of Megumi’s black hair behind his left ear, then places the stem of the flower over it. He sits back to admire his work. Then, he whips out his phone to point it right at Megumi’s face.
Megumi fidgets, eyes looking everywhere but Yuuji or the phone lens. “Should I — should I do a pose?”
Yuuji laughs softly. “Go ahead.”
Megumi makes a peace sign with both hands because he really doesn’t know what else to do with them, and looks directly at the camera lens. He hears the click of the camera and then Yuuji is looking at his work on the phone screen, chuckling quietly. “Pretty,” he says, as a blush creeps across his cheeks. Then Yuuji looks at him, humming contemplatively. “Let me take a pretend-candid this time. Um,” he looks around, and then with an aha , takes the shōgayaki bento from earlier, and gives it to Megumi. There’s only a little bit of the food left. “Take a bite out of this. Eat it cutely like you did just now.”
Eat it cutely ? Remorse crawls up Megumi’s face. “What does that even mean ?” He huffs and takes a bite, chewing quickly. His eyes are cast on the red gingham pattern of the mat, and he hears another click of the camera.
“Adorable. You’re like a little hamster,” Yuuji fawns, gasping at the photo. “You’re going to make them go crazy, senpai.”
His ears feel warm. He knows how red they can get, and hopes they aren’t glaringly so right now.
Then, he hands Megumi his phone. “Okay, now you take some photos of me.”
Yuuji goes to pluck a flower from the same grassy area he picked Megumi’s flower from. He places it on top of his own ear, takes a sandwich, bites out of it this time instead of engulfing the whole thing in one go, and smiles wide but close-lipped at the camera, his right cheek rounded from where the sandwich was sitting in his mouth.
Megumi lets the camera focus, watching the way Yuuji’s eyes have turned into little crescent-moon shapes from just how hard he’s smiling, and snaps a photo. He looks at it and feels his own lips stretch into a smile. “This looks nice,” he comments when he hands Yuuji his phone back.
“Why thank you,” Yuuji accepts the compliment with a hand over his heart and a smile, and then gestures for Megumi to come closer. “Come on, let’s take a picture together.”
When Megumi is close enough that their thighs are touching, he feels Yuuji’s hand hover over his nape, fingertips almost touching but not really. He feels goosebumps rise on his skin when Yuuji finally rests his hand there, weight a heavy but comforting presence. Then Yuuji uses that hand to bring their heads closer together until their temples are touching.
Yuuji raises the phone in front of them with his free hand, the front camera on so they can see their faces on the screen. Megumi makes an instinctive peace sign in front of his face. Yuuji grins wide with his teeth, and then presses the camera button, taking a selfie.
“Honestly, I don’t blame people for going crazy over us. Look,” he turns the phone around so that Megumi can look at it, too . “We do look really good together.”
And maybe Yuuji is right. The photo looks — right. Like it has always meant to be like that — Yuuji and Megumi together, enjoying a picnic on a warm, sunny Sunday afternoon, with sandwiches in their hands and little white flowers on their ears.
They look good together.
“Watch,” Yuuji says, coming a little closer so they can look at the phone screen together. He opens instagram, pressing the ‘upload’ button, then selects the selfie they took together, along with the pictures Megumi took of him. Then he types in the caption,
‘punchyuuji_03 first date look! photo creds to the pretty date in question @Fushiguro_Megumi <3 here’s to more dates in the future maybe? 👀 👉👈’
He tags Megumi in the photo, right on his peace sign. Then he clicks on ‘post’. The photo uploads, and then they wait.
One, two, three seconds. A ding! resounds as the first notification comes up — someone had liked the post. And then another notification comes in. Then another. And another, and another, and another. It doesn’t stop, and it begins to come in so quickly Megumi doesn’t have time to read them anymore. “Seems like the magic has begun working,” Yuuji says dramatically, sliding the ‘vibrate’ button on the phone and placing it in his pocket, a smug, satisfied smile on his face. “You should upload your photos a little later, maybe. You know, so they don’t get overwhelmed.” He laughs, in that same airy, boyish way of his. It’s contagious because Megumi finds his own lips quirking up into a smile. He feels good, Yuuji’s presence a surprisingly comforting one around him, the nervousness that overcame him earlier slowly starting to ease away.
“Okay. Next,” Yuuji starts when they’ve settled down, “In order to upload content, we need content to upload in the first place. So dates like these —” he gestures vaguely at the both of them, “— will need to happen in the future as well. In places where there are lots of eyes watching. Like right now.”
Megumi blinks and then he takes a good look around his surroundings — and Yuuji is right. There are lots of eyes, and they are on him and Yuuji. And usually Megumi is very conscious when there are people looking at him, but Yuuji has done such a good job taking up all of Megumi’s attention that he hadn’t even noticed. Now that he has, though, he sinks into himself, suddenly very nervous and self-conscious all over again, especially now that he’s with the other half of the reason why he’s the talk of the campus.
“Hey,” He feels Yuuji’s hand on his shoulder. “Don’t worry about it. They’re looking at us because we look good. You look good. Bask in it.”
Megumi lets go of the lower lip he’s been unconsciously chewing to give Yuuji an appreciative, tight-lipped smile, as a way to say thank you. Yuuji smiles back at him. “Are you okay with meeting me a couple times a week? Maybe once or twice? Whatever fits your schedule.”
“Should we exchange timetables?”
“Oh right!”
Megumi has classes everyday except for Thursdays. Most of his days start at 9 in the morning, with a 12 to 1 lunch break, and end at 5pm. Then he has routine practice later at night on Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays and his weekends, from 7 to 11.
“That is tight ,” Yuuji gasps, eyes wide and glossy as they scan the picture of Megumi’s schedule that he’s pulled up on his phone. “How do you have time for homework and sleep? And going out?”
“I usually spend the weekends finishing up assignments. I try my best to get a good sleep every night or I don’t work well the next day.” He scratches the corner of his lip. “I- um, don’t go out much.” I have around two friends.
“You’re very cool,” Yuuji says, nodding in approval. “You’ve got your priorities straight. I should try to be more like you, you know. Maybe then I wouldn’t have suffered so much during my midterms last month.”
Megumi lets out a soft laugh, eyes going to his hands, which were playing with the gingham blanket under him. “No…” he says, looking up at Yuuji. “You’re still in your first year, right? You should have fun first. You’ll be forced to buck up by the time you’re in your third year, anyway. Then you can suffer properly.”
Yuuji looks at him for a moment, eyes observing Megumi’s straight-facedness, before he laughs, clapping his hands delightedly, and tells Megumi that you’re absolutely right, senpai!
Yuuji’s timetable is, as expected from a freshman, much, much emptier than Megumi’s. He has classes three times a week, except on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Despite his spacious timetable, though, Yuuji has boxing practice every night from 6 until 9.
“Isn’t this fate, senpai?” Yuuji says. “My free-est day is your free-est day, too. Even the university wants us to date.”
They decide that their weekly dates will be mostly on Thursdays, and maybe some on the weekend if they’re both free. They exchange phone numbers so they don’t have to communicate through instagram DMs anymore. Megumi saves the new number under ‘Itadori Yuuji (Year 1)’.
“Next then — um.” Yuuji’s face reddens, and his fingers fidget with each other, eyes shifting around. It brings a sort of comfort to Megumi, that he’s not the only one who’s a little nervous today. It’s almost kind of cute, even.
“What is it?”
“Things couples do – like hand-holding, hugs, kisses...” Yuuji starts, mumbling. “That kind of stuff, you know, are you okay with it? I mean, when we’re out and about. I need to know what you’re okay with and what you’re not. It’s totally fine if you don’t want to do any of those, though. We could still make it work.”
Megumi thinks about holding hands with Yuuji. Hugging Yuuji, kissing Yuuji. He almost can’t imagine it. The last person he’s kissed and hugged was Sukuna and that hadn’t been that long ago. He wonders if he can get used to a new set of hands, a new body, a new pair of lips so quickly. He tries to find comfort in Yuuji’s words earlier – no commitment, all business .
Somehow, it’s the petty thought of doing it with someone other than Sukuna that makes Megumi agree. “I’m fine with that. Just give me a heads up before doing it.”
Yuuji smiles at him, small and gentle. “Of course,” he says.
They talk a bit more, chatting idly about school and a little bit about each other as they finish the remaining food that Yuuji had brought for the picnic; some cream biscuits, fresh mandarin oranges, and two small cartons of banana milk. Megumi learns that Yuuji majors in sports science and is a part of the university’s mens’ boxing team, but you knew that already right, senpai ?
Yuuji openly tells him that he’s gone through Megumi’s entire instagram profile, and that he thinks Megumi’s routine pictures are beautiful. My favourites are the ones with the ribbons and the hoops , oh, and when you’re jumping mid-air in like, a split, Yuuji says, to which Megumi laughs, and tells him, that’s almost all of them.
“Can I come watch you practise your routine one of these days?”
Megumi thinks back to Sukuna sitting at the bleachers. He thinks of his furrowed eyebrows, and his frown, and the way he had shook his head in disappointment, leaving the gym midway through Megumi’s routine. It makes Megumi sick, makes his throat clog up, breath stutter and hands clammy.
Yuuji doesn’t need to know about all that, though. “Sure, Itadori,” he settles simply instead.
“I can’t wait. Maybe you could come to one of my practice matches as well?” Yuuji continues, eyes glinting.
Megumi gives him a small smile. “I’d be happy to.”
When they’re done eating and Yuuji’s finished putting all the empty containers back in his picnic basket, Megumi stands up, dusting off any remaining crumbs on his lap onto the grass. He helps Yuuji fold the gingham blanket, handing it to him to slide under the basket handle. “Thanks for the picnic today. It was nice. I really liked the shōgayaki .”
Yuuji shines him a sunny smile. “You’re welcome! I’ll make you more in the future.”
“You should tell me what kinds of food you like too.”
“I like a lot of food. But don’t worry about it, I’ll bring you to all my favourite food places on our future dates.” Yuuji gives him a wink, but it’s silly because he ends up blinking both eyes, and it makes Megumi laugh in a way he hasn’t in a while, loudly and wholeheartedly ‘til his eyes crinkle into little slits.
They make their way out of the park together, and the stares don’t bother Megumi too much anymore, because he’s distracted by a story Yuuji is telling about how his old roommate was so stingy and horrible that he had to switch dorms mid-term. “Speaking of which, where do you live? On or off-campus?”
“On,” Megumi replies. “I live in Hall 3, Block C.”
“Oh! Sweet! I’m at the same hall but at block H. A little further down, but it’s the same way,” Yuuji hums, wiggling his eyebrows dramatically. “This means I can walk you back after every date then, right?”
Megumi looks up at him and pretends to hum in contemplation, a small smile on his face. “I guess so.”
The walk to his dorm isn’t long, and it feels even shorter because Yuuji is telling him more stories about his old roommate, about how one time when Yuuji asked him to throw the trash out, he put in the effort to pick out all of Yuuji’s trash so that he would only be throwing out his own.
“That’s awful and sounds like a massive waste of time,” Megumi tsks in disapproval.
“Tell me about it. It would have been so easy to just throw out the whole bag instead. He’s so stupid, I don’t know how I managed to last 3 months.”
Megumi tells him about how he almost had a fight with the residence hall director because they refused to let Megumi move in with his dogs, despite the dorm being ‘pet-friendly’. “They said my dogs were too big,” Megumi fusses, “something about them being more like wolves than dogs. I think it’s ridiculous.” Yuuji tells him that that’s totally unfair, senpai, the hall should remove the ‘pet-friendly’ label if they’re going to discriminate like that. Can I meet them one day, though? I really love dogs.
The walk ends too quickly, and they’re in front of Block C before he realises it.
“Well,” Yuuji turns to him, hands in his pocket. “Today was nice. Thank you for meeting me and for agreeing to this whole…my proposition. Honestly, I wasn’t sure you would, but I’m really glad that you did.” He gives Megumi another handsome, toothy smile. “You’re a really cool guy, you know, senpai?”
Megumi laughs shyly, looking down at the pavement. “Thanks, Itadori. I hope we’ll be able to work well together in the future.”
Yuuji laughs at that, loud and unrestrained, now that it’s just the two of them and there are no other ogling eyes in sight. “When you say it like that then it really sounds like a business deal,” he says. “I hope we’ll be able to be really good friends.”
“Right,” Megumi smiles.
Yuuji gives him a pat on the shoulder, before he begins walking backwards, waving his hand that wasn’t holding onto the picnic basket. “Good night, Fushiguro-senpai. I’ll see you on our second date.”
Megumi waves back with a small smile. “Good night, Itadori.” He watches Yuuji turn around, walking off into the distance, getting smaller and smaller until he turns a corner and disappears.
A few minutes later, when Megumi’s toed off his shoes and is laying on his bed to overthink about everything that happened today, he gets a text from Yuuji.
Itadori Yuuji (Year 1)
[Itadori Yuuji (Year 1) ATTACHED A PICTURE]
[Itadori Yuuji (Year 1) ATTACHED A PICTURE]
[Itadori Yuuji (Year 1) ATTACHED A PICTURE]
don’t forget to post your gawjuss pictures ;))
night night senpai !!
Megumi opens the attached pictures and bites his lip. He looks good in them. The sun shines prettily on his face, makes his eyes look all bright and sparkly, and the slight breeze in the park had given a little sway to his hair and to the flower between his ears.
He opens instagram and finally gets to see just how much Yuuji’s post of their selfie had exploded, garnering over three thousand likes in just a little over an hour, as well as hundreds and hundreds of comments.
@Yuujis_03World omg gomgomfog it’s happening it’s happening everybdbf stay calm STAY FUCKFNG CALM
@kyulkyu_x22 you guys are actually dating?? like FOR REAL for real??
@JolynJie You guys look sooooo good together oh my gosh >< Congratulations!!
@foritadori_z THIS EYE CANDY !!!!!!!!! THIS EYE CANDY !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! THIS EYE CANDY !!!!!!!!!!!
- @Yuuji33xx3 EYE CANDY POWER COUPLE
- @foritadori_z EYE CANDY POWER COUPLE !!!!!!!!!!!!!! MOTHERFUCKRRNRKSJNDNF !!!!!!!!!
@LuvlyYuuji_1400 is this really happening? this is real? im not dreaming?
- @YuujixBubble We won today. We really won today. God is real.
- @Yuujiflrter8 IT’S REAL IT’S SO REAL
@yenah9211 ah be happy guys T_T when will i get my own boyfriend T_T
@ItaIta_inmyheart ‘here’s to more dates in the future’ I will have a mental breakdown.
- @ItaIta_inmyheart *Out of happiness. A mental breakdown of happiness.
Megumi laughs quietly against the back of his hand. He finds himself scrolling and scrolling through all of the comments until they run out, and then refreshes to see the new ones that popped up in the last couple minutes. All of them are very, very positive, to his surprise. He’d expected to see a few people who disapproved, but found none, just people who commented about how lonely they were and how they can’t find their own significant other. He decides to leave his own comment under the post.
@Fushiguro_Megumi Had such a great time today :) Definitely more dates in the future.
He goes through his notifications and notices that he’s been tagged in lots of new photos and videos today. Particularly photos of him with Yuuji at the park. He should’ve figured that with that many people present, with that many eyes on him and Yuuji, that they would’ve taken pictures and videos of them too. Pictures of them eating as they talked, pictures of Yuuji taking a picture of Megumi and pictures of Megumi taking a picture of Yuuji. Pictures of Yuuji holding Megumi’s hand in between his own and pictures of Yuuji placing a flower in between Megumi’s ear. Posts captioned with ‘I saw the date with my own 2 eyes!!!’ ‘they’re so sweet and romantic, feels like watching a drama T___T ‘ ‘what was yuuji saying so passionately here? was he confessing? look at how he’s holding megumi’s hands…’
He realises now that with newfound fame comes the consequence of having his every action being ogled at when he’s outside. Is he going to have to start putting more effort into his looks and attire everyday now? Can he handle so many eyes on him all the time? He doesn’t know. Is Yuuji okay with this? He probably has to handle more attention than what Megumi’s used to on a daily basis, anyway. Maybe he’ll be able to cope better. He didn’t seem too bothered back at the park.
Megumi then goes to the main page and clicks the little ‘plus’ button, selecting his own set of pictures from today, as well as the selfie that he and Yuuji had taken together. It’s a cute picture, Yuuji’s sunny, toothy grin a nice contrast against Megumi’s tinier, timid attempt at a smile. Their heads are touching and the sun shines brightly on their faces.
He writes the caption, ‘ A day with @ punchyuuji_03. He made me my favourite dish, shōgayaki. He also set up a whole picnic, with all my favourite snacks. I had a nice time. Thank you for taking me out. ’
He reads over the words. Bites his lips. It feels lacking, somehow.
‘ A day with @ punchyuuji_03. He made me my favourite dish, shōgayaki. It was super good. He also set up a whole picnic, with all my favourite snacks :) I had a really nice time. Thank you for taking me out, Yuuji <3 ’.
Better. He tags Yuuji in the photo, and clicks ‘post’.
He waits a few seconds after the photos finish uploading, and the notifications are instant. This might be the fastest he’s had so many people like his post at once, and a minute later he gets a message notification from Yuuji.
Itadori Yuuji (Year 1)
damn!!! youre already better at this than i am!!!!
Megumi’s feet kick out and hit against the bed giddily. He sends Yuuji a leaf emoji, and tells him that he better start upping his game if he doesn’t want Megumi to completely own him at it. He goes to sleep that night with a newfound excitement that he hasn’t felt in a long time, as if he was a teenager all over again.
Megumi wakes up the next morning to explosive notifications, two missed calls and 13 messages from Tsumiki, four from Kamo, and for the first time ever, he welcomes it all with a smile.
He feels Tsumiki’s fingers on his waist, poking and prodding and disturbing. He ignores it, choosing instead to read over the same two lines from the paperback in his hands. He can’t concentrate .
“I came over so we could hang out,” Tsumiki whines, slinging an arm over Megumi’s waist. They were on Megumi’s bed — or Megumi was on Megumi’s bed, and Tsumiki had come and slithered her way at his side, pushing him off centre. “Aren’t you being a little rude?”
“Actually, we came over to study,” Kamo says from the couch, notes sprawled all over Megumi’s tiny coffee table.
“Yes, and we are taking a break now.”
“You took a break 10 minutes ago.”
“Ugh,” Tsumiki rubs at her face, glowering. “Tell that to Megumi too, then!”
“Megumi’s done with his work. You —” Kamo says, then picks up a piece of paper, presumably Tsumiki’s, half-filled and unfinished. “— are not.”
“Don’t feel like it,” Tsumiki whines, then whips out her phone. Kamo rolls his eyes and turns to continue with his work as Tsumiki scrolls through her feed and Megumi continues to pretend to read. His eyes glance over to his phone, laying lonely on the side of his pillow, dark and unlit with no new message notifications coming in.
The past month of fake-dating Yuuji has involved going on dates once a week — twice if Megumi’s up for it on the weekend and Yuuji isn’t busy — and Megumi will never let anyone know, but it’s sort of starting to become the highlight of his week. He loves hanging out with Tsumiki and Kamo very much, but there’s just something about the giddiness of thinking about how to dress up on the day, where they’re going on the date, and the knowledge that people can’t stop looking at them when they’re out because they just looked so good together, offhanded comments of ‘ you don’t see couples like that often ,’ that he overhears fuelling up whatever sort of dual Yuuji-Megumi ego he’s formed ever since the whole ordeal started.
And then there’s — well, Yuuji himself. Handsome Yuuji with his entertaining and funny stories that are always accompanied by his boisterous, contagious, boyish laughter. Kind and polite Yuuji who helps pull Megumi’s chair out for him to sit down on and wipes the crumbs from the corner of Megumi’s lips when they eat out. Sunny and smiley Yuuji who is really, really good at acting, a ton better at it than Megumi, always making sure to look at Megumi like he’s the only person he can see, so that the phone cameras pointed at them can take perfect pictures of it.
They go out to eat mostly, Yuuji fulfilling his promise of bringing Megumi to all his favourite food places, and they exchange stories and laughter over the table, learning more and more about each other with each passing date. Megumi learns that Yuuji’s a good cook, and that it’s one of his biggest hobbies, but he has no place to cook anymore because his dorm’s shared kitchen is always a hot mess thanks to his housemates. Yuuji also tells him that he’s really into horror and romance movies, and that he’d really like to bring Megumi on a movie date one of these days, if Megumi would have him.
Megumi is a reserved person, often choosing to keep facts about himself to himself. But it’s easy with Yuuji — the words tend to just roll out, and he finds himself talking a lot more than he usually does. Megumi tells Yuuji that he had only enrolled in the university because his sister joined for the school’s renowned volleyball team – their dad thought it was easier to just group them in the same place, since Megumi didn’t have a strong preference of where to study after highschool. He had only discovered his love for rhythmic gymnastics during his first year when he had joined the try-outs, only because he was forced to pick up an extra-curricular for his electives.
Megumi also shares a story about how he almost burnt down his kitchen back in first year while attempting to cook salmon, and that he would have burnt it down had Kamo not come in time. “Tsumiki and her boyfriend are my best friends,” he says. “I really cherish them a lot. Tsumiki can be clingy and a little overbearing sometimes but she’s supportive and loving. Kamo’s really smart and reliable, gives great advice, and I trust him with my life.” Yuuji tells him that he’d love to meet them whenever he could, and Megumi panics for a little bit — can he really trust Tsumiki to be in the same room as Yuuji without embarrassing him? — but tells Yuuji that they’ll definitely be able to meet soon.
The first time they kissed was on a Wednesday morning, in front of Megumi’s liberal arts department building. Megumi had a 9am class that day, and as he walked out his residence hall, he was greeted with Yuuji waiting in front of his dorm, perched on his bike.
“Yuuji? What are you doing out so early?” From what Megumi remembered, Yuuji’s classes on Wednesdays start at 11, and it’s only a little half past 8.
“Wanted to go with you,” Yuuji had replied with a lopsided smile. “Liberal arts building, 9am, right? Hop on.”
Megumi had sat on the little passenger seat at the back of the bike, his long legs perched to one side, hands rested on Yuuji’s waist.
When they arrived at Megumi’s building and Megumi had gotten off to adjust the strap of his bag, ready to thank Yuuji for the ride, he had found Yuuji staring at him with a strange, yearning look in his big, round eyes. It almost reminds him of how Yuuji looked at him in The Library Picture.
Megumi cocked his head in question. “What’s up?”
“Can I kiss you?”
Megumi had blinked at him. Yuuji had laughed quietly, eyes averting to his shoes, hand going up to scratch at his nape shyly. “A lot of people are looking. Thought I could give you a little goodbye kiss before you go. It’s okay if you don’t—“
Megumi had cut him off — or maybe Megumi had answered him — by closing the small distance between them with a step forward, tilting his face up to slot his lips flush against Yuuji’s own. It was short and sweet, a small press of the lips, and Megumi had pulled away just slightly afterwards, so that they weren’t kissing anymore but their faces were still close enough he could feel Yuuji’s breath fanning his lips. Yuuji had stood frozen, big eyes blinking at him in surprise, and goodness, he was so red . How cute.
His lips wobbled a little after that, opening and closing. “Woah.”
Megumi cocked his head at him, smiling, though his eyebrows furrowed in concern. “You okay?”
“Huh?” Yuuji blinks owlishly at him. “Oh! Yeah. Yeah – that was just–” he cupped Megumi’s neck, and then his face. “That was just– my first time.”
Your first time doing what? Megumi had briefly thought, but then Yuuji closed the gap between them and then their lips were meeting again, and he thinks he feels a lot of teeth in there, because Yuuji’s a little bit of a sloppy kisser, but also because they’re both laughing as Yuuji leaned in again once, twice, thrice.
It’s Yuuji who had pulled away first, completely flushed pink from his neck up, who told Megumi that he’s going to be late if they continue, have a good day, I’ll see you later, gonna miss you. Voice always audible enough for others to hear, smile bright and eyes loving as he waved Megumi goodbye, riding off to his own sports science building.
Ever since that morning, Yuuji waiting for him in front of his dorm at dawn had become a norm. “You don’t have to, you know. I feel bad that you’re waking up earlier than you have to,” Megumi had told him. Yuuji had shook his head, smiled, and told him that “I don’t mind if it’s for you, senpai,” and sometimes he says things like that that confuse Megumi — because nobody else can hear it, just Megumi, so what was he trying to accomplish?
And ever since that morning, kisses between them have also become a thing. They’d kiss every time Yuuji would drop him off in the morning. They’d kiss at dates they have at the park over cream biscuits and shōgayaki , inside photo booths where they’d take silly pictures to post later, over a table filled with their textbooks when they’d study in the library when they had too much work for proper Thursday dates. And there would be so many photos and videos of it afterwards, from low-quality candids to photoshoot-level images that could pass off as a movie poster. And Megumi thinks that maybe he could get used to a new pair of lips and a new set of hands after all, if they were Yuuji’s.
“ Ugh ,” Megumi is pulled out of his reminiscent Yuuji-filled daydream and back into reality, where Tsumiki is on his bed, looking up at him in disgust. “There you go. There it is again.”
“What?”
“Do you realise,” then Tsumiki is attacking him, pinching at his cheeks so aggressively he’s sure they were going to leave marks after, “that you always have this stupid smile on your face now?”
“Nee-san – ow ,” he bats her hands away, cupping his own cheeks that were stinging now, giving her a look of pure betrayal.
“You should be thankful that you’re so cute. I don’t think I would be able to stand it anymore if you weren’t.”
Megumi frowns at her, still rubbing at his cheeks. “What are you talking about?”
“That smile on your face that you always have now. The stupid-looking one, like you’re trying to hide it but can’t help yourself.”
“You’re imagining things.”
“Oh, okay, Mr. I Look At My Phone Every 5 Minutes Because I Want Itadori To Text Me So Damn Bad. Itadori who’s actually pretty nice, you know, Miki nee-san ?” Tsumiki’s voice goes mock high-pitched when she says the last sentence. Megumi shoves her shoulder and tells her that he absolutely does not talk like that.
Then Megumi rolls over so that he’s on his back too, and now they’re both facing the ceiling. Tsumiki’s got her arms pillowing the back of her head, and Megumi’s are folded on his stomach, fingers fiddling with each other. “We’re just friends,” Megumi tells her, or maybe he’s telling himself. “Really, we are. I just think he’s a really good person. You know it’s really hard for me to get close to new people. But it’s really easy with him. I feel…comfortable. I guess – I guess I’m just excited about it.”
He hears Tsumiki sigh. “I know, baby. I’m just playing with you. I’m happy you’re meeting new people, but it’s just so funny that it’s beefed up, winky-face Itadori out of all people. He’s the last person I’d expect you to be best buds with,” she laughs, and pinches Megumi’s ear when he pouts at her. “But if you like him, then I like him too. And if I like him, then ‘Toshi probably likes him too,” Kamo lets out a grunt of approval from the other side of the room, nose still buried in his textbook. “I know you can take care of yourself. But just be careful, okay? I don’t want you to go through another Sukuna situation all over again so quickly. It hurts me to see you hurt. That’s all.”
Megumi chews at his lower lip. “I know…” he sighs. He picks at his nails, but Tsumiki is pinching at his wrist, tsking at him to stop. Megumi curls his fingers into his palms instead.“Thank you, nee-san. Me and Yuuji – it’s never going to become a real thing. I think – I think Sukuna’s still too fresh, anyway. And I don’t think I’m even–“
“You’re not over that bag of hot trash – I know , Megumi. Don’t make me hear you say that shit out loud.”
Megumi flinches at the sharpness of her tone, sinking deeper into his pillow. He’s not even going to pretend to deny it, not to Tsumiki. “Yeah…and if I ever…you know. With Yuuji. If it ever gets out of hand, which is never going to happen, by the way–”
“If you catch feelings,” Tsumiki says for him, and Megumi whines pitifully.
“If things get out of hand,” Megumi repeats instead, “I’ll tell you about it right away. And then you’ll talk some sense into me, right?”
“Of course, baby,” Tsumiki tugs at his ear softly. A gentle but unsure smile spreads over her face. “Always.”
Yuuji invites Megumi to one of his boxing exhibitions.
There’s no true winner and loser in an exhibition – there are no judges, and the rounds are shorter, too, Yuuji explained. We have them to showcase our skills to an audience, test out new techniques, and inspire new recruits from the school to join the team. It’s also good practice, for real matches, when things are a little more high-stake .
The day before the exhibition, Yuuji had handed Megumi his varsity jacket – Megumi’s seen him wear it sometimes, to and from practice. “If you don’t mind,” Yuuji had started shyly, eyes not meeting his, instead darting to somewhere by his feet. “I’d like you to wear this to the match. You can be, like, my lucky charm, or something.”
Megumi had taken it, face schooled into something nonchalant even when his cheeks burned, and told him, “You don’t need a lucky charm, you win all your matches anyway.”
He had been too embarrassed to wear it straight from his dorm, so he had opted to put it on in the university sports arena’s restrooms instead. The large majority of the crowd had already gone inside the arena, fighting for the best seats on the bleachers, leaving the restroom pretty empty.
Which gives Megumi the privacy he needed to admire himself in the mirror, adorned in Yuuji’s personalised varsity jacket.
The jacket is a deep crimson, the same shade as Yuuji’s signature boxing gloves, with black leather sleeves. Across the back, embroidered in bold, stylised golden thread is ‘ITADORI’ in all caps, accompanied by the emblem of the university’s boxing team – a roaring tiger mid-punch. The front bears a smaller emblem of the boxing team stitched over the heart, with Yuuji’s name embroidered in neat cursive just above it, making the jacket unmistakably his.
The jacket runs large on him, draping over his slighter frame, giving him an almost boyish charm. The cuffs of the sleeves slide past his wrists, and the hem of the jacket reaches just above his thighs, making it clear that this jacket wasn’t made for him. It smells faintly of Yuuji - clean, like the detergent he uses, mixed with a subtle, musky cologne.
Megumi looks good in it. He feels good in it.
His head whips around, making sure that the restroom was truly empty.
Then he twirls in front of the mirror with his arms out, letting the loose hem swish around his hips.
That was silly. Megumi laughs by himself, pulling the jacket tighter around his torso, heart thudding as he leaves the bathroom.
I’ll save you a seat on the front row, Yuuji had told him when he handed him the jacket. The best spot in the room, senpai. You’ll be sitting with my friends – you’ll see them when you come in.
The energy in the arena buzzes with excitement, fans and students filling the stands as EDM music booms from the speakers. Megumi enters through the main doors, and he’s only a few steps in before he feels the almost immediate weight of curious stares from the room’s spectators on him. Whispers ripple through the crowd – Megumi sees a flash going off on him from a phone, somewhere – some people recognising him from Yuuji’s posts, surely, and others connecting the dots through his attire today.
Megumi’s gotten a little more used to some attention from the people around him when he’s out on his Yuuji-dates. But now he’s entering Yuuji’s territory . Everyone in this room is either here for Yuuji, or at least knows who he is. Megumi isn’t used to this level of attention, and is unsure if he ever will be.
Clutching the strap of his bag, he makes his way to the seats Yuuji pointed out earlier. It was hard to miss, not with a woman sporting a bob cut waving aggressively at him as soon as he entered, sitting on the front row, directly next to the ring.
“Well! If it isn’t the love of Yuuji’s life,” the woman greets him excitedly when Megumi makes his way to his seat. “And look at you, all decked out in Yuuji’s jacket. Isn’t he adorable, Yuko?”
The other woman – sporting a similar bob cut, but a little longer, were they twinning? – blushes slightly, giving Megumi a soft smile. “It really suits you, Fushiguro-kun,” she says, her voice quieter, less teasing.
“Kugisaki Nobara,” the first woman says, thumb pointed to her own chest, then nudges her friend with her shoulder. “Yuko Ozawa. Come here,” she pats the spot between her and Yuko, “Yuuji told me to make sure no one else gets your special seat today.”
“...Fushiguro Megumi,” he introduces himself as he sits down, placing his bag by his feet and subconsciously adjusting his jacket, cheeks warming at Nobara’s responding oh, we know.
Before the conversation could continue any further, the announcer’s voice booms over the speakers and across the arena. “Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to tonight’s highly anticipated exhibition match!” The crowd hollers, then quiets down for a moment as the announcer introduces the first contender, pointing to one side of the ring. “In the red corner, our rising star in the world of amateur boxing, and a crowd favourite… Itadori Yuuji !”
Yuuji steps into view, and the room’s energy spikes. The audience erupts into deafening cheers, a wave of voices chanting his name in unison. The spotlight follows him as he strides toward the ring, dressed in a sleek, black-and-red robe that drapes over his broad shoulders; the team’s logo is embroidered boldly across the back, glittering under the bright arena lights.
From where Megumi sits, Yuuji looks larger than life. His hair, slightly damp from his warm-up, catches the light, soft pink strands curling faintly at the edges. Yuuji’s robe is untied, so hints of his powerful physique beneath it are visible – his taped hands peeking out from his sleeves, the taut muscles in his legs as he moves with effortless confidence, and the – the hard, defined lines of his abs .
Megumi’s eyes do not glance over at the trail of fuzz that start at his belly button and disappear into his shorts. He’s better than that.
Yuuji’s eyes gleam with focus, but there’s a boyish grin on his face that somehow softens his imposing presence. He raises his arms and waves to acknowledge the crowd, flashing a smile so bright and genuine it could outshine the arena lights. But even as he basks in the attention, his gaze moves quickly over the stands, searching with intent. It doesn’t take him long to find Megumi.
The moment Yuuji spots him, his eyes widen for a moment, before his expression softens, eyes sparkling and grin widening impossibly. Megumi’s not sure if it’s because of the glaring lights of the arena, but Yuuji’s cheeks tint pink.
Yuuji raises a gloved hand and points it directly at Megumi, making sure the crowd sees exactly where his attention lies.
Megumi stiffens in his seat, feeling the weight of hundreds of eyes turning toward him as the spotlight sweeps over. This is painful. His face burns, and he instinctively pulls the jacket tighter around himself, sinking into his seat. Whoops and whistles fill up the room – and he knows he’s not the one everyone’s cheering for, but the way Yuuji looks at him, with that happy, triumphant grin of his, makes it feel like he is. Nobara shakes in laughter next to him, while Yuko pats him reassuringly on the back.
Yuuji doesn’t linger in the moment. With a wink, he rolls his shoulders, loosens his arms, and hops into the ring, his movements fluid and practised. He sheds his robe in one swift motion, revealing his black boxing trunks trimmed in red.
His body glistens faintly with a sheen of sweat, the definition of his muscles highlighted under the bright lights. Megumi groans internally. He’s seen it plenty of times through his phone screen before – Yuuji’s boxing pictures are all over his profile. But seeing it in real life is something else. He’s hot . And really big. Megumi’s face doesn’t stop burning.
For the crowd, Yuuji puts on a show. He shadowboxes for a moment, the sound of his punches slicing through the air, each movement fast and precise. He bounces lightly on his feet, his entire body coiled like a spring. He sends a few glances Megumi’s way, almost imperceptible to anyone not paying attention, a proud smirk adorning his face all the while.
“Oh brother ,” Nobara groans next to him. “Look at him. What a show-off.”
“He’s only doing all that because you’re here, Fushiguro-kun,” Yuko stifles a giggle with the back of her hand.
“...No he’s not , ” Megumi mumbles, though something about Yuuji wanting to show off for him makes him feel funny in his stomach. Something like butterflies, except it’s not, because Megumi doesn’t get butterflies.
The announcer’s voice shifts. “And in the blue corner, a heavyweight contender and no stranger to the ring…Hakari Kinji!”
A new wave of cheers and chants erupts as Hakari Kinji strides into view. Megumi watches as Kinji enters from the opposite side of the ring. He’s – a little old looking, is he even a student? – his figure tall and imposing, dressed in a simple black tank top and gym shorts that highlight the muscles underneath. Megumi wonders briefly if boxers just really like having pink hair.
Kinji slams his gloves together when he steps into the ring, the thunderous clap it emits resonating throughout the arena. The referee motions for both fighters to approach. The two men bump gloves, both grinning and exchanging a look all too knowing.
Yuuji glances toward the front row once more, before settling into his stance. His eyes briefly lock with Megumi’s, and his gaze is intense. It makes a shiver run up Megumi’s spine. What the hell.
“Are you nervous?” Nobara whispers playfully as she nudges Megumi’s shoulder.
Megumi shakes his head, though he’s not sure if he’s convincing anyone – not even himself.
Yuuji handles the attention well. He seems at ease, unfazed even with Kinji bouncing on his toes across him, his fists up in front of his face in a protective stance.
Then, the referee raises his hand. The bell rings, and the match begins.
The crowd falls silent for a heartbeat before the sound of footfalls and punches fill the air. Yuuji’s stance shifts, his feet light and fluid, as he circles Hakari with careful movements. Hakari mirrors him, not giving an inch but clearly sizing him up with calculating eyes.
Yuuji moves like a force of nature, his body a perfect blend of speed and strength. Megumi finds himself leaning forward in his seat, heart picking up pace, watching every move with rapt attention. The next few moments pass in a blur – Yuuji strikes first, a quick jab to Hakari’s chest, followed by a series of rapid punches aimed at Hakari’s head. Hakari dodges them with practised ease, rolling out of the way before landing a sharp counter to Yuuji’s ribs. Yuuji winces slightly, but there’s a familiar smile on his face, his stance ready as he retaliates with a hook that has Hakari stumbling back.
Megumi’s heart jumps to his throat, hands gripping the edge of his chair – why is he so into this? – as Yuuji weaves around his opponent, light on his feet but devastatingly sharp in his attacks. He makes it look effortless. It’s the first time Megumi gets to see Yuuji like this – completely in his element, his focus razor-sharp, his grin wild and unrelenting – a contrast to the playful, sunny, smiley Yuuji that Megumi’s a little more familiar with.
The crowd roars with every hit Yuuji lands, the sound vibrating through the arena, but Megumi can barely hear it – his focus is on the way Yuuji controls the fight, dictating its rhythm as if it’s a choreographed dance.
Fleetingly, Megumi wonders what it would feel like to live in Yuuji’s world – the one where confidence flows easily, where everything feels within reach, where every next step feels familiar and sure.
Come on, Yuuji. His legs bounce anxiously under his seat as Yuuji closes in on Hakari, his footwork almost flawless, his punches relentless. It’s not just raw strength – Yuuji fights with strategy, reading Hakari’s movements almost as if it were an open book.
The referee hovers closer, watching the exchange with growing intensity. Both fighters are drenched in sweat, their muscles taut with effort. Yuuji ducks under a wild swing from Hakari, slipping to the side with an agility that makes Megumi’s breath catch. He lands a sharp right cross, and the crowd erupts into cheers as Hakari stumbles back. Yuuji doesn’t let up – a flurry of punches follows – precise, powerful, and unrelenting. Then, in one fluid motion, he delivers a devastating uppercut that sends Hakari staggering backwards into the ropes.
“Stop!” the referee calls, stepping in to separate them. The bell rings sharply, signalling the end of the match.
Megumi blinks, releasing a shaky exhale as the referee raises Yuuji’s arm high into the air. Relief, and some sort of strange pride swirls in his chest. The announcer declares Yuuji the winner, his voice almost drowned out by the deafening roar of the crowd. Yuuji’s grin is blinding, his face flushed with adrenaline as he pumps his raised fist into the air.
Yuuji looks like he was made for this.
He also looks really, really handsome right now.
Chants of Yuuji’s name fill up the room. Megumi can feel the vibrations of it on the floor under his feet.
For a brief moment, he’s reminded of Sukuna’s rugby games. Of the bleachers under him shaking in excitement as the crowd roared in victory, of chants of Ryoumen, Ryoumen, Ryoumen ! Of being pushed and squeezed around in his seat amongst it all, of trying to catch Sukuna’s eyes, or have a nod thrown his way – anything, any sort of acknowledgement, so he could have the comfort of knowing that Sukuna’s seen him, that Sukuna knew he was there .
He doesn’t get to dwell on it for long, because Yuuji doesn’t linger in the centre of the ring. Even amidst the chaos of victory – the cheers, the cameras, the flashing lights – Yuuji’s gaze finds its way back to him.
Yuuji jogs to the edge of the ring, and the spotlight follows him, illuminating the sweat glistening on his skin and the spark of triumph in his eyes.
He leans over the ropes, catching Megumi’s wide-eyed gaze. “Senpai!” he calls, voice loud enough to cut through the noise. Megumi blinks, suddenly hyper-aware of the arena’s attention shifting towards him.
Yuuji’s grin softens, and then he’s leaping out of the ring.
He crosses the short distance between them to the stands where Megumi sits . He’s still catching his breath, the adrenaline coursing through him evident in the bright flush of his cheeks and the gleam of sweat on his skin, and – why is he coming so close ? And so quickly, too –
Before Megumi can register it, Yuuji grabs him by the wrist, tugging him to his feet.
“Wait, what are you –” Megumi starts, his voice quiet and panicked, but Yuuji cuts him off with a grin and a playful, breathy laugh.
“I’m going to kiss you now,” Yuuji murmurs, leaning in close enough that Megumi feels the heat of his breath, until Megumi can count the sun spots across his nose. “Can you play along for me?”
Megumi doesn’t get the chance to argue.
In one fluid motion, Yuuji slides a strong arm around Megumi’s waist, pulling him close, and then he dips him backward in a dramatic, show-stopping gesture. Megumi’s world spins for a little bit, and then suddenly he’s no longer standing upright, and he’s facing the ceiling and Yuuji’s face and clutching at Yuuji’s shoulders for dear life so he doesn’t topple over.
Then, Yuuji’s lips are on his.
What?
The kiss is warm, firm, and startlingly intense. Yuuji’s hand steadies Megumi at the small of his back – he can feel the strength in Yuuji’s arms as he holds him, the solid grip keeping him grounded even when his head’s in the clouds. Yuuji’s other hand cups the side of Megumi’s face, and he’s not holding back. It’s a glaring moment, right in everyone’s faces to see. The crowd gasps – and then they lose it. The roar of the audience grows deafening, hollers and whistles ringing out as the clicking and flashing of cameras permeate the room.
Megumi is dizzy, half with embarrassment, and half with something else entirely that he doesn’t really want to acknowledge right now. His first instinct is to push Yuuji away, his mind reeling from the audacity of it all – but he gets it. He gets it. Yuuji’s asked him to play along, so he fucking will. His hands clutch at Yuuji’s shoulders at first, nails digging into the muscle, as his heart pounds erratically. But then he wills himself to tilt his head slightly so their noses don’t bump, then cups Yuuji’s face to kiss him back, just as passionately. He hears Yuuji let out an mmph of surprise, and feels a flicker of satisfaction from it.
It’s too much – too bold, too public – but Megumi’s got this. He’s not going to lose out to Yuuji in their play.
When Yuuji finally pulls back, Megumi is breathless. Yuuji straightens, still with that – that stupid, handsome grin on his face, how is he so unfazed by this? – and pulls him up gently by the hand to set Megumi carefully back on his feet.
Yuuji slings an arm around Megumi’s shoulder then, and pulls him in close. He leans in, and whispers in Megumi’s ear, just for him to hear, “Thanks for being a good sport.”
He follows it up with a tender kiss to Megumi’s temple, like a reward, as if to say good job .
Megumi can only stare forward, at a group of girls hitting each other and giggling in excitement as their phone cameras point at him, at Yuko covering her mouth with both of her hands as her eyes sparkle, at Nobara whistling obnoxiously next to him. His lips tingle, and his chest feels tight, like his heart’s trying to hammer its way out. He’s kind of pissed at the suddenness of something so shameless – but no matter how hard he tries to will the feeling away, each thud of his hammering heart is a reminder of Yuuji’s touch.
“You look good in my jacket,” Yuuji whispers against his temple.
A small, stubborn warmth blooms in his chest.
Megumi realises, with the steady weight of Yuuji’s arm on his shoulders, of the imposing warmth of his body tucked into Megumi’s side, as he shares his victory with Megumi, as if it was Megumi’s victory too –
He has never felt more seen.