Chapter Text
Could staring at a ceiling be any more nerve wracking than it currently is? The answer is yes if you’re Yuuji Itadori. It was bad enough for him to waste time not packing. But his priorities are somewhere else.
To anyone else, the bet was stupid. To Yuuji, all he cared about was winning and impressing his brother. Coming with a girlfriend, maybe even a boyfriend, for their trip. Sibling rivalry was all it was. It only started when Choso invited his girlfriend. Not that Yuuji minded, she was lovely and open-minded.
Now here he was explaining his crisis to Nobara. The ceiling looked much more appealing with his panicked state of mind. Sometimes they gave each other a hard time. Yuuji to Nobara in many more situations, but she was a great listener.
“You’re a dumbass, you know that?”
And an even harsher judge.
“Thanks for the reminder.”
“I don’t understand how I’d be the best option.”
“What are you talking about?”
“You clearly came to me to go with you.”
Yuuji slowly turned his head to look at her, truly appalled. Nobara immediately laughed at his reaction.
“I’m kidding! You know we’re not interested in each other.”
“You’re not helping at all,” Yuuji groaned, rolling over on his stomach.
“Well I’m sorry you’re suffering because you can’t handle a vacation without a partner.”
“It’s not like that! You wouldn’t understand, you have no siblings.”
“Yuuji, it’s a week, take a deep breath.”
Instead Yuuji grumbled some nonsense into the sheets. Nobara wasn’t on her A-game today. But he couldn’t go to anyone else.
Unless…
“Oh my god!” he yelled, lifting his head up from the sheets.
“What?”
“What if I went to Megumi?”
“You’re finally going to ask him out?”
“No!”
Nobara sucked her teeth. “Then there’s no point.”
“No, you’re missing the point.”
“Lay it on me,” Nobara scoffed, grabbing the nail file from her desk.
“If I ask him, it won’t seem like…”
“Like?”
“Actually, this is stupid.”
“No really?”
Yuuji picked up a pillow and threw it in Nobara’s direction. To his dismay, and luck, he missed her.
“Yuuji, if you want him to go with you, just ask,” Nobara stated, crossing her legs. “This whole bet thing is going to get your feelings all tied up.”
“Yeah but I don’t know how he feels, let alone if he’d be willing to go.”
“It doesn’t hurt to ask,” Nobara shrugged.
Yeah, it didn’t.
It started with a simple knock but now Yuuji wanted to flee. All he could think about was how this was a bad idea. It’s funny because he came up with it. He sort of wished Nobara was here. Though it’s best she wasn’t. Her sly side comments would be the death of him, especially at a time like this.
Only a few seconds passed by but it felt like hours. Yuuji’s heartbeat shifted to his throat. He’s done a lot of big tasks in his life. This was probably the worst for him.
His head was spinning with possibilities. Was he home? Did he want to see him? Is there a way out of this?
“Yuuji?”
The voice broke him from the prison he called his mind. He didn’t even see the door open but there he was.
“Hey!”
“Hi, need something?” Megumi asked, scratching the back of his neck.
“Yeah, rather… I need to talk to you.”
“Oh, okay, come in,” he said surprised, moving to let Yuuji in.
Megumi’s room is neat, or his side of the room. His roommate could use some work but Yuuji’s not one to talk. And to his favor, the room smelled just like Megumi, it was something sweet. By the time he was by the bed, Megumi was at his desk. He leaned down to grab a drink from his mini fridge. Yuuji found the bean bag and threw himself on it. It was the one Megumi got specifically for him.
“Catch,” Megumi warned just as he tossed Yuuji a small bottle of soda. He caught it smoothly like it was a football. “Don’t open it right away.”
“Yeah, yeah,” he brushed off, placing the bottle on the floor.
“Well?”
The tension in his shoulders got heavier with the reminder. The talk was inescapable now.
Yuuji coughed and cleared his throat. “I have this thing coming up and uh—”
“You’re nervous,” Megumi interrupted.
“What? I’m not nervous.”
“You’re having a hard time telling me what you need. I’m not going to be mad at whatever you ask me.”
Yuuji flushed a shade of pink that was lighter than his own hair. Megumi knew him a little bit too well. Yes, he was nervous but he wouldn’t be if Megumi wasn’t the way he was. It was so difficult to simply slip stuff past him. He needed to cool off. Good thing Megumi was kind enough to give him a drink from the start. Yuuji picked up the bottle next to him.
“I wouldn’t—”
And before Megumi could even finish his sentence, Yuuji opened the bottle. The soda fizz rushed to the top, spraying all over the place. His hands and shirt soaked. Megumi covered his face with his hands, groaning into them. Yuuji laughed like he wasn’t the one that created this mess.
“Here.” Megumi stood up and made his way to the dresser. He grabbed an extra towel and a t-shirt. Yuuji set the bottle back to its original spot and got up too. He took what Megumi offered and went to the bathroom. Just a small change of clothes.
At least his stupidity fueled as a temporary distraction.
He changed the shirt and tried fixing his hair. Yuuji stared at his face. All he saw was red. He couldn’t be that embarrassed, he does stupid stuff like this all the time. It’s not something he should admit but it was true. But it was just him and Megumi. Yuuji didn’t intentionally do that. At least he was able to get a shirt out of it.
When Yuuji came out of the bathroom, he was presented with Megumi cleaning the remaining mess. He didn’t have to, Yuuji would’ve been perfectly fine cleaning after himself. Megumi really doesn’t understand how his actions impact Yuuji. He threw away the final paper towel and Yuuji was already next to him.
“Oh, it fits you.”
“Huh?”
“Never mind… back to what you were saying?”
Yuuji needed to get himself together. It was a simple question. Or, that’s what he thought.
“Uh— I think you should… come on vacation with me? My brother and his girlfriend will be there, too! And you can also be my boyfriend for the time being.”
That last sentence came out way too fast for his liking. But what really set him off was Megumi’s reaction. He looked understandably confused.
“I’m sorry, what?”
What was he even doing here? The goal was to ask for him to come along. But tying in the boyfriend part was not part of the plan. All Yuuji could do now was power through the embarrassment. He took a deep breath.
“I’m going on a trip next week and I’m really set on bringing someone with me. Someone as a partner and I chose you. But we don’t have to actually be dating, just make it seem like we are.”
He could see Megumi processing his words slowly. Yuuji wanted to throw up.
“Wow, that was a lot to take in.”
“I know, I’m sorry.”
“No, it’s okay,” he said, putting his mind at ease. “This is very last minute for me.”
Yuuji forgot how Megumi was with time management compared to him. It couldn’t possibly get any worse.
“I’d love to go but there’s just a lot going on before break. I might have trouble squeezing the time in.”
Yuuji could hear his heart shattering in his head.
“I’m really sorry, Yuuji.”
“No, don’t apologize! I should’ve asked earlier.”
The silence felt unbearable. He’s not uncomfortable but he feels like he’s drowning. And the one person he’d confide in was unavailable. Yuuji suddenly felt unwelcomed.
“I’m going to head out and uh… finish my work before the break,” he rushed out, it was a quick excuse.
“Alright… by the way,” Megumi pointed at the new shirt he was getting comfortable in. “You can keep that shirt. It’s too big on me.”
“Oh, thanks.”
If Yuuji wasn’t so upset about Megumi’s answer he would be screaming and jumping like a child. One that just got the best birthday present in the world. All he needed now was to clear his mind.
“I’ll see you soon, alright?”
Yuuji hummed. Deep shame and regret bubbled in his gut. Maybe he should’ve listened to Nobara and just asked him to go on a simple trip. Impulsivity sucks.
* * *
Three days.
Only three more days until the trip. Yuuji was excited. Unfortunately it only reminded him that it had been three days since he last spoke to Megumi. It worried him, they were practically attached to the hip. He wondered what he was doing.
He left his room for a quick lunch. Nothing special, just something to waste time.
The weather was only going to get warmer, meaning the dorm rooms would also get hotter. Yuuji preferred to be anywhere but suffocating heat. He checked the weather on his phone. He was relieved to see the temperature was moderate.
Now that he had a blank headspace, Yuuji could think clearer. He surprised himself and actually finished his work on time. Before the due date, too. Funnily enough, he also finished packing. The odd change in his behavior was actually comforting. He never saw himself like this.
In typical Yuuji fashion, he wasn’t paying attention. Nobara suggested he work on that. He bumped into the person in front of him.
“Sorry!” he apologized. He was happy to see nothing fell from the persons’ belongings. Then he took a look at the person. “Oh, Megumi?”
Megumi quickly turned around, mouth opening and closing like a fish. Yuuji was just as lost. Well, he hoped he was if he read Megumi’s expression correctly.
“Oh my god, you’re the exact person I wanted to see right now.”
Yuuji was taken aback from that. Since when did Megumi want to see him? Were pigs really flying?
“Really?”
“Yeah, can we take the conversation to lunch though?”
Lunch with Megumi? He’d call it as it was to him: a date.
“Of course.”
The walk to the cafe wasn’t long but still refreshing. The cooling breeze calms the thoughts running through his mind. Yuuji would cherish a time like this with all he had. It was pretty rare for lunch trips to be just them alone.
Once they entered, Yuuji found a booth near a window while Megumi ordered their usuals. He was staring out the window. He couldn’t stop but imagine what the next week would be like. More so what it would be like if Megumi was there, too. He knew he couldn’t get his hopes up but the possibility at the time was everything he wanted. Nobara was right, it didn’t hurt to ask. Deep down, he wishes he didn’t ask at all.
Through Yuuji’s peripheral vision, he saw Megumi make it to the table, receipt in hand.
“Our drinks should be here soon,” he said, sliding into the booth.
“Perfect.”
Megumi had his bag with him. Yuuji thinks no one will ever see him without it. He pulled out his notepad along with a pen. He began writing something out. It wouldn’t be Yuuji if he didn’t want to peek over.
The waitress came over with their drinks before he got the chance to ask. She set the drinks down. Megumi looked up from the notepad in time.
“Thank you.”
She smiled at them and walked off. He pushed the notepad to the side and grabbed his drink. He tinkered with the sleeve on the cup. Yuuji never wanted him to speed up. The scene in front of him was so endearing.
“I thought about your offer.”
Scratch that, he actually wanted it to be 6:30 PM already. Yuuji felt like he was suffocating, throat slightly closing. Was this really happening?
“Have you?”
Megumi hummed as he took a sip of drink, “I think I’ll take you up on it.”
Yuuji blinked. It had to be a dream, right? He pinched himself just to be safe, only to be in the same place. Megumi had a worried look on his face.
“Are you sure?” Yuuji stammered. “I mean I’m not going to make you go for a stupid reason like that.”
He was a complete mess. Yuuji looked like he was either rambling about his first love or on his first date. Then Megumi placed his hand on Yuuji’s. He couldn’t tell if that made his nerves better or worse.
“Don’t worry about me, alright,” Megumi smiled softly. “I want you to have fun.”
He always loved Megumi’s nature. So considerate, so unique, so perfect. The thought of it makes him fall over and over again.
“Thank you, I appreciate that.”
Megumi squeezed Yuuji’s hands before lightly brushing them with his thumbs. He felt chills in his spine. Megumi removed his hands from Yuuji’s and reached for the pen. A friendly gesture was all it was. But to crave for a touch to mean more than it does.
“So,” Megumi pondered. He slid the discarded notepad to Yuuji, “Do you happen to know when we’re leaving?”
When Yuuji picked up Megumi, he wasn’t prepared. The sudden realization hit him in the car. This was real, Megumi would be his boyfriend for a week! Dreams really came true, for a short amount of time of course.
The entire ride home could be seen as a fever dream. Yuuji wasn’t used to talking the whole time but Megumi just let him. If ranting about his brother was that interesting he’d do it all the time. It could probably get Megumi to talk about his family life more, not that he has to.
Within another hour they were already there. Yuuji hasn’t been home for a couple months and every time he leaves it feels like the start of freshman year all over again.
They stayed in his car longer than usual. There was just one thing Yuuji couldn’t get out of his head. Weirdly it was nagging him now of all times.
“Why did you suddenly agree to this?” he suddenly asked. Megumi shot a look at him. Yuuji couldn’t make out the meaning behind his expression. “I know you said you thought it over but it also feels wrong in a way.”
Megumi looked down to his lap, fiddling with his hands. A shaky exhale came out, “Yuuji, I’m doing this for you. You’re my best friend and I know you do a lot for me.”
Best friends. Yeah it was true, but it still felt like a stab through his chest.
“I think it’s time for me to show my appreciation, too.”
Yuuji hummed along. He didn’t think of it earlier but the thought of making Megumi uncomfortable bugged him. “Do you want to set some ground rules?”
“Is it really necessary?” he murmured to himself. “I mean if I think of something sure.”
“Alright, I can work with that.”
He got out of the car first, and being the gentleman he was, opened the door for Megumi.
“This is so corny,” Megumi snickered.
“Tell me about it,” he laughed. “C’mon my brother has to meet you.”
Yuuji wasn’t given the chance to even get to the door. Choso had already slammed it open. They could hear faint laughter come from inside the house. Must’ve been Yuki.
“Yuuji, you’re back!”
“I am! Oh—”
The wind was knocked out of him when Choso embraced him in a bone crushing hug. He weakly brought his arms up to hug him back.
“Babe, you’re going to kill the poor kid,” Yuki laughed. Her voice was the only indicator of her being outside. Choso let Yuuji go and ruffled his hair.
He fixed it as he looked at Yuki. It could’ve been him but she seemed a lot taller now.
“Hi, Yuki.”
“Hey, bud!” she greeted, going in for a hug. He happily accepted her embrace. As soon as they let go of each other, Choso was on him again. Yuuji didn’t complain, it was better than brawling.
Yuuji pulled back for a moment, putting his hands on Choso’s shoulders. “Were you just looking out the window for me to arrive?”
“Yes! Who do you think I am?”
“It hasn’t been that long since Christmas.”
“You say that like you’re not an hour and a half away from me.”
“I swear he’s a dog sometimes,” Yuki mumbled just loud enough for them to hear.
Of course it was always nice to see Choso, he was his older brother. And a week was never enough to satisfy how much time they had to see each other. Winter and summer, which was why he started doing this to begin with.
Right now, something was missing. He had everything he needed but there was still a pang of emptiness.
Megumi.
He must’ve felt out of place. This was practically a family reunion! He shifted his gaze onto Megumi and beckoned him over. It didn’t go unnoticed.
“Who’s that?” Yuki pointed him out.
“Oh, that’s um... my boyfriend?”
Yuki gasped and Choso narrowed his eyes. At this rate, there wasn’t a chance Choso would believe they were dating.
“Are you serious? He’s adorable, what’s your name?”
“Megumi— Megumi Fushiguro,” he introduced himself.
“Itadori, how’d you find him?” she asked. With the excitement she was having there were probably stars in her eyes.
“Well, it’s a long story...”
It’s not completely a lie. He didn’t mind telling the story, it just didn’t make sense. Because they’re dating right now. And Yuuji didn’t actually ask him out. It was pretend.
“Nonsense. You could take all the time in the world telling me,” Yuki said simply. Now he had to formulate a story that fit the timeline. “Glad I could finally meet you! You can call me Yuki.”
“Likewise, just Fushiguro is fine.”
She gave him one of her biggest smiles. Yuuji’s never met another epitome of sunshine like Yuki.
“And this is my brother, Choso.”
Megumi awkwardly waved at him. Yuuji saw Choso glaring daggers at him. Now he feels like he’s forgetting yet another thing.
“Boyfriend, huh?”
Right. Maybe he forgot to mention how protective Choso was. It wasn’t on purpose either. He thought they would get along instantly. An unrealistic expectation from Yuuji Itadori.
“Yes, I—”
“What are your intentions with my brother?”
“Um—” Yuuji and Megumi stuttered at the same time. His eyes were back on Megumi. He was so frightened. Yuuji could feel the sweat forming on his forehead.
“Where’d you two meet? How did you two meet? Where’d you take him on your first date?” Choso kept asking. It was a barrage of questions.
“Oh stop it!” Yuki shoved him slightly. He listened right away. He loved Choso but goodness he could go overboard protecting him. She sighed, “You need to stop doing that. I’m sorry about that.”
“Me too, that was the one thing I forgot to mention.”
Megumi hummed, his way of accepting the apologies. He saw him bite his lip, hard. Yuuji took a mental note: don’t forget to mention Choso’s style of protection.
Choso soon spoke up, “I’m also sorry, Yuuji’s had problems with people in the past. It’s important I stand up for him.”
“Ohh... I can’t stay mad at you forever!” Yuki pouted at his words. She peppered his face with a ton of kisses.
“You’ll get used to it,” he whispered to Megumi. He nodded along.
Casual introductions aside, it seemed like they were ready to leave. More like Yuuji just wanted to. All of their bags were outside and everyone most likely ate.
“Are we bringing my car or yours?” Yuuji asked.
“No offense, but your little pre-package college deal of a car won’t fit all our things,” Yuki replied. Yuki and her witty remarks never fail to leave Yuuji speechless.
He saw Megumi cover his mouth and quickly turn away. Choso on the other hand let out one of his guttural laughs. This was so painful for him.
“Uncalled for but yeah, we’ll take my car,” Choso finally answered him.
He wanted to forget what just unfolded in front of him.
“Just so you know, your car is fine,” Megumi whispered to him. At least someone was on his side.
Choso and Yuuji loaded the trunk with their belongings. Megumi and Yuki in their respective seats. The others joined them. Choso turned on the car while adjusting the mirrors.
“It’s going to be a long drive, does anyone need the bathroom before we go?”
“I’m okay,” Yuuji announced.
“Last time you said that we had to stop by the nearest gas station,” Yuki teased and poked his shoulder.
Yuuji turned red and groaned, “Fine, I’ll go.”
“Good, can you grab my keys on your way out?”
He got out of the car embarrassed. Yuuji wondered why Choso didn’t get the keys before leaving. Thank god he got their bags though. He made it to the bathroom and shut the door. He couldn’t help but wonder how Megumi was doing out there. Yuuji’s scared Choso won’t get along with him. He could only hope that wasn’t the case.
This would be the longest two hours of his life.
Was it bad that Yuuji was still shocked to see Megumi in one piece? He didn’t say anything to Choso when he got back, he had a thing for cursing himself.
He didn’t want to be right about how long this ride would take. Thirty minutes had already gone by and his head already hurt. Yuuji wasn’t carsick yet he was nauseous. It had nothing to do with what he ate. Quite frankly, it was him and his gut. It bubbled with anxiety for the past ten minutes. He leaned his head against the window and sank into his seat.
The faint music in the background soothed him only a little. Yuuji could just tell by the songs alone it was from one of Yuki’s playlists. She had one for anything and everything. Made him wonder if Megumi did the same. Food for thought.
A nap wouldn’t hurt. And yes, he knew it wasn’t safe to be in a car without a seatbelt on. But it's okay, he trusts his brother driving. He unbuckled his seatbelt and positioned himself as comfortably as he could. His eyes fluttered shut about four times before he saw nothing but a dreamscape.
He blinked once more and felt oddly comfortable. That’s not how most car trip naps felt. Yuuji blinked the tiredness away to find a travel pillow around his neck. There was also a hand softly tangled in his hair. Which meant he was resting on Megumi. How did that even become possible? Yuki looked back at them.
“Aw, you guys!” Megumi’s hand flew to his side and Yuuji quickly pushed himself up. Awkward. “It’s okay, you’ll have plenty of alone time soon.”
* * *
Choso opened the trunk from inside the car. Yuuji was already out and began to lift the bags out of it. Most of them were light for him. Megumi came over, possibly to help. Yuuji already said he’d get his bag. Unfortunately he could barely pull it out.
“What did you put in this?”
“Nothing but rocks,” Megumi chuckled sarcastically. Yuuji pulled the bag out of the trunk and almost fell backwards. “Is it too much? I can carry it myself.”
“Nope, I got it!”
He balanced himself on both feet, slinging the bag over his shoulder. Megumi shrugged and found himself next to Yuki. They seem to get along pretty well.
Choso came over to help with the remaining bags. Yuki took her things without even hearing Choso out. He did too much for her anyway. Yuuji was tempted to take more things from him too.
Yuki plucked the keys from her pocket and tossed them in the air. Yuuji could only conclude Choso gave them to her in the car. She unlocked the door, stepping in for everyone to follow behind.
“This is the place?” Megumi questioned with a polite tone.
“Yeah, this will be your home for the next week!” Yuki uttered, lightly squeezing his shoulder.
“It’s really nice.”
“Thank you, I picked it myself.” Choso chimed in.
“You’re thanking him as if you built the damn thing,” Yuki
“I like to take pride in what I buy.”
“You never do that, you’re just trying to impress Megumi,” Yuuji teased. He didn’t understand why though. He heard Megumi stifle a laugh.
“Okay, okay,” Choso sighed. Megumi was the first person he looked to. “A bunch of haters am I right?”
Wasn’t he just interrogating Megumi almost three hours ago?
“Yeah, I thought you’d defend him as his brother.”
“Shouldn’t you defend me as my boyfriend?” Yuuji retorted.
Megumi stiffened up, blush creeping up his face. “Whatever.”
“Alright, enough with the arguing,” Yuki asserted. They weren’t arguing but that’s what she called his and Choso’s light banter. “We need to give Fushiguro a tour!”
It took about twenty minutes but fun nonetheless. Choso and Yuki let them go, saying they’d order takeout. That gave Yuuji enough time to show Megumi his room.
“So, how are you feeling so far?”
“I don’t want to sound spoiled but this feels like home.” Yuuji understood exactly what Megumi meant. If having a rich guy take care of him for the majority of his life meant luxuries Megumi didn’t ask for, stuff like this was old news. Yuuji left no room for judgment. “I’m not going to shame the place, though. I think I like it better.”
The walk down the corridor wasn’t much but Yuuji considers it a workout with all the bags. Megumi was still looking around, Yuki suggested Yuuji show him the parts by his room. At the same time, his gut was telling him Megumi was upset.
“Uh, sorry about the boyfriend comment out there. You looked a bit uncomfortable.”
“What?” he asked. He must’ve remembered as he asked. “Oh no, Yuuji, I was fine. I wasn’t expecting it, that’s all.”
“Are you sure?”
“If I wasn’t sure I wouldn’t be here, silly.”
“Right...” Yuuji chuckled.
The boys made it to Yuuji’s room, he felt like he would fall over any second now. Yuuji pushed his door open and… another thing Yuuji forgot about. His room.
It only had a queen sized bed. He thought about it swiftly and it wasn’t that big of a deal. He and Megumi stayed in the same bed all the time. Watching movies... with Nobara. Sure, it was a little strange but that's because it’s the two of them now. Yuuji wouldn’t mind being in the small space with Megumi. It could possibly be his only chance after all. He just wondered if Megumi felt the same.
“Earth to Yuuji?”
“Sorry! I spaced out.”
“You really are something, you know,” Megumi jokes. Yuuji flushed at his comment.
“There’s only one bed, are you okay with that?”
“I’ll get used to it, it’s big enough for the both of us.”
He was relieved Megumi didn’t make a big deal out of it. Not that he would to begin with. Yuuji threw his phone on the bed and put the bags down. . The room was a little suffocating. Noise could be a great distraction.
“Want me to turn on a show or some music?”
“Whatever you want,” Megumi hummed.
Yuuji grabbed the remote from the nightstand and turned on the TV. He connected his phone to it and shuffled a playlist. It wasn’t as great as Yuki’s.
They opened their suitcases to take out any essential items. Unpacking for Yuuji was a total waste of time. Why put a bag together just to take most of it out?
“That’s what made your bag so heavy?” he asked. Megumi took four books and a smaller bag, for what he assumed was his toiletries, out of it. “Why’d you bring books, we’re on a break.”
“Because I feel like reading, too. It's something I started doing before bed. That won’t be a problem right?”
“No! No, it won’t be.”
“Just checking.”
To think being alone with Megumi would be paradise. Instead, he’s panicking inside. What did he get himself into? This was definitely going to take some getting used to.