Chapter Text
Megumi swiped left, sighing under his breath as another seemingly shallow gym-bro popped up on his feed. “I’m going to kill you for making me do this,” Megumi grumbled, stroking Shiro’s soft white fur as she lay on his chest. He’d been swiping on FindEr for the last thirty-minutes, finding none of the hundred men he’d been forced to look at worthy of his time.
On the other side of the call, Gojo giggled. “C’mon, I bet it’s fun!”
“There’s no way you find scrolling on dating apps fun,” Megumi argued, rolling his eyes at another shirtless man. On the other end, Geto said something Megumi couldn’t hear– to which Gojo giggled again. Fucking lovebirds. Megumi added reluctantly, “Not that you have to.”
“Listen, this is a hot topic now, think of the readers!” Gojo said passionately, like he had any idea of how the magazine worked. He probably didn’t: Geto did most of the administrative work while Gojo was the face of the company, a pretty boy drawing in readers with his smart husband behind the scenes. What they’d started as seniors in college was one of the most popular romance magazines in Tokyo– with the sole exception of the Gojo Family’s newspaper.
“I’m a romance columnist– not a one-night-stand-gross-ugly-men-who-greet-with-wassup columnist.” Megumi groaned, he threw his phone to the side of his bed. “This is the opposite of what we should write about!”
Geto, who’d probably snatched the phone from Gojo, spoke calmly; his voice was always hypnotic, no matter what he was talking about. “Megumi, I understand your frustration, but Satoru’s right– it’s a popular topic and you’re the only writer on staff who’s single. If you don’t want to, though, that’s fine.”
Megumi felt bad, pouting as he crawled to his phone on the edge of his bed. “It’s not that I don’t want to, it’s that this isn’t romantic, you know? I mean, who am I talking to, of course you guys know! I wanted to meet someone organically, not on an app!”
Gojo snickered and before he could make a wise-crack comment on Megumi’s delusions, there was a smack– Geto was the best. “Then think of this as just your job, I mean it is, but if it helps you aren’t really on the app to find someone. You’re there to collect data,” Geto suggested.
Megumi grumbled, but saw the point in Geto’s words. He swiped back to the app, scrolling through another wave of shirtless pictures and men on motorcycles. “Yeah, yeah, I’ll be active on it for a week– to make buying the premium worth it, but it’s gone for good after that.”
“Great, you’re the best, Megumi,” Geto said kindly.
“Just doing my job,” Megumi muttered, lying back down on his pillow so Shiro could settle back on his chest– Kuro, who’d plodded in from doing god-knows-what, laid down by his feet. Megumi looked lovingly down at his pets, he could do this for them. “Well, I’m sorry for calling to complain so late, I’ll let you guys sleep.”
“Oh there won’t be any sleeping–” smack.
“Gross, Gojo,” Megumi commented, holding back his groan.
Geto sighed and Megumi could picture him rubbing his temple. “Ignore him. You’re not a bother at all, call whenever you need. Goodnight, Megumi.”
“Goodnight,” Megumi said, cutting the call. He stared at Gojo’s contact picture– one that Megumi had taken of the two of them on their wedding day. Gojo had his arms around Geto’s shoulders, his cheek pressed against the latter’s, and Geto had smiled the widest Megumi had ever seen him smile– overflowing with love.
Megumi was jealous– had been jealous for his entire life. Twenty-six years and he’d never had anyone to love as much as those two loved each other. Sometimes, Megumi felt as though he’d never find that love. Like he’d be like most people and settle down with a person who didn’t make his heart beat, and find comfort in knowing at least he wouldn’t be alone.
His thumb, which had been swiping distractedly, paused on a profile. At a glance, it was the same as the others, maybe even worse, but the man had bright pink hair and that threw Megumni for a bit of a loop from seeing the other blonde or black haired men. His first picture was a cliche gym pic, abs and biceps on full display, thick, symmetrical tattoos on his stomach, face, and arms. Megumi wasn’t a looks person, but if he were, he’d climb this guy like a tree.
He swiped, the next picture was wholesome– the top of his pink head and two kids clinging to each arm. Megumi took the time to swipe through each picture, feeling more and more intrigued as he swiped to the last one. He did what he never does and read the bio.
Itadori Yuuji, 26 ✓
Kindergarten Teacher
6’0 | Long-term Relationship | 369 km |Bisexual
About me:
Hi! I’m a huge nerd and a big fan of scary things 👻– so you can hold me when we watch horror movies 😱. I like going to the gym and cooking! I’m really good with kids ( I’m a kindergarten teacher lol). Can’t wait to talk ;)
Megumi read the About me again before scrolling through the profile. Who would’ve thought that the macho-man in the pictures was so cringey? Well, this guy was Megumi’s type and he didn’t seem like a douchebag. All excuses for the humiliating fact that Megumi was insanely attracted to him, but whatever.
He swiped and had his heart beat through his chest when the app blasted some celebration song– making both Shiro and Kuro jump. It’s a MATCH! “Shh, sorry,” Megumi apologized, patting Shiro’s head with his free hand and Kuro’s head with his foot.
His phone buzzed and he stared, white-faced at the new message from Yuuji. Oh god, what has he gotten himself into.
[Yuuji, 26]
[Yuuji, 10:32 PM]
Hi!
Omg your vibe is so freaking cool
I can't believe you swiped on me lol
[Megumi, 10:32 PM]
i can’t believe i swiped on u either
[Yuuji, 10:32 PM]
🥲
[Megumi, 10:32 PM]
kidding ur cute
[Yuuji, 10:33 PM]
So what’re you doing on here?
[Megumi, 10:33 PM]
it’s on my profile, take a look and lmk
[Yuuji, 10:33 PM]
Oh, yeah, sorry 😅
I’m doing a bad job at this, aren’t I?
[Megumi, 10:33 PM]
kinda …
but that’s fine, i have nothing to compare u to
[Yuuji, 10:34 PM]
What!?
No one else has swiped on you
YOU?!
[Megumi, 10:34 PM]
lol
more like i haven’t swiped on anyone else
[Yuuji, 10:34 PM]
Oh 🙀
Well, i’m honored lol
Why’d you swipe on me?
[Megumi, 10:34 PM]
is ur pink hair natural?
[Yuuji, 10:35 PM]
Yeh! Well, the undercut is dyed but the pink is natural
[Megumi, 10:35 PM]
oh i didn’t see an undercut, that’s cool tho
[Yuuji, 10:35 PM]
Oh! Yeh, it’s new 😀
[Megumi, 10:35 PM]
why’d u swipe on me?
[Yuuji, 10:35 PM]
Omg
You’re just so cool?!
Like you’re a journalist? And your DOGS 🤩
I want to pet them so bad, they seem so soft
And idk, you’re just so attractive
[Megumi, 10:36 PM]
i didn’t even post my face lol
i feel like that’s kinda a red flag right
[Yuuji, 10:36 PM]
I mean, ig…
But i don’t care, and plus you don’t seem like a crazy axe-murderer
[Megumi, 10:36 PM]
good to know that’s the bar
and u just got urself a ton of points by mentioning my dogs
[Yuuji, 10:37 PM]
Wasn’t my intention but yayayay >:D
Is it crazy to say I’m alr really into you?
[Megumi, 10:37 PM]
i mean, yeah, it’s been like 3 min
😭
[Yuuji, 10:37 PM]
Time is a concept anyways ;)
[Megumi, 10:37 PM]
2/10 flirting attempt
do better
[Yuuji, 10:38 PM]
🥲Uhhh uhummmm
>:( this is hard
I wanna be all cool and nonchalant but you’re making me feel the opposite 😖
[Megumi, 10:38 PM]
that was good lol
just be urself
;)
[Yuuji, 10:38 PM]
Okay!
Shoot, this sucks, but I have to go to sleep! I have school tomorrow!
🥲🥲🥲
Can we talk tomorrow?
[Megumi, 10:39 PM]
yeah, i’d love to
goodnight :)
[Yuuji, 10:39 PM]
Goodnight!
⇠⇢
The rush of the office didn’t stop Megumi from pulling his phone out and scrolling to the dating app. He’d talked to Yuuji from the minute he’d woken up to when he’d swiped in to work– about anything and everything: Yuuji’s students, Megumi’s pets, Yuuji’s small-town, Megumi’s lack of breakfast, Yuuji’s inhumane early morning runs with his brother, Megumi’s five-minutes-before-leaving wake up time. It was natural, like he’d been friends with Yuuji for years, not a couple hours.
Megumi stared at the profile pictures, wondering how such a macho-guy was so dorky. He never judged anyone on their looks, but this was the odd scenario where he was truly baffled by the disconnect between the gym-bro on the screen and the cutie who’d been texting him. Well, whatever the case, this was probably the most fun Megumi had had in a bit. Yuuiji was… well, funny and sweet and kind. He seemed to have a heart of gold– from taking care of his family, his brothers whom he seemed so fond of, to the sweet notes his students wrote for him. Megumi was a firm believer that kids were people-seers, that they had final judgement on how kind a person was. And well, Yuuji seemed wonderful.
“Lover-boy’s met someone on a dating app and now he’s ignoring his god-father!” Gojo’s whining was unmistakable and Megumi looked up from his phone.
“Do you need something?” He asked, turning his phone off and setting it on the desk. It buzzed immediately, probably a message from Yuuji– both he and Gojo turned to look at it.
Without Geto to keep him in check, Gojo grinned like a wild animal who’d just found fat, injured prey. “Well, well, well– I have everything I need. You on the other-hand seem like you have very important things to do with whoever’s texting you.”
Megumi rolled his eyes. “I’m working, Gojo-san, leave me alone.”
Gojo did the opposite and plopped down on a chair next to Megumi’s. “So, how’s the dating app thing going? Good, it seems.”
“If you know the answer, why’d you ask?”
Gojo steamrolled over him, his childlike excitement overbearing. Megumi couldn’t blame him though, as much as Gojo annoyed him, he was his only real support system throughout his life. Childish as he may be, Gojo was probably glad that Megumi finally had someone. Someone. Was Yuuji his someone? No. He’s known the guy for a day. Snap out of it.
“How many matches do you have?”
“Just one,” Megumi sighed, “But I’ve been picky.”
Gojo frowned, holding his hand out. “Give me your phone, I want to see your profile.”
“No.”
“I’m your supervisor.” Megumi rolled his eyes harder, Gojo only used that card when he really wanted something.
“Then this is unprofessional,” he muttered, handing his phone over anyways. Gojo knew his password and Megumi had never had anything to hide until– “Just don’t go to my chat with Yuuji.”
Gojo grinned. “Oh that’s his name? He’s quite handsome, not as hot as me or Suguru, but most people aren’t. But damn, look at those tattoos!”
“Gojo!” Megumi made to swipe at his phone, but Gojo held it away with his stupidly long arms.
“No face pictures in your profile? You seem like a catfish.” Gojo hopped away and Megumi realized how stupid he’d been to give Gojo access to his phone. “Aw, family-oriented. Who is this? When was the last time you had a family dinner with Suguru and I?”
“Dude, give it back!”
“Satoru, what are you doing?” Geto walked into Megumi’s office, with seemingly no interest in stopping his dumbass husband. He stopped next to Gojo, hovering over his shoulder to peek at Megumi’s phone.
“Megumi has a boyfriend, catch,” Gojo threw his phone to Geto, who looked at Megumi with a sorry! look before looking through his phone anyways.
Geto’s eyes widened and Megumi wanted the shadows to gather up beneath his feet and swallow him whole. “He’s attractive and he’s a teacher? I approve.”
“You don’t even know him,” Megumi whined, reaching for his phone like a kicked puppy. God he loved his family but he really needed them to learn boundaries.
“Let’s ask Tsumiki,” Gojo suggested, pulling his phone out.
Megumi’s head snapped up. “No, don’t bother her, she’s probably asleep! I’ve literally only known this guy for a day.”
Geto spoke up, holding the screen to face Megumi,“Oh, Megumi, he just asked if you had lunch yet. What should I say?”
“Nothing,” Megumi ran around his desk, catching them by surprise and snatching his phone out of the evil claws of his godparents. “Guys, seriously, leave this alone. It’s just data collection.”
“You could collect his genetic data, alright,” Gojo said, leaning against Megumi’s desk. “Get it? Like his spe-”
Megumi’s face soured and he stuck his phone in his back pocket. “Oh my god, that wasn’t even funny. Get out.”
Geto laughed, though, which of course he did. Gojo pointed at his husband, wiggling his eyebrows, “He finds it funny.”
“He finds everything you say funny,” Megumi argued, “He’s the most biased source we have, it doesn’t count.”
Gojo rolled his eyes. “What-ever! We’ll leave but I need a full report on everything you and Yuuji talked about today on my desk by eight tomorrow morning.”
“Got it, my two weeks' notice, you desk, eight am.” Megumi rolled his eyes harder to beat Gojo at their imaginary game. Geto winked at him, allowing Gojo to loop his arms around his to lead him out of the room. Megumi watched as they left, the natural closeness and the casual touches they seemed to just take for granted.
Megumi needed to stop being jealous but it was hard when the most-in-love-lovers-ever were his literal parents. His phone buzzed and he finally remembered that Yuuji probably thought he’d left him on read.
[Yuuji, 26]
[Yuuji, 01:32 PM]
Omg you’ll never guess what my kids gave me:
A HUMAN-EARTWORM SHAPED COOKIE
Im literally going to frame this
Have you had lunch yet?
This is mine :)
[img.134]
Megumi’s heart didn’t have a genuine reason for why it stopped, but he imagined this would probably be the best way to go. The image was a selfie of Yuuji, close enough where Megumi could see the ink of the tattoos on his face and the flecks of red in his eyes. What was Yuuji eating? Probably bricks for all Megumi looked at the food he presented. He was entranced by the wink and the small sliver of tongue Yuuji had stuck out.
Shit, maybe he was a looks person. How utterly shallow. Insane how Megumi did not care one bit, couldn’t even think because how was he this lucky?
[Yuuji, 26]
[Yuuji, 01:36 PM]
Not a fan of my panda bento?
[Megumi, 01:37 PM]
big fan of the sushi
[Yuuji, 01:37]
Huh?
Oh lmaooo
;)
[img.135]
Thoughts on the ramen?
It was another selfie, but this time Yuuji was standing in front of a mirror, his shirt pulled up. It was a thirst trap, and it trapped Megumi pretty well seeing as he was practically drooling, and very thirsty.
[Megumi, 01:38 PM]
should a kindergarten teacher be sending stuff like this?
[Yuuji, 01:38 PM]
You don’t like it? :((
[Megumi, 01:38 PM]
i never said that
[Yuuji, 01:39 PM]
Lolol
Well a kindergarten teacher probably shouldn’t be on a dating app
💔💔💔
[Megumi, 01:39 PM]
ur right
u should delete ur account
[Yuuji, 01:39 PM]
Oh ☹️
But then i wouldn’t get to talk to you
[Megumi, 01:39 PM]
+81459824623
[Yuuji, 01:40 PM]
What’s that?
[Megumi, 01:40 PM]
my phone #
can’t have u sending thirst traps on a dating app
so i’ll take one for the team
just send them to me
Megumi stared at the appearing and disappearing dots on his screen, holding his breath. That was brave, maybe too brave but he was feeling jealous again at the thought of Yuuji sending photos to anyone else on the app. Megumi knew he was obsessive but he didn’t think that would apply to the guy he’d been talking to for less than a day.
The dots disappeared and Megumi felt his gut twist. Someone across the office shouted his name and he was snapped back to reality. Right. He was at work, what was he even doing? He turned his phone off completely, he’d deal with his horrible life choices after work.
⇠⇢
Curled up on his sofa, Shiro and Kuro on either side of him and some random rom-com running on his television, Megumi finally gained the courage to turn his phone back on. Megumi was never popular, keeping his social circle to his family and one or two close friends, so he jumped at the buzz of texts suddenly popping up on his screen.
Shiro looked over curiously, and Megumi imagined that if she had eyebrows, they’d be halfway up her forehead. Yeah, it’s pretty pathetic when even your dog knows you have no social life. He turned her head away, briefly entranced by her soft little head and petting it. Shiro pulled her head away, which was surprising since she was always down for pats, and stared at Megumi’s phone. “Got it, no more procrastinating this,” Megumi muttered, bringing his own attention back to his phone.
The notifications were mostly from the same unknown number and Yuuji’s FindEr. Megumi sucked in a breath, it was definitely Yuuji.
[+81816203980]
[Unknown, 01:41 PM]
Heyy, this is Yuuji 😀
Is this megumi?
I come bearing gifts 😏
Uh
Wait before i send confirm that you ARE megumi
[Unknown, 01:45 PM]
👀👀👀👀👀
[Unknown, 01:49 PM]
If i texted the wrong number im so sorry
😰
[Yuuji, 26]
[Yuuji, 01:49 PM]
I think you gave me the wrong number 😭
[Yuuji, 2:00 PM]
Wait im so stupid
You’re at work too aren’t you
Text me when you’re off work >:D
Megumi was a little ecstatic at the fact that Yuuji had texted him so much– clearly Megumi wasn’t the only one who cared about whatever they had going on– his heart thumping heavily in his chest as he thought of how to respond.
He decided to text the dating app first:
[Yuuji, 26]
[Megumi, 08:23 PM]
hey, sorry i was at work
and nope, i gave u the right number
where’s my gift?
[Yuuji, 08:25 PM]
Hihihi!
I’m having dinner with my family rn lol
So give me like a min ;)
[Megumi, 08:25 PM]
lol ok
also remember
u have to delete ur account now
for super selfless reasons, ig i’ll be the only one talking to u
its so hard being so nice and wonderful
O_O
[Yuuji, 08:30 PM]
Truly the kindest
Ok
But you have to delete your account too
I’m kind of a full time responsibility
[Megumi, 08:30 PM]
deal
but u have to do it first
[Yuuji, 08:30 PM]
Ok ok
⇠⇢
[+81816203980]
[Unknown, 08:31 PM]
[vid.34]
Deleted 🫡🫡🫡
[Megumi?, 08:32 PM]
[vid.542]
deleted ;)
now that i’m stuck with u
u better make it worth my time
[Unknown, 08:32 PM]
Oh i will, i promise 😣
[You changed Unknown to Yuuji 🐯!]
[Yuuji 🐯, 08:32 PM]
Oh a tiger 👀
[Megumi?, 08:32 PM]
oh i didn’t know you could see me change the contact info
yeh
you remind me of a baby tiger idk
[Yuuji 🐯changed Megumi? to Megumi 🐰]
[Yuuji 🐯, 08:33 PM]
Hey, also, ik this is sudden
But do you want to call?
I have some work to do but i want to keep talking to you
Totally ok if not 🥺
[Megumi🐰, 08:33 PM]
sure
⇠⇢
Megumi cleared his throat, eyes wide at his vibrating phone. It lit up with Yuuji’s contact name, the staccato buzzes travelling from his clammy hands to his hammering heart. For some unknown, stupid reason Megumi waited till the last possible moment– counting the buzzing cycles in his head until he finally swiped on the call.
“Hello?” Of course his voice was hot. What did Megumi even expect? Maybe something a lot deeper given his stature, but honestly, his voice sounded welcoming. Kind. Very Yuuji.
Megumi pulled himself together, clearing his throat again. “Hey!” Oh god, that was like three octaves too high. Kuro lifted his head, groggy, and turned to look at Megumi. If Kuro had eyebrows, Megumi would have seen them half up his forehead.
“Hey! Oh, you have a deeper voice than I thought you would,” Yuuji commented, he hummed quietly before adding, “It’s still pretty, though.”
Of course he gave out compliments like they were nothing. Of course Megumi had to be the weakest to compliments. This was embarrassing. “Thanks, you sound… good, too.”
Yuuji laughed. “Sorry for asking you to call already, I feel like we kinda skipped to second base really fast.”
“Did you forget your abs selfie from earlier? I feel like that’s at least third base,” Megumi commented, trying to get himself back into his cool and totally not awkward persona.
Yuuji laughed again, his voice warm and smooth as honey. “You’re right, you’re right.” There was fast typing on the other end, before Yuuji continued, “I guess you won’t be liking my gift then.”
“This feels like a fourth base conversation,” Megumi teased. Was everything moving too fast? What even was fast? Scratch that question, there was a more pressing one to be asked: what even were they? Chatting up a guy from a dating app was basically consent that they were both in a talking stage, right? And then deleting the app to only talk to each other was more damning evidence for that?
Yuuji hummed, his typing speed sending Megumi into an almost coma. “You’re right again. Sorry, I would be more talkative but I have to send an email out about my kids’ recital.”
“No worries, I’m not a talker but if you get me started on something I like, you won’t get me to stop.”
“Oh?” Yuuji challenged. “Any hints or do I have to guess your favorite things myself.”
Megumi smiled, he liked how Yuuji didn’t seem passive about him, quite the contrary, Yuuji actually wanted to talk to Megumi. No wonder people dated around, this was exhilarating, like playing a game of cat and mouse. Megumi wondered how much information he could give about himself before Yuuji got tired of him “How about you take a shot at it and I'll give you a hint if you’re abysmal.”
The fast typing on the other end stopped and Yuuji hummed performatively. Megumi could imagine him tapping his chin with that alluring smile on his face, his red eyes holding every atom of Megumi under his gaze. “Alright, tell me about your job.”
Megumi let out a surprised gasp. “That’s your big question? Is this an interview or something?”
“No, no, I mean like, you’re a journalist, right?” Yuuji asked, trying to save himself.
“Yeah.”
“Well, that’s kind of unconventional, I guess.” Megumi shrugged, it wasn't that unconventional, but he let Yuuji continue. “So why’d you do it, what do you write about? Damn, you're right, this does sound like an interview.”
“It’s ok,” Megumi giggled, settling into the sofa and letting his cheek fall onto Kuro’s soft fur. He thought for a moment on how to answer Yuuji, whether he should be non-chalant about it or try to sound passionate. “Well, no reason, really. I’m a romance writer, not sure if you knew that, but I guess I never knew what I wanted to do. I wrote a lot when I was younger and my god-parents owned a magazine company. Things just…worked out, I suppose.”
“Oh, I didn’t know that you were a romance writer,” Yuuji commented, “Why’d you choose that?”
There was a reason, a rather somber one that Megumi himself didn’t want to verbalize or think about, so he settled with: “It just happened that way. How about you tell me about your job, you seem really passionate about it.”
“Hm,” Yuuji seemed to consider the deflection– Megumi knew he wasn’t subtle about it but being asked about himself for the first time felt both humiliating and scary. He wasn’t keen on putting his heart out like that, even if Yuuji seemed like he wouldn’t judge him. “Alright, I’ll bite, but I want to know more about you.”
“Alright,” Megumi accepted, an-eye-for-an-eye made him feel slightly better about sharing his own life.
“Here let me just…” There was a pause, a loud click, and Yuuji’s own happy whoop! “Done! Man, I get so stressed everytime I have to email the parents. I feel like they’re always judging me, you know.”
Megumi hummed, he partially understood, people passed judgment on his work all the time. “Congrats, now you won’t be distracted while talking to me.”
“Sorry,” Yuuji groaned and Megumi imagined him stretching– he stopped his imagination there before it could get more descriptive. “Ok, hm, my job… well, where do I even start? I’ve always really liked kids, they’re honest and charming. They speak without any filters so it feels like I’m talking to the real person instead of a facade, does that make sense?”
“Yeah, I get that, I don’t really know any kids but I sometimes trust their judgment more than adults.”
“Yeah!” Yuuji exclaimed, “You get it, people always call me childish, and I guess I am sometimes, but it’s not a bad thing to be, you know?”
“You seem pretty mature to me, though.” Megumi commented, “I mean, your body’s definitely mature.”
“Moving on from talking about ourselves?” Yuuji teased, “I won’t give, tell me about you. I want to know everything.”
“Everything’s a lot,” Megumi muttered, god could this guy get any hotter?
“I have the bandwidth for a lot, you’d be surprised how many things I have to remember. Kirara only likes blue crayons– but not the dark blue ones, the light blue ones; Toge is a fan of the rice balls, so he only speaks in rice ball ingredients that I have to translate, it’s hilarious; Hakari runs a little gambling ring with legos I have to bust every week.” Yuuji sounded fond, so unbelievably fond and loveable. This was so incredibly bad for Megumi’s heart but he wanted to hear it all.
This must be what Yuuji meant, Megumi realized. It was hard to believe someone felt that way about him. That Yuuji felt the same ache for someone as simple and boring as Megumi. “Ok… uhm, I can talk about my dogs.”
“Do it,” Yuuji encouraged, “And send pictures!”
“We can just facetime, if that’s ok,” Megumi offered, turning his phone off to quickly look at his reflection on the black glass. He looks acceptable, like he always does, maybe a little more tired than usual.
There was silence on the other end, for only a moment, before Yuuji cleared his throat. “Oh, about that, I–... uhm, geez, I look really ugly right now. I need to pretty myself before facing someone as beautiful as you.”
“I thought you looked really good in those pictures,” Megumi said honestly, “And it’s you who doesn’t know what I look like.”
“I guess,” Yuuji laughed awkwardly. Megumi had half the mind to wonder why someone as drop-dead gorgeous as Yuuji didn’t use his face to his advantage more. It would definitely work in his favor right now, not that it needed to do anything to change Megumi’s opinion on Yuuji. That was already insanely high.
“Well, whatever, your loss for missing out on my dogs.”
“No, please! I want to see them!” Yuuji exclaimed, the sound of running water filling the background. “Also, I’m just getting ready for bed, but I’m willing to stay up and talk. Nothing to do tomorrow!”
Megumi chuckled, getting comfy against his dogs. He could fall asleep listening to Yuuji’s voice and feeling the soft rise-and-fal of Kuro’s chest. “You didn’t have to tell me that.”
“I wanted to. I want to tell you everything.”
“My turn first, remember?”
⇠⇢
The following weeks were the most alive Megumi had ever felt– from this response to his story on dating apps (really well received since it wasn’t a usual Fushiguro report of “love is hard to find and you should give up” and more-so “dating apps actually work, love might be real?!”) and then to his nightly calls with Yuuji, which were every night until Megumi or Yuuji fell asleep. Usually it was Megumi who fell asleep first, waking up to Yuuji’s Goodnight, Megumi texts and his Good Morning! running selfies.
Before he could stop it, Yuuji became a part of everything. His morning commute, as he listened to Yuuji’s voice notes with the little kids he taught (“Sensei, do you use pink crayon on your hair? Will it work on mine?” “No, Junpei, put that down!”) . The pictures on his phone– saved selfies of Yuuji and the sprouting cherry blossoms that reminded him of Yuuji’s hair. Even the music running in the background as he wrote yet another column about the ways people fell in love– another product of Yuuji’s unmistakable presence. Life was… for the first time romantic– if he could call it that. Everything had more color, more sound, more feel to it. Was this how the world actually was?
Even Gojo and Geto picked up on it, teasing him relentlessly at work and through texts. Megumi didn’t mind much, though, they seemed happy for him. He was happy for himself. Things were looking great, he honestly would have preferred this forever. Until–
“You should meet him in person.” Gojo suggested, stuffing a large piece of chicken in his already overstuffed mouth.
Megumi stiffened at the table, fork pausing halfway to his face. “What?”
Geto sighed, napkin moving up to pick up the crumbs on Gojo’s cheek. “Eat slower, the food isn’t going to disappear.”
Gojo swallowed comically. “I can’t help it, everything tastes better since our lovely god-son finally deigned to eat with us!”
“Keep eating like that and I will leave,” Megumi threatened. The food was good, though. Absolutely delicious in a way food hadn’t been delicious before. How would Yuuji find it? Was Yuuji a good cook? Megumi would have to ask tonight– if Gojo didn’t keep him hostage under the guise of “family time”.
Geto laughed, “And I’ll support that decision.” He turned to look at Megumi, mischief in his eyes. “But, back to you, Megumi, I agree, you should meet up with him. Where’s he from again?”
“Shiogama,” Megumi answered reluctantly.
“Oh, what a coincidence!” Gojo said, “I have a ticket for Shiogama leaving… Oh my, tomorrow!”
“No.” Megumi was blown away, slightly, by the audacity. “I have errands, as always. And Yuuji’s busy this week because of his kids’ recital.”
Gojo clapped, excited . “What do you mean, no? You have the whole week off, and I know you have nothing better to do. Go support him at the recital– how romantic!”
Megumi looked at him, surprised. “The whole week? I thought the office was only off tomorrow?”
Gojo shrugged. “I’m giving you a week, paid, of course. For being our star employee.”
Megumi glared, appalled by the lack of professionalism. Not that he minded, he didn’t actually care, it was just an excuse to complain. “This is an abuse of power. And I do have things to do, you just don’t know about them.”
“Why have power if you’re not going to use it,” Geto defended, smirking. Megumi knew he was screwed if Geto was supporting Gojo. He had to accept defeat– Megumi was going to Shiogama, one way or another, and there was no way to stop it.
“Touche,” Megumi muttered, stuffing his face with the out-of-this-world chicken to find inner peace.
Gojo whooped, whooped because he was as mature as the kids Yuuji taught. “Great! I’ll send you the ticket, we better get pictures of the beach tomorrow!”
“Also, just checking, but you’ve seen his face, haven’t you?” Geto asked, “I’ve heard of people getting catfished on FindEr.”
Megumi nodded, feeling defensive. He knew Yuuji, and Yuuji wasn’t the type to lie. “Duh, you’ve seen the pictures of him. And we’ve called. He’s definitely real.”
Geto nodded, seemingly convinced, “Alright, well, stay safe. Call us if anything goes wrong, ok?”
“I’m not a kid,” Megumi muttered bashfully, “I’m twenty-six.”
“Aw, he’s twenty-six, Suguru!” Gojo exclaimed, hands holding his face. “What a baby!”
“Actually, can I take a longer PTO?” Megumi asked, turning to Geto, “I want to be as far away from him as possible.”
Geto laughed and Gojo sighed and slumped in his seat, defeated. “Fine, take as long as you want. But I expect a beautifully crafted piece about how Satoru Gojo is always right about everything– even dating apps.”
⇠⇢
If Satoru Gojo was here, Megumi would rip his head off and throw it to the wolves. Everything that could have gone, went wrong. The train was an hour late– how does that even happen? It’s a god damn train, what’s it going to run into? Traffic?-- leaving Megumi waiting with his suitcase and backpack, under a thin, tin-foil rooftop, in the pouring rain. His cab– which had also been an hour late for some unknown reason– smelled of tobacco and sweat, which was horrible since he knew he’d have no time to stop by his hotel before surprising Yuuji.
Surprising Yuuji, because for some reason his phone hadn’t charged and the last texts they’d exchanged before Megumi’s whirlwind morning were:
[Megumi 🐰, 11:32 PM]
would you ever want to meet me in person?
[Yuuji 🐯, 11:32 PM]
Obviously!!!!
[Megumi 🐰, 12:32 AM]
great, prepare yourself
[Yuuji 🐯, 12:32 AM]
I have something to tell you before then though >:(
Omg prepare myself??
Megumi didn’t get to find out what Yuuji had to tell him before his phone went black in his hands, equally as useless as his god-father. Gojo had bought tickets at ten in the morning, which meant Megumi had a grand total of two hours to pack everything, give Shiro and Kuro the “you don’t understand me but I know you understand my tone” lecture before leaving them at Gojo and Geto’s place, and grab a quick gift for Yuuji before getting to the always-busy Tokyo train station.
“Where’s your stop, boy?” The driver asked him, finally turning into Shiogama city. Oh, and of course Yuuji lived an hour’s drive away from where his train dropped him off, so he’d had to call a taxi. Just his luck, but good things required sacrifice and Megumi was uncharacteristically willing to sit in the back of a cab held together by cigarettes and duct-tape.
Megumi froze. As someone who thought all the time, it was quite a surprise when he realized he didn’t know where Yuuji actually lived. He blamed this on Gojo for shipping him off to this random port town without any forewarning. “If you could drop me off at…” he checked his phone, which had someone only charged three percent throughout the hour drive. “One moment, please.”
The driver scoffed, saying something suspiciously like “Kids these days”, which Megumi pointedly ignored. He also ignored the essay that Yuuji had texted him, deciding that he’d just hear it from Yuuji himself in due time.
Megumi fought back against the barrage of butterflies at the thought of seeing Yuuji in the flesh after everything. He quickly searched Yuuji’s name– which he now knew in its entirety as Itadori Yuuji, and hoped something about him would show up. A job profile popped up, though the image was of someone who seemed slightly different than the Yuuji he’d seen through the photos and selfies– a man with pink hair but a distinct lack of face tattoos and soft, honey-gold eyes instead of red, sharp ones. Megumi chalked it up to the picture being a couple years old, and scrolled to find the recent employment history: Blossom Beach Kindergarten– Shiogama. “Blossom Beach Kindergarten please,” Megumi repeated.
It was around the end of the work-day, roughly four in the afternoon, so Megumi wondered if he could surprise Yuuji outside his workplace. That would be ideal– and not as creepy as Megumi randomly popping up at Yuuji’s house. The driver grunted, “We’ll be there in ten minutes.”
Megumi’s gut threw itself in circles. Ten minutes. Ten. The culmination of their weeks and weeks of talking online were finally going to come to fruition. Megumi began to imagine how the following hours of his life would go: he’d surprise Yuuji, who’d pull Megumi into a warm hug and break out in that gorgeously-wide- million-watt smile Megumi dreamed of; they’d eat at Yuuji’s place and Megumi would finally get to meet the brothers and niece and nephew Yuuji raved about; and then, they’d go to Yuuji’s favorite beach-spot, the one he promised to take Megumi to so he could teach him how to swim. Romantic, perfect. Everything Megumi had wanted and he was so close to finally feeling the way he’s always wanted to feel.
His phone buzzed as a text from Geto came through in their family group chat:
[Suguboo ♥️, 3:56 PM]
How’s it going megumi?
Oh damn it, did you change my name in the gc again satoru?
[Satoboo ♥️, 3:56 PM]
Of course!!
We have to match 😉
[megurmer, 3:56 PM]
yeah, ill be at his school in 10 minutes
[Suguboo ♥️, 3:56 PM]
Yay!! Don’t get nervous, keep us updated ok?
[Satoboo ♥️, 3:56 PM]
I told you so!
[megurmer, 3:57 PM]
yk ur supposed to say that after the thing happens right?
[Satoboo ♥️, 3:57 PM]
I can’t help being a romantic 😮💨😮💨😮💨
I know I’ll be right anyways
[megurmer, 3:57 PM]
ttyl 🙄
Megumi glanced out the window. Shiogama was gorgeous, the cherry blossoms were darker pink than they were in Tokyo, and Megumi was awed at how many there were so late in the season. It was a beautiful day outside– unlike Tokyo’s rainy weather, and Megumi could feel the sun reflect his own inner warmth. Though there was the pounding of his nerves and the fear of something unfamiliar, he fought it back with thoughts of Yuuji.
“We’re here,” the driver said, breaking Megumi out of his daydreams as he stopped at a large, well maintained school. It was larger than Megumi expected and he wondered if this was one of the only kindergartens in the city.
He thanked the driver, paid him a little extra– and though the man didn’t really deserve it, Megumi was in a good mood today. School seemed to be out of session, but Megumi knew Yuuji often stayed late to prepare for the next day and clean up.
The petite security guard sitting casually at the entrance looked up at him when he walked through the doors. The kindergarten was larger inside than Megumi had first assumed and he was in awe that Yuuji worked at a seemingly well-acclaimed school– not that he doubted Yuuji’s ability. “Hi,” he greeted the security guard, “I’m here to meet Yuuji Itadori, he’s a teacher here.”
“Oh!” The security guard’s face lit up at the mention of Yuuji. “You just missed him, he went home about an hour ago! Are you here for personal or school-related business?”
“Personal, we’re…friends,” Megumi answered, cursing his luck. This too, was somehow Gojo’s fault.
The guard looked him up and down, before nodding. “Well, any friend of Yuuji’s is a friend of mine, and you don’t seem like a bad kid. I’ll give you his address, it’s not too far from here.”
Megumi thanked the guard as he wrote the address down, wondering– for only a moment– if this was absolutely insane. Megumi decided it was but he was running on adrenaline as he typed the address into his maps, uncaring about his three-percent since, if everything went well, he’d be charging his phone at Yuuji’s place anyways.
Yuuji’s house was a fifteen minute walk from the school– which Megumi didn’t mind at all. The streets weren’t busy, given that it was still a bit before the end of the normal workday, but kids were milling about. Megumi wondered which ones were Yuuji’s kids, the ones he always talked fondly about. God, he was so close.
Yuuji lived in a well-lived-in part of town, the streets were littered with children’s bats and bikes, the doors of the houses all mostly open with the kind of community one didn’t get in big cities. It felt homey, almost like Yuuji. He realized soon that everything here felt like Yuuji and Megumi’s heart was about to burst from the overload of warmth.
Megumi stopped at a larger house, the door slightly cracked open with loud, boisterous laughter coming from inside it. There was a motorbike leaned against the wall, two cars in the driveway, and three bikes ranging from a tricycle to one with training wheels to a mountain bike. There seemed to be a large family portrait drawn by a kid hanging on the door, and Megumi recognized who he assumed was Yuuji, with black crayon on his face to denote his tattoos and fluffy pink hair. This was finally real.
Megumi counted to three before walking up to the door and ringing the bell, holding his breath as he heard the laughter pause. The world seemed to stop when the door finally opened, its frame entirely filled by one tall man with pink hair.
“Yuuji?” Megumi asked with bated breath. The man in front of him was gorgeous– all six feet something of him tan and built with dark tattoos adding to his presence. He looked exactly like he did in all the pictures, maybe even more godly in real life. Megumi braced himself for the hug, for the feel of Yuuji’s large body against his.
The hug never came though, as the man frowned. His voice was far deeper than Megumi remembered it being over call. “You’re here for Yuuji? Who are you?”
“Oh, I’m so stupid, I forgot you’ve never seen my face! I’m Fushiguro Megumi!” Megumi stuck his hand out– awkward– waiting for Yuuji to shake it. This wasn’t exactly how he’d envisioned it going, but whatever. He was sure Yuuji would be all over him in a minute, Megumi could wait.
Yuuji’s brows shot up his forehead in confusion but Megumi noticed the exact moment a flip switched in his head. The other man’s face broke into a slow, wicked grin. Megumi had never imagined an expression like that on Yuuji’s face– one of almost cruel joy. “Oh, I see what’s going on. Give me a moment.”
The door slammed in front of Megumi’s face and he stood, frozen, like an idiot with his hand out. What was going on? Before he could fully understand what was happening, there was noise behind the door– muffled speaking– and then it opened again. This time there was a different man at the door, shorter than the last one, but they were almost identical. Pink, fluffy hair, a stocky build, a scar on the side of his lips and another from his forehead to his left eye, dark eyebrows that were currently pulled together in confusion. “Hi? Sukuna said you were here for me?”
Megumi blinked, eyes narrowed. Megumi could look this man in the eyes, honestly he was probably a little shorter than Megumi. But the eyes, honey-brown eyes like the ones in the profile he’d seen earlier. Oh, no. Megumi told his mind to shut the fuck up as he asked, almost panicked, “Uhm, I’m here for Itadori Yuuji? He was just at the door, I think?”
“I’m Itadori Yuuji?” The pink-haired man said.
Megumi felt absolute dread settle in his stomach. “What?”
“Wait.” Megumi watched the blood drain from the man’s- Yuuji’s- face. “Megumi?”
Oh, he was going to kill Gojo.