Work Text:
1.
“You don’t need to-” Yuuji groans, showing the silver-haired guy to his front door. “I don’t think this arrangement will suit us.”
“Suit yourself, pink hair,” the guy harrumphs, striding out of the room. The bastard doesn’t even bother closing the door, prompting Yuuji to groan and get up to close the door.
“Do you think I’ll ever find a good roommate?” he says aloud to the empty apartment. A well furnished, 2 bedroom with en-suites apartment which was perfectly located near the local market and barely 30 minutes away from the mall and the fire station. It had seemed like such a good idea that he had put the down payment without even thinking twice about it. In his excitement, he had even forgotten about looking around for a roommate to help with the rent. Yuuji only realized it when Junpei had been helping him set up his apartment, cooling pointing out the high rent rate and the lack of a roommate in his apartment.
Of course, it had made Yuuji freak out, before Junpei had reeled him back with a smack on the back of his head and a website open on his laptop to put out an ad. It calmed him down immediately, lifting his spirits as he wrote out a message and hoped that he’ll find a good roommate soon.
Yuuji didn’t really think there was anyone that he won’t get along with, he already had the good vibes, a pretty smile, and an optimistic outlook down to the T, so finding someone to share an apartment with won’t be that difficult, he figured.
Right?
Wrong.
The first had been a barely 18 year old, recently graduated kid who thought they could pay the rent with snacks and living under the bed so that no one really knew they were there. Yuuji wasn’t a stranger to weirdness, but even he didn’t want to get too close to the kid.
The next person to ring the bell had looked alright from the first glance, with a proper posture, glasses, and slicked-back hair. She had been wearing a suit and seemed like she had a phone permanently attached to her ear. Yuuji was sure she would be a good roommate, someone who looked after their own belongings and kept their space clean. But the woman had taken one look at him, decked out in a comfy hoodie and sweatpants, and walked back out of the door. She hadn’t even spared him another glance.
The last person was the silver-haired dude who had tried to hit on him as soon as he entered his apartment. He hadn’t even gotten to introduce himself before the guy had roamed around the whole apartment, looked into the few boxes Yuuji still had left to unpack, opened his fridge, and grabbed a popsicle. Yuuji had been too flabbergasted to say anything, thinking it would be better to just see how this plays out until the guy had put his muddy boots onto his new coffee table and he had decided to throw him out.
Which led him to his current dilemma, wailing as he laid down on his couch and prayed to anyone listening to his whining that the next person to knock on his door would be at least 10% better than the previous ones.
Yuuji stretches out on the couch, yawning. “A nap will do wonders now,” he said aloud as another yawn rips out of him and he turns his head to the side, closing his eyes and dreaming about good roommates and food. Spring always puts him in a good mood, good enough for naps.
Knock.
Some sushi sounds really good right now.
Knock.
Maybe his roommate could be someone like Jennifer Lawrence.
Knock. Knock. Knock.
Yuuji startles awake, blinking as his head hammers, Oh, that might be the door. He gets up, stumbling towards the front door as he rubs the sleep of his eyes. “I’m coming, coming. Just wait a minute.” He grumbles out, finally grabbing onto the door and pulling the door open.
“Hey, sorry about the delay,” He mumbles out, finally looking at his guest properly.
Green eyes stare back at him, blinking slowly. The guy in front of him has a perfect poker face on, no emotions flashing across his face. He has long dark blue spiky hair, a stark contrast to his own short pink spiky hair. It somehow suits the other.
A sudden bark breaks him out of his thoughts and he looks around, trying to find the source of the noise. His confusion must show on his face that the stranger coughs and points towards his feet where two dogs sit. One of them has pure white fur while the other has pitch black fur.
“Awwww you’re so cute,” Yuuji coos, getting down on his knees to gently give them head pats. The puppies bark at him, wagging their little tails. The site almost gives him a heart attack, from how cute they look. He kinda wants to steal them.
The stranger coughs at him again, making him realize where exactly he is. “I’m Fushiguro Megumi, this is Shiro and that’s Kuro.” Fushiguro points at the white fluff and then the black fluff.
“Love the original names,” Yuuji snickers, laughing louder when the other glares at him. “I’m Itadori Yuuji. It’s nice to meet you!”
“It’s nice to meet you as well,” Fushiguro says. Yuuji waits for the other to continue, to tell him what the other was here for. When it looks like the other won’t be speaking at all, Yuuji starts talking.
“So, are you-” He cuts himself off when the other bends down, scooping up the two dogs into his arms. Yuuji’s kind of amazed at how quickly the two cuddle into the other’s chest, seeming perfectly comfortable.
“Are you okay with three roommates?” He says, his eyes firm and a blank expression on his face. Shiro and Kuro also stare at him. Yuuji has to take a step back at being attacked by double puppy eyes and one pair of forest color eyes. He doesn’t really think he could handle this.
“I’m completely fine with it!” He says instead, laughing lightly and beckoning all three inside. “Do you want something to drink?”
The two of them sit on the couch, the dogs happily sitting between them, thoroughly enjoying the hands petting them both. Yuuji prepares coffee for them both and they take their time talking about their upcoming arrangement. Apparently, the apartment is located near the others’ workplace- the hospital where he works as a veterinarian (which Yuuji finds adorable) and the rent was in his price range as well, so he had decided to drop by and check the apartment out. Yuuji is glad that the other likes the apartment enough to stay.
Yuuji somehow finds it really easy to speak with the other; comfortable enough to decide that the other can move in as soon as possible. He even agrees to help him with moving and taking care of his dogs. Though, the last part is mostly for him.
“So, why did you decide to move?” Yuuji asks as they both get up and move towards the door. He’s expecting a simple enough answer, something like ‘change in job location’ ‘rent got increased’ or even a ‘just for fun' but the answer he gets ends up surprising him.
“Because they had a no pet policy,” Fushiguro shrugs before waving goodbye and leaving. Yuuji dumbly waves at them as they move away from his apartment and out of his sight. He sighs heavily, closing the door and leaning against it.
Maybe, his luck had finally turned for the better.
And maybe, sometimes your roommates can be a man and his 2 dogs and that’s okay. (No, Yuuji hadn’t automatically made up his mind when he saw the dogs. He hadn’t. )
2.
Living together with Fushiguro has been a blessing for Yuuji. They seem to work together seamlessly, their schedules somehow intertwining perfectly along with their lives. In just a week, they have set up a routine that fits them well. Yuuji wakes up early, taking the dogs out for a short walk before taking them back home to Megumi in the kitchen preparing them both coffee already ready for the day. Yuuji takes the time to freshen up while Megumi makes breakfast and they both eat together at the dining table while letting the other know about their schedules for the day. Megumi usually has his schedules set the whole day while Yuuji has a set number of shifts that could fall apart in a single second if there is an emergency.
He comes home at night to Megumi already there, sitting on the couch -sometimes cuddling with the dogs while watching TV and sometimes just reading a book on the dining table, with their dinner set in front of him. They usually get takeout, an easier alternative to cooking after a tiring day at work.
The system has been working really well for them and Yuuji always looks forward to returning home. Fushiguro is fun to be with, a guy who is straight-faced and doesn’t seem to show many emotions on his face but somehow, Yuuji can perfectly tell what the other is thinking or feeling. They banter and poke fun at each other from time to time, Yuuji instigating it most of the time. Why? Because it’s fun to see the irritated look that crosses his face and the way he doesn’t hold back on his words.
It’s so fun for him that he doesn’t even realize how comfortable he has gotten.
Until he comes back home on Friday after a particularly tough day, training mixed with a small fire they had to put out, to more training and telling his subordinates to check up on all their equipment. It’s tiring and Yuuji can feel the pressure weighing down on him. He wants nothing more than to go back home and just fall headfirst into the couch only to be interrupted with Shiro and Kuro asking for cuddles which he never refuses. Yuuji feels a smile fall on his face as he thinks about the two puppies waiting for him to come home -and of course, Megumi. Just thinking about them decreases the pressure on his shoulders and makes him lighter on his feet.
“I’m home,” Yuuji sings, waiting for the little jumps and cute barks of the puppies to greet him. He smiles as they come rushing towards him, crouching down to pet them while taking off his shoes at the same time.
“Welcome home,” A voice rings out and Yuuji stops, not having realized the other was home till that moment. He’s pleasantly surprised to hear the voice and his mood immediately lightens up.
They didn’t even realize that they already think about their place as their home.
“Yo Fushiguro, you’re early today,” Yuuji greets, moving towards the kitchen where he had heard the voice come from.
He blinks when he’s met with a different view than usual, with Megumi behind the stove wearing an apron and quietly stirring something in the pot.
“I got off early,” he replies, not taking his eyes off the pot.
“Oh.”
Yuuji can’t seem to get something else out of his mouth, because he doesn’t even know what to say. They haven’t talked about this before, about cooking dinners instead of just ordering. Yuuji doesn’t know why he finds it so surprising; it’s not like they could have lived off takeout forever. But the feeling of coming home to home-cooked food feels different. It spreads a warm feeling inside of him, warming him from head to toe and makes him feel like he needs to move unless he wants to be burned.
It’s what prompts him to move further inside and ask, “Anything I can do to help?” The statement causes Megumi to look up, eyeing him for a moment before gesturing towards the vegetables.
“Just cut them up, I need to add it, and then we’re done.” Yuuji nods, washing his hands first before helping the other. It takes a few minutes and then Megumi is done.
“Go change,” he says, pushing the other away when he tries to help with setting the table. Yuuji smiles gratefully, before bolting out of the room and into his own room to change.
By the time he makes his way out, the food is already set on the table and the puppies are eating their own food besides Fushiguro’s feet. He sits in front of the other and marvels at the other.
“You made so much! All from scratch?”
“I had time,” Megumi mumbles, his face turning a bit pink at the comment.
“Well, I’m really looking forward to it. Thank you for the food.” Yuuji digs into his food, taking a big bite which Megumi does the same.
The food is amazing, the curry cooked to perfection and the taste fills him whole. Yuuji can’t stop eating, quickly gobbling the food. It’s been a long time since he had a proper home-cooked dinner and Megumi is a great cook. He vows to make the other dinner the next time.
“The food’s amazing, Fushiguro!” He sets the spoon down as he finishes, giving his thanks to the other. They both get up to put the plates away, Yuuji gently pushing the other away when he tries to help.
“You made the food, I can do the cleaning.”
Fushiguro mumbles something which Yuuji couldn’t catch but he thinks it sounded a bit like ‘thank you’.
He couldn’t help but grin, he should be the one thanking the other for feeding him some much-needed home-cooked food.
“I’ll cook the next time,” Yuuji says, grinning at the other who just shrugs at the comment which is good enough for him as he turns back to cleaning.
It somehow dissolves into another addition to their schedule. Where they take turns cooking each other dinner every other night whenever possible on weekdays and then cooking together every weekend.
Yuuji doesn’t mind.
3.
It's summer now. The sun shines brightly overhead. Too bright on days like these.
He hates days like these. When everything is going to shit and he can’t do anything about it. He tries his best, directing all the firefighters to different stations so they could douse the fire quickly taking over the house. He himself walks around the house, making sure everyone has been safely evacuated. Only when he’s sure the fire is going down and the scene is dying down does he move towards the ambulance parked a few meters down. The residents with more critical injuries had already been taken to the hospital, leaving behind a select few who were more shocked than hurt. Though, it really didn’t lessen the pain.
His heart broke when he saw a child wrapped up in blankets crying as an officer tried to calm the child down. His feet automatically took him towards the child and he was kneeling down in front of the other within seconds.
“Hello,” he smiled softly, looking over the child to see if there were any injuries present.
“Hello sir,” the child mumbled, hugging the blankets a bit tighter.
“Sir?” Yuuji lightly laughed, “Don’t call me that, call me Yuuji-san. Sir makes me feel old.”
The child laughed, his tears finally stopping. “Yuu-san, I’m Yuuki.”
“Yuuki, that’s a nice name, it really fits you,” Yuuji mutters, patting the other on the head.
“Really?”
“Yeps,” he pops the P. “You have been so brave today, really courageous. You’re really strong, aren’t you Yuuki?”
“My mom says I’m really brave!” Yuuki smiled before the smile fell. “But I couldn’t help her today.” Tears started gathering in his eyes again.
“You helped her loads,” he assured firmly, “Your mom is right Yuuki, you’re really brave and you really helped save her today.”
Yuuki nodded and Yuuji couldn’t stop feeling bad for the kid. He’s so young, too young to be going through such things. Too young to bear the pain on his tiny shoulders. He kept patting the kids' head while turning towards the officer. Getting an update on Yuuki’s mother's condition and the other residents, he quietly assured Yuuki that the officer will take care of him.
He watched as the officer took over, making sure everyone was alright before moving back towards the scene. The fire had died down during his conversation with the kid, so he moved towards his subordinates to go over the protocol before moving back to the station.
By the time he turns the keys to his apartment, he is expecting Fushiguro to be sound asleep in his room. He quietly removed his shoes and moved inside.
Yuuji dropped down on the couch, not bothering to turn on the lights on his way. He melted into the couch, his head resting on the couch as he stared aimlessly at the ceiling. His mind was going at a mile per minute, not letting him get a single breath of air inside as he thought about everything that had happened today.
Itadori Yuuji is used to scars, the pain from burns, and the flames lighting up the night sky. He is used to feeling helpless when he arrives at the scene, even though his mind and body work on autopilot while he tries to save everyone. He knows he can’t save everyone, but he so ardently wants to. He wants to lay down his own life in exchange for saving another. He wishes he could wipe the tears from children's faces or even stop them from forming in the first place.
He wishes that he’s the only one who gets burn marks and none of his friends and workers. He’s not scared of fire but he feels so scared of the burns that they give. And sometimes when he puts the fire out, he thinks he’s the one under the water and is being drowned in it. He wants-
“Itadori?”
Yuuji startles, not expecting anyone else to be there. He turns towards the voice, his eyes meeting Fushiguro’s figure as the other comes into the room, decked in his nightwear.
“Sorry, did I wake you up?” He glances towards the clock, flinching when he sees it’s almost 1 AM.
“You didn’t,” Fushiguro mumbles, rounding the couch to sit beside him. “Did you just come back?”
Yuuji just nods, sighing deeply before closing his eyes. He doesn’t really know what to tell the other and he really doesn’t want to burden the other with his problems. It’s been more than a month since they became roommates and living with each other has been wonderful. Megumi doesn’t deserve to have someone burden him like that.
“Leftovers are in the fridge, do you want me to heat them up for you?” Megumi asks quietly, looking at him. Yuuji shakes his head, eyes still closed as he avoids looking at the other. He ends up missing the way his roommate’s eyes fill with understanding and soften into empathy.
“Itadori,” Yuuji nods, indicating he’s listening. “Can you look at me?”
Yuuji opens his eyes at the statement, not expecting the other to ask something like that. His eyes automatically meet the others and his heart stutters at the look in Fushiguro’s eyes. It’s still dark inside the room, the lights still off but his green eyes are still shining so brightly, filled with so many emotions that Yuuji can’t even say anything.
“You’ll be okay,” Megumi says with conviction, looking him directly in the eye. As if there is nothing he believes in more than that. Even if Yuuji himself doesn’t, Megumi does.
It makes something bloom inside his chest and he finally feels like he can breathe. He didn’t know how much he really needed to hear those words until they were finally uttered by him. He might not realize the impact those words have on him till later but he is glad that he got to hear them.
“You can talk to me if you want to,” Megumi continues, now looking anywhere other than Yuuji. “We’re friends after all.”
Yuuji smiles at the other, his first real smile of the day, and laughs a little at how he can see a bit of pink on the others’ cheek. Megumi’s neck also seemed to turn a bit darker.
“Thank you, Fushiguro.”
Yuuji is used to scars and the pain that comes from nights like these. He’s not used to someone else being there with him during them, someone just willing to sit beside him and be there for him. He finally realizes that he doesn’t need to be alone during these nights.
4.
It’s been almost three months since the two of them started living together. Spring turned into autumn and the weather is slowly getting colder. Megumi hadn’t even realized how much time had passed since he moved. Shiro and Kuro have gotten bigger and clingier as time has passed, not only with him but Yuuji as well.
Megumi likes the kind of person Yuuji is, sometimes wishes he had that endless optimism he showed most of the time. Megumi can’t really be bothered to show many emotions, something that he hasn’t done since childhood. He feels things, has felt happiness and sorrow in different ways throughout his life but it rarely showed on his face in ways other than small glimpses that were easy to miss and forget.
It’s days like these when he hates the way he handles his emotions. He wishes he could cry out for once instead of bottling everything up and hoping it would drown in the sea, never to come ashore again.
Megumi loves his job, he loves being surrounded by animals and looks forward to seeing them every day. Every day spent surrounded by animals is a day spent well. He truly believes that. Megumi is going to continue doing his job until the day he no longer can. He wants to be there with dogs like his own and help them get better.
He hates his job because he sees them in pain. He hates when he can’t save someone, he hates when he has to tell their owner what happened or what will soon happen, he hates watching them grow old and leave.
He knows that it’s a part of life, that this is how things happen in this world. This is the way things will continue to happen and he can’t really do anything about it.
It doesn’t stop him from wishing he could change the world.
He leaves the hospital with a grey cloud above him, thundering down and raining on him and him only while the leaves fall around everyone else. Megumi reaches home with the same gloomy cloud trailing behind, subtly drowning him.
The veterinarian unlocks the door, sparing a glance at the other pair of shoes at the entrance. That must be why his dogs didn’t come to greet him, Yuuji must be playing with them. He moves inside, surprised at the smell wafting in from the kitchen.
“I’m back,” He announces as he enters the kitchen, watching as Yuuji moves around the kitchen seamlessly with the dogs at his feet, following him around like a bunch of chicks following the mother hen. He smiles at the imagery, feeling the pain lessen.
“Welcome back,” Yuuji calls out. “I’m making the famous Itadori meatballs, go change. I’m almost done.”
He moves towards his room then, changing out of his work clothes and throwing them into the hamper. Maybe that will help wash away the sorrow stained on it as well. The cloud on top of him is slowly decreasing, as he lets himself fall into the routine he has created with Yuuji. He puts on his pajamas and moves out, hoping that he could get a bit more happiness from Yuuji today than usual.
“The dinner is set,” Yuuji flourishes as he enters, showing off the food set up on the table.
“Thank you for the food,” he mumbles as he sits down, waiting for the other to start eating as he picks up his own chopsticks.
The minutes tick down slowly as they both eat, Megumi spending most of the time staring at this food and quietly eating while Yuuji keeps glancing at the other. Today, Yuuji doesn’t start up conversations or talks throughout the dinner instead, he simply eats his food while his eyes reflect the worry he feels.
By the time they finish eating, Megumi gets up to wash the dishes when his wrist is grabbed by Yuuji. He startles, his eyebrows rising as he looks down at Yuuji.
“Leave the dishes today,” He smiles. “Come watch a movie instead.” Megumi opens his mouth to refute but is stopped when Yuuji pulls him towards the couch. “I’ll be back, pick a movie till then,” Yuuji says before moving out of the room, leaving Megumi sitting on the couch confused. He snaps out of it, quickly putting on the first movie that he sees.
He has a feeling it doesn’t really matter which movie they’ll be watching today.
Yuuji enters the room again, this time armed with a blanket and bags of chips, with Shiro and Kuro scurrying in behind him. He puts down the chips on the coffee table and lays the blanket over Fushiguro before getting in beside him and pulling the blanket until it covers them both.
“Man, this is nice,” he comments, patting the couch until the dogs jump up, settling on either side of Yuuji and Megumi. He leans in close, with his side pressed against Megumi’s completely, and plays the movie while his other hand is scratching Shiro behind the ear.
“Why today?” Megumi asks, unable to stop the words from flowing out of his mouth.
“Why not?” Yuuji shrugs, knocking his shoulder against Megumi’s as they both settle in to watch the movie. Megumi stares at him, feeling comforted by the soft presence surrounding him on all sides and he lets himself breathe. Maybe, these days won’t always end badly.
It’s after some time when his eyes are slowly closing and his head is tilting towards Yuuji’s when the other shifts so that his shoulder acts as a resting place for Megumi that Itadori whispers.
“You’ll be okay.”
Megumi believes him.
5.
It’s in December, the snow slowly falling outside, and the cold wind surrounding them that they finally end up finalizing a day for their individual friend groups to meet.
Junpei and Nobara had already met Fushiguro before, a long time ago when they finally found a day where their schedules were free at the same time. Nobara had decided to take Fushiguro under him as a friend at first glance because she likes nothing more than troubling introverts who blush easily and show no emotions. Junpei and Fushiguro had taken one look at each other and nodded, basking in the silent presence of each other while Nobara and Yuuji worked up a storm around them.
Yuuji ended up meeting Fushiguro’s friends a month ago when he came home early to the three of them sitting on the couch together. From the first glance, Yuuji had figured out how strong of a person Maki is and swore never to do anything to get on her bad side. She had given him a long hard look when he had entered the apartment that Yuuji had almost apologized before she had waved at him and gotten back to her conversation. Yuuji still thinks he dodged a bullet that day. Inumaki Toge had waved at him and then ignored him in exchange for playing with the dogs. Yuuji had a feeling that Inumaki was the silent mother type, who kept the group together but also at the same time doused the fire with gasoline for his own entertainment.
Yuuji got along splendidly with them.
So, it was a long time coming when their individual groups met and formed a bigger group. It takes Yuuji a second too long to piece together how his and Megumi’s lives were intertwining and revolving around each other as the days went by. The scene -Nobara and Maki sitting together, Nobara definitely putting up all her feminine charm out and Inumaki and Junpei sitting together with Junpei talking about the latest movie he watched and Inumaki silently nodding along- is what makes Yuuji realize how close they have gotten.
He wouldn’t have it any other way.
Yuuji had the brilliant idea of meeting in a ramen restaurant just 10 minutes away from their place because who doesn’t love ramen and good food makes for a good time. It was the perfect opportunity to see how well their friends fit together and Yuuji had three contingency plans to ensure that everyone had a good time.
He never really thought why it mattered so much to him that they got along well, but it did and Yuuji isn’t going to dismiss that feeling easily.
Megumi and he sit together, slurping their ramen while sending glances at each other and marveling at how well they get along. Well enough to forget about them, it seems.
“I’m surprised this isn’t as awkward as I thought it would be,” Yuuji comments to Megumi, shuddering when he sees Nobara and Maki getting closer.
“I’m more surprised to see Kugisaki looking like she’s about to eat Maki-senpai,” Megumi mutters, looking away when Nobara sends him a glare. She has a frightening ability to know whenever someone is talking about her. Megumi would like to stay away forever but that’s never an option when dealing with Kugisaki Nobara.
Their lunch ends like that, with everyone in their own bubble and subtly ignoring Yuuji and Megumi -which, rude, they were the ones to bring them together. The snow is lightly falling outside and Yuuji is sure that if they don’t leave now, they’ll surely be caught up in a storm.
“Let’s head out then,” Megumi tells the group, nodding his thanks towards Yuuji who hands him his coat and scarf. He doesn’t bother commenting on the leer that comes over his friend's face at the gesture. Maki is scary anyway but combined with the chaotic energy of Nobara, both of them are a force to be reckoned with.
“We’ll be going to this side,” Nobara huffs, pulling Maki with her. “Later losers, don’t die.” Maki doesn’t even look back to say goodbye, instead, she stares at Nobara with a besotted look on her face.
“I’m going to show Inumaki-senpai the new thriller movie,” Junpei says, waving at the two.
“Bye,” Inumaki says and follows after Junpei.
Megumi and Yuuji are left looking at the empty space where their friends stood earlier before they look at each other and end up laughing loudly. Yuuji wipes tears off his eyes as he watches Megumi bend down while he laughs.
“I think we created monsters.”
“We sure did.”
Yuuji starts walking towards their apartment, pulling the scarf around him tighter while Megumi falls into step with him.
“Honestly, I wasn’t expecting Nobara and Maki-san to hit it off so well.” Yuuji starts, putting his hands inside his coat to keep them warm. “Inumaki-senpai and Junpei have personalities which get along well so I expected that.”
“Me too. I didn’t think Maki-senpai would ever take to someone so quickly.” Megumi adds, his mind whirling with images of their first meeting and shivering at the memory.
Megumi turns towards Yuuji and tells him about how he had met Maki years ago. The conversation flows smoothly as they walk back and Yuuji’s glad he has someone like Fushiguro with him. Someone who he gets along with so well and can call a close friend who seems to really care about him.
By the time they reach their place, Yuuji has almost frozen off his toes and can’t help but sigh aloud when they enter and the heat and warmth of the house greets them. Shiro and Kuro come running out and both of them bend at the same time to pet the two dogs.
Yuuji grins at Megumi when their eyes meet and he thinks his heart burst open at seeing the other smile back softly at him.
This is home.
Yuuji really likes the sound of that.
+1
They’ve been living together for a long time, Yuuji realizes when he takes the snacks to the coffee table as Megumi picks a movie to watch for their weekly movie night.
It’s almost been a year since they started living together. The Earth has finished an orbit around the sun, and Yuuji thinks somehow they both have orbited around each other as well the past year. The flowers are blooming already and this time they’ll be going for a hanami together with their friends, a difference from last year.
Spring, summer, autumn, and winter all passed for this spring to come again this year. It feels like new beginnings and a continuation of last year blending into another year together.
This time last year, Yuuji was thinking about finding a good apartment, a good roommate, and a good life. Now he has all of that along with two dogs. Yuuji can see the difference that has come over between them and inside of them in the past year. Fushiguro doesn’t shy away from physical contact, he doesn’t shut himself off when something happens and somewhere along the way the trust between them has strengthened beyond measure. They pick each other's broken pieces when needed and they provide silent comfort in the night when their hearts get too heavy.
Yuuji thinks about his own heart, the way it starts beating when he looks at the other. The way it slows down when he realizes the other is beside him and he doesn’t have to panic to find the other. The way his eyes immediately look for Megumi’s when he enters the room. His ears are attuned to Megumi’s laugh and he’s the first person Yuuji looks towards when he laughs. Yuuji hasn’t felt like this in a long time. The heartbeat jumps as these feelings swell inside him and he feels like he’s about to burst.
“Itadori?” Megumi calls out, sitting on the couch with the remote in his hand. “Are you going to sit or what?”
Yuuji laughs awkwardly, finally moving towards the couch from where he had weirdly frozen. He sets the snacks down before sitting next to Megumi.
“You okay?” Megumi asks, looking at the bowl of popcorn and picking some up.
“Yeah, it’s nothing,” he assures, pulling his legs up on the couch and leaning towards the other until their sides are pressed together. Megumi nods, believing his words, and starts the movie.
It’s an interesting movie, something that Junpei screamed about. It’s right up Yuuji’s choice of movies but for the life of him he can’t focus on it. Now that he has finally realized how his blood pumps, how the side that’s pressed around Megumi’s seems to be burning from warmth and how his hands can’t seem to stop moving on his thighs.
Yuuji comes to two conclusions at that moment.
First , he really likes the way his life is right now.
Second , he doesn’t mind continuing with it forever.
He’s deep in thoughts when he’s jolted by hands on his forearm, shaking him. He looks towards Megumi to see his eyes furrowed, his lower lip bitten and a worried expression marring his face.
“Seriously, what’s up with you?” he asks, shaking him a bit more. Yuuji takes a deep breath and decides to plunge deep into the feelings which have overtaken him. He never was one to hold back.
“Fushiguro?”
“What?”
“Let’s stay together forever,” Yuuji states, his eyes shining with determination. He takes in the shocked look and feels compelled to add, “I don’t think it’s ever going to get better than this, than us here together . Frankly, I don’t want it to change.”
Yuuji holds his breath when emotions flicker over Megumi’s face and almost coos out loud when a deep blush takes over his cheeks. He laughs out loud when the pink goes up to his ears and only stops when Megumi wacks him on the back of his head and faces the screen again.
“Idiot,” he mumbles. “I thought you were seriously sick.”
“Sorry.”
“Don’t sweat it,” he sighs as if he doesn’t really know why he is doing this but he can’t stop now. “I’m not going anywhere, dumbass.”
Yuuji smiles at the words, knowing the other shares the same sentiment. A hand comes to intertwine with his and Yuuji grins wider, gripping the hand tighter and cuddling into the warmth.
“That’s enough for me.”