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Fushiguro Megumi leaves his dorm startlingly early that morning, the air crisp and cold as he shambles to the station. The carriage he currently occupies is vacant, aside from himself, and it would be another hour before the morning commuters started heading to work. His only company is the occasional jostle of the train as it rounds a corner and the rattle of the window he’s leant against when the wind picks up.
Resting his head on the glass pane, Megumi sits comfortably, albeit anxious; his head bops a little as they change tracks, keeping him from falling asleep or getting too cozy.
He stirs from his seat, blinking his bleary eyes and yawning. With a glance out of the window, Megumi can see that it’s overcast and cloudy. The sun tries to cut through the gloom as it peaks beyond the horizon, a pale yellow that meets the washed out blue of the sea. The shape of the pier and beach is illuminated as well.
As if to spite the hope of any sunshine, the clouds open and great globs of rain begin to fall against the window.
Megumi welcomes it.
He can almost smell the salt and sea breeze, hear the soft crashing of waves and faint cries of seagulls.
Heart swelling at the view, Megumi feels almost giddy. Anticipation thrums into his limbs, fingers twitching and leg bouncing with nerves as a voice on the intercom signals their next - and final - stop.
He hasn’t been here since he was a kid.
Will it be like he remembers?
Stepping onto the station platform, Megumi is immediately greeted by the bitterly cold winter air and rain. He tightly hugs his coat around himself, bracing himself against the wind, and buries his nose into his scarf before it starts running.
Megumi moves with purpose, watching for any other people - or sorcerers, god forbid. Once out of the station, there’s an even stronger, blustering wind that hits him; it whips up discarded trash on the ground, shakes the bare trees and makes Megumi's hair tangle even more than it naturally does.
Nue would love this, Megumi thinks. He’s almost tempted to summon them; the shikigami would cut through the wind like it was butter, then glide on the current with ease.
It’s very quiet as Megumi makes his way through the placid seaside town, heading along a familiar wooden path towards the pier. There aren’t any people around, just as hoped and planned for; drops of rain continue to land on his coat, but it’s not heavy enough to put his hood up yet.
A moment later, he wishes he had.
Megumi runs directly into an older couple, early birds wrapped up tight and pulling along small suitcases, heading towards the station as Megumi leaves. He jumps back, murmuring an apology, before returning to the shadows with his head down, inconspicuous. They smile at him as he passes, a simple pleasant thing, but Megumi turns his face away on impulse, pressing his face deeper into his scarf.
The giddiness he felt during the train journey begins to twist into a deep anxiety, embedding itself under his rib cage, like the drop of an anchor.
He’s been seen.
It wasn’t supposed to be like this, today was supposed to be good and fun but a feeling of guilt bubbles up in Megumi’s chest. He stops, not entirely of his own violation, fists clenching in his pocket as they seek comfort, a hand to hold.
Standing on the pier, Megumi takes a moment as he sinks into the grey haze of early morning. He listens and listens for the sound of other people, for anyone else out and about on this quiet morning.
But, there’s nothing. No movement, no chattering voices.
The place is deserted. Stores are closed, some even boarded up with long faded notices on the door. The signs are aged, paint peeling off in flakes and posters bleached by years of exposure to the sun.
It’s empty and grey and miserable and perfect.
And even if it wasn’t, Megumi is a jujutsu sorcerer, he’s overcome much, much worse than this. He’ll face worse in the future, too.
After that, all Megumi wants to hear is the faint crash of waves; a bird soars overhead and he watches as it becomes nothing but a speck in the distance. The tide washes away any anxiety, and the wind pushes him forward, urging him to carry on.
There’s someone he wants to share this with, after all.
This is the best time and place - really, the only time and place - this excursion could happen given Ryomen Sukuna, the highly dangerous and extremely wanted King of Curses, is the other participant.
Megumi smiles at that particular thought, his hands twitching from within his pockets. Not from worry this time, but at the prospect of warming them up against Sukuna very soon.
Looking down to the beach, Megumi scours for the perfect spot to begin their day. And he finds it, a treasure hidden amongst the wide open expanse of damp sand and worn rock, sheltered from the breeze and prying eyes.
Megumi steels himself, breathing in deeply as he opens up the shadows cast by the dim morning light.
Then, after a second or two, out steps the King of Curses himself. Sukuna towers over Megumi in this form, adorned in a simple white kimono, casting a large shadow of his own. Two of Sukuna’s hands are tucked in his sleeves, for style rather than to protect his hands from the chill no doubt, whilst the remaining pair stretch out. He yawns lazily, like a tiger waking up from a long nap.
“Hello, Megumi.” Sukuna greets, blinking all four red eyes; he grins, all teeth, and the mouth on his torso mirrors the expression. “That went faster than expected, despite the bumpy ride.”
“Don’t start complaining.” Megumi responds, a smile playing on his lips as he takes Sukuna in from head to toe. He’s almost compelled to close the front of Sukuna’s kimono to make sure he doesn’t catch a cold, like a mother would for her child.
“Oh, I would never.” Sukuna says, lips curling further. He looks at their surroundings, paying no mind to the weather, before turning back to Megumi. One of his hands reaches out to tenderly brush a stray drop of rain from Megumi’s cheek, before holding another out for his sorcerer to take.
Megumi wraps himself around Sukuna gratefully, basking in his warmth, how it radiates unnaturally through the fabric of his clothes. Sukuna’s width, the sheer size of him, shelters Megumi from the blustering wind. There’s a playful look in the curse’s eyes as he peers down.
“No need to be so tense.” Sukuna says, like discerning Megumi’s woes is second nature to him. It always has been. “There’s no one around. I’d sense them, so know that we are completely and utterly alone.”
“Sure, right now we are.” Megumi grumbles into Sukuna’s arm. The thought of someone showing up randomly, to disrupt their day or ruin their mood or see Sukuna, causes dread to hook itself into Megumi’s chest once again, but is quickly dislodged by a laugh rumbling through Sukuna into Megumi.
“It’s easily dealt with.” Sukuna’s voice is casual, but there’s an underlying anticipation at the prospect of someone interrupting them. “A quick dismemberment will see to any interlopers.”
“Hey,” Megumi hits Sukuna’s arm and scowls, only just managing to stop his lips curling with a smile. “Are you going to be difficult?”
“Fine, fine. If I sense anyone, I’ll let you tuck me away in the shadows like your dirty little secret.” Sukuna acquiesces, leaning close to whisper the last part.
Taking advantage of their closeness, Megumi closes the distance to press his lips to Sukuna’s and they linger there in the cold bolstering wind; he feels a spot of rain on his face again, but can’t bring himself to care when one of Sukuna’s hands comes to cradle his jaw.
As they break apart, Sukuna asks fondly, “What are we doing today?”
“Let me show you.” Megumi responds.
They need to get going, Megumi knows, but he can’t help but cling to Sukuna and keep them in that moment for just a little longer.
After another kiss or two or three, Megumi and Sukuna finally set off for the day.
They walk down the boardwalk first, passing the closed arcades and ice cream stalls that won't be frequented again until summer. Sukuna rests one of his hands on the small of Megumi’s back as they stroll; said hand tires to not-so sneakily worm its way under Megumi’s coat, too.
Megumi goes up to the window for one of the arcades and peers inside, the flashing lights from the claw machines and coin pushes calls to him. He cranes his head to peek inside, nearly tempted to slip into the building using his shadows, but half the fun of an arcade is the flashing lights and excited sound effects and cheering when you win.
Megumi was too short to see properly into the claw machine the last time he was here, let alone use the controls; Tsumiki could though. How brightly she had smiled upon winning a fluffy sheep plush with the last coin Gojo had given them.
It nearly makes Megumi’s chest ache.
Not wanting to linger in the bittersweet memory too long, Megumi leads Sukuna to the beach. The sand is hard, sodden and frozen with sea salt and rain; it crunches under his boots as they walk hand-in-hand. While water doesn’t seep into his shoes, his toes are certainly going numb with the cold.
If Sukuna was anyone else, Megumi would chastise him for his usual footwear choice of socks and sandals. The edges of his kimono bloom with water, decorated with specks of sand where it brushes against the ground; he’s so composed, unbothered, but seeing those blemishes reminds Megumi of Sukuna’s physicality, of them being here.
Together.
They pass some old children’s rides set up on the sand: out of use, covered in a dirty blue tarp, with a line of barnacles that marks the height of the tide. A carriage for a small rollercoaster peaks out and Megumi can see it’s designed to look like a frog, painted bright green with wide eyes and cartoonish bright red cheeks. Cute.
Nothing like his shikigami. The contrast to Gamma makes a small chuckle escape him.
Turning to get Sukuna’s attention, Megumi finds him gazing across the beach, his tall form a silhouette against the deep grey clouds. He squints against the wind, but soon turns to Megumi as if sensing those green eyes on him; the corners of Sukuna’s eyes crinkle as he smiles back.
How funny it would look if Sukuna hopped into one of those little carts and took the coaster for a ride.
“The tide is all the way out now.” Megumi remarks, returning to Sukuna’s side and leaning against him. The curse hums in agreement, absently running a hand through Megumi’s hair as if to free it from the clutches of the blustering wind.
Looking back, Megumi sees the trail of footprints - his and Sukuna’s - stretching the length of the beach. Sukuna’s footprints are so large, they seem to dwarf Megumi’s, standing out strongest against the sand.
Their mark on the shoreline continues; it’s long, winding, and tangled but undoubtedly there. It maps out each landmark on their tour: finding a crab shell with no crab inside, pausing to look at rocks scatters across the sand, admiring tangled seaweed that had bubbled in places like hollow gems, their detour under the pier to watch seagulls nesting in the rafters.
Megumi is tempted to summon Kon, looking at their footprints in the sand again. What cute paw prints the shikigami would make, how fast they would run across the beach and kick up sand in their wake. Maybe they’d head as far out as the sea for a doggy paddle.
Next time, Megumi decides. Next time they visit the beach, he’ll summon Kon. Maybe bring a ball and throw it for them, as well.
It’s something Megumi will look forward to.
“Look,” Megumi says, presenting Sukuna with what he’s found.
“Yes, that is a very nice rock.” Sukuna responds, teasing.
Megumi huffs, amused, “It’s an ammonite, a fossil.” He brings it to the tip of Sukuna’s nose, all four of his eyes cross trying to look at it. Megumi points with his other hand to track the grooves of it in demonstration before continuing. “Well, half of one.”
The fossil is cracked cleanly down the middle, missing its other half. Megumi takes a moment to sift through the rocks at their feet, dirtying his hands with sand in the process.
Sukuna seems to loom above him for a moment, before crouching beside Megumi. “What’s so special about it?”
“No two are alike.” Megumi says, picking up pebble after pebble and turning them in his hands. Looking for the matching piece. “You know, I came to this beach when I was a kid, with Tsumiki and Gojo-sensei.”
Sukuna scoffs at the mention of Gojo’s name, but begins mimicking Megumi’s movements. Methodically picking up stones, before inspecting them thoughtfully to find the matching piece to Megumi’s ammonite. He gestures with a free hand for Megumi to continue.
“Tsumiki found one, an ammonite; she was so excited.” Megumi continues, a smile creeping onto his face. “I was jealous, a brat about it I guess. We searched all day to find another one, right up until dinner when she dragged me off crying.”
They didn’t find another, in the end. But now Megumi has one, one to match Tsumiki’s.
“I’d like to show her this one, next time I visit.” Megumi says, raking through the sand with more vigor now.
He turns to look at Sukuna, whose movements have stalled. There’s a sad look in his eye and he seems like he’s about to say something - before he can do so, there’s a boom of thunder above them.
And that’s when it really starts to pour.
Megumi looks up at the sky above them, rain falling relentlessly. He follows how it bounces off the pebbles at their feet, before seeping into the sand surrounding them.
“Come.” Sukuna breaks Megumi out of his stupor, pulling his hood up and making sure it's secure around his head, even with the front of his hair peeking out. Sukuna stands proud, as if to spite the clouds themselves and offers his hand. “Let's search for another further down the beach.”
Sukuna looks so composed, completely unbothered despite how wet and cold it is, a third hand slicks his hair back with the rain. A bead of water slinks down the slope of his nose, dripping off the end. Megumi watches it intently.
It’s unfair. How can Sukuna look so handsome, even when dripping wet?
Well, he supposes he can answer that one for himself.
But, an idea begins to form in Megumi’s mind and he grabs Sukuna’s hand with a mischievous glint in his eye. Oh, how he’d love to break that composure.
“Thanks.” Megumi says, tone neutral, letting himself be pulled up to Sukuna’s level.
Then, all at once, Megumi lets go of the hand before sweeping his food to kick sand at Sukuna. He’s not entirely shocked that the surprise attack fails when the curse moves out of its trajectory faster than you can blink.
But hitting Sukuna isn’t exactly his goal.
“Oh? What were you trying to do?” Sukuna asks, feigning ignorance.
“Nothing,” Megumi says, innocently, and takes a step back to increase the distance between them.
“Don’t.” Sukuna warns, tone light. But there’s a sharp smile creeping its way onto his face, like a butcher's knife poised to slice. He lowers his stance, just enough that Megumi notices; the look in Sukuna’s narrowed eyes dares him.
Megumi knows exactly how this will end.
It takes a single motion for Megumi to kick sand at Sukuna again and set off running.
Sea shells crunch under his feet and the wind batters his ear drums. The hood Sukuna placed so thoughtfully blows off in the chase, caught in the wind like a parachute. The air whistles in Megumi’s ears as he jumps over washed up seaweed, smiling so wildly it hurts.
He’s laughing.
He’s laughing and laughing and laughing, his joy being swept up in the cyclone. There’s a giddy feeling in his chest, a pleasant anxiety at the chase, like a bee buzzing as it seeks out pollen.
Megumi knows Sukuna is behind him - and could grab him at any second - but maybe he’s having just as much fun.
Then, Megumi stumbles. He loses his footing on a soft patch of sand, tangled with pebbles and razor clams that stick from the ground and knows it’s over. A moment later, he’s wrapped in all four of Sukuna’s arms, back flush to the curse’s chest.
Megumi delights, breathless and flushed with adrenaline; his hair is soaked, sticking to his cheeks and forehead. He hears Sukuna’s laugh, a sound that could warm him to the bone; the mouth at his belly rumbles with joy as well against his back.
“That wasn’t very nice.” Sukuna teases. The words are low, making him sound almost breathless with their proximity. The next words are a sarcastic drawl, “What would your diligent and respectable mentor Gojo Satoru think of this?”
“Who’d you think I learned this from?” Megumi laughs, wiggling in the four-armed hold. Sukuna squeezes him gently, nipping at the nape where it’s exposed, before capturing a bead of rainwater with his tongue as it slides down Megumi's neck.
Megumi shivers at the sensation, flushing up to his ears, and can do nothing but turn into the embrace; he presses his cold rosy cheek to Sukuna's bare chest. Sukuna releases one of the hands holding Megumi in favour of tracing only his jaw line, before tilting his head back. The touch is light and sweet, like the cotton candy he ate during his first trip here.
“You’re all red.” Sukuna murmurs, running his thumb along Megumi’s cheek. “Aren’t you worried about catching a cold?”
Megumi breathes out a laugh, “I should say that to you.” His hands come up to close the front of the kimono, watching a drop of water trace down Sukuna’s abs into his obi. He is immediately hit with a jolt of envy.
But they’ll have plenty of time for that later.
Sukuna directs Megumi’s attention back to him, and brings them together once more in a kiss, soft and tender and warm.
On this secluded beach in the dead of winter, Megumi feels alive.
Sukuna’s large frame shelters him again from the fierce wind and bitter chill. Megumi’s body thrums with his good mood, deepening their kiss with one of Sukuna’s hands tangled into his wet hair, bringing them closer still.
With a crack of lightning above them, they part. It seems the elements are seeking retribution for Sukuna’s indifference.
“That was nice.” Sukuna says, relaxed. The curse marks framing his eyes and jaw, his sharp nose and those red eyes seem so much softer; Sukuna always runs warm, but now Megumi is the one making him melt.
A burning desire to provoke a reaction on that face rears its head again. So, not a moment later, Megumi slips his cold, cold hands into the front of Sukuna’s kimono, pressing them suddenly to the sides of his abs, untouched by the elements.
The mouth on Sukuna’s abdomen yelps uncharacteristically and his entire today jumps at the sensation.
Megumi tries to run off again, tearing from Sukuna’s grasp, but is caught in less than a second. A laugh escapes him, louder this time, as Sukuna lifts Megumi up under his armpits and lets him wiggle in the air like a cat.
Maybe he tells Sukuna to let him down in the fits of breathless laughter, but he isn’t sure. He grins as he struggles, wild, and is reminded of the feeling of summoning his domain for the first time, free and untamed and reckless.
Sukuna goads him, “How foolish.” Eventually, he places Megumi on the ground and into his arms once more, grinning so widely his fangs gleam in the low light. “You’re no good as a sorcerer, getting caught so quickly. Not once, but twice.”
Megumi is still catching his breath as Sukuna takes Megumi’s hand in two of his to warm them up. Sukuna pulls up Megumi’s hood with his other set of hands, unbothered by the rain himself.
“You’re getting sloppy, perhaps the rain is dampening your senses.” Sukuna continues, “My powerful Megumi, weakened by a little cold weather. I’m disappointed. How are you going to make this up to me?” His eyes gleam with mirth and Megumi knows there are plenty of ways he will appease Sukuna when they get home.
But he doesn’t mention that now. As his heart steadys Megumi looks fondly at Sukuna and then at his belly mouth, before saying decidedly with a smile, “Ice cream.”
Sukuna skeptically raises an eyebrow, “Ice cream?”
Megumi returns to Sukuna with three ice cream bars, wrapped and frosty between his fingers. He used his shadows to sneak into a local ice creamery that’s currently closed, hastily snagging the frozen treats and absconding.
But not before leaving the money for what he’d taken on the counter, of course.
They agreed to meet at the pier they walked under earlier and that’s exactly where Megumi finds the King of Curses - sitting on the damp wood with his legs dangling off between the railings and swinging idly.
Sukuna gazes at the beach below, at the seagulls pecking at the ground seemingly unbothered by his cursed energy. He looks...young, face calm and hair blown back in it’s natural wave by the wind.
There’s something a little lonely about it.
So when Megumi takes his spot next to Sukuna, he quickly closes the gap between them. One of Sukuna’s arms comes to circle his shoulder and the other rests at his hip, familiar and cozy. Warm and calloused fingers creep under the edge of Megumi’s coat, under his shirt, and then make contact with his bare skin.
Finally, the rain stops.
Megumi’s entire body relaxes and he melts into Sukuna, much like the ice cream he’s holding. Megumi quickly hands Sukuna two of the three bars, one for each mouth.
Sukuna is still dubious, and voices as much, “It is far too cold for you to enjoy this.”
“You have to get ice cream at the beach.” Megumi responds with a shrug, matter of fact. It’s just what you do, time of year be damned; when he came with Tsumiki, they had soft serve in waffle cones, creamy and mellow and refreshing in the summer sun; Megumi was never one for sweets, barely eating more than a bite or too and when he couldn’t stomach anymore, Gojo was all too eager to finish off the cone for him.
Megumi tries to make his point to Sukuna, but it comes across a little weaker than hoped. He struggles to open the wrapper on his ice cream, numb fingers fumbling with it. Despite all their hand holding and Sukuna’s heat, his fingers are red and raw from the cold.
But with a wave of finger, Sukuna neatly slices the wrapper open along the top.
“You could take my head off doing that.” Megumi mumbles in lieu of thanks and Sukuna simply huffs in response.
Before he can peel the wrapper back, Sukuna’s hand covers Megumi’s own and he does it for him, like a parent helping their child. No words are exchanged but it’s obvious that Sukuna doesn’t want him to touch the frozen treat directly, lest his fingers get any colder than they already are.
Once Sukuna is done, Megumi takes a bite, comfortable with their silence. The vanilla ice cream is hard against his teeth, drawing out a wince. It’s freezer burnt and the chocolate on the outside is shattered, falling into the wrapper.
It’s not good, nothing like the one he had on his trip as a kid.
But it doesn’t need to be.
Sukuna has no such point of reference, simply tearing open the wrapped on both of his bars before feeding them to his belly mouth. The maw crunches through the chocolate noisily, humming with satisfaction at the flavour. Does..does it have a sweet tooth?
Megumi wonders how that craving was satiated back in the Heian era. And how he can use it to his advantage in this era, filing the knowledge away for future reference.
Still, Megumi is a little annoyed at Sukuna not even trying the dessert with the mouth people normally use to eat. “One of those was for your regular mouth you know, not just for him.” He gestures to Sukuna’s abdomen which, having finished chomping, beams. “You’re going to get brain freeze.”
Sukuna laughs, a bright joyful sound that has been filling the role of the sun all day. He tugs Megumi closer, until the sorcerer's head rests on his shoulder.
Megumi takes another bite of his ice cream, a small one, and lets it melt on his tongue. As he swallows, he asks in a small voice, “Did you have a good time today?”
Sukuna seems to freeze briefly as if he didn’t expect the question. After a moment, he answers, peering at Megumi with one of his lower eyes, “Despite the mundanity of such a place, I’ve found there was much joy to be taken from this miserable pile of sand.” He turns then, the corners of his lips curling. “We didn’t come here for me, Megumi. Did you have a good time?”
All Megumi can do in that moment is reach up and press his lips to Sukuna’s, fisting a hand into his scarf. It’s a sweet thing, cosy and comforting. The ice cream Megumi holds in his other hand melts, dripping down his fingers.
Pulling back, he smiles and says, “Yeah, I did.”
Sukuna squeezes his hip and presses a kiss to his cheek, wordlessly signaling that the day has started for the inhabitants of this small seaside town.
Megumi looks down to the beach below them, one last time and sees their footprints on the sand, still there. The evidence of their trip, that will stay there until their tide comes in and that’s enough.
Then, Megumi sees it. Far far off in the distance, there’s someone on the beach flying a kite. Red, blue, yellow and green streak across the sky as it flutters in the breeze. The wind is so strong it threatens to tangle up in itself, but keeps going nonetheless.
He stares off to the horizon, holding on to this moment a little longer before letting it go like a kite in the wind.
It’s nothing like he remembers in the end. But in the quiet of the early morning with Sukuna by his side, Megumi doesn’t mind one bit.