Work Text:
There were plenty of things that Megumi liked to do on his birthday. He liked going to visit his parents and eating his mom’s ginger cake. He liked going on long walks with his dogs. He liked going to the movies, and he even liked going out for lunch with his friends.
What he didn’t like, however, was clubbing. Or bar-hopping. Or whatever the fuck it was that Itadori and Nobara wanted to force him to do.
He let out a long sigh when his phone lit up for the fifth time in a row. He didn’t like ignoring his friends, but there really was nothing else he could do. He had explained to them countless times how much he hated crowded, suffocating and over-priced places, and clubs ticked all of those boxes. But they would not relent: they claimed he just had to give it a try, and he apparently needed to “loosen up” and “shake some ass”.
He didn’t need to loosen up, thank you very much, and he could definitely shake his ass. Hell, he even enjoyed it from time to time. He just didn’t understand why he had to do it in front of intoxicated strangers after spending who knows how much money. Alright, maybe Nobara was right and he was a bore, but if he was content, then did it really matter?
The semester had just ended, and Megumi was absolutely drained, and all that mattered was that he was finally going to taste his mom’s food again, and he was going to have birthday cake and then he could pass out for 48 hours.
Thankfully, his home town was close to his University, and he would be at his home in no time, ready to celebrate his birthday with his family.
His phone lit up again. It was a call from Nobara this time. Again, ignoring his friends was not something he enjoyed, but he was not in the mood to tell them, once again, that he wasn’t too keen on the idea of going out, so he let the call go into voice-mail and put his phone inside his backpack. He leaned back a little and closed his eyes, hoping to take a little nap during the remainder of the trip. There was still a little over an hour left, and he needed all the sleep he could get. The rhythmical motion of the train, coupled with the soothing landscape, ended up softly lulling him to sleep.
As he got out of the train, he looked for his dad, who was meant to pick him up. His dad was built like a tank, so he quickly spotted him, wearing black jeans, a gray coat and a dark green scarf. What he did not expect to see, however, was his mom, with her disheveled hair that he had inherited, right beside his dad, cheeringly trying to catch his attention.
She put her hands around her mouth and yelled, “Megumi! We’re here!” with the biggest smile on her face, and she was loud enough to make herself be heard over the bustle of the station.
Megumi smiled and rushed towards them. His mom hugged him first, surprisingly tight for a woman of her size, and she planted a huge kiss on his cheek. “Happy birthday, my baby!”
Megumi’s smile grew wider as he hugged his mom back. He never regretted moving away for college, but not a day went by when he didn’t miss his parents.
When his mom finally let him go, it was his dad’s turn. He didn’t make a fuss about it, but he did hug Megumi with fondness and said a low, “Happy birthday, son. It’s good to have you back,”
“Thank you, dad. I’m happy to be back too.”
He meant it. He may never show it too much, but his parents’ house would never not be a safe haven for him. There was nothing he loved more than going back for the holidays. He loved that he got to celebrate his birthday, Christmas and his dad’s birthday all back to back.
His dad took one of his bags to help him. With his free hand he took his mom’s hand, who started asking Megumi to tell her all about the semester. She always loved to hear every single detail about Megumi’s life, no matter how boring or unimportant Megumi deemed it to be. But she wasn’t prying, no, if she sensed that there were topics Megumi would rather not discuss, she would never inquire further.
All in all, Megumi was very lucky to have the parents he had.
The ride home was joyful and filled with laughter. His mom never failed to make both Megumi and his dad laugh, and even Toji was in a very talkative mood. While he teased Megumi over getting old, his mom swore up and down that he was still her little baby. All the while, Megumi just laughed with both of them.
Soon enough, they were home. Before getting dinner, he desperately needed to take a little nap, and a shower. So, while he slept and got ready, his parents finished the last details for his special birthday dinner.
After his quick nap, he felt invigorated, and he took his sweet time to shower. Something he missed everyday at the cheap little apartment he rented was the high pressure showerhead that he had at his home. Plus, they never ran out of hot water there.
Little pleasures he had only learned to appreciate after moving out.
He put on a pair of brown, high-waisted slacks and an opaque, loose, blue turtle-neck sweater. He accessorized with a brown belt that matched his slacks, and tried to tame his hair. As usual, it was futile, so he just passed his hand through his black locks and called it a day.
When he went downstairs, he was greeted by a fully decorated dining room. There were blue and silver balloons and a little sign that read “Happy Birthday, Megumi!”. The table was beautifully set, and his mom had taken out the fancy china they saved for special occasions.
At the center of the table sat a flower arrangement. Baby’s breath and hydrangea, Megumi’s favorites.
“You didn’t have to do all of this,” he said, but he couldn’t fight the smile that made his way to his lips.
“My baby doesn’t turn 21 everyday now, does he?” His mom replied.
Megumi walked to where she and his dad were standing and he hugged them both. “I love you both,” he said. Dammit, he could cry.
“And we love you so much more. When did my only son get so big?” His mom said, pouting.
His dad joined her. “We’re so proud of the young man you’re becoming.”
Megumi smiled.
“Alright, if we don’t sit down to eat now, your father’s gonna start crying,” his mom said, clasping her hands and motioning for Megumi to sit down.
The dinner was delicious. His dad had cooked the shogayaki he knew Megumi loved, with a side of rice and salad.
Then, as his dad picked up the dishes, his mom took out the ginger cake she had baked for him. It was plain, with no frosting, just the way Megumi liked it. After they sang happy birthday and urged him to blow a candle and make a wish, he happily devoured two slices.
This, he thought, was what made him truly happy. Having a simple dinner with his parents at his home, eating a cake his mom made with all her love just for him, and then talking and laughing for a while.
It was perfect.
He picked up the dishes this time, and he helped his mom tidy up a little while his dad washed the dishes.
Then, the three of them moved to the living room. His dad poured a glass of whiskey for both his mom and himself, but when Megumi stood up to pour himself a little red wine, his dad spoke. “I wouldn’t get too comfortable if I were you.”
Megumi halted and turned around, confused. “What do you mean?”
It was his mom who answered. “There’s another surprise lined up for you,” she said, sheepishly.
Megumi narrowed his eyes. Another surprise? Given that they had already had dinner, and they had agreed that his birthday gift was the trip overseas they had paid for him during the summer, he didn’t know what to expect at that moment.
Then, as if on cue, the doorbell rang. “Ah, that must be your surprise,” his mom said, cheery, as she stood to answer the door.
When she was out of earshot, Megumi raised an eyebrow at his dad, who just shrugged and shook his head. “Don’t even look at me, son.”
He rolled his eyes and sighed. His dad had to be the most whipped man alive; of course, he wasn’t going to ruin any surprise his mom had planned for him.
When he listened to the voices coming from the foyer, he perked up. Was that- no, it couldn’t be. Yuuji and Nobara had both agreed to stay at the University town and to spend the holidays there.
And yet…
Before he could ponder any more, his mom barged into the living room. “Look who’s here!”
And behind her, he saw Yuuji and Nobara. He stood up, a smile already on his lips, and they both ran towards him. Nobara reached him first, and nearly tackled him due to the strength of her embrace. “Happy birthday, Megumi!”
Yuuji couldn’t wait for him to let go of Nobara, and he enveloped them both in a big hug. “Happy birthday!”
“You guys… thank you, oh my God,” he said, trying to string together some coherent sentences. “I thought you wouldn’t travel for the holidays.”
“This isn’t for the holidays, silly, it’s for your birthday!” Nobara answered.
“Let me set up some plates for you guys. You need to try the ginger cake!” His mom said as she walked towards the kitchen.
With all the pain of his heart, Megumi refused another plate as he sat down to have dinner with his friends. He was just too full to eat anything else, even if the shogayaki smelled amazing and made his mouth water.
In between bites, Yuuji and Nobara explained to him that, when he kept rejecting their invitations, they figured he must’ve really been looking forward to going home with his parents - Megumi was mildly mortified at the knowledge that it was so obvious how much he missed his family - and so, they contacted his mom, and they arranged a quick trip to spend at least a part of his birthday with him.
Megumi would never admit it, but this completely warmed his heart. Not only did he have the best parents in the world, but he had the most loving friends.
He really was lucky.
Yuuji pretty much inhaled the food, and he asked for an extra slice of cake. Nobara was equally enthusiastic, but one slice was enough for her. “You don’t cook like this, not even close,” Yuuji had even said as he sank his fork into a piece of pork.
Megumi frowned. He wasn’t great in the kitchen but he made some decent stuff. His onigiri were always very popular, and he cooked decent ramen.
Before he could retort, though, the topic changed, and he let it go.
After a little while of mingling and chatting with his friends - they even took out a board game and his parents played too - he started getting sleepy. It was time to make the sleeping arrangements.
“I hope you both plan to stay here. Sadly for you, Yuuji, I intend to cook breakfast, but I think you’ll live,” he said, lighthearted.
He didn’t let them say anything before he kept going. “My bed is clean. Any of you can sleep there. We have a guest room with a tatami, and I’m pretty sure we have a couple more rolled up that I can set up in there. So, I think Nobara could take my room and Yuuji and I’ll go to the guest room,” he proposed, very proud of the arrangement he had come up with.
Nobara smiled, but it wasn’t a sweet smile. It was a grin full of mischief and trickery, and Megumi had a bad feeling. “That’s sweet and thoughtful Fushiguro, but we’re not going to bed yet,” she said.
He didn’t like where this was going. He didn’t like it at all.
As he opened his mouth, Nobara interrupted him, raising both her hands, the way people do when trying to pacify a feral dog. “Before you deny us, just listen, okay? Since we are all here, with you, we thought we could still go out, just for a couple of drinks, to celebrate your day,” she said, tone conciliating.
“I really don’t-”
Again, he was interrupted. “Please, just think about it. You can say no, but just… consider it for more than one second, okay?”
Megumi was already opening his mouth to say no when he looked at both of his friends, Yuuji, with his big puppy eyes and a big, wide smile. Nobara, who was pretty much pouting at him, eyes shiny. Both of them had come all the way here just to spend his birthday with him, even when he had ignored them repeatedly.
He sighed. He had such a soft spot for these two idiots.
“Two hours,” he said. “We’ll stay at whatever bar you want to go to for two hours and then we come back.”
Before either of them could cheer, he added. “And none of you are allowed to let the waiters know it’s my birthday!”
“That’s okay!” Yuuji replied.
“Neither of you are dressed to go out,” Megumi pointed out in one final attempt to deter them. Nobara’s smirk, however, told him he had already lost this battle. “We brought luggage with us, you know?”
Megumi sighed, but he went upstairs to get ready for a night out.
He changed into a pair of tighter slacks, gray ones this time, and a tight, deep green blouse with a sweetheart neckline. He put on a golden necklace with a discreet, star-shaped pendant.
He curled his eyelashes and put a coat of black mascara on, and a little clear lip gloss as well. When he looked at himself in his full-body mirror, he lifted his head a little and smiled. As much as he disliked going out, he always enjoyed dolling himself up a little.
Megumi took a sip from his drink. Alright. Maybe this wasn’t so bad. At least the bartender knew what he was doing.
Also… maybe Nobara knew what she was doing as well, because Megumi actually liked this place. The decoration was subtle and tasteful, and the music was cool, and it wasn’t too crowded. But that was probably because it was still early.
But that was beside the point, because he had never tasted a more delicious strawberry daiquiri in his life.
And oh boy, when alcohol doesn’t taste like alcohol… that was dangerous for Megumi. At some point, he didn’t know how many strawberry daiquiris he had ordered. Nobara had also ordered a couple shots for him, and he had no idea what kind of alcohol it was, and he didn’t care.
All that mattered was that he was tipsy, and Yuuji and Nobara were both so funny, and he couldn’t stop giggling, and was he blushing? He felt as if his cheeks were hot, but he didn’t mind at all.
And so, when the music changed to livelier tunes and Nobara dragged him to the dancefloor, he had no desire to complain; quite the opposite, actually.
And at that moment, he was just letting the music flow right through him.
He danced freely, not caring whether he was offbeat or whether people were staring at him. It didn’t matter, all that he cared about was how happy he was, and how much he was laughing, and how much he loved his friend, and how unbelievably loved he had felt throughout the day.
He really was a blessed person.
The place was definitely too crowded now, but it didn’t bother him too much. He just wished that they would move so he could look for his friends. He didn’t know how or why or when exactly they had separated, but they had, and he thought he was getting drunker by the second. But, even without his friends, he was having fun. He kept dancing and drinking, and he was even chatting with strangers.
Suddenly, as he tried to move from the lounging area to the dancefloor, he tripped and lost his balance.
He waited to feel the hard, sticky floor beneath him, but it never came. Instead, a pair of strong legs were under him now. And that’s when he realized that he landed on someone’s lap. He couldn’t help but giggle. Here he was, sitting on a stranger's lap, drunk off his fucking mind. Yuuji and Nobara would be proud of him.
Where even were his friends?
He tried to stand up, but the world spinned, and it was horrifying but it was also funny, and he laughed some more, and then it kinda hit him that he was still sitting on someone’s lap, and there was a hand around his shoulders, and Megumi had the slight suspicion that he would not be able to hold himself if it weren’t for that supporting hand.
And then, the person spoke, bringing him back to reality. “Easy there, beautiful.”
Megumi immediately straightened up. That voice. That voice could not possibly be real. He turned around, wanting to take a look at the voice’s owner, to make sure that his drunk brain wasn’t playing tricks on him.
And that’s how he came to realize that he was prettily perched up on the lap of who was, quite possibly, the hottest man Megumi had set his eyes upon.
The first thing Megumi noticed were his alluring brown eyes, framed by thick, long eyelashes. Then, the strong jawline. Then, the face tattoos (had Megumi ever met someone who looked so damn good with face tattoos? He didn’t think so). The pink hair with a black undercut.
And the little smirk on his lips.
“I think you’re my birthday gift,” Megumi said, enthralled by this beautiful stranger, whose reaction was to raise his eyebrows, an amused look on his face.
“Is it your birthday, sweetheart?” he asked, moving his hand from Megumi’s shoulders to his back, very close to his waist. Megumi nodded, smiling. “Happy birthday, then,” the beautiful stranger told him.
It is now , Megumi thought. Or at least, he thought he had just thought it. When the man started laughing, raspy and deep, Megumi realized he had actually said it out loud. Had he not been already flushed all the way down to his neck, he was certain he would’ve blushed.
Surprisingly, though, he didn’t feel too embarrassed.
The man shifted him a little, and now Megumi was fully, actually sitting on his lap, and his hand finally wrapped around his waist, making Megumi’s lower stomach tingle. “What’s your name?” he asked, but, because of the way they were positioned now, he had leaned in to whisper the question right into his ear.
Maybe he was imagining things, but he could swear the place was getting hotter by the second. Maybe more people were arriving.
Megumi leaned in so he could speak directly into his ear as well. “Megumi,” he answered. “You?”
“Sukuna,”
“S’kuna…” Megumi repeated, a little slurred. It was a pretty name, and he thought it rolled off his tongue easily. It occurred to him that he wouldn’t mind screaming it over and over again in some motel bedroom-
Wait, what?
When he came to his senses, he realized that their faces were close. So close, in fact, that he thought he could smell the alcohol on Sukuna’s breath, and it felt intoxicating. He leaned back a little, feeling overwhelmed by the noise, and the alcoholic smell, and the taste of alcohol that lingered on his tongue, just as the burn of the shots he had downed not half an hour earlier.
“You’re okay, sweetheart?”
“Yeah, I just,” he was totally losing his train of thought. He blinked. Being drunk was funny. He used to be a terrible drinker - he still kind of was - but lately he really understood why people took a liking to it. He started giggling, and he leaned back in, and he blinked again, and suddenly his face was hidden in the crook of Sukuna’s neck. Goodness, his cologne was delicious.
He could swear the grip on his waist was tighter now, and he loved how that big hand felt, but he wanted to find out how good it would feel directly against his skin, without his stupid blouse separating them.
“Are you here alone?” Sukuna damn near purred in his ear.
Megumi shook his head, still pressed against Sukuna’s neck. “‘m with my friends,” he explained.
“And do you know where they are?”
Megumi shook his head again.
“Do you feel good?”
Megumi smiled, a small and mischievous thing, and nodded.
“Good enough to dance with me for a while?”
This made Megumi giggle - he had been doing that a lot in the past few minutes, he realized - and he nodded again.
“I’ll be right after you, then, beautiful.”
Something very peculiar happened when Megumi drank. He, somehow, miraculously, developed a sense of rhythm. Or perhaps he just lost all shame and could actually let his body flow along with the beat without caring about whether he looked stupid.
Sukuna was a good dancer. He also let his hands roam through Megumi’s torso, and he felt as if he was going to burst into flames at any moment now.
Megumi was practically rubbing himself on Sukuna, who didn’t seem to be bothered by that. Not one bit.
Then, Megumi realized something and he turned around. He threw his arms around Sukuna’s neck and stepped into his tiptoes so he could reach his ear. “You’re my birthday gift. Shouldn’t you be the one dancing for me?” he asked, teasing and trying to sound sultry.
Sukuna raised an eyebrow at him, and then there was that beautiful, deep and sexy laugh of his. “Alright, sweetheart.”
He moved Megumi’s hands so that they were on his waist instead, and he started moving. It was awkward because of the way they were positioned, given that Sukuna towered over Megumi, but Megumi was absolutely enthralled. He started laughing at some point, and Sukuna halted his movements so he could press Megumi closer instead. “Are you laughing at me, sweetheart?” he asked, with no real bite or annoyance.
“I’m laughing with you.”
“You’re definitely the best dancer.”
“Not true,” Megumi replied, happily pressed up against Sukuna.
“Hey, sweetheart.”
Megumi lifted his head, and everything was dizzy, and he wanted to laugh but he felt too slow to do even that.
Next thing he knew, he was outside, sitting on the sidewalk with his head resting against Sukuna’s shoulder.
“Megumi, can you hear me?”
He nodded, lazy and slow. He wanted to go to bed. But he also wanted Sukuna to bed him.
His deep voice took him out of his thoughts, and he got a little pissed off - but not really - because how the hell could someone’s voice be hot? “We need to find your friends, do you understand me?”
“Don’t wanna,” he mumbled, “I… I’d rather go home with you…”
He felt a pair of warm lips pressing up against his temple. “I’ll tell you what, beautiful. If you still feel this way when you’re sober, I’ll give you what you want, okay?”
Megumi thought that was incredibly unfair. He wanted this man now . “But… but…”
“No ‘buts’”
He pouted. “Can I… can I,” he meant to ask the handsome stranger for a kiss, but he lost all sense when he looked up and met those fiery maroon eyes. Under the current lightning, they looked almost crimson. Intense, passionate, all consuming.
Megumi was not going to let this man go, so he just put his head against his shoulder once again and wrapped his arms around him as tightly as he could. He wanted to climb this man like a koala.
Before he could attempt to do it - and the Gods knew he really was about to try - a familiar voice rang through the night air.
“Fushiguro! There you are!” Nobara said as she rushed towards him.
“Fushiguro Megumi,” Sukuna whispered, more to himself than anything else, and Megumi might’ve been drunk, but he thought he could detect a slight hint of… wistfulness in Sukuna's tone.
Megumi wanted to ask him to keep calling him sweetheart instead, but his mouth would not cooperate with his mouth. Or was it the other way around?
Nobara halted a few steps away from them. “And you made… a friend,” she said, cautious, obviously trying to assess the situation, and whether Megumi was in danger.
Sukuna introduced himself. “I’m-”
Megumi interrupted him. “He’s my birthday gift,” he announced, loud and proud, and tightening his grip around him a little.
Nobara raised her eyebrows and her mouth opened slightly. “Alright, I think we’ve all had too much fun. Time to go home,” she announced.
“Don’t wanna,” Megumi said.
Nobara pursed her lips. “Fushiguro, you’re drunk off your ass,” she said, deadpan. “Come on now, your mom was kind enough to pick us up, and Yuuji’s already in the car.”
Before Megumi’s brain could come up with another reply, Sukuna intervened. “You should go home, sweetheart.”
Megumi nuzzled against his chest. “But I wanna stay here.”
“Your friend is right, Megumi. You’re quite drunk,” Sukuna kept trying to reason with him.
“But-”
“You’re falling asleep right now,” Sukuna pointed out, and Megumi’s stomach felt funny because of how fond and amused he sounded.
“‘m not,” he said, blinking slowly.
When he turned his head to look at Nobara,a little pout on his lips, he noticed something.
“Nobara! Take a picture of us,” he said, cheery all of a sudden.
“If I take it, will you agree to leave?” Nobara bargained.
Megumi nodded. It was quite the enthusiastic nod, and the motion made the world spin a little. Alright, maybe going home wasn’t such a terrible idea.
“Can you at least look at the damn camera?” Nobara said, and Megumi realized he had been staring at Sukuna’s face all this time.
Megumi took his eyes off his beautiful companion and looked at Nobara. He smiled wide and bright as the flash appeared, and he looked as the little photograph got printed. Nobara stepped forward and handed it to him. “I hate to admit that both you and your friend look pretty.”
“We do!” Megumi said, joyous, as he looked at the photograph. His smile was wide, and even if Sukuna’s was a little more reserved, he still looked happy to be with him. “Look S’kuna!” he said, excited in the way only little kids, people in love and drunk people can be.
His companion smiled as he looked at the picture. “You look beautiful, sweetheart.”
“And so do you,” Megumi said, smiling happily.
“Yes, yes, you both do, can we please leave now?” Nobara interrupted.
Sukuna got up first so he could help Megumi to his feet, and as soon as he was standing up he threw himself against Sukuna. “Why can’t I wrap you up and take you with me?” he said, a little breathless.
This granted him yet another of those delicious laughs. “Have a good night, beautiful,” Sukuna said as he rubbed his lower back.
After that, he couldn’t remember much.
When Megumi opened his eyes, his head felt as if someone was hammering it from the inside. He groaned as he rolled in bed, covering his ears with his pillow as if that would do anything to ease the pain. He shut his eyes, trying to fall asleep again, all to no avail, and when he started to feel nauseous he knew it was time to get up.
As he welcomed the world once again, he rolled over to be closer to his night table. Someone, possibly Nobara or his dad, had left a tall glass of water next to his night lamp, and he had never been so grateful for anything in his life. After downing the contents of the glass, he returned it to the table, and he noticed Nobara had left a couple of polaroids from the previous night.
He took them and plopped back into bed. As he carded through them, he smiled. What a night he had had. There were a lot of cute selfies of the three of them, and some pictures Nobara had snapped of him when he hadn’t realized. There were also pictures from the dinner with his parents, some very funny ones and some that were simply beautiful.
And, finally, a picture that made his heart leap out of his chest. His cheeks felt hot and his breathing halted for a second. It was him with a handsome pink-haired man that was built like a fucking trunk. Megumi looked stupid; it was obvious he was wasted off his fucking ass, but the man - Sukuna , he remembered - looked as hot as a person can look.
The picture made him remember what had happened the previous night. How he had fallen into his lap and said all sorts of ridiculous stuff, and he thought he might’ve even convinced Sukuna to dance for him.
He also remembered how desperately he had wanted Sukuna to pick him up and fuck him in an alleyway.
He snorted at the memory.
A wild night indeed.
He put the pictures back on his night table, and he took his phone to look at the hour and any messages he might have. The first notification he saw gave him his second heart failure of the day, and he had been up for a grand total of ten minutes.
The contact name read as “Sukuna ;)” and he had written the following:
Hey there, beautiful… how’s the hangover?
Megumi didn’t even stop to wonder how exactly Sukuna’s contact had ended up saved on his phone. He just smiled and immediately began typing.
feel like i got ran over lol
He figured it was a decent answer. Didn’t make him look too desperate to jump on Sukuna’s cock.
Then, the three little dots appeared, and Sukuna’s answer arrived a few seconds later.
You were having lots of fun last night.
Megumi knew exactly what he wanted to answer. But would it be prudent? Well, he supposed it didn’t matter. Sukuna had texted him first, anyways.
not as much as i wanted tho
He wanted to throw his phone from the window. He also couldn’t stop staring at their chat. Sukuna had already opened the message, but he wasn’t typing. Perhaps he had gone a little too-
Dear God…
I do recall telling you I’d be down for whatever once you were sober.
Do you think you’ll feel sober tonight, sweetheart?