Work Text:
12:27am
Yuuji: Are you up?
It wasn’t an unusual question to ask, and the frequency with which Yuuji asked it was even less unusual. He found that sleep often avoided him, leaving him to contemplate his ceiling restlessly as he waited for his eyelids to feel heavy. More often than not, the loneliness of his silent room made him ache for company and connection — specifically from Megumi Fushiguro.
It was an almost-nightly occurrence, despite the gnawing insistence in the back of his mind that told him: Leave Fushiguro alone . He dismissed his worry of irritation, reasoning with himself that Fushiguro is probably awake anyway , and waited with held breath for a response to come.
Yuuji’s phone pinged, and he quickly scrambled to open the new message.
12:30am
Megumi: No.
He huffed a laugh, knowing fully well that if Megumi hadn’t wanted to talk to him, he wouldn’t have responded at all.
Yuuji twiddled his thumbs over his keypad, attempting to decide on how to drive the conversation further, and an inkling of an idea overcame him. It was something that may have had him treading dangerous waters, putting Megumi on the spot and his own secret feelings on the line — he suggested it anyway.
12:34am
Yuuji: Let’s play twenty questions!
His heart skipped a beat as his mind began to race with an infinite number of questions he would love to ask Megumi – and some he was unsure if he truly wanted the answer to.
12:35am
Megumi: Why?
Yuuji: Why not?
Megumi: Fine.
Pumping his fist in the air in a silent moment of triumph, Yuuji grinned, wide and full of excitement.
12:36am
Yuuji: What’s your favorite color?
Megumi: Seriously?
Megumi: Blue.
Yuuji filed the information away in his mental folder labeled: Megumi .
12:37am
Yuuji: Your turn!
Megumi: What’s your favorite color?
Yuuji bit down on his lip, physically fighting the urge to say: Green. Like your eyes.
12:38am
Yuuji: Purple. What’s your favorite scent?
Megumi: What? Like a candle?
Yuuji: Sure!
Megumi: Vanilla. You?
Yuuji: I like vanilla too!
It wasn’t entirely a lie — Yuuji did love the smell of vanilla — he just couldn’t bring himself to admit that he preferred the scent of a freshly-showered Megumi. Even laying in his bed alone, Yuuji could picture the calming aroma — free of grit and grime with undertones of something akin to a misty rain. He smiled dumbly, his rose-tinted face illuminated by the glow of his phone screen.
12:40am
Yuuji: Do you have a favorite season?
Even before Megumi replied, Yuuji could guess the answer.
Megumi: Winter.
To Yuuji, Megumi had always reminded him of winter. He had a tendency to be cold, but on the inside he was a glowing fire — a comforting warmth despite how harsh the conditions may be. He was both a delicate snowfall and a raging blizzard — something beautiful to witness, yet a force to be reckoned with all the same. For a moment, Yuuji wondered if maybe winter was his favorite season, too.
Yuuji: I knew it!!
Megumi: How?
Yuuji: I just had a feeling.
Megumi: Is summer your favorite season?
Yuuji: How did you know?
Megumi: I just had a feeling.
Any thought that winter may have been Yuuji’s new favorite season was cast aside, summer now taking on an intimate glow somewhere beneath his ribs. In truth, Yuuji loved spring – but the idea that maybe, possibly , Megumi likened Yuuji to summer in some way was enough to make him reconsider.
12:42am
Yuuji: Oh! I’ve got a good one! Do you have a favorite shikigami?
Megumi: That’s a broad question.
Yuuji: You don’t have to answer.
Megumi: Then I won’t.
Yuuji: Okay, it's still your turn, though.
Megumi: Why do you always text me when you can’t sleep?
Yuuji stared at his screen for a moment before responding. He contemplated the truth and slivers of it, how to navigate honesty without spilling his heart through his fingertips.
12:45am
Yuuji: Because I like talking to you. It makes me happy.
Yuuji: You make me happy, I mean.
Borderline panicking, Yuuji shot off another question before giving Megumi the chance to respond.
Yuuji: Do you have a celebrity crush?
It was a stupid question, but the only question Yuuji could concoct on the spot. His heart thrummed steadily, cheeks heating up in embarrassment despite his solitude. It’s not like it was entirely a confession – it was the truth, even on a surface level. Megumi did make him happy – he just didn’t need him to know the extent of that happiness.
Megumi: No, I’ve never really thought about it.
He sighed with relief, exhaling the breath he wasn’t even aware that he was holding. Megumi had, thankfully, glossed over Yuuji’s slight blunder. However, in that same breath of vulnerability, impulsivity and a nagging curiosity overcame him.
Yuuji: Well, do you have a crush?
He wanted to throw his phone across the room, forget about this entire disastrous situation, and not retrieve the device from the floor until he woke up – not that he would be able to sleep now, anyway. If curiosity killed the cat, then Yuuji prayed he was a feline and demise was on its way.
The vibration from his phone shocked him, startled him, and caused him to nearly jump from his skin. He felt so on-edge from his own foolishness, but even that couldn’t stop his nosiness from immediately reading Megumi’s response.
Megumi: Isn’t it my turn now?
Yuuji: Right. Sorry. Go ahead.
He should have seen it coming. Despite the fact that he, quite literally, set himself up for Megumi’s next question, Yuuji was still caught off-guard.
Megumi: Do you have a crush?
Yuuji: Maybe…
It was the best beat-around-the-bush response Yuuji could quickly think of.
Megumi: Your turn.
Yuuji: You didn’t answer my last question. Do you have a crush?
Megumi: It’s possible.
Yuuji: Who?
His ears were full of cotton and his own heartbeat, desperation weighing heavily on his critical-thinking skills as he watched his phone only inches from his face.
Megumi: It’s my turn. Who’s yours?
Yuuji groaned in frustration, smacking his palm against his forehead.
Yuuji: If I tell you, will you tell me?
Megumi: Depends.
Yuuji: On what?
Megumi: Who yours is.
He had two decisions before him. He could ignore Megumi, whether it be pretending to fall asleep or deciding to end the game before his heart was put on the line. Or, he could tell the truth, run with the idea that maybe, just maybe , Megumi may reciprocate his affections.
And, quickly, he typed out three letters, deciding to go with the latter.
Yuuji: You.
And, quickly, Megumi responded with a variation of Yuuji’s own answer.
Megumi: My answer is the same.
Yuuji’s eyes went wide. He read and reread the message again and again, ensuring that he had understood it correctly and that his eyes were not playing tricks on him. After the message had sunk in, swirling itself around Yuuji’s clouded head and spiraling into his thudding heart, he decided to ask his next question.
Yuuji: Can I come to your room?
He didn’t wait for a response.
Yuuji leapt out of bed, quickly and clumsily, finding his footing and making a beeline for his door. Swinging it open, he entered the dimly-lit hallway and crept to the room next-door. He paused, the door in front of him suddenly feeling as if it were towering above him. Hand raised midway with the intention of knocking, a heavy wave of intimidation washed over him. With a shaky hand, he checked his phone in hopes of a response, but found that one had not come. He gulped, turning back in deeper contemplation, only to be met with the door swinging open for him.
“What are you doing?” Megumi asked sharply and hushed, eyes narrowed and brows furrowed.
Yuuji took a step back in momentary shock, a surprised gasp accompanying his equally surprised features. Nervously, he rubbed at the back of his neck as he attempted to explain the obvious.
“Well, I, uh, wanted to… see you.” He whispered back, managing a flushed smile that crinkled the corners of his eyes.
“Then why were you just standing there?” Megumi questioned, hand still on the door as if he might slam it back in Yuuji’s face.
“I was just… nervous, I guess.” He answered honestly, and Megumi responded with a sigh. His hand dropped from the door, turning to make his way back into his room, and Yuuji knew he was meant to follow.
Quietly shutting the door behind him, Yuuji entered the familiar dorm, although their recent confessions had cast everything in a new light. Somehow, moving across the floor to meet Megumi at his bed, sitting down across from him and making himself comfortable felt infinitely less casual and more secretive. It felt like doing something he wasn’t supposed to be – waiting to get caught, or maybe just for Megumi to change his mind.
Megumi wouldn’t look at him. His eyes were trained to a specific spot on his sheets, his cheek resting in his palm in a facade of nonchalance and indifference. His face was painted in a rosy-pink hue, which was his only giveaway.
“So…” Yuuji started awkwardly, gaze cast downward as he watched his fingers fumble with the hem of his socks. He sat, cross-legged, in front of Megumi, who was huddled into himself against the headboard. He didn’t receive a response, but he didn’t need to – Yuuji saw the way Megumi’s eyes flickered up to look at him for a moment when he began to speak.
“Fushiguro,” Yuuji took in a deep breath, heart pounding as he prepared to make a complete fool of himself. “Listen, I like, really like you, okay?” His cheeks were heating up quickly, and something like tears pricked at the back of his eyes – he chose to finally face Megumi anyway. “And if you like me, too then I don’t see why –”
“Itadori.” Megumi cut him off, with no bite but in a serious enough tone that Yuuji’s mumbling ceased instantly. He was nervous. His original plan to spill his heart out in the form of a long-winded string of words was halted, and fear crept up into his throat – fear of what Megumi was going to say.
“What’s up?” Yuuji found himself saying, with no recollection of the words forming on his tongue.
“It’s my turn.” Megumi smirked, turning his head to the side in an attempt to hide it. “How long have you liked me for?” The question left Megumi, soft and quiet and timid – his subtle way of reminding Yuuji of the game he had started.
“As long as I can remember.” Yuuji swallowed hard, a sudden blockage in his throat that tasted like certainty burned his esophagus. “How long have you liked me for?”
Megumi smiled at him then, a glint in his eyes that looked like longing shined back at Yuuji through the dark. “As long as I can remember.” He mimicked, and Yuuji’s heart threatened to shatter his ribs.
“Are you serious?!” He giggled. “If I’d have known that, I would’ve told you a lot sooner!”
His chest felt light, the weight of worry having been lifted from it by Megumi’s own hands. The uncomfortable tension Yuuji had initially felt had melted away, leaving them in a gleaming aura of newness and seemingly endless possibilities.
“I have one more question,.” Megumi stated with a raised brow. “Was your reason for playing twenty questions just so you could ask me who I liked?”
Yuuji blinked once. Twice. The idea had never occurred to him.
“No, not at all!” He waved his hands out in front of himself. “I just wanted a reason to talk to you.”
Megumi’s lips twitched into something like a smile, and he turned away with fluttering lashes to hide his flushed cheeks. He let out a sigh that sounded like content, and Yuuji relished the sweet sound, chest nearly bursting knowing that he was the reason behind Megumi’s happiness.
They sat in silence for a few moments, though not uncomfortably, as they simply enjoyed the new glow between them that could be considered a spark. A spark that Yuuji felt himself desiring to devour, to swallow down and hold within his chest for safekeeping – to keep Megumi protected, behind his ribs, and never let him go.
“Hey, Fushiguro…” Yuuji started before he could comprehend what he was going to say. It was a somewhat outlandish question, but one that he knew resided within the truth of his admiration for Megumi. “Can I… kiss you?” He swallowed down the nervousness, the uncertainty and fear of rejection, and decided to put on a face of wobbly confidence and sureness.
“Is that your next question?” Megumi’s eyes were wide and searching for honesty within Yuuji’s features.
Yuuji nodded firmly.
“Yes. Please,” Megumi whispered, breathless and allowing his yearning for Yuuji to shine through the sudden crack in his hardened exterior.
Clambering across the bed ungracefully, Yuuji found himself on his hands and knees, hovering above Megumi. He had sunken back into the pillows, allowing Yuuji room to occupy the same space as him, and his breaths came out shaky against Yuuji’s face.
He wouldn’t be surprised if Megumi could hear his heart hammering against his chest, threatening to burst through his ribcage and spill out across the bed. Even so, he powered through with tremoring limbs and a quivering lip, huffing out a breath as if to pep himself up.
It was slow, the way he lowered his face to join with Megumi’s, soft and tender and experimental. His body filled with a buzzing warmth, one that tingled his nerve endings and made the hair on the back of his neck stand on end at the first feeling of Megumi’s lips against his own. It felt electric but calming, exciting but natural, and Yuuji reveled in the way that Megumi kissed him back. Softly, but with enough pressure that Yuuji knew he would be chasing after the feeling again and again.
He pulled away after only a moment, eyes half-lidded in the aftereffects of his high. “Wow,.” Yuuji whispered before he could think of a reason not to, and Megumi rolled his eyes with a scowl. He pushed at Yuuji’s chest in playful embarrassment, and Yuuji giggled, flopping down next to Megumi.
He curled into him, outlining Megumi’s body with the contours of his own, the action coming to him naturally as if he had done it a million times. His heart and body knew what to do even when his mind couldn’t catch up.
But Megumi allowed it, relaxed into it even, and sighed sleepily within the comforting protection of Yuuji’s arms. It was endearing and entirely blissful, a welcomed moment of newfound intimacy that Yuuji had only ever dreamed of.
“I have one more question,” Yuuji whispered against the shell of Megumi’s ear. “Will you be my boyfriend? Please?”
Without even seeing his face, Yuuji could hear the smirk in Megumi’s tone when he replied: “Itadori, it’s my turn.”