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It was 2 in the morning. The rain was pouring down hard outside, its unrelentless wrath showering everything in its wake. Thunder and lightning pounded on the walls and windows of the school. Megumi heard a quiet creek come from the room next to him. Despite being a fan of rainy weather, especially when it was dark and it was time to sleep, he just couldn't find any rest. So instead, he thought about investigating the noise that came over from Yuuji's room. He wrapped himself tighter in his bed sheets before ultimately deciding to get up and see what the fuss was about. It wasn't an unusual event for his neighbour to get up at an obscure time; however, something in his gut told him that he needed to get up and check up on his crush friend.
Megumi got up from his twin-sized mattress, sliding on another layer of pants and jacket before slowly opening his door to not disturb anyone. Even if there were only 2 people in the 1st year boys' dormitory. The boy shifted down the hallway; he regretted not putting on another pair of socks beforehand. Like, seriously, why was it so cold tonight? A small, warm light shone from the communal kitchen, yet the area was empty. Megumi approached the black marble counter and looked over the edge. He saw tips of pink hair pushed, and he walked towards the side of the countertop.
“What are you doing?” Megumi asked.
“Megumi! Sorry, did I wake you up?” Startled Yuuji. The teen had been sitting on his bottom, knees tucked in close, wrapped in his arms. Just as he got up, the younger teen pushed him back down lightly. He crouched down to sit cross-legged beside Yuuji.
“Don't worry, I wasn't sleeping in the first place anyway.” He said. “What are you doing here anyway? I mean, it's 2 in the morning and I don't see you in the fridge.”
“I couldn't sleep, I guess, even though it's been weeks since Sukuna, I'm still on guard. I can't let go, my body won't let me relax.”
“I get it. Every time I see even just a small pool of blood on the ground or the wall, I think he's just going to emerge from it.” The 10 shadows user admitted sheepishly. “It's only been a few weeks. We still have time to get back to normal. Take all the time you need.” Yuuji looked over at him with a solemn expression. Light from the stove top shines on only half of his face. It seemed like the scars caused by Mahito in Shibuya were illuminated and seemed to be brighter than the rest of his face. Yuuji tucked his head into his arms, biting his bottom lip. He softly spoke. “I'm sorry.”
Megumi looked at him closely and tucked an arm around him. “You don't have anything to apologise for, Yuuji.”
“Yes, I do. If I never ate that finger- if I was never born, none of this would've happened. So many people could still be alive.” The boy spat. He sucked in a deep, haggard breath as small tears welled in his eyes. The sight broke Megumi's heart. To see his best friend suffering like this summoned a deep ache in his chest. Megumi gripped Yuuji's head with both of his hands and brought him up to face himself.
“If I had gotten to that finger earlier, then you wouldn't have been dragged into this. The fault lies with me, Itadori. Everything that you did was just because I was too slow in getting to that cursed object.”
“You don't get Fushiguro. My dad- He was Sukuna's twin reincarnated. The moment I was born, I was involved. I was bred specifically for the culling games. I was bred to contain Sukuna within me. Anything you did would've been useless because the sole reason why I'm alive was to be used by Kenjaku. Please don't blame yourself for things that are out of your control. Don't pretend like you don't blame me as well.” Cries racked Yuuji's body while Megumi held him firmly close in his arms.
Emotions clouded his thought process. If he had never been born, then Sukuna never would've had someone to use a vessel, apart from Megumi. If he had never been born, then the innocent civilians in Shibuya would still be alive. The culling games most likely never would've started. Sukuna wouldn't have any current living lineage, and he could finally be left to rot in the past.
“I need to die. If I don't, Sukuna will still be alive. All his sins live on inside me.”
“Did Gojo blame me for the star plasma vessel's death? No. Do you blame me for not being able to control my body while Sukuna beat the living shit out of everyone? Do you? Answer me, Itadori." Megumi raised his voice, feeling annoyed and upset that his friend would think so low of himself.
“Of course not, that was Sukuna. But that's different-” Yuuji protested.
“How? How is it different, Yuuji?”
“I can't live with the blood on my hand, Megumi. I can't forgive myself for what he did with my hands.”
“But I can't live without you, Yuuji. So please, for once in your goddamn life, give yourself a break. Don't be so cruel to yourself. You don't deserve it.”
Yuuji hugged his arms around Megumi's torso. He could feel every breath entering and exiting Megumi's lungs. He could feel the other boy's warmth even while hidden under the multiple layers. He could feel the smooth touch of Megumi's lips crashing against his.
“Do you remember when you said, ‘So start by saving me’? When I saw Sukuna possess you for the first time, all I could think was how I failed you. I couldn't even protect you from him at that moment.” Yuuji said, his fingers brushing Megumi's hair to the side.
“But you did save me,” He whispered. “And I'll always love you for that. No matter how damned your lineage may be.” The two stayed sitting on the tile floor of the kitchen, reassuring each other and holding themselves in each other's grips. Small words were swapped between them throughout pecks on the cheek and careful gazes.
“We should head back.” Yuuji spurted.
“Yeah. I'm wearing 2 pants and I can still feel the floor.” The other teen joked.
“2 pants?! Jesus Christ, Megumi, it can't be that cold.”
“Maybe if we go back to my bed, we can take one or two off then.”
“But wouldn't it still be cold for you? Wait, ‘GUMI!” The pink-haired teen pushed himself away from Megumi. A joking slap hit the back of the shadow user's head.
“Gumi? Where the hell did that come from?” Megumi laughed.
“Wouldn't you like to know. I'm not the one with the brains in this grade." Yuuji spoke. Lifting himself from the black and white chequered floor. He offered a hand to his friend. Megumi sneered gently as he took his calloused hand and yanked himself up. They both slowly walked back to the younger teen's room and crawled up into the bed. The sound of rain pattering against the window calmed them both down.
“Wait, so are we like boyfriends now?” Yuuji spoke into his boyfriend's chest.
“Yes, Yuuji, unless you think crying on the floor at fuck o’clock in the morning while kissing each other is a friend thing. We’re boyfriends.” Sassed Megumi, wrapping his arms tighter around his new partner in not just jujutsu sorcery, but also for love.