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“It has to be me.” Yuji whispers to Megumi.
*Itadori Yuji and Megumi Fushiguro had met under unusual circumstances, to say the least. But the bond these two had was undeniable. They’d gone from partners, to friends and roommates, to...whatever they were now. All they knew is there was no one else in either one of their lives that mattered as much as the other, even if they didn’t completely understand the extent of their feelings for eachother. Until..*
They had been sent on a mission by the school, one that was supposedly easy. How hard could a grade 2 spirit be for the both of them, right? The mission was at an abandoned hospital, and the veil had been drawn up around the borders of the gate, encompassing a pretty large area. They’d entered confidently, almost relaxed- atleast Yuji was. However, the situation soon escalated when they discovered not one, but two more spirits, which were both grade 1. Not having any other options left, they ran- trying to buy as much time possible to come up with a plan. They found a door to the basement, locking themselves in it- but they could feel the spirits getting closer. It was inevitable- sukuna’s presence in Yuji’s body made it almost impossible for him to hide. Yuji had thought about it while running, and the answer was pretty clear in his mind- he had to fight them off. Not that he would win, no- but so that Megumi had enough time to escape. And that is exactly what he told Megumi when they went into the basement. “I have to go out and distract them. It has to be me.”
Megumi’s eyes widened, and then narrowed. He spoke in a harsh, unwavering tone. “No.” Yuji looked at him, frowning. “What do you mean, no? It’s the only way we get out of here. I distract them, and you go ask for help.” His voice hesitated on the last part- he couldn’t help it. He knew Megumi wouldn’t make it back in time with backup. But all Yuji cared about was that he got out alive. Megumi glared at him; his words sharp. “Cut the bullshit. You know it wouldn’t work.” Yuji hesitated. “Megumi…you have to leave. If only one of us makes it out-” Megumi cuts him off with a hit on his head. “Ow! What was that for?!” Megumi stares at him. “For being an idiot.” He pauses. “I’m not leaving you here. And you’re certainly not sacrificing yourself.” Yuji scowls, annoyed. “We don’t have many options here, ok?” his face softens, speaking slowly. “It’ll be fine. Maybe I’ll manage to hold them off, right?” he smiles, trying to lighten the mood. Megumi glares at him again. “I already said no. Do you not understand what that word means?” Yuji huffs, frustrated and runs his hands through his hair. “I’m not letting us both die, ok? They’re gonna be here any minute. If you just listen-” Megumi cuts him off, whisper-yelling. “And you think I’d let you die? I saved you once. I’m not letting my effort go to waste.” Yuji rolls his eyes. “Oh my god, we’re literally gonna die and you’re angry at me for no reason! Please, Megumi. This is the only way. I-”
Suddenly, warm hands are grabbing his face, and Megumi’s lips are on his. Yuji gasps, breath hitching- before his hands tangle in Megumi’s hair as he kisses him back. His lips are soft, and they taste of strawberry chapstick- the one Megumi borrows (steals) from yuji. Yuji tilts his head slightly, holding Megumi close by his hair as their lips move against each other’s, smooth and sweet and-
Before he can process what just happened, Megumi pulls away. His eyes are blown wide, the green almost completely taken over by black. His face is flushed a gorgeous crimson, and his lips are parted and slightly puffy and red. He blinks, before clearing his throat. Yuji knows he should say, or do something. Or maybe even just breathe. But he finds himself completely frozen, at the mercy of the boy in front of him and his emerald eyes. Before Megumi can speak, however, a loud clang is heard from the stairs above the basement. They both look at each other - the spirits are here.
Yuji moves first, side stepping Megumi and moving in front of him. The door in front of the staircases leading to the basement is slammed open, and the spirit walks in. It has huge fangs, and spider eyes- along with 8 limbs too. Yuji lunges forward, throwing a punch at it, dodging and jabbing as it tries to corner him. Yuji can feel his energy running out, his speed faltering and his punches getting weaker. But he keeps going, hoping that Megumi is long gone by now, that he was able to buy him enough time to escape.
Suddenly, the spirit stops attacking him completely- and whips his head around. Yuji follows the movement, and the sight has his breath catching. Megumi is standing in the middle of the basement, eyes narrow and slightly maniacal, grinning. He raises his hands in a sign, and speaks in a tone that has Yuji shivering. “Domain expansion- chimera shadow garden.” All around them, darkness starts flowing, moving and enveloping the area completely. Yuji moves to Megumi’s side, as the shadows start crawling and clawing at the spirit. All Yuji can do is stand there and stare, as Megumi summons nue and electrocutes the spirit. Suddenly, the spirit releases a blast of cursed energy that has Yuji shielding his eyes against the brightness of it.
The moment he opens his eyes, the spirit is dead. Megumi stands there, beside his divine dog as its claws pierce the spirit right through its heart. There’s blood running down his face, and his breathing is ragged- yet to Yuji, he’s never looked more beautiful. He runs to Megumi’s side, grabbing his shoulder. “Megumi! Are you ok?” He blinks, his eyes meeting Yuji’s. “Yeah, I’m fine. Just a bit worn out.” Yuji frowns. “Are you sure? I had no idea you could do a domain expansion! It was so cool.” Yuji admits. Megumi raises his eyebrows. “Cool? We almost died and the only thing you think about is how ‘cool’ it was?” he says. Yuji winces. “Yeah, I guess you’re right. Not the best thing to say.” He smiles apologetically, and Megumi rolls his eyes- but Yuji doesn’t miss the hint of fondness in them.
They both walk out the basement, up the stairs, when Megumi tenses. “We’re not done yet. We still haven’t met the actual 2nd grade spirit we were supposed to exorcise.” He says. Yuji shrugs. “Don’t worry, Megumi. I’ll take care of that one.” Megumi nods, walking beside him. Their steps fall into a comfortable rhythm, the silence soft but not awkward. That is, until Yuji remembers what happened before the spirit found them. Immediately, heat rushes to his cheeks and his eyes fall to the ground. He clears his throat, trying to will the blush away from his cheeks and clear his head. The noise has Megumi looking at him, eyebrows raised. “What is it?” he asks. Yuji looks at him, eyes slightly wide and winces. “Um, nothing. Don’t worry.” He says. Megumi scoffs. “Spit it out. If there’s something up with you, I wanna know before you get us both killed by being distracted.” Yuji scoffs, offended. “Hey! I would never let that happen.” He pauses before continuing, deciding to just get it over with. “You kissed me.”
Megumi freezes, eyes widening and a slight flush on his face. He clears his throat, hesitating before speaking “I don’t think now’s the time to talk about this, Yuji. There’s still more spirits around.” Yuji frowns. “Well, what did you expect me to do? Just forget about it?” he asks. Megumi looks at him for a second, a shadow of shock on his face- as if that was actually what he expected. Yuji is offended, honestly- does Megumi really think Yuji could ever forget anything he does? Especially that kiss, it-
His train of thought crashes when the hairs on Yuji’s arms stand up. The second spirit is near here somewhere; however, Yuji can tell by the cursed energy signals that’s he’s probably not too powerful- Yuji can take him. Relaxing a bit, he walks alongside Megumi, when the spirit predictably shows up. He rolls his shoulders, getting ready. “I’ll take care of this one.” He tells Megumi. Megumi frowns, opening is mouth to speak, but he must notice the expression on Yuji’s face- determined and confident.
He immediately starts moving towards the spirit, eager to get rid of it to continue their way-more-important conversation from before. Yuji punches, kicks and dodges; it’s muscle memory at this point, the way his limbs move and his body twists and turns; he finds himself easily overpowering the spirit. A final hit brings it to its knees, after which yuji uses his cursed energy in a punch to exorcise it. He steps back from the puddle of goo, panting, tired- and yet satisfied. He looks back at Megumi, smiling slightly, the crescents of his eyes prominent. He notices the wide eyed expression on Megumi’s face, eyes soft and pretty, his lips slightly parted and face flushed, and Yuji can’t believe it took him this long to realize it- he was in love with Megumi Fushiguro.