Chapter Text
Megumi had barely the time to sit on the chair to take a breather and put something under his teeth, before Nobara claimed the seat besides his and gave him a full account of her last night’s date with Maki senpai.
He was glad that his cousin and his friend clicked right at the very beginning, but he wasn’t sure he was so glad about the chattering to which Kugisaki subjected Megumi, a perk of being considered her best friend. He didn’t mind listening to her most of the days, his mind shutting down taking different turns when too much was shared, but Megumi had days in which he just wished for complete silence or, at least, very little talking.
“Are you listening?” She checked and he nodded right away, teeth sinking into his sandwich. God, he was starving and if he didn’t eat anything, he might pass out. The latest shift had been a near killer, but Megumi loved what he was going so he always pushed forward with diligence, discipline, passion, and determination. “Right, you must be cooked after your last shift, my bad, Meg,” Nobara paused, also biting into her food.
Fushiguro only gave a little smile, thankful the friend understood his quiet mood, and they continued eating in peaceful silence. Until, of course, Nobara decided that they’ve been enough in silence and while they were at it, why not trying to attempt at Megumi’s life?
“Say, when was your last date?” She fired out, Fushiguro coughing as crumbles went down the wrong pipe, nearly choking him as she mercilessly continued. How ironic for a med student, hmm? “When was the last time you got laid?”
At the last question, to which he had no answer because he himself couldn’t remember last time he had been with a guy – with all those disastrous dates and wastes of time he had the misfortune to meet – Megumi risked choking with his food for real, desperately coughing and then going for water. Kugisaki slapped his back to help him and reached for the bottle of water. Once he finally calmed down and his life was spared, the next onslaught followed, and Megumi braced himself. He knew she meant well and cared about him.
“No, seriously, when was it?”
“What does it matter? It’s not like I’ve got much time left for dating and usually, everyone new I meet runs away,” he pointed out as a matter of fact. It had never bothered him, to be fair, because if they couldn’t understand his priorities or support him in what he loved doing, what was the point in wasting time? None. “It’s nearly impossible to find anyone out there who would understand someone with a busy schedule like mine and be willing to put up with it.”
Nobara went to say something, but then she paused, making quite a face as she probably recollected all of Megumi’s former unsuccessful dates.
“You got a point,” she agreed, “plenty of assholes out there, no doubts, and I know nobody here does it for you.” She meant his college colleagues and the people around him in the hospital.
It wasn’t merely that nobody did it for Megumi, as she put it, but he also refused getting involved with anyone around him for practical and sensible reasons. Workplace romance? No, thank you, not Megumi’s jam.
“But you should get a break, once in a while, and before you say anything, I don’t mean at the shelter, even though I love it there,” she grinned because Kugisaki loved animals, too, and sometimes volunteered at the same shelter Megumi did, having herself adopted a cat. “Maybe, if this time you give it another try, you might meet the right person?”
“I doubt it,” he returned to his food.
“C’mon, you don’t even have any dating app on your phone, but they might do the trick? You seriously can never tell!”
“Dating app?” Megumi curled his upper lip in an appalled expression, because the idea of meeting some random idiot made him cringe.
But Nobara talked his ears off by describing them and their functionality, listing all the pros, conveniently leaving out the cons, how some people she knew met the right person there, and then, another particular subject added to Megumi’s mental burden. What was with today?
“Oh? Are we discussing Megumi’s disastrous dating life?” An annoying sing-song voice he knew too well loomed from above their heads and Fushiguro grimaced, sighing out as he massaged his eyes when they met Gojo’s blue gaze partially hidden by round shades. “Let’s hear it, I want to have part in the discussion!” Without waiting to be invited, the man sat right in front of them, grinning mischievously from ear to ear, like the frustrating, shameless menace he was.
Who did Megumi offend today to deserve this? First Kugisaki’s out of the blue questions about his pretty much inexistent dating life. Then, of all people, Gojo minding his business and butting in the already absurd discussion. Oh, he knew he wasn’t going to leave this unscathed, and a headache was the least he was going to have to concern himself with. Megumi just knew it. And Megumi was always right.
The fact that the Math and Physics department was right across Medicine made it so that the respective students, professors and so on met regularly at the canteens, given that the Math department was so small they didn’t have one. And this was just Megumi’s luck. Of course, he was very grateful to Gojo Satoru and the help the man gave him, but he could be a lot to take. Really a lot to take, to the point Megumi couldn’t imagine anyone crazy enough to date said flippant, overconfident, flamboyant, and chaotic man.
“What app do you have in mind?” Gojo asked to Nobara, the two ignoring Megumi’s resigned expression and tired sigh.
She replied, but of course, Gojo Satoru had to say something against it, so the two dived into an animated discussion over freaking dating apps, all while Fushiguro mentally blocked them out and went on with his food. He had become an expert in it over the years, but there was just so much a person could ignore before snapping.
“What the heck?” He hissed when the two had downloaded the accursed dating app on his phone – how did they even know the code to access to his phone? – and even created a profile for him.
“There, done,” Gojo grinned all satisfied, nodding to himself. “You can thank us later.”
“Delete that stupid stuff immediately,” Megumi ordered, but he was waved off.
“Oh, Megumi, leave it to us, we’ll find a cute date for you, right Nobara?”
“Of course! You can trust us, Meg!”
Fushiguro went to talk back arguing he couldn’t trust them at all, but he decided it wasn’t worth it. Let them have their fun and do as they pleased; it was the easiest way to deal with them. If they roped him into some stupid date? Megumi would simply not go and then delete his profile and the moronic app, simple as that. Problem solved with the minimum effort.
Or not.
Definitely not, considering the fact that Megumi was getting ready to meet with a guy of his same age that apparently worked as fire fighter, thus probably understanding the meaning of a busy schedule and work responsibilities. He wanted to cancel at once, but Nobara and Gojo made sure he didn’t, the latter saying that the guy, one called Itadori Yuuji, looked like an absolute cutie, a pink-haired angel who could care any terrible disease by merely glancing upon him, and who seemed to have a golden heart.
Upon checking the guy’s profile, it was obvious that he was a newbie in that much like Fushiguro himself, and yes, Gojo might be right. Itadori-kun gave off good vibes and the short, yet friendly messages they exchanged revealed a person with indeed a good heart and a funny, easy-going but understanding disposition. The fact that he looked quite handsome, even if a bit too boyish for Megumi’s preference, only added in favour of Itadori-kun. They had exchanged a few pictures after a few days of chatting, and yes, the guy obviously worked out and had a very open, bright smile.
Their chats weren’t deep or anything too serious, mostly what they did during the day and what they liked or not – a rather thorny aspect of it because it seemed they didn’t have much in common. Regardless, Megumi decided to go along with it for the simple reason that if it didn’t work out, he had a feeling Itadori-kun would be a good sport and they could maybe hang out just as friends. Kugisaki would definitely like him, and Gojo? They would definitely match in terms of energy and enthusiasm.
However, when they met for their first dinner – they had already grabbed a quick cup of coffee two days before so that Megumi could gauge for himself if to waste time over a dinner or not – the conversation wasn’t scintillating, and it was painfully obvious they had very little to nearly nothing in common. More than once, they found themselves glancing at each other while sheepishly chuckling, the talking having stalled suddenly.
It didn’t deter Yuuji much, it didn’t upset him, nor he found Megumi boring or dry, because Itadori was a truly nice and funny person, very kind, but an airhead, quite oblivious, too. He didn’t realize his big smiles and cute dimples made the waitress blush, possibly wishing to swap places with Fushiguro. However, Itadori was terrible at flirting. Seriously so. Megumi guessed that it wasn’t his thing, just as complicated topics, or reading and studying. The more they spent time together, the more it was blatant they weren’t meant for each other.
In a few words: they didn’t click, even if they liked one another as persons. Yes, because Fushiguro could imagine being friends with Yuuji.
Once dinner was over and they both grew slightly nervous and awkward, unsure how to part ways, Itadori-kun checked the time on his phone and, seeing it wasn’t late at all, he grinned at Megumi as he spoke.
“Maybe we can grab coffee at my place? It’s not too far and I have a new coffee machine that makes super mean lattes,” he proposed, no second intents hidden behind his genuine smile and sincere caramel eyes. He wasn’t trying to lure Megumi into his lair and jump his bones, and that already said a lot. About his good qualities and, as well, his interest for Fushiguro.
And why not? Megumi could use a good coffee before turning in and glueing his nose on books and the screen of his laptop. Though, Fushiguro recalled Itadori talking about his older brother, explaining they lived together, and he wasn’t sure he was ready for meeting more strangers.
“Yes, but won’t I maybe disturb your brother?”
“Nii-chan?” Megumi nodded, noticing the fondness poured into the nickname, smiling unconsciously. It must’ve been good to be this close to his brother. “You wouldn’t bother Sukuna nii-chan, believe me, and he won’t be at home anyway,” he beamed. “Want to walk or order a cab?”
“How far is your place?”
“Not far, really.”
“Then let’s walk,” Megumi agreed, finding out only too late that the “not-far” was an extremely relative concept, especially for someone like Yuuji, who obviously had a monstrous and definitely not-human stamina. Not that Fushiguro could complain about it, but he wasn’t a monster like Yuuji, that much was obvious.
*****
Now, Megumi had somehow pictured Itadori’s older brother entirely different from what he was about to get to meet and experience firsthand. He had imagined the man to be an older version of Yuuji, but Megumi couldn’t have been more wrong than that.
“Already back from your nerdy date, brat?”
Nerdy date? But that was not what got at Megumi. No, Fushiguro Megumi froze midway through removing his shoe, the deep, low voice coming from somewhere inside the apartment nothing like Yuuji’s and, this sudden problem aside, wasn’t the man supposed to be elsewhere? Megumi glanced towards the elevator still visible from the open door and wondered how bad it’d look to just beat it.
“Ah, sorry,” Itadori-kun scratched the back of his neck with a sheepish expression, removing both shoes. “My brother is at home, I didn’t think he’d be here.”
Fushiguro silently sighed out and gave the guy a reassuring smile. He didn’t have it in him to just bolt it, not with someone like Itadori, who looked genuinely apologetic for the turn their sort of date took. Well, it wasn’t his fault if they had nothing in common and they didn’t…well, click.
“It’s alright,” he said, but that voice…the low, husky timbre of it still caressed his mind and the smile froze on his lips at the realization.
Thank God, Yuuji noticed nothing, because Fushiguro could drown himself in the embarrassment of having to admit what that voice did to him. Since when Megumi had a thing for voices? Since never. At least, never until that precise moment. He had never heard such a deep, low, sensual note that felt like personally and physically crawling under Megumi’s clothes.
What the actual hell?
He swallowed down, mustering an indifferent expression when inside he was nearly panicking. Yuuji had a nice voice, yes, but it was on the boyish side, cheerful, warm, and the kind of note apt to gift one with instantaneous good mood. While his brother’s voice… it was mature, alluring, with an edge of roughness in it, and it gave Fushiguro very different thoughts.
Hold on a freaking moment. What the hell once again?
“Sukuna nii-chan, I thought you were away!” Itadori motioned for Megumi to follow him down the short hall, the place seemingly tidy and clean. Well, that was a good plus because he couldn’t stand mess and dirt.
“Nah, it got postponed at the last moment, so I’m already back and-”
When they stepped in the living room, a man looking like Yuuji yet so impossibly different, was doing pull-ups on a bar attached above the window. Shirtless. So very shirtless. And with black inks wrapping taut and thick muscles, some others adorning a devilishly handsome face made of sharp, strong lines, the same pink hair kept shorter than Yuuji’s and neatly styled up in spikes with gel. And a mouth that was sure to issue every sort of carnal sin anyone ever experienced. At that, Fushiguro’s brain screeched and threatened to shut down.
Yet again, Megumi froze and a cacophony of curses blared in his head, afraid his brain was seriously going to desert him, to fry, panic easily growing to the point his hands became clammy, covered in cold sweat.
This was Itadori Yuuji’s older brother?
Well shit, the man was nothing like Megumi had envisioned in his head. He should’ve really beat it when he had the chance but… the moment they set foot in the living room, dangerously crimson eyes zeroed on Megumi and didn’t let go. He felt like trapped but, at the same time, he didn’t mind it. It was a feeling never experienced before.
Plastering a polite smile on his lips, he tried harder than ever done in his entire life to work on his stoic expression. Yet, under those searching red eyes, he felt like crumbling, as if being undressed by those tattooed fingers, and he swallowed down, counting the breathings inside his head.
The man, Sukuna, as Yuuji had called him earlier, was just so impossibly handsome, in a dark and dangerously alluring manner of speaking, rendering Megumi’s breathing a true challenge, let alone counting it. No, what was he even thinking about? The man was purely and devilishly hot. Yeah, ridiculously and criminally so. No, bar that. Megumi hated to sound like a cliché from one of those stupid novels Nobara enjoyed reading, but nothing else fit like the picture of wild, hot, hardcore sex on legs.
Seriously, what the fucking hell? Megumi wanted to die because of his horribly embarrassing thoughts. He wanted to stick his fingers in the ears and go la-la-la as loud as he could manage so he couldn’t hear his own appalling thoughts.
“Oh?” The man, Sukuna, halted in what he’s doing, crimson eyes locking onto Megumi with almost a disturbing intensity, like a predator having eyed a prey to eat alive, before cracking a cocky, dark smirk. “You didn’t say anything about your date being so hot, lil bro.”
Megumi silently swallowed down at the blatant flirtation, just as Yuuji sighed out loudly and rolled his eyes, giving Fushiguro an apologetic yet amused look, letting out a short chuckle.
“I apologize for my brother, he can be a bit…”
“I can be what, brat? Ha? Let’s hear it,” the man snorted as he eased himself down on his feet after having performed another pull-up while staring directly at Megumi. Had he just done it on purpose to show off? Somehow, the idea didn’t appear so farfetched and Fushiguro didn’t know what to make of it, only that he had definitely enjoyed the view, although he shouldn’t have.
“A shameless flirt,” Yuuji went on as nothing, lifting his shoulders and then shaking his head. “Just don’t mind him, please.”
“Oi, just because you’re shit at flirting it doesn’t mean I’m shameless,” he grunted, cracking his neck before crossing the distance between them, keeping shirtless and barefoot. Oh, his voice, a true menace for Megumi, much like his entire persona and aura. The more Sukuna talked, the more Fushiguro thought of himself as a bad, bad person, because…
“Yes, you are,” Itadori joked, grinning at his brother and then smiling at Megumi. He was at ease, relaxed, unbothered by the entire exchange, so Fushiguro tried to relax as well. Miserably failing, though.
“Well, it’s not like I even need to make much effort anyway,” Sukuna grinned back, a note of darkness once his white canines flashed out, confidence spilling into arrogance easily.
Man, the guy had a gigantic ego, and it was obvious by the fact he didn’t care to be half naked in front of a stranger. In fact, the man was pretty much showing off his muscles and inks, and in all this, a panicky Megumi was really trying hard not to stare, as if his life depended on it.
“Just don’t mind him,” Yuuji slapped his brother’s arm, earning one back on his neck. “Hey!” He complained, yet still beaming. “And you’re a shameless flirt, nii-chan, everyone knows that.”
“And you’re shit at it,” the older brother quickly quipped, smirking from one side of his mouth, a mouth that Megumi shouldn’t be staring at. “And everyone knows it, brat.”
“That’s not true!” Itadori whined, a blush dusting his sharp cheeks and giving him an even more boyish look.
At that, a chuckle escaped Megumi’s lips before he could stop it, and the two brothers stared at him with different expressions. Ugh.
“What’s funny?” Yuuji normally asked, big, amber eyes blinking.
“Yeah, let’s hear it, sweetheart,” Sukuna gave him his undivided and frankly unnerving attention. God, yes, he was a shameless and obnoxious flirt, and Megumi hated himself for liking that.
“I have a name,” he clung to his barbed spunk, sort of provoking a man that on any normal, sane day, Megumi would not dare to provoke. Well… bullshit, Megumi was no pushover and never stood back from a confrontation, but whatever. Let’s say that Sukuna looked like a man people should not want to provoke.
“Oh, feisty, I like that,” the older man smirked, still very shirtless and glancing down at Megumi, given he was taller and broader than him. At that cheap pick-up line, though, Fushiguro couldn’t help giving the biggest eyeroll in eyerolling history, snorting out. “So, let’s hear it.” Megumi creased his forehead, giving back a craftily irritated glare. “Your name, sweetheart.”
Oh fuck, Sukuna was an arrogant jerk enjoying riling people up, hmm? Megumi knew better than playing along with it, but he couldn’t help it.
“Fushiguro Megumi.” He mentally applauded at how even and uninterested his voice sounded.
“A real pleasure, Megumi,” the man went to first name base right off the bath, as he surprised Fushiguro by taking his hand, holding as if meaning to kiss the back of it. “Ryoumen Itadori Sukuna,” he introduced himself, a tempting smile travelling his lips hovering just an inch away from his skin, halting Megumi’s breathing for a second or two. “And now do tell us, Megumi, what was funny?”
Ugh. No way out of it, right? The heat and strength of Sukuna’s hand wasn’t helping in easing down his panic, nor the coldness of his own hands, but it seemed to melt away as the man’s callused fingers gave him a quick squeeze before releasing him. Their eyes locked for merely an instant and Megumi wasn’t sure what to make of what he saw in that crimson gaze.
“Well,” he began after taking a silent breath, then giving a tentative and apologetic smile at Yuuji. “I’m afraid your brother is right, you’re not exactly good at flirting.”
Yuuji’s mouth hung open, his cheeks flushing as he blabbered something, but then he collected himself at once before laughing out amused, scratching the back of his head while still cackling.
“Yeah, sorry Fushiguro, you’re probably right,” he admitted, smiling up to his ears, dimples visible on his cheeks. “I had a feeling it didn’t work during dinner.” Megumi was ready to reassure him that the waitress was definitely very interested, but he didn’t get the time to say anything.
“So, your cute and hot date is right and your brother ain’t so? How’s that for double standards, brat?”
“Oh, shut up, nii-chan! And seriously, shouldn’t you be with your unit now?”
Unit? What did he mean by that? Yuuji didn’t say anything about his brother’s occupation.
“Told you, brat, it got postponed, so instead, I’ll be here ruining your date, how does that sound?” Megumi seriously couldn’t help huffing out another quiet chuckle, which of course attracted the man’s attention at once. “Megumi doesn’t seem to mind it,” he joked, his voice doing things to his name no other man ever did. Oh, he was in serious, stupid trouble.
It was then Yuuji’s time to roll his eyes at his brother and, once more, slap his arm, affectionately. He must have been used to such attitude and big, shameless mouth.
“But hey, say the word, I’ll let you be, leaving you two alone,” the man however said, and Megumi will never admit the stinging disappointment those words agitated inside of him.
“It’s alright, nii-chan, stay with us,” Itadori shrugged his shoulders and yet again, Fushiguro felt terribly guilty, because this date had been quite a disaster and now, he was there hoping for Sukuna not to leave. What was wrong with him?
“Oh? So, can I stay and get to know more about your very hot and beautiful date?” Megumi’s eyes went completely round at that while Yuuji massaged his forehead. “What? I gave you a chance out of it.”
“This is why I say you’re a shameless flirt,” Itadori deadpanned. “And not sure this qualifies any longer as a date?”
“Does it or not?” Sukuna probed, moving his unnerving eyes on Megumi, who did and said nothing, only glancing at Yuuji for help.
“Hmm, I’d say it started as a date and changed during the evening,” Itadori offered, then hooking an arm around his brother’s neck, having to pull the man down because he was taller. “And you’re a shameless flirt!”
“Oi brat,” he untangled himself, messing up his brother’s hair after, “I simply stated the obvious before and you just confirmed that-”
“Are you a firefighter like Yuuji?” Fushiguro suddenly asked, trying to change the topic of the ridiculous conversation and tune down the seriously heavy flirting, feeling bad for Yuuji and feeling guilty he was enjoying all of it way too much. “And aren’t you two brothers?” He should’ve seriously shut his mouth because he sounded too invested in it.
“Different fathers,” they both replied in the same moment, sharing a grin as they laughed and right then, truly resembling as brothers.
They were close, very close, albeit the bickering, close in a way that probably Megumi would’ve been with his sister, if she were still alive. But well, pushing that sad thought aside, he reasoned that their mother’s genes must’ve been the real deal, freaking strong at that, looking at them. They could pass as twins, were they not apart in age, since Sukuna was older than Yuuji, without that boyish air, the crinkles under his eyes whenever he smiled. Not to mention, Sukuna was taller and decisively broader than Itadori.
“And no, nii-chan isn’t a firefighter like me,” Yuuji replied, gesturing for Megumi to take a seat on the couch.
“I command a special Army unit,” Sukuna himself explained, following them to the couch, studying Megumi with deliberate interest. “Want a drink, sweetheart?”
“Nii-chan!”
“What? I’m just asking to be a polite host.” Right, Megumi mused to himself, just being a polite host, because Sukuna absolutely seemed to care about what people thought of him.
“I was invited for coffee, Yuuji promised a mean latté,” he said, staring into Sukuna’s red eyes directly, a little smile ghosting on his lips. What the heck was he actually doing? Flirting back?
“Latté?” The man cocked one dark brow up. “Suit yourself, beautiful, but we’ve got something stronger in here if you want to let loose a bit more and relax,” he slightly provoked with low, alluring voice, still shirtless, the promise hidden in those words ringing loud in Megumi’s head and pooling heavy in his core. Oh, this was bad indeed. “You’re in good hands, nothing to worry about.”
“Oh, I’m sure,” Megumi heard himself replying, feeling horrible toward Yuuji, despite the guy looking nothing like annoyed or displeased.
“Well, take your time to decide, Megumi,” Sukuna spoke as he got up, his imposing figure towering over Fushiguro as he smirked down on him, white canines flashing out. “I’m going to take a shower, so take your time and tell me when I’m back.”
Despite what his little brother pretty much admitted a moment ago and the vibes the two gave off, when Sukuna left the living room, he stayed hidden a moment in the hall to observe the interaction between Yuuji and Megumi, someone who had seriously struck Sukuna in a way never happened before. He might have flirted a bit because he couldn’t help it in front of such stunning and apparently icy beauty, but if Yuuji was serious, then…then Sukuna would step back, even if it’d cost him, because Fushiguro Megumi had struck him like never before.
However, as he watched the two talk and sit on the couch as if they were simple friends, keeping distance between them, he understood that his brother had zero interest in Megumi and same for the green-eyed beauty.
He chuckled quietly, thinking back to those green eyes, the sharp, cunning intelligence shining in them, the fierceness that had no problems in baring its fangs even in the face of a man like Sukuna, the exciting spunk, not to mention, a sort of darkness pooling in the depth of those mesmerizing green jewels that Sukuna couldn’t wait to completely unravel and taste for himself.
With that, he left with a pleased and relaxed expression, a smirk tugging at his lips as he padded barefoot to the bathroom.
Once done with the shower, Sukuna quickly restyled his hair, used just a touch of cologne to avoid appearing tacky, and made a deliberate choice of clothes. He was pleased when his choice was rewarded by a silent yet impossible to miss inhale, the same green eyes roaming Sukuna’s figure even if Megumi caught himself at once and snapped his gaze away. Oh, Sukuna truly like a feisty beauty like him.
The instant Sukuna left, Megumi released a silent breath, visibly relaxing. He didn’t mind the man per se, of course, but his presence and his intensity, what they stirred inside Megumi, and the way Sukuna stared at him wasn’t easy to take all at once. Especially because he wasn’t alone and, technically, he was still on a date with Itadori. If that, of course, still counted as a date… Megumi wasn’t very sure about it and what did Itadori say before? Oh, never mind.
However, as his agitation eased down to a minimum level, he had the chance to appreciate how truly tidy and clean their apartment was. The furniture was on the practical and minimalistic side, but it still preserved and gave a sense of coziness. Then, Fushiguro noticed that Yuuji sat quite far, their eyes meeting and a spontaneous smile catching them both. Megumi hadn’t been wrong in describing Itadori as someone with a golden heart, since what just happened with his older brother didn’t upset him in the least, quite the contrary.
“Sorry about Sukuna nii-chan, he can be a lot to take,” he joked, getting up as he went to open a window to air the room, “but he was actually very civil and nice with you, something that doesn’t occur very often, believe me.”
“Somehow, it doesn’t surprise me,” Megumi admitted, earning a cackle from Yuuji.
“Want some water? And you can remove the jacket if you want, our place is very warm,” he offered, “I’ll close the window in a short moment.”
Right when Yuuji mentioned the temperature of the room, Fushiguro indeed noticed that the jacket was superfluous. Much like airing the room – probably after the brother’s training. Megumi wanted to slap himself for the thought, so to chase it away, he accepted the offer of water, and the two began to normally talk, about small things, the conversation flowing easy and spontaneous as they both implicitly agreed on how they respectively felt.
Then, Sukuna returned to the room, and Megumi was immensely thankful he had removed the jacket because the view of the man risked melting his bones on the spot, his blood pumping fast and boiling in his veins. Suddenly, the open window seemed a very good idea.
The man kept barefoot, and it gave the chance to Megumi to see that he had black nail polish on both his toenails and nails, while a barely there touch of warm, spicy cologne tingled his senses. Sukuna wore the perfect amount of it and Fushiguro fought hard against himself not to stare. An impossible task, given the man wore faded grey jeans, ripped at the knees level and sinfully wrapped around his strong legs, and a tight black tank top that challenged Megumi through his current predicament. Forcing himself not to gawk at all those exposed muscles and inks was easier said than done. Sure, Yuuji was as well equipped with muscles and a hot body, impossible to deny it, but Sukuna? He was an entirely different story, and the man was annoyingly aware of it.
“Did you decide what to drink, Megumi?” His voice was an even more dangerous threat to Megumi, the sultry timbre of it caressing his feverish skin and insinuating deep inside his mind. Much like Sukuna’s way of pronouncing and using his first name. It was done under a pure, predatory intent, the man not even hiding it, and Fushiguro enjoyed what it did to him.
“What would you recommend?” He was so done and fucked for playing along with that outrageously hot arrogant jerk, who threw him a very taunting and smug little smirk.
“Oh? You leave it in my hands, sweetheart?” Oh God, Sukuna needed to shut up or else Fushiguro’s brain was going to shut down on an indefinite leave of absence. Much like his shame.
On any normal day, Megumi would’ve scoffed at such brazen flirting, regarding it with an impassive, cold stare before leaving the idiot alone. But right there with that shameless, exciting man? It threw his world upside down where black turned white and white became black. Something was wrong with Fushiguro, seriously wrong, and the fact he decided not to care about it was even worse.
“Should I not?” At his own playing, crimson eyes regarded him with a different nuance of intensity, the curiosity of before gone in favour of… Megumi swallowed down, biting his lower lip unconsciously.
“Leave it in my hands,” he confirmed, the sound of his voice travelling Fushiguro’s spine with a torturous shiver that tighten his core. “Yuuji, I’ll make something for you, too, alright brat?”
Yuuji…Megumi had nearly forgotten the guy was still there in the same room, amber eyes watching them with clear amusement instead of uneasiness.
“Need a hand?”
“Just take it easy, lil bro.”
When Sukuna was done with the drinks, first he brought some chips and snacks back to the living room, leaving them on the coffee table, then two tall glasses. Megumi went to get up to meet Sukuna halfway, feeling bad in being waited like this, but the man gave a quick shake of head and thus, he sat back on the couch. The way they understood each other after having just met had nothing short of eerie, mind-blowing, and it shoved Fushiguro in an even louder chaos than before.
“Here, Megumi, hope you’ll like it,” Sukuna said, after having handed him a glass with clear liquid inside and a slice of lime.
“What’s this?” He could smell the lime and, was it vodka?
“Skinny bitch,” that cruel and shameless mouth said with no little amusement, Megumi narrowing his eyes at the man. “But nothing personal, sugar, you aren’t skinny or anything, you’ve got all in the right place.”
Megumi composed himself and masked his chaos of emotions with a dry chuckle.
“Do you expect me to thank you?” He threw back and Sukuna only regarded him with a smile that made him feel entirely naked. Megumi took a sip to ease down the tension and the vodka in the cocktail, strong but not too much, loosened up his nerves. “It’s good, thank you, Sukuna,” he admitted, saying the man’s name for the first time. And the surprise not only registered in his mind but as well on the handsome man’s face, a different smile slipping on it.
“My pleasure, Megumi.” He turned to Yuuji and handed him his drink, a Cuba Libre.
“Thanks, nii-chan,” he grinned, earning a playful ruffle of hair, the two brothers genuinely chuckling with one another.
Then, Sukuna walked back to kitchen, before joining them again in the living by sitting on the armchair in front of Megumi, a simple bottle of water in his hand.
“You’re not drinking anything?” Fushiguro asked, the vodka a potent ally in letting his tongue loose, even though he was completely sober.
“Nothing for me now,” Sukuna replied, taking a sip of water, the sight of his exposed throat pushing Megumi to take another long sip of his own drink that he nearly choked with when the man continued. “I’m giving you a ride back your place, so I can’t drink.”
“What?” Megumi coughed not so flatteringly, a too self-satisfied Sukuna handing him a napkin. “Thanks,” he begrudgingly muttered, dabbing his lips. “And that’s not necessary, really, I can perfectly order a cab,” he pointed out, very much unfamiliar with this amount of attention.
“No way I’m letting you take a cab this late, sweetheart, too many creeps out there, haven’t you read the news lately?”
“I can take care of myself just fine,” he jabbed back, his defensive side standing out no little.
“No doubts, Megumi, I’m not saying you can’t handle yourself and, needless to say, I find that very sexy,” Sukuna threw him off balance once more, his tone switching from playful to dominating in an instant, brooking no argument. “But I’m still giving you a ride back home and end of the discussion.”
“He’s right, Fushiguro, but I actually thought of riding the cab with you and then walk back, so see nii-chan? Nothing to worry about anyway,” Yuuji offered, the two brothers sharing quite the penchant for protectiveness. Though, while for Itadori it was a natural trait, for Sukuna seemed mostly a rare attention meant only for a few selected ones.
“You’ve got an early shift, brat, and a long day to boot it, did you forget about it?” He pointed out, shaking his head when Yuuji made a face after checking the schedule on his phone.
“Ah, right, Choso even just texted me about it,” the younger brother lifted his shoulders. “I forgot about the joined training with the other squad,” he scratched the tip of his nose, typing back on the phone. “Sorry Fushiguro!”
“What are you sorry for, brat, ha?”
“Leaving him alone in your hands?” Yuuji teased a bit, making Sukuna snort and Megumi very discreetly smile for what he had just discovered.
For one, Sukuna cared about his brother and made sure to look after him since Megumi remembered they were the only family they had to each other. On the other side, it gave Sukuna the perfect chance to be alone with Megumi, and the idea sparked a thrill that warmed his entire body and insides, the anticipation getting to his head faster than vodka. And Fushiguro Megumi was still completely sober.
“So, Megumi, we are settled,” Sukuna declared with finality and Fushiguro gave up by nodding. “Now, tell me, what do you do? Yuuji said something about med faculty.” Yeah, he had a feeling that Itadori didn’t grasp much of what he explained about himself.
“I’m specialising in neurosurgery,” he answered, Sukuna cocking his eyebrows up showing he was visibly impressed, nodding to himself.
“Let me guess, most of your dates gave you shit for that?” The man asked without missing a beat, hitting the bull’s eye with disarming accuracy. Megumi stiffened, the truth impossible to deny or sugarcoat, and Sukuna perceived it at once. “They all don’t understand what they missed out, Megumi, and they’re all a waste of time, stupid fools with whom you shouldn’t concern yourself.”
He blinked a moment, letting the man’s harsh yet reassuring words sink deep, bringing a smile to his lips.
“You seem familiar yourself with this matter,” he turned the table around, wanting to know more about Sukuna, who shrugged his shoulders before replying.
“Be it a man or a woman, nearly nobody I was ever with understood the heavy responsibility my position and job put on my shoulders, the fact that my priorities can sometimes shift, and not because I want it myself.”
Ah, yes, Sukuna was very acquainted with Megumi’s problem, but what struck him most, besides the fact they had quite a lot in common, was a sudden murky, bitter feeling stirring uncomfortably in his throat when the man mentioned his past partners, implying he had no little. It wasn’t bigoted judgement what unsettled Megumi. Oh, no, far from that. It was pure jealousy and, no doubts, Sukuna picked up at it, guessing by the smirk that formed on one side of his mouth.
“As you said before, a pointless waste of time,” Fushiguro told the man, challenging him by directly staring into his eyes.
“I couldn’t agree more, sweetheart,” he agreed, very much pleased. “And do tell, what else do you in your free time?”
“In my free time, besides training with my cousin and friend, I help at an animals’ shelter.”
“You like animals?” Yuuji asked with quite the bright enthusiasm, so Megumi nodded at it, smiling. “I love cats!” He fired out, eyes sparkling with a sort of excitement that reminded Fushiguro of… better to leave that nut case out.
“Oh, sorry, I’m a dog person,” Megumi softly laughed at Yuuji’s deflating expression, another one then blooming on his face following a loud groan. “What’s wrong?” Did he say something weird? Sukuna’s charming chuckle then captured his attention, eyes veering on him.
“He’s being a brat because I am a dog person,” he explained.
“Oh?”
“Yeah, you got some?”
“One, actually.”
“Let me guess, from the shelter you work at?”
“Yes,” Megumi smiled, finally relaxed and no longer panicking, the conversation flowing between them seamlessly, as if they’ve always known each other.
“And since you must be very busy between interning and studying, who takes care of it when you’re not at home?” Oh. Sukuna revealed a very responsible and thoughtful side.
“He stays most of the time at the shelter, because they have a very big park, while I live in a small place without even a balcony,” he confessed, eyes wandering around the room waiting for the judgement to hit him as usual.
“A sensible decision, Megumi,” Sukuna instead replied with a gentle smile, freezing him on the spot, not expecting such reaction. “You provide for him, you adopted him, you give him your free time whenever you can, and you saved his life, too, or else he’d risk being euthanised.”
“Yes,” Fushiguro murmured, staring down at his own hands, always having felt powerless whenever that happened, the thought suffocating him.
“Can I also come and help sometimes?” Yuuji broke his gloominess, a warm smile giving back Megumi the momentary lost good mood, much like when his eyes trailed on Sukuna and his reassuring expression. “And I was thinking already about adopting a cat, so, if that’s alright with you?”
“Sure, I’ll give you the details about it.”
“Awesome!” He cheered. “Oh! I’m sure Choso would also love to help, Todo, too.”
“No doubts, brat,” Sukuna chuckled, saying nothing about helping not due to selfishness but because Fushiguro guessed he had his hands full already with his job. “Well, let’s see your baby, Megumi.”
It was fascinating how they understood one another without having to fully articulate or explain their sentences.
When Megumi pulled out his phone, Sukuna got up from his own seat and gestured for him to scoot over, thus finding himself sitting between the two brothers. But while Yuuji kept a normal distance, the older man sat closer, the heat of that imposing and attractive body seeping through his clothes. Their knees and thighs touched, the hardness of Sukuna’s muscles making Megumi’s mind slightly spin, the presence feeling unyielding and commanding.
Trying to pretend that he hadn’t adjusted his own sitting arrangement to shift closer to Sukuna and feel more of the man, Fushiguro showed them many pictures and videos of his black dog and then while scrolling through the pictures, a white cat with slightly long fur and striking blue eyes appeared, of course catching Yuuji’s attention at once.
“Whose this cutie? He or she looks so adorable and beautiful! Not yours, right?”
“No, no, God no, definitely no mine,” Megumi replied with a relieved breath, the idea of having to deal with that white curse giving him an instant headache. “Looks can definitely deceive with this one, cuz he might look cute, but he’s just as spoilt and egocentric as his owner.” Therefore, Fushiguro searched through his gallery, until a picture of Gojo Satoru showed up. “The cat belongs to him.”
When the blue-eyed man’s picture was showed, two things happened. First, Yuuji was immediately and visibly taken by Gojo’s photo, ogling at it with wide eyes and open mouth, recovering from it when he realized he had dropped dead quiet. Of course, both Megumi and Sukuna noticed that, Sukuna smiling slyly. Then, Sukuna had straightened his back, and a rather hard expression crossed his face. A question immediately followed, the tone of his voice darker and sort of displeased and, unless Megumi was imagining things, there was no little jealousy or territoriality in it.
“And who’s this, hmm? A girly boyfriend of yours?”
Girly? Oh, Gojo would definitely love to hear this, mind the blaring sarcasm, of course.
“Nii-chan!” Yuuji chided him. “He doesn’t look girly at all!”
Megumi blinked at his frustration. After all, Fushiguro reasoned, he shouldn’t feel bad for the turn the evening took. And maybe, should he introduce them? Didn’t Gojo call Yuuji a cutie and angel?
“Are you blind, brat? Look at that hair and glossy lips, at those stupid round shades, and what’s with that look, ah?”
“Oh, shut up, you and your dressing style, seriously,” Itadori groaned out, rolling his eyes dramatically. Yeah, Megumi started to think that he should seriously introduce them.
“You should’ve listened to my advice for tonight, don’t you agree with me, sugar?” By then, Megumi grew used to Sukuna’s pet names and pretended not to hear it, sort of ignoring the man. Not an easy task, obviously.
“Excuse me?” He asked, glancing at the two brothers. “I have a feeling I should be left out of this.”
“Nii-chan wanted to give me fashion advice for tonight.” Yuuji spoke ignoring what Fushiguro just said and so it became clear they had talked about this disastrous date. “But we don’t really see it eye to eye.” Sukuna snorted at that, rolling his eyes and yawning, relaxing his posture as he rested his back against the couch. “What?”
“Your sense of fashion is boring, brat.”
“I asked Todo and Choso!”
Sukuna yawned again, teasing his brother. He was terrible, absolutely terrible, and Megumi loved it.
“Boring,” he repeated with a taunting smirk.
“Oh, shut up!”
“Anyway,” Sukuna cut that short, Fushiguro mentally thanking him. “Who’s that one that my brother doesn’t think he looks girly while in fact he totally does? Your boyfriend or something?” He was interested in it, but suddenly, Megumi was too afraid to read too much into it, hoping for too much, because Sukuna was like nobody he ever met, someone that… Fushiguro mentally shook his head and replied, casting his gloomy thoughts aside. He could dwell on them later on.
“No, God no,” he said shaking his head, the mere idea of dating someone like Gojo making him shiver, and not in a good way. At the open admission, Megumi gazed up at Sukuna, who was watching back with a visibly pleased grin, so what to make of it? Again, he pushed that thought to the side. “He’s a close friend of mine, he helped me a lot in the past, when-” He caught himself, avoiding adding further because there was need to rain on the parade with his past. Both brothers quickly understood, and Sukuna put him immediately at ease.
“That’s fine, no need to say more, that’s all I wanted and needed to hear,” he winked, and Megumi, rendered speechless at first, chuckled after and nodded at Sukuna. So many thoughts and different emotions were riding high inside of him…it wasn’t easy. The man was a shameless flirt, no doubts, but he was also very intelligent, sensitive even, and considerate. Qualities that Megumi appreciated. “So, the cat belongs to this guy?”
“Yeah, that’s Gojo’s cat.”
“Gojo?” It was Yuuji who spoke, possibly unaware of the questions openly showing on his very honest face.
“Ah, yes, Gojo Satoru,” Megumi offered.
“Is he a model or something?” Yuuji’s question was genuine, but there was keen curiosity in it, too, even if without any malice. And well, Gojo would definitely love hearing this. No sarcasm in it.
“No,” Megumi answered shaking his head. “I can see why you think that, though, but Gojo is actually a professor in the mathematic department, he’s quite the genius, in his own eccentric way.”
“Well, aren’t all the genius eccentric and unconventional?” Yuuji mused, grinning. “Isn’t that what makes them special and precisely a genius?” Megumi’s guilt from the turn the evening took completely evaporated as he was convinced, he should introduce Itadori to Gojo Satoru. They would get along just fine, speak the same language.
“You might have a point,” he conceded, stopping there because nothing of too flattering would leave his mouth if he started talking about Gojo Satoru.
Yes, he was very grateful for all the help the man gave him years ago, but he wasn’t an easy subject, his eccentricity quite impossible to handle on a daily basis, not to mention his ego and self-confidence, paired with a flippant, at times childish nature.
They spoke longer, but Sukuna revealed little about himself, and Megumi hoped it was solely because he wanted to do so when they were alone, if that was the man’s true intention and he wasn’t just playing around. Then, he recalled what he said about Yuuji’s early shift and thus, Fushiguro excused himself to let them rest.
“Fushiguro, it was nice meeting you,” Yuuji said with a sincere grin, “let’s keep in touch, alright?”
“Sure,” he agreed with a quiet smile.
“C’mon princess,” Sukuna called for him as he handed him a helmet. “Your chariot waits for you,” he joked, winking. A helmet? “A chariot on two wheels, that is,” he made clear and Megumi eyed him confused. “You’ll enjoy the ride, sweetheart, don’t worry.”