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"Alright", Nobara's voice booms in that snappy and bossy manner of hers. Yuuji looks up from his sandwich confusedly. She's staring at him intently and he almost feels like he's done something wrong again.
"We need to talk about it."
"Talk about what?"
"About Megumi!" She exclaims, drawing the chair back to make place for herself. After sitting down, she leans forward, as if ready to whisper, and says in a hushed tone: "We need to get him a girlfriend - or boyfriend. Maybe a situationship? I'd accept anything at this point."
"Do we though?" Yuuji returns, highly skeptical. "We've already had this conversation before. He really doesn't seem to want to be with someone."
"He's acting", Nobara explains, dragging the last word. "He's spent his whole life acting like a brooding, lone wolf and it's driving me nuts. He clearly hasn't ever given himself the opportunity to learn to socialise - and no, you and me don't count - and that's clearly why he keeps being alone all these years. I'm saying we need to help him a little."
Yuuji takes another bite of his sandwich, chewing on it as long as it takes for him to think about her proposal.
"He'll be grateful", she adds.
"Don't think he will. You'll just drive him deeper into his shell."
"Ugh, don't remind me", Nobara says, leaning into the chair and closing her eyes. She winces. "He is like that."
She opens her eyes again, staring at the ceiling somberly.
"I just... don't want him to remain alone."
A telling silence falls between the two friends. It's been 12 years since they'd saved Megumi from the king of curses. Yuuji can't believe it's been that long already that he'd lost so many people he'd grown to care so immensely for in a short period of time.
They'd all somehow moved on. To Yuuji, attending Maki and Yuuta's wedding was one of the pivotal moments that showed they did. That day, Yuuta had smiled the brightest he'd ever seen him do, and he seems to keep up that well-being to this day.
"Actually, I.." Yuuiji starts, then eats the last bit of his sandwich. He's thinking hard about the last few times he'd seen Megumi.
Had he imagined it, or had Megumi been more relaxed? Had he smiled more? Had he laughed more than Nobara and Yuuji did that one time?
"You what?"
"I think Megumi's happy", Yuuji confesses, the realisation striking him.
"And maybe that's because of a certain someone," he quickly adds, noticing Nobara's loaded expression, "but in any case, hasn't Megumi seem much more relaxed to you? He doesn't even snap as often as he does when you go saying stupid shit."
"When YOU go saying stupid shit!" Nobara fires back quickly, stressing the 'you' as if her pointed finger was not accusing enough already. She then gives herself the time to think it through. "So, what are you saying? Is it because of someone?"
Before Yuuji has the time to express his thoughts, Nobara's mouth has already shaped into a huge o-form.
"Oh my god!", she says, "He's totally dating someone and not telling us!"
This excites and surprises Yuuji just as much. "No way, you think?"
"What's with you two now?" a low voice asks. Clearly, this person has grown long used to his two friends being embarassing together.
Nobara and Yuuji notice their target walking into the room. Simultaneously, they stand up from their chair, smirking at him. It has the raven annoyed.
"What?"
"We know your secret", they say together, comically smug.
"What?" Megumi repeats. This time, though, he sounds rather more strained than annoyed.
"You got a secret fling, don't you?" Nobara says.
"Is it true, Megumi?" Yuuji joins in, "Do you have a lover in the dark?"
"You're both getting more ridiculous each day, you know that?" he returns, his cool composure returned. Nobody's noticed the tension in his shoulders increasing rapidly. "It's starting to look a bit sad."
"Oh, come on!" Nobara bursts, unable to keep up the charade. "Just tell us, Megumi, aren't we your friends?"
"Yeah, you know you can tell us anything!" Yuuji chimes in.
"Where's this coming from?" Megumi asks, his footsteps coming to a close near the fridge. He opens the door, perhaps more so to feel the cold air hit his face than to grab a bottle of water.
"Yuuji's noticed you laugh more", Nobara carefully starts.
"Yeah?" the raven asks nonchalantly, then shuts the door once he's acquired his bottle. "Maybe you two have finally gotten funnier."
"That too!" Yuuji notices. "How are you so witty?"
"I've always been like this", Megumi returns, frowning.
"No, something's different", the other male remarks, putting a hand under his chin. "You're like a whole lot more playful."
"Right?" Nobara agrees.
They're both scrutinising Megumi at this point and it's starting to grow bothersome quickly.
"Stop acting dense. I am who I am. Once I'm in a relationship, you'll know."
It's not good enough for Nobara, who is quick to strike back. "Are you sure?" She argues, "because you didn't tell us for the longest time you had a s-"
"Nobara!" Yuuji calls out, eyes wide.
The fiesty redhead swallows the rest of her sentence quickly. In her argumentativeness, she'd forgotten to-
"Oh. Yeah", Megumi confirms slowly.
Yuuji can tell Megumi's isn't looking at them, but he doesn't seem to be perturbed by Nobara's untimely comment either. Even so, his eyes are tinted with concern at his friend.
Then, the raven nods. "I guess that's true."
A second passes. It seems like his friend are not convinced by his nonchalance.
"It's alright."
Yuuji and Nobara had quickly grown quieter after that. But they'd both noticed Megumi had acknowledged a person whose memories they thought he'd no longer wanted to be confronted with.
Yuuji wasn't sure at what point exactly Megumi had grown comfortable talking about his sister. But if it was a recent development, then he was so proud of him. And if it was because of a certain someone, he'd wished to let that person know he was forever grateful.
They can't have known, Megumi wonders later that evening. He tries to shake off the thought, but the smallest sliver of doubt won't leave his mind.
He groans tiredly. Just forget about, he thinks. He massages his temple with his fingertips, eyes closed in an attempt to chase serenity in his mind.
"I can tell you're thinking hard."
Opposite him, lounging in the other comfortable and elegant arm chair, is a very alive looking Sukuna. His smile is laced with arrogance, the gaze in his eyes as intent as it was years ago.
"That's not good for your face, you know?"
Megumi gives him a blank stare. "Are you calling me ugly?"
"I'm saying: 'Stop frowning'", Sukuna affirms. "Or explain it to me."
"There's nothing to explain", the raven says with a sigh, leaning back against his chair. "Nobara and Yuuji were being idiots again."
"Aren't they always?" Sukuna returns, humoring Megumi.
"Naturally", Megumi returns, earning a snicker from the other male, "Although this time they suspected me of being in a secret relationship."
The look on Sukuna's face is telling. "And this suspicion is based on..?"
"Nonsense", Megumi resolutely replies. Total nonsense.
"Right", the male opposite him understands. "They ended up saying something true by sheer coincidence."
Megumi is worried this will turn into a serious and long discussion, but it doesn't. Sukuna simply adjusts his position in his chair and reopens the book he'd kept between his fingers to stop him from losing the page he was at. A slender finger trails down the lines on the paper as he relocates what sentence he'd last read and Megumi realises, the other male's not bothered at all.
"I thought this would bring about a 'Why won't you tell them about me?'", the raven slowly starts.
The finger doesn't stop moving and neither does Sukuna look up at him again.
"We've already had that conversation. Why would we bring it up again?"
"Maybe because it might change the outcome of our conversation this time?"
Megumi notices Sukuna's smiling gently, and perhaps he's also slightly amused. "Is that so? Or do you feel pressured to talk about it because you're tired of your friends thinking you're lonely? Just relax, Megumi. The brat's made a wild assumption based on a fluke. That shouldn't persuade you to play open hand."
"I know", Megumi confesses softly.
He's absently gazing into the distance, but is quickly taken out of his thoughts by a loud thud. He looks up and notices Sukuna's closed his book. He places it on the nearest desk and leans forward.
"Alright", he starts, giving in, "let's ask a different question. Why do you keep me here?"
The other male raises his brow. "You just said you didn't wanna have this conversation."
"Yes, well clearly, I'm choosing to entertain you", Sukuna responds. "So?"
Sukuna cocks his head to the side, an awaiting look resting on his face.
"Guess I don't want you to leave..." Megumi murmurs, looking away.
"Why not?" The other continues, gently but firm.
"I don't know", Megumi lies, earning a frown from Sukuna.
He's clearly not pleased with that answer.
"You don't know?" He repeats incredulously. "I expect better from you."
"I can't say", Megumi returns, pained. This is too confronting for him. Maybe he should've let Sukuna keep reading his book, dammit.
"Say what?"
"Nothing", Megumi tries to no avail.
"Say it."
It's commanding. Sukuna won't take his eyes off him and Megumi can't see a way to escape. It really shouldn't even be that hard to confess to him.
He should just tell him.
One, two-
"I just want you to be mine."
The frown disappears and the corners of Sukuna's lips are pulled into a smile. Sukuna's amused, though he rolls his eyes too.
"I'm already yours. What other person in this world could possibly be this lucky to have me?"
It brings out a snort from Megumi. "Wow", he says, "very humble of you, king."
Sukuna's smile grows wider. Entering this new plane of co-existence with Megumi has been very rewarding. The usually stoic, reserved raven is growing comfortable enough with him to tease the former king of curses.
With every moment, every conversation and touch, Megumi's aloof act drops and his hidden personality shines through.
Sukuna loves every second of it.
"That so? I didn't know your history books painted me as being known for my humility."
"They didn't", Megumi responds lazily, having grown interested in something else. He takes Sukuna by the arm and pushes him toward him.
Of course, the other man could easily resist, but usually Megumi's too timid to initiate some playful moment. Sukuna allows himself to be pulled in and stumbles onto Megumi. He lets his head fall onto the other's chest and his arms instinctively wrap around Megumi's waist.
They have grown too close and comfortable with each other in such a sort time. It leaves Megumi puzzled. Why has no one else been able to affect him like this - no one but him of all people?
Sukuna lifts his head to peer up at him, seeing Megumi is looking deeply at him all the same.
I love you, the words pop up in Megumi's mind as he stares into Sukuna's awaiting eyes.
"You look like there's something you want to say", Sukuna says cheekily, finding any excuse to grin at him.
Megumi takes a second to breath. "Yeah", he says. "You're alright."
The grin quickly vanishes. "Huh?"
Sukuna readjusts his position so he's got both knees at each side of Megumi's legs, now properly sitting on his lap.
"I'm alright?"
"Yep."
Sukuna awards him with a blank stare. "What does that mean?"
It means I have officially become crazy enough to want to do this with you for a lifetime.
"It means..." Megumi says "...that I want this to stay.. a little longer."
Not exactly the same, he thinks. He can't say the complete truth yet without the inevitable embarassment making his face as red as a tomato.
Sukuna catches on quick and smirks. The tension in his shoulders release as he drops his head on Megumi's chest, Megumi's hoodie feeling very soft and comforting against his cheek.
"I want the exact same thing as you do", he reassures the raven.
Megumi didn't realise he'd been holding his breath.
And from then on he thinks: I might just never tell.