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If someone had asked Megumi a couple of months ago, he'd have told you that the nurse's office was haunted. It wasn't haunted, at least, not in the traditional sense. There was a cursed spirit living there that seemed especially attracted to the tears of little kids. It never bothered with the adults. Megumi didn't like it—didn't like that he could see it scuttling along the walls any time he visited the office.
No one else saw it, so Megumi pretended like he couldn't see it either.
That day marked the fifth time Megumi had been sent to the nurse's office that month. In his defense, he never threw the first punch, only the first words. Thankfully, Megumi knew how to hold his own, so the school never actually called in Gojo. After all, why bother his guardian for nothing more than a scratch or bruise here and there? Sure, it was probably neglectful of them, but Megumi preferred not getting Gojo involved. He and Tsumiki were fine taking care of themselves.
As the nurse cleaned his cut and put a band-aid over it, Megumi spared the curse a single glance. It sat in the corner where the walls met the ceiling, its large, dark eyes watching Megumi like a hawk. Unlike the other kids, the curse tended to stay as far away from Megumi as it could. Gojo had once mentioned something about curses being able to sense cursed energy. That even a low-grade curse could tell when someone was capable of being a viable threat. Megumi could only summon his divine dogs for a few minutes before becoming exhausted, but he supposed that was still enough to spook the curse.
"You are good to go, Fushiguro-kun." The nurse smiled warmly at him. "Take it easy now. I don't want to see you in here again for quite a while, you hear me?"
Megumi nodded. Whatever got him out of there faster.
He actually managed to stay away for some time, relieved not to have to see that curse again. Since he first started seeing curses, Megumi learned to hate everything about them. If they weren't dangerous or downright ugly, they were annoying as hell, following Megumi around as he walked to and from school. When no one was around, Megumi would sometimes let Shiro and Kuro tear them apart like they were nothing but a bunch of dog toys. He hated that as well.
Everything was fine for a couple of weeks, Megumi nearly forgetting all about the curse. That is, until Tsumiki told Megumi that one of her friends had gotten sick and wouldn't be coming to school the next day. Megumi recalled seeing her going to the nurse's office a few days prior. He didn't think much of it, assuming it to be a coincidence. Sick kids went to the nurse's office. There was nothing strange about that.
Things only escalated from there.
Kids started getting sick nearly every day, all of them going to the nurse's office before being sent home. The few times Megumi walked by, he could see the curse crawling all over them, its body vibrating as it scuttled across their bodies. At first, they were gone for only a few days before returning to school. Days quickly turned into a week, Megumi's classmates whispering among themselves while their teacher tried to keep them all focused.
With each new kid that got sick, the curse grew bigger, uglier. It sprouted a pair of wings like a beetle, buzzing erratically around the room. The one time Megumi found himself back in that office, the curse remained tucked in its corner, three sets of eyes watching him with unnerving intensity. In just a few days, it had grown from the size of an apple to a watermelon, new pairs of legs having formed to accommodate its weight. The nurse smiled at Megumi like nothing was wrong, wishing him a good day as he practically ran out of there.
Gojo stayed at the apartment that night, Tsumiki telling him all about the sick kids. Megumi quietly listened as Gojo told her to call Shoko if either of them started feeling sick—that she was a doctor, and could help them feel better in no time. Megumi debated telling Gojo about the curse, but kept his mouth shut after hearing Gojo complain about how busy he'd been. He'd been given only a single day off before having to leave again for some new mission. Gojo was supposed to be the strongest; that's what he always claimed. Whatever business Gojo had was far more important than some lowly curse that was too scared to even go near Megumi.
Kids get sick all the time…how bad could it be?
Megumi got his answer the day after Gojo left.
He was finishing up brushing his teeth that morning when Tsumiki received a call from their school. School was cancelled for the rest of the week while they deep-cleaned the entire building. Apparently, a kid at their school had gotten sick enough to be hospitalized. Tsumiki spent the day catching up on chores while Megumi tried not to panic. Megumi had seen that student in the nurse's office the day before, the curse instantly latching onto her like a tick. She had looked a little unwell, but not that sick.
That night, Megumi went to sleep with a heavy heart. The following morning, he woke up to learn that three more kids from his school had been hospitalized. Tsumiki took him with her to go shopping, and everywhere they went, Megumi heard whispers as the adults talked about what was happening.
"They're only getting sicker."
"What about the other children? Are they safe?"
"I wouldn't trust sending my child to school—not now."
"I heard the family was already planning the funeral…how grim…"
It was clear that everyone was concerned, that no one knew what was happening…no one but Megumi. Gojo wasn't supposed to be back for a couple more days, but Megumi couldn't wait any longer. When he and Tsumiki returned to the apartment, Megumi shut himself in his room while she put away the groceries.
Rummaging through his nightstand, Megumi found the flip phone that Gojo had given him back when he first started getting involved in their lives. It was supposed to have Gojo's number installed in case of an emergency. Megumi had never used it before, initially wanting nothing to do with Gojo. Now, Megumi wanted nothing more than for Gojo to come home and make everything better.
Megumi had royally messed up, and Gojo was the only one who could fix it. Sitting on the floor with his back against the bed, Megumi pulled up Gojo's contact. His hands shook as he typed up a message before hitting send.
Megumi | A curse is killing kids at my school.
Not even a second after he sent the text, Megumi's phone rang, Gojo's name flashing across the screen. Megumi hesitated before answering.
"Hello."
"Seriously?" Gojo laughed dryly. "Hello—that's the best you've got after texting me something like that?"
"Sorry."
Megumi fought back tears, refusing to cry. Regardless, Gojo must have picked up on it somehow, as his voice softened significantly.
"Okay, explain to me what's going on. How many kids has this thing killed?"
"None yet," Megumi said before explaining. "A bunch of kids have been calling out of school sick, and now four of them are in the hospital. A bunch of people sound really worried, like they're not going to make it. They cancelled school for the rest of the week…"
The silence that followed made Megumi's chest tighten. Maybe Gojo didn't believe him—thought he was making up some story for attention. With how often Gojo was away lately, it wouldn't be far-fetched to think that Megumi was acting out.
"Megumi—" Gojo sighed. "—that's normal, especially during flu season. Little kids are prone to being germ magnets. Getting sick is practically a part of growing up. I'm sure those kids will be fine. Listen, I've gotta go, but if you're still worried, you can always—"
"But I've seen it—in the nurse's office."
Tears spilled as Megumi thought back to every kid that thing had latched onto. It never approached Megumi, scared away by his cursed energy. Megumi wasn't strong, so he'd mistakenly thought that meant the curse wasn't either—that something so afraid of him could hardly be a danger. He'd been so wrong, and now innocent kids were going to die because of his mistake.
"It's been getting bigger, and now four kids are dying." Megumi was crying by then, unable to stop himself. "Everyone who went to the nurse's office got sick."
He needed Gojo to understand.
The line went silent for a few seconds before Gojo spoke up. "Alright…you said school's cancelled, right? When I'm done here, I'll swing by and check it out. I really have to go, Megumi. You and Tsumiki take care, alright? Call Shoko if either of you starts feeling unwell."
Gojo hung up before Megumi could get another word in. Megumi stared at the phone for a while, his tears eventually drying out, leaving his eyes red and puffy. Gojo didn't sound all that convinced, and Megumi wanted to scream until his voice became raw. Kids were dying because of that curse—because Megumi hadn't spoken up sooner about it. Why didn't Gojo understand that?
Eventually, Megumi had no choice but to leave his room or risk making Tsumiki worry about him. She already had so much on her plate. Megumi barely touched his dinner that night, his stomach a complete mess. Tsumiki was concerned that Megumi may have been getting sick, but he assured her he was fine. He was anything but fine.
The following day, news spread like wildfire when the first child died. School was cancelled until further notice. Tsumiki tried to keep Megumi from hearing the news, but he found out after hearing the neighbors outside. Megumi threw up, clinging to the toilet as he cried. Even Shoko had caught wind of what happened and called Tsumiki to check on them. To make sure that neither of them was sick. The curse never bothered Megumi, and Tsumiki had never gone to the nurse's office.
That same night, the second child died—one of Megumi's classmates. Megumi stopped eating altogether, the guilt gnawing away at him. He barely stopped crying, spending the next day curled up in bed, hiding underneath the covers. Tsumiki couldn't get him to eat despite trying her best, and Megumi knew it terrified her. That only made him feel worse. How could he look his sister in the eyes and tell her that it was all his fault—that his own classmate was dead because of him?
Megumi doesn't know when he fell asleep, but he was roused awake by a series of light knocks on his bedroom door. Figuring it was Tsumiki trying to get him to eat again, Megumi ignored it, pulling the covers tighter around himself as a fresh wave of tears rolled down his cheeks. He knew that none of this was fair to Tsumiki, but the thought of taking even a single bite of food made Megumi's stomach twist uncomfortably.
"Megumi?" That wasn't Tsumiki, and Megumi couldn't stop the sob that bubbled up upon hearing Gojo's voice. He sounded worried. Tsumiki must have talked to him. "Hey, kiddo. You have your sister pretty worried, y'know. She says you haven't eaten anything all day."
Megumi didn't know how to respond—didn't know if he even could without choking up. When it became clear that he wasn't going to get an answer, Gojo stepped into the room, the bed dipping under his weight as he sat down. A firm hand landed on Megumi's ankle, giving it a gentle squeeze.
"I heard about your classmate," Gojo started, pausing briefly before continuing. "I know it isn't easy, losing someone close to you, but it's going to be okay. You're a strong kid, Megumi. You'll make it past this."
Gojo couldn't be further from the truth. Megumi wasn't strong. He couldn't even save his own classmate, let alone the other kids who'd fallen victim to the curse. What right did Megumi have to get past that when they were dead because of him?
"It's all my fault," Megumi sobbed into his pillow.
"What?" Gojo's grip on Megumi's ankle tightened ever slightly. "Why would you think that?"
"I knew—I knew about the curse, but didn't say anything until it was too late. Now they're dead, and it's all my fault!" Megumi could barely breathe, he was crying so hard. "I killed them!"
"Shit, no, Megumi, that's not—"
"I'm sorry!"
Megumi flinched when Gojo threw the covers off of him. He wasn't sure what he was expecting, but Megumi suddenly found himself crushed against Gojo's chest. Megumi choked up when Gojo nuzzled his head and rubbed soothing circles into his back. Despite himself, Megumi melted under Gojo's touch, his hands gripping Gojo's shirt until his knuckles turned white.
"Megumi—" Gojo sighed softly, ruffling Megumi's hair. "—none of this is your fault."
"But—"
"The curse didn't make those kids sick; they were already sick when they went to the nurse's office. That kind of curse feeds off the negativity caused by illnesses, but it can't make anyone sick. It's harmless, if not useful in telling how widespread an illness is becoming."
Gripping tighter, Megumi shook his head. It couldn't be true. None of the kids who'd gone into that room looked like they were knocking on death's door. It had to be the curse's fault. Maybe it didn't make them sick, but it made them worse…right?
"RSV," Gojo said as he carefully shifted around until he was lying back against the headboard, Megumi tucked comfortably against him the entire time. "It starts off like a common cold, but can quickly progress into something much worse. Kids are, unfortunately, the most at risk of getting really sick from it…I know what it must have looked like, but I promise, Megumi, the curse had nothing to do with those kids getting sick…"
A fresh wave of tears spilled over as Megumi struggled to process what that meant. He didn't know what Gojo was talking about, but he sounded so sure of it that Megumi wanted desperately to believe that he was telling the truth. Shoko was a doctor…she must have told him. Was that why she had called to check on them, because she knew how much more dangerous it was, given their ages?
It wasn't his fault, but still—"I messed up."
Gojo huffed fondly. "Megumi, you're still just a kid, practically a baby! You're allowed to make mistakes—to not know all the right answers. I'm the sorcerer here; it's my job to take care of these things, not yours—not yet. Just…promise me you'll call me right away the next time something like this happens and talk to me. If I knew how you were feeling, I'd have come home sooner."
Megumi nodded, his tears gradually slowing. He was exhausted, his eyes stinging as he shut them for just a minute. Gojo quietly rubbed his back, the action gently tugging Megumi toward the brink of sleep. Megumi barely had the strength to hold himself up, Gojo taking all of his weight as Megumi went boneless in his arms. The sound of light, hesitant footsteps entering the room barely roused him, Gojo's hand finding its way into his hair.
"Is he going to be alright?"
"Yeah, he'll be okay. Let's let him rest for a bit, alright?"
Megumi didn't hear Tsumiki's response, but felt the bed dip once more before a comforting weight settled against his side. Gojo carded his fingers through Megumi's hair, and it didn't take long after that for Megumi to give in to his exhaustion.