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Yuuji
“I hope you live a long life,” were the last words Yuuji said to Fushiguro before he died, before he collapsed right in front of his best friend and scarred him for life.
Itadori remembers the look on his face and the sound of his voice when he called out to him. He remembers the feeling of his empty chest and the pain he felt despite the lack of his heart when he heard Megumi’s cries.
He was dead, he knew he was. There’s no way a human can survive once their heart has been ripped right out of their chest and chucked away.
But somehow, he woke up again, on a metal tray with Gojo and Ieiri waiting for him like it was another regular day.
He was alive and well, and he wouldn’t be allowed to see his friends again, well not for a good while at least.
“Can’t I just go see Fushiguro and Kugisaki? Let them know I’m alright?”
“I’m sorry, Itadori, but you can’t. You’ll be able to see them again at the Kyoto Sister School Event.”
“What?”
“I want to train you. Don’t worry! It’s not that long, only two months.”
So Yuuji had to wait. Two gruelling months before he was able to see his friends again. Two gruelling months before he could hug his friends again.
He thought they would be happy to see him again — over the moon, in fact — but he never could have imagined how they actually reacted.
-
“It’s your long dead friend, Yuuji!!”
Huh? What the hell? What kind of a reaction is this? They don’t seem happy to see me at all!
Everyone, especially Yuuji’s two best friends, looked horrified at the sight of him. Yuuji’s heart sank. Gojo had said they’d be ecstatic to see him, so why weren’t they?
“Hey,” Nobara growled, kicking the box the boy was currently standing in. “Don’t you have something you want to say to us?”
Yuuji looked at her, then at Fushiguro, and fully took in their appearances.
While Kugisaki looked like she was about to burst out crying, lip trembling and eyes glossing over, the person he was really worried about was Fushiguro.
His friend looked gaunt, and paler than he remembered, and he looked really tired — exhausted even — as if he hadn’t gotten a good night's sleep in weeks. To make matters worse, Fushiguro wouldn't even look at him, taking a deep and sudden interest in the ground.
“I’m sorry, that I didn’t tell you I was still alive all this time?” Yuuji tried, feeling his throat tighten and eyes well in rapid succession.
Kugisaki crumbled, bowering forwards to wrap the pink haired boy in a tight hug, but Megumi didn’t move, didn’t speak, didn’t do anything.
Maybe, he just doesn’t care, Yuuji thought, and his heart constricted at the idea.
-
“You die again and I’ll kill you myself!” Megumi promised, clutching his stomach as blood trickled down his jaw.
It was Yuuji’s turn to be a hero, his turn to save his friends. He had to.
Megumi had been hurt by some crazy plant monster and he was bleeding, he was bleeding so much, but he would be okay, right? He had to be okay.
A thought procured itself in Yuuji’s head, just for a moment, but it was enough to throw him off.
Was this how Megumi felt when I…?
Yuuji shook his head. Fushiguro would be fine. Panda was going to take him to Ieiri and he would be fine.
For now, though, he had bigger fish to fry — or, bigger weeds to kill?
-
“I’m sorry, Yuuji, but Megumi doesn’t want any visitors at the moment,” Shoko said, closing the door behind her.
“That’s not — but Kugisaki’s with him!” Yuuji exclaimed, his collar suddenly feeling far too tight and far too scratchy for his liking.
“Yes, he requested Nobara’s company,” she informed, lighting a cigarette.
Yuuji felt his stomach drop. “But, not mine?” He asked, his voice impossibly small.
Shoko sighed, placing a warm hand on his shoulder.
“It will be okay, Yuuji. They probably just have a lot to discuss. I’m sure he’ll want to see you later,” she said, taking a drawl from her cigarette as she patted his shoulder once.
Yuuji lowered his head as he turned away.
Yeah, I hope you’re right.
Yuuji returned to his dorm after showering, feeling rather disheartened and paused when he approached the door.
He didn’t know whether or not his things would still be there, though he supposed they wouldn’t be, considering he had been “dead” for two months.
He sucked in a deep breath before reaching for the handle.
Huh?
He looked around, fumbled for the light switch beside the door and let out a small gasp when the room was brightened.
Not only were all of his belongings still there, but his room had been cleaned — perfectly. There was only one person who could have done this.
He turned, pushing his ajar door open and ran down the hall, nearly colliding with Kugisaki as he did so.
“Woah,” she said, putting her hands up to stop him. “Itadori, what’s wrong? Where are you going?”
“Oh, Kugisaki?” He asked breathily, unable to comprehend what she was doing here at this hour. Her dorm was on the opposite side of Jujutsu Tech. “I need to find Fushiguro. Is he still at the med bay?”
Nobara seemed to shrink a bit at his words, a look of confliction flashing across her face as he nodded once weakly. “Um, yeah. But I don’t know if that’s the best idea—” Yuuji ran off towards Shoko’s area, barely registering Nobara’s words. “—Itadori, don’t go!”
-
Knock, knock.
“Kugisaki?” A muffled voice asked from beyond the door.
Yuuji sucked in a sharp breath at the word, biting his lip, before he spoke.
“N-no, it’s actually Itadori. Can I come in?”
There was no answer, and it was quiet for what felt like an eternity. Yuuji was about to accept defeat and slump back to his dorm when a small voice spoke.
“Uh, okay.”
For some strange reason, Yuuji felt very nervous and self conscious as he entered the room, Megumi still hidden behind the curtains.
He took a deep breath before walking around to see his friend.
“Oh my — are you okay Fushiguro?” Yuuji worried, realising the condition the boy was in.
While Shoko had done a good job fwoo-ing and hyoi-ing or whatever, the cursed buds had seriously done a number on Megumi.
“Yeah,” he grumbled, not meeting Yuuji’s gaze. “I just need to get some rest.”
Yuuji paused. Did that mean now, or?
“Still,” he said, “I’m glad you’re okay.”
Megumi seemed to tense up at that, his jaw clenching and frame stiffening.
“How — how can you say that?” He gritted, and he sounded pained — but not from his external injuries.
“How can I?” Yuuji questioned, a little confused as to what the boy was saying.
“You, Itadori!” Megumi exclaimed, finally looking up as he gestured to him with his hands. “You literally died yet you’re the one asking if I’m okay!”
Yuuji blinked in shock at Fushiguro’s words. “Yeah, but that was two months ago. And you’re hurt now.”
Megumi froze, a ray of emotions splaying over his face in rapid succession before he settled on disbelief. His chest heaved up and down, up and down wildly as he looked at Itadori.
“I cannot be—” he started before his demeanour changed completely. “—You know what? I’m pretty tired.”
Yuuji shifted uncomfortably, trying to make sense of what had just happened before he looked at the ground and spoke softly.
“Do you… not want to talk to me anymore?”
The lack of response only served to answer Itadori’s question.
“Well then, goodnight Fushiguro. You should get some rest. I’m sorry for bothering you.”
He left without even addressing the topic he went there for, and his room stayed clean.
Megumi
Megumi had been avoiding Itadori, and Gojo. But specifically Yuuji, because it seemed avoiding his father figure was much easier than hiding from a certain pink haired boy.
Today though, it seemed as if his luck had run out.
“Megumi, please talk with me,” the white haired man said.
He found him almost immediately today, despite his valiant efforts at staying hidden. That plus Gojo’s six eyes technique made him think he had been played.
It wasn’t that Megumi was good at avoiding his mentor, it was that he had been giving Megumi space — which had apparently run out.
“No, I don’t want to talk to you.” He hissed, turning away, trying to contain his anger — keep himself from lashing out.
“Megs, sto—”
“—don’t you dare call me that!” He snapped, turning around. Gojo seemed to flinch a bit at the harshness, but he didn’t show it on his face.
“I trusted you, and you betrayed me!”
“It wasn’t that simple—”
“No! You made your choice and let me believe he was dead. For two months!” He seethed, his voice cracking on the word dead.
“They want to kill him! The higher-ups. They’re cowards, the lot of them. I only wanted to keep him safe,” Gojo confessed, head down.
“You still could have told me,” Megumi replied, his chin quivering. “Why couldn’t you tell me? You’re supposed to be my dad.”
Gojo’s head snapped up, and even with his blindfold on he could tell he had hurt him.
“I am — Megs, I was trying to do the right thing…” he pleaded softly.
“You don’t know how I felt. You couldn’t possibly imagine it!”
“I do though!” Gojo answered, his voice strangely fragile as he continued. “Now more than ever.”
His face turned into one of certainty. “Please Megs, don’t make the same mistake I did. I don’t want you to have the same regrets I do.”
Megumi’s face twisted into confusion. “Wha—”
Gojo interrupted him. “I know he has a target on his back, but Megumi. You’re going to miss him anyways, so why not be happy until then?”
Megumi stared at the man as he processed the words, everything suddenly becoming so perfectly clear to him.
He gritted his teeth, looking up at the man who raised him. “We’re going to talk about whatever the hell that was later.”
Gojo’s proud laughter rang out through the hallways as he ran, and ran, and ran.
He turned the corner, his legs carrying him down the hall to Itadori’s door as he swung it open.
“Itadori?” He called out, heaving.
There was no answer, and it was only when he looked up that he realised it was empty.
He cursed under his breath, turning and running out to the training fields.
Maki was sparring with a cursed doll as Nobara sat on the stairs practically drooling over the sight.
She turned at the sound of his footsteps. “Huh? Fushiguro? What are you doing out here?”
“Where’s Itadori?” He asked while panting.
Her eyebrow shot up in a mix of confusion and curiosity.
“He’s out on a mission with Panda and Inumaki. May I ask why? You’ve been avoiding him like the plague.”
Megumi scowled, both at the information and slight teasing she was giving.
“No you may not,” he said, and walked off.
He returned back to his room, choosing to sit on his bed in silence, in the dark, nothing to pass the time but getting stuck in his own head.
Itadori was out on a mission. One that Megumi was unaware about.
Geez, had he really been avoiding the boy so much he didn’t even know when he was out risking his life?
Yes. Yes he had.
And now it had gotten to a point where he didn’t even know if Itadori would come back.
What if… what if something terrible happened to him and he didn’t return, for good this time? What if Megumi would never be able to apologise and tell Itadori how he actually felt?
So many questions, no one to answer them.
So much fear, no one to help.
Yuuji
Yuuji and the other two second years he was with were driving back to Jujutsu Tech.
It had been a bit of an intense fight, but he hadn’t gotten too badly hurt this time.
He’s had a lot of time to practise, and think, what with Fushiguro completely avoiding him and all.
He didn’t know what he had done so wrong, apart from seemingly having come back from the dead.
A faint buzz from his pocket distracted him from looking out the window.
KugiNo
Yo, are you on your way back yet?
Still in one piece?
And what did you do?
Yeah. Ijichi’s getting us food first
Why?
It wasn’t completely out of character for Nobara to message Yuuji out of the blue, especially now after he returned from missions, because of… well that’s not the point.
The point was this text was rather ominous and he had no idea what she was talking about. What had he done? Apart from totally slaying a grade two curse and looking amazing doing it.
KugiNo
Fushiguro was looking for you
Seemed pretty urgent too
So I’ll ask again
What did you do to get this kid
— who has been avoiding you like the plague —
might I add, to come bolting around looking for you?
What??
Yuuji’s pulse suddenly increased, his hands becoming clammy as the gripped onto his phone.
Fushiguro was looking for him?
But why? He had been avoiding him for like… ages.
Yuuji ate his food quickly, finishing it in the car, so he would be able to immediately find Fushiguro.
“Woah, slow down Yuuji. You’re going to choke. Or get a stomach ache,” Panda said, watching him in bewilderment.
“Salmon,” Inumaki agreed before chomping down on his own food.
-
“Fushiguro?” Yuuji asked, sliding down the hall and opening the boy’s door. The room was empty. Great.
He looked around, trying to figure out where the boy could possibly be, before a soft glow from under his own door caught his eye.
He shuffled over to the door, his hand hovering just above the handle, before he opened it.
A startled boy looked up at him from the floor when he stepped inside.
“Fushiguro?” He asked, walking over slowly, as if not to scare a small kitten, before stopping dead in his tracks.
In the raven haired boy’s hands was a frame. A photo frame that had a picture Kugisaki had taken.
He looked up from the photo, feeling as if he were unable to breathe or move when he found the other already staring at him.
“Why do you have that?” Yuuji asked quietly.
Megumi’s cheeks flushed slightly as he looked down at it, running his thumb down the side of the frame.
“I looked at this a lot, you know,” Megumi started, sighing deeply before he continued. “When you were gone. I don’t have many photos of us, and the ones I do I’m always scowling. I think,” he said, pausing a bit to consider something, “I think this is the only one where we’re both smiling.”
Yuuji blinked. That had not been what he was expecting. A lot? How much is a lot?
“I’m sorry, you probably weren’t expecting to find me in here after everything,” Megumi said, yet he made no effort to get up or leave.
“Kugisaki said you wanted to see me,” Yuuji replied, hoping the boy wouldn’t run away and would actually talk to him. Come to think of it, this was the longest conversation the pair had had since before the incident.
“Ah,” Fushiguro breathed. “Did she just?”
Yuuji just nodded dumbly, feeling as though he was stuck to the spot.
“I wanted to apologise,” he began, making Yuuji’s eyes widen instantly. “It was selfish and cruel of me to avoid you for so long, especially after you just came back.”
Megumi huffed, looking back down at the photo before pulling it to his chest.
“I think I was just so scared, because what if you came back and — and then you left for good? I took my anger out on Gojo, but he helped me realise that maybe the reason I’m so scared is because I care so much. And I do, Yuuji. I care so damn much that it hurts. But I can’t just avoid you because of that, otherwise what happens when you do actually go?”
Megumi looked up and his eyes now shone, and Yuuji just stood there, unable to do anything but just stare at this boy.
“I don’t want you to go Yuuji,” he admitted, voice watery. “Please don’t go.”
Yuuji’s body moved on autopilot, surging forwards and to his knees as he hugged the crying boy, his own tears threatening to break loose at any moment.
The minute he wrapped his arms around Megumi, the boy dropped the photo to hug Yuuji, clinging onto him, fingers twisted into his shirt, as if he were terrified Yuuji would disappear.
Yuuji couldn’t find the right words, couldn’t find any words, more accurately, as he too clung to the dark haired boy.
“I’m not going anywhere Fushiguro,” Yuuji sniffed.
“B-but you can’t know that for sure!” The other boy replied, his voice shaky and watery as he cried.
Yuuji just tightened his grip on Megumi, running a tentative hand through his inky hair — and it was so soft.
“I’m alive Megumi, and now I’ll fight even harder, okay? So don’t be sad, please don’t be sad.”
“You promise?” Megumi asked quietly, as if he didn’t believe Yuuji.
“I pinky promise,” Yuuji said, and even if he couldn’t actually promise nothing would happen to him, it seemed to ease Fushiguro — and Yuuji, too, in the process.
Megumi sighed a bit, his tears seemingly coming to an end as he sniffled, moving his head slightly. Yuuji froze briefly when the boy’s head came to rest on his chest, over his heart.
“‘M sorry,” he began, “please, just… can we stay like this for a bit?”
The position was a bit awkward, and honestly Yuuji was a bit uncomfortable so he came up with a suggestion.
“We can just go to my bed… if you’d like?” Yuuji said, becoming rather embarrassed at his forwardness quite quickly, though Fushiguro didn’t seem to mind, because he was now nodding slightly against the pink haired boy’s chest.
As the two moved over to the bed awkwardly — neither wanting to let go of the other — the photo lay on the ground, forgotten.
Yuuji situated himself on the bed first, gently tugging Megumi onto the bed, who complied easily, and shuffled over to lay his hand and head on the left side of Yuuji’s chest.
Yuuji felt his pulse quicken, his face flushing when he realised Megumi would be able to hear it — but he never commented on it.
It had been quiet for so long that Yuuji thought the other boy had fallen asleep, Fushiguro having been so still as well, until he spoke.
“This is nice,” he sighed contentedly, though he did sound quite tired, unlike Yuuji, who had volts of electricity coursing through his veins. The pink haired boy just hummed in agreement, not quite trusting his voice enough to speak aloud.
“I like listening to your heart, it helps make it all feel real.”
Yuuji didn’t know what to say, so he let out an embarrassing “Yeah.”
There was another long stretch of silence until, “Hey, Yuuji?”
The hand that had been passing through the soft tufts of Megumi’s hair stilled.
“Yeah?”
The boy on him took a deep breath, and Yuuji could swear he felt his breath stutter.
“I-I… goodnight.”
Yuuji’s brows furrowed in confusion.
“What were you going to say?”
“…um, just I’m really sorry.”
“It’s okay Megumi. I forgive you.”
“Thank you, and uh, never mind.”
For some strange reason, Itadori started feeling weird at Fushiguro’s strangeness, but he decided to let it go — saying it was just because they were both exhausted.
“Okay then. Goodnight Megumi...”
Both boys fell asleep, jumbled together with the same three words on the tips on their tongues — but they were both cowards.
