Work Text:
Yuuji watched Megumi a lot…He paid attention to the manner in which he talked, trained, and moved. If Megumi had just entered a room, Yuuji was the first to notice and greet him with a beaming smile. They were best friends. Of course, he was attentive to every move Megumi made. No other reason…
But because of this, Yuuji noticed that Megumi always got up early in the morning. To do what? He didn't know. All he knew was that he looked tired and often nodded off during their afternoon classes. What could be so important to him that he would sacrifice precious sleep? Yuuji knew how important sleep was to Megumi.
Because of this, Yuuji was determined to find out. The only issue is that he struggled to wake up on time. Every day, he set his alarm earlier and earlier, but when he awoke, Megumi would already be gone.
Darn it, Yuuji thought to himself as he left his room to see Megumi once again was already gone. It's 7:30 am! How much earlier can a guy wake up?
“I'll get you next ti-” A yawn interrupted his sentence as he went back to his warm bed.
---
Megumi groaned at the sound of his alarm. He reached out blindly to turn it off. The silence that stretched out after was blissful, and he found himself drifting back to sleep.
They won't be happy with me… Megumi thought as he adjusted in bed. Inside him were two wolves: One who wanted to stay in bed and the other…
Wait, a minute. Actually, inside him were two dogs, BOTH of which wanted to be taken on their demanded morning walk and would be very displeased with him if he slept in.
Groaning Megumi rolled out of bed and, still half-asleep, got ready.
“Demon dogs,” he murmured, forming the dog with his hands.
WOOF, Shiro barked as soon as he formed, and Kuro bounded up to Megumi, wagging his tail.
“Shhhh! Shiro, not so loud, you’ll wake the others!” he scolded while giving Kuro some pets on the head. Megumi brought his other hand up to pet Shiro, too. He could never stay mad at him.
“Come on you two,” he said, turning towards the door.
---
WOOF
Yuuji awoke to the loud noise coming from next door.
“Whaa,” he said, delirious. He heard movement from the other side of the wall. Megumi!
Hurriedly, Yuuji jumped out of bed and got dressed. He had thought this through. He would wear workout clothes, so if Megumi saw him and questioned what he was doing up, he could just say he was going for a run or something.
Using his insane speed, he dressed quickly. Checking the time, he saw it was 6:30 am. Horrified and jaw agape, Yuuji thought, why on earth would Megumi do this to himself?
Yuuji pressed his ear by the door, listening as Megumi exited his room and walked down the hall to the exit. Peaking his head out, Yuuji saw he wasn't walking alone, he had summoned his demon dogs!
Was there danger? Was Megumi in trouble? Yuuji’s mind immediately went to the craziest possible scenarios. What if he inherited the debt from his father and has to fight in an illegal fighting ring every morning till he pays them back? Or what if-no stop that Yuuji, don't let yourself get distracted.
Shaking his head, he followed behind his friend.
---
Megumi knew immediately that someone was following him, and it didn’t take him long to figure out that it was Yuuji. Megumi suddenly stopped walking and turned towards the bush he knew Yuuji was (unsuccessfully) hiding in.
“What do you think you’re doing?” Megumi demanded.
Shit, Yuuji thought. How’d he see me? I was so stealthy…
“Oh Fushiguro! Didn’t see you there,” Yuuji said while trying to be as casual as one can be while exiting a bush.
“Mmm hmm,” Megumi hummed, with one eyebrow raised. “And what are you doing at this time…in a bush?”
“Oh uh, you know just some pre-run stretching. I heard from Shoko that its better for your muscles if you stretch uh… in nature…” Yuuji trailed off.
“So you’re on a run?” Megumi ask, eyebrow not leaving its perched state.
“Yep!”
“At 6:30am?”
“Yep!”
“And you were stretching in a bush,”
“That’s right!”
“Right,” Megumi sighed.
Good job Yuuji! He totally believes you, Yuuji thought to himself.
I don’t believe him for one second, Megumi thought.
“So what are you doing out here so early?” Yuuji said as he walked up to stand next to Megumi and his creatures.
Shiro and Kuro were thrilled to see Yuuji and wagged their tails in delight when Yuuji bent down to give them some love.
“I’m taking these two on a walk,” Megumi responded. As he watched Yuuji lovingly pet the dog’s fur, an unfamiliar feeling bloomed in his chest.
I wish he’d comb his fingers through my hair like that.
Megumi threw the thought from his mind.
“I didn’t know shikigami needed walking,” Yuuji said, laughing as Kuro licked his cheek.
“Yeah, well these are two very high-maintenance shikigami,” Megumi muttered. “Don’t you have a run to get to?” He asked.
“A run? Oh yes, my run! Well, what if I just joined you on your walk? Runs are boring anyway and then I could spend more time with you!” Yuuji said with a smile.
Megumi ducked his head so Yuuji wouldn’t see the blush forming in response to his words.
“Do what you want,” he muttered and turned to start his usual loop.
“Yay!” Yuuji cheered before running to catch up to him.
---
Yuuji started accompanying Megumi on his walks everyday. The 6:30 am wake up was not easy, but he got up because of his motivation for some alone time with Megumi. The look of surprise and joy that would briefly flash across Megumi’s face when he saw Yuuji in the morning was worth the tiredness he’d feel at the end of the day. Just that extra hour together was worth so much Yuuji.
That’s why when his alarm would ring at 6:30am he didn’t groan or hit snooze. He bounced out of bed and rushed out the door.
This particular morning, Megumi greeted him like usual (barely acknowledging his presence) but then headed out in a different direction than usual.
“Oh?” Yuuji asked when he saw this.
“I wanted to do something different today,” Megumi explained without looking at him. The dogs ran off ahead, clearly excited in this new route full of new smells.
The path they took went by the river and was much more wooded than their usual route around campus.
Yuuji’s eyes glittered in awe at the beautiful scenery.
“Yo Fushiguro, did you see that?! A fish just jumped out of the river! It jumped so high!” Yuuji said excitedly. In his excitement, he had grabbed Megumi’s hand and started pulling him in the direction he saw the fish.
Megumi’s heart skipped a beat. Yuuji’s hand was so warm compared to the cold morning air and his skin buzzed where they touched.
“Did you see it?” Yuuji asked, turning to look at Megumi.
“Yea,” Megumi lied. All he had seen were the stars in Yuuji’s eyes and how excitement lit up his face.
He’s so pretty… Megumi thought.
“It’s so gorgeous out,” Yuuji sighed. He turned to look at Megumi, “Almost as gorgeous as you,” Yuuji said with a wink.
“Uh,” Megumi’s brain was not computing. “UHHH?” Megumi roared. Yuuji bursted out in laughter, clutching his belly.
“You should see your face right now! Its so red,” Yuuji laughed.
“You jerk,” Megumi growled, smacking Yuuji over the head in his classic fashion.
“Ow!” Yuuji cried out but that still didn’t stop him from laughing.
Shiro and Kuro looked between the two humans in confusion.
Just when Megumi was about to turn around and stomp back to campus, Yuuji slowly came down from his laughing fest.
“I’m sorry but its true! Now come on, let’s go back,” he said and started walking back.
Megumi looked down at their still conjoined hands.
We are still holding hands you idiot.
Megumi squeezed Yuuji’s hand tighter.
---
Things started to change after that walk. For one, they held hands A LOT. It would always occur under the guise of them “showing each other something” but then neither would let go. Yuuji also kept finding every excuse in the book to compliment Megumi; gorgeous was just the beginning. Stunning, beautiful, pretty, magnificent, ethereal (Megumi didn’t know Yuuji even knew that one). And it was getting harder and harder to ignore the voice in his head that wanted to make Yuuji his, that wanted to breach the line and break down the walls he so perfectly built up.
It was a walk like any other; they were sitting hand in hand on a bench on the path, the demon dogs peacefully snoozing away beneath their feet. Yuuji was ranting about the latest Human Earthworm movie and how epic and awesome it was, and Megumi…wasn’t listening. He was too busy tracing the lines of Yuuji’s face, imagining his lips on his and his eyes gazing at him with more than friendship. What does Yuuji look like when he’s in love?
You’ll know when he falls for some pretty girl, the voice inside his head said.
But what if…?
How could Yuuji, bright and bold, fall for someone like him?
It’s hopeless.
…
…
…
You won’t know unless you try.
“Itadori,” Megumi said, getting the other’s attention.
“Yes?” Yuuji responded, turning his full attention to him.
“I-” Megumi didn’t even know what to say. I have a crush on you? I think about you night and day? You plague my thoughts and I want to kiss you on the lips?
“I like yo-”
RING RING
“Oh! I’m so sorry Fushiguro, it's Gojo. I should see what he wants,” Yuuji apologized and picked up the call. “Gojo? What’s up?”
Megumi sat frozen, his heart beating a million miles per second.
“Okay, I’ll be right there. I’m so sorry Fushiguro, I have to skiddadle, but I’ll see you tomorrow and tell me what you were saying then!” Yuuji said as he started running back to the school.
---
Megumi tried not to panic, but it was really hard not too. He had pretty much failed at confessing to his crush, and then said crush sprinted away from him. He didn’t see Yuuji the rest of the day. He ran into Gojo, who when he asked where Yuuji was, just said he’d be back tonight.
Tonight, huh?
That gave him the evening to prepare for tomorrow. Tomorrow he would try again.
---
Megumi was panicking. Tomorrow had come, and Yuuji was no where to be found.
He heard me, Megumi thought.
He heard me the first time and is now avoiding me. He was probably so grateful Gojo interrupted, saved him the task of turning me down. Why did I ever think he could like me back?
Megumi sunk in on himself, trying to calm his breathing. Shiro and Kuro nuzzled him with their noses and whined quietly.
Gojo said he would be back by yesterday night. So he must be purposefully not joining me.
“I know, I know. You want to go on your walk,” Megumi muttered while trying to wipe the never ending tears from his eyes. The dogs stared up at him and growled.
They did not give two shits about a walk right now. They just wanted to see their owner happy.
“Come on, some fresh air will do me good,” he said, straightening his posture and heading out.
It was lonely without Yuuji. Megumi didn’t realize how fond he’d grown of Yuuji’s mindless chatter. For so long he did these walks just him and his dogs, but then a wonderfully chaotic being forced his way into Megumi’s routine and he to admit, he missed him.
---
“Shit, I’m tired,” Yuuji groaned. The curse Gojo had sent him to exorcise took all day and even bled into the next. He checked the time, only to see it was 7:00 am the next day!
Yuuji hadn’t slept, or ate, plus he was a little worse for wear having sustained quite a few injuries. Despite this, Yuuji’s first thought when looking at the time was not of food or sleep but of a certain black-haired sorcerer.
I’m missing our morning walk!
Yuuji jumped up, quickly calling Ijichi.
“Ijichi! I need to get back to the school ASAP!”
---
The cool wind felt good on Megumi’s puffy eyes. He had done his normal walk and was now sitting on the same bench him and Yuuji sat on yesterday.
If only I could take it back… he thought.
Why did I have to be so selfish?
His demon dogs curled up around him, sitting on the bench even thought they know they weren’t supposed too.
I didn’t even cry like this when my dad left, what makes Yuuji so special that he can hurt me this way?
I will get over him…with time.
Megumi sniffled.
“Fushiguro!” Uh?
Megumi lifted his head towards the familiar voice. There, he saw Yuuji sprinting top speed (damn that guy could run) towards him. What on earth?
Megumi watched as Yuuji got closer and closer with no signs of slowing down.
This dumbass! He’s gonna run into the benc-
“Oof,” Megumi groaned as Yuuji collided with him, jumping onto him and the bench.
The two groaned in pain in unison, Yuuji especially loud.
“Ow ow ow,” Yuuji muttered, slowly rolling off Megumi and sitting on the bench like a normal person.
“It doesn’t hurt that bad, quite being a wuss,” Megumi said reaching up to hit him in his classic fashion before stopping when he saw the state Yuuji was in. “What happened?! We need to go to Shoko and get you healed,” Megumi said quickly, standing up to head to the infirmary. Yuuji grabbed his hand and pulled him back down.
“In a bit, you had something you were telling me first,” Yuuji said with a sly grin. Megumi’s face slowly turned red.
“You,” Megumi accused.
“Me,” Yuuji said back. Yuuji’s smile suddenly dropped. “I’m sorry for ditching you this morning. I didn’t know the mission Gojo sent me on would take so long,” he apologized.
Megumi shook his head.
“You don’t have anything to apologize for,” he responded.
“Soooooo,” Yuuji said suggestively. “I believe we were interrupted last time.”
Megumi took a deep breath. He looked into Yuuji’s eyes and saw the love he had failed to see before. Oh so this is what he looks like in love.
“I like you, Itadori,” Megumi said voice sounding more confident than he felt.
“I like you too, Fushiguro,” Yuuji responded, smiling wide. “Does that mean we can kiss now?”
Megumi rolled his eyes. Not taking it slow, I guess.
“Yes, this means we can kiss,” Megumi said, answering Yuuji’s smile with one of his own.
“Epic,” Yuuji breathed as he moved closer.
Epic indeed… Megumi thought as their lips finally connected.