Archive of Our Own

Yuuji jumped awake.

It finally hit him all at once.

He had finally accepted his feelings for Megumi. He had finally confessed those feelings to Megumi. And somehow, blessed by the Human Earthworm gods, he was planning a real date with Megumi.

It had all happened too fast. Too well. Too easily.

One second he was having a sexuality crisis in the depths of the night. The next he was sharing a kiss with his best friend.

They had kissed. They had held hands. They liked each other.

But what were they?

Wait. What actually happened next?

He couldn't believe it, but he found himself at the mercy of Nobara's grace again. She was the one who had helped him acknowledge his feelings for Megumi in the first place. And now she was the one who was going to help him with the next steps-

"Get out."

Yuuji's eyes went wide. "But Kugisaki, pleaseee."

She shouldn't have offered a helping hand back then. Because now she was playing cupid to two hopeless boys. Her two best friends, at that. And for once, she didn't want to be squeezed in the middle of them.

They were disgustingly cringe.

"Can't you spread your lovey-dovey germs to someone else?" She pressed her thumbs hard in rapid succession on her phone. "I'm busy right now."

"Kugisaki. Please help me." Yuuji fluttered his eyelashes. "I'll get you a bubble tea."

Her thumbs stopped. The game over screen lit up across her device. Her eyes finally grazed over Yuuji.

"You've piqued my interest."

They walked into town together. The streets were busy, the morning air cool against their skin. Yuuji was practically bouncing as they walked.

Nobara noticed. Of course she noticed.

"You're smiling too much." She said.

"I'm not smiling."

"You're literally beaming. It's disgusting."

Yuuji tried to flatten his mouth into a neutral line. It lasted about three seconds before the smile crept back.

Nobara sighed. "This is going to be a long walk."

They stopped at the bubble tea shop first. Yuuji ordered her usual - less ice, less sugar, extra pearls - and handed it to her like a peace offering.

She took a long sip. "Acceptable."

He offered to pay for her drink, assuming he could get the stamps on his loyalty card. Nobara insisted she was doing him a favour by coming along anyway, so in fact she should be the one receiving stamps.

They were going backwards and forwards, and the queue behind them was growing by the second.

Eventually, the cashier reluctantly gave each of their cards a stamp. A win.

Then they hit the shops. Nobara wanted to browse. And browse. And browse.

Yuuji didn't mind. He was too busy thinking about Megumi to care about anything else.

By the time they left the third store, Yuuji was carrying two shopping bags, Nobara's half-empty bubble tea, and his own drink (which he hadn't even touched).

"You're being useful." Nobara observed.

"I'm always useful."

"You're usually just loud."

They walked in silence for a bit. Yuuji's mind was spinning. He kept opening his mouth to speak, then closing it again.

Nobara finally stopped walking. "Okay, spill."

"What?"

"You've been carrying my stuff for an hour without complaining. I'm starting to feel bad now. Just say it."

Yuuji shifted the bags in his arms. "I... need advice."

"I know."

"About Fushiguro."

"I know. Obviously. But what was it you wanted to ask?" Her hands on her hip.

Yuuji took a breath. "What happens next? Like... we kissed. We held hands. We said we liked each other. But I don't know what that means. Are we boyfriends now? Do I ask him to be my boyfriend? How do you even ask someone that?"

Nobara stared at him.

"Is it the same for two guys?" Yuuji continued, spiraling. "Is it different? What if I do something wrong? What if he thinks we're already boyfriends and I ask and it's weird? What if he doesn't think we're boyfriends and I assume and it's even weirder? What if-"

"Itadori."

"-what if I mess this up completely and he changes his mind and-"

"ITADORI."

Yuuji stopped talking.

Nobara pinched the bridge of her nose, and let out a massive sigh. "You're doing that thing again."

He pouted his bottom lip, shuffling in his stupidly bright red shoes and hunched over. "What thing?"

"The thing where you overthink something incredibly simple until it becomes a whole crisis."

"It IS a crisis!"

"It's really not." She grabbed her bubble tea back from him and took a long, dramatic sip. Some pieces of tapioca pearls followed up the straw, then halted as she swallowed. Yuuji watched in anticipation. "You like him. He likes you. You literally just ask him to be your boyfriend. That's it. That's the whole thing."

Yuuji blinked. Then he shuddered. "That's... scary."

"Why is that scary? You literally did the hardest part already."

"Because what if he says no?"

"He already said he likes you."

"But what if he meant 'like' like, not 'like' like?"

Nobara stared at him. "What are you even waffling about right now? You kissed."

"That doesn't mean anything!"

”He kissed your cheek.”

”Still doesn’t mean anything- Wait, how do you know that?”

She rolled her eyes. "You guys aren’t hiding it."

Yuuji buried his face in his hands. "I don't know what I'm doing, Kugisaki."

She was quiet for a moment. Then she sighed, again. She had been doing a lot of sighing lately and not the good kind.

"Look." She said, softer. "I'm a girl. How am I supposed to know what two boys are supposed to do? I've never dated anyone. I'm just as clueless as you are."

Yuuji looked up. "Wait... you haven’t?"

"I'm single and bored and everyone here sucks." She shrugged. "But I've watched a lot of rom-coms. And in rom-coms, the person who likes someone just... asks them out. And then they're dating. And it's cute. And then the end, happy life."

"That's not realistic."

"How’s that not realistic? You're just overcomplicating it because you care too much."

"Is that bad?"

"No." Her voice was gentler now. "It's neither good nor bad. You just care about him.” Then she paused. “Actually, maybe a little too much, because you keep dragging me into it.”

“Still not helpful.”

"Okay fine, here's what you're going to do." She pointed at him with her straw, a few drops of tea flicking onto Yuuji’s face. "You're going to set up a date. A real one. Somewhere nice. Like boujee with candles. And then you're going to ask him to be your boyfriend. And he's going to say yes. And then you're going to stop bothering me about it."

"...That's your advice?"

"That's my advice."

"And it has to have candles?"

"Yes. The more romantic, the better. It shows you put in effort, and that's what I would want if someone asked me out." She paused. "And that's what all the rom-coms do. I'm an expert in that." Her face smug, almost certain.

Yuuji nodded slowly, taking in every word of advice and really, really processing it all. "Okay. Okay, I can do that."

"Good."

"Candles. Date. Ask him." It computed in his mind.

"Exactly!”

"Okay. Okay, I can do that."

"Good."

"And then we're boyfriends?"

"And then you're boyfriends."

Yuuji took a deep breath, the information now finally settled in his mind with a clear result. "Okay. Okay, I can do that."

"Okay, we get it. You can do it. So hurry up and do it."

"I'm just mentally preparing."

Nobara rolled her eyes. But she was smiling. “You’ll be okay, Itadori.”

Then her gaze drifted to the shop window beside them. Her eyes went wide.

"OH. OOOO. Itadori. Look." She grabbed his arm. "Fifty percent off. EVERYTHING."

"What? Where?"

She was already dragging him toward the door. "This is way more important than your love life. Come ON."

Yuuji stumbled after her, still carrying all her bags, his bubble tea, now her bubble tea again, and the weight of an entire romantic date plan.

"But Kugisaki-"

"THE SALE, ITADORI."

He sighed, still processing everything that had been thrown at him earlier. Every last bit of advice and information Nobara expertly provided him.

But as she dragged him into the store, already grabbing clothes off the racks, he realised his chest felt lighter.

He had a plan.

He just needed to execute it now.

Yuuji had never planned a date before. Not a real one, properly.

But if he was going to ask Megumi to be his boyfriend- officially, properly, with words and everything - it had to be special. It had to be romantic. It had to be something Megumi would remember forever and ever.

So he went big.

Too big, probably.

He found a restaurant online. French and fancy and had way too many money signs to count. The kind of place with white tablecloths and candles and waiters in tuxedos. Extra candles, as Nobara insisted. The menu didn't have pictures. The prices didn't have numbers, just dashes, which Yuuji assumed meant "if you have to ask, you can't afford it”.

And he couldn’t afford it. So he borrowed Gojo's credit card.

Gojo had raised an eyebrow but handed it over without question. "Don't buy anything illegal."

"Yes, Gojo-sensei."

"And don't tell Megumi where you got it."

"Yes, Gojo-sensei."

"And if you two break up, I'm charging you interest."

Yuuji decided to ignore that last one.

The night of the date arrived.

Yuuji showed up in his cleanest jacket, which was still not much different from his usual hoodie get up, and immediately realised he was underdressed. Everyone around them was wearing things that probably cost more than his entire wardrobe. Even the cost of his phone in his pocket still wouldn’t cover half of the jewels that bedazzled the necks of those who walked in.

Megumi arrived two minutes later. He was wearing a dark shirt. A nice one. His hair was slightly neater than usual. And he had worn a cleaner pair of shoes.

He dressed the part much better than Yuuji ever could, and Yuuji forgot how to breathe.

"Hey." Megumi said, casually.

"I'm not staring." Yuuji stared.

Megumi hit his shoulder. "At least try and not make it obvious."

Yuuji blinked. "Huh? Oh. Sorry. You just look..."

"What?"

"...Nice." Yuuji's voice came out strangled, his throat dry from holding his breath for too long. "You look nice. Really nice.”

Like, we should definitely be boyfriends, right this very second, nice.

Megumi's eyes darted away. "Thanks. You do too."

They stood there awkwardly for a moment.

Megumi broke the silence. "Should we...uh go in?"

Yuuji shook his head, snapping back to reality. Megumi's appearance shouldn't have been that compelling, he really didn’t look much different, but Yuuji’s eyes kept sweeping over him. His heart felt loud, so so painfully loud. "Yes. Definitely. Let's go in."

The restaurant was worse than Yuuji imagined.

Candles on every table. Loads of them. Soft music playing from a string instrument that Yuuji forgotten the name of. Waiters gliding between tables like they were floating, like they were angelic with an unusually glowy aura about them. Everyone was speaking in hushed voices, like they were in a library instead of a restaurant.

Yuuji and Megumi did not belong here. That much was clear.

They sat across from each other. The menu was handed to them, a black and heavy leather encasing. Yuuji opened his.

It was in French.

He stared at it.

Megumi stared at his.

"This is in French.” Megumi whispered.

"I know." Yuuji’s voice quiet, unsure if it was because everyone else in the restaurant was also speaking in this barely audible manner, or if it was because he was embarrassed.

"Neither of us speaks French."

"I know."

"Why did you pick a French restaurant?"

Yuuji thought back to Nobara's words. She sourced all her materials from rom-coms, so of course Yuuji did the same.

And every rom-com involved Paris in some way. The city of love.

And Yuuji wanted to make it as romantic as possible, because he was planning to ask Megumi to be his boyfriend.

Therefore, one plus one equals French restaurant.

"Because Paris is the city of love!" Yuuji exclaimed, but immediately hushed his voice when he saw a few turned heads.

"We're not in Paris."

"No, but the vibe is-"

"The vibe is out of our budget."

"The vibe is romantic."

Megumi stared at him.

"Kugisaki said-" Yuuji stopped. Clamped his mouth shut.

"She said what?"

"Nothing."

"You just said her name."

"I said nothing."

"You're hiding something."

"I'm not hiding anything." Yuuji was definitely hiding something. His face was doing the thing where it turned red when he lied. Megumi knew that face.

Megumi squinted at him. "What are you planning?"

"Nothing!"

"You're a terrible liar."

"I'm an excellent liar."

"You're literally drenched in sweat."

"It's warm in here!"

"It's almost December."

"The candles are very hot."

Megumi stared at him. Yuuji stared back. Neither of them blinked.

"You're so strange." Megumi said finally.

"You knew that when you started dating me."

"We're not dating yet. You haven't asked."

Yuuji's brain short-circuited. "Right. Okay. Hold that thought. After dinner."

And before Megumi could question him further, a waiter appeared. "Bonsoir. Avez-vous choisi?"

Yuuji and Megumi stared at him

"Uh." Yuuji said. "We'll have... uh..."

He pointed at something on the menu. Randomly. Desperately.

The waiter nodded and turned to Megumi.

Megumi pointed at something else. Also randomly.

The waiter left.

"I think you just ordered snails." Megumi said.

"What?"

"I'm pretty sure you just ordered snails."

Yuuji's stomach turned. “Why w- Wait, how certain are you??”

"Escargot is the only French word I know."

Yuuji’s face dropped in horror. "This is a disaster."

The food arrived.

Yuuji’s dish, the snails, arrived on a silver platter. There was a tiny fork. A tiny clamp. Everything about it was tiny and expensive-looking.

Megumi’s dish came with a lid. The waiter removed it with a flourish. Steam billowed out. Someone at the next table clapped.

Yuuji wanted to die.

"This is the most embarrassing meal of my life." Megumi said.

"Same."

Megumi looked at Yuuji, scanning his face. "Why did you do this?"

"I wanted to impress you!"

He exhaled a small sigh. "You could have impressed me with instant ramen and an egg."

"Is the bar that low?”

The snails were actually fine. The mystery dish, the one with the lid and the clapping, was also fine. But the whole experience was so stiff, so formal, so not them that Yuuji couldn't enjoy any of it.

Megumi looked tensed too. Not angry. Just... awkward. Like he was sitting in someone else's body.

Yuuji's heart sank.

I messed up.

The bill came.

Yuuji grabbed it before Megumi could see the total, to which his heart almost dropped. Way too many digits to count. He slid Gojo's credit card inside the leather folder and handed it back to the waiter with what he hoped was a confident nod.

The waiter returned a few minutes later. He handed the card back to Yuuji with a polite smile.

"I'm sorry, sir. This card has been declined."

Yuuji's heart and soul left his body. It couldn’t have gotten worse and yet somehow it just did.

"What?"

"It appears the card is failing to process this transaction."

Yuuji stared at the card. Were snails at a fancy French restaurant considered illegal? Is that why it wouldn't process? Or maybe, is Gojo actually broke?

Megumi sighed. He pulled out his own wallet. "How much?"

Yuuji waved his hands out. "I can pay-"

"You can't. Your card was declined."

"It's not MY card-"

"I don't want to know." Megumi handed his card to the waiter. "Just... put it on this one."

The waiter nodded and disappeared.

Yuuji buried his face in his hands. "I'm so sorry."

"It's fine."

"It's not fine. I ruined everything."

"You didn't ruin anything." Megumi's voice was soft. "You just... tried too hard."

Yuuji looked up. "I just wanted it to be perfect."

Megumi's ears went pink. "Why does it have to be perfect?"

Yuuji bit his tongue.

They walked back to Jujutsu High in silence. The stars were out. The air was cool. The city hummed quietly around them. Yuuji's stomach was full of snails and regret.

"So," Megumi said finally. "Why did you do all that?"

Yuuji swallowed. He'd imagined this moment a hundred times. Candlelight. Soft music. The perfect words spilling out of him like something from a movie.

Instead, he was walking down a dark street, everything gone terribly wrong, and Gojo's declined card burning a hole in his pocket.

But it was now or never.

"I wanted to ask you something."

Megumi stopped walking.

Yuuji stopped too.

"I wanted to ask you..." Yuuji's voice cracked. "Do you want to be my boyfriend? Officially? Not just... whatever we've been doing. But actual. Boyfriends."

Megumi stared at him.

The breeze caught his hair. The streetlight caught his eyes. He looked soft and startled and something else, something that made Yuuji's chest ache.

"I thought we already were.” He said quietly.

Yuuji blinked. "Really?"

"Really."

"You didn't say anything!"

"You didn't ask!"

"I'm asking NOW!"

"And I'm saying yes." Megumi's voice was barely a whisper. "Obviously."

Yuuji's heart exploded. A supernova behind his ribs. He could feel it in his throat, his fingertips, the tips of his ears, everywhere all at once.

"So all of this..."

"Was completely unnecessary."

"I thought I had to make it official!"

"You could have just asked."

"But I wanted it ROMANTIC."

Megumi sighed. But he was smiling. A real smile, small and private and just for Yuuji.

"You're an idiot." Megumi said.

"Your idiot."

Megumi's ears went pink. His gaze dropped to the ground, then back up.

"You can call me Megumi." He said quietly. "Now. If you want."

Yuuji's breath caught.

He'd thought about this before. In the dark of his room, when he couldn't sleep. Wondering what it would sound like. What it would feel like. Megumi's given name, just for him.

No one else called him that. Just Yuuji.

"Megumi." He said.

The name felt new in his mouth. Warm. Precious. Like something he'd been holding onto without knowing it.

Megumi's eyes flickered. Something soft passed over his face.

"Now you." Yuuji continued, his voice softer now. "What do I get to be called?"

Megumi tilted his head.

"You call me Itadori." Yuuji said. "But since you're my boyfriend now, what are you calling me?"

Megumi's ears went pink. He was quiet for a moment.

"Yuuji." He eventually said.

The sound of it, his name, in Megumi's voice, soft and quiet and just for him, made Yuuji's chest ache harder. In the best way possible. In the only way possible when he was with Megumi.

"Say it again." Yuuji whispered.

"Yuuji."

Megumi stepped closer. Their chests almost touched.

"One more time." Yuuji breathed.

"Yuuji." Megumi said, barely a whisper this time, and his breath ghosted across Yuuji's lips.

Yuuji kissed him.

Soft at first. Gentle. Like they were both afraid to break it. But then Megumi's hand came up to cup Yuuji's face, his thumb brushing across Yuuji's cheekbone, and Yuuji melted into him.

The world fell away. The streetlights, the stars, the lingering taste of snails, none of it mattered.

There was only Megumi. His hand, his lips, the quiet sound he made against Yuuji's mouth.

When they finally pulled apart, both of them were breathing harder.

Megumi's ears were crimson. His eyes were bright.

”That was our first official kiss as boyfriends.” Yuuji grinned, and Megumi nodded.

"Now that we are boyfriends, I do have one request.”

Yuuji tilted his head.

”No more overly fancy French restaurants."

"Deal." Yuuji nodded, overly excited. "What about a picnic?"

Megumi hummed. "A picnic could work."

"Or a movie? Like Human Earthworm?"

"Don't push it."

They started walking again. Hands still intertwined. Shoulders brushing.

"Megumi." Yuuji said.

Megumi's hand tensed slightly around his. Just a small reaction. A tiny tightening of fingers. Like the name still caught him off guard. Like he needed to get used to hearing it.

"What?"

"Nothing. Just wanted to say it."

Megumi's hand relaxed.

"Yuuji." He said back.

Yuuji's heart soared.

They walked back to Jujutsu High in a comfortable silence, hands tightly intertwined and the stars, bright and still, watching overhead.

It wasn't the perfect date Yuuji had imagined.

But it was theirs.

And hearing Megumi say his name, Yuuji, was worth every single snail.

The stares started small.

An elderly sorcerer in the hallway. A group of  them whilst eating. None of them said anything. They didn't have to.

They just looked.

Yuuji had never cared what anyone thought. He'd never been ashamed of who he was. But their eyes felt heavy. Judging. Disapproving.

He caught one of them staring during breakfast, an old woman with grey hair and cold eyes. She looked at him. Looked at Megumi's hand in his. Looked back at him.

Then she turned away.

Yuuji's stomach dropped.

"What's wrong?" Megumi asked.

"Nothing."

"You're pale."

"I'm fine."

Megumi followed his gaze. Saw the woman. His jaw tightened.

"Don't." Megumi said quietly, his jaw tightened.

"Don't what?"

"Don't let them get to you."

"I'm not."

"You are."

Yuuji pulled his hand away. "I said I'm fine."

The word hung between them.

Megumi didn't push. But his expression flickered.

The stares kept happening. Every day. In the hallways, at meals, during training. Yuuji tried to ignore them. Tried to tell himself it didn't matter.

But at night, alone in his room, he couldn't stop thinking about them.

Why do they look at us like that?

What did we do wrong?

Is it wrong?

He pushed the thoughts down. Buried them. But they always came back.

The letters started next.

Megumi found the first one tucked under his door. Thick paper. A wax seal. The Zenin crest.

He opened it. Read it. His hands shook.

"What is it?" Yuuji asked.

Megumi handed it over without a word.

Yuuji's hands shook. "Distractions?"

Megumi's jaw was tight. "They mean you."

More letters came. Each one worse than the last.

"The vessel is a liability."

"You have a duty to produce heirs."

"This is not a request."

Megumi ripped them up into shreds, then burned every single one. Leaving no trace. Because neither of them deserved to read those words for simply existing.

But the words lingered.

Yuuji had taken photos of each letter, and started reading them when Megumi wasn't looking. He couldn't help it. The words crawled under his skin.

Liability. Distraction. Wrong.

He tried to push them down. Tried to focus on training, on missions, on Megumi's hand in his.

But at night, alone in the dark, the words echoed.

Then came the messenger.

A Zenin lackey in traditional robes who cornered Megumi after a mission, off school grounds, when Yuuji wasn't there.

"The Zenin clan is disappointed.” The man said. "The Ten Shadows technique passed over to a boy who refuses to continue the bloodline."

Megumi's fists clenched. "I don't belong to you."

"You carry Zenin blood. You carry Zenin technique. You will always belong to us."

The man smiled. "And your little boyfriend? Sukuna's vessel? How disgraceful to tarnish yourself in this manner."

He left.

Megumi stood there, shaking with rage.

That night, Yuuji found Megumi sitting on the steps outside the dorms. Alone. Staring at the sky.

”Room for another?”

Megumi looked up, his eyes bright from the stars. But they held a darkness behind it that Yuuji didn’t recognise

"The Zenin clan sent someone.” Megumi spoke, and Yuuji frowned.

"What did they say?"

"The same thing they always say. That I belong to them. That I have a duty. That you're a distraction."

Yuuji's chest ached. "What are we going to do?"

Megumi was quiet for a long time.

"I don't know.” He admitted. "But I'm not going to let them win."

Yuuji reached over and took Megumi's hand.

"Then we fight." Yuuji said.

"Together?"

"Together."

But that night, alone in his room, Yuuji couldn't sleep.

Distraction. Liability. Wrong.

The words wouldn't leave.

The higher ups assigned them a mission.

Nothing unusual about that. Curse sightings happened all the time. Grade two, they said. Should be easy for the two of them.

But something felt wrong.

The briefing was vague. The location was remote. And the curse was supposedly "not well documented."

Megumi noticed first. "This feels like a trap."

Yuuji looked at him. "You think the higher ups-"

"I think the Zenin clan have something to do with this."

"Should we wait for Gojo-sensei?"

"Gojo's in Kyoto. He won't be back until tomorrow."

Yuuji's stomach turned. "So we're on our own."

Megumi nodded. "We're on our own."

They went anyway. They didn't have a choice.

The curse was not grade two.

It erupted from the ground the moment they arrived, massive, twelve limbs, too many eyes. Its cursed energy was suffocating. The ground beneath it cracked and blackened.

Special grade. No question about it.

"It knew we were coming." Megumi said, dodging a strike that shattered the wall behind him.

"It's not just attacking." Yuuji realised. "It's trying to trap us. Pushing us toward the corner."

"Someone designed this. Someone who knows how we fight."

The curse lunged.

The fight was brutal.

Every time Yuuji tried to close distance, the curse's limbs created barriers. Every time Megumi tried to use shadows, the curse's own darkness pushed back, not countering, but disrupting. Like it had been infused with something that rejected Megumi's technique.

"It's been modified." Megumi said, breathing hard. "There's something inside it. A cursed tool, maybe. Something that interferes with shadow manipulation."

"Can you still use your technique?"

"Barely. But not at full strength."

They were losing. Slowly, steadily, they were losing.

The curse landed a hit. Megumi went flying into a wall. He didn't get up immediately.

Yuuji's heart stopped.

He ran to Megumi's side. Megumi was conscious, barely. Blood dripped from a cut on his forehead.

"We need to run." Yuuji said.

"There's nowhere to run."

"Then we fight."

Megumi’s eyes wavered. "We can't win."

"Then we die together."

Megumi's eyes wavered. For a moment, just a moment, something flickered across his face. Something tired. Something that had been there long before Yuuji knew him.

"We can't win." Megumi sighed.

Yuuji brought him closer. “Then we die together."

Megumi looked at him. Really looked at him. His eyes were wide.

Die together.

No one had ever said that to him before. No one had ever looked at him like that, like he was worth dying beside.

His whole life, he'd been fighting for Tsumiki. That was the only reason. The only thread keeping him tethered to this world. Without her, he would have let go a long time ago.

But now.

Now there was Yuuji.

Now there was someone who looked at him like he mattered. Not for his technique. Not for his bloodline. Just... him.

"I'm not letting you die, Megumi." Yuuji said. "And I'm not dying either. So we fight."

Megumi's throat tightened.

Live, he thought. For once, I want to live.

Not just survive. Not just exist. Live.

He forced himself to his feet. His body screamed. His head pounded. But he stood.

Hands forming the seal. “Domain expansion.”

His shadow exploded outward.

"Chimera Shadow Garden."

The domain expanded, not fully, not perfectly, but enough. It was incomplete, but thanks to the curse pushing them into an enclosed corner, it could work.

The curse froze, caught in the shadow's grip.

Inside the domain, Megumi could move freely. He created clones, shadow versions of himself, each one stepping out of the darkness, surrounding the curse from all sides.

"Now, Yuuji!"

The curse thrashed against the domain's hold. It wouldn't last.

Yuuji ran.

He didn't attack the curse directly. He attacked the clones.

Each punch connected with a shadow clone, soft, barely a tap. Divergent Fist. The first hit, then the delayed second hit.

But the clones weren't real. They were shadows. And when the delayed hits exploded, they didn't damage the clones, they amplified them. Sent them hurtling toward the curse like projectiles.

One clone. Two. Four. Eight.

Each one hit the curse with the force of Yuuji's delayed punches, stacking on top of each other, cracking its defenses.

The domain shattered.

Megumi collapsed to one knee, exhausted. His clones dissolved.

But the curse was staggered. Its limbs twitched. Its core was exposed.

Yuuji drew his fist back. Black sparks flickered at his knuckles.

Black Flash.

The punch connected with the curse's exposed core, and the Divergent Fist followed a heartbeat later, the delayed hit exploding inside the curse.

The curse screamed.

Its body cracked. Darkness poured out of it like blood. The modified cursed tool inside it, a small black shard, fell to the ground, smoking.

The curse dissolved.

Silence.

Yuuji stood over the spot where the curse had been, breathing hard. His knuckles were bloody. His arm was shaking.

Megumi was on the ground, propped up on his elbows, his face pale.

Neither of them spoke for a long time.

Then Yuuji's legs gave out. He sat, laying down next to Megumi. His hands were shaking.

"We almost died." Yuuji breathed out.

"Yeah."

"If you hadn't cast that domain-"

"But I did."

"If I hadn't landed that Black Flash-"

"But you did."

Yuuji looked at Megumi. Megumi looked back.

"We got lucky." Yuuji said.

Megumi was quiet for a moment. "Maybe."

"It was a trap. The higher ups. The Zenin clan. Someone wanted us dead."

"Yeah."

Yuuji's voice cracked. "What if next time we're not lucky?"

Megumi didn't have an answer.

They walked back to Jujutsu High in silence.

The sun was setting. The sky was orange and red, the colour of blood. The colour of almost dying.

Yuuji's mind wouldn't stop spinning. The curse. The trap. The way Megumi's head had hit the wall. The blood.

What if next time he doesn't get up?

What if next time I'm too slow?

What if the only way to keep him safe is to let him go?

The thought made him feel sick.

But Megumi was thinking something else.

He was thinking about the moment before he cast his domain. About how close he'd come to giving up. About how, for years, giving up had been the easiest thing in the world.

I didn't want to die, he realised. I wanted to live.

For him.

He glanced at Yuuji. At his bloody knuckles. At the way his hands were still shaking.

I've never wanted anything this much.

He reached out. Took Yuuji's hand.

Yuuji looked down at their intertwined fingers. Then up at Megumi.

"We're still here." Megumi said.

Yuuji's eyes were wet. "Yeah."

"That's something."

"That's something."

They walked back the rest of the way in silence. Hands locked. Hearts pounding.

They had almost lost everything.

But they hadn't.

Not yet.

That night, Yuuji laid in bed, staring at the ceiling.

The stares. The letters. The messenger. The mission.

Megumi almost died. He almost died.

Because they were boyfriends now.

Because Yuuji had asked him to be.

If you weren't with me, they wouldn't care.

The Zenin clan wouldn't be trying to kill you.

The higher ups wouldn't be setting traps.

You'd be safe.

The thoughts wouldn't stop.

Maybe they're right.

Maybe this was a mistake.

Maybe the only way to keep him safe is to let him go.

He pressed his palms against his eyes. His chest was tight. His throat burned.

He loved Megumi. He loved him so much it scared him.

But what if love wasn't enough? What if love just put Megumi in danger?

He thought back to that first day. His old school. The window. Megumi standing there, looking at him with those tired eyes.

He said he was saving Yuuji because of selfish reasons.

Yuuji had never understood what that meant. Not really.

He understood now.

Megumi had pulled him back from the edge. Had fought for him when no one else would. Had looked at a boy who was supposed to be executed and said no, he deserves to live.

And how had Yuuji repaid him?

By getting him almost killed. By putting a target on his back. By loving him when loving him was dangerous.

Why did you keep me alive? Yuuji thought. Why did you fight for me?

I'm going to get you killed.

I'm going to get you killed because I couldn't keep my hands to myself. Because I couldn't just be your friend. Because I had to ask you to be mine.

He sat up. His hands were shaking.

He couldn't do it anymore. He couldn't watch Megumi bleed because of him.

He opened his own door. Walked to Megumi's room. Knocked.

Megumi opened the door. His forehead was bandaged. His eyes were tired.

"It's late, Yuuji." Megumi said.

"I know."

"What's wrong?"

Yuuji's throat was tight. His voice felt like it belonged to someone else.

"I think we should take a break."

Megumi stared at him. The word hung in the air between them.

"What?"

"A break. From... this." Yuuji gestured between them, the motion too sharp, too desperate. "Dating. Being together. All of it."

Megumi's expression didn't change. But his hands curled into fists at his sides.

"Why?"

The question was quiet. Too quiet.

"Because I almost watched you die today." Yuuji's voice cracked. "Because the Zenin clan are trying to kill us. Because the higher ups want us separated. Because I'm the reason they're targeting you-"

"You're not-"

"I am." Yuuji's voice broke. "If you weren't with me, they wouldn't care. The Zenin clan wouldn't be trying to kill you. The higher ups wouldn't be setting traps. You'd be safe."

Megumi opened his mouth. Closed it.

"Why did you keep me alive?" Yuuji asked. His voice was barely a whisper now. "That first day. At my school. You didn't know me. You didn't owe me anything. Why did you fight for me?"

Megumi's eyes flickered.

"Because you saved me first." Megumi said.

"From what?"

Megumi didn't answer.

"From what, Megumi?"

"From myself."

The words landed like stones.

Yuuji stared at him.

"I didn't care." Megumi said quietly. "Before you. I didn't care if I lived or died. I fought for Tsumiki. That was it. That was the only reason."

He stepped closer.

"And then you showed up. And you were so loud. And so stupid. And so good. And I thought. I thought maybe there was something worth fighting for. Someone worth living for."

Yuuji's eyes burned.

"And now you want to take that away?" Megumi's voice shook. "You want to break up because you're scared?"

"I'm scared because I'm going to get you killed-"

"You don't know that."

"I can't lose you."

"Then don't push me away."

Yuuji broke.

"Every time I close my eyes, I see you on that ground." Yuuji said, his voice cracking apart. "Blood on your face. Not moving. I thought you were dead, Megumi. I thought you were dead. And it was my fault. Because you were with me. Because you're mine."

Megumi grabbed his shirt. Pulled him close.

"Listen to me.” Megumi said. His voice was shaking, but his eyes were steady. "I have spent my whole life not caring if I lived or died. I have walked into fights I knew I couldn't win. I have thrown myself at curses without a second thought."

His grip tightened.

"But today? When I was on that ground? When I couldn't get up? I wanted to live. For the first time in my life, I wanted to live."

Yuuji's breath hitched.

"Because of you, Yuuji." Megumi’s voice began to shake. "Because I thought about never seeing you again. Never hearing you laugh. Never-“

He stopped.

The word hung in the air, unfinished. His throat moved like he was swallowing something heavy. His ears were red. His hands were shaking.

Yuuji waited.

Megumi's gaze dropped to the floor. Then back up. His eyes were bright, wet almost.

"Never telling you," He said, slower now, each word forced out like it cost him something, "that I-"

Another pause. Longer this time.

Yuuji could hear his own heartbeat.

"I love you."

The words landed soft and heavy all at once.

Megumi's voice cracked on the last syllable. His grip on Yuuji's shirt tightened like he was bracing for something, rejection, maybe. Or silence.

"I love you, Yuuji." He said again, stronger this time, like he was surprising even himself.

Tears were streaming down Yuuji's face.

"You want to save people?" Megumi said. "That's your whole thing, right? Saving people?"

Yuuji nodded weakly.

"Then save me."

Yuuji stared at him.

"Save me." Megumi repeated. "Not from curses. Not from the Zenin clan. Not from anyone’s judgement.” He paused. “Yuuji. Save me from myself. From the part of me that doesn't care if I wake up tomorrow."

His voice cracked.

"Be the reason I want to live."

Yuuji couldn't breathe.

"Don't push me away because you're scared," Megumi said. "Fight with me. Stay with me. Love me."

Yuuji broke completely.

He pulled Megumi into a hug, tight, desperate, crushing. His face buried in Megumi's shoulder. His body shaking with sobs.

Megumi's arms wrapped around him. Held him just as tight.

"I love you too, Megumi. So much it hurts." Yuuji choked out. "And I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry-"

"Stop apologising."

"But I almost ended us-"

"But you didn't."

"I can't lose you."

"Then don't."

They stood there in the doorway, holding each other, neither willing to let go.

The world was against them. Everyone who stared and whispered and wanted them apart were waiting for their downfall.

But they were still here.

And they were still fighting.

"What do we do?" Yuuji whispered.

Megumi's hand came up to rest on the back of Yuuji's head.

"We go to Gojo.” Megumi said. "When he comes back. We tell him everything."

"You think he can help?"

"I think he's the only one who can."

Yuuji pulled back just enough to look at Megumi's face. His eyes were red. His cheeks were wet. But he wasn't hiding.

"And until then?"

Megumi's jaw tightened. "Until then, we stay together. We don't hide. We don't run. We don't give them what they want."

Yuuji nodded slowly.

"Together.” Yuuji said.

"Together."

Gojo returned from Kyoto the morning after the mission.

Yuuji found him in his office, still in his travel clothes, reading the mission report. His expression was unreadable. But his hands were still.

"You're back." Yuuji said.

"I'm back." Gojo looked up. "I read about the mission."

"Word travels fast."

"Word travels when two of my students almost die."

Yuuji set the black shard on Gojo's desk. "We found this inside the curse. Megumi says it was interfering with his technique."

Gojo picked it up. Turned it over in his fingers. His face was calm, but his eyes weren't.

"This is Zenin work.” He said quietly.

"You're sure?"

"I've seen their craftsmanship before." He set the shard down. "They've been trying to get their hands on Megumi for years. Now they have a reason to want him gone."

"Because he's dating me."

"Because he's dating someone they can't control." Gojo leaned back in his chair. "You're Sukuna's vessel. You're a liability in their eyes. And Megumi choosing you over them? That's an insult they can't stomach."

Yuuji's hands curled into fists.

"It wasn't just the mission." Yuuji said.

Gojo's eyebrow rose. "What do you mean?"

Yuuji took a breath. The words felt heavy. But he couldn't keep them inside anymore.

"The stares." He said. "They started weeks ago. The higher ups. They look at us like we're doing something wrong. Like we're dirty."

Gojo's expression didn't change. But his jaw tightened.

"Then the letters," Yuuji continued. "From the Zenin clan. They said Megumi was wasting the Ten Shadows technique. That he had a duty to produce heirs. That I was a distraction."

He pulled out his phone. Scrolled to the photos he'd taken, copies of the letters before Megumi burned them. He set the phone on Gojo's desk.

Gojo picked it up. Read. His face was very still.

"There was a messenger too.” Yuuji said. "Someone from the clan. He cornered Megumi off school grounds. Threatened him."

Gojo set the phone down. "And the mission?"

"Misgraded. Special grade, not grade two. It was definitely a trap to get us killed."

"Or separated."

"Or separated."

Gojo was quiet for a long moment. His fingers tapped against the desk.

"Why didn't you tell me sooner?" Gojo asked. His voice wasn't angry. It was something else. Something heavier.

Yuuji looked down at his hands. "I didn't want to bother you."

"Bother me."

"You're busy. You have higher ups to deal with. Missions. Other students. I thought-"

"You thought wrong."

Yuuji looked up.

Gojo's eyes were serious behind his blindfold. No trace of his usual grin.

"This is not a bother." Gojo said. "This is exactly the kind of thing I need to know. Zenin sending threats? The higher ups misgrading missions? Stares from those traditionalists?" He leaned forward. "This is how it starts, Yuuji. Small things. Then bigger things. Then people get hurt. You and Megumi were hurt.”

Yuuji's throat tightened.

"I was scared." Yuuji admitted. "Not for me. For him. I almost-" He stopped. Swallowed. "I almost broke up with him. Last night. I thought if we weren't together, he'd be safe."

Gojo was quiet.

"What stopped you?" Gojo asked.

Yuuji thought about Megumi's hand grabbing his shirt. His voice shaking. Save me, Yuuji.

"He did." Yuuji said. "He said he'd rather be scared with me than safe without me."

Gojo's expression flickered. Something passed over his face, fast, fleeting, almost sad. Then it was gone.

"He's smarter than you.” Gojo said.

"I know."

"Much smarter."

"I know."

"Good." Gojo stood. "Now. Tell me everything. Every letter. Every stare. Every detail you remember."

Yuuji nodded.

And he did.

An hour later, Gojo had a notebook full of notes, a grim set to his jaw, and a plan.

"The Zenin clan are acting out of line.” Gojo said. "The higher ups are complicit. That ends today."

"What are you going to do?"

Gojo smiled. It didn't reach his eyes.

"I'm going to have a conversation."

"I'm coming with you."

"No, you're not."

"They tried to kill us-"

"And they'll try again. But not today." Gojo walked toward the door. "Today, I remind them why I'm the strongest."

He paused at the threshold.

"Yuuji."

"Yeah?"

"You did the right thing. Telling me." Gojo glanced back. His voice was softer. "I know it wasn't easy."

Yuuji's chest ached. "Gojo-sensei... why do you care so much?"

Gojo was quiet for a moment. The shadows under his eyes seemed deeper.

"Because I've lost people," He said. "People I should have protected. People I could have saved, if I'd acted sooner." He looked at Yuuji. "I won't make that mistake again."

He left.

Yuuji stood in the empty office, the black shard still on the desk, Gojo's notebook still open.

Yuuji sat down in Gojo's chair.

He thought. And he thought. And he thought.

And he waited.

Gojo walked into the higher ups' chamber without knocking.

They were already gathered - five old men in ornate robes, seated in a semicircle. They looked up as he entered. None of them looked surprised to see him.

"Gojo," the eldest said. "We heard about the mission. Unfortunate."

"Unfortunate," Gojo repeated. "That's the word you're using."

"A curse misclassification. These things happen."

"These things happen when someone deliberately misgrades a special grade curse and sends two children to die."

The room went silent.

"You're making accusations," another elder said.

"I'm stating facts." Gojo's voice was light, but his presence wasn't. "The curse had a Zenin-crafted cursed tool inside it. Designed to interfere with shadow manipulation. Designed to kill Fushiguro Megumi."

"Perhaps someone wanted to test the vessel-"

"Test?" Gojo laughed. It was cold. "You tried to kill my students. And you used Zenin resources to do it."

The elders exchanged glances.

"You have no proof.” One of them said.

"I have the shard. I have their testimonies. And I have me." Gojo stepped forward. "You know what I can do. You know what I've done. And you know I've been patient."

He stopped in front of the eldest.

"That patience is running out."

The room was silent.

"The Zenin clan…” The eldest said slowly, "…has long desired the return of the Ten Shadows technique. If they chose to act on that desire... it is outside our jurisdiction."

"Then stay out of it."

"And if we don't?"

Gojo smiled. It didn't reach his eyes.

"Then I'll remind you why I'm the strongest."

He turned to leave. Then stopped.

"You tried to kill children." Gojo said, not looking back. "Children who trust me. Children I promised to protect."

He glanced over his shoulder.

"I will always side with the youth. Against anyone. Including you."

He walked out.

The elders sat in silence.

"He's becoming a problem." One of them muttered.

"He's always been a problem." Another replied.

The eldest held up a hand.

"We will... pause. For now. Gojo is too powerful to confront directly. And the vessel... the vessel is still useful."

"Useful?"

"Sukuna's fingers. We still need them."

He looked toward the door Gojo had walked through.

"We will wait. For now."

Gojo found Yuuji waiting in the hallway.

"Well?" Yuuji asked.

Gojo kept walking. "They're backing off. For now."

Yuuji fell into step beside him. "For how long?"

"Long enough." Gojo glanced at him. "Long enough for you to breathe."

They walked in silence for a moment. The hallway was empty. The afternoon light slanted through the windows.

"You're worried," Gojo said. It wasn't a question.

Yuuji didn't deny it. "They almost killed us."

"But they didn't."

"Next time-"

"There might not be a next time." Gojo stopped walking. Turned to face Yuuji. "Or there might. I can't promise you safety, Yuuji. I can't promise you that the stares will stop, or the letters will stop, or the higher ups will suddenly become good people."

Yuuji's hands curled into fists.

"But here's what I can promise you.” Gojo continued. "You have something worth fighting for. And so does he."

Yuuji looked up.

"Don't let them take that from you.” Gojo said. "The fear. The shame. The staring. Don't let them make you small."

"They already-"

"They haven't." Gojo's voice was firm. "You're still here. You're still holding his hand. You're still choosing him, every day, despite all of it. That's not weakness, Yuuji. That's strength."

Yuuji's throat felt tight.

"I know it's hard," Gojo said, softer now. "I know the stares get under your skin. I know you lie awake at night wondering if you're doing something wrong. Wondering if they're right."

Yuuji's breath hitched.

"They're not," Gojo said. "You're not wrong for liking him. You're not wrong for loving him. And anyone who tells you otherwise, whoever they are, don't get to decide what's right for you."

Gojo's gaze drifted, just for a second, toward the window. Toward the sky. Toward somewhere far away.

"You're not the first person to feel this way," Gojo said quietly. "And you won't be the last. But the ones who let fear win? They're the ones who end up alone."

His voice was light. His expression was neutral. But something flickered behind his eyes. Something old. Something heavy.

"You're going to have moments of doubt," Gojo continued, pulling himself back. "Moments where you want to hide. Moments where you wish you were different. That's normal. That's human. But don't let those moments win."

He reached out and rested a hand on Yuuji's shoulder.

"You like a boy," Gojo said. "So what? He likes you back. That's more than most people ever get. Don't waste it being scared of what other people think."

Yuuji wiped his eyes with his sleeve.

"Go be with him," Gojo said. "Hold his hand. Go on bad dates. Watch terrible movies. Be awkward and young and in love. Because that - that - is worth more than anything the higher ups could ever take from you."

Yuuji laughed. It came out wet. "That was... actually really nice."

"Don't tell anyone. I have a reputation."

"I won't."

"And Yuuji?"

"Yeah?"

Gojo's voice was quiet. "Cherish it. Every awkward moment. Every stolen glance. Every time he says your name. It goes by faster than you think."

He smiled. But it didn't quite reach his eyes.

Yuuji nodded.

Gojo ruffled his hair. "Now go. He's waiting."

Yuuji turned to leave. Then stopped.

"Gojo-sensei?"

"Yeah?"

"Thank you. For... all of it. For protecting us."

Gojo's expression softened. Just for a moment.

"Always." He said.

Yuuji walked away.

Gojo stood in the empty hallway, staring at the light through the window.

The ones who let fear win? They're the ones who end up alone.

He closed his eyes.

Then he turned and walked back to his office.

That night, Yuuji found Megumi on the steps outside the dorms.

"Gojo talked to the higher ups." Yuuji said, sitting down next to him.

"What happened?"

"They're backing off. For now."

Megumi was quiet for a moment. "That's not going to last."

"No. But it's enough. For now."

They sat in silence, staring at the stars.

"Are you okay?" Yuuji asked.

Megumi thought about it. "I don't know. Are you?"

"I don't know either."

They leaned into each other. Shoulders touching.

"We're still here.” Yuuji said.

"Yeah."

"That's something."

Megumi's hand found Yuuji's. Their fingers intertwined.

"That's something." Megumi agreed.

The next day, Yuuji visited his grandfather's grave.

He went alone. He needed to.

The cemetery was quiet. It always was.

He knelt in front of the headstone, brushing away dead leaves.

"Hey, Grandpa," He said quietly. "It's been a while."

The wind blew through the trees.

"I met someone," Yuuji said. "His name is Megumi. He's my best friend. And my boyfriend."

He paused.

"I know that might be weird for you to hear. I know you grew up in a different time. But I hope you'd be okay with it. Because he makes me really happy."

He thought about the mission. About almost dying. About Megumi's bloody forehead and his shaking voice saying I love you.

"Things are hard right now," Yuuji admitted. "The higher ups don't like us. The Zenin clan wants him back. People stare. People whisper. We almost died."

His voice cracked.

"But I don't want to lose him. I don't want to let them win."

The wind blew again. Soft. Warm.

Yuuji wiped his eyes.

"I'm not going to give up," He said. "I'm going to keep fighting. Keep holding his hand. Keep being with him. Because that's what I want. That's what I choose."

He stood up.

"I hope you'd be proud of me."

He walked back down the hill.

Megumi was waiting at the bottom, leaning against a tree, hands in his pockets.

"How was it?" Megumi asked.

"Good. I think he would've liked you."

Megumi's ears went pink. "Yeah?"

"Yeah. You're both grumpy."

Megumi sighed. But he was smiling.

Yuuji reached out and took his hand.

They walked back together.

Weeks passed. Then months.

The stares didn't stop entirely. The higher ups still grumbled. The Zenin clan still schemed. But nothing happened. No more traps. No more letters. No more messengers.

Yuuji didn't know what Gojo had done. He didn't ask. He just noticed that Gojo looked a little more tired, a little more guarded. But he never complained.

And life went on.

They had their first proper picnic, no snails, no fancy waiters, just a blanket under a tree and cheap convenience store food. Megumi complained about the ants. Yuuji fed him a strawberry anyway. Megumi ate it. Then complained about the sugar.

"You're impossible." Yuuji said.

"You knew that when you started dating me."

"I did. Tragically."

They watched bad movies in Megumi's room, shoulders touching, hands intertwined. Megumi fell asleep halfway through every single one. Yuuji never moved him.

They trained together. Fought together. Almost died together. And every time, they came back to each other.

Yuuji learned that Megumi took his coffee black. No sugar. Yuuji called him a psychopath. Megumi called him dramatic.

Megumi learned that Yuuji hummed when he was concentrating. He never mentioned it. He just listened.

They had their first real fight, over something stupid, something neither of them could remember the next day. They apologised awkwardly. Megumi said "I'm sorry" first, which shocked Yuuji so much he forgot to be mad.

They may have had their first "I love you" in a doorway at midnight, shaking and scared and real.

But then they said it again. And again. Until it became easy. Until it became breathing.

"You know." Yuuji said one evening, sprawled across Megumi's floor, "I only just thought about it recently."

Megumi didn't look up from his book. "What?"

"The Toudou thing. His notebook."

Megumi's ears went pink. "What about it?"

"When he asked for everyone's type. But I always wondered..." Yuuji sat up. "Why did Toudou even start that questionnaire? Like, out of nowhere? One day he just started asking everyone. It was weird, even for him."

Megumi was very quiet.

Yuuji's eyes narrowed. "Megumi."

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"Your cheeks are red right now."

"They're not."

"They're practically glowing."

Megumi closed his book. Stared at the ceiling.

"I may have... suggested it to him…" Megumi said quietly.

Yuuji blinked. "You what?"

"I may have mentioned that it would be interesting to know everyone's types. For bonding purposes. Or whatever."

"You told Toudou to ask everyone their type?"

"I suggested it."

"That's the same thing!"

Megumi's ears were crimson. "I wanted to know what you would say."

Yuuji stared at him. "You could have just asked me."

"And hear you say tall girls with big butts? No. This was funnier."

"You orchestrated my entire sexuality crisis!"

"I orchestrated knowing what your type was. The crisis was all you."

Yuuji opened his mouth. Closed it. Opened it again.

"Seriously?" Yuuji asked. "You did all that... just to find out what I'd say?"

Megumi nodded.

Yuuji burst out laughing.

"Toudou was so invested!"

"I gave him a purpose."

Yuuji laughed harder. He was crying now, tears streaming down his face, doubled over on Megumi's floor.

Megumi watched him, arms crossed, ears burning.

"You could have just asked." Yuuji said when he finally caught his breath.

"And miss watching you spiral for days? Never."

"You're terrible."

"You've mentioned."

Yuuji wiped his eyes. Grinned at Megumi.

Later, they walked back to their rooms. The hallway was empty. The lights were dim.

"See you in the morning?" Yuuji asked.

"Sure."

Yuuji leaned in and kissed Megumi. Not soft this time. A little longer. A little deeper.

Megumi made a small sound against his mouth.

When they pulled apart, both of them were breathing harder.

"You're getting better at that." Megumi said.

"Lots of practice."

"Maybe we should practice more."

Yuuji's brain short-circuited. "Are you... is that..."

"Goodnight, Yuuji."

He disappeared into his room before Yuuji could respond.

Yuuji stood in the hallway, heart pounding, face burning.

He was never going to sleep.

But that was okay.

Because he had Megumi— Megumi had him.

And being together is a beautiful place to be.