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CHAPTER 1 "SEVEN MINUTES IN HEAVEN"
It was an ordinary evening among friends after a battle.
Usually, things weren't this loud, and everyone was together. But tonight was different. Tonight, there were only four of them.
Maki, Nobara, Yuji, and Megumi were scattered around the living room. The smell of alcohol filled the air. Two, four, ten, no, twelve empty bottles lay beside the trash can. Out of everyone present, Nobara and Maki were probably the drunkest. What they didn't notice, however, was that Megumi and Yuji had been cheating. Most of those bottles had actually been emptied into the sink.
It was already 1am. Nobody was asleep yet. Eventually, the music stopped. Maki grabbed a bottle and stood up in the middle of the room.
"I've got an idea," she announced.
Everyone looked at her.
"OHHHHHHHHHH!" Nobara shouted.
"How about a game 'Seven Minutes in Heaven'?"
The grin on her face made it clear that excuses weren't accepted.
Everyone was playing.Whether they wanted to or not.
Megumi sighed from his corner while Yuji stared intently at the TV on the opposite side of the room. Pretending not to hear. Because, honestly, the game scared him a little. What if the bottle landed on him?
"Hey, Yuji. We know you can hear us. Get over here."
Maki walked over and dragged him into the center of the room by the hood of his sweatshirt. Before he could even react, he was already there. Why was he here? Why had he agreed to come to this party-or whatever this even was? Why hadn't he protested?
What exactly was he hoping for? He didn't know. Nobody knew, damn it.
Nobara grabbed one of the empty bottles from beside the trash can, sat down, and spun it as hard as she could. The bottle spun.
And spun. And spun. Then suddenly stopped.
It pointed at-
"Oh..."
Megumi froze. The bottle had landed on him. He definitely hadn't expected that. Laughing, Maki spun the bottle again. This time it spun even longer. Why was everyone holding their breath Especially Megumi... Then the bottle finally slowed. And stopped. Who did it land on? Who the hell did it land on?
The answer was exactly what Yuji had been afraid of.
It pointed at him.
His shocked and slightly terrified reflection stared back at him from the cracked glass of the bottle.
Nobara and Maki exchanged a glance.
A second later they were practically shoving both boys toward the large closet while the two desperately resisted. Eventually, resistance became pointless. The closet door slammed shut.
Why was it so dark in here? It was barely possible to see their own hands.... Or their legs.... Or.... AHEM....(sorry)
Silence fell between them. And what an incredibly irritating silence it was.
"So, what do you think of the result, Fushiguro?"
Yuji finally broke the silence.
Megumi glanced toward him, barely able to make out the faint outline of his bright pink hair in the dim light slipping through the door.
"Honestly? I was hoping it'd land on Maki and Nobara. At least they wouldn't remember any of this in the morning."
He paused.
"Instead, I'm completely sober. And judging by you, you were cheating too."
Yuji relaxed slightly. The anxiety, however, remained.
"Wait , are you scared?"
Megumi teased. Which was funny, considering they both seemed nervous for some reason.
"And from the look of it, you're practically shaking."
Yuji immediately shot back.
"Oh, shut up."
Silence returned.
"I'm asking Gojo tomorrow if he's ever seen you like this or if I've somehow discovered a rare artifact."
Yuji laughed. Megumi immediately grabbed him by the hood.
The sudden movement knocked a box off a shelf. It fell straight toward them. Megumi instinctively shielded Yuji with his own body.
That caught Yuji off guard.
"Hey, no matter what happens, let's just sit down and calm down, okay?"
Yuji tried to steady his voice.
"You shouldn't be breaking people's hearts. A girl confessed to you today. You promised you'd give her an answer-"
Megumi cut him off by moving closer.
"I don't care about them."
A brief pause.
"You knew that, didn't you?"
Then he leaned in even closer.
Close enough that their lips were only inches apart.
"The only person I've ever wanted was you."
His voice was barely above a whisper.
"And honestly? I don't care if you don't feel the same way."
But Yuji never heard the rest.
He interrupted Megumi with a kiss.
Megumi kissed him back immediately.
When they finally pulled away, it was only because they needed air.
"So it is mutual, huh?"
Megumi asked softly.
"You like me too?"
.....,.......
"Of course not."
Yuji answered.
What? Why? Why did Megumi's heart suddenly stop?
Silence again.
Then Yuji smiled.
"You don't get it."
"Then explain."
"You don't just like someone."
Yuji's face felt impossibly warm.
"I love you, Megumi Fushiguro."
For a moment neither of them spoke.
Then they kissed again.
And this time, neither of them felt the need to say anything at all.
After that, silence settled over the closet once more.
Not the awkward kind.
Something different. Something warm.
The kind of silence that made your heart beat faster.
Yuji let out a nervous laugh and looked away, even though nobody could really see anything in the darkness.
"Why are you so quiet?" he asked softly.
Megumi remained silent for several seconds.
"I'm thinking."
"About what?"
"About how you always say the most important things like they're completely ordinary."
Yuji snorted.
"What was I supposed to do? Write a ten-page speech?"
"That would be very in character for you."
"Not true."
"It is."
Both of them smiled.
A loud cackle suddenly came from outside the closet.
"ARE THEY EVEN ALIVE IN THERE?!"
It was Nobara.
"DON'T INTERRUPT THEM!"
Maki immediately shouted back.
Then silence returned. Megumi leaned against the wall of the closet.
"You know..."
"Hm?"
"I never thought I'd say this."
"Say what?"
"That I need someone."
Yuji froze. Megumi always seemed strong. Always calm. Always like someone who could handle everything on his own. Hearing him say something like that felt almost impossible.
"You're an idiot, Fushiguro."
"Thanks."
"No, seriously."
Yuji smiled.
"You don't have to carry everything by yourself."
A quiet sigh escaped Megumi.
"Maybe."
"Not maybe."
Another pause.
"Definitely not."
Outside, distant thunder rumbled across the sky. A summer rain began tapping softly against the window. And somehow, right then, the closet felt like the safest place in the world. As if all the noise, all the battles, all the curses and problems had been left far away.
Leaving only the two of them.
"Hey, Yuji."
"Yeah?"
"When they finally let us out of here..."
"Hm?"
"Let's not explain anything to anyone."
Yuji laughed.
"You do realize Nobara's going to interrogate us."
"I know."
"And Maki's going to stand right beside her making everything worse."
"I know."
"And Gojo will find out within five minutes."
"I know that too."
Yuji couldn't stop laughing anymore.
"Then we're doomed."
"Completely."
They sat together, listening to the rain. And for the first time in a very long time, the future didn't seem quite so frightening.
Because now, they wouldn't have to face it alone.