Archive of Our Own

Megumi’s peaceful sleep is broken by a sharp pounding on his door.

“Megumi! I know you’re awake, let me in!” He hears Nobara yell. 

Groaning, he opens his eyes and pitches his brow. He rubs his tired eyes and considers just letting her break down the door. Gojo had suggested that living with someone he knew well when he went to college would be a weight off his shoulders, less stress about consistent socializing, and more time feeling comfortable. And while he did feel that sense of comfort with Nobara, her chaos was completely impossible to ignore. 

Getting up, he moves to unlock the door before she manages to break through herself. He turns the lock only to be smacked in the face with it as Nobara barrels in uninvited. He holds his face, seeing stars for a moment as Nobara basically runs him over. He turns to glare at her, but she has already started rummaging through his drawers, completely undisturbed by his state. 

“I was sleeping for your information.” He sneers. 

“Yeah yeah,  I need to go through your jewelry, I’m meeting Maki for coffee, not my fault your sleep schedule is fucked.” She says, unbothered, chucking a pair of socks at him as she tears apart his room.

Megumi just sighs, moving back towards the bed to sit down, “Desk, top shelf.” He says. Resting an arm on his knees and holding his head in his palm. 

She springs into step, grabs the glass dish where he keeps his jewelry, and joins him on the bed so she can empty its contents on the sheets.

Megumi levels her with a blank stare, grumbling under his breath at her dramatics, but he’s too groggy to find any energy to kick her out. “Don’t you have your own earrings to pick through?” 

Nobara’s face turns sour as she sorts through the arrangement of silver, “Just wanted to try something different.” She says simply. 

“Uh huh.” Megumi says, “So this has nothing to do with Yuta?” 

Nobara’s face scrunches, “I don’t get what she sees in him, emo is so outdated.” 

Megumi quirks an eyebrow at her, “Are you trying to insult me? While I’m letting you tear apart my room and steal my stuff?” 

Nobara shushes him, “At least you pull it off.” She says, holding up a pair of silver dangle earrings with a star design. “He’s just a wannabe poser who is greatly interfering with my love life.” 

Megumi sighs, reaching over to pick up one of the pairs. It's subtle, a silver heart with barbed wire around the chain it dangles from. Megumi rarely wore it anyway, he doesn’t even remember where he got it from. Likely a gift from Geto, who always gets him an arranged pack of jewelry on every occasion. 

He hands it over to her, “Here, you don’t need anything flashy.” 

Her eyes brighten, snatching the earrings from his palm and shooting up from the bed to his mirror to put them in. “Perfect Megs!” She exclaims, turning her head from side to side, admiring the way the delicate chains chase her movement. She turns back to Megumi, who had begun to pack all the rejected pieces of jewelry back. “You should come by the way, everyone's gonna meet at the coffee shop, and then we’re all probably gonna go to the fair to walk around.

“Yuta’s going? I thought this was a date?” 

“Well, I asked her for coffee, then she said we should make it a group thing-”

“You asked Maki out, then she invited a bunch of other people to your date?” Megumi deadpans, “Nobara, this might be a lost cause.” He says, getting up to put the dish back on his desk.

Nobara smacks Megumi lightly on the shoulder, “It’s not! Trust me, I’ve got a plan. She’s probably just nervous, and what better way to stop that than to make it a group thing?”

“Wait, you invited everyone without asking me?” He says, he doesn’t really care, if she had invited him he probably would’ve turned her down anyway. 

“I did invite you, you just never answer texts.” She scoffs.

“I was sleeping.” He says, checking his phone, where, sure enough, there was a text two hours ago from Nobara. 

“Whatever, now get dressed, we’re meeting them in 30 minutes.” 

“I’m not going.” He says, moving back to his bed. 

“Yes, you are. You’re my good luck charm! I need your broody ass there so me and Maki have something to laugh about.”

“You’re funny.” He glares, getting back under the covers. “I’m still not going.” 

“C’monnn, put Gojo’s money to good use and buy me a coffee.” She wines. 

“No.” He says, pulling the covers up to his chin and shutting his eyes forcefully.

“We can stop at that dog park next to-” 

“No.” he says. 

“And I think Yuuji’s coming.” 

Megumi eyed her smirking figure from under the blanket and cursed himself for being so readable. 

“You’re impossible.” He muttered, though the blankets slipped from his shoulders anyway. 

She grins, “You’re welcome. Now get ready.” She says, turning to open his closet door and sort through his wardrobe.

-

The walk to the coffee shop is short. Their apartment is close to downtown, and while most of their friends live in dorms, Megumi and Nobara share a sizable apartment just a few blocks away. After high school, the two had decided to go to college together, Megumi studying literature, and Nobara studying fashion. Maki had transferred a semester later, being unsatisfied with her old school's Phys Ed program, and Nobara, who had been harboring a not-so-discrete crush since being introduced to her by Megumi in high school, was ecstatic. 

“Maki is your cousin?” She had basically screamed when Megumi mentioned her transferring. “Why do you never tell me anything?” 

To be honest, Megumi never purposely kept secrets; he just never deemed most things worth writing home about. So having Nobara be so upset about him never mentioning his relation to Maki was a bit unsettling. So, being the good friend he was, he properly introduced them. They seem to hit it off well. Nobara may have been overcompensating a bit, and her chatter seemed more scattered than usual, but Maki didn’t seem to mind or notice. 

The three of them began to meet more, and Maki eventually invited more people from her year. Inumaki, Panda, and Yuta began to fit right into their mix, and they began to find each other together more than not. Whether it was them going to see Maki play in her softball games, Megumi joining them at the dorms to help Inumaki and Nobara study, or just the group of them lounging at the apartment, watching shitty movies, and taking shots of vodka as they took a break from studies to just be. 

To put it simply, Megumi’s college life was going better than he imagined. 

Except now at least. Now he felt sick.

It's late October, a cooling breeze sweeping Megumi’s bangs as the two of them walk on the cobblestone path. The bright shades of leaves shift around the ground as the two walk, crunching under the weight of Megumi’s boots. 

Shivering, Megumi pulls the sleeve of his sweater down further. Nobara wouldn’t let them leave until she deemed his outfit acceptable, which took much longer than it should have. After shooting down all her choices, and stopping her from dipping into her own closet for options, she finally caved and let him wear some ripped jeans with a plain navy sweater, She on the other hand, seemed content, despite wearing a short black skirt over tights with a dusty pink sweater, a sweater that Megumi had to make her change into when he checked the weather.

Nobara was chatting away, gossiping about some girl in her class who apparently interrupted her presentation to fact-check her, though Megumi was only half listening.

His mind kept circling back to Yuuji. Not on purpose, his thoughts just tended to end up there. His feelings weren’t new, and they weren’t as secretive as he hoped they would be.  

He met Yuuji during his freshman year orientation with Nobara. Nobara and Megumi had been split off into different groups, leaving Megumi alone to suffer quietly under the repetitive and frankly boring drawls from seniors reminiscing about times they spent at the quad and activity centers, stories that seemed far too perfect and unrealistic for Megumi’s college expectations. 

After taking a walk around campus, the group stopped for a break in the field outside the dining halls. It was a hot August afternoon, and Megumi was practically dying even in just his black t-shirt and jeans. Some people were tossing a football around down the field, and others were sitting in the grass chatting loudly. Then the young girl leading Megumi’s group began to speak again. 

“Okay everyone! Let’s break into groups and introduce ourselves a little more. You guys can just talk to the people next to you and tell each other about your major, where you’re from, and maybe some fun facts about yourself.” She said kindly, clapping her hands with a smile. 

Megumi just stood there, perfect. He knew he should have just snuck off and joined Nobara’s group. It’s not that he’s incapable of being alone and talking to strangers, but it doesn’t make it any less of a chore. At least with Nobara, she could take over and do the talking, maybe be a bit obnoxious, but at least Megumi wouldn’t have to deal with randoms by his socially reclusive self. 

A cheery and soft voice interrupts his thinking. 

“Hey, guess we’re the last ones huh?” the voice says. 

Megumi looks to his side and has to hold his breath. 

In front of him stands a man with sun-warmed skin and hair the color of rose gold under the bright sun, his smile bright enough to make the air feel thinner. Megumi looks around, making sure he’s actually talking to him and this isn’t just a figment of his imagination.

To his surprise, they really are the only two left, the rest of the group loudly chatting with each other and laughing. Megumi can’t help but wonder why this guy wasn’t joining a more cheerful group. There are countless other cheery people around talking as if they knew the others forever, and yet, this man is looking at Megumi, reaching out to talk to him of all people. 

Megumi meets his warm brown eyes, “Uh, yeah. Looks like it.” 

He smiles brightly, and Megumi is almost blinded by his sharp white canines. “I’m Itadori Yuuji!” He says, raising a hand in a friendly gesture. “What’s your name?” He asks. 

Megumi nearly gulps, and he hopes his sweating can be read as due to the heat. “Fushiguro Megumi.” He simply says. 

Itadori’s grin widens. “Nice to meet you, Fushiguro. So, what are you studying?” He asks, head cutely tilting to the side.

Megumi has to clear his throat. “Comparative literature.” He tries. “You?” 

“Whoa cool! What’s that like? Like comparing Shakespeare to, uh, Batman comics?” He asks sheepishly.

Megumi snorts, “Something like that. What about you?” 

Yuuji rubs the back of his head, “Totally not as cool as you, but I’m doing physical therapy.” 

Megumi raises his eyebrows, “Really? That’s actually interesting.” 

Yuuji laughs, “You think so? I dunno, I kinda wasn’t sure what to do with my life, but I like helping people, I like sports and stuff, so I thought, hey, why not do both?” 

Megumi hums, “Yeah, you seem like the type.” 

Yuuji looks at him curiously, tilting his head, “Hm? What do you mean?” 

Megumi feels his throat close. He clears his throat, licking his lips. “Um, well, you just seem…Kind, I guess? Like if someone was in trouble, you’d jump in without thinking. I mean, not that that’s always smart or anything—just…yeah..” 

To his relief, Yuuji smiles and laughs again. “Well, for your information I probably would.” He says brightly.

Megumi feels his shoulders relax. This was strangely easy. Talking to Itadori he means. Usually talking to anyone, including even Nobara sometimes, felt like pulling teeth. But here, with this Itadori, on a sweltering hot day in a place he didn’t even care to be in, he felt...comfortable. The realization made him scared. He looks back at the boy in front of him, who’s still smiling brightly as if Megumi had done anything worthy of it. Fuck. 

If Megumi wasn’t already going to die from the heat, Itadori might be the alternative. 

They exchanged numbers, but Megumi had a sinking feeling that was that. Until later, as he and Nobara were organizing their apartment, listening to Nobara’s pregame playlist, and sipping way too sweet cocktails Nobara made, Megumi got a text. 

heyy! :)) 

is this fushiguro? 

it’s yuuji 

itadori yuuji lol

Against his better judgment and wishes, his stomach does a flip. He types back with shaky hands, angling himself away from Nobara, who's reaching higher than her abilities to hang up a pair of string lights. 

Hey, yeah this is Fushiguro. 

It was nice meeting you today. 

Megumi internally winces at the formality in his response. Before he can further spiral and possibly block the number in his wake, three dots appear on the screen. 

it was nice meeting you too!! 

are you busy tomorrow?? 

theres this new bakery near campus and apparently their croissants make people cry 

i need to know if thats true lol 

if your not busy ofc :00 

Megumi's lips lift into a smile against his own accord. Before he can draft a response his phone is ripped from his grip. 

“Who’re you texting?” Nobara asks, holding his phone out of his reach as he scrambles to yank it back.

“Nobody!” Megumi exclaims, glaring heavily at her as she basically runs across the room from him. 

“Oh my godd, you met someone?” She yells, reading the messages. “Why do you never tell me anything? Don’t you know I live for this shit?” She exclaims, smirking at him and his red face. 

Megumi finally yanks his phone back, face red and eyes glaring heavily down at her. “No one.” 

“Ohh really?” She sings, “'Cause you’re totally blushing right now. Is he cute? Jesus I leave you alone for a few hours and you already had a meet cute.” She teases. 

Megumi’s eyes narrow, and he turns away from her as if that will take away his blush and embarrassment. 

“It was not a meet cute.” He mutters, lifting the collar of his t-shirt to hide his face. 

“But I’m sure he was.” She smirks. “C’mon, out with it. What’s his name? Major? And how the hell did he sway you into getting your number? He must’ve been hot as hell.” She wiggles her eyebrows teasingly. 

Megumi sighs, “Yuuji.” He mutters. 

“Awee, my little Megs is growing up.” She croons. “What? Did he totally sweep you off your feet and save you from socializing without your very smart, very beautiful best friend to be there instead?” 

“There was no sweeping off my feet you idiot.” He glares. “He was just…nice, okay?” 

“Nice guys don’t just have you a blushing mess Megumi. 

Megumi groans, “Just drop it Nobara.” 

“Okay fine, but you’re gonna meet him tomorrow right? You have to Megs, my single ass needs to live vicariously through you or I’ll die, I swear.” She says, grabbing his shoulder. 

“I’ll think about it.” He says, brushing her off and turning around to busy himself with unboxing some kitchen utensils.

“I can’t believe school hasn’t even started and you already have a love life. You two better not get together before I find somebody.” She threatens. 

“Yeah right.” 

She finally decides to drop it and continue to help him unpack, fixing themselves another drink in the meantime. Megumi gladly takes her offering, likely a discreet apology for her badgering, but Megumi pointedly needed something to shake the fuzzy feeling in his stomach. 

Later, as Megumi is lounging on the couch after watching a frankly horrible movie with Nobara, he opens his texts. He gives a look to his side, where Nobara is snoring loudly as she lies dead on the couch next to him, her legs draped over his knees and one hand behind her head. 

are you busy tomorrow?? 

He stares at the message for far too long. Fuck it, he thinks. 

Sounds good. Text me the address. 

He puts his phone to his chest, raising a hand to his face to cover his smile. 

Now they were sophomores, and to his great horror and embarrassment, Megumi’s feelings were still extremely present. 

He tried to ignore them, hoping the butterflies in his stomach would just eventually go away. But the more he grew to know Yuuji, the less manageable they all became. To make matters worse, he was adeptly aware of how obvious his feelings showed. Nobara grilled him relentlessly about how much he sucked at trying to hide it. Hell, even Maki must have some idea, he wouldn’t put it past Nobara to be gossiping to her. He really couldn’t be surprised. 

Eventually, Nobara did her usual habit of inserting herself into his problems, and insisted on meeting Yuuji. When he refused, thinking it was too soon, he was meeting Yuuji for coffee after class, and Nobara spawned in to introduce herself. Megumi knew giving her his location was a bad call, but she insisted her anxiety was driving her crazy and she needed to be able to check if he was alive, an obvious lie that Megumi fell for. 

“So you're the famous Yuuji!” She had said, eying Megumi sneakily from the corner of her eyes. 

And that was that, the three of them began to meet together more, and Megumi hated to admit it, but he was secretly glad. 

He was just grateful and extremely fortunate that Yuuji was perhaps the most oblivious idiot Megumi had ever known. Megumi hates to admit it, and he never would out loud, but the fact was strangely endearing. 

A loud snap wakes him from his daze. 

“Um hello, earth to Megumi,” Nobara asks with an edge to her voice. She’s holding her hand up to his face, waving tauntingly to get his attention. 

Megumi cleared his throat, he didn’t realize just how far he spaced out. “Sorry, what did you say?” 

Nobara sighs, “You gotta calm down Megs, it’s just coffee, and we’ll all be there to be a buffer if you fuck up and embarrass yourself alright?” 

“I’m not freaking out Nobara, I’m fine.” He says, continuing to walk ahead. He didn’t realize how far they had walked, they were just a block away and the fact made him instinctively walk slower. 

“Nope, none of that. I can tell when you’re lying.” She says, catching up to him. “Megumi, he likes you. You don’t have to stress.” 

He lets out a breath he didn’t realize he was holding. “Okay. Yeah. Thanks.” He mutters. 

She bumps his shoulder with hers. “So does this mean you’re paying for my coffee?” 

He sighs, faking annoyance, but his lips betray him and lift into a small smile. “Don’t count on it.” 

They finally reach the entrance to the coffee shop, it’s a small brown building with large windows with long vines of green hanging down from the ceiling like curtains. A comforting yellow hue illuminates the room with the soft lights that hang low from above. 

Peering into the glass, Megumi spots everyone inside. Maki is sitting legs crossed on a stool, gesturing with her hands widely as she talks. Next to her is Yuta, a smile on his face as he listens attentively to her chatter. Inumaki is sitting next to him, looking bored as he types on his phone, and Panda, sipping a huge iced coffee with whipped cream smeared across his face, is laughing in his stool, almost tipping over completely. 

Yuuji is nowhere to be found.  

Megumi opens the doors, and he and Nobara walk in. The smell of strongly brewed coffee hits his face, and the sounds of chatter and quiet laughter echo throughout the room. He follows as Nobara makes a beeline to their table, walking confidently in contrast to Megumi, who's dragging his feet heavily across the wooden floor. 

Maki looks up, and a grin forms on her lips. “About time.” She says. “And you got the local recluse out of his bed I see.” 

Nobara basically sprints over, rushing to sit in the empty seat beside Maki. “You know he can never say no to me.” She says, sitting down and ushering Megumi to the table. 

When he sits, Maki moves to slide two cups to both of them that Megumi hadn’t noticed were sitting there. “Ordered for you guys.” 

Nobara grows concerningly quiet, eyes wide and lips forming a perfect O, her cheeks reddening. Megumi smirks at her as he reaches for his coffee, raising the cup to his face to hide his taunting grin, eyeing Nobara out of the corner of his eyes. 

“You knew my order?” Nobara asks, looking between Maki and the cup of boba tea in disbelief. 

Maki shrugs, “It’s not hard to remember.” 

Nobara must be about to combust, Megumi thinks. She busies herself by wrapping her small hands around the cup and poking the straw through the top. Megumi can’t shake his small smile and has to force himself not to laugh. 

“Where’s Yuuji?” Nobara asks. 

That makes Megumi’s smile slide completely off his face. He lifts his coffee up to his lips, sipping quietly and praying he seems indifferent. 

“He should be here by now,” Maki says, opening her texts and scanning the screen. 

Nobara hums absentmindedly, drumming her fingers against the tabletop while Megumi watches the door as if it might miraculously open if he stares hard enough. He checks the time on his phone, then slips it back into his pocket, pretending his chest doesn’t feel heavier with every passing second. 

Nobara gently knocks into his shoulder, “Relax.” She says, slouching in her chair, “It's not like he got kidnapped. But if he did, at least you could put an end to your pathetic yearning.” 

Megumi shoots her a look. “That’s not funny,” 

Nobara’s eyes shine with a teasing glint, “Oh it absolutely is.”

Then, the loud jingle of bells by the door sounds through the room. “Hey guys!” A familiar voice exclaims. 

The group turns around, and there and behold is Yuuji, walking up to their table with a bright grin on his face. Megumi’s poor heart shakes. He’s just in a pair of jeans, cutely rolled up at the cuffs, and a yellow hoodie, but Megumi can’t help but notice the way his strong physique shows through such baggy clothes. His strong legs walking towards him in jeans far too small for him make Megumi regret letting Nobara talk him into coming. 

“About time Pinky,” Nobara says as he nears. 

“You literally just got here Nobara.” Megumi hears Panda mutter. 

Yuuji walks over, smiling. “Sorry, I found a stray cat this morning and had to take it to the shelter since I couldn't find any posters looking for him.” He says, and Megumi’s flustered state only heightens. 

He sits down and looks at Megumi, “I didn’t know you were coming.” He grins. 

“Yeah, I had to practically kick him out of bed and drag him here,” Nobara says to his side, but Megumi’s not looking at her. 

Megumi swallows. Yuuji’s gaze is heavy and warm; he feels like a spotlight is being cast upon him from above. “I’m just here for the coffee.” He says. 

Yuuji’s smile never falters. “Sure.”  

He’s about to open his mouth before Maki interrupts. 

“I wasn’t sure what you drink Yuuji, so you gotta go order it yourself,” Maki says bluntly. 

Yuuji doesn’t seem affected; he just smiles and stands, breaking the eye contact the two of them shared. “Brb,” He chirps. 

Megumi watches him walk to the register, sighing lightly. Then, he becomes vaguely aware of how quiet the table had grown. He looks back at the table to be met with five pairs of eyes staring at him, all with matching smirks. 

“What?” He asks, faking confusion and praying his face isn’t as red as it feels. 

Maki and Nobara share a look, then burst into laughter. Yuta looks apologetic, giving him a look that Megumi almost mistakes for pity. Inumaki shakes his head, and Panda fails to suppress a chuckle. 

“Seriously Megs, you two need to get a room already, it’s making me sick,” Nobara says between laughter, sticking her tongue out at him. 

Megumi just lifts his coffee to his lips. “I don’t know what you're talking about.” He says quietly. 

“Bullshit.” She scoffs, causing Maki to chuckle into her fist. “Just ask him out already. I don’t think I can put up with your flirting for another semester.” 

Megumi rolls his eyes, “We don’t flirt.” He mutters. 

“Oh please Megumi,” Maki says. “You look at him like he hung up the damn moon and then tripped over it trying to impress you.” 

Megumi’s about to interject when Yuta butts in, “She’s right.” He chuckles. “What matters is that you like him, you two are cute together.” 

Megumi nearly spits out his drink, he’s about to bite back when Yuuji returns. 

“What are we talking about?” He says with his ever-present smile. 

Megumi clears his throat, “Nothing important.” He grits out. Suddenly a plate is set down in front of him, making his eyes widen. 

“Got you a ginger cookie,” Yuuji says, taking his seat next to Megumi. 

Megumi’s eyes flicker between the table and Yuuji, who’s busying himself with his own drink, giving Megumi a side glance and a small, shy smile. 

“Oh for the love of-” Nobara starts before Yuta kicks her from underneath the table. 

Megumi mumbles a quiet thanks, picking up the cookie and taking a bite just to do something. It’s sweet, but he’s suddenly very aware of Yuuji watching him. He chews slowly, pretending to study the display case against the wall instead of the warm grin directed at him. 

“So, what’s the plan for today?” Yuuji asks around his straw. 

Megumi, grateful for the change of subject, looks to Nobara, who grins widely and rests her elbows on the table, face becoming comically serious. “First, we’re gonna go to the fair, lunch, then I’m thinking a movie night at our place.”

Megumi internally groans at her, because of course, she’d trap him in an all-day outing with the one person he’s trying not to think about every five seconds. And of course, she makes this decision with no compassion to ask Megumi, seeing that it’s his guardian who pays for the apartment. He’s about to object, but Yuuji’s eyes brighten, and his grin gets impossibly wider; he curses himself for being so hopeless. 

“Sounds good, but only if I pick the movie,” Yuuji says. 

That makes Nobara’s nose wrinkle, “I am not sitting through another one of your trashy movies Yuuji, I’m picking.” She says. 

Yuuji just pouts, and Megumi has to stiffen a smile. The rest of them seem unbothered, all nodding with smiles. 

“Sounds good,” Maki nods, taking a sip of her drink. 

They finish coffee, all making their way outside of the small shop and beginning to walk to the park, Nobara leading the way. The afternoon air is crisp, sunlight slanting through the thinning trees that line the street. The city hums around them, cars passing, leaves skittering across the sidewalk, and crunching underneath their feet. Nobara walks a few paces ahead, her purse swinging with every step, while Maki trails behind her, scrolling on her phone. Megumi is so lost in thought that he doesn’t notice Yuuji falling into step beside him, hands shoved into the pockets of his hoodie, sipping the last of his drink through the straw until it makes an annoying empty cup noise.

Nobara is already talking about all the pumpkin lattes she plans to inhale, claiming she’ll come close to committing a felony if they aren’t selling this year. She points dramatically at the streets they have to pass to get there. Yuuji nods enthusiastically at every word, eyes crinkling in a way Megumi pretends not to stare at. 

Megumi walks a little slower, watching the way Yuuji keeps matching his pace without meaning to. Every time their shoulders almost brush, he looks away, pretending to study passing shop windows. Megumi wants to look at him, but he holds back, trying and failing to direct his attention somewhere else. He tries to think of ways to casually break the silence, but Yuuji fares far better than him at the act. 

“Wanna see a picture of that cat I saw?” He says, pulling out his phone. 

Megumi finally turns to look at Yuuji’s expectant eyes. “Sure.” He says. 

Yuuji unlocks his phone and scrolls for a moment before holding it up to Megumi’s face with far too much excitement. “Isn’t he cute?” He says smiling. 

Megumi stares at the screen. It's of a small orange cat, eyes dark and menacing, its fur is sticking up on its back as it crouches in a defensive stance. Its mouth is open, sharp teeth bared, and its eyes looking scared. Megumi gapes at the photo. 

“That’s the cat?” He says, “You actually walked up to that? I’m surprised you didn’t get mauled.” 

Yuuji chuckles, “Oh, trust me I did.” He says, pocketing his phone so he can roll up his sleeve. There are deep red marks swollen against his sun-kissed skin. Megumi would be surprised at just how deep the cuts were, but his eyes couldn’t help but focus on the bulging muscle of Yuuji’s biceps. His throat goes dry, and he hopes his face doesn’t look as hot as it feels. He wants to reach out, graze the hard muscle with his fingers, grip the hardness of his arms and squeeze. 

“That looks painful,” He says instead. 

He looks back at Yuuji’s face to see an almost smug smile present on his lips. “Nah, it’s not that bad.” He says. Pulling down his sleeve, much to Megumi’s disappointment. 

“Oh! Here, I took a selfie with him.” Yuuji says, opening his phone again to show Megumi. The cat is dangerously close to his face with an obvious look of discomfort, but then there is Yuuji, smiling broadly at the camera. Megumi can’t help but smile, an issue he often has when Yuuji is present. 

“You’re such an idiot,” He says, laughing into his collar. 

“Oh come on Gumi,” He says, laughing. “You can’t say he isn’t adorable.” 

Megumi looks at him, appreciating the crinkle of his eyes and the curve of his smile, ‘Yeah, adorable.” He says. 

Yuuji’s eyes seem to widen, and Megumi almost thinks he sees a faint blush on his cheeks, but he refrains from getting his hopes up. Yuuji recovers quickly; he’s about to open his mouth to say god knows what, but Nobara’s loud voice cuts him off. 

“Hey losers! Hurry up, we’re here.” She yells. Megumi looks forward to see them outside the entrance to the town park. He tries not to be surprised; being with or thinking of anything Yuuji-related tends to make him space out. Yuuji recovers quickly, bumping his shoulder with Megumi’s and offering another smile as he walks ahead. All Megumi can do is follow. 

As they enter through the entryway of the fair, two wooden posts wrapped in fake cobwebs and orange string lights, Megumi is immediately greeted by the noise of crowds and the smell of warm cider, sweet enough to cling to the back of his throat. Strings of paper bats hang above on tree branches, swaying in the October breeze. The clusters of pumpkins line the gravel path in all sizes, some carved, some painted, and some wearing crooked little witch hats. 

Children run past them in partial costumes, caps fluttering, plastic buckets bumping against their knees. Somewhere to his left, he can hear music playing softly, blending with the low rumble of laughter and chatter from the crowd. 

Nobara stops just inside the entrance way, hands on her hips, surveying the fair and activities. “Okay! First I need a cider and to look at booths, then we can hit the corn maze for pictures,” She says, more of an order than a suggestion. 

Yuuji drifts forward a few steps, eyes wide with excitement as he takes everything up in: the hay bales stacked into a makeshift seating area, the string lights zigzagging between poles, some other college students dressed in puffy jackets trying to win oversized stuffed toys at the different stands. “This is awesome,” He says, smiling so brightly that Megumi has to look downwards at the gravel for a moment. 

When he looks back up, Yuuji is already glancing his way, cheeks pink from the cold, and a grin softening into something gentler. Megumi looks away, lifting his collar to his face and trying to play it off as due to the cold. 

They walk around for a moment, weaving through clusters of people and stalls draped in plastic cobwebs. The smell of kettle corn and cinnamon hangs heavy in the air. Megumi keeps his eyes forward, pretending he doesn’t feel Yuuji drifting closer with every step, their jackets brushing in quiet, accidental touches. 

They don’t even make it to any sort of activity before Nobara spots a booth selling handmade jewelry and gasps, “Oh my god, perfect.” She says brightly. “Okay, detour, I’m in desperate need of new earrings.” 

Yuuji laughs, nudging Megumi with his shoulder, “Does this mean you’re gonna stop stealing Megumi’s?” He says. 

Megumi freezes, Nobara does the same.  

Nobara turns to him, raising an eyebrow. “How did you know these were his?” She asks.

Megumi looks at Yuuji, waiting for his answer. Yuuji looks bashful, his eyes slightly widening, and his hand reaches up to rub the back of his undercut. “Oh, um, I just remember him wearing them one time I guess.” 

Nobara snorts and is wearing a playful smirk, “One time huh? You just remember one time he was wearing them?” 

Yuuji’s ears grow pink. “I just, remember them looking good on him.” He says, looking down at the dirt. 

Nobara eyes Megumi out of the corner of her eyes, a mischievous look on her face.“Whatever, I’m still gonna go look. C’mon Maki, you can help me pick.” She says, interlocking her arms with Maki and walking away. 

Megumi gaps as she storms off, so much for being his buffer. 

Yuta laughs to his side, “Well then, guess we’ll meet up with those two later,” He says unbothered. “Anything you guys wanna do?” 

Inumaki shrugs, scanning around them for any options. Then he reaches an arm out to point at a nearby stand. It’s a small booth with yellow lighting above it, stuffed toys dangling from the roof, and a tired looking teen standing there with his head in his palm. “Ring toss? Really?” Megumi says, raising a brow. 

Yuta just smiles, “C’mon Megumi, maybe Yuuji can win you a prize.” He says, looking at Yuuji casually, but Megumi can hear the teasing hint in his tone. 

Yuuji, of course, just grins widely, reaching to shake Megumi’s shoulder, “Yeah! I’ll win you something Gumi.” He says brightly, already starting to rush towards the stand. 

Megumi looks after him, sparing Yuta a glare as he and Inumaki share a look, trying to stiffen their laughter. 

“Gee Yuuuji, can you win me something too?” Panda says, wiggling his eyebrows at Megumi, and he’s just glad Yuuji is too far away to hear. 

They follow Yuuji to the stand, and he’s already paid and collected the rings. He looks back at them as they approach, “What prize do you want?” He says. 

“You don’t have to get me something Yuuji,” He says, sighing, but he still looks to scan the array of stuffed pets hanging above. His eye catches on a small stuffed white dog; it’s cute, with a small red collar and soft-looking fur. Yuuji follows his eyes, spotting the dog and smiling as he looks back at Megumi. 

“Want that dog then? You got it.” He says. 

Despite his excitement and determination, he loses. So he tries again and loses once more. 

“Yuuji, it's fine.” Megumi tries, reaching out to grab his shoulder as he reaches again for his wallet. “Let’s just go to another stand.” 

Yuuji looks at him, and the face he wears could be close to someone in grief. “What? No way I got this.” He says, handing the teen more cash. 

Yuta chuckles, “Well, while you two waste your money, I’m going to get something to eat.” He says, “Toge, Panda, you coming?” 

Inumaki and Panda go to follow Yuta, who looks over his shoulder at the two of them, “Don’t go bankrupt, Yuuji.” He calls. 

Yuuji just grumbles something Megumi can’t hear. The teen hands him three more rings, but Megumi reaches for them before Yuuji can try. Yuuji gives him a confused look before Megumi shoos him to the side. Yuuji backs away hesitantly. He looks to the brightly painted poles in front of him, lifting his hand and flicking it ahead. It spins in the air, and Megumi worries he just embarrassed himself, but then it hits the rim of the middle pole, shakingly spinning downward as it hooks itself on it and tumbles down. Yuuji’s mouth hangs open, eyes wide as he looks between the pole and Megumi, who just stares ahead and picks up another ring. 

“What the hell? No fair, I was supposed to do it.” Yuuji wines, trying to grab the ring out of Megumi’s hand. But Megumi pulls it out of his reach. 

“I’m not letting you waste any more money. Just let me do it.” He says, positioning his hand again and throwing it ahead, it hits the left pole and spins downwards as it drops through the middle. 

After repeating the motion another time, the teen sighs and looks at Megumi. “What do you want?” He says boredly. Megumi points to the dog plushie, and the teen reaches for it before handing it to him. 

Megumi takes it and begins to walk away. He can feel Yuuji following at a slower pace, dragging his feet on the gravel. “I was supposed to win it Megumi,” he pouts. 

Megumi gives him a small smile, “If I didn’t step in we’d spend the whole afternoon there, plus that guy was getting fed up with us.” He says. 

Yuuji wines, “I gotta get you something though.” He says, catching up to Megumi. 

“You basically did, it was your money Yuuji.” He says. 

Yuuji is about to retort when a high-pitched voice cuts him off. “Oh my god, Yuuji?” The voice says. 

Yuuji and Megumi look forward in confusion. There is a girl walking up to them, one hand raised in the air as she waves to them. She’s tall, long thin legs pulling her forward, and her short hair flowing in the breeze. She has a bright smile on her face, and her cheeks are a dusty pink. 

“Ozawa?” Yuuji asks, Megumi tries to catch his eyes, get some sort of impression or sign of what could be going through his head. But he doesn’t look back at him.  

Ozawa reaches them, her eyes dart to Megumi before returning to Yuuji, her smile doesn’t falter. 

“Hey! I didn’t expect to run into you.” She says, putting her hands behind her back and leaning forward. 

Yuuji smiles, but Megumi can’t figure out the emotion in his eyes. Megumi tries not to react when Yuuji creates some space between them. “Yeah hey. We’re just checking things out.” 

“I just ran into Kugisaki, she said you were around, so I came looking.” She says, smiling softly.

“Oh yeah, she kinda ditched us to go shopping.” He says, rubbing the back of his undercut. “Have you met Megumi?” He says, finally turning back to him. Megumi tries to look indifferent, but he can’t tell if he’s doing a good job. “This is Ozawa, we went to high school together.” He says

“Nice to meet you,” Ozawa says kindly,

Megumi simply nods, shifting his grip on the stuffed animal and feeling its fur just to do something. Ozawa doesn’t seem put off; she immediately directs her attention back to Yuuji, who seems oblivious to Megumi’s distaste for how this conversation has gone. 

“Are you going to Todo’s party tomorrow night? We should go together and catch up.” She says, reaching out to touch his arm. 

Yuuji’s eyes widened, “I totally forgot! God he’s been at me all week about it.” Yuuji says, slapping his head. 

Ozawa just giggles softly, “We should go together, we can meet at mine and walk over together if you want.” 

Yuuji looks hesitant for a moment. He finally looks back at Megumi, who had been standing awkwardly to his side, unsure of what to say. 

“Will you go too?” 

Megumi can’t find his voice. He opens his mouth, desperately trying to think of some excuse, but then Yuuji looks at him brightly, a soft puppy dog look in his eyes. Megumi can’t find the will to say no.

“I’ll think about it.” 

Megumi basically tunes out the rest of Yuuji and Ozawa’s conversation, not that it lasted that long anyway. He vaguely hears something about Yuuji saying he’ll meet Ozawa at her dorm tomorrow so the two of them can walk down together. Yuuji has to be there early to set up, but Ozawa doesn’t seem put off by the fact. 

Megumi offers an occasional hum or nod when their attention circles back to him, not that it did a lot. Yuuji and Ozawa talk for what felt like hours before Megumi feels his phone vibrate. When he opens his phone, he sees a message from Nobara saying they are all gonna meet by the corn maze for photos before getting lunch. 

Megumi clears his throat, making Yuuji and Ozawa look towards him. “Nobara wants us to meet her now,” He says, putting forward a bored expression. 

Yuuji looks at him; he has a concerned look in his eye, which Megumi wills himself to ignore. He looks to Ozawa, who stands awkwardly by, “It was nice meeting you.” He says kindly, bowing slightly. 

Ozawa seems taken aback by his voice; he can’t blame her really. He’s been silent throughout the entire interaction, and he only hopes he hasn’t let his emotions show too much. 

Still, she smiles, “You too,” she says shyly. 

With a small nod, he turns around and begins his way to find Nobara. He hears Yuuji offer one final goodbye before he trails behind Megumi. 

“See you tomorrow Yuuji!” She says one last time as the two men leave. 

Megumi grimaces and hates himself for it. She hadn’t done anything wrong; she was obviously interested in Yuuji, and Megumi couldn’t blame her. Yuuji was as if the sun reincarnated into a strong, kind, and adorable being. Megumi, despite how hard he’s tried since meeting Yuuji, never found the ability to discard his feelings. He just couldn’t help but feel what he does for Yuuji. 

But Yuuji was straight. Not only would he jeopardize their friendship, but he also runs the risk of losing him and making him uncomfortable. How was Yuuji supposed to keep being friendly while he knew Megumi had been harboring feelings the entire time? Megumi doesn’t think Yuuji would be the kind to be repulsed by him, but Megumi also couldn’t blame him if he were to be uneasy. 

Lost in thought, Megumi is slow to realize how quiet Yuuji is beside him. He doesn’t make a move to speak despite the realization. He can’t trust himself to stay indifferent. So the two walk silently as they near the high rows of hay, where Nobara spots them and begins waving excitedly. As they get closer, she gets a worried look in her eye, likely noticing the awkward tension that wasn’t present when she left them. 

She gives him a pointed look, we’ll talk about this later, it says. 

The group continues on, Nobara giving her phone to Yuta before she wraps her arms around Maki’s shoulder, who has to lean down to meet her. She recovers quickly, wrapping an arm around Nobara and grinning. 

Despite his feelings, Megumi can’t help but smile. At least she’s having fun. 

Nobara runs to him next, wrapping her arms around his waist and hugging him tightly. Megumi returns the embrace, giving a small smile towards Yuta, who smiles behind the camera.

Nobara’s arms tighten, leaning upwards to his ear. “Are you okay?” She whispers. 

Megumi just hugs her tighter, “Yeah,” he mumbled softly into her hair. 

The day passes slowly, and Megumi makes an effort to avoid being alone with Yuuji, sticking closely to Nobara’s side, which may have been selfish. She’s here to spend time with Maki, and his presence feels in the way of that. Still, she doesn’t leave his side, and she sticks closely to him the rest of the afternoon. The group goes out for ramen after leaving the fair, and Megumi remains distant. He can feel warm, honey brown eyes direct themselves towards him throughout the night, but he doesn’t reciprocate, he can’t trust himself to. 

They leave the ramen shop to wander the streets as the night slowly approaches and the wind picks up on the cool night. He welcomes the wind in his face, brushing his hair and grounding him. He becomes lost in thought and fails to notice a presence to his side. 

“You okay?” Yuuji asks hesitantly. 

Megumi jumps at his voice, turning to look at soft, amber eyes. He looks worried, his eyes looking shy as they scan Megumi’s. Searching. 

Megumi looks forward; he couldn’t handle the raw look of concern stitched into his expression. 

“I’m fine.” 

Yuuji fidgets with his jacket sleeve, looking at the ground. “I was wondering, would you come to the party tomorrow?” 

Megumi shudders. Yuuji’s voice is so soft, so hesitant. Megumi can’t find the courage to meet his gaze, lest he be forced to say yes with one measly look into his soft puppy dog eyes. 

“Why? You know I don’t like parties.” He says. 

Yuuji knocks into his shoulder, “It’ll be better if you’re there, I’ll have someone to help me hide from Todo, he’s just gonna try to drag me into some embarrassing drinking game.” He says. 

Megumi hums, scared and uneasy. He doesn’t answer. It’s quiet for a moment, the sound of the rest of the group chatting ahead of them the only distraction he can hold onto. 

“Cmon, I’ll be lonely without you there.” 

Megumi’s breath hitches, and he finally looks to his side. Yuuji’s eyes are already there, he has a small smile on his face, and the wind brushes his bangs as the cold pricks his pink cheeks. 

Megumi takes a breath. He could never say no to him, no matter how much he tried.  

Finally, he chokes out, “Fine.” 

Yuuji grins, his eyes wrinkling. He knocks Megumi’s shoulders once more, looking forward with a relieved expression. 

Megumi does the same, ignoring the way Yuuji’s hand brushes his own, an accident that may have well sent Megumi into cardiac arrest. 

“So, wanna go to your place for a movie night?” He hears Maki ask ahead of them. 

Megumi’s stomach drops, he doesn’t have any energy left for today. The awkwardness from the day spent with Yuuji makes him want to retreat to his bed and forget it ever happened. His shoulders tense, and he feels Yuuji give him a side glance. He stares towards Nobara, who had been walking up front. 

She turns to meet his eyes. She has a searching look in her eyes, her mouth set in a straight line. Megumi tries to communicate his discomfort without setting off Yuuji again. 

She nods to him slightly, then she waves her hand casually, looking at the group, “Hmm, nah. I’m pretty tired. We should probably call it a night.” She says, closing her eyes and giving a yawn that only Megumi can tell is forced. 

Megumi visibly relaxes, not realizing how tense his shoulders had gotten. 

Maki hums, “Alright,” She says as they meet an intersection. Nobara turns to grab Megumi’s hand, he’s taken aback for a moment before tightening the grip, and he only hopes he isn’t hurting her. “See ya guys.” She says brightly before turning to head home, Megumi in tow. 

The walk home is quiet, and Megumi is eternally grateful for it. Even though Megumi knows he’s in for an interrogation when they’re behind closed doors, he lets himself enjoy the peace, for a moment, he feels comfort. His hand shakes in Nobara’s grasp, but that only makes her hold onto him tighter. 

He mumbles a quiet thanks to her, so quiet he doesn’t think she’s heard him until her shoulder bumps into his. And for a moment, that’s all he needs. 

—

Megumi lies starfished on his bed, staring at the revolving fan circling above. His eyes follow the fan as it spins, making him dizzy and more tired than he already was. He hasn’t moved from his spot since he got home a few hours ago. 

He knew moping around in bed and shutting everyone out wasn’t productive, but he couldn’t bring himself to fight against the feeling he was experiencing. 

After making it to their apartment, Megumi was quick to let go of Nobara’s hand and rush inside. 

The hallway lights buzzed faintly overhead as he shoved the door open harder than necessary, the familiar warmth of the apartment washing over him in a wave that somehow still failed to thaw the cold lodged beneath his ribs. Nobara stumbled in after him, muttering something in annoyance as the door nearly swung back into her face, but Megumi barely heard her. 

He toed off his shoes carelessly near the entrance, one of them knocking sideways into the wall. Usually Nobara would yell at him for it, tonight she stayed quiet. 

He couldn’t find it in himself to feel any ounce of guilt as she wordlessly grumbled behind him. His chest felt tight, like something ugly and hot had curled around his lungs during the walk home and refused to let go. 

He shrugged out of his jacket while moving down the hallway, nearly tripping over himself in the process. His pulse hadn’t settled, every time he closed his eyes he saw Ozawa smiling at Yuuji. Saw Yuuji smiling back at her. 

Still, his voice found its way through his clouded mind. 

We should go together

The memory hit him so sharply he physically winced. 

Megumi shoved open his bedroom door and immediately collapsed face first into the mattress without bothering to turn on the lights. The room was dim, washed blue by the streetlights filtering through the curtains. His stuffed dog landed beside him as he fell, squished awkwardly beneath his arm.

He stared at it for a long moment. Then, with a frustrated groan he tossed it across the room, hearing it knock over something before he dragged a pillow over his face. 

From the living room he could hear Nobara moving around, cabinet doors opening, the fridge shutting, her boots hitting the floor with heavy thuds. She was giving him space. 

Which meant she was absolutely going to interrogate him in about five minutes. For now though, he sunk deeper into the covers. For now he forced his eyes shut until they burned. He wouldn’t cry, he refused to let himself fall any further apart than he already felt. Crying would make things too real, if he let them start to fall he knows he wouldn’t be able to stop them. 

He sighed deeply, feeling more tense than before. 

Yuuji wouldn’t want him to feel like this. But then again, when did thinking of what Yuuji would think of him do anything other than make his heart hurt. Yuuji was good, too kind and perfect for Megumi and all his self-deprecating tendencies. He rescued stray cats from the cold weather, tried to win prizes for his friends at the fair, he bought people cookies for no reason other than they might like them. He deserved the same in return, someone happy and who could rival the brightness he brought forward. He deserved things Megumi would never be able to give. 

And he was straight on top of it all. 

Megumi was a fool for letting his feelings get to this point. He couldn’t even stand to be in the same room as Yuuji without feeling like every part of him had been split open and exposed for everyone to see. One smile from him and Megumi’s chest tightened so painfully it was borderline embarrassing. One accidental brush of their hands and suddenly he was replaying it for hours like it meant something more than coincidence. 

And the worst part was that Yuuji was simply being kind. 

That was simply who he was. Warm and thoughtful. Bright in a way that made people gravitate towards him naturally, like flowers leaning toward sunlight. Yuuji won him prizes he didn’t need. He stayed close to him in crowds because he knew Megumi hated being boxed in by strangers. He looked at him softly because Yuuji looked at everyone softly. 

None of it meant anything. Yet Megumi had taken every small gesture and tucked it carefully into the deepest parts of himself anyway, nurturing feelings he should’ve smothered months ago. Maybe even from the start. 

Because now he was here, twenty years old and lying face down on his bed feeling sick over the idea of Yuuji walking some pretty girl to a party. 

God he was hopeless. 

Having had enough of his own thoughts, he tries to sleep. 

He flips over onto his back and drags an arm over his eyes, willing his brain to shut for just five fucking seconds. The apartment around him is quiet now, save for the distant hum of traffic outside and the occasional muffled sound of Nobara moving around in the kitchen. Somewhere down the hall, cabinet doors softly shut, then the apartment settles into silence again. 

Megumi exhales through his nose. Sleep. He just needed to sleep. Tomorrow would come whether he wanted it to or not. 

He rolls onto his side, tugging the blankets higher around himself. The stuffed dog sits abandoned on the floor, its stitched black eyes staring blankly at him in the dim light filtering through the curtains. Megumi glares at it. 

Then his phone buzzes against the mattress. 

Megumi freezes. 

For one horrible second, his stomach lurches with hope. He grabs his phone before he can stop himself. 

Yuuji (11:48 PM)

had fun today :) 

The breath leaves Megumi’s lungs quietly. His eyes linger on the message, tracing the stupid smiley face at the end like it personally offended him. His thumb hovers uselessly adobe the keyboard. 

had fun today 

As if Megumi hadn’t spent the entire afternoon trying not to implode beside him. As if Yuuji hadn’t casual;y agreed to walk to a party with some girl while Megumi stood there like a kicked dog holding a stuffed animal. 

And somehow, despite all that, the message still makes warmth bloom painfully beneath his ribs. 

He squeezes his eyes shut. He hates this. 

Another buzz. 

Yuuji (11:49 PM)

also sorry if i did something weird today :( 

He sits up before he even realizes he’s doing it, blankets pooling around his waist as his tired eyes scan the message over and over again. 

Something weird? 

His brain immediately betrays him, replaying every moment from the fair in humiliating detail. The cookie, the shoulder bumps, the way Yuuji looked at him after he called him adorable. The way he kept trying to talk to him afterward while Megumi avoided him for the rest of the night. 

Shit. 

Yuuji noticed. 

Heat crawls up Megumi’s neck, shame twisting sharply in his stomach. Of course he noticed. Megumi had basically spent the entire evening acting cold and miserable. To Yuuji, who never did anything other than be his usual cheerful and adoring self. 

His fingers move before he can overthink it. 

No, I’m fine. He finally sends. 

He stares at the message after sending it. A lie, a very obvious one at that. 

Three dots appear almost immediately, then disappear to return a moment later. 

Megumi’s heartbeat pounds stupidly hard against his ribs while he watches Yuuji type. Finally, a message comes through. 

Yuuji (11:56 PM)

okay 

sleep well megumi 

The nickname isn’t there. No Gumi, just Megumi. For some reason, that hurts more. 

Megumi locks his phone and drops it beside him before he can spiral further. He presses the heels of his hands against his eyes until stars burst behind them, jaw clenched tight enough to ache. 

Sleep doesn’t come easily after that. 

When it finally does, it’s restless and shallow, tangled with dreams of warm brown eyes and the feeling of standing just slightly out of reach. 

-

When he wakes up, Megumi gets deja vu from the other morning. Relentless pounding shakes his door nearly off its hinges as he comes to consciousness. 

“Go away.” He mutters into the sheets. 

“Nope.” Nobara says back, “We’re talking this out like adults Megumi.” 

He grabs his comforter and covers himself with it, staying silent until he hears his door open, typical. 

A moment later his mattress dips under Nobara’s weight. 

“Jesus Christ,” she says. “You look awful.” 

Megumi groans into the pillow. His head feels heavy and fuzzy from lack of sleep, eyes burning every time he tries to keep them open. He’d spent most of the night tossing around and checking his phone every twenty minutes like an idiot, half hoping Yuuji would text him again and praying he wouldn’t at the same time. 

“Thanks.” He says flatly. 

Nobara yanks the blanket off his head before he can stop her. Morning light immediately floods his vision through the half open blinds, making him squint hard. 

“Oh my god,” she says dramatically, grabbing his face between her hands and turning it side to side. “Your eyebags have eyebags.” 

Megumi smacks her wrists away weakly. “Can you not?”

“No actually, I can’t.” She says. “Because apparently if I leave you alone for one night you start acting like you’re in a Victorian tragedy.”

Megumi rolls over onto his back and stares at the ceiling. The fan above him spins lazily, stirring the cold morning air around the room.

Nobara watches him carefully now, quieter than before. “You ignored Yuuji all night.”

Megumi’s stomach twists instantly.

“I didn’t ignore him.”

“You absolutely did.” She says. “And then you came home looking like somebody shot your dog.”

Megumi’s eyes flick toward the stuffed plush still sitting near the edge of his bed. Nobara notices immediately.

“…You’re kidding.” She deadpans.

He grabs a pillow and throws it at her face.

She catches it effortlessly. “Oh my god, you’re actually pathetic.”

“Can you leave?”

“Nope.”

Megumi drags both hands down his face with a long exhale. “There’s nothing to talk about.”

Nobara snorts. “Megumi, you spent the entire fair staring at Yuuji like you were seconds away from either kissing him or throwing yourself into traffic.”

He groans loudly.

“And then Ozawa shows up and suddenly you start acting like Edward Cullen.”

“I don’t even know what that means.”

“It means you were being weird and moody.” She says bluntly. “So what happened?”

Megumi stays silent.

Nobara waits for him out. It’s irritating how good she is at that.

Finally he mutters, “Nothing happened.”

“Bullshit.”

“Ozawa asked him to go to the party with her.”

Nobara blinks once. “Okay?”

Megumi glares at the ceiling harder. “And he said yes.”

Silence. Until,

“Oh my god.” Nobara falls backwards dramatically across the bed. “That’s why you’re acting like this?”

Megumi’s jaw tightens. “Can you shut up?”

 “No, because you’re being insane.” She props herself up on her elbows to stare at him. “Yuuji literally spent the entire day attached to your hip.”

“He likes her.”

“You do not know that.”

“He’s going to her dorm before the party.”

“So?”

“So?” Megumi sits up abruptly now, frustration finally cracking through his exhaustion. “Nobara, she was obviously flirting with him.”

“And?”

“And he looked happy!” Megumi snaps.

The words ring through the room louder than he intended.

Both of them go quiet. Megumi looks away first, his chest aches immediately after saying it out loud.

Nobara’s expression softens slightly. “Megs…”

“He forgot I was even there.” He mutters quietly.

Her face twists like she wants to argue but knows pushing too hard will make him shut down again.

Instead she sighs and nudges his knee with hers. “You know what I think?”

Megumi doesn’t answer.

“I think you’re so deep in your own head that you can’t see what’s right in front of you.”

He lets out a humorless laugh. “And what exactly is in front of me?”

Nobara gives him a look like the answer should be obvious. “A guy who looks at you like you personally invented happiness.”

Megumi’s face heats instantly. “You’re exaggerating.”

“I’m literally not.” She says. “Maki asked me yesterday if you two were secretly dating yet.”

Megumi nearly chokes. “What?”

“She said and I quote, ‘those idiots are one accidental hand touch away from making out.’”

Megumi hides his face in his hands with a groan of genuine suffering.

Nobara laughs a little before her voice softens again. “Look. Maybe Ozawa likes him. Fine. Whatever. But you don’t know how Yuuji feels unless you actually talk to him.”

“I’m not confessing to him.”

“I didn’t say confess.” She says. “I said stop acting like the world is ending before anything has even happened.”

Megumi goes quiet again.

Outside, he can hear cars passing faintly beneath the apartment windows, the distant bark of a dog somewhere down the street. Morning sunlight stretches further across the floorboards, warming the edge of his blanket. Nobara bumps her shoulder against his.

“You’re still going tonight, by the way.”

Megumi groans immediately. “No.”

“Yes.”

“I’ll die.”

“You’re being dramatic.”

“He’s bringing Ozawa.”

“And?” Nobara says again. “If she flirts with him all night, you can just stand there looking miserable and mysterious. That’s basically your brand already.”

Megumi stares at her flatly.

Then, despite everything, a small laugh escapes him.

Nobara points aggressively at him. “There. That’s the first normal human reaction you’ve had in twelve hours.”

“I hate you.”

“No, you don’t.” She grins. “Now get up. You need coffee and emotional rehabilitation.”

-
They spend most of the day lounging about in their apartment. Rain drizzles lazily against the windows for most of the afternoon, soft enough to blur the city outside into watercolor smears of gray and gold. The apartment settles into a sleepy quiet that Megumi finds himself grateful for. No crowded streets, no awkward conversations, no warm brown eyes looking at him like they could peel him apart. Just the steady hum of the refrigerator, the low drone of Nobara’s television show, and the occasional hiss of cars passing through wet streets below.

Nobara claims the couch immediately after breakfast, sprawling across it dramatically with a fuzzy blanket wrapped around her shoulders and a facemask turning her expression ghostly green. Megumi had stared at her for a solid thirty seconds when she emerged from the bathroom looking like something dragged out of a swamp.

“What?” She had said defensively. “Beauty is pain.”

“You look radioactive.”

“Fuck you.”

Now she lies upside down against the cushions scrolling on her phone while trashy reality television plays in the background. Every few minutes she gasps dramatically at something on screen and launches into a rant Megumi only half listens to from his spot on the floor beside the coffee table.

He’s supposed to be reading.

An open novel rests in his lap, thumb holding his place halfway through the page, but he hasn’t actually absorbed a single sentence in almost twenty minutes. His eyes skim the same paragraph repeatedly while his thoughts drift elsewhere entirely.

Yuuji. Again. It always comes back to him..

Megumi exhales quietly through his nose and leans his head back against the couch cushion behind him. Outside, rain taps softly against the glass. The apartment smells faintly of coffee and Nobara’s strawberry shampoo, warm and familiar enough to make his chest ache unexpectedly.

His phone rests face down beside him on the arm of the couch. He’s been trying very hard not to look at it, which only makes him more aware of its existence.

Nobara notices everything, unfortunately.

“You know,” she says suddenly, voice muffled by the blanket cocoon she’s built around herself, “normal people usually just text the person they’re obsessing over instead of staring holes through their phone.”

Megumi doesn’t even look up from his book. “I’m not obsessing.”

“Mhm.”

“I’m reading.”

“You’ve been on the same page since noon.”

Megumi’s eye twitches slightly.

Nobara grins victoriously from upside down on the couch. “Got your ass.”

Deciding reading is a lost cause, he sets it aside and reclines back into the cushions. He checks his phone for the time. The party wasn’t until 11, giving him only a few hours until he had to get ready and confront the source of his anxieties. 

His stomach twists unpleasantly at the thought.

The apartment is dim now, evening slowly bleeding through the rainclouds outside. Golden streetlights flicker faintly to life below the apartment windows, reflecting against the wet pavement in blurry streaks of amber. Nobara’s TV continues to drone in the background, though she isn’t really watching anymore either. She’s lying across the couch with her head hanging off the edge upside down, scrolling mindlessly through her phone while one of her socks slowly slips off her foot.

Megumi stares blankly at the ceiling.

He should just not go. The thought loops uselessly through his head for what feels like the hundredth time today. He could fake being sick. Claim he had homework. Lock himself in his room and ignore every text until morning.

But then he pictures Yuuji at the party. Laughing and smiling with Ozawa pressed close to his side, while music blares around them. Megumi’s chest tightens immediately. He hates that the thought alone is enough to make him sit up.

Nobara notices instantly without even looking away from her phone. “There he is.”

Megumi frowns. “What?”

“The emotional masochist part of your brain finally won.” She says smugly. “You’re going.”

He sighs heavily, dragging both hands down his face. “I hate that you know me this well.”

“I know everyone this well.” She says proudly. “It’s a gift.”

“It’s invasive.”

“Whatever.” She kicks her dangling foot lazily. “If you’re gonna spend the whole night pining, at least let me make you look hot while you do it.”

Megumi narrows his eyes immediately. “No.”

Nobara gasps dramatically like he personally insulted her bloodline. “Excuse me?”

“I can dress myself.”

“That sentence alone proves you absolutely cannot.”

Before he can protest further, Nobara springs upright from the couch with frightening energy. Her blanket falls dramatically onto the floor behind her as she points down the hallway.

“Bedroom. Now.”

Megumi doesn’t move.

Nobara squints at him. “Don’t make me physically drag you again.”

“…You’re insane.”

“And yet you’re standing up.”

Megumi looks down in mild betrayal to realize he actually is.

Nobara grins triumphantly and marches toward his room before he can change his mind. Megumi trails behind her reluctantly, shoving his hands into the pockets of his sweatpants as he follows down the hallway.

The second they step into his bedroom, Nobara’s eyes sharpen with terrifying focus.

“Okay,” she says, clapping once. “What’s the vibe?”

“I don’t have a vibe.”

She immediately yanks open his closet doors and starts aggressively shoving hangers around while Megumi collapses face-first onto his bed with a groan. “Do you own anything that isn’t black?” 

“Pretty sure there's some blue in there,” Megumi says passively from his place on his bed. 

She groans dramatically, “Whatever, it is Halloween so I guess you’ll blend right in.” Then, her eyes grow catlike, a terrifying smirk stretches on her face as she turns to look at Megumi. 

“Whatever it is, no.” He mutters. 

“It’s Halloween Megs.” She says. 

“So?” 

“So, I might have just the thing–” 

“I am not wearing another one of your cropped tops.” He deadpans. “I didn’t hear the end of it last year.” 

“Oh you mean last halloween? The Halloween when Yuuji almost had a heart attack as soon as we walked in?” 

Megumi blushes, “Shut up, you don’t know what you're saying.” 

“I’m saying,” She drags on. “That I might so happen to still have a pair of fake fangs, and with my extensive beauty skills and your–” she points at him sharply, “moody looking ass, you could totally pull off that sexy aloof vampire type.” 

Megumi scowls, “No.” 

Nobara wines, “Just try it okay? If it looks bad you can wear some boring black outfit for all I care.” 

Megumi is about to retort something back at her but he bites his lip and stays silent. Bad idea, considering she brightens at his lack of response and practically skips to her room. 

And that's how Megumi finds himself sitting on his bedroom floor, Nobara drawing a strip of red makeup below his bottom lip. Around them were piles of discarded clothing Nobara practically tossed away as if they personally offended her. 

She was already in costume and full makeup. She almost always gravitated towards warmer colors, dusty pinks, reds, soft creams and flashy patterns that somehow suited her loud personality perfectly. But tonight she's dressed in almost entirely black. The short black skirt hugs her waist over sheer tights, paired with chunky boots that echo heavily against the hard floor as she stomps around getting ready. She’s wearing a tight maroon top with a black corset hugging her waist, silver jewelry glinting from her ears and fingers, courtesy of Megumi. Perched crookedly in her hair is a tiny pointed witch hat that should look more stupid than it did. 

“Hold still,” She mutters, gripping his chin between her fingers with painful force. 

He just grumbles to himself as she tilts his head side to side, inspecting her work. He narrows his eyes at her focused face.

Nobara notices. “What?” 

“You’re dressed like Yuta.” 

She gasped loudly. “I am not.” 

“You’re literally wearing all black.”

“It’s called serving cunt, Megumi, maybe you should try it sometime.”

Megumi snorts quietly. Still, he can tell exactly what this is. Nobara may act confident around Maki, but whenever Yuta’s involved she gets strangely competitive, like his existence personally offends her. Yuta’s whole tired haunted-man aesthetic had unfortunately become weirdly popular around campus, which Nobara clearly took as a challenge.

Megumi wouldn’t be surprised if this entire outfit was assembled out of spite alone.

“You know,” he says dryly, reaching for a mirror to look at his face, “you could just talk to Maki instead of entering some kind of goth competition with Okkotsu.”

Nobara points accusingly at him. “First of all, rude. Second of all, Maki likes confidence.”

“She also likes normal behavior.”

“Good thing I’m gorgeous then.”

Megumi shakes his head, but there’s no real annoyance behind it.

Nobara grins smugly before reaching up to adjust the tiny witch hat clipped into her hair. “Besides,” she says casually, looking him up and down, “if we’re going to this party emotionally doomed, we might as well look hot doing it.”

Megumi shrugged as he inspected his reflection. He did look good. His green eyes looked brighter against the sleek swift of black eyeliner darkening the edges, and the crimson strip of red going down his chin wasn’t as off putting as he expected. Putting down the mirror he turned to Nobara who had stood up to lay out different varieties of outfits, he glanced to see an annoyingly majority of the tops were hers. 

“No crop tops Nobara.” He warns. 

She groans, “You are no fun.” she says, tossing the sequenced blue crop top to the side, then moves to hold up a sleeveless black top. “Try this one.” 

He grumbled silently as he took off his sweater, careful to not smudge the makeup on his face. He takes the shirt from her hand and tugs it on before looking to his bedroom mirror. 

It wasn’t as cropped as most of Nobara’s shirts, but his longer torso made it look obscene. His pale skin made his bare arms contrast against the black fabric, which hugged just enough of his waist to expose a sliver of pale skin whenever he moved, glittering subtly whenever the warm light from his desk lamp caught the sequins stitched across it. Combined with the dark makeup around his eyes and the silver jewelry hanging from his neck and fingers, the overall effect was dangerous. Nobara, unfortunately, looks absolutely delighted. 

“Oh my god.” She breathes dramatically, clutching a hand to her chest. “Yuuji is actually going to pass out.”

Megumi immediately reaches for the hem of the shirt. “I’m changing.”

Nobara lunges forward before he can pull it off. “NO!” She shouts, grabbing both his wrists. “Absolutely not. You are not depriving the world of this.”

“The world doesn’t need this.” He said as he squirmed against her as her press on nails dug into his bare shoulders. 

“The world maybe not,” she says, narrowing her eyes knowingly, “but Yuuji Itadori definitely does.”

Megumi’s face burns instantly. “Can you stop making everything about him for five seconds?”

Nobara blinks at him flatly. “Not until you do.”

Megumi groans and lets his head fall back dramatically.

“Seriously.” She encourages. “You look good.”

Megumi stills. He looks back toward the mirror reluctantly. Dark clothes drape against his frame in a way that feels sharper than his usual oversized sweaters. The material clings just enough to accentuate the lean lines of his torso before cutting off just slightly above his hips, exposing a narrow strip of pale skin that makes heat creep up the back of his neck every time he notices it.

 His usual ripped black jeans hang low on his waist, the silver chain looped through the belt catching softly against the dark denim. Rings crowd his fingers, cool metal glinting whenever he flexes his hands nervously, and layered necklaces rest against the sharp slope of his collarbones left exposed by the wide neckline of the shirt.

His dark hair falls messy around his face from where Nobara kept shoving her hands through it, softer at the roots but sticking out slightly at the ends in a way that makes him look freshly dragged from sleep.

The overall effect is embarrassing. Not because it looks bad, because it doesn’t.

Nobara watches him carefully through the mirror before grinning. “See? That face right there means I’m right.”

Megumi clicks his tongue, “Whatever, lets just go before I change my mind.” 

—

The walk there isn’t long enough. It’s cold, the shots of vodka they took before they left doing little to warm his body and uncloud Megumi’s head. Nobara seems unphased as usual, practically skipping down the sidewalk as Megumi slowly trails from behind. 

It’s darker out, the sun having set hours ago, and Megumi internally cursed whoever decided parties shouldn’t start till almost midnight. He regrets this already. 

The house comes into view as Megumi shuffles behind Nobara. Todo lived in a two story apartment complex, with some other student named Kamo renting the downstairs while Todo had upstairs. This, of course, gave them the ample opportunity to throw massive parties without care of getting caught or shut down. Well, not immune to it, but the chances were definitely better than it would be in the dorms. 

Megumi takes a shaky breath as he stands in front of the house. Nobara was already pulling out her phone, holding it up in front of her and Megumi to snap a photo. Megumi put forth a tired and bored expression, and he could only hope his fear didn’t show, because this was definitely ending up on her socials. She wraps her arms around his, pulling him forward excitedly. Megumi let himself be dragged, which was awkward considering their height difference, he was basically bowing down behind her. 

There are a few groups of people standing on the lawn smoking and holding red solo cups as they laugh and sway inebriated. Megumi feels clouds of smoke blow into his face as they pass by and walk through the open door. 

The party is in full swing, neon lights cast a purple hue around the interior, washing over crowded bodies and making everything look hazy and unreal. The bass from whatever song is playing rattles through the floorboards beneath Megumi’s feet, vibrating up his legs and settling unpleasantly in his chest. The air is too warm it feels hard to breathe, smelling like cheap alcohol and lingering smoke drifting from outside. 

It’s crowded, the living room packed shoulder to shoulder with students swaying to the music, red cups raised overhead as they shout lyrics Megumi can’t make out. Someone is standing on the coffee table, attempting to dance while their group of friends cheer them on. Another group is crowded around a beer pong table set up in the corner, shouting every time a ball lands successfully. 

Orange string lights hang crookedly along the ceiling, tangled together with fake cobwebs and plastic bats. A fake skeleton somehow ended up hanging from the ceiling fan, spinning lazily overhead when the blades turned. 

Megumi has the right mind to turn straight around and book it out the door, but Nobara’s grip on his arm is strong as she tugs them through the house into the kitchen. There's less people in there, most just leaning against the counters sipping their drinks and chatting. Nobara immediately reaches for a bottle of tequila, grabbing two solo cups to dump a dramatic amount into. Megumi takes his cup and hopes his hungover self will forgive him tomorrow. 

Nobara throws her head back, gulping down her cup with little resistance, looking at Megumi expectantly. He sighs and gulps his shot down, closing his eyes as he feels the burn settle in his throat. 

“No limes?” He asks. 

Nobara snorts, “We’re at a frat Megs, anything produce is either expired or being used as a bong.” 

Megumi huffs a laugh, feeling the warmth of alcohol dull his senses for a moment. He lets Nobara take his cup to refill, this time adding juice as a shitty excuse for a cocktail while he takes in the rest of the party. He hasn’t seen Yuuji, and he doesn’t know if he should be relieved or terrified by the fact. 

He’s most likely off with Ozawa somewhere, maybe in the living room dancing, standing together closely beneath the flashing lights. Maybe she’s laughing at one of his jokes, head tipped back while Yuuji grins at her with that same bright smile that always made Megumi's chest feel too tight. Maybe they're tucked away in some quiet corner of the house, talking easily the way people do when they like each other. Maybe he's walking beside her with his hands shoved into his pockets, listening attentively while she talks, the same way he always listened to everyone. The same way Megumi had once foolishly convinced himself was something special.

The thought makes his stomach twist.

He takes another drink.

Before he can sulk further into his own thoughts, he feels a hard smack on his shoulder. 

“Earth to Megumi.” He hears. 

Megumi blinks, turning his head to see Maki waving her hand in his face. Or at least, he thinks it’s Maki. A black Ghostface robe drapes over her broad shoulders, the hood pushed back enough to reveal her dark hair and familiar glasses. The white mask hangs from one hand, swinging lazily as she searches his face.

“You look miserable.” She says bluntly. 

Megumi huffs. 

“Everything good Megumi?” another voice says.

Yuta appears beside her carrying two drinks, and Megumi nearly chokes. Yuta's costume is somehow worse.

A white button-up hangs half untucked from his black jeans, fake blood splattered dramatically across the front. Red handprints stain the fabric near his chest, and a deep fake slash stretches across his neck courtesy of what Megumi assumes was Nobara's makeup collection. His dark hair is slightly mussed, making him look less like a murder victim and more like someone starring in a low-budget horror movie.

The moment Yuta comes to stand next to them Maki reaches over and absentmindedly brushes a piece of lint off his shoulder.

A few cups fall off the counter as Nobara swiftly turns around to see them, loudly announcing her presence. The plastic hits the floor with a clatter loud enough to draw a few curious glances from nearby partygoers. Nobara doesn't notice or seem to care. Her eyes are locked firmly on Maki and Yuta. 

Maki, dressed as Ghostface, with one arm resting casually on Yuta’s waist. Yuta, covered in fake blood and holding a drink in one hand and waving friendly at Nobara with the other. 

Nobara’s jaw drops, she stays silent as her eyes flicker between Maki to Yuta then back to Maki. Megumi decides to step in. 

“How long have you been here?” He asked casually, leaning down to pick up the stray solo cups before leaning back into Nobara’s side. Maki may be his cousin, but Nobara is his best friend, he’ll be damned if he leaves her hanging as her crush of the past five years breaks her heart with one poorly constructed couple costume. 

Maki shrugs, “Not long, we went to smoke with Inumaki but he’s in a mood.” She says, then looking at Megumi, grin forming, “Looking to give Itadori another heart attack? I thought we learned our lesson last year.” She smirks. 

Megumi’s ears burn as he is reminded of his outfit. “Shut up.” He mumbles, ducking his head into his cup. “And why do you all keep bringing that up?” 

Maki continues unbothered, “We’ve barely seen him all night,” she says looking around. “Now that you’re here he’ll probably take the bait.” 

That catches Megumi’s attention. “He’s here?” 

Maki’s lips form a smirk, “Yeah, last we saw him he was hiding from Todo. Something about a game of seven minutes in heaven as if we’re not college students.” She mocked. 

Megumi stilled, Yuuji was here. But, he reminded himself that also meant Ozawa was too. He couldn’t get his hopes up, despite the fact that Yuuji asked him here. That Yuuji wanted him here. That didn’t matter when he was here with a girl. A pretty, nice girl who Yuuji liked back. All of the moments Megumi and Yuuji shared, the shoulder bumps, the soft looks in their eyes, the way Megumi found his lips lifting upwards more often than not when he was with Yuuji. Megumi had to tell himself it didn’t matter. He’s sure Yuuji cares about him, Yuuji cares about everyone. Megumi wasn’t special. 

He lifts his cup and takes a long sip, eyes unconsciously darting around the rest of the room, searching for a familiar hue of pink in the dark crowd. 

Nobara must sense his worry because she shakes off the sad look on her face and turns to them with a wide forced grin. “Alright ladies, it’s Halloween and I’m barely tipsy.” She says reaching for the bottle before pouring everyone a shot. “Let’s fix that shall we.” She says lifting her shot glass to Megumi. Looking at her, Megumi can see she’s hurting, but like her, she’s quick to bounce back, not one for sitting in her emotions for too long. 

Megumi lifts his glass, locking eyes with her and nodding, she smiles as they both tip back their heads and gulp down their drinks. Megumi hisses at the sting and grimaces. Nobara hoots loudly, announcing she’s done sitting around and loops her arm with Megumi to pull him to the living room to dance. 

She’s aware it's a lost cause bringing Megumi to dance with her, but Megumi goes along and lets himself be dragged away, knowing she needs more than just to have a good night. He knows she needs to get away from it, the reminder that she lost her chance, and he knows he is in the same boat. 

If you were to tell Megumi she was heartbroken right now, he might not believe you. She twirls around Megumi, throwing her hands off and singing off key to some American pop song he doesn’t know. He just stands there laughing at her, moving his body appropriately to the beat without actually dancing, it’ll take much more than a few shots to get him there. 

The living room grows hotter as more people crowd into it. Bodies sway beneath flashing purple lights, conversations bleeding together into one overwhelming roar. Someone bumps into Megumi's shoulder and mumbles an apology before disappearing into the crowd.

Nobara, meanwhile, seems determined to make up for every second she spent sulking.

She sings loudly, moving her hips to awful music and slaps Megumi when he’s still for too long. It’s like what happened in the kitchen never happened, like her heart isn’t broken right now. Megumi doesn’t know how she’s still upright. For a moment, just watching her dance horribly to a song he doesn’t know, he can’t help but laugh. 

She looks at him then, catching his smile and as a new song starts her eyes widen and her grin grows toothy. She gets closer to him, mouthing the words to the song dramatically and waving her hands around his face. Her dance is off beat, and he can see that she’s getting some words wrong but continues nonetheless. Despite his efforts, his laughter grows. He tries to turn his head and hide his smile, but she just circles him until she can see his face. 

Tilting his head back, his eyes drift through the room, until he sees familiar tufts of pink hair that makes the smile slide right from his face. 

Yuuji is there. Looking right at him. 

He’s wearing a torn red hoodie, hanging loosely off his shoulders and sleeves pushed up like he’s forgotten to fix them. Beneath is, a faded grey shirt is stretched slightly at the chest, the fabric strained in a way that makes it impossible not to notice the shape of him when he moves. There are faint claw marked slashes across the material, ragged cuts through the cotton. A strip of faux fur has been stitched unevenly along the collar and cuffs, dark and coarse, brushing against Yuuji's neck every time he turns his head. It looks like it’s shedding slightly, little strands catching in the air when he moves.

There’s makeup too, smudged brown and grey shading along his cheekbones and the bridge of his nose, blended with something warmer underneath, like someone tried to make him look dangerous and accidentally made him look more alive. 

And then there were his eyes. Even from here, even through the noise and movement of the party, they land on Megumi with unsettling clarity. Bright, and focused. Warm in a way that feels too direct to hold for long.

Megumi wonders who did his makeup, because there's no way Yuuji knows the difference between being an autumn and being a spring. Then, he looks slightly to Yuuji’s side and has to clamp his mouth shut to stifle a groan. 

Ozawa is standing next to him, closely tucked into his side. She’s talking to someone near her, looking happy and bright. She’s dressed simply, but in a way that still reads deliberate, like she didn’t want to compete with the chaos of the party, just fit into it. 

A pale, airy dress clings lightly to her frame before falling into uneven, petal-like layers that shift every time she moves, as if the fabric itself can’t decide where to settle. The material catches the firelight and turns faintly iridescent at the edges, greens and blush tones flickering in and out like something alive beneath the surface.

Thin straps trail into delicate ribbon ties at her shoulders, and a vine of artificial leaves winds subtly around her collarbone, not enough to look like costume jewelry, more like something that’s grown there by accident and decided not to leave.

Tiny translucent wings are pinned between her shoulder blades, too small to be dramatic, but detailed enough that when she turns, they catch the light and scatter it in soft fragments. Her hair is half-pinned back with small flower clips, loose strands framing her face like they’ve escaped on purpose. There’s a dusting of shimmer across her cheeks that makes her look like she stepped out of moonlight instead of a crowded house party.

She looks easy to approach. Easy to stand beside. Easy to imagine fitting into Yuuji’s life without disruption. Which, Megumi realizes distantly, is probably the point.

He looks back to her side at Yuuji, who hasn’t looked away. He looks less surprised, now his mouth is in a straight line as if set in determination. 

Yuuji starts walking toward him.

The fur on his sleeves shifts as he moves through the crowd, brushing against passing bodies, catching neon light in uneven streaks. Someone bumps into him and he barely reacts, just steadies himself with an easy hand on their shoulder before continuing forward.

Megumi catches on too late that he should probably be running away. Nobara is still dancing to his side, and he reaches up to grasp her elbow as his eyes stay trained on Yuuji. 

Nobara gives him a funny look, then follows his gaze. Her eyes widen for a moment before she laughs. To his dismay, she waves excitedly at Yuuji, who marches forward quickly with a grin. 

“There you are! I was just about to text you to see if you were still coming!” He yells excitedly as he reaches earshot. 

Megumi’s mouth feels dry, so he’s grateful for Nobara who cuts in. “Yep, I dragged him out with me. No way I’m going out looking this hot all by myself.” She says smugly. 

Megumi senses Yuuji’s eyes scanning him, the dark lighting almost makes his face look darker in the pale lighting. His gaze lingers on the sliver of pale skin of his stomach before resting on his bare arms. Megumi shrinks under his heavy gaze, suddenly not knowing where to put his hands and settles for shoving them into his jean pockets. 

Yuuji’s throat bobs as he swallows, his smile growing shy. “You’re looking good Gumi, no crop top this year?” He teases. 

Megumi groans, “Why does everyone keep bringing that up?” He wines, face flushing. 

Yuuji chuckles, he opens his mouth to say something more but a hand appears on his shoulder. 

Ozawa appears from behind him, “Oh you found them,” She says, smiling brightly. “Yuuji’s been looking for you guys all night.” 

Yuuji flushes and laughs nervously, hand coming up to scratch the back of his head. He shrugs slightly and doesn’t respond. Megumi stares at him but tries not to think much of it. 

“Yeah, well," Nobara cuts in, smirking as she loops an arm around Megumi's shoulders. "You can stop looking now. We delivered him safely."

Ozawa laughs. "I wasn't worried about Megumi."

Megumi clears his throat. Not responding, the tension is thick as Yuuji and Megumi quietly scan each other. 

“So,” Ozawa says, glancing between them, “you guys want a drink?” 

“Yes,” Nobara answers immediately. Her arm, still wrapped around Megumi's, begins to pull him in the direction of the kitchen, swerving around countless dancing bodies. Yuuji and Ozawa follow behind, and Megumi can hear them whispering before Yuuji shushes her. 

Making it to the kitchen, Nobara pours a generous amount of vodka into four shot glasses, raising hers above her head with a smile. The overhead light is harsher here, buzzing faintly, turning everything too bright and too real compared to the dim, shifting colors of the living room.

Megumi lingers at the edge of the counter, watching the liquid settle in the glass. It catches the light like water but doesn’t feel like it. Around them, the party continues in muffled waves—laughter leaking through doorways, bass thudding through the walls like a second heartbeat.

Yuuji leans in slightly, shoulders almost brushing Megumi’s. Not quite touching. Still close enough that Megumi is aware of every small movement, every shift in weight. Ozawa stands on Yuuji’s other side, easy and relaxed, like she belongs in every space she steps into.

Yuuji leans into him, “You okay?” He mumbles quietly into his ear. Megumi shudders. 

“Yeah.” He says quietly. Looking up to find Yuuji hovering close, eyes looking worried and unsure. 

“Megumi!” He hears, making him break their eye contact. He looks to see Nobara in front of him, holding out her phone in front of her and tilting it so Megumi can see himself and Yuuji in the lens. “Get in the photo lovebirds.” She calls, grinning at the camera and seeing Megumi’s blushing face in the reflection. 

Megumi is about to say something to her comment, but then a warm arm is hooked around his shoulders, pulling him closer. He looks to Yuuji to see him smiling at the camera, eyes closed with the force of his grin. Megumi doesn’t bother looking at the camera as he hears a chorus of clicks, he stares at Yuuji’s profile, and he can feel his lips tilting upwards as he fails to fight a smile. 

After a few more clicks, Yuuji looks at him. He’s close, his arm still wrapped around Megumi’s shoulders. His fingers slowly stroke up Megumi’s bare arms, sending shivers throughout Megumi’s body. Yuuji’s eyes darted across his face, his smile softening and eyes growing gentle. 

Then Yuuji’s eyes move to his lips, and Megumi’s eyes widen as his thoughts run wild. But Yuji just lifts a hand to his face, “Hold still.” He mumbles, before dragging his thumb across the corner of Megumi’s lips, wiping away a spot of fake blood that smudged his lips. 

Megumi’s face feels hot, and as Yuuji pulls away, his eyes widen at how close the action brought the two of them. Neither of them move, rooted in place as they’re almost pressed together.  Yuuji opens his mouth to say who knows what when a loud, frankly obnoxious voice comes from the doorway. 

“Brother! There you are, you left me all alone for seven minutes!” 

Yuuji winces, turning around slowly to see Todo marching over. The moment is snapped like a thread pulled too tight. Yuuji straightens, the softness of his expression disappearing as he turns towards the sound. Among the group of people crowding the kitchen, someone pushes through with too much energy. His arm falls from Megumi’s shoulders as he moves to face Todo’s approaching figure. 

Megumi exhales through his nose, the brief bubble of stillness gone as quickly as it formed. 

Todo comes close to clapping Yuuji on his back, nearly sending him stumbling forward. The force of it earns a startled laugh from Yuuji and draws the attention of half the kitchen. “Where’d you disappear to?” He nearly yells, then his eyes find Ozawa standing idly to the side and his grin stretches further on his face. 

“Oh I see.” He says, eyes shifting to something mischievous. “You didn’t tell me you had a girlfriend. She’s cute, I approve.” He smiles. 

Yuuji’s face shifts, not a look of disgust or embarrassment but not a fond one either. He looks awkward and uncertain, and his gaze flickers towards Megumi before dropping to the floor. When he lifts his gaze, he looks towards Todo, a forced smile taken over his face. “You don’t know what you're talking about.” He mumbles. 

Megumi feels his chest tighten. Yuuji didn’t explicitly say they were together, but he didn’t exactly deny it either. The fact makes Megumi’s blood run cold. He's ready for that to be it, for them to move on before he has to force himself to walk away from this whole exchange. But before he can do any of that, Nobara announces she’s bored and reaches to refill her and Megumi’s drinks. Nobara begins to drag Megumi outside, Yuuji and Ozawa following behind and saying small goodbyes to Todo who busies himself with refilling an empty keg of beer. 

Walking outside, Megumi spots Maki, Yuta, and Inumaki sitting in lawn chairs by a fire in the backyard. There are fairy lights hung around the thin wooden beams that surround the porch, and the group walks down the steps towards the fire pit. 

Maki lifts her head as they approach and wave them over. Megumi takes a seat on a wooden bench, while Nobara sits at his side. Yuuji and Ozawa sit next to each other in chairs opposite from them. Megumi notes to himself that they sit fairly apart, not touching or trying to. 

Megumi relinquishes the small victory. 

They exchange casual hellos as they sit, but Nobara remains quiet after muttering a small “hey” as they sit down. 

Yuta reaches into his pocket and pulls out a thick joint, he holds up a lighter with his other hand and smiles at the group. “Anyone wanna smoke?” He asks. 

Now, Megumi isn’t unfamiliar with being high, he’s smoked small amounts at parties and at home with Nobara before. But now, with Yuuji sitting across from him, Ozawa to his side, he can’t pass up the chance to dull his brain. At this point he’d do anything to erase the sinking uncomfortable feeling in his chest.

He nods at Yuta, who lifts the joint and takes a drag before blowing it upwards and handing it to Megumi. 

He raises it to his lips, inhaling gently and letting his eyes close. When he opens them to blow the smoke out, he’s faced with amber eyes staring at him shamelessly. 

He maintains eye contact with Yuuji as he lets the smoke drift from his mouth. Yuuji’s eyes dart around the features of his face, from both eyes, to his nose, to his lips, then back up to his eyes that haven’t looked away. Yuuji’s face darkens and his mouth parts slightly. Megumi finally looks away to pass the joint to Nobara, who snatches it before inhaling deeply, sighing loudly as the smoke passes through her lips. 

The joint is passed around a few more times, Ozawa politely declines and passes it to Yuuji instead, who locks eyes with Megumi once again as he takes a hit. The tension is so thick Megumi feels like he’s suffocating. But he can’t find it in himself to look away from the lidded shades of amber staring right into his. 

After the joint sizzles to an end, they put it out and recline into their chairs, bodies feeling heavier than they did just a few minutes ago. It doesn’t take Nobara long to get bored, and she holds up her cup and suggests they play truth or dare, but the person who refuses to do either of them must drink. Typical. 

They go around the circle, asking questions far too personal and dares far too ridiculous. At some point Maki dares Inumaki to say the most embarrassing thing he’s ever done, which results in a long, muffled explanation that nobody fully understands but everyone laughs at anyway. Yuuji later dares Maki to do 20 pushups while singing the ghost busters theme, she does the pushups, but refuses to sing and is told to drink because that’s cheating. 

Megumi watches it all happen like he’s slightly outside of it, nursing his drink more than participating. He answers when he has to, usually choosing “drink” instead of giving anything real away. Nobara keeps side-eyeing him every time he does it, but doesn’t push. 

Yuuji is laughing too easily, leaning forward when it’s his turn, participating like the game is something meant to be enjoyed instead of endured. Ozawa laughs with him more often than not, occasionally nudging him when he hesitates on an answer, the two of them slipping into an easy rhythm that makes Megumi’s grip tighten around his cup without him noticing.

But Nobara notices, and the questions start getting worse. 

“Truth or dare, Yuuji,” Maki says, grinning. “Who was your first crush?”

Yuuji freezes for half a second, then laughs it off. “That’s not fair.”

“That’s not an answer,” Nobara adds immediately, to which Yuuji ends up drinking. Megumi follows the motion with his eyes without meaning to. 

Next round, Nobara leans forward, her head tipping slightly. She’s drunk, that’s for sure, and the pot made her giggly and impulsive. Megumi should have known something bad would come out of it. 

“Yuuji, truth or dare?” She asks. 

Megumi senses something is up, with the way she tilts her head at Megumi, looking at him out of the corner of her eyes, her smile means nothing good is going to happen. 

“Dare.” Yuuji says. 

Nobara spares a look between Yuuji and Ozawa, then, “I dare you to kiss Ozawa.” She says. 

Megumi chokes. 

“What? Are you serious?” Yuuji asks, he doesn’t sound mad, but he definitely sounds confused and almost annoyed. His brow is furrowed, mouth open just slightly in shock. 

“What? You're saying there's someone else you’d rather kiss?” Nobara says. 

Megumi nudges her arm, “Stop.” He whispers. 

But she doesn’t, “Y’know Yuuji, she’s a real pretty girl, you better snatch her up before she finds someone else.” She teases. 

Megumi nudges her again but she just waves him off, her eyes are glassy from the weed and her smile looks drunken and unsteady. 

“So? You gonna drink or what?” She asks. 

Maki and Yuta give her strange looks, eyes darting from her to Megumi who definitely isn’t concealing his feelings well. His head chants the same words over and over. Don’t do it, please don’t do it. 

Yuuji still looks confused, and Ozawa looks awkward at his side. His eyes move from Nobara to Megumi, and his gaze looks panicked. He stares at Megumi as if he’s waiting for him to do something, say something to stop the stupid game or change the subject somehow. But Megumi stays silent. He just stares back at Yuuji, waiting to see what he does, not testing him, just waiting. 

Yuuji looks at him, not at Nobara, Maki and Yuta, or even Ozawa. He’s looking at him. 

Megumi’s stomach twists. The look doesn’t last much longer, but it’s enough. Long enough for Megumi to see the uncertainty there. The hesitation. As if Yuuji is searching for something on Megumi's face and not finding it.

Yuuji swallows. Then reaches for his drink. 

The knot in his chest loosens so suddenly it almost hurts. Some of the group groans, others sigh as if they expected as much.

“Seriously?” Maki laughs. 

"You're taking the easy way out?" Yuta asks.

Yuuji lifts one shoulder and takes a long drink.

Nobara narrows her eyes. "Interesting." 

Yuuji laughs awkwardly and rubs the back of his neck. "Just drop it. It's a dumb dare."

"What? You won't kiss the pretty girl sitting right next to you?"

Ozawa looks mortified. "Kugisaki."

"I'm just saying, if I had someone looking at me the way Ozawa looks at you—"

"Nobara," Megumi cuts in sharply.

Ozawa seems to sense the tense nature of their voices, and her eyes widen as she places a hand on Yuuji’s shoulder. “It's okay. I know Yuuji doesn't see me that way."

 Yuuji turns to her then, “No, that's not what I meant." He says earnestly. 

And then Megumi’s stomach sinks once again. He shouldn’t have let his hopes up, he shouldn’t have come to this damn party, shouldn't have let Nobara dress him and put drinks in his hand and make him talk to Yuuji when he was here with someone else. What was he thinking? 

“I just..” Yuuji continues, then he looks to Megumi again. “I-I don’t know.” He says quietly. His eyes search Megumi’s. Maybe trying to pick apart all the things Megumi keeps silent. Trying to figure out where Megumi stands on this, but Megumi doesn’t let him know. He gets up then, grabbing his cup and nodding towards the house. 

“I’m getting another drink.” He says before walking away from the fire pit, away from Nobara and her badgering, away from Yuuji’s scared, warm eyes. He can’t take it anymore. 

He hears someone call his name, but he doesn’t turn around. He walks up the porch steps, into the house where people's bodies barricade any other exit. Walking to the kitchen, he spots a half empty bottle of cheap vodka. He grabs it and pours a generous helping of it into his cup, nearly to the brim. He doesn’t bother with any mixer, he takes a swig and the burn isn’t as harsh as before. 

He takes his cup of straight liquor and walks around until he finds himself upstairs. He peaks into different rooms until he finds one bedroom unoccupied. He eyes the perfectly made bed and walks behind it to see out the window. He can see the fire pit from here, Maki and Yuta are still sitting close together, leaning towards each other and laughing. He sees Nobara talking to Inumaki, but he can see how much her eyes drift towards the couple, an uncomfortable look takes over her face and she lifts her drink to her lips. 

He doesn’t see Yuuji. And that makes him more uncertain. 

Ignoring the comfortable looking bed behind him, he sits on the floor beside the window, leaning his head back on the wall and closing his eyes, occasionally peaking them open only to take another swig of his drink. 

He shouldn’t feel like this. Why was he letting himself feel like this? He knew from the start Yuuji didn’t feel the same. He was straight for one, and if he wasn’t, it's not like he’d choose Megumi anyway. Megumi can’t imagine someone as good as Yuuji having feelings for him when he himself only found reasons to dislike himself. He wasn’t good enough, he didn’t deserve the happiness that often came when Yuuji was present. 

He feels like an idiot for being so obvious. Everyone knew how he felt, he didn’t exactly hide it well. If Yuuji had any idea, there was no way in which Megumi couldn’t tell. 

He should be mad at Nobara for putting him on the spot like that and hinting that Yuuji go as far as to kiss Ozawa in front of him. But he didn’t feel any sense of anger, just regret and heartache for a boy he never had the courage to say anything to. Nobara was testing him, testing them to get a sense on where they both stood about each other. And Megumi had the nerve to be surprised that he lost. 

He doesn’t know how long he sits there, head tilted back against the wall, the thrum of music from downstairs shaking him, the only thing keeping him awake at this point. His cup is almost empty, and it sits idly by his side on the carpet. He didn’t even have the energy to lift it anymore. 

Then the door of the bedroom flings open before slamming shut. Megumi startles, blinking his eyes open to see a dark figure sitting on the bed. His drunken brain is slow to pick up on the sounds of sobbing as the person leans away from Megumi, crying into their hands. 

Then, he notices a small pointed hat on top of the person's head, it sits crooked on their head, almost falling off but they don’t move to fix it. 

“Nobara?” He asks, his voice raspy and confused. 

She spins around, spotting him on the floor and gasping. “Jesus Christ Megumi!” She shrieks. 

Megumi winces at the volume of her voice, his head is pounding as he squints at her from his spot on the floor. “What?” 

“I thought you left.” She says, getting up and walking around the bed to stand above him. 

“I did.” He says dryly, closing his eyes again. 

“Clearly not.” 

He pushes himself upright, immediately regretting it when the room tilts. “Why are you crying?”

Nobara stares at him for a moment before fresh tears well in her eyes. She sits beside him on the floor, and Megumi reaches out to wipe her face. 

“Oh, don't start again.” He says

“Shut up,” she snaps, leaning her head on his shoulder and sniffling quietly into his shirt. 

Megumi sighs. For a few seconds neither of them says anything, then Nobara wipes aggressively at her face.

“Maki rejected me.”

Megumi blinks.“What?”

“Maki rejected me.”

“What?”

“Don’t make me smack you.” She snaps, but the venom is dampened by her raspy voice and teary face. 

Megumi stares, making her look up and smack his shoulder. “Don’t look at me like that.” She says, burying her head into his shoulder again. 

“You confessed to Maki?” He asks. 

She sniffles, “Yeah.” She mumbles.

He lifts a hand to rest on the back of her neck, ducking down to lean his face on her head. “I’m sorry.” He whispers into her hair. 

Her laugh comes out garbled and wet, “Why?” She asks. “You’re not the one who–” 

“No.” He interrupts, stroking a hand through her short locks of hair. “I’m sorry I left you to feel like this alone.” He mumbles. “When Maki and Yuta came…” He trails off. “I didn’t do anything. I should have said something. I just left you to take care of things and you even went out of your way to distract me, I should’ve done the same for you” 

“There's nothing you could’ve said, Megs.” She says, pulling away so he can see her face, her makeup is smudged, black lines falling down her cheeks.”It’s not their fault I got my feelings hurt. The two of them aren’t together just to hurt me, they like each other, and I've known that for too long to be this sad about it still.” She mumbles. 

“I should’ve done something though.” Megumi insists. “Maybe pull you away to have a break, but I was so distracted by Yuuji that I couldn’t think straight. I’m sorry Noh.” 

She smiles then, shaking her head. “I’m not upset Megs. I waited too long. Who knows, maybe me and Maki would’ve worked out if I didn’t sit with these feelings for years without doing anything about them. Maybe things could have been different, but I can’t worry about that now. You, on the other hand, still have a chance.”  

Megumi sighs, closing his eyes and shaking his head. “No, I don’t.” He says quietly. 

She slaps his arm, grabbing his attention. “Megumi.” She says sternly, grabbing his shoulders tightly. “If you saw the way Yuuji looks at you we wouldn’t be having this conversation.  

A dry laugh escapes him, “Nobara–” 

“No.” She cuts him off immediately. “I’m serious.”

He looks away, because he can't do this. Not now. Not after tonight. Not when every time he closes his eyes he sees Yuuji smiling at Yuko. Not when she touches his shoulder so casually its like she's done it a thousand times. 

Not when his chest still aches from it.

“Did you know,” Nobara continues, voice softer now, “he spent half the night looking for you?”

Megumi frowns, “What?” 

“After you disappeared.” She clarifies. 

“Nobara—”

“He did.”

The certainty in her voice makes him pause, she takes that as a sign to continue. “He kept asking where you went. He stopped paying attention to the game. He looked like he was going to crawl out of his own skin.”

Megumi stares at her, the alcohol making it difficult to organize his thoughts. “He brought Yuko.” He says finally.

Nobara rolls her eyes so hard he thinks they might get stuck. “Oh my god Megumi.”

“He did.” He insists. 

“Okay. And?”

Megumi opens his mouth, just to close it. No words escape him now. “People don't bring girls they don't like to Halloween parties.” He says after a moment. 

“Okay, maybe yeah. But they might bring some girl that’s helping them ask their crush out.” She counters. 

Megumi stills, confusion evident. “What are you saying?” He asks warily. 

Nobara groans, tossing her head back. “I thought you were the smart one Megs.” She straightens, getting up and pulling Megumi with her. 

Megumi stands albeit a bit unsteady on his feet, she leads him to sit on the bed and turns to the door, ordering him not to move. He leans his head into his open palm, dizziness evident and making it even more difficult to digest all that Nobara was telling him. 

She returns quickly with a bottle of water, he notices that her makeup is also fixed, not as put together as before but the streaks of black that had been running down her face now cleaned away. He takes the water and drains more than half of it, placing it to the side and sighing deeply. She sits next to him, running a hand down his back in gentle circles as he tries to sober up. 

“So are you gonna go talk to him?” She asks softly. 

Megumi sighs again, taking another sip of water. “I don’t know what I can even say to him.” He says. 

“An explanation would be a good place to start.” She says, then scoffs at the look he gives her. “You don’t need a perfect speech, Megs.” She says. “Just talk to him.”

“What if you’re wrong.” He mumbles. “About how he feels about me.” 

“I’m not.” 

Before he can further argue, she points to the window. He squints his eyes, trying to make out the figure in the dark backyard. Across the yard, sitting on one of the benches, he can just make out a familiar shade of pink hair. It looks pale yet golden in the dull light of the porch. He’s looking downward at the grass, occasionally looking up to scan his surroundings before he shakes his head and puts it in his hands. 

“He’s waiting for you.” Nobara says. 

Megumi doesn’t look away, he can’t. Yuuji looks miserable, his shoulders are tense as he leans forward on his knees, lifting up a hand to run through his unruly hair in frustration before returning to his slumped position. 

Megumi hates how quickly he feels ready to run to him. 

Nobara pushes his shoulder, ushering him to stand. “Go already will you?” She says, she sounds annoyed, but the tone is dampened by the smile on her face. 

Megumi looks at her, then back outside where Yuuji hasn’t moved. “Okay,” he says quietly. “Okay.”

Nobara gives him one last grin before he’s rushing out the room. He’s still drunk, but seeing Yuuji like that was enough to sober him up. He takes the steps downstairs two at a time, knocking into people without any apology. He ignores the looks he gets as he pushes through the crowds of people until he reaches the backdoor. Sliding it open he’s hit with the cool wind in his face, he doesn’t take the time to breathe it in, staggering through the door and scanning the yard. 

The fire pit is dying down,and there's less people around than before. He doesn’t spot Maki and Yuta, which makes his heart sink for Nobara even more. He walks along the porch, looking around in the dull light for Yuuji, and his chest sinks when he doesn’t see him at first. 

Then, he hears a long sigh from below the porch. He walks slowly to the railing, looking down he finds Yuuji. He’s still slumped over his knees, head resting in his hands. Megumi opens his mouth to call out to him, but then he notices a hand on his back, rubbing up and down his spine. 

“It’s okay Yuuji.” Ozawa says. 

Megumi’s eyes widened. He clamps his mouth shut before any words slip out. 

Yuuji shakes his head. “It’s not.” He says, voice shaking. “I don’t know what to do.” 

“I think you two should just talk, he might still be here–” She starts. 

“He left. I fucked up, I just-I don’t know what I would even say to him.” He says, he’s not crying, but the way his voice wavers, he might not be far from it.  “How do I even tell him, I don’t want to ruin what we have. I’m so worried he’ll get scared and run away.” He mumbles. 

Ozawa doesn’t respond, she just continues to slowly rub his back, letting him speak his mind. 

“I’ve never felt like this before. I don’t think I’ll ever feel like this again for anyone. I think..” He begins, but he loses his voice, “I think I–” 

Megumi can’t stand it anymore, he grips the railing hard, clearing his throat. “Yuuji.” 

Yuuji whips his head upwards, eyes wide and looking terrified. Ozawa looks up too, mouth parted as she looks at him from below. She gives Yuuji a look, when she looks back at Megumi with a smile. She gets up, patting Yuuji once more on his back before locking eyes with Megumi again. “I’ll let you two talk.” She says, nodding at Megumi. 

She walks up the steps to go inside, and Megumi comes down to sit where she once did. He sits on the hard wood, close enough to Yuuji that he can feel his body heat and how much he contrasts the cool October night.  They sit there in silence, just the gentle sound of wind surrounding them, and all the words they both yearn to say but never found the courage to voice, until now. 

“I thought you left.” Yuuji says finally. 

Megumi shakes his head, “No, I’m still here.” 

Yuuji’s hand settles next to Megumi’s on the wood, not holding, just resting next to it. “I’m glad.” He says. “I um, I thought you were mad at me.” He says hesitantly. 

That makes Megumi look at him quickly, “Why would I be mad at you?” He questions. 

Yuuji looks sheepish, running a hand along the back of his neck. “I dunno,” He says, a nervous laugh escaping him. “Nobara said I was being an idiot, and it made me overthink like, every conversation we had tonight.” He says. 

Megumi frowns, so Nobara had interrogated Yuuji. He wonders what else she told him. “Well I’m not. I’d never be mad at you Yuuji.” He says. 

Yuuji’s pinky grazes his own, and Megumi suddenly becomes acutely aware of the small space between them.The porch creaks quietly beneath their weight. Somewhere inside the house, music pulses through the walls, distant enough to feel like background noise. The laughter that follows is even further away.

Yuuji doesn't move his hand, and neither does Megumi. For a moment, they sit in silence. And Megumi slowly collects his thoughts. 

“Listen Yuuji-” 

“I need to tell you something–” 

They both speak at the same time, turning towards each other in shock. They both chuckle lightly, Megumi brushes Yuuji’s hand with his own, “You go first.” 

Yuuji takes a deep breath. “I know I kinda forced you to come tonight, and I’m sorry cause I know you hate parties and all that, but I just, I’m really glad you’re here.” He rambles. “I-” he begins again. “I don’t know how to say this, and Yuko told me to just be honest but it’s hard to say what I need to when I’m with you.” 

“Yeah, Nobara just scolded me, I think for the same reason.” Megumi says. 

Yuuji’s hand finally moves to cover Megumi’s, his touch is light and gentle, as if he’s giving Megumi a way to pull away. As if he ever would. 

“What I think I’m trying to say is, I really like when you’re here. Even if you’re just reading while me and Nobara argue. Even when you’re grumpy in the morning and barely talk, even when you come to parties I know you hate just because I ask you to.” He says, looking up at Megumi with honest eyes. His eyes look scared, but determined. 

“I’m always happier when you’re there Megumi.” He says. “It’s never the same without you.” 

Megumi’s breath hitches, his eyes widen as he stares back at Yuuji, who shuffles closer on the bench, their thighs almost touching now. 

“Megumi, I know I hear it from others, but I need to hear it from you.” He starts. His fingers move to entangle with Megumi’s. “I need to know I’m not imagining this.” 

The night suddenly feels impossibly still. Megumi can hear the music from inside the house. The wind moving through the trees. His own heartbeat was pounding loudly in his ears.

Yuuji swallows. “You don't have to say anything you don't want to.” He says softly. “But if there’s even a chance that you feel the same way I do... I want to hear it from you.”

Megumi stares at their joined hands. At the way Yuuji is holding on despite how nervous he looks. The way his shoulders are tense, like he's bracing himself for rejection.

The realization hurts. This whole time, Yuuji was scared too.

Megumi runs a thumb along Yuuji’s knuckles, his voice is small when he replies, “You’re not imagining anything.” He says. 

He grips Yuuji’s hand tighter, as if he was gonna fade away like a dream too good to be true. “You make me happy too, Yuuji. I’m sorry if how I acted made you question that.” He says. 

For the first time since he sat down, Yuuji smiles. A wide smile that makes his eyes wrinkle. He leans his head forward until their foreheads press together. “We’re really such idiots huh?” He says. 

Megumi leans against him. “Guess so.” He chuckles, and he can’t stop his lips from lifting into a smile. 

They sit like that for a moment, leaning on each other for support as their fingers play with one another on the bench. Megumi strokes his index finger along Yuuji’s calloused knuckles, sighing deeply as he breathes him in. The cold night doesn’t feel so bad at the moment. 

“Hey Megumi?” Yuuji asks after a moment

“Hmm?” 

“Can I do something stupid?” He asks. 

Megumi already knows where this is going, he lifts his free hand to cradle the back of Yuuji’s head, “It’s not stupid.” He says, and then he’s leaning forward. 

Yuuji meets him halfway, reaching up to grab his neck as their lips finally press together. 

It’s not rushed, not messy the way Megumi had half-expected it to be in his head when he’d allowed himself to imagine it in quiet, private moments he never admitted to.

It’s careful at first, as if they’re both waiting for the other to change their mind. The world seems to fall away around them, party noise, distant laughter, even the rustle of trees fading into something muted and irrelevant. There’s only the press of Yuuji’s hand at the back of his neck, warm and steady, and the way his fingers curl slightly like he’s anchoring himself to something real.

Megumi exhales through his nose, almost shaky, and Yuuji makes a soft sound against his mouth, half laugh and half relief, sending something warm unfurling in his chest.

He tilts his head slightly, closer now, the kiss deepening without either of them really deciding it should. It just happens, like breathing. Like finally letting go of something held too tightly for too long. Yuuji’s grip tightens just a little, not pulling him in forcefully, but asking. Megumi answers by leaning in more, closing the last of the space between them until there is none left at all.

When they finally break apart, it’s only by a fraction. Foreheads resting together, both of them breathing a little unevenly, both of them still holding on like they’re not entirely ready to let go yet.

Yuuji then sighs deeply, running a hand through Megumi’s hair. “Can’t believe I waited that long.” He says. 

Megumi chuckles, “Worth the wait then?” He asks. 

Yuuji leans back to stare at Megumi fully, “Yeah, definitely worth it.” He says, leaning back in. 

They sit like that for a moment longer, slowly brushing their lips together before breaking apart again to take one another in. 

Eventually, Yuuji glances past him toward the house. “We should probably go back,” he says, though he doesn’t sound like he wants to.

Megumi follows his gaze, then back at him. “…Yeah.”

Neither of them moves, then Yuuji squeezes his hand. “Or we could stay out here a little longer.”

Megumi smiles again, his lips starting to hurt from the movement. “Okay.” He says. 

As they sit on the bench on the windy October night, neither of them feel the cold anymore. The world beyond the porch feels distant, softened at the edges like it can’t quite reach them here. Yuuji’s thumb traces idle circles over Megumi’s knuckles, steady and unthinking, like it’s something he’s always known how to do.

Megumi leans in slightly, just enough for their shoulders to press together again, and this time neither of them pretends it’s accidental. Somewhere inside the house, the party keeps going, laughter spilling through walls, music pulsing like a second heartbeat. But it doesn’t matter. Not right now.

Because for the first time all night, October feels less like something fading into winter, and more like warmth they can keep.