Chapter Text
Megumi Fushiguro hated being late.
He hated it the same way he hated when people chewed with their mouths open, meetings that should have been emails and Gojo Satoru's habit of walking into the office thirty minutes late carrying expensive coffee like he hadn't just ignored every deadline he had assigned himself.
Unfortunately, this was one of those mornings, his alarm had gone off and he'd simply... slept through it. By the time he awoke, sunlight was spilling through the gap in his courtains, and the glowing numbers on his analog clock flashed brightly, making his heart drop simultaneously.
The time was 8:45. Work started at 9:00, he had 15 minutes left.
"Shit."
Everything aftrr that happened in a blur, he threw on the first clean shirt he found, which was a cream colored button up, nearly burned his tongue on coffeee that wasn't properly made, forgot his notebooks, doubled back for them, realized he left his apartment keys, then found them five minutes later in his pockets and practically sprinted roward the subway.
His phone buzzed halfway there, it was Gojo.
Gojo: Morning, Megumi!
He shoved his phone into his pocket once again, then, half a minute later,
Gojo: Don't panic if you're running late, I'm also running late.
Megumi frowned, it wasn't explicitly unusual.
Gojo: Actually I'm still in bed lol.
Megumi stared at it, then, surprisingly, replied.
Megumi: Of course you are.
He shoved his phone into his pocket before he could type something he would regret.
The city was alive. People were flooding the street with coffee cups and briefcases. Cyclists rang bells and Car horns echoed. Megumi slipped between groups of people with efficency.
He was almost at the crosswalk when someone came barelling around the corner.
They collided hard enough that Megumi stumbled backward. Papers of research flew everywhere.
"Oh my god!" The stranger dropped to his knees immedietly.
"I'm so sorry! Are you okay?"
Megumi blinked, still dazed.
The guy looked around his age, maybe a year younger? Pink hairpeeked out from his hoodie and he wore an apologetic expression that was so incredibly sincere, Megumi automatically forgave him for the fact that he'd body checked Megumi.
"I'm so sorry I wasn't looking where I was going! It's completely on me!"
Megumi crouched to help,
"It's fine."
"No, seriously."
Tge stranger handed him his notebook.
"I almost killed you."
"You bumped into me."
"Same difference."
"...not really."
The stranger laughed, it was warm and bright. The kind of laugh that was inpossible to fake.
"There."
The stranger stacked the remaining papers neatly on top of each other before handing them over.
"I don't think anythings missing.
Megumi accepted them,
"Thwnks."
"I'm Yuji."
Megumi looked up, the introduction caught had him off guard.
"Uh..."
"You don’t have to tell me your name if you're in a rush... it seems like you're in a rush."
"I am." Megumi said, glancing at his watch.
8:57. Megumi winced.
"Me too." Yuji said.
A second passed, then they both looked in the same direction, towards the towering glass office at the end of the block.
"Huh," Yuji said, "Wierd coincidence."
Megumi didn't answer, he was already walking over again.
"Sorry again!" Yuji called after him.
----
The offices of Tokyo Daily occupied four floors.
The newsroom was already buzzing by the time Megumi stepped out of the elevator.
Phones were ringing, keyboards clacked and editors shouted across desks, asking for confirmations.
People in graphics were arguing with someone from photography over fronts.
Business as usual.
Megumi exhaled, he was 8 minutes late. It wasn't as bad as he'd expected, especially with bumping into the stranger- Yuji.
It was peaceful. Megumi headed towards his desk-
"MEGUMI!"
Nevermind, Gojo had arrived. Somehow.
The editor in chief leaned dramatically over the divider sepwrating departments, sunglasses perched on top of his snowy head even though he was inside.
"Here you are!"
Megumi stopped and turned around.
"You texted me ten minutes ago saying you were still in bed."
"I was."
"And....now you're here."
"I drove."
"Didn't you get your license revoked?"
"I know people."
Megumi decided he didn't exactly carr for the answer.
"What do you want?"
Gojo grinned,
"Oh right!"
He snapped his fingers with a mischevious look on his face.
"I have someone for you to meet!"
"I have deadlines."
"You also have a trainee."
"....What?"
Before Megumi could properly interrogate Gojo, he waved someone someone over.
"Yuji! Come here."
Megumi turned, and froze.
The pink haired guy from the sidewalk jogged over holding a carboard box of office supplies.
His face lit up instantly.
"Oh! It's you!"
Megumi stared and Yuji pointed,
"We crashed into each other!"
Gojo looked between them, then grinned.
"You've met already?"
"Barely," Megumi said.
"I almost tackled him," Yuji added.
Gojo laughed so hard he had to lean against a desk.
"Perfect." Gojo said.
"No." Megumi replied, already knowing where this was going.
"No?"
"No."
"Too bad." Gojo clapped a hand onto Yuji's shoulder.
"Yuji Itadori, meet your supervisor!"
Then he clapped his other hand on Megumi's shoulder.
"Megumi Fushiguro, meet your new trainee."
Yuji grinned awkwardly, "It's my first day."
"Congragulations," Megumi muttered.
Gojo ignored the tone completely.
"Megumi is going to show you around."
"I didn't agree to that."
"He's going to teach you the ropes."
"I defenitely didn't agree to that."
"And you'll probably become best friends."
Megumi looked horrifyed at the idea, Yuji looked delighted.
"I would love that!"
"I wouldn't."
Gojo gestured between the two,
"See? The chemistry is undeniable."
Megumi closed his eyes, somewhere, somehow, the universe had decided he deserved this.
When he opened his eyes agian, Yuji was looking at him with the same apologetic expression he'd worn this morning.
"So...."
Yuji was scratching the back of his head.
"Should I buy you a coffee? Since I kind of ran you over this morning."
Megumi considered saying no, then, after a long pause, he sighed,
"You can tell me where you worked before."
Yuji's grin widened,
"I can do that."
Gojo pumped a triumphant fist into the air,
"I knew this would work!"
Neither of them were lustening to him.
For the first time that morning, Megumi thought maybe the day wasn't completely ruined.
The Gojo called after him.
"Oh, by the way, I signed you two uo for the press retreat!"
Megumi stared,
"...you what?"
Gojo was already walking away.
"You'll have fun!"
"We won't."
"You defenitely will!"
Yuji looked between them,
"Uh.... what's a press retreat?"
Megumi sighed, this was going to be exhausting.