Archive of Our Own

He had ten minutes to decide. Yuji stood in front of his bed, two shirts laid out in front of him. He squinted at them in hopes that it'd help him choose which to wear. On the right, a white shirt with a strawberry patch on it. A classic choice…but was it too classic? He didn't want to be boring and predictable.

On the left, a black shirt with blue text. Edgy (sort of?) and it was new…too new? He crossed his arms, staring at the two again. 

In reality, he didn't have much of a preference for either. But stressing about clothes gave him somewhere to put all his energy.

“Do not pick the black shirt.” Nobara spoke up. She sat on his bed with her back against the wall. Well past actually helping him make decisions, she slowly flipped the pages of a magazine resting on her knees.

Yuji considered her advice, imagining himself out with Megumi in the white shirt. Out with Megumi. 

He felt a bolt of nerves course through him, and began pacing. 

“Okay, but white gets dirty faster.” He replied, scanning the shirt for stains. It seemed fine but…what if there was something on the back? He'd die.

Her eyes were glued to a model holding up what looked like a perfume bottle and a bouquet. “The cut looks better.” 

“But-”

“You know I'm right.” she interjected. Yuji sighed, pacing back over to his mirror. If he stopped and accepted it now then he'd be one step closer to his first date with Megumi, and his brain would explode. So he intensely combed through his hair with his fingers.

“Does my hair look weird?” He said, glancing at Nobara through his reflection. She didn’t bother looking up.

“It looks normal. So…yeah.” she deadpanned.

He huffed, twisting a pink lock between his fingers. “Be serious.”

“You seriously look fine.”

Fine was what people said about stuff that was completely terrible. Nobody was ever doing fine, or looked fine, it was a placeholder.

“I'm not settling for fine.” He said, adjusting his hair again.

Jeez, he sounded like a different person. He never got stressed about stuff like this, what kind of voodoo was Megumi putting on him? Was romance just supposed to give you heart problems?

He turned to Nobara, “Am I being weird about this?”

She sighed, tossing her magazine to the side. Yuji’s constant questions had probably ruined her reading, but he couldn't worry about that right now.

“Nah,” She shrugged, moving so that she laid on her stomach. She blew a piece of hair out of her face, "Megumi's probably freaking out in his room too. It's just a first date thing”

He wondered what Megumi ‘freaking out’ would look like. Maybe he'd sit all creepy and silent for an hour…Yuji smiled at the thought.

“You really think he’s nervous?”

Nobara snorted, “Definitely.”

The nerves had kicked back in, Yuji buried his face in his hands and flopped onto the bed beside her. He thought of how Megumi’s hand felt a few nights ago and shoved his face into the sheets like it'd block out his thoughts. It didn't. Too many intense feelings swirling in his chest for him to process. His voice was muffled as he groaned,

“What is happening to me?”

He felt Nobara shift beside him, she gave him a light pat on the shoulder. Yuji pushed himself up to frown at her, because how was that supposed to help? 

They made eye contact, a second later she burst into laughter.

“My life is a joke to you,” he complained. Nobara waved him off, still giggling.

“No, it's cute. I've been waiting forever.”

Yuji looked at her quizzically, “Was it that obvious?”

“Nothing has ever been less subtle.” 

Whatever, at least it got him what he wanted. He’d never been quiet anyways. Although…

He tilted his head, “How did you know about Megumi?” 

Yuji hadn't noticed any signs at all, his confession was based on hope and prayer. So how did she figure it out? Nobara wasn't psychic, as far as he knew.

She looked off to the side, giving a sort of half shrug. “Lucky guess.”

She'd never miss a chance to gloat about her ‘perceptiveness’. Something was off.

Yuji shifted closer, trying to catch her eye, “Nobara?” 

She studied a poster on his wall, squinting really hard at it. Was she having a stroke? The last time she acted this weird was when she'd found Gojo's secret instagram and hid it for a month. She was always quiet when she hid stuff because otherwise she'd give it away. Wait…

Yuji widened his eyes and gripped her shoulder, “Did he tell you?”

She frowned, keeping her eyes trained on the wall.

“Nobara.” Yuji said, lowering his voice. She picked his hand up off her shoulder, “I’m…not supposed to answer that.”

“He told you.” Yuji whispered, dumbfounded. She was better at lying than he thought. He sat forward, “How long?”

Nobara scowled, “Ask him yourself.” she picked her magazine back up.

“Please?” He clasped his hands together, “It's the least you could do after lying to me.” 

She raised an eyebrow, “I thought you were dead for 2 months so you actually owe me."

Fair enough. Still, Yuji put on his best heartbroken look. “Fine…” He sighed, sadly shifting away from her.

She ignored the display so he sighed louder, hunching his shoulders a little more. Nobara rolled her eyes, “You're ridiculous.”

Yuji replied by sniffing aggressively.

But she stayed strong, reading an article with more focus than he'd ever seen her use. He stared at her with wide eyes, hoping that she'd break at some point. The glossy pages flipped a few more times before she finally groaned.

“Fine. Longer than you liked him by a lot.”

Yuji straightened up, “Really?”

She only shrugged.

He felt a rush start in his chest, Yuji buried his face in a nearby pillow. He already knew Megumi liked him, but hearing it out loud was different. It brought that lightheaded feeling back to him all over again. He wanted to keep his face in these blankets forever,

“You have two minutes, by the way.”

Yuji stood immediately, “Why didn’t you tell me earlier?” 

He raced across the room to shove his phone and wallet into his pockets. Yuji turned around, gasping as a wad of fabric came flying at him. He jerked his head back and caught it, the soft white fabric already familiar. Unfolding it, the shirt's strawberry emblem looked back at him. He glanced at Nobara, whose arm was extended in front of her. 

She smiled, “You’ll be fine. Go have fun.”

He pulled his raggedy pajama shirt off and threw it to the side, (he'd get a lecture from Nobara about room maintenance later). He pulled the top on in a rush and stepped into his shoes. Was he late yet? Probably. 

He ran to Megumi’s door and stopped in front of it. Yuji dusted himself off, and took a deep breath. This would be great, he’d make sure of it. No heart attacks, nothing stupid. He was ready.

He smoothed his hair a final time, and raised his hand to pound on the door.

After the second knock, Megumi pulled the door open. That was fast. Was he waiting by the door? Yuji felt his chest tighten,

Megumi stood before him, dressed in his usual black. Yuji grinned and met his gaze.

“You ready?”

The two walked along Takeshita street, much to Nobara's envy. Brightly colored shop fronts and decorations surrounded them on every side. The sound of bells and shuffling feet made for a constant hum of noise. Yuji thought the noise was strangely calming, which was lucky because his heart was going a thousand miles per hour.

They walked beside each other, just close enough to hold hands but just far enough to pull away. Yuji kept glancing down and wondering whether or not to make the move. He stared at Megumi’s hand as if willing it to slide into his own, it'd be easier that way. But they only swung uselessly at his side.

Maybe the time wasn’t right yet…Yuji bit the inside of his cheek as he realized that Megumi had followed his gaze. He quickly shoved his hands into his pockets. 

Yuji’s heart was still pounding from the hand situation, and he grabbed the first stupid topic his brain could reach. 

“So, do you think everyone here has a weird thing for cat themed drinks?” He changed the subject as quickly as his mouth would allow. Megumi’s eyes seemed to linger on Yuji's pocketed hands, his mouth twitched before he shifted his gaze back up.

“Weird thing?” He questioned,

Yuji nodded, “Y’know, like…a fetish?”

Megumi stifled a laugh, raising his hands up to his mouth. 

“For cats? Isn't that…beastiality?”

Yuji scrunched his nose, giving Megumi a light shove on his shoulder. “Ew, I didn't mean screwing them.” 

Megumi leaned in to push him back. Yuji sucked in a breath at the contact, keeping his eyes fixed on the path in front of him. Didn't people say fetish about stuff they really liked? Or had he been freaking people out for the past few years? Yuji shrugged, “Fetish in an obsession way. That's a thing, right?”

Megumi shook his head, “I've never heard it used like that.”

“You talk about fetishes a lot?” he teased, moving into him slightly.

“I feel like I am right now.” He tilted his head, “Is this your secret fetish, Yuji?”

He felt his face reddening, “The more I think about it, yeah?”

Megumi rolled his eyes and turned to look at the storefront signs. How was he so calm about everything? Nobara said he was nervous and that he'd waited forever so why couldn't Yuji tell? Maybe the sound of his own heartbeat in his ears kept him from noticing.

“Can I ask you a question?” 

Maybe it was evil, but he wanted to see Megumi all nervous like he was when Yuji confessed.

His date eyed him, “Is it about my potential fetishes?”

“You wish,” Yuji laughed, “Nah, I was going to ask…how long ago did you tell Nobara about me?”

Megumi's eyes immediately widened. He turned away quickly, 

“She wasn't supposed to say anything,” his voice was hushed.

Yuji grinned, trying to get a look at him. “What? why?,”

“It's embarrassing.”

“Its not!” he pushed,

Megumi shook his head, “I won’t tell you.”

“Please? I’ll buy you a drink.” He was going to buy him one anyway, at least he'd have a good excuse to be corny. 

Megumi forced a smile down, it was working. “No.”

“Please?”

“No.” It was getting harder to hide.

“She said it was a long time.” Yuji sang. Megumi sighed, mumbling under his breath that “she was right about that.”

As they walked, Yuji noticed a shop sign with cat ears. He poked Megumi’s shoulder and pointed at the store.

“Don’t think I'm forgetting about this, but let's go test our fetish theory.”

A girl behind nearby threw them a disgusted look, quickly walking past as she clutched her purse. Megumi watched her leave, “Try saying that louder next time,”

Yuji ignored the comment and grabbed his arm, pulling him towards the door. “Come on,” 

The café was exactly what he expected. Soft music playing, pastel walls. Various objects with ears attached, cute little signs and a special that read Cattpuccino. Jeez, Megumi might've been right about this being sexual. The obsession was uncanny.

He strolled up to the ordering area, and greeted the cashier. Were the workers supposed to wear cat ears too? (he'd tell Megumi to apply.)

Yuji skimmed the menu, each drink only got funnier.

“I’ll have the purr-fect strawberry boba and…” he turned to Megumi who sighed, and read the board for a few seconds. He lowered his voice as he spoke.

“Mew-meow smoothie. Please.” 

Yuji let out a laugh, receiving a scathing look in return. He waved it off and pulled his wallet out, “Yeah, that.”

The employee nodded, tapping a few buttons on a screen. “Seperate or together?”

Yuji leaned into Megumi, letting their shoulders press against each other. His embarrassed scowl dropped with the action. “Together.”

If Nobara knew how corny he was acting right now she'd never let him live it down.

The worker nodded, “It’ll be ready soon.”

The two sat at a nearby café table. Megumi studied a shelf of figurines in the corner, and Yuji studied him. He seemed calm on the surface, but Yuji finally found his soft spot. His hands gave him away. Tapping on the table softly, his long fingers dancing on mahogany. Yuji watched the flutter of his lashes as he looked from wall to wall. This was the sort of stuff he’d only dreamed about a week ago. And he got to have all of Megumi for a day, away from curses and death sentences. 

He watched Megumi's head turn, a spark of something behind his eyes having caught Yuji staring. He quickly looked away, biting his tongue. 

Now very aware of the silence between them, Yuji cleared his throat. “Why are cats such a recurring theme in…” He trailed off  into silence. He really hadn’t thought the sentence through and whatever they were, it felt too early to give it a name.

As he cursed himself in his head, Megumi reached into his pocket. He pulled his fist out and set it onto the table. There Mio sat, little green eyes staring up at Yuji.

This was the second time that little thing had saved his fuck up. Megumi gestured towards him, pulling his phone out next. “Hold her up, I want a picture.”

Yuji complied, holding the cat up and grinning. Megumi’s face was mostly hidden by his phone, but he could've sworn he saw him smile as he took the picture. 

He set the phone down, scrolling through the photos. Yuji craned his neck over to see them, “Did I look weird?”

He shrugged, “Wrong person to ask.” Yuji looked away to hide the growing pink tinge on his face. 

“You’re so easy.” Megumi teased quietly. 

Yuji handed Mio back, letting his hand linger in Megumi’s palm just a little longer than usual. Could he do it now? Hold his hand? Would that even make sense- They were sitting at a table…

He was such a pussy. Yuji clenched his teeth, pulling his hand back.

“Whatever. I’ll get you back.” Megumi’s gaze made him too nervous to extend a hand, let alone kiss him. He was making empty promises.

“Two-twenty-four!” A voice shouted from across the cafe. Yuji stood, thankful for the excuse to compose himself. He let the nerves settle in his stomach, instead focusing on the drinks set out on the counter. 

He nearly burst out laughing when he saw them. The purr-fect strawberry boba was a normal drink with a little cat on the cup. But Megumi's order…

“What the fuck?” Megumi's blurted out from behind him. Yuji put a hand to his mouth. The smoothie was lavender with three inches of whipped cream piled on top and way too many add-ons. The plastic cup even had cat ears and stupid little heart eyes. Pretty much the gayest drink he’d ever seen, it was fitting. 

Megumi gave the straw a little stir, barely diminishing the mountain of whipped cream. Before Yuji had the chance to say anything, he crossed the cafe and pushed the door open, the jingling of the bell sounding. Yuji watched him leave, noticing that his hand was now very free for holding. He’d pussied out once, it wouldn't happen again. 

Yuji took a swig of the drink in his hand, treating it like a shot of tequila. The semi-sweet blend worked well enough. He steeled himself and left the cat patterned tiles behind. 

“How is it?” He asked, speeding up to walk beside Megumi.

Slowly, his date took a long sip. He looked at the cup, immediately frowning. Shit, that was cute. Yuji looked at him and his black hair that fanned around his face. Megumi was here, with him, right now. He needed to take advantage of it.

Impulsively, he grabbed his hand to pull the smoothie forward, taking a long sip. He tasted what was definitely not a smoothie. Some sort of taro milkshake that was branded wrong and way too sweet. Megumi looked down at their hands and quickly glanced away. 

“This tastes like sugar. But I guess you just like sweet things.” He exaggerated a wink. Megumi rolled his eyes and slurped the smoothie to cut him off.

As he let go of Megumi's occupied hand, he took a sharp breath. He’d gotten this far. Quickly, he slid down to grab the one hanging at Megumi's side. Intertwined their hands, feeling the slight chill of his fingers. Megumi glanced down and up at Yuji. He tightened his grip, swinging it in tandem with their steps. Yuji felt his chest swell, and turned his eyes to the path ahead. That wasn't so hard.

As they walked, Megumi pointed at a store front ahead of them. “They're doing a sale on keychains. Want to match?”

Yuji's keychain dangled on the side of his phonecase, a small black angel wing. (Megumi had gotten a black one to match.) They stood in the Manga section of a small bookstore, crouched near the bottom shelf. Yuji had spotted his favorite series being advertised, so of course he had to drag Megumi along with him. Phantom Busters wasn't going to explain itself.

“So he’s not psychic but his friends are?” Megumi asked, resting his elbows on his knees. He held his face in one hand, eyes trained on Yuji as he explained.

“Yeah. And they each have different abilities. So like…” Yuji pointed to a front cover near him, “This guy can only hear them.” He pointed to another edition, “But white haired guy just sees them.”

Megumi sighed, “Sounds like curses, but nicer.”

Yuji furrowed his brow. He’d forgotten all about sorcery for a minute, what his life was now. “…I guess so.”

“What do you mean?” 

“Well, I started reading this way before I knew about curses or sorcery or anything like that.” Yuji started, recounting his middle school days spent reading the series. He shrugged, “Now it's all real. You don’t forget sometimes?”

Megumi shook his head, 

Yuji paused, “You never…?” He never forgot about curses and all the evil shit he saw? He never had a moment where everything wasn't so difficult?

He swallowed, eyes flicking down to the floor. He was waiting for Megumi to tell him he did, that things were normal every once in a while. He was met with silence, Yuji bit his lip. How was he able to go on dates, laugh, when curses were always at the back of his mind? 

“I guess you’ve known about them too long to forget, right?” The words were thick in his mouth. He knew that Megumi was used to it but…it still didn't make it right.

He considered it for a moment, “Since I was a kid, yeah.” He said casually. Yuji hummed in acknowledgement. Megumi had this expression on his face, like he was thinking of a childhood pet. Something he could barely hold onto but he tried anyway. He played with the hem of his sleeve, staring intensely at it. 

“It's okay, though.” His voice had a careful softness, the kind of tone he only used when things weren't okay.

Yuji sighed, breathing in the smell of freshly printed books. The brightly colored manga beside him faded from his vision as he thought. It wasn't okay. He wanted to do something to make it better, normal. How was he supposed to flip his whole life over?

“You don’t have to say that,” He said, his mouth set in a straight line. Despite it Megumi smiled, letting go of his own sleeve. He stood from their nook and extended a hand to Yuji, letting their fingers merge again. 

“You worry too much,” Megumi said, pulling him up to his feet. He led him out of the store, washing away that heavy feeling in his chest. Yuji wondered how someone who never got to forget anything could still smile like that. For a bit, he’d push that thought down. Megumi was happy right now, he could try and settle for that.

The sun was beginning to set, he could see it through LED signs and crowds of people. The sky was a soft orange with swirls of pink mixed into it,  Megumi turned to him, the golden glow of the sun lighting his face. His lashes made a slight shadow over his eyes. 

“What do you want to do next?” 

Yuji’s gaze wandered behind him, where a photobooth sat unoccupied. The universe was on his side, finally. He pulled his Megumi by the hand, making his way towards the entrance. 

“A photobooth?” his date asked, reading the outside of the box. Yuji nodded, pushing back the little curtain and sliding inside. 

Their hands were still stuck together, Yuji rested them on his knee as he navigated the photo settings. They would get three chances.

“Okay, so what do you think?” Yuji said, turning his head to Megumi. The little camera came on, with a button that said Begin Session labeled in red. 

“One smiling, one silly, one cool?” 

Megumi furrowed his brow, “What does cool mean?”

“Y’know like-” Yuji held a peace sign up near his eyes. Megumi snorted,

“You’re so weird.”

“I’m being cool! Whatever,” He said, pressing start on the machine. They scooted closer, posing through each flash of the camera. The machine dispensed the photos by their feet, Yuji eagerly reached for them.

He grinned with his face pressed against Megumi’s in the first one, put bunny ears behind his dates head for the second photo,

“Wow, cool.” Megumi said dryly. Yuji looked at the last photo, where he was clearly mid-blink. He groaned, turning it face down. “Ignore that one.”

“It’s my favorite.” He laughed softly, studying the picture. Was this enough? Yuji wanted to make him happy enough to forget about everything that followed him. It was the least he could do, seeing as how happy Megumi made him.

Yuji glanced down at Megumi’s lips and cursed himself. There was barely a foot between them, how had he just now noticed that? He could feel his face growing redder, imagining what would happen if he leaned forward. There'd be nobody around, a thin curtain separated them from the whole world. 

Megumi opened his mouth, “Did you still want to know how long I…” he paused, letting Yuji fill in the blanks.

“How long?-” He made a face, glancing down. Sort of, but wasn’t the first date a bit early? Yuji took another moment to realize what he was talking about. “Oh. What Nobara said?”

Megumi nodded, rolling his eyes. “Yeah. Weirdo.”

Yuji pushed his shoulder, “Shut up and tell me.”

He sighed, taking a moment to turn his face away out of embarrassment. “...Since the Kyoto goodwill event.” 

Yuji’s brain short circuited for a moment. That was…how many months? 

“I guess I realized when you came back and…” Megumi noticed Yuji stifling a smile.

“That long?” He said, unable to tear his gaze away. Megumi gritted his teeth, 

“I told you it was embarrassing-”

“It's not.” Yuji laughed. He felt himself leaning closer to Megumi. Yuji could hear his heart pounding in his head, overwhelmed with how close he was. His shoulder pressed against Megumi's, eyes flicking to his lips. And his date’s breath was hitched in his throat. They were an inch apart,

A jolt in his chest made Yuji flinch. It wasn’t the kind of nerves he usually felt around Megumi. But he was right in front of him and his lips were in reach, Yuji's eyes were glued to his soft face. He told himself it was his imagination, or he was just feeling things he hadn’t before. He dreaded the alternative.

Yuji was focused on the two of them again, he felt Megumi’s breath tickle his face.

Again, a jolt in his chest. This time his hand twitched against his will, curling into a fist. Something was here, he couldn't play it off anymore. Megumi was on edge too, gripping the side of his seat. They still sat close, but their eyes had shifted to the small curtain of the photobooth.

Yuji listened closely, waiting for some sort of sound. A light wind jostled the fabric just slightly. Nothing. He whispered, squinting his eyes “Did you feel-”

A glass-shattering scream sounded outside the photobooth, piercing the low hum of electric lines and distant voices. Megumi pushed back the curtain and jumped out of the booth, leaving Yuji sitting in a daze. 

He promptly ran after Megumi, stuffing the pictures into his back pocket. His date had a head start on him, already turning a corner up ahead. Yuji pushed his legs as fast as they would go, feet stamping against the pavement. The sun was really setting now, the back of these buildings didn’t have any lighting. They’d be facing whatever it was in low lighting.

Yuji bounded across a walkway and turned a corner, arriving in a secluded alley. His stomach did a flip as he came to a stop beside Megumi.The cursed energy was condensed here, and as he peered into the shadows he saw it. 

A woman sat huddled near the wall of a dead end alley, her hands clutched to her chest. He couldn't make out her face in this lighting or distance, Yuji's attention was quickly drawn to the curse. Over her loomed a thing with too many arms, veiny flesh, baring its ugly teeth at her. It might've been a second grade, the curse warbled as it reached a grotesque hand out towards her.

Megumi pressed his hands together and a large white and black dog leapt towards the curse, pulling it away from the woman and tearing an arm off immediately. 

It screamed, a nasty sound that made Yuji raise his hands to his ears. It swung back at the dog, knocking it on its side.

“Megumi, get her out of there while I kill that thing.” Yuji said, taking a step towards the curse. He felt a solid hand grab his shoulder and pull him back. 

“I’m not letting you take it alone.” Megumi said, tightening his grip. Yuji didn’t know whether to shake him off or take his hand. 

He didn’t have to decide, another scream broke the moment. The curse was fighting to get ahold of the woman, she sat wide eyed, gripping her ankle. The dark walls of the alley boxed her in with it, she covered her mouth as she stared. 

Megumi hooked his thumbs together, “Nue.”

A flash of orange feathers flew past them, joining the attack on the curse. Megumi pulled a small knife out of his belt. Yuji barely had time to hate that he brought it along with him before he spoke,

“Please,” Megumi softened his voice, “I’ll distract it while you get her, then we can take it together. But hurry.” Yuji took a last look at him, there was too much to say. 

He turned on his heel and began racing towards the woman, dodging the curse’s swinging arms and willing himself to keep staring ahead. He could hear it smashing into the walls behind him, feel chips of concrete graze the back of his arms. He kept going.

Yuji approached the woman, she had her eyes shut tightly. He crouched to her level, hesitating before he spoke. She’d been through enough, he didn’t need to make it worse.

“Are you hurt?” He said, lowering his voice to a whisper. Her eyes shot open, she pushed herself back into the wall. She had light brown hair with a barette, and a pink dress. She couldn't have been much older than Yuji. 

“I’m here to help you,” He said, quickly, raising his hands up. Her breathing seemed to slow a bit, she softened.

“I don’t- what is that thing?” She stuttered. Yuji’s chest twisted as he looked at her. Gently, he reached a hand out. She tensed, looking down at it sharply. Yuji watched her eyes flick between him and the curse. It was reaching up towards Nue, letting out an awful grunt each time it jumped. 

She sighed, nodding and placing her hand on his shoulder.

“Can you walk? We’ve got to go.” He said, beginning to lift her off the ground. She let out a pained cry as Yuji moved.

“Ah-” She clenched her teeth and dug her nails into Yuji’s arm. He tightened his grip around her, taking most of her weight off her ankle. “Is it a monster?” She said, the two of them starting towards the end of the alley. He nodded, taking a steadier hold of her arm. “Something like that.” 

He and the woman slowly made their way past the fight beside them. He blocked her vision as best he could, willing himself to ignore the curse’s screams.

Yuji brought her a few yards away from the alley. He set her down against a wall and helped her prop her leg out in front of her. 

“I’ll get help, just stay here.” He stood, starting towards the alley again. She wiped her face with the back of her hand, letting her brown hair hang over her face. 

“I’m sorry this happened,” He added, an understatement. Nobody deserved to see any of this. He was only met with her curtain of hair rustling over her face. 

Yuji turned around, watching his own shoes pound against the concrete floor as he ran. The red sneakers took him back to the alley, he turned the corner and halted. Yuji looked up, cursing as he saw what was ahead of him

Megumi was pinned against the wall, his pale arm held in place by the curse’s mottled flesh. It pressed him flat into the concrete forcing his cheek against the wall. They were opposite Yuji, he saw the creature's back arm raise above its head. It tensed its jagged dirty nails as sharp as razors. Megumi clenched his jaw, looking through the corner of his eye at the oncoming attack. It’d make contact in a few seconds.

Yujis felt every muscle in his body react before his mind could. He started to sprint towards Megumi, praying that he’d intercept before he got hurt. He was closing the distance, his hair pushed away from his face from the sheer speed. He could make it. He had to make it. Losing Megumi wasn't an option. 

It jabbed its claws downward and Yuji felt his heart stop. The scene nearly played out in slow motion, sharp points descending towards the black fabric covering his chest.

Two inches from him. Yuji was within arms reach but it was too late.

In a blink Megumi skillfully twisted around its claws. They lodged into the wall behind him, breaking the concrete surface. Megumi jabbed a knife hidden in his belt into its head. A sick squelching noise followed, black ooze pooled around the wound as Megumi drove it deeper into the curse’s head. It twitched for a moment before slumping at his feet. 

Yuji came to a halt, watching Megumi release the handle and lean against the wall behind him. He huffed, dropping his head down for a moment.

“I’m…fine,” He breathed. 

He'd nearly died. Yuji was about to tell him how not fine that was but he didn’t care right now. Megumi was alive and he felt a burst of relief in his chest. He rushed forward over the curse’s arm towards him.

Megumi snapped his head up and lunged forward to push Yuji back. His palms connected with Yuji’s chest and he stepped away, confused. As he did the arm shot upward, dragging its nails across Megumi’s leg. The creature screeched as more black goo spurted out of its wound. Megumi shouted and stumbled backwards.

In a split second Yuji slammed his fist into the thing's head with newfound strength, and quickly stepped forward to catch Megumi. He set him onto the ground and held him up with his arms. He knew the curse was dead. He felt himself crush bone and reach the floor but he couldn't be bothered to look at it now.

Megumi gripped his calf tightly, there were two large gashes and blood pooling across the ground. Yuji stammered, glancing between the wound and Megumi's labored breaths. Sweat formed across his face, his brows were knitted in pain.

“I- should have been paying attention-” He could barely form words. 

“It's okay. I'm okay.” Megumi said, his voice weak.”Just call Ijichi, I'll be fine.”

Yuji fumbled in his pocket, and looked down. Blood covering his fingers, his phone slipped in his hands. He dialed the number, ignoring how his hands shook.

Yuji rested his hands over his date’s legs, one bandaged. The two of them sat in the back seat with Megumi resting against the door. Buildings and street signs blurred into trees and bridges in the window behind him. There was barely any sunlight out anymore. 

Ijichi had told them to keep his leg elevated, resting it on Yuji's lap was the best thing they could think of. He stared at the gauze, clenching his jaw. The soft white fabric drove him crazy.

“You can relax, the bleeding stopped.” Megumi said lightly, his arms crossed over his chest. He glanced between his leg and Yuji's hand resting on top of it. All Yuji could think about was how he let it happen. The scene was playing over and over in his head. Megumi lunged out to save him again, and again. He heard that scream and he winced.

Megumi dropped his smile, tilting his head to get a better look. “What's wrong?” He reached out to touch his shoulder.

“I didn’t…” Yuji paused, “You could've died.” the words were bitter in his mouth. 

“I doubt a cut to the leg would do it.” He replied, settling comfortably into his seat.

“Not funny.”

“I'm fine, see?” He gestured to his leg, “It's nothing new.”

That was the part he hated most, Megumi being so okay with it. Fine was a placeholder word, nothing about this was fine. No matter how much Megumi thought it was. Yuji couldn't be fine with it. He was always loud about how he felt. 

“You shouldn't be fine with it.” He said, letting his head tip back. The car ceiling was endless gray, endless nothing. He turned his head, met with a confused look from Megumi.

Yuji exhaled, studying his face. He wanted his words to come out right, He wanted to give him more than he had. He wanted everything. Where was he supposed to start? Like the car ceiling. Endless. 

Yuji did his best anyways, 

“I just mean that- you deserve more than to be fine with this.” He said, looking down at Megumi’s bandaged leg. His hand holding it. He deserved more than carrying a cursed knife in his belt on a first date, more than straining his ears for a curse when he should've been kissed.

“I want to give that to you but I can't.” His voice lowered, “I can’t do enough even though I want to.” He’d tried. Despite his efforts the shit kept bubbling up to the surface.

Silence for a few moments, then Megumi gave a soft laugh. “Can’t?”

Yuji shrugged, “Yeah, can’t.”

“You’ve already given me…way more than I deserve,” he said.

Frowning, Yuji shifted forward. “Like what?”

Megumi looked down at his crossed arms. The sound of the road under them grew louder. Gravel passing under them at seventy miles an hour, rumbling. The quiet was filled by Ijichi muttering a complaint about the time to himself.

He seemed to settle on something and spoke quietly. “Maybe you can’t change the way we live but…you make me feel like I'm gonna be ok.” He shrugged shyly. “I think that’s enough.”

The words took a moment to process in Yuji’s head. He exhaled sharply and averted Megumi’s gaze. “I- That doesn’t count.”

“You’re so stubborn.” He said halfheartedly, crossing his arms.

He’d never be able to keep Megumi from getting hurt. He couldn't turn back time and take anything away. But if being around made him feel okay, that was all he wanted to do. Megumi deserved that much. Maybe Yuji wouldn't say it out loud yet, but he loved-

“Yuji?”

He let go of his train of thought, “Yeah?”

He glanced at Yuji's hand around his ankle. 

“I should've kissed you in the photobooth.”

He felt his heart race all over again, like their faces were still inches apart. Megumi's leg across his lap was now painfully real. He felt his hand twitch over the bandages.

“I guess that's the one thing you haven't given me…and-” Megumi started, red spreading across his face. He held Yuji's gaze sharply, “You said I deserved more, right?”

He swallowed, the corners of his vision started to blur. “I did,”

“...Can this be more?”

Yuji could only nod and inch closer to Megumi. It seemed like the distance was closed in a matter of seconds. Megumi was right before him, eyes trained on him. It was a delicate moment, Yuji didn't want to break it. But he felt his lips burning being so close to Megumi’s. 

Yuji leaned forward, his eyes grew half lidded. He could feel Megumi's breath grow hard against him. He felt his soft lips brush his own, his hand gripping his back. He felt frozen in place. Just barely against him, exhilarated. Yuji closed his eyes and let their lips fully connect. It was like he could feel a second heartbeat, tasted mint, Yuji knew what he felt like and he never wanted to pull away.

Megumi gripped his back a little harder, his chest heaving slightly.

“Can we do it again?”