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Yuuji is so incredibly nervous right now.
He's about to get his wisdom teeth removed.
It had been a procedure he was supposed to have gotten done a while back before he became a jujutsu sorcerer, but with all the missions he does with Megumi and Nobara every week, he forgot about it.
Well, until it started hurting his mouth.
Visibly fidgeting on one of the beds at Jujutsu Tech's infirmary, he watches Shoko grabbing a few different supplies to prepare for the surgery. "Are you sure this can't wait a little longer? I mean, all I have to do is not chew too hard while I'm eating right?" he asks with a nervous smile.
"The longer you wait, the more painful it'll be when those teeth fully grow in." Shoko replies simply.
Yuuji sinks into the seat with defeat. She had a point. If he puts this off any longer, the pain will only get worse from there and that makes Yuuji shiver in place. He hates dealing with pain.
"Alright fine.." he murmurs.
"We'll help you to your room." Megumi says, sitting a few seats away with Nobara, who's busy texting away on her phone. He nudges her with his shoulder when she doesn't respond with an agreement, and she looks up at Yuuji with a grimace.
"Actually, all this teeth stuff is kinda gross to me so count me out," she says. "I'll get you a smoothie from the food court at the mall though."
Megumi's expression grows a tad annoyed before he turns to Yuuji again. "Okay, I'll help you to your room." he corrects.
Megumi… helping Yuuji to him room? While he's under anesthesia!? What if he says something stupid? Or worse—
He admits his crush on Megumi?
Yuuji laughs a little too loud for comfort. "No! I-I mean—No as in, you don't have to do that," he looks at Shoko. "I can't just sleep here while it wears off?"
Shoko shakes her head. "The anesthesia's gonna have you feeling tired, sure, but it's better you rest in your room where your body feels more comfortable and relaxed instead of the infirmary beds here. We also can't have you hog one of the beds for too long in case other students need medical assistance."
"Really, Itadori it's fine." Megumi says with a reassuring look.
"Yeah it'll be really fine for him," Nobara teases, scrolling on her phone some more. Megumi sends a glare her way, and Yuuji's eyebrows press together. What did she mean by that?
Nobara quickly lifts her head up to see both boys staring at her, realizing what she just said. She covers it up with a nervous chuckle. "Uh.. What I mean is that you know.. Fushiguro is someone you can rely on. You'll be fine, Itadori!" she adds.
"Okay, the more we talk, the longer this is going to take." Shoko says, giving the other two students a side-eye. "You guys can wait outside while I get this done."
Megumi and Nobara rise from their seats, giving Yuuji looks of encouragement as they slip out of the door.
Shoko wastes no time in placing an IV strip to Yuuji's arm, prepping him for the surgery. He squeezes a small ball in his hand, though he feels like he might pop it with how tight he's holding it. His heart pumps a little faster as she moves around the room, anxiety pooling in his stomach when the brown-haired doctor tips the bed a little back.
Sensing his unease, Shoko looks down at the boy. "It's okay. This isn't gonna take long, and it'll be done before you know it." she murmurs. "Breathe."
Yuuji nods and closes his eyes as he takes a deep breath.
"I'm gonna add the sedative so you can relax, okay?" Shoko says, grabbing a syringe full of Versed and tapping it a few times to ensure it's ready to use.
"When is it gonna kick in?" Yuuji asks curiously, eyeing the syringe like it's going to kill him.
Shoko smiles a little. "Oh, you'll know."
"Alright, deep breath for me.." she instructs Yuuji, and the pink-haired boy follows her instructions as he feels the slight poke of the needle in his arm for just a second. Shoko then moves back and sets down the syringe. "There you go. Easy stuff right?"
"Yeah. Not so bad.." Yuuji says with a small smile, feeling a little more calm.
It doesn't take too long for the sedation to take effect. Yuuji feels his eyes grow heavy, breaths evening out as his limbs slacken. He leans his head back, letting the medication course through his body and stares at the ceiling. Yuuji's hardly paying attention to his surroundings anymore.
"You feeling okay, Itadori?" he hears Shoko ask, and all he can muster is a lazy, "Mhm.." to the doctor. Her voice sounds like it's miles away even though she's in the same room. All he knows right now is that he's so sleepy.
Finally, he lets the sedation take full control, and his eyes flutter shut.
…
Megumi feels like he's going to die.
Yuuji's procedure took about 45 minutes, and Megumi spent about 5 talking to Nobara before she happily announced her departure to the mall with Maki, leaving him alone outside of the infirmary waiting area. He spent the rest of the time reading different nature articles to keep himself busy as he always does.
However, when Shoko finally opened the door and let him in, Megumi stopped in his tracks at the sight of Yuuji, sleeping soundly on the bed with ice packs wrapped neatly on the sides of his face. His cheeks were puffed up, gauze pressed into his mouth to keep his gums from bleeding.
Yuuji looks so.. peaceful.
And also cute.
"I tried to heal the area where I removed his wisdom teeth the best of my ability, but there's still gonna be a little lingering pain he's gonna have to deal with as the gums heal," Shoko says. "Recovery should take about a week or so."
Megumi nods. "Okay. What else does he need?"
Shoko walks over to one of the locked shelves near her desk and takes out a small bottle of pills, handing them over to Megumi. "Itadori needs to take antibiotics twice a day and only after he eats. No solid foods until the end of the recovery period, only soft mushy foods that'll be easy to eat."
The black-haired sorcerer pockets the bottle of pills and hums in acknowledgment. "How long before the anesthesia wears off..?"
"The sedation will wear off in about an hour so after he wakes up, and the anesthetic that's numbing his mouth will wear off later in the evening tonight." the brown-haired doctor explains. "I'm sure you're aware sometimes people who are still under that laughing gas can say some things they don't mean, so if Itadori says something odd when he wakes up don't take it too seriously."
"Right." Megumi already has some sort of idea at what Yuuji could act like when he comes out of his sleep. He'll probably complain about feeling uncomfortable and then giggle out of nowhere as he tries to walk on his own. That image alone makes Megumi feel a little funny.
"If he does say something weird, try to play along with it. He'll already feel vulnerable as is, so the last thing he needs is to feel more distressed after surgery." Shoko says, taking her hair out of its ponytail.
"Yeah, of course." Megumi says with a softer look towards Yuuji, still asleep and unaware of the quiet conversation happening in front of him.
Shoko gazes over at Megumi, catching the way his eyebrows tilt upwards seeing the other boy in bed. "I know he'll be the most comfortable around you, so I wouldn't worry too much."
Megumi's heart jumps in his chest when Yuuji makes a small sound, signaling that he's waking up. He watches the other boy lazily peel his eyes open, attempting to gather his bearings. Yuuji looks around with a lost expression on his face before his eyes land on Megumi and it feels like time freezes for the both of them.
Yuuji is staring at Megumi like he's the only light in the room.
Shoko finds herself growing amused at the scene in front of her. "Itadori, do you know what happened?" she prompts.
Sluggishly, he shakes his head without a word, still staring at Megumi.
The black-haired sorcerer's cheeks grow warm. Why is he looking at me that way?
"You got your wisdom teeth taken out," he says, trying to keep his voice steady. The last thing he wants to do is show Yuuji how nervous he suddenly feels under his half-lidded gaze.
Yuuji's eyebrows furrow, only then realizing what happened. It's like the gears are turning in his head, but veeeery slowly. Then his eyes widen like a deer in headlights. "She took my teeth..?" he mumbles, though his words sound muffled because of the gauze inside his mouth.
Megumi looks over at Shoko who's trying to cover up a smile with her hand before gazing back at Yuuji. "No, Shoko didn't take them. You had to get them removed because they were hurting, remember?"
Yuuji suddenly looks like a kicked puppy, face scrunching up with sadness. Megumi's eyes widen.
"I hurt them..?" Yuuji asks wobbly, eyes suddenly filling with tears. Of course he would be concerned over hurting his teeth.
"No, that's not—"
"Can I get them back..? I wanna say sorry." Yuuji pleads weakly, sleepy eyes practically begging for Megumi to fix this somehow.
Megumi hesitates. "I.." he glances over at Shoko for help.
Shoko nods and steps in. "I can give them back to you later, but they're okay. Now that they're out of your mouth, they aren't hurting anymore."
Yuuji goes quiet and stares at Shoko with surprise. "Really?"
"Mhm. Fushiguro can show them to you when you recover, okay?" she says, voice as calm and patient as ever.
Megumi walks over to Yuuji's bedside, ready to assist now. "I'll help you to your room, okay? You can sleep some more there."
"Okay." Yuuji murmurs and then grimaces when he hears his own soft voice. "I sound weird.."
"You have gauze in your mouth, that's why." Megumi replies softly.
The other boy's eyes widen and immediately tries to touch his mouth. Megumi reacts quickly though, and takes hold of Yuuji's hand before he can do anything. "Hey, no. Don't touch it. It has to stay there so your mouth can heal, okay?"
"But I don't wanna eat it.." Yuuji complains, halfheartedly pushing Megumi's hands away.
"You're not gonna eat it, I promise." Megumi reassures quietly.
Yuuji looks up at Megumi again with that same look from earlier and it makes his chest feel weird once more.
Carefully, he guides the pink-haired boy into a sitting position on the bed and steadies him when Yuuji almost loses his balance from the sudden movement. "Easy, I've got you."
Yuuji makes a faint sound, almost like a whine as he lets Megumi guide him. His eyes flutter for a moment and he lets his head rest on Megumi's shoulder.
Megumi freezes in place.
"What's wrong?" he asks gently.
"Spinning.." he can hear Yuuji mumble into his clothes.
"You're dizzy?"
Yuuji nods against his shoulder, and Megumi can feel the way Yuuji buries himself like a child seeking comfort. He looks at Shoko over his shoulder, seeing her fond expression. She gives Megumi a knowing look that says, I told you so.
He ignores his pulse quickening and instead decides to rub Yuuji's back tenderly. "That's okay. We can sit here for a second before we head to your room."
"But I don't.. I don't wanna fall.."
Megumi fights a smile at Yuuji's pouty tone. "You're not gonna walk by yourself, Itadori. I'll help you."
He feels Yuuji sigh against him with defeat?
What was that about?
"What's wrong now?" he asks, amused.
"Don't wanna waaaalk.."
"Shoko can give you a wheelchair instead if you don't want to walk." Megumi says, still rubbing Yuuji's back.
There's a few seconds of silence where Yuuji says nothing and Megumi thinks the boy's fallen asleep on his shoulder. "Itadori..?"
"You're comfy." Yuuji giggles, light and airy.
"And that's funny?" Megumi teases.
Yuuji starts to giggle a little more.
"Itadori, you don't want to sleep in your bed?" Shoko asks with a smile now.
"No. My bed is right here.." he replies lazily, pretending to snore as he leans further against Megumi.
"Weren't you dizzy a couple of seconds ago?"
"Yeah but.. but not anymore.." Yuuji responds sleepily.
"Okay, we're taking you to bed. C'mon." Megumi turns and slides Yuuji's arm over his shoulder and hoists him to a standing position, allowing the other boy lean heavily against him, cheek (and ice pack) almost touching his arm. He can feel Yuuji's breath fan by his neck and he fights with his body to not react to it.
Yuuji protests very weakly and then his eyes widen when he's standing. He stumbles a little but Megumi keeps him upright. "It's okay. I got you." He turns to Shoko. "We good to go?"
She nods. "Yep. Just make sure to follow the instructions I gave you earlier."
With that, Megumi guides Yuuji to his room.
The journey is slow, with Yuuji walking sluggishly as he presses into Megumi's side. It's a good thing Yuuji isn't freakishly tall because Megumi would be having the worst time of his life trying to help him otherwise.
As they continue to make their way to the dorms at Jujutsu Tech, Megumi begins to notice the sudden silence from the woozy boy and gently rubs his arm to get his attention. "You okay?"
Yuuji doesn't answer, eyes lazily looking up at Megumi before he leans his head into the crook of Megumi's neck, like he's shielding himself away from that question. The black-haired sorcerer doesn't press for a response and assumes he's drained himself of talking any longer, but he files the reaction away for later.
After a long couple minutes of walking—or in Yuuji's case, being half-carried by Megumi, they finally reach Yuuji's room and open the door. The pink-haired boy's room is partially clean. His bed is half-made like he was in a rush in the morning, and some of his clothing sits on the back of his desk chair. The wall near his bed is bare, no longer having that poster of a girl in a swimsuit, ever since Megumi threw it away after Yuuji's "death".
Strangely enough, that poster made him feel slightly annoyed any time he was in Yuuji's room and looked over at it. Sure, Yuuji could have whatever he wanted in his room, but the more Megumi thought about the poster, the more he felt that weird emotion rise in his chest at the sight of it.
For now, he doesn't acknowledge that odd feeling.
"Let's get you to bed, okay?" he tells Yuuji quietly, lying him down on his bed. He works with ease, adjusting the covers to rest on top of the drained boy and watches him practically melt into the mattress. He murmurs something into his pillow and Megumi cranes his ear to hear it because of the gauze in Yuuji's mouth. "I can't hear you, Itadori. What did you say?"
"Miss him.."
Megumi's expression falters slightly. Him? "..What?"
"My grandpa.. miss him a lot.. like.. all the time.." Yuuji rambles sleepily, and Megumi finally realizes why he was suddenly so silent earlier. Was he thinking about him this entire time?
Megumi didn't know much about Yuuji's personal life before he became a jujutsu sorcerer. Yuuji carried himself with his head held high despite losing his grandfather and eating Sukuna's finger within the same day, but he never really talked to Megumi about his relationship with his grandfather, or to anyone really.
He noticed how Yuuji would smile and wave off any concerns Megumi had after a mission that would have casualties, telling him not to worry about it and reassure him that it was okay.
Megumi also noticed when Yuuji's smile faded once he would turn away from him.
"You do?" he murmurs, slowly sitting down at the edge of his bed.
"Yeaaaah.. wanna go see him.." Yuuji says, frowning into his pillow. His nose scrunches up like the thought of doing so pains him, and Megumi really doesn't want to think of the possibility that Yuuji wants to cry right now.
He isn't really sure what to say in response, but then Megumi remembers Shoko's words from earlier. Play along with it.
"You should. I think he would like that." he says, quiet and comforting. He knows this might be stupid, and he knows Yuuji might not even remember this in a few hours, but the voice in his heart doesn't want to see that frown again.
"He'll scold me… an' tell me to leave.. so grumpy.." Megumi sees Yuuji grumble into his pillow and fights off a small smile.
"He's grumpy?" He asks, reaching to rub the woozy boy's arm tenderly as he talks.
"Uh-huh.. He.. he tells me to um… always help others.." Yuuji rambles on lazily, peeling his eyes open a little. Megumi's hand slows near the pink-haired boy's forearm as he hears those words. Is that what he told Yuuji at the hospital as a final wish? To do good things for others for as long as he lives?
It all makes sense to Megumi now.
Yuuji was in the middle of grieving in the hospital when they met, face a little tired and red from tears. Megumi remembers how quick Yuuji was willing to take him to Sugisawa High School to retrieve Sukuna's finger, and within a couple of minutes, swallowed that same finger to save Megumi's life.
Even while Yuuji took it upon himself to help Megumi because that's how is he is as a person, he was also fulfilling his grandfather's wishes while doing it.
Megumi feels his heart tighten in his chest. "I'm sure he's happy knowing that you're doing that."
"You think so..?" Yuuji asks, looking over at Megumi with a half-lidded gaze, ice packs pressed into his cheeks.
"Yeah. You've helped me a lot when you didn't have to."
"But.. 's different with.. with you.." Yuuji says. "..'s always different with you.."
Different?
Megumi furrows his eyebrows, puzzled. "It's different with me..?" he asks hesitantly.
"Yeaaaah. I wanna help you.. an' I care about you.." Yuuji continues his heartfelt ramble, and his eyes never leave Megumi's face. He doesn't stop the pink-haired boy, listening to every mumbled word that spills from Yuuji's gauze filled mouth. He's surprised that he hasn't tried to mess with it again while he talks.
"Am I eating cotton..?"
Well that thought didn't last long.
"Uh-uh," Megumi warns softly, already pushing Yuuji's curious hands away from his mouth again. "The gauze has to stay in your mouth, remember? You need to let it heal."
Yuuji's mouth forms into a pout as he feels his hands being pulled away. "Fushiguroooo.."
"Itadoriiii.." Megumi parrots back, a small amused look on his face.
The pink-haired boy suddenly falls silent at Megumi's teasing response. Then, a red blush forms across his cheeks, and buries his face away into the pillow.
Panic washes over Megumi at Yuuji's reaction and squeezes his hands. "Hey, don't hide from me. I wasn't making fun of you, I promise." he says, voice low and soothing.
He hears Yuuji mumble into his pillow. "I can't hear you if your face is smushed into the pillow." he encourages.
Megumi waits as Yuuji sighs and finally lifts his head to look at the other boy. He's trying so hard to focus on Megumi and he can see the way Yuuji's eyes stare at him in an unfocused manner. That anesthesia must be hitting him really hard now. "What were you trying to say?"
"That I sound… dumb.. an' silly.." he replies faintly.
"You sound like that because you just got out of surgery. It's gonna feel weird for a little bit." Megumi replies, rubbing his thumb over Yuuji's knuckles. "You won't sound like that forever."
"You're so nice… an' smart.." Yuuji suddenly blurts out, catching Megumi off guard.
"Am I?" Megumi murmurs, feeling timid under Yuuji's gaze.
"Yeeeees.." Yuuji says it like it's the most obvious thing in the world and Megumi feels his heartbeat quicken its pace. He doesn't need to get ahead of himself. Yuuji's just saying random things. It's not like he means it.
But a small part of Megumi really hopes he does.
"You need to rest, Itadori." Megumi says, hoping that Yuuji didn't just hear the slight dip in his voice as he breaks the eye contact to adjust the blankets around the pink-haired boy. He feels silly right now. It means nothing. It shouldn't.
"I wanna talk.. to you.. I like.. I like talking.. with you.." Yuuji mumbles sweetly, and Megumi frowns.
"I like talking with you too." he admits softly. Yuuji giggles.
"Yaaaay..!"
Megumi can't hide the chuckle that leaves his mouth at the absurdity of the situation right now. Here he is worrying about Yuuji being honest about his feelings for Megumi and he's a giggling mess on the bed. It seems like that conversation will be a problem for tomorrow.
"We can talk when you've rested for a little bit, yeah?" Megumi says, standing from the bed.
"Wait.."
Yuuji weakly reaches for Megumi's wrist, clasping his hand around it before he walks away. Megumi looks over his shoulder, seeing how the other boy gazes at him with a pleading expression. He doesn't move, waiting for Yuuji to speak.
"Stay with me…" the pink-haired boy mumbles tiredly.
He shouldn't stay. Megumi wants to let Yuuji rest while he replays his delirious words over and over again. He knows he should just leave the room, but the way that Yuuji looks at him—so hopeful, makes him relent almost instantly.
So he settles back onto the edge of bed, murmuring a quiet, "Okay." and watches Yuuji visibly relax when he knows Megumi won't leave the room. "I'll be right here."
"'kay.. Thank you.." Yuuji says, letting his eyes flutter shut. It takes a few minutes before his breathing evens out, and he falls asleep. Megumi lets out a sigh and looks outside the window of the sliding doors in the dorm room.
In the grass he sees two cats—a gray tabby cat and a black cat. The gray tabby is strutting around the black feline playfully, letting itself flop on the ground. The black cat stares, unimpressed, before slowly laying on the grass next to the gray tabby.
Megumi smiles fondly at the heartwarming sight. It felt oddly familiar in a way. Maybe in another universe he and Yuuji are cats, not worried about missions or exorcising curses all the time. They're simply cats, walking through the world without a care in the world.
He looks back at Yuuji sleeping soundly and Megumi feels his heart tighten. He looks comfortable, stress-free.
As softly as he can, Megumi brushes a few strands of hair out of Yuuji's face. He lets his fingers linger under his jaw for a second, feeling the steady pulse of his heart against his fingertips before pulling away.
Megumi doesn't know what the next few hours will bring or what tomorrow is going to look like, but at least Yuuji isn't frowning with sadness anymore.