Chapter Text
Yuuji had always loved the city.
It was something that had been cemented in him since birth. Ever since he was a toddler running around on little unsteady legs, he’d hobble to the glass door leading to the balcony and watch the bustle of the city through glass doors. No matter the weather, even on the hottest of days where the balcony was boiling to touch or in winter where snow piled high. He'd always watch the streets below for hours, fascinated by the endless movement of people and cars, the lights flickering to life as evening settled over Sendai.
His mother would pick him up, gentle hands cradling him against her chest as if nothing could hurt him, opening the door and lifting him slightly so he could see the city clearer. His father would come out sometime later, faint eyebags painting his under eyes from his endless energy (because yes, even as a toddler he’d been incapable of sitting still for more than five minutes). He’d come over and ruffle his pink hair, a small grin tugging at his lips.
It was the only clear memory he had of them. Everything else had been pieced together over the years through stories and photographs.
His grandfather had told him all about them, Kaori and Jin Itadori- how they were two gentle souls that met in university and had been together ever since. Then Yuuji had been born and, according to his grandfather, hit their lives like a storm.
They expected him to be like his parents, soft spoken and respectful- but Yuji was the opposite. Loud in every way, energetic and curious- even in his early years. Determined to make sure there was never a quiet moment in the house again.
His grandfather always sounded fond when he said it.
Sometimes, the two of them would huddle together on the living-room floor with the old photo albums spread between them. They were filled with thousands of pictures of them when they were younger.
“Sentimental assholes,” he'd grumble whenever Yuuji pointed out just how many there were.
The photos were soft and candid, shots blurred from unsteady hands more focused on capturing the moments than making them look nice. Then Yuuji appeared in them, and all of a sudden they seemed to get brighter. More smiles and breakfast mishaps. More moments that Yuuji couldn't remember but could almost imagine.
And in every one they were always looking at him with so much love.
It made him sick to think about. How he had been the centre of their universe, and now he didn’t even know them.
They had died when he was six, a car accident. But Yuuji knew it wasn’t the truth. He understood that grief was a sensitive subject, but his grandfather had never been good at hiding his feelings from him. Whenever Yuuji asked about his parents, there was always that same uncomfortable pause. A slight tightness in his expression and a strange hesitation before he'd give an answer. It was a lie, but Yuuji just didn't know why.
And he wasn’t even sure if he wanted to know.
There had to be a reason his grandfather had kept the truth from him. Maybe he'd been trying to protect him from something worse? Or maybe he wanted Yuuji to remember his parents as they were in those photographs rather than allow whatever had happened to tarnish the little he had left of them? Either way, Yuuji never pushed. He respected his grandfather and his choices, even though they left him in the dark. He'd been the one who raised him when he didn’t have to, the one who stayed when everything else had fallen apart.
So when his grandfather moved into a nursing home, he felt like everything had gone wrong again.
It was the first time they had truly fought. His grandfather was short tempered and stubborn despite his kindness and had insisted that Yuuji shouldn't have to spend his life worrying about him. On the other hand, Yuuji argued that he didn’t mind. It was the truth. His grandfather had been the only stable figure in his life, the only person that truly cared about him. Looking after him was the least he could do.
”Y’know kid, just because you’re capable of doing something doesn’t mean you’re obliged to. You should live your life, soak it up.”
Yuuji didn't have an answer for that, just like how he didn’t have any say in the matter. All he knew was that his grandfather had made arrangements for him to move to Tokyo and that he was to live with Sukuna.
Yuji knew about Sukuna, but that was different from actually knowing him.
According to others, Ryomen Sukuna was many things. Dangerous, egotistical, and had a temper more fragile than glass. He was the sort of man who could walk into a room and make everyone inside it go quiet without saying a word, the kind who walked the streets and people instinctively made space for. He knew very little that was actually fact. Sukuna was his father’s brother, a rocky relationship that his grandfather refused to touch on, and that he had a reputation in Tokyo.
And of course, his criminal record.
There were arrests, countless charges, court appearances his grandfather never talked about in much detail. His name had appeared in newspapers more than once, usually alongside words Yuuji didn't like reading. Violence, assault, organised crime- Sukuna had spent time in prison. Yuuji wasn’t sure how much because his grandfather never volunteered the information, and he had never been brave enough to ask. Now, he regretted not inquiring about it.
But despite everything, his grandfather trusted him enough to send Yuuji to live with him. That had to mean something, he wouldn’t ship him off to live with some batshit crazy criminal. At least, Yuuji hoped not.
So now he was moving to Tokyo to live with an uncle he barely knew. An uncle who, according to everyone who had ever encountered him, was apparently a monster.
Yuuji had decided not to think about that too much.
He directed his thoughts back to Tokyo. For someone who had spent his entire childhood fascinated by cities, he'd never actually lived in a big one like Tokyo. Sendai definitely wasn’t small, but Tokyo? Yuuji had spent the better half of the journey (not dreading what Sukuna would be like) imagining it. He'd tried to convince himself he wasn't nervous- but now? With the train rolling into Ōmiya Station?
He was absolutely nervous.
Tokyo was supposed to be different. Bigger, louder, somewhere people dreamed of living. He’d heard plenty about it- watched videos late at night about life there, the popular tourist attractions and the endless news reports about superheroes who seemed to make the city their favourite place to fight crime.
Satoru Gojo most of all.
Yuuji had grown up watching him on television. It was almost impossible to not know him. He was the kind of superhero whose face appeared on billboards all across Japan, whose rescues made the evening news, whose name was still recognised even if you knew nothing about heroes.
Over the past few years, Gojo had made a reputation for being untouchable. He was the strongest. Absurdly powerful, fast enough to snap into action at the slightest inconvenience, and seemingly impossible to catch off guard. And somehow, despite all of that, he never seemed particularly serious about his fame.
Yuuji assumed that superheroes, especially ones of his level, were serious and stern. Gojo however was the complete opposite. He smiled for cameras, joked with reporters like they were friends. You couldn't scroll your phone without seeing photos of him posing dramatically with fans. He seemed to enjoy being famous almost as much as he enjoyed being a superhero.
Yuuji had always liked that about him.
Gojo was what a superhero was supposed to look like, he thought. Someone who could have walked away to protect himself, but didn't. He was someone who had the power to help and actually chose to use it. Yuuji had never really thought much beyond that. He'd certainly never imagined that, years later, he'd be sitting on a train heading into Tokyo with a suitcase beside him, completely unaware that he was about to become part of that same world.
Yuuji shuffled awkwardly near the doors of the train, suitcase in tow as the train finally slowed to a stop. The second the doors opened- he was the first one off the train, lifting his luggage over the gap and onto the solid floor of the station platform. Ōmiya Station was busier than he thought it would be. He knew it was a big station, but he didn't really take into account how big it actually was. People seemed to be everywhere. They poured through the station in every direction: tourists rushing towards trains whilst dragging suitcases behind them, groups of students talking over one another as they passed. Announcements echoed overhead, layered with the constant rumble of arriving trains and the squeak of shoes against the platform.
Yuuji stood completely still in the middle of it. His mouth fell open slightly as he took it all in with rapt attention. None of the videos he watched had prepared him for actually standing inside it. There was something almost dizzying about it. So many people rushing around, The trains arriving and leaving with barely a pause between them.
A grin slowly spread across his face.
Maybe Tokyo wasn't so bad.
He tried to navigate the bustling crowds, keep an eye on his luggage, and keep an eye out for the station board simultaneously. Sukuna had sent him directions earlier on, all dry texts and misspelt words because he probably had carelessly typed them without checking if anything was actually right. Yuuji had read them 7 times on the train. He'd spent the entire train ride telling himself he definitely knew where he was going.
“Okay,” Yuuji muttered to himself. He grabbed the handle of his suitcase and started walking anyway.
He'd figure it out.
Eventually.
The only thing Yuuji found out was that he was not good at navigating stations.
He seemed to go the wrong way every minute and was practically running in circles- which was not convenient because his train was coming in half an hour and with his luck? He’d accidentally get on the wrong train.
He stood beneath a cluster of signs, suitcase resting beside his leg, staring up at them with the kind of intense concentration usually reserved for difficult exam questions. The stream of people around him barely seemed to notice his confusion. They moved with the confidence of people who knew exactly where they were going, weaving around one another without breaking stride.
He adjusted the strap of his backpack and started walking again, this time keeping a much closer eye on the signs. Okay, all he had to do was think. He knew where he needed to go, that was the easy part. The problem was getting to the Tokyo train without accidentally ending up halfway across Japan.
Though, he wasn't in any particular rush. His train wasn't leaving for a while now, and Sukuna had already told him he'd meet him once he reached Tokyo. There was plenty of time.
Which meant Yuuji actually had some time to look around. And, despite being lost, he wanted to.
He slowed as he passed a row of shops tucked beneath the station, eyes wandering over colourful displays and signs he couldn't read quickly enough. The smell of freshly baked bread drifted through the air, making his stomach rumble.
There was something fascinating about a city like this—so many lives happening simultaneously, all of them passing within inches of each other without ever intersecting. There were hundreds of people around him, all moving with somewhere to be. Stuck up businessmen checking watches, students laughing amongst themselves, families dragging suitcases behind them.
Yuuji found himself smiling. He wondered how many of them were visiting Ōmiya for the first time like him, how many had lived here their entire lives.
His gaze wandered across the station again.
And that's when he noticed him.
There wasn't anything particularly remarkable about the guy.
He was casually leant against one of the pillars near a platform, phone in hand looking way too mysterious for any normal person. His dark hair was messy in a way that looked completely effortless, falling around his face in soft, uneven strands. His clothes were simple and dark, making his skin look even paler beneath the station lights.
But while everyone else seemed to be swept along by the station's constant movement, he looked completely separate from it. Yuji couldn’t drag his gaze elsewhere.
And it seemed he had sensed Yuji’s stare, because one second he was in his own world- and then his gaze darted up and found him
And wow.
A wave of goosebumps hit Yuji all at once when their gazes met, and all he could think about was how this guy had the most gorgeous eyes he had ever seen. All shadowed green, dark enough that they almost looked black beneath the station lights. There was something striking about them that Yuuji couldn’t put a label on. They weren't soft eyes, they were sharp and watchful, narrowed slightly as though Yuuji had already managed to annoy him without saying a word.
Which was impressive, considering they hadn't even spoken yet.
Yuuji couldn’t help but gawk.
He knew he was staring. He was fully aware of it, but that didn't seem to make him any more capable of looking away. There was just something about the guy that caught his attention immediately- the dark hair falling messily around his face, the almost permanently unimpressed expression, and, most of all, those eyes.
Pretty.
The thought arrived so quickly and so confidently that Yuuji almost laughed at himself.
The guy merely blinked, raising an eyebrow at him.
Yuuji's mouth curled into a grin before he could stop it, and the stranger looked away like he hadn’t even seen him in the first place.
Huh. Yuuji’s expression shifted slightly, softening into something almost thoughtful as he locked his attention on him. He continued towards the platform, dragging his suitcase behind him.
He could have left it there. It was just a fleeting moment, nothing important. Except Yuuji had a way of making even the smallest moments bigger than needed.
“Hey!” Yuuji’s voice came out the same way it always did: loud, bright, and impossible to ignore. A few people looked over at his shout, but he didn’t pay any mind to him- because the edgy guy in the corner looked up at him.
“Yeah, you!” The stranger stared at him. Then, apparently deciding this had nothing to do with him, looked back down at his phone.
Yuuji's mouth dropped open.
“Oh, come on!” He laughed under his breath. Was this guy serious? He saw him trying to call him over and just ignored him? Before he could even stop himself, he was bounding towards him- weaving through the crowd with the kind of confidence that suggested he'd already decided they were going to have a conversation.
“Oi! I was talking to you!” Yuuji exclaimed, stopping in front of the stranger.
“What do you want?” The stranger’s response was short, clipped. The kind of dull voice that told everyone near he wasn’t in the mood for conversation. Worst of all? He didn’t even look up at him, just kept scrolling on his phone.
Yuuji blinked, momentarily caught off guard by the stranger’s blunt words. But they didn’t deter him, it only made him more determined. With the easy confidence of someone who had spent too much of his life inserting himself in places he definitely wasn't welcome in, Yuuji slid into the spot next to him. He leant against the wall, letting go of his suitcase so he could cross his arms (a feeble attempt of matching this stranger’s nonchalance).
“I was checking if you were ignoring me on purpose.”
“I was.”
A small grin tugged at Yuuji’s lips, and before he could stop himself he was laughing. It was one of those warm laughs- not mocking or condescending, but amused at the situation. The stranger didn’t seem nearly as amused as Yuji was. He just watched him, the light in Yuji’s eyes and his big, dopey smile.
“Wow, you’re honest. Hurting my feelings like that.”
“You asked.”
Yuuji only tutted, playing sad (poorly) as he turned his attention to the floor. Silence lingered for a few moments, and then the dark haired man looked back at his phone. “I didn’t hurt your feelings either.”
Yuuji lit up like a dog catching a bone. It wasn’t the words or his voice (even though he did have a nice voice despite how emotionless he seemed), it was the fact that he actually responded. He could’ve easily ignored his words, but he chose to respond- which was the equivalent of a green light to him.
“You don’t know that!” Yuuji rebutted.
“You laughed.”
“That doesn’t- okay fine," the pink-haired boy let out a loud sigh, painfully exaggerated to get his attention. “You’re awfully blunt, y’know? S’ cute.”
Though it worked, the stranger looked up again at his words. He looked at him differently now, like he was inspecting an art piece at a museum. It made Yuuji tense up slightly under his hoodie, because wow he could practically feel this guy picking apart everything about him. He wondered if he had gone too far this time, if this stranger had taken his words to heart.
And then, suddenly, Yuuji became painfully aware of himself.
Oh, no.
He glanced down at his clothes, noticing all the little details he'd somehow forgotten about fixing during the journey. One of his shoelaces was still untied, the end of it dragging against the platform floor. His jacket was far too big for him, the shoulders hanging slightly crooked from where he'd thrown it on that morning. And his hair-
Yuuji's hand instinctively went up to it, trying to subtly flatten the uneven strands.
Great.
He'd travelled all the way to Tokyo looking like he'd been dragged through a hedge backwards, and the first person he'd decided to talk to was possibly the prettiest guy he'd ever seen. Definitely not a good first impression.
But the stranger didn’t comment on his appearance, just watched him with that calm stare. Like he could see how much Yuuji was unravelling under it. “The next train is for Tokyo, right?” Yuuji asked as he shifted on his feet, his gaze drifting to the empty platform a few steps away from them.
He didn’t respond verbally this time, just gave a small nod of his head towards the enormous sign hanging directly above them.
“Oh.” Yuuji glanced up, a bit more sheepish now. He straightened up before nodding slowly, like he had been told how to detonate a bomb or fight a supervillain. “Right, yeah.”
The dark-haired boy merely nodded and turned his attention back to his phone.
That should’ve been the end of the conversation. The moment had passed, Yuuji had gotten his answer and there was no other reason for him to keep bothering this guy. He should just leave, find somewhere to get some snacks and get back in time for the train.
Except Yuuji didn’t want to.
His legs felt too heavy, like they were anchored to the ground. He glanced briefly at the platform sign before looking back at the stranger. He must’ve noticed the lingering presence because he looked up again, unamused.
Yuuji looked back.
Neither said anything.
The stranger's eyes narrowed slightly. “…Anything else?”
Yuuji smiled. “Maybe.”
Then he was pulling his phone out of his pocket, the brightness lighting up his face as he unlocked it. The stranger probably assumed he was trying to get his number because the second Yuuji’s phone appeared, his eyes shut and let out a long sigh.
“I don’t wan-”
“Can you check this for me?”
There was a brief moment where they both just stared at each other, smug brown eyes meeting fed up green ones. “Why me?” He said, cautiously now- like this was some elaborate prank that would end in disaster.
“Cuz’ I’m talking to you, duh.” Yuuji replied simply, waving his phone at him. “Please? It’ll be quick.”
The stranger looked at the screen.
Yuuji watched his eyes move over the digital ticket, reading the information with quick, careful precision. He seemed to take the task far more seriously than Yuuji expected because it took him a few more moments than expected to glance up at the signs above them.
His expression became flat instantly. “You’re kidding.”
“Nope.” Yuuji made sure to pop the ‘p’, just to annoy him further.
“You read the ticket.”
“Yep.”
“You can read the sign.”
“Mhm.”
“You know this is the Tokyo platform.”
“I do.”
“You know your ticket says Tokyo.”
“I’m liking this back and forth.”
He looked at him for a moment longer, sharper now. Yuuji nodded quickly under his stare. “Uh, yeah.”
“Then why are you asking me?”
Yuuji beamed at the question, knowing he had been caught out. He leaned in slightly, grinning. “I wanted an excuse to talk to you.”
The dark haired boy blinked, as if demanding an explanation without words and Yuuji shrugged. “You’re interesting.”
That seemed to catch him off guard. His gaze flickered over Yuuji’s face, lingering on the faint freckles under his eyes and the curve of his jaw. He swallowed before speaking up. “You don’t know me.”
“Don’t think so, I would’ve remembered you.”
“And I’m interesting?”
“You have the personality of a brick wall,” Yuuji said, grinning when the stranger frowned, “but you’re pretty- so I figured there had to be something going on underneath all that brooding charm.”
There was a beat of silence.
Yuuji's grin widened.
He looked away quickly, his grip tightening on Yuuji’s phone. For the first time, Yuuji noticed the faintest pink creeping into the tips of his ears.
Oh.
Oh.
This is fun.
“Sooo..” Yuuji dragged out so his green eyes looked back at him. “The ticket?”
“It’s right.”
“Thank you. Very reassuring.” Yuuji nodded solemnly, earning him an eye roll.
“You could've checked yourself.” He grumbled out, retreating back into himself after getting over his momentary fluster. Yuuji couldn’t help but soften slightly as he observed him, noticing the stiffness.
“Yeah, but then I wouldn't have had a reason to bother you.” Yuuji replied, leaning back again to put space between them.
“You're annoying.”
“Probably,” Yuuji held out his hand expectantly, “can I have my phone back?”
“You gave it to me.”
“Yeah, but I didn't think this would turn into a hostage situation.”
The stranger gave him a flat look but there was a sceptical look in his eyes, as though he couldn't quite decide whether Yuuji was genuinely like this or simply messing with him. Yuuji smiled. Eventually, he sighed through his nose and held the phone out. Yuuji took it back, his fingers brushing briefly against Megumi's as he slipped it into his pocket.
“Glad we’re making progress.”
“I don’t think it works like that.”
“Sure it does.” Yuuji said it with such easy certainty that the stranger’s eyes narrowed slightly. Before he could argue, Yuuji shifted his suitcase further against the wall and turned towards him properly- no longer leaning against the wall.
“I’m Itadori Yuuji. From Sendai.”
The stranger simply looked at the offered hand. He glanced warily at Yuuji’s face, trying to find out what he was trying to accomplish. But Yuuji’s smile never faltered, if anything it grew. He didn’t push or nag, he waited patiently.
The stranger reached out and took his hand.
“Fushiguro Megumi.”
The handshake was brief, only lasting a few seconds. But for Yuuji? It was like fireworks. Yuuji’s hand lingered longer than necessary before he straightened up. “Megumi.” Yuuji repeated the name instinctively. There was something thoughtful about the way he said it this time, quieter than before, as though he were testing the sound of it in his mouth and savouring it. “Suits you.”
Megumi didn’t respond. He didn't quite understand how they had gone from the Tokyo train to introductions this quickly. Most people would have taken the hint when he'd give them short responses, but apparently this Yuuji kid wasn't most people. “It’s Fushiguro to you.”
“Yeah, yeah. Whatever you say Megumi."
Yeah, definitely not most people.