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Megumi knew that he was being a horrid person.
He’s been lying awake for hours at this point, staring up at the familiar ceiling in the apartment he shared with Satoru and Tsumiki. Guilt was threatening to drown him.
It has been two days since he’d finally told his beloved family the truth: that he’d travelled back in time with the memories from a dark, ruthless future. He’d been hiding out in the apartment, Satoru the only one to keep him company. Tsumiki popped in from time to time just to check on him, but she’d started getting ready for school and barely had any free time.
In those two days, he’d struggled with depression, grief, and suicidal thoughts, but he was overall relieved that he finally had people he could lean on.
Now…the guilt had come in.
He was fully aware that he’d been neglecting Yuji and Nobara. As far as they knew, he’d taken off on them without a word and vanished off the map. His phone was emitting a ringtone more than it was silent and still, always from those two.
Occasionally, the second-years called in too, but he ignored them. Every time, he stared at their contact picture, letting it ring until it finally went quiet. Yuta had even called once, but he took the message when Megumi ignored it. They were quite similar in that way.
He might’ve ignored the calls…but he always read the messages.
YI (1:34 PM): Hey bro where are u? Everyones rlly worried about u, are u coming back soon? I miss our movie nights
NK (2:01 PM): You better come back idiot, before I find you and murder you in your sleep. Itadori can’t carry all of my shopping bags by himself
MZ (6:08 PM): Gojo said you’re going through a rough patch, but don’t think that means you can neglect your training, little cousin. At this rate, I’ll wipe the floor with your butt
TI (11:42 PM): It’s Panda, Toge’s typing for me because my cute panda fingers are slightly too chubby. Want to hear a joke? What do you call a fish with no eyes? FSH!!
TI (11:44 PM): I revoked Panda’s texting abilities. For the record, he made me send that, so don’t block me. But seriously, you can talk to me. I’m a very good listener, since I can’t exactly talk lol
Megumi stared at Toge’s message for a few more seconds before throwing his phone back down and sighing, throwing an arm over his eyes.
“Stop wallowing in your self-pity. It’s getting very boring and repetitive.”
“It’s because of you that I’m in this mess,” he hissed. The King of Curses has been more vocal ever since he’d revealed himself, and Megumi was honestly getting sick of it.
“What are you going to do about it, brat? Cry? You’ve done enough of that; think of something new.”
Megumi pointedly ignored Sukuna’s snarky comment and glanced at the bedside clock. Two in the morning.
He groaned and flung his bed covers away. Sleep wasn’t coming any time soon.
He glanced back at the phone on his bed, biting his lip. Indecision tore at him, but his slightly more emotional side won.
Before he could back out like a coward, he sank into his shadows and disappeared, Satoru’s soft snores from the next room over fading quickly.
The familiar walls of Jujutsu High’s dorm hallway greeted him as Megumi rose from the shadows. He took a deep breath, finding solace in the familiar tendrils of cursed energy permanently engraved into the walls.
He picked up on the soft sounds of a movie playing from the next room over. It was wafting from…his room.
Confused, he cracked open the door and was met with quite the sight.
The credits were rolling on the flatscreen TV Satoru insisted on purchasing for him.
His usually impeccable room was covered with crumbs of various snacks, all leading back to the beloved people slumped on top of his bed, the sheets rumpled around them.
Yuji and Nobara.
Yuji’s head was leaning against his headboard, his snores echoing throughout the room. Nobara was snuggling with one of his pillows, her face buried in it like she was trying to memorize his scent in case he never came back.
Megumi couldn’t help the fond smile that crept across his face. He opened his closet, took out a spare blanket, and gently covered them with it, trying hard not to wake them up.
He backed out of his room slowly, refusing to taint the sight before him with his presence any longer. He closed the door quietly and sighed.
Megumi missed them. He genuinely did. He just didn’t know how much until he saw them just now, but he still wasn’t ready to face them.
He needed more time.
That hope shattered when someone cleared their throat behind him.
He froze and turned around slowly. Toge Inumaki was standing before him, wide awake despite it being two in the morning. A bandage poked out from underneath his T-shirt, wrapping around his shoulder. He didn’t have his face mask on; instead, his technique’s tattoos were on full display. His hair was rumpled, resembling his old style more than his current bowl cut. His brown eyes almost looked violet in the dim moonlight shining through the hallway’s windows, and they were fixed on Megumi.
“Inumaki-senpai…I…” Megumi’s words got caught in his throat as he stared at the second-year. Instinctively, the shadows pooling around his feet rippled, ready to swallow him in.
Toge narrowed his eyes, a command clear in them. Don’t run away.
Of course, Megumi tried to do exactly that. He’d nearly sunk in completely until Toge’s voice cut across him. “Get up.”
No.
The shadows twisted out of his grasp, spitting him back out into the world he didn’t want to be in. He glanced up at Toge, searching for any hint of pain. Nothing flickered across Toge’s face.
Toge flicked his head. “Follow me.”
Megumi pushed himself up despite every protest flowing from his brain. His feet acted of their own accord, following Toge into the common room. The cursed-speech user flopped onto one of the sofas, eyes narrowing. Megumi sat down beside him, half-forced into it. As soon as he was free from the commands, he sucked in a breath of air and looked at Toge. “Inumaki-senpai…are you hurt?”
Toge waved him off, but Megumi noticed the faint trace of blood on his lips. Another wave of guilt crashed over him. Another person hurt because of his mistakes.
Toge whipped out his phone and typed furiously, gaze flickering to Megumi from time to time as though he were checking to see if the spiky-haired teenager was staying. After a few uncomfortable seconds, a high-pitched voice flowed through the phone’s speakers: “Don’t you dare look at me like that. This is for your own good.”
Megumi and Toge stared down at the phone together, Toge pressing his lips together in a desperate attempt not to laugh. Despite the countless negative emotions racing through his body, a faint smile touched Megumi’s lips.
“There we go!” Toge’s phone chirped. “I made you smile.”
Megumi forced himself to roll his eyes. “Just talk. Your regular sentences can’t hurt me.”
“Are you sure?” That voice was grating on his nerves.
“As long as it doesn’t hurt you.” Just in case, Megumi’s cursed energy redirected itself towards his ears.
Toge took a deep breath, eyes holding Megumi’s gaze. “Is this…okay?” he whispered as though he forgot how to talk.
His cursed speech flowed over Megumi, knocking on his ears, but it wasn’t painful. Just…weird. “Yeah.”
Toge touched the side of his mouth gently. “Wow…it’s been years since I held a regular conversation…like this.”
His Japanese was slightly choppy and hesitant, but it grew stronger with each passing word.
Toge looked at him concernedly. “Are you sure this isn’t hurting you?”
“Positive. Are you okay?”
Toge glared at him, eyes ferocious. “Don’t. Don’t you even try to distract me. This is about you.”
The command rang in his ears. Megumi clasped his hands together, head bowing in shame. “…I’m sorry, Inumaki-senpai.”
“What for?”
“For…letting you get hurt in the Exchange Event.”
Toge waved him off again. “This is nothing. I’m fine. Truly.”
“It shouldn’t have happened. I knew about that cursed spirit and I —”
He clamped his mouth shut. Dammit.
Toge narrowed his eyes. “What were you about to say?”
“N…nothing.”
He bit his lip and closed his eyes, waiting for Toge to give him the inevitable command to tell him the truth.
It never came.
When he looked up, Toge was sitting there patiently. He raised an eyebrow at Megumi’s confused expression, the question clear in his gaze.
“I just thought…you were going to make me tell you the truth.”
“I could have, and I was tempted,” Toge admitted. “But I would never do that to you. I’m sure you will tell me on your own time.”
“So why am I here?” Megumi couldn’t help the anger that shot through his words. “You forced me to stay. Why?”
Toge’s eyes held nothing but kindness as he turned to face him completely. “I know how stubborn you are. Selfless. Self-hating. But I knew you could use a friend, no matter what you think.”
His eyes darkened. “We haven’t been…close. Partly my fault; I don’t want to hurt anyone dear with my technique. But I want to resolve that with you, if you’re willing.”
His hand outstretched towards Megumi. “I’m not asking for the entire truth. But I am always here whenever you need me. Whether it’s to be a shoulder to lean on or a listener.”
Megumi stared down at Toge’s pale hand, a wave of emotion threatening to crash over him again. He didn’t move for several seconds.
Toge withdrew it slightly, his eyes a little sad. “It’s okay, I get it —”
Megumi clasped it quickly, holding on to it tightly. “Thank you,” he whispered.
Toge’s eyes shone.
After Megumi finally found the courage to fully return to Jujutsu High after the Yasohachi Bridge Incident, Toge was the first second-year to welcome him back, looking genuinely pleased to see him.
Their friendship blossomed from there. It mostly consisted of long walks after sparring sessions, when Toge would always listen to Megumi get something off his chest, sometimes offering his own opinion or advice. He lightened the mood considerably, lifting the dread temporarily from Megumi.
All too soon, the time came. Sukuna fully manifested, and Satoru revealed the truth to everyone: Megumi knew the future.
After Nobara came to see him and they shared a little…moment, Toge came in next, standing next to his bed. His eyes bore into Megumi’s.
“I’m sorry I couldn’t…tell you,” Megumi whispered.
Toge was wearing his face mask, but the smile still shone through. “S’okay. You okay?”
Megumi sighed. “To be honest…no.”
Warm arms wrapped around his shoulders, squeezing them tight. Offering comfort.
“I’m a good listener,” Toge said softly.
Megumi bit his lip, tempted to tell his friend all the details Satoru didn't share…but he decided not to.
Too many people were already bearing the weight on his shoulders. He didn't want to add another important person to the list.
Maybe if they truly succeeded against the King of Curses…he would tell Toge everything.
Maybe.