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1.
It wasn’t that Maki made a habit of seeking out her cousin’s company. She had better things to do than to sit through Megumi’s brooding silences and permanent scowl.
But desperate times call for desperate measures and Maki really really needed his advice.
"So, Megumi," Maki started, "Does Kugisaki like watching movies?"
Megumi shrugged, "Yeah, but if you take her she’ll complain for the entire movie."
Maki leaned back, "I can handle that. What genre?"
Megumi paused, taking his sweet time to answer.
"Don't do a romance," he said finally. "She’ll just spend your date hating on the male lead. Go for a horror."
"Horror. Right." Maki nodded, mentally filing that away. "And snacks? Is popcorn good?"
Before Megumi could answer, the universe decided to intervene.
A distracted waiter, quite comically, tripped over a chair leg.
It would’ve been a lot funnier if it hadn’t resulted in an iced latte being launched directly toward Maki.
"Shit!" Maki hissed as the coffee soaked through her shirt, the cold liquid sticking to her skin uncomfortably.
The waiter immediately bowed, stuttering a multitude of “'I’m so sorrys”, but Maki just waved him off with a frustrated sigh, grabbing a napkin to dab at the stain.
It was hopeless. Her shirt was ruined, and she had a date in under an hour.
"You've got a shirt on under that hoodie, right?" Maki asked, looking over at Megumi.
Megumi nodded, “Why?”
“Let me borrow your hoodie for my date.”
Megumi immediately looked at her with an expression of absolute distaste, his nose wrinkling.
God, he was so dramatic. It wasn’t like she’d ask to use his toothbrush or something.
“No," Megumi said, his voice flat as he crossed his arms.
Maki rolled her eyes, already reaching out to pull it off him. "I have a date in forty minutes."
Megumi went quiet, his brow furrowing as he weighed his options, "Fine. Stay here," he muttered, reaching for his wallet. "I’ll go buy you a new shirt."
Maki paused, "Wait, really?"
"It’s better than giving you my hoodie," Megumi said, sliding out of the booth and leaving the cafe without a second glance.
Maki leaned back, a satisfied smile appearing on her face.
She knew for a fact that Megumi had expensive taste; apparently it was impossible to be raised by Gojo and not be a spendthrift.
“So what if Megumi has weird boundaries?" Maki mused, watching him walk away. "At least it means I get designer clothes."
As far as she was concerned, her cousin had really weird boundaries, and as long as she’d known him, which was his whole life, nobody had ever been an exception.
At least that’s what she had thought, until a week later.
Maki was heading downstairs, planning on asking the other second years to train. She was rounding the corner to the common area when someone bumped into her.
"Sorry, Maki!"
Yuuji looked like he’d just gotten out of bed despite it being well into the afternoon. His eyes were still bleary and he offered a lopsided grin, but Maki wasn’t looking at his face.
She was staring at the black clothing he was wearing.
Yuuji’s grin faltered, “…Maki? Is something wrong?”
“Itadori," Maki said, narrowing her eyes. "Is that my cousin’s hoodie?"
Yuuji looked down at himself, blinking slowly as if he was just now remembering what he was wearing.
"Oh, yeah," Yuuji said with a yawn, scratching the back of his head. "It’s comfy."
Maki folded her arms, looking him up and down. "You might want to put it back before he sees you. Megumi is really particular about his stuff."
Yuuji tilted his head, eyebrows raising, "Hm? But he let me have it! I swear I didn't steal it or anything."
Maki paused. "He let you have it?"
"Yeah," Yuuji said, completely oblivious to the world-shattering nature of his statement. "I was telling him how cold my room gets at night so he just tossed this at my face.”
“Don't you have, like, fifty of your own hoodies?", Maki questioned, her voice dripping with disbelief.
"I do!" Yuuji smiled, missing her point entirely. "But Megumi said this was just an extra so I could take it."
Maki felt her eye twitch. Extra. Megumi didn’t have "extra" anything. Every single thing he owned was handled with the care of a museum artifact.
"Right," Maki muttered, stepping past him. "An 'extra'. Of course."
Megumi has strict boundaries, she reminded herself. But apparently, Itadori is an exception.
She rolled her eyes. Megumi literally could not get any gayer.
2.
The kitchen was quiet, with Yuuji stirring a pot on the stove and Inumaki chopping green onions into little rings.
But suddenly, the kitchen doors burst open, and Panda stomped in looking thoroughly offended.
"Did you guys know…” Panda started, slamming his paws onto the counter, “that some of the dorm rooms here have en suite bathrooms?"
Inumaki looked up, lips pulling down into a frown. "Caviar."
"Right?!" Panda huffed, crossing his arms. "Mine sure as hell doesn't! I've been walking all the way down the hallway for two years like a peasant."
"Yeah, it's so weird how they laid out the floor plan," Yuuji piped up, picking up a spoon to taste his soup. "Mine doesn't have one either! But luckily Megumi lets me use his all the time so I don't have to walk down to the communal ones."
Silence fell over the kitchen.
"Wait," Panda said slowly, leaning over the counter to stare at Yuuji. "Fushiguro lets you use his private bathroom?"
"Yeah," Yuuji shrugged, “Whenever I'm hanging out in his room or if I wake up in the middle of the night and don't wanna walk down the hallway, I just use his."
Panda's jaw dropped. "Itadori... the last time I tried to step foot inside Fushiguro’s room, he threatened to summon Mahoraga!"
"Salmon," Inumaki agreed, pointing his knife accusingly at Yuuji to emphasize the severity of his offense.
Yuuji tilted his head, “Well... I mean, he did slam the door in my face the first time I tried to go in there. Maybe you just need to keep trying?"
Panda stared at Yuuji in disbelief. He felt every muscle in his face twitch.
"Keep... trying?" Panda asked, his voice cracking. He turned to Inumaki, throwing his arms up in the air, "Mustard leaf! Takana!"
Inumaki gasped, clutching his chest in absolute horror. "Tuna mayo?!"
"Worcestershire sauce!" Panda bellowed at the ceiling.
Yuuji stared at Panda in absolute bewilderment, “That’s not a rice ball ingredient?”
"Ranch!" Panda pointed a furry finger at Yuuji, breathing heavily. "Ketchup!"
"Okay, I don't know what’s happening," Yuuji said nervously, picking up his bowl and slowly backing out of the kitchen. "I'm... just gonna go eat my soup in my room.
He turned and bolted down the hallway, leaving Panda to angrily bark random condiments at Inumaki.
3.
It was a slow afternoon in the student lounge, and Nobara was bored.
She looked across the room. Megumi was sitting on the sofa, reading, and Yuuji was sat right next to him, engrossed in a game on his phone.
"Megumi," Nobara piped up.
Megumi groaned, "What."
"You have an eyelash. It’s on your cheek.”
Megumi let out a weary sigh. "I’ll get it later."
"No, you won't," Nobara huffed, already sliding off her chair. "Just stay still for two seconds. I’ve got it."
She reached out, her fingers closing in on his cheek to flick the eyelash away.
Megumi immediately recoiled, frowning at Nobara’s outstretched hand as if it were a biohazard.
"Excuse me?" Nobara’s hand froze in mid-air. "I was being helpful, you ungrateful idiot! I didn't exactly want to touch your gross face either!”
At her sudden shout, Yuuji jumped, “Whoa! Nobara, what happened?"
"Nothing," Megumi muttered.
Yuuji looked between the two of them, then turned to look at Megumi’s face. "Oh, hey, you have an eyelash."
Yuuji shifted closer, his knee bumping against Megumi’s leg. Nobara waited for Megumi’s second explosion.
Yuuji reached up, his thumb hovering just an inch from Megumi’s cheek.
Megumi froze, staring at Yuuji. His expression softened and he moved his face closer to Yuuji, shutting his eyes and holding perfectly still.
Nobara watched, her jaw slowly dropping, as Yuuji carefully brushed the eyelash onto the tip of his finger.
"Got it!" Yuuji beamed, holding his finger up between them. "Okay, close your eyes and wish for something good."
Megumi blew the eyelash off Yuuji’s finger and then proceeded to remain in Yuuji’s personal space, looking way too content for someone who supposedly hated being touched.
"You have got to be kidding me," Nobara scoffed, staring at the pair of them.
4.
It was common knowledge at Jujutsu High that if you valued your fingers, you didn’t touch Megumi Fushiguro’s hair.
Gojo, of course, did not care.
In his mind, he had earned a lifetime pass to Megumi’s personal space. He’d been looking after the kid since he was a brat in grade school, after all; if anyone deserved to mess with those ridiculous, gravity-defying spikes, it was him.
"Megumi-chan!" Gojo yelled, appearing behind him out of nowhere.
Before Megumi could even register the threat, Gojo’s hand had descended, ruffling the black spikes.
Megumi frowned, wordlessly moving away from Gojo.
"So mean!" Gojo pouted, wiggling his fingers. "I just wanted to see if they were still as soft as when you were seven!"
"Go bother someone else," Megumi huffed, aggressively smoothing his hair back into place.
A few days later, Gojo was floating close to the ceiling of the common room (mostly because he could, but also because he liked the view), when he saw a sight that made him drop his bag of limited-edition mochi.
Megumi was sitting at a table, hunched over a textbook.
Just as Gojo was considering throwing a piece of mochi at him, Yuuji walked up behind Megumi, leaning his elbows on the back of his chair.
"Megumi," Yuuji started, tilting his head as he stared at the dark tufts of hair. "I was thinking... your hair always looks so spiky. Does it feel sharp?"
Megumi flipped a page. "It feels like hair, Yuuji."
"Can I feel it?" Yuuji asked.
Gojo popped a mochi into his mouth, sensing something entertaining was about to happen. He didn’t have any popcorn, so mochi would have to do.
Megumi paused, then quickly nodded as if afraid Yuuji would change his mind.
Yuuji’s hand sank right into the center of his black spikes. Megumi stayed still, his eyes glued to the same sentence in his book.
Slowly, a deep, burning crimson began to crawl up Megumi's neck, staining his ears a bright red.
"Wow," Yuuji breathed, his eyes widening as he ruffled Megumi’s hair. "It’s soft! It’s like a cloud or something. How do you get it to stay up like this if it’s this fluffy?"
Megumi let out a long, shaky breath, his gaze fixed on the desk.
"I don't... it just does that," Megumi muttered, his voice low.
From his spot on the ceiling, Gojo took off his sunglasses and blinked multiple times.
Nope, Yuuji’s hand is still in Megumi-chan’s hair.
Gojo put his sunglasses back on, beginning to doubt his eyesight.
Yuuji pulled his hand back, but Megumi caught his wrist, “You.. can keep going,” he said, averting his eyes.
Gojo’s jaw dropped, his grip on his bag slackening.
The bag slipped from his fingers, falling through the air and sending a rain of mochi down onto his students’ heads.
“What the hell!" Yuuji yelped, “Where did—"
Megumi slowly sat upright and looked straight up. His eyes tracked the trail of falling sweets to the corner of the ceiling where a very tall, very annoying figure was floating.
"Gojo," Megumi hissed, "Why the hell are you in the corner of the ceiling like a giant spider?”
"I like it up here!" Gojo defended, dropping down to the floor. He ignored the mochi rolling across the floor, instead stared at Megumi, then at Yuuji, then back to Megumi.
“You know, Yuuji, Megumi never lets anyone else touch his hair!”
"Gojo, shut up—" Megumi started, his face rapidly turning red yet again.
“I have to go!" Gojo cut in, already spinning on his heel and pulling out his phone. "Nanami! Utahime! You will never guess what I just saw—"
"Don't you dare!" Megumi shouted, springing up from his chair.
But Gojo was already sprinting down the hallway.
Yuuji blinked, turning to look at Megumi, "Is it really that big of a deal?"
"No," Megumi muttered, sinking back down into his chair, "Just... shut up and help me pick up all this mochi."
4.
Yuta dragged his feet into the cafe, looking and feeling exhausted. He’d just finished an excruciatingly long mission and he needed a good rest.
"Yuta!" Nobara called out from one of the corner booths, where Maki, Panda, Inumaki and Megumi also sat.
"Hey, guys," Yuta mumbled, sliding into the open spot next to Megumi with a sigh. "I’m so hungry I could eat one of Sukuna’s fingers."
"Tuna," Inumaki said sympathetically, sliding a glass of water toward him.
Yuta smiled, taking the glass, "Where's Itadori, by the way? I thought he was with you guys."
"Oh, he's just in the bathroom," Nobara answered, waving a hand. "He'll be back in a second."
Yuta nodded, his stomach letting out an embarrassingly loud growl. He looked down at the table and spotted a basket of golden, perfectly salted fries, the steam still rising off them.
Without stopping to think, Yuta reached out to grab one.
Before his fingers could even touch a fry, Megumi pulled the basket back toward himself.
Yuta pulled his hand back quickly, blinking apologetically. "Sorry, Fushiguro! I didn't realize they were yours."
“It’s okay,” Megumi shook his head and gestured to the other end of the table, “Your food is over there.”
Just then, Yuuji slid back into the booth right on the other side of Megumi. "Hey! Sorry, the line for the bathroom was crazy long."
Without pausing his sentence, without asking, and without a single shred of hesitation, Yuuji reached straight across Megumi's plate, grabbed four fries at once, dipped them heavily in Megumi’s ketchup, and shoved them into his mouth.
Yuta gasped, reflexively bracing himself for the imminent bloodbath. He half-expected Megumi to summon a Shikigami right there in the middle of the cafe.
Instead, Megumi picked up the small pot of ketchup and slid it closer to Yuuji so it was easier for him to reach, his expression softening as he looked back down at his phone. "Eat slowly, you're gonna choke."
"Mmm, thanks Fushiguro!" Yuuji beamed, munching away happily.
Yuta’s eyes widened, and he quickly looked at the others. "Did he... but he just... what?"
"Mustard leaf," Inumaki sighed, patting Yuta’s arm with sympathy.
"Don't bother trying to make sense of it, Yuta," Panda sighed.
Yuuji swallowed his fries, noticing Panda’s frustration, "What’s wrong Panda? Do you want a fry? Megumi has tons!"
Megumi immediately shot Panda a look that promised death.
"I'm alright, thanks," Panda grimaced.
Yuuji shrugged, completely oblivious, and grabbed another handful. "Suit yourself!"
+1
Yuuji was lying on the common room sofa, staring blankly at the ceiling and periodically letting out long sighs.
"I'm doomed," Yuuji exclaimed, throwing his forearm over his eyes.
Nobara, who was sitting opposite him, groaned, "What’s the problem now, Yuuji? Did the vending machine eat your money again?"
"No, the problem is love" Yuuji said dramatically, clutching his chest with both hands. "Unrequited love.”
The entire common room suddenly perked up.
Nobara and Maki paused the TV. Across the room, Panda’s head snapped up from his phone, while Yuta and Inumaki leaned over the back of the couch, eyes wide.
"Wait, what?!" Nobara gasped, her eyes gleaming with curiosity. "No way! Since when have you been in love?!"
"Who is it?!" Panda demanded, leaning in close.
Yuuji pulled his arm off his face, looking at all of them in bewilderment. "Huh? Wait, you guys don’t know?"
"No?!" Nobara shrieked, "How would we know?!"
"I thought it was obvious," Yuuji sat up, rubbing the back of his neck, looking genuinely surprised. “I like Megumi."
The room went silent.
Then Yuta blinked, “But it’s not unrequited, Fushiguro clearly--“
"SHH!" Nobara leaped across the coffee table, clapping her hand violently over Yuta’s mouth. "Okkotsu, shut your mouth!"
Yuta winced, making muffled noises behind his palm as Nobara glared at Yuuji.
"Itadori," Nobara said slowly, "Why on earth do you think your love is unrequited?"
Yuuji slouched back into the cushions, sighing heavily "Because it's Megumi! He barely tolerates people in general, right? And he’s super strict about his boundaries. He’s never gonna like me back."
Nobara stared at him. Then she blinked. Once. Twice.
"Are you... are you stupid?" Nobara demanded, her voice rising a full octave as she slammed her hands onto the table. "Yuuji, he lets you touch his face! Remember when you took that eyelash off his cheek?!"
"What?!" Maki’s head snapped toward Nobara, her eyebrows raising, "He let him touch his face?!"
"Yes!" Nobara shrieked, pointing an accusatory finger at Yuuji. "He literally moved closer to Yuuji too!”
Panda sat back down in shock, "No way."
Yuuji blinked, holding his hands up defensively. "Well, yeah, but that was just an eyelash! He was just letting me help—"
"Okay, but he lets you wear his clothes!" Maki barked, turning her sharp glare onto Yuuji.
Yuuji’s face started to warm up, "I mean, yeah, but—"
"He gives you his clothes?!" Nobara yelled, turning to Maki in complete disbelief. "Since when?!"
"I saw Itadori parading around in Megumi’s favourite hoodie like a week ago," Maki shrugged.
"I wasn’t parading around,” Yuuji spluttered.
"Okay whatever,” Panda dismissed, turning his head toward the others, "Did you guys know that Yuuji is allowed in Megumi’s room?”
Yuta gasped, "Isn’t Megumi’s room supposed to be off-limits?"
"Yeah?!" Panda shrieked. "But Yuuji hangs out in there and even uses his bathroom!"
Nobara frowned, "Wait, Megumi has a bathroom?"
"Salmon roe!” Inumaki accused.
"Inumaki is right! Megumi only lets Yuuji share his food!" Yuta chimed in.
“Wait..." Yuuji stammered, “So you guys... you really think he...?"
"And he lets you touch his hair!" Gojo's booming voice suddenly piped in from the doorway.
Everyone whirled around.
Gojo was leaning casually against the doorframe, one hand deep in a bag of popcorn.
Nobara’s eyebrow twitched, “How long have you been there?”
"Long enough!" Gojo grinned around a mouthful of popcorn.
Gojo pointed a buttery finger at Yuuji, “I’ve raised that boy for years and he hates when I touch his hair.”
Nobara whipped around to face Yuuji, "See?! Megumi’s in love with you! You are literally the last to know!"
Yuuji’s heart gave a sudden thud against his ribs.
Oh.
Oh, god.
He scrambled off the sofa so fast his knees knocked against the coffee table, "I... I gotta go," Yuuji stammered out.
"Don't do anything stupid!" Nobara shouted after him.
Yuuji didn't care. He turned on his heel and sprinted down the corridor at full speed, his heart beating right in his throat, heading straight for Megumi's room.
Yuuji stopped abruptly outside Megumi’s door, his chest heaving.
He raised a fist to knock, but his fingers hovered an inch off the door. What if they’re wrong? he panicked internally. What if Nobara is pranking him, Maki is misinterpreting things, and Gojo... well, Gojo is always crazy!
Before he could talk himself into running back to the common room, the door swung open.
Megumi stood in the doorway, holding a laundry basket. He blinked, taking in Yuuji’s breathless, flushed state.
"Yuuji?" Megumi frowned, his dark eyes searching Yuuji's face with mild concern. "Are you okay"
"Yes!" Yuuji squeaked, his voice a little too loud.
Megumi stared at him for a second, then sighed, putting the laundry basket down and walking back inside, “Come in.”
Yuuji stepped inside, his mind flicking through every piece of evidence his friends had thrown at him.
He lets you touch his face.
He lets you wear his clothes.
He lets you in his room.
He lets you eat his food.
He hates when Gojo touches his hair, but he lets you…
"Megumi," Yuuji said, standing in the middle of the room.
Megumi turned around, crossing his arms. "Yeah?"
"Can I..." Yuuji swallowed hard. "Can I touch your hair?"
Megumi’s eyebrows raised in surprise, "My... hair?"
"Yeah."
Megumi stared at him, "Why?"
"Just... let me?" Yuuji asked, stepping closer.
Megumi glared at him suspiciously, before letting out an annoyed huff, "Fine. Whatever. Just don't mess it up."
Yuuji took a hesitant step forward and reached up. His fingers brushed against Megumi’s dark hair.
Megumi’s shoulders dropped, his posture completely relaxing under Yuuji's touch.
Yuuji’s hand trembled slightly. "You don’t mind this? Gojo says you hate it."
Megumi opened his eyes, tilting his head down to look at Yuuji. "I hate when Gojo does it. I don't mind when you—"
Megumi paused.
“Megumi?” Yuuji questioned.
A dark blush swept across Megumi’s face, traveling all the way down to his neck and the tips of his ears.
"I mean—" Megumi stammered, his voice slightly cracking. He swatted Yuuji’s hand away, “It's—you just do it all the time so I'm used to it, that's all!"
Yuuji stared at him, his own heart doing a backflip. "Megumi... are you blushing?"
"No!" Megumi hissed, "It's hot in here! Just—why are you acting so weird today?!"
"Because!" Yuuji took a step closer, a smile breaking across his face. "Nobara and everyone said you like me!"
Megumi froze, "They—what?!"
"They said it’s obvious because you give me your clothes and let me in your room!" Yuuji grinned, rubbing the back of his neck, his own face turning red now. "And I... I was freaked out because I thought my love was unrequited, but then—"
"Unrequited—Yuuji, shut up!" Megumi yelled, looking entirely mortified. "I am going to murder Nobara. I am actually going to kill her."
"So it's true?" Yuuji asked, stepping right up to Megumi "You really like me?"
Megumi refused to make eye contact, his eyes darting anywhere else in the room.
"I was never going to tell you," Megumi muttered tightly, his voice barely above a whisper, his chest heaving. "You weren't supposed to know."
"Why?" Yuuji asked, taking another small step toward him. "Why wasn’t I supposed to know?"
Megumi’s hands flew up to cover his face, "Because!" he muffled into his palms, "Because I thought my love was unrequited, okay?!"
Yuuji tilted his head, "But... I like you back?"
Megumi slowly pulled his hands down. He shot Yuuji a look pained exasperation.
"I know that now, you idiot!" Megumi hissed, “How was I supposed to know before today?! You act like that with everyone!"
"I do not!" Yuuji protested.
“Yes you do!” Megumi retorted, “Just yesterday you—“
He was cut off as Yuuji reached out, grabbing the collar of Megumi's shirt and pulling him down to press a soft, clumsy kiss right to his lips.
Megumi went rigid, his eyes blown wide. His breath caught sharply in his throat, a sudden, ragged hitch, as if his lungs forgot how to function altogether.
Then, he let out a low, breathless noise against Yuuji's mouth and brought his hand down to hold Yuuji’s waist. He pressed forward, forcing Yuuji to stumble back half a step until his legs hit the edge of the bed.
Yuuji let out a muffled gasp, his eyes fluttering shut as he wrapped his around Megumi’s neck.
When they finally pulled apart, neither of them moved away. Megumi kept one hand tangled in the short hairs at the back of Yuuji’s head and the other placed securely at his waist, his forehead resting against Yuuji’s as they both tried to catch their breath.
"I don't kiss anyone else, Megumi," Yuuji mumbled, "I honestly thought you knew I liked you."
Megumi stared at him, his glare slowly softening into something helpless and deeply affectionate, “I like you too, Yuu—“
CRASH.
"Ouch! Yuta, get your foot off my—"
"Quiet! They’re gonna hear us!"
"Salmon! Salmon!"
Megumi froze.
Both of their heads snapped toward the entrance of the room.
The door, which Megumi had left wide open earlier, was crammed with everyone stacked on top of one another in some sort of horrifying domino setup.
Gojo was at the very top, still eating popcorn. Below him, Maki had Panda in a headlock to stay balanced, Yuta was leaning over Inumaki’s shoulder, and Nobara was somehow wedged near the floorboards.
Yuuji’s face flushed bright red, a nervous laugh falling out of his throat, "Guys—wait, how long—"
Megumi didn't let him finish.
"Get. Out." Megumi rasped.
"Run!" Panda yelled, frantically scrambling backward.
"Go, Go, Go!" Nobara screamed as the entire group violently tumbled backward into the hallway, tripping over each other in a panic.
Megumi immediately ran out the door, his furious shouting echoing off the walls.
Ignoring Gojo’s high pitched screeching, Yuuji let out a soft sigh and collapsed on Megumi’s bed. He closed his eyes and smiled contentedly, thinking about how lucky he is to be the only exception to Fushiguro Megumi’s rules.