Chapter Text
Monday .
Megumi was tossing and turning in his bed. He’d been lying there half asleep for who knows how long, unable to fully go to sleep. He eventually got out of bed and slowly made his way to his bathroom at the end of the hall. The floor was cold and sterile, and the air was moving slowly around him as he opened the door and flipped on the light. He looked into the mirror. He looked like shit. His hair was messy, not how it normally looked, but it shot out in seemingly every direction, making him look like a sea urchin. His skin was pale and cold- not the normal pale he sported, but a sickly pale as if he hadn’t seen the sun in years. His gaze slowly steadied to face the mirror as he admired his figure. He was getting skinnier, and he could almost see his ribs. That wasn’t good. But it wouldn’t be helped. He splashed cold water onto his face, maybe trying to wake himself up so he could sleep or try to, but it wouldn’t work. He felt sick just looking at himself. He turned off the light in the bathroom and headed to the kitchen. He poured himself a glass of water and downed it as his stomach writhed. He washed the glass and leaned back toward his room against the warm, insulated walls. He stumbled back into his bed and lay staring at his ceiling. He stilled. His mind, however, was very active. Megumi had had issues with sleep for years now, something he inherited from his father. Normally, he would brew some tea to soothe himself, but he was fresh out. And so there he was, back to where he was just 10 minutes ago, tossing and turning. He sat up again and rummaged through his drawer, searching for something. His hands fumbled over a semi- translucent bottle and downed some pills before closing it and wiping his mouth. They felt as if they were stuck in his throat, and it made his skin crawl every time. He sighed and slowly fell asleep. That means it was working, at least.
As he got up in the morning for school, he readied himself. He cleaned himself carefully; he was always very particular about his appearance, how ironic.. He headed for the kitchen to prepare his breakfast, taking rice out of the fridge. On top was a note written in cute but partially illegible handwriting; obviously written by a certain white haired idiot. “Was called on set early today, left you some rice!! -Gojo.” Of course. On the first day as well. He sighed and scooped some of the rice into a bowl, and sprinkled some salt onto it. A rather bland breakfast for many, but typical for him. He wasn’t a fan of cooking much, and he liked how simple, yet tasty rice was. After he finished his breakfast, he checked the time. He would be late if he didn’t hurry. He brushed his teeth, grabbed his bag, and waited for the bus outside. The sun hung on his face elegantly, a bored expression permanently on his face. As the bus pulled up to the house, he paid the driver and tried to navigate himself to a vacant seat. The back? Too full. The very front? He didn’t want to seem desperate. His eyes eventually landed on a seat in the middle, empty. He sat down and put his headphones on, keeping to himself. He'd been taking the bus for years, but a new year meant a new batch of students, which meant a new seating chart, since the students of Jujutsu High were the only ones on the bus in their tidy prep school uniforms and typically arrogant faces. Eventually, his attention was pulled away when he felt a tap on his shoulder, which was odd, since he normally noticed people before they had the chance to sneak up on him. “Excuse me, is this seat taken or reserved?” Megumi looked up, and his expression shifted from boredom to curiosity and slight annoyance. A pink-haired boy with a whimsical expression and a faint smile engraved on his face. A new face, he thought. He looked scrappy, but somewhat tidy. He noticed he had a few piercings, one in each ear and one on his lip. He hadn’t meant to pester him, and seemingly hadn’t noticed he had. “No. It’s fine.” He went back to keeping to himself, though he could admit, he was curious about the new student. Not many people transferred from other schools to Jujutsu, as it was rather isolated on the outskirts of Tokyo. Maybe he'd been scouted. He bit his tongue, a habit he had whenever he thought deeply about something. When the bus finally pulled up to school, he got off and pulled up his schedule on his phone. His first-period math, conveniently located on the other side of the ginormous school. He made his way through the bustling halls, being careful not to bump into anyone important, keeping his head down. Not too many new students, he observed. As he entered class, he took a glance at the people around him. His cousin, Maki, is talking with one of his upperclassmen, one of the TA’s, Yuta. They seemed to be having a good time. They were talking about concepts he couldn’t quite grasp, maybe something he was too uneducated to get. A louder conversation was going on by the windowsill, one voice belonging to a girl with a brown bob, who didn’t seem scared or intimidated by anything or anyone. The arrogance and judgement weren’t well hidden in her eyes or her voice. Her uniform had been modified, wearing a white button down, a red neck ribbon, her coat tied around her waist, and semi-bold makeup that paired with a nice set of pink nails. A gal?, he thought, not really knowing what else to call her. And the other voice belonged to the same boy he sat next to on the bus; seemingly rambling on about a movie called “Human Earthworm 2”. It was an old classic title released a few years ago. A sharp flash went through Megumi’s mind. Tsumiki used to like those movies. He shook his head, trying to push down the sense of stress and dread thinking about her gave him.
A respectable-looking man, maybe in his late 30s or early 40s, walked in sporting a formal suit and a pair of thick glasses. He took out a piece of chalk and wrote his name on the board. “Hello, class, and welcome to first-period math. My name is Mr. Ijichi, and I’ll be your teacher for the year. I’ll be taking attendance shortly, so look up on the board and find your seats.” Megumi perked up; he’d been so focused on the pair that he hadn’t checked the board. He read the board and noticed he had to sit between two others with names he didn’t recognize: Kugisaki Nobara and Itadori Yuuji. He figured by default that they would annoy him to death, as most people did. He took his seat and watched as the gal with the bob, Nobara, and the oddly cheerful boy, Yuuji, took their seats beside him. “Got a staring problem, emo?” The girl named Nobara challenged. He realized he’d been staring in her general direction; of course, she’d think that. He didn’t appreciate the name she gave him, though. It wasn’t the first time someone called him that. He wasn’t going to like her much at all. “Hey, lay off him, Kugisaki. Maybe he got a bad night of sleep last night. I know I did!” He let out a laugh, an endearing laugh that felt like a hug. Megumi cleared his throat. “No, I don’t. Who even are you, anyway?” Megumi challenged back, too tired for a real fight, too early in the year. Nobara scoffed, not expecting a response back. “ Name’s Kugisaki. Don’t forget it.” “Whatever..” He mumbled under his breath. Yuuji tapped his shoulder again, something that startled him, and he flinched. “ I’m sorry about her, she can be a little rude sometimes.. My name is Itadori. It’s nice to meet you!” The pink-haired boy smiled, his greeting felt genuine. He also had his hand out, maybe expecting a handshake. Megumi, not wanting any trouble, shook his hand. “Fushiguro. Nice to meet you too, I guess.” His hands were warm. He wasn’t used to shaking hands, so the gesture resonated with him. As Itadori sat back down, Mr. Ijichi called everyone to attention and explained their schedule for the newer students in class. Jujutsu High had normal periods like any other: 1st period, then 2nd, then 3rd, 4th, then lunch. After that came 5th period, then 6th period, and a seventh period for study hall. Sounded simple enough. Class continued with typical first-day activities, icebreakers, classroom procedures, etcetera. As the bell rang, Megumi got ready to head to his second class, social studies, when something had yet again grabbed his attention. “Mr. Fushiguro! May I speak with you in front of the class?” He turned around to see Mr. Ijichi standing in front of his desk, with Nobara to his left and Yuuji to his right. Megumi complied, already not liking where this would go. “Since you're familiar with these halls, could you show these new students to their classes? I would ask Yuta, but something came up for him.” Megumi scratched the back of his head, thinking. It’s not like he had the right to say no. “No problem, Mr. Ijichi.” With that, the pair followed Megumi out of the classroom and into the hall and began showing them around the school.
They visited the library on the second floor, typically reserved for the 2nd years and a few college class electives, and the library on the first floor, which had an assortment of textbooks, magazines, manga, and even a few laptops in the back. “We never had a library where I’m from.” Nobara added, trying to break the silence between them. “Not from here?” Megumi chimed. Nobara turned around to face the two in front of her. “Nah, neither of us are. We're country folk.” Megumi nodded. “Figured, y'know, since most students have been here since kindergarten..” He showed them the gym, the track field, locker rooms, and the pool they had in a more secluded building for swim teams. The school was ginormous. He then showed them back to their own individual classes. Nobara had science, and Yuuji had Social studies, too. He glanced at the other boy walking beside him, and unfortunately for him, Yuuji took it as a signal for him to talk to him. “So.. you've been going here for how long?” Megumi sighed, not a big fan of conversation. However, he didn't want to be rude, so, reluctantly, he followed along with the conversation. “Since freshman year. We don't normally get transfer students here, almost everyone's been in this area for years. “ Yuuji nodded curiously, wanting to make a friend on the first day. The way Yuuji stared at him could've given him a headache with its intensity alone. They rounded the corner upstairs where the Social Studies classroom was. He handed the teacher a tardy slip, knowing he couldn’t have his attendance be messed up so easily, and on the first day of all days. The rest of the day flew by, and as the final bell of the day rang, he headed for the bus stop a few blocks down. It wouldn’t be there for a while, so he decided to pop in at the local convenience store. He bought an iced tea and a sweet pastry for Gojo, of course. He then rushed back to the bus stop and boarded the bus, bound for somewhere special. His sister. She’d been in a coma for 5 years, 7 months, and 23 days. He counted every day, hoping she’d get up the next and everything would be fine. Then he’d wake up to reality. When he got off the bus, he started his usual routine for whenever he visited: walk to the flower boutique 2 blocks down, buy white lilies, her favorite, and head back to the hospital. Check in, replace her flowers from the day before, sit down, and tell her about his day. He thought maybe she could hear him, or maybe it’d wake her up. Like on TV. But he knew not to torture himself like that. It wasn’t new to him. And so there she lay in a cold, sterile hospital bed. Air wafted through the room, but seemed to still where she was. It was a stark contrast to her warm personality before she fell. Before she fell.. As he finished telling her about his day, he cleared his throat and got up to leave. Despite his indifferent attitude, he was actually very emotional, he was just good at hiding and suppressing his feelings, then deflecting them. Tsumiki was one of the only people he'd ever met that was able to disarm him, that could tell how he was really feeling. He missed that dearly sometimes. He checked the time and decidedly chose to head home. He couldn’t be home too late; he had school in the morning, after all.
The bus ride home was quiet and empty, the bus rattling as it bounded down block after block. About an hour later, when he arrived home, Gojo was already cooking dinner, or trying at least. The young man sported stylish blue shades, messy, yet formal white hair, a blue apron, Gojo's favorite color, his hair hastily tied back in a tiny ponytail which didn't hold back much. “Ahh, Megumi! How was your first day back?” Gojo smiled. “How was Tsumiki?” Megumi took off his shoes and put them on the shoe rack by the entrance. “It was fine, and she’s fine.” He mumbled under his breath as he stretched. “How was work?” Gojo sighed, seasoning a pot of cheese with various spices before putting its lid back so it could steam. “Tiresome. But that's showbiz..” Gojo’s smile turned mischievous for a moment, and Megumi prepared for whatever stupidity he was about to voice. “Make any new friends? You're always so lonely, and no one ever comes over.” He scoffed. “You know I don’t do friends. I... talked to some people, but I don’t know if they consider me a friend yet.” Megumi shed his coat, hanging it up on the rack nearby. Gojo perked up, his smile widening. There was warmth in the gaze behind his glasses that didn’t seem to ever reach the other young man. “Who? Is it a girl?” Megumi glared back at him with the cold void his eyes always seemed to house. “i'll punch you.. Anyways, their names are Kugisaki Nobara and Itadori Yuuji. They’re fine, I guess.” Gojo sighed in satisfied defeat. “Well, at least you're making friends. C’mon, dinner’s almost ready.” Megumi put his stuff from school away and sat down at the table. Gojo set down the dinner for the night: Rice with cheese. A simple, but fulfilling meal. Megumi scooped a small amount onto his plate. Gojo looked up curiously, a hint of concern in his eyes. “You're only gonna eat that much? After all the trouble I went through for making it? Ouch,” Gojo said jokingly, but the weight and intentions were clear. “ Yeah. I’m not too hungry..” a blatant lie he typically gave. Gojo dropped it, not wanting to pry into it too much. Megumi would surely know if it got too bad and tell him.
As Megumi got ready to go to sleep, he remembered his freshman year at Jujutsu High. He was super shut in, taking classes from home for the first semester. When he finally attended in person, he was a nervous, messy wreck. He tried to keep himself together, but everything just felt so new and out of place. He let out a humorous sigh, remembering how foolish he used to be. He turned off the lights in his room. He didn't have many friends then either, only really talking to Maki and Toge, another boy in his class. The heat of the room prevented him from falling asleep. How annoying, he thought. He dug through his bookshelf, pulling out a book Gojo had no idea he had, or would even enjoy in general. When Megumi was first starting the 9th grade, and he hit his all time low, some girl in his class was reading a rather eye-catching novel. Megumi had always been a bit of a bookworm, and at times, nosy. He asked the girl what the book was, needing something to read for silent reading. “Oh, this? It's just some bl I got at the bookstore called Strawberry Kiss.” Megumi, completely unfamiliar with what “bl” meant, assuming it was just an inside joke inside said book fandom, he asked her if he could borrow the first volume. As he began reading, he grew increasingly more and more invested in the storyline. Wow, he thought. That girl has really short hair. A few pages later he discovered that not only she wasn't a girl, but that this was definitely not something he should be reading in class. He let out a sharp, yet quiet gasp, as the male leads tangled themselves together more and more, slowly getting more graphic until he couldn’t take it anymore, his face red hot with embarrassment. He shoved the book back to the girl, a flush creeping up his face as he tried to keep his composure, which was difficult to do as blood began to drip down his face from his nose. He cleaned himself off, his face still warm while the images of what he just saw swirling through his head. Boys can do that? He thought. When he got home that day, he searched up the term the girl had told him, bl, mildly intrigued by it. He came across a few popular titles, reading them in his free time whenever he could, either by buying them or through digital piracy. He found himself absolutely in love with it. He wasn't perverted, though, at least in his mind. He had been dubbed as a fudanshi on various different occasions, though he didn't really like that title. Too outdated, too controversial. But it was the truth. He was a rotten boy. And so, as a pass time, he found himself deeply invested in the world of yaoi and bl media, specifically, in this case, an enemies to lovers basketball manga, titled “Foul Play”. He'd never been a big fan of sports manga, but the way the author illustrated really caught his eye. He opened the book, as this was his first time reading it. So far, he understood that the male lead, Tetsuyo, was quiet and outspoken. Not a tsundere or baby type, he noted. Just quiet and stoic. He liked it when the author didn't just fetishize men or dumb them down. A good sign so far. He'd never wanted to do basketball, but his father forced him to, since the boy was seemingly blessed with the ability of basketball. Sounds familiar, he thought, rolling his eyes and turning the page. The secondary male lead was introduced, and for some reason, he felt more drawn to the second one than the first. He had tan, sunny skin, messy coral hair, defined muscles, a defined face, a lip piercing that seemed to highlight his surrounding features.. he turned the page. Odd. He'd never thought that way before. Nevermind that, though. It was probably nothing. Obviously.