Chapter Text
The drink in Megumi’s hand had been close to the brim about two minutes ago, but now the white bottom is starting to peek through the last remnants of whatever alcohol had been contained within it. He has no clue what concoction Kugisaki handed him, but whatever it is seems to be doing the trick of numbing his senses.
He originally had no intention of drinking tonight, but the boisterous laughter that seems to have the nasty habit of filling the room every few seconds has made it a necessary vice for the evening. Megumi’s head feels light, but his body is heavy as he takes another swig. It isn’t often that he gives into Kugisaki’s pestering but if he intends on making it through the night without losing his mind, he’ll need to swallow his pride along with his liquor.
Loud, raucous laughter rings through the air, intermingling with the vibrant lights that flash around the walls of the frat house. Megumi’s heart trips over itself at the sound, and he eagerly relinquishes the sigh of irritation that spills from his lips.
Stop that, he silently scolds his heart. Another laugh, another stumble in his heartbeat. You are pathetic.
Megumi knows he’s making things worse for himself by staying firmly rooted in place, leaning against the wall as couples and friends dance and mingle in front of him. He knows he should leave before Kugisaki and Maki come back and realize what’s going on, but he appears to love making things harder for himself.
His eyes drift back to the large group of people towards the edge of the dancefloor. He can already feel his apprehension building with every millimeter that closes the distance between his gaze and the boy making such a racket. He reminds himself of the fire he’s playing with by indulging his curiosity, but it only seems to douse his pounding heart with gasoline.
The boy is cute. Unfairly so.
He tries to reason that this guy is objectively attractive, that Megumi has no specific interest in admiring how his shoulders fill out his hoodie or how his earnest grin seems to draw everyone in closer like moths to a flame.
This guy is objectively cute, no doubt about it. And it’s fucking annoying.
The corners of Megumi’s frown dip even further as the boy throws his head back after cracking a joke that seems to have delighted the rest of the crowd he’s currently entertaining. He can only hope that the deep-seated coils of rage and displeasure are able to choke out the butterflies haphazardly fluttering around in his stomach without his permission.
“What’s wrong with you?”
Megumi jerks his gaze away from the source of his agitation with surprising force. Kugisaki’s overall demeanor is that of suspicion. Her arms are crossed over her chest, and she’s leaning in ever-so-slightly as she assesses his face with narrowed eyes.
“You’re looking at that guy like he spat in your drink and then kicked your dog,” she says with a disapproving curl of her lip. “You have beef or something?”
Megumi scowls at her words, feeling even more frustrated now that he’s been caught staring. “No,” he grumbles into the red solo cup he brings to his lips, his gaze subconsciously returning to the boy. “I don’t even know him.” He’s certain that the spike of irritation that stabs through his gut has nothing to do with that very fact. “Where’s Maki-san?”
Kugisaki purses her lips, not entirely buying into her friend’s disinterest, but she doesn’t argue. “Todo challenged her and Yuuta-kun to beer pong, and you know how he is,” she explains, drawing her own cup close. “You’re looking pretty intense there, Fushiguro. You got a problem with him?”
“No, I don’t have a problem with him,” Megumi snaps. “Like I said, I don’t even know him.”
“Then what’s with the death glare?”
“I don’t have a death glare.”
“You’re looking at him like you want to do something to him.”
“Ugh,” Megumi groans as he rolls his eyes and makes a disgruntled noise in the back of his throat. “Why are you being so weird right now?”
“You’re the one being weird!” she yells back. She stabs one finger into the center of Megumi’s chest, not bothering to be gentle. “You can’t keep your eyes off him for more than three seconds and you’re dodging simple questions, and yet I’m the one being weird—”
Kugisaki’s words abruptly cut off as she looks deeply into her friend’s eyes, mouth slightly agape. “Wait a minute…” she murmurs.
Megumi doesn’t like the way the gears in her head are turning. He holds up a single finger in warning. “Don’t. Stop. Stop that.”
“Hold on—”
“Don’t.”
“Do you—?”
“Shut up.”
“Are you into him?” she asks with wide eyes that may look innocent but Megumi knows are full of sinister intentions.
“I said to shut up,” he hisses as he attempts to shove her away with his hand but she’s able to dodge it with ease. Her expression is full of glee and excitement as she cackles maniacally; it makes Megumi’s blood run cold and his heart beat fast.
“Oh my god, you are,” she preens, excited to have figured it out, “I fucking knew something was up with you when you accepted the drink I gave you—”
“Don’t you and your girlfriend have a bedroom you need to desecrate or something instead of bothering me?” Megumi’s voice comes out as a low grumble. He drags a hand down his face in exasperation as if that would shield him from the mortification he feels. “Are things so boring in your relationship that you’re imagining interest where there is none?”
Kugisaki frowns and pokes him roughly in the chest once more. “Don’t come for my relationship with Maki just because you’re jealous, Fushiguro, green isn’t a good color on you.”
“My eyes are green, idiot.”
“It’s a metaphor, idiot.”
“Actually, it’s an idiom, idiot—”
“Oh my god, would you two shut up?” a new, third voice pipes up from behind Kugisaki.
The pair turns to see a woman with dark hair glaring at them from behind square glasses. Megumi frowns as Kugisaki’s face lights up and exclaims a loud, “Maki!”
Megumi averts his gaze right as Kugisaki presses her lips to her girlfriend’s in a quick peck, trying his best not to grimace at the public display of affection. “Did you win?” he asks, seeing his opportunity to change the subject.
“Obviously,” Maki replies shortly. She looks Megumi up and down before asking, “What’s Dog Boy’s problem?”
Kugisaki snickers as Megumi’s frown deepens. “He thinks that guy over there is cute and he’s angry about it.” She smirks, resting an arm over Maki’s shoulder.
“What the fuck, Kugisaki, that is not true—”
“It’s absolutely true.”
“I just think he’s annoying!” Megumi finally shouts, his anger boiling over. “He’s being so loud and obnoxious, it’s irritating. He obviously has no respect for the people around him; he’s being way too distracting!”
Kugisaki and Maki are silent as they stare at him and Megumi is starting to regret ever coming to this party. Maki clicks her tongue. “You really are emotionally repressed.”
“Fuck you guys, I’m going home,” Megumi growls, spinning on his heel to chuck his empty cup before dipping out. “I hate both of you.”
“You can’t fool us, Fushiguro, we know you secretly care about us!” Kugisaki shouts from behind him. He gives her the middle finger without looking back as he stalks away and despises the amused cackles it brings.
Fuck Nobara, fuck Maki, fuck that stupid guy who’s making my stomach do stupid things, he curses as he’s drenched in a wave of seething anger and humiliation. I knew I should have left earlier.
He stomps angrily over to the shitty kitchen littered with empty bottles and used red solo cups. He snags an unopened bottle of water before pounding it down like his life depends on it, hoping that it will quench his growing thirst. Once emptied, he tosses it into the mostly full garbage in the corner.
"Hey, thanks for throwing that away, man! Nice shot, too."
Megumi nearly jumps out of his skin at the new voice suddenly behind him. His head almost snaps off his neck with how quickly he twists around, and is greeted with a shock of pink hair.
The boy from before is looking at him with big brown eyes, and Megumi’s face contorts into an expression of disdain.
“Ugh, you’ve got to be kidding me…” he groans.
The boy’s eyebrows knit together as his even expression falls into one of confusion. “Excuse me?” he asks, a slight edge of incredulity to his raspy voice. “Do you have a problem with me or something?”
“I don’t even know who you are,” Megumi bites out with a roll of his eyes. If his heartbeat is slightly elevated while speaking, it’s no one’s business.
“Then why are you acting like I did something to offend you?” the other boy raises his voice. “I was just saying thank you for throwing your shit away since no one else seems to care about keeping a clean house!”
Megumi doesn’t fight the condescending laugh that rumbles in his throat. “Do you seriously expect a frat party to be clean?”
The boy’s cheeks turn the same shade as his dyed hair, and Megumi can’t help the way his eyes dance over his features. The other boy’s lips purse into a pout and he winces. “Well, no, but it’s still nice to see someone being considerate!”
Megumi hums noncommittally and turns around to grab another bottle of water, hands trembling ever so slightly. He sighs in relief that he doesn’t have to look at such an (objectively) good-looking face and silently prays that he’s been enough of a dick to be left alone.
Unfortunately, the boy leans back against the countertop and asks, “Who are you, anyway? I don’t think we’ve met before and I’m not unfamiliar with people disliking me but usually it’s after I’ve done something stupid, and I don’t think I’ve done anything stupid tonight.”
“You’d be surprised,” Megumi mutters under his breath, turning his head away to hide the heat that he knows is crawling up his neck.
The boy frowns again but seems to take this as an opportunity to introduce himself. “I’m Itadori Yuuji, by the way. I’m friends with Todo-kun.”
Megumi’s lip curls in obvious distaste at the mention of the guy who threatened to kick his ass freshman year. “Okay?” he grinds out. “I didn’t ask?”
The rough snort of laughter that comes from Itadori is unexpected, and the sound of it makes Megumi’s pulse jump. His eyes flicker down to Itadori’s mouth to see twin dimples imprinted on his cheeks and it only adds to his boyish charm. The plastic of the water bottle crunches beneath his grip as he curls his fingers even tighter around its body.
There’s a hint of a smile on Itadori’s face when he asks, “For real, though, did I do something to piss you off?” The other boy’s brown eyes are round and curious as he searches Megumi’s face as if he’s hoping to learn something just by peering into the verdant green.
It’s rare for Megumi to feel so off-balanced by a stranger, but this stranger seems to have a particular gift for making him feel things he normally wouldn’t. “Yes, unfortunately.” Megumi's voice comes out as a somewhat strangled noise, trying desperately not to ponder on the texture of Itadori’s hair.
“Oh.” Itadori’s faint smile falls into an expression of genuine remorse. He lifts a hand to rub the back of his neck in embarrassment. “I’m sorry, man, that wasn’t my intention at all. I tend to act before I think, so I’m really sorry that I did something to upset you.”
Megumi tries not to look so surprised by such an earnest apology for something Itadori hasn’t even done on purpose. Itadori's existence is already reason enough to fuel Megumi’s aggravation, but the endearing honesty of this overextended interaction is making it too much to handle. Megumi pinches the bridge of his nose in the hopes it will help his steadily growing blush to recede and mumbles, “Please stop, you’re making it worse.”
This earns an indignant squeak from Itadori, who shouts, “But I’m not even doing anything!”
“And yet I’m still unsettled.”
“Is it just my vibe?” Itadori asks with that same authenticity. “Do you think I have bad vibes?”
“You know that’s not a real thing, right?”
“Of course it is! There are some people you just know are bad news while others are instantly alluring,” Itadori’s bright smile returns to his face as he speaks and Megumi can’t help but agree, however reluctantly.
Megumi arches a dark brow as he crosses his arms over his chest. “Alluring? Why do I get the feeling that’s a big word for you?”
“Come on, man,” Itadori grumbles under his breath. “Is it that easy to tell I’m not a language guy?”
Megumi looks Itadori up and down in a way he hopes comes off as very normal and not an attempt to show interest that doesn’t exist. “Is it safe to assume that you’d prefer to do something physical instead of reading a book?”
The light dusting of pink on Itadori’s cheeks burns a shade darker as he looks away and shuts his eyes tightly. He turns to face the countertop and grabs a water for himself, muttering, “Whatever, man, I can read.”
“I never said you couldn’t,” Megumi replies flatly. He doesn’t wait for Itadori to say anything else before he takes off back into the crowd, hoping to put a stop to the weird energy he’s created by leaving it behind. He hears Itadori call out for him to stop, but he ignores it in favor of getting as far away from this earnest, kindhearted boy as possible.
He finds Kugisaki and Maki where he left them, but their heads are angled together closely as they talk. He immediately dislikes the mischievous smiles they flash his way as he approaches, his usual frown of discontent reappearing to twist the corners of his mouth. Kugisaki opens her mouth to say something Megumi knows is bound to be annoying, but he interrupts her to say, “I’m leaving,” before she can get a word in.
“You can’t leave!” Kugisaki shouts loud enough for Megumi to feel the physical force of her voice. He takes a step back and scowls at her but she doesn’t seem concerned in the slightest. “You have to stay!”
“Ugh, why?” he scoffs. “I’m tired, I’m in a bad mood, and I’m slightly tipsy. I just want to go home.”
“You miss Gojo that much?” Maki grimaces from where she still leans with her foot pressed against the wall behind her.
Megumi turns his attention to his cousin and gives her an exasperated look. “Don’t ever say that again.”
An amused grin stretches over Maki’s lips but her words are serious as she says, “Do you need help getting back?”
Megumi shakes his head. “No, Tsumiki said she’ll meet me at the corner to take me back. You two have fun, though, get back safe.”
Maki nods, but as she opens her mouth to reply she pauses and looks around Megumi at something behind him. Megumi doesn’t particularly care about whatever has caught her attention until Kugisaki does the same but the devilish smile that contorts her features gives him a bad feeling.
He looks over his shoulder to see a bright spot of pink hair wading through the throng of dancing people, moving closer and closer to their current location. Megumi’s heart thumps uncomfortably between his ribs as he quietly curses a distressed, “Fuck.”
Itadori’s face pops over the few dozen people between them and Megumi prays that he’s looking for someone else.
“Hey!” Itadori shouts, cupping his hands around his mouth. “You! Dark-haired guy that had an attitude with me!”
“You do know him!” Kugisaki screeches and Megumi winces at the sheer decibel of her voice. “And you didn’t say anything to us!”
Megumi turns back around and runs a hand through his messy hair, taking his nervous energy out on the already disheveled locks. “I said like two words to him, it’s fine—”
“Hell no, it’s not ‘ fine’,” Kugisaki interrupts, holding up her middle and index fingers in mock air quotes. She stomps her foot on the ground and places her hands on her hips. “You suck, Fushiguro, I can’t believe I was over here convinced that you had absolutely no game when in reality you’ve been making moves on that guy without letting your wingmen know.”
“Oh my god,” Megumi whispers, pressing his fingertips to his temples, “I was not doing that, do you even know me at all?”
“That’s true,” Maki backs him up, nodding in agreement. “Megumi has always been terrible with people, there’s no way he was purposefully flirting with Pinky over there.”
As much as Megumi would like to defend himself from that statement he knows she’s right. “Bye, I’m leaving.”
“What the hell is wrong with you!” Kugisaki yells at him as she punches him in the shoulder. “The guy you’ve been checking out all night is finally trying to talk to you and you’re just going to leave?”
“I never asked for him to talk to me so why would I stay?”
“Because you like him!”
“I don’t even know him!” Megumi shouts the phrase for what he feels like is the umpteenth time.
“Well, he sure seems to know you,” Maki replies swiftly, gesturing to the slowly approaching boy with a nod of her head. She levels her stare at Megumi and asks, “You sure you don’t want to talk to him?”
Megumi nods and prays to every god above that his face isn’t as red as it feels. “Positive.”
Maki nods and pushes away from the wall. “Okay, we’ll take care of it,” she says, hazel eyes gleaming with reassurance.
“But, Maki—” Kugisaki starts to argue but Maki shakes her head, sending her girlfriend into frustrated silence.
“Megumi said he doesn’t want to talk to him so he doesn’t have to.”
Kugisaki makes a displeased noise in the back of her throat but she doesn’t argue. “Fine.” She glowers before training her gaze on Megumi. “I hate that you’re so determined to keep yourself from happiness. Your fear of romantic emotional intimacy is showing.”
“I am happy, asshole.” Megumi rolls his eyes. “I don’t need to force myself to ‘get out there’ in order to be satisfied with my life.”
Kugisaki’s frown shifts from frustration to worry. “Of course you don’t need a relationship to be happy. But why keep yourself from something that you know might make you even happier?”
Megumi’s brain briefly malfunctions as he takes in his friend’s words, the sharp retaliation that had been on the tip of his tongue losing their bite. He sucks in a deep breath through his nose before calmly exhaling, “I’m fine, Kugisaki. I’m perfectly alright with where I’m at right now in life.”
“Could be better, though…” she mumbles, her voice taking on a teasing edge. She groans again before snapping, “Whatever, just get out of here before I force you to do something outside of your comfort zone, god forbid.”
Megumi can feel the way his demeanor softens at the knowledge her pestering comes from a place of love. He dismisses his thoughts with a slight shake of his head and says, “Thanks. I’m heading out, see you guys later.” He lifts a hand in a slight wave before taking off, leaving the couple and Itadori behind.
This isn’t Megumi’s first party at this particular frat house so he’s familiar enough with the layout that he’s able to escape outside with ease. There are a few people chatting out front with others reclining (passed out) on the grassy lawn. Megumi does his best to avoid stepping on anyone as he makes his way off the premises and starts to head down the sidewalk to the street corner.
He leans against the stop sign at the corner and pulls out his phone to send his sister a quick text.
Megumi: Here.
There’s no reply or sign of a thought bubble in the lower left-hand corner of their text thread so Megumi sighs and shoves his phone back in his pocket. He stares out at the street, looking both ways to see if there’s any sign of Tsumiki’s car heading his way. He takes an even deeper sigh when there is none.
A new thought comes to mind and Megumi bites his lip in attempted protest. His eyes seem to have other plans as they slowly sweep across the street to land back at the frat house.
The disappointment he feels when there’s no mop of pink hair to be seen is frustrating to try and reconcile within himself. Stop that, he scolds, shutting his eyes tightly and turning back to the road. Why would he have followed me out here? It’s not like we’re friends.
He expects to feel relieved, or at the very least frustrated, but instead he just feels defeated.
Two bright beams of light appear from around the opposite corner as a car pulls down the road. Megumi’s bitter mood is only soured by the sight of the man in the front seat. He glowers at the white-haired man and groans, “Ugh, why are you here?”
“Aw, c’mon, Megumi, don’t be like that!” Gojo coos from behind the wheel, leaning out the window. “Didn’t you have a good time with the other kids?”
Megumi rolls his eyes as he walks around to the other side of the sleek, black car and mutters, “Just get me out of here.”
Gojo snickers at Megumi’s obvious displeasure, finding amusement in his ability to needle his ward so easily. “Someone’s Mr. Grumpy Gills tonight,” Gojo muses as Megumi gets in. “What happened? No one wanted to play with you so you stood in the corner like a loser?”
Megumi doesn’t hesitate to shove Gojo’s head into the window with his hand but it only makes his guardian laugh even harder. “Shut up,” he says, slumping down in the front seat. “And those sunglasses at night make you look stupid.”
“You wound me, Megumi,” Gojo whines with an overdramatic pout of his lips. He sighs and pulls forward as he mumbles, “You really must not have had a good time if you’re being this mean to me.”
“I’m always this mean to you,” Megumi rolls his eyes again. He looks out the window on his passenger side and rests his cheek against his hand. He thinks of pink hair and bright eyes and his stomach flips. He bites his lip before murmuring, “It wasn’t so bad.”