Chapter Text
Scalding hot water poured over Megumi’s face as he tried his best to disregard the noises and repulsive stenches that naturally inhabit the full boys’ locker room. Megumi stood there, delicate and out of palace as a swan in a sea of bulging muscles and hairy chests. He was taking T for about a year now, he’d grown some hair, but nothing compared to the luscious forests that grew in the massive figures that surrounded him. He was thankfully, around the same height as the rest of the boys in his class, if not slightly taller. His thoughts landed on his father’s hulking figure growing up, maybe in some universe, he would follow in his father’s footsteps.
The thing is Megumi doesn’t necessarily want to look like his father. In fact, he was somewhat content with his androgynous lithe figure, maybe flatten his chest more, and deepen his voice down an octave or two. Just to get it through these people’s heads that he’s a boy. Sure, he preferred baggy clothing, but would wear tight clothing if need be. He was raised by a borderline deadbeat widow of a father who didn’t give a rat’s ass what he does as long as he takes care of himself. He didn’t feel the need to participate in all that machismo to know he was a man through and through. He’d grown up watching his father be the epitome of a man’s man, and if Toji was the epitome of masculinity, Megumi wanted nothing to do with it. Gender is a social construct and all that bullshit. If only everyone else could get the same clue. Being from a bumfuck town, he knew that he’d never feel home if remained in a place like this, but before he could daydream about an ideal life away from here.
“Holy Shit, Megumi is bleeding!” A squeaky unfamiliar voice exclaimed. Probably from some freshman virgin who had never seen a proper cunt before, and was sneaking a peek at Megumi.
He could feel stares as he turns off the water and looks down to confirm the accusation Fucking hell, he forgot about his cycle, especially with being on T make him perpetually irregular. Megumi looks up and is met with the eyes of every guy in his class, now all the attention is on him. Ignoring the ogling, he tries his best to cover himself and run to his locker, until a large meaty arm wraps around his waist, and pulls him back to a hairy chest.
“Damn, Fushiguro, I didn’t know it was that time of the month” A familiar deep grating voice infiltrated Megumi’s ears as laughter was heard throughout the room. Aoi Todo, a roided-out juice head who’s part of the football varsity team and most importantly a paranoid closet homosexual. Megumi knows a faggot when he sees one, and Todo is the literally the biggest one of them all. Before he could retort with the accusation of Todo clearly wanting to get his guts rearranged by his best friend, Yuuji Itadori. Todo’s grip tightens and something hard pokes at Megumi’s back. “You know I heard that chicks are hornier when they’re bleeding.” Todo’s hand slinks down near his crotch, down to his thigh, “What if we all took turns helping you helping you out.” Todo and his teammates' rambunctious laughter fills the room, while Megumi trembles, all he could focus on is the blood slowly dripping down on his thighs. Normally, he’d punch Todo’s lights out, but the rest of the football team surrounded them, ogling at his cunt. He tries to look for a familiar face for any form of help. Where the fuck was Yuuji Itadori? He usually keeps his dogs in check He spots Junpei, a meek boy in his class quietly exiting the locker room, presumably getting help, while the door is open, Megumi lets out a high-pitched scream. The lights in the locker room started to flicker uncontrollably.
Suddenly, Coach Nanami storms into the locker room. “What the hell is going on here?!” The commotion abruptly stops, nobody had ever heard their coach ever raise his voice. Megumi falls to his knees as Todo releases his grip immediately. All that remains is the sounds of the showers running and Megumi’s heavy breathing. Coach Nanami notices the state of Megumi and thus the source of the blood and he politely averted his gaze to the blood on Todo’s hand. He carefully approaches Megumi, with a towel that seemingly appeared out of nowhere. “Get yourself cleaned up, Fushiguro, and get dressed. You can head to Shoko’s office if you need some help with that.” Clearly inept in dealing with situations like this, Coach Nanami falls back into what he’s used to. Discipline
“Todo, you better start talking or I’ll have Principal Yaga issue you an immediate suspension.”
“But, homecoming is in a couple of weeks, Coach!” Coach Nanami gave the bigger boy a stern glare, and turned to the rest of the room. “Don’t you all have classes to get to? Move it!”
As the crowds of boys hastily filled out of the room, Megumi stood up and took a quick rinse, then made his way to his locker as he started putting on his clothes. He could hear Todo feign ignorance to the fact that he basically sexually assaulted an underclassman. As Megumi turned around, he could see Coach Nanami clearly deliberating on a career change as he listened to the senior’s bullshit in the adjacent office in the locker room.
“Besides, I was being real chivalrous to that babe. Just a bunch of guys being guys, that’s what she wants isn’t it?” Todo mouths off then cackles, amused by his own snide remark.
“Todo, get the hell out of my office. I’ll deal with you once you clean this shit up.” Coach Nanami sits in his chair and lays a towel on his eyes. Todo eyes Megumi from the office, and flashes him a shit-eating grin as he enters the locker room again.
Composure slightly regained, Megumi who is now fully dressed makes his way to the door, but not before colliding with Todo. “Came back for more, Megumi? See I knew you were a filthy who-” Megumi delivered a swift blow to Todo’s face, effectively shutting him up.
The sound of bones crackling briefly filled the room like a crisp fire-cracker. The astonished open-mouthed expression of the senior is all Megumi could focus on, Todo brings his hand up to touch his nose. The fresh blood pouring out of Todo’s nose and the remnants of Megumi’s blood in the taller boy’s hand mix together. There is a heaviness to the liquid as it gracefully abides to the laws of gravity. A simple reminder that we are all fragile and delicate.
Coach Nanami’s stare catches Megumi’s eye as he evidently bore witness to the boy’s parting action towards the Senior. “You seemed to miss a spot there, Todo.” Coach Nanami nonchalantly voices out to the room as he puts the hot towel back on his eyes and leans back.
Megumi exits the locker room with a sense of victory.
This victory is short lived as he was summoned to the principal’s office after getting a tampon from the chain-smoking nurse. He couldn’t even take some time to breathe in that sweet nicotine from the second-hand smoke that always seemed present in the school clinic.
On the way to the principal’s office, he is met with the lingering stares of the student body. His face is flushed at the thought of everyone talking about the locker room incident, he makes a quick bee-line to the office, and sits in the waiting room. Once the embarrassment leaves his body, anxiety starts creeping into him. Was he about to be suspended? Mr. Ijichi, the scrawny school secretary, calls his attention that Mr. Yaga is now available to see him.
Mr. Yaga is a tall middle-aged man who looks like he’s going through a midlife crisis. Last, Megumi has heard, Mr. Yaga went through a tumultuous divorce so the middle-life crisis theory might hold some truth. Megumi has also never seen Mr. Yaga without his sunglasses on, so it’s more difficult to gauge the disposition of the principal. Mostly, he remained ignorant to the harsh realities of highschool beyond athletic achievements, or he willfully chooses to.
In fact, Megumi would describe most teachers in Jujutsu High School to be apathetic. He doesn’t necessarily blame them, since who would be enthusiastic at the reality that you’re settling down in the middle of nowhere to rot. Surrounded by the same people that you’re going to see until your inevitable demise. A deep cough breaks Megumi from his trance, he looks up at the middle-aged man.
“I heard from Mr. Nanami about the altercation that occurred in the boys’ locker room earlier.” Thanks a lot, Coach Nanami “Listen, I’m a progressive man. Hell, I even advocated to let you be with the boys, but if this is the shit you’re gonna pull I'd have no choice but to put you back in the ladies locker room.” A faint cracking sound can be heard.
Mr. Yaga raises his voice. “Why is one of our star players injured when there’s a big game coming up?” Sure, let’s not focus on the fact that I almost got sexually assaulted by said star player.
“Goddamn! Are you even listening to me? Do we need to call your father?” That catches Megumi’s attention.
“No, sir,” Megumi immediately replies. His mistake just dawning on him, breaking beyond his aloof facade. Now Yaga knows how to get to him
The shades that rested on Mr. Yaga’s hairy face stares down at Megumi, and all he can see is his own darkened and distorted reflection. “Ijichi, please contact Mr. Fushiguro.” The cracking sound becomes louder, yet nobody in the room acknowledges it. The dialing of a telephone could be heard nearby, then the consequent ringing.
Megumi closes his eyes as he tries to drown out the deafening rings of the telephone. Please if there’s a God out there, don’t let him pick up
After an excruciating five minutes of ringing, the call is finally answered. Megumi could see his dad, mad as hell at being interrupted at doing God knows what. He hugs his shoulders in comfort for the inevitable lashings he’s bound to receive when he gets out. Before he could hear the familiar booming voice of Toji Fushijuro, the electricity went out, and the line went dead.
A beat of silence.
“I guess, it’s your lucky day, Megumi. Tell your father, I’ll see him once he’s finally around. You’re dismissed.” Megumi looks up at the principal, trying his best to mask his relief. Megumi bolts out of the office without a single acknowledgement.
As Megumi walked out of the school grounds, he overheard a conversation that would change the course of his life forever akin to a foreboding omen.
“Did you hear, Yuuji’s twin brother just came back from the war, all fucked up and shit. Sukuna's finally home”
At least he didn’t come home in a box