Chapter Text
Megumi’s life is boring.
But he likes it boring.
Boring is predictable, boring is safe.
Just two weeks ago, he became the newest and youngest doctor of Healthy Paws Animal Clinic. Since he was a child, he dreamed of being a veterinarian. His love of animals only grew as he became an adult, and after years and years of classes, exams, and externships, he’s finally made it.
Except… It's not much of a “dream job” right now.
Now, it’s a lot of cleaning up dog piss and deworming kittens and expressing anal glands and stupid people asking stupid questions and scratches and bites and more piss and-
God, it’s so fucking boring.
But, at the fresh age of twenty-five, it’s his first practice that hired him, so he’s making the most of it.
He sighs as he briefly scans over his next client’s case history. A senior dog with an insignificant medical history coming in for an annual wellness visit and updated vaccines.
Perfect. An easy appointment to finish up his day.
The cheery receptionist pops her head into the examination room. “Dr. Fushiguro, your last client is here.”
Megumi checks his watch. It’s a little early, but he’d rather just get this over with.
“Thanks, Nanako. Please ask Mimiko to take his vitals and prepare the vaccines before sending him in.” He doesn’t look up from his computer as he says this, a flat expression on his face.
“Okay…” she replies quietly and shirks away.
Nanako and Mimiko, the twin vet technicians who often trade off reception at his small clinic, are friendly and kind but also seemingly wary of him. (He’s not exactly the most social veterinarian out there.) In all honesty, he finds small talk annoying and, unfortunately, this whole clinic is filled with chatty, gossipy types who he tries to avoid like the plague.
After about 10 minutes, Mimiko arrives with the vaccines, lining them up neatly on his counter with a little hum. “Ready to go, Dr. Fushiguro! I updated his chart. Would you like me to bring them in?”
“Sounds good, thank you.” He yawns and pulls up the chart. Normal weight, normal temp, all normal. Awesome. Just a routine check up, then. He hopes it’s a quick visit.
He can hear Mimiko talking to the dog’s owner as they stroll down the hall. “Dr. Ikazawa actually retired about a month ago, so Dr. Fushiguro will be seeing Buddy today. He just joined our clinic not too long ago.”
She opens the office door to walk him in and, suddenly, things are a little less boring now. The man who walks into his office is ridiculously attractive. It’s as if God looked through his deleted search history and created a six-foot-three, baby-face, pink-haired Adonis, with a rack of abs that his tight athletic shirt clings to, just for him to drool at. The man cracks an adorable, perfect smile and Megumi nearly loses his mind.
Holy shit.
Megumi tightens his lips lest he accidentally leave his jaw on the floor.
“Dr. Fushiguro, this is Buddy,” Mimiko gestures to the leashed dog, who he finally directs his attention to. He leans down to give the greying mutt a few head scratches, and he closes his eyes, tail swishing back and forth against the tile. “And this is his owner, Yuji Itadori.” She now gestures to the man on the other end of the leash.
“Well, new owner I guess…,” Yuji sheepishly scratches the back of his neck. “Buddy was my grandpa’s dog, actually. He just passed.”
Mimiko gasps, looking as if it’s her grandpa who died. “Oh my gosh, I’m so sorry for your loss, Mr. Itadori. We had no idea.”
Yuji waves her off. “No, it’s okay. He was on a decline so it was expected…,” he trails off, as if he’s distracted by something, and this just so happens to coincide with Yuji finally locking eyes with him. He extends a hand with an easy grin, his honey-brown eyes glittering as he says, “It’s nice to meet you, Dr. Fushiguro.”
Megumi takes his hand, startled by the firm, assertive shake Yuji gives it. “You as well, Mr. Itadori.”
Yuji scoffs, “Blegh. Please just call me Yuji.” He drops Megumi’s hand, leaning in a little. “I hope this doesn’t come off as rude but you’re, like, way younger than I expected.”
“I am younger than most veterinarians, but I assure you I have the same qualifications as our other doctors,” Megumi replies automatically and stares at him with a deadpan expression because this is probably the third time he’s heard that same complaint today. Mimiko excuses herself, snickering down the hall, likely sharing this exchange with her sister as soon as she can.
Yuji looks a little panicked as he tries to repair the damage. His cheeks flush and it nearly matches the light pink hue of his hair. “Wait, no, I’m so sorry, that’s not what I meant at all! I have no doubt you'll be just as great as the other vets. It’s just that every time I come in here, the doctors have always been much older so I was just surprised when I saw you…,” Yuji rambles and rambles. Normally, Megumi wants to bang his head against a wall when he meets people like this, but with Yuji, it’s different. Maybe it’s because he’s cute. Like, really cute, for a very tall, very big man. He’s also very polite and kind, a pleasant surprise considering some of the other attitudes he’s dealt with today.
“It’s fine. So, Buddy’s just here for an annual, unless you have any concerns?” Megumi redirects the conversation, trying to shake off his very unprofessional thoughts, as he squats to give the pup a few pets, doing a brief visual scan.
Yuji grins, patting Buddy’s head. The dog pants happily, tail wagging faster. “Nah, he’s doing great. Took some adjusting, moving from a house to an apartment, but he loves it now. Less steps for sure.”
Megumi smiles, gaze flicking up to Yuji. “Great. He looks good for a dog his age. Can you put him on the table for me?”
Yuji scoops up the forty-pound dog with one arm and Megumi has to peel his eyes away from Yuji’s massive bicep to focus on actually doing his job. He pulls on some gloves and performs a routine wellness exam, the very basics, explaining what he’s doing as he does it. Yuji watches him quietly, nodding, arms folded lazily across his broad chest.
“He’s showing some early signs of arthritis in his back legs, but you already probably knew that. You can give him a joint supplement with his food if you aren’t already. Otherwise, he’s very healthy. You’re doing a great job with him,” Megumi explains with a small smile.
“Thanks, Doc!” Yuji grins widely and two dimples punch into his cheeks. Megumi’s heart nearly leaps from his chest like a cartoon character.
Who is this adorable fucking lunk in my office right now?!
Megumi flushes as he turns his back to Yuji to change his gloves. “He’s due for two updated vaccines. Can we do both of those today?” He looks over his shoulder for Yuji’s approval.
An unreadable expression flashes over his face as Megumi meets his gaze, but it’s quickly replaced with another smile. Yuji nods and absently agrees, “Oh. Yeah, of course.”
Megumi nods, turning his attention to the counter with the two capped syringes. He brings them to the table and gives Buddy a soothing pet before administering one injection, then the other, in a matter of seconds. Buddy barely reacts at all.
“Dang, that was fast!” Yuji exclaims as Megumi disposes of the used syringes and gloves. “You’re really good at that.”
He chuckles a little, leaning against the counter and hugging his lab coat around him. “I try to make it as comfortable as I can. So, any questions for me?”
Yuji strokes his chin in thought. “Oh! Can I have your number?”
Megumi’s eyes widen, his heart skipping a beat. “Um,” he replies stupidly.
Yuji blushes as he explains, with an embarrassed smile on his face, “Oh I just mean, like, if there’s an emergency or something… I just try to get his vet’s number just in case, y’know… I’m sorry, I have the clinic number, I’ll just-”
“No, it’s-it’s fine,” Megumi interrupts and clears his throat. He holds out his hand. “Give me your phone, I’ll type it in.”
Yuji opens up a new contact, hands the phone off, and, without thinking twice, Megumi types out his personal cell phone number.
This is so bad.
So, so bad.
He’s breaking the one boundary he set for himself when he started this job. Any other client, he’d tell them to call the clinic number with no hesitation. What the hell was he thinking?! That this was their little “meet cute”?! As if Yuji was going to start asking him out on dates after taking his dead grandpa’s dog to the fucking mom-and-pop vet clinic.
Christ , he needs to get laid.
He hands the phone back. Yuji looks at it for a moment, then looks up, confused. “Your first name’s Megumi?” He asks curiously, brows knitted.
Megumi wants to crawl in a hole and die because, of course , he typed out his full fucking name like a horny idiot.
“I prefer Fushiguro,” Megumi says with a scowl, crossing his arms tightly.
Yuji shrugs. “Sure thing, Dr. Fushiguro. Here, I’ll text you so you know it’s from me.” He taps on his phone and then stuffs it away in his pocket.
Megumi nods, feeling the vibrating ping of his phone in the pocket of his scrubs. “Well, you’re good to go. Just make sure to see the front desk before you leave. It was nice meeting you, Yuji, and you too, Buddy.” He smiles coyly as he scratches Buddy behind the ears. The dog’s tail smacks against the exam table loudly.
“You too! Thank you!” Yuji gently puts Buddy back on the floor and, unexpectedly, pulls him in for a very tight hug. Megumi lets out a choked noise, his arms stiff at his sides, as he grimaces and flushes wildly. Yuji releases him after a beat, stepping back and grabbing Buddy’s leash. “Maybe I’ll see you around?”
Megumi bites the inside of his cheek, still ruffled from the feeling of Yuji’s hard body pressed against his. “Well, uh, you know where to find me,” he replies awkwardly. “Take care.” He waves as they leave, feigning a pleasant smile that drops as soon as he’s out the door.
Heaving a huge sigh, Megumi pulls out his phone. Yuji’s text is bolded on his lock screen:
[unknown number]
Yuji 😘
“Nobara, what does this mean?” Megumi shows the text message to his roommate as soon as he gets back to their apartment. He leans over the couch, raking his fingers through his unruly hair. He’s been internally screaming ever since he opened his phone, doing mental gymnastics over a fucking emoji.
She grins wickedly, leaning in to read. “Ooo, is that your new boo?”
“So it does come off as flirty, right?” He needs external validation. Surely, he’s not the only one who thinks this message is somewhat suggestive.
“Oh definitely.” She nods and he feels better and, also, somehow worse about it. “Did you go on a date or something?” She asks as she reads the message again, scrutinizing it. “Who’s Yuji ? Oh shit, that reminds me…” Nobara grabs the TV remote from the coffee table and scrolls.
“He’s just one of my clients,” Megumi mutters under his breath as he plops down on the couch next to her, closing his eyes as he leans back against it.
“You gave a client your personal number? You fucking idiot.” Nobara scoffs as she navigates through TV menus.
He scrubs his face with his hands and groans, “I know, I know, he was just so…”
“Hot?” She finishes his sentence with an eye roll.
“Yes…” Megumi grumbles into his palms with a groan, cheeks flushing. “Maybe I'm reading into this too much, but… he does have pink hair. Straight men wouldn’t dye their hair pink, would they?”
Nobara’s eyes widen as large as saucers with some sort of recognition. “Pink hair? No fucking way…” She focuses on the television again, muttering to herself, “It has to be a coincidence, right? I mean, I heard rumors he lived in this area but… no way…”
Megumi is lost in Nobara’s audible thoughts. Why is she acting so weird? Does she know him or something?
“Megumi, what’s his last name?” Nobara asks with urgency.
“You know I can’t tell you that.”
Her stare burns holes into him. “Don’t tell me it’s Itadori.”
Megumi gives her an incredulous stare and it’s the only response she needs.
“Oh my god, Megumi! It is, isn’t it?!” She exclaims with growing excitement.
He grows suspicious, asking with squinted eyes, “How do you know? You know him from somewhere?”
She finally finds the recording she’s been looking for and plays it. It’s a… UFC match or something? Megumi usually tunes out when Nobara watches this kind of stuff, opting to read a book next to her while she shouts and curses at the television like a moron. He’s just about to question why Nobara even put this on when the camera pans to a flash of familiar pink hair.
The man, sitting on the side of the ring, looks into the camera and smiles, and Megumi recognizes him immediately as the same man he met today. “Oh my god.” His mouth hangs open as the camera zooms out and he sees Yuji Itadori shirtless, sweaty, and absolutely delicious in a pair of tight, tiny shorts that leave nothing to the imagination. “Oh my god.” He repeats like a fucking idiot because his mind is already wandering to shameful places and now he can’t stop watching.
“Figures he’d be your type,” Nobara snorts and smirks at the expression on his face. “So that’s him, right?! That’s who you met today and exchanged numbers with?”
“Yeah, that’s him…” He answers, eyes still glued to the television as the match begins and, of course, Yuji is amazingly fast and strong, weaving around punches, dodging kicks, tiring out his opponent before landing a smart blow right to his cheek. Megumi swallows hard, throat suddenly dry as he continues to watch in disbelief. It’s a strange juxtaposition, to see Yuji deal brutal punches and kicks, his opponent’s blood dripping from his knuckles, when just hours earlier he was nothing but a big teddy bear. It should scare him, to see this violent display, but it only makes him more intrigued. He might have to start watching MMA fighting now…
“I can’t believe you got a famous person’s number today and didn’t even realize it, you fucking ass! I’m so jealous!” She punches him in the arm with a laugh. He rubs it absently. “Yuji’s a fucking beast, his win streak is insane right now.” They both watch the match for a few minutes in silent awe. She turns to him, her eyes sparkling with curiosity. “What’s he like? Is he actually an asshole? Tell me everything.”
But Megumi is still processing all of this new information and her questions barely register. Now he’s watching Yuji manhandle the other half-naked man in the ring and wishing it were him being pinned to the ground. (He could do without the punches, but the manhandling? He’ll probably still be thinking about that later…) Yuji wipes the blood from his cheek and raises his fist as the knock-out is called and the crowd roars around him. He flashes another perfect, shiny, toothy grin after he spits out his mouthguard. Megumi bites his bottom lip. That fucking smile…
“Come on, Megumi, stop holding out on me! You know I fucking love MMA. Ugh, this is so unfair!” She whines desperately. Megumi finally snaps out of it when Nobara grabs his shoulders and shakes him.
“Uh. He’s… nice.” Megumi finally responds and Nobara looks like she’s about to punch him in the face. He continues, “Like probably the nicest person I’ve ever met. He gave me a hug before he left.”
“Oh my god, I knew it! I have to tell Maki about this. She’s gonna lose her shit when she hears that Yuji Itadori texted you a kissy face emoji.” She whips out her phone and starts dialing her girlfriend. “If y’all start dating, I expect comped tickets to every match.”
Megumi rolls his eyes with a sigh. “I’m gonna go shower.”
“Yeah I bet,” Nobara sneers as she puts the phone up to her ear. “Maki, you’ll never guess what your fucking nephew just told me…”
Megumi doesn’t hear the end of it, thankfully, because he’s already locked himself in his room, throwing off his scrubs and hopping into the shower. He takes one of those long, hot showers where you forget why you’re even in there until his fingers prune and his skin burns, then pulls on some sweats and eats a pitiful dinner, alone, because Nobara has already left for the night shift by this point.
He scrolls through his phone, staring at the message Yuji left him, fingers itching to text back. Megumi types out a message, deletes it, types out another message, deletes it again. He sighs and turns his cell face down on the table, pressing his palms into his eyes.
He’s a client. He’s a client. He’s a client, you stupid, horny fuck.
Megumi chants this in his head each time he thinks about texting Yuji something very unprofessional that could easily have his license on the line. It doesn’t matter if Yuji started it, he absolutely cannot jeopardize his career over one flirty emoji.
So he does the next best thing.
He rots in bed and goes down a Google rabbit hole learning about Yuji Itadori, the leading middleweight UFC champion. In fifteen minutes, he knows almost everything there is to know about his public image, and it almost makes him feel guilty. He learns his height, weight, wins, losses, and everything in between. He watches his interviews and discovers that Yuji is just genuinely the nicest person alive, not just for public appearances, even though he’s widely known as the fearsome “Tiger of the West.” It’s a very surreal feeling, to meet a friendly stranger for the very first time and then learn everything about them on the internet.
After hours of scouring the internet, Megumi knew he had to stop when he discovered deep-fake porn of the man in a particularly dark corner of the internet (which he definitely, absolutely did NOT jerk off to because that would be extremely unethical and he is a Good Person). He throws his phone on the other side of the bed and groans, heavy shame settling on him.
Megumi goes to bed wishing for another boring, average day tomorrow.
Another boring, average day turns into the rest of a boring, average week, and Megumi wants to take back his wish. He can’t stop thinking about Yuji, knowing full well that it might be another year before he even talks to the guy again. The week drags on and on, and it only gets worse. His thumb hovers over Yuji's contact page often, automatically even, until he catches himself and shoves his phone out of sight and out of reach. He feels like he's in high school again, crushing on an unattainable, and probably straight, boy who doesn't even know he exists. It's torture. It's tearing his brain apart.
Finally, it’s Friday evening and he’s just getting into his car when his phone rings. He flops into the driver's seat with a groan and pulls it out from his pocket, thumb already hovering over the end button. He freezes when he sees the caller ID, his heart skipping a beat:
Yuji Itadori