Archive of Our Own

Megumi's third year of high school started with a headache. 

He woke up to a heavy rain, no sign of warm sun or pink sakura petals drifting in the wind. A pipe broke in his favourite bakery, so they were closed for the day and he had to go to the nearest conbini to get himself something for breakfast. The cup of black coffee he had before leaving wasn't going to keep him sated for long. 

It all happened in the onigiri aisle.

Even though the early hour, some of the most popular types of rice balls were already sold out. Thankfully for Megumi, the last tuna mayo one was right in front of him, so he quickly grabbed it, ready to head to the counter but before he could step away, someone blocked his way. 

"Hey little one." 

The guy was bulky, taking the whole width of the aisle with his body. The sleeves of his shirt barely fit the massive biceps and the buttons on his chest seemed to hold for dear life. His hair was dyed a light shade of pink and there was a deep scar right over the bridge of his nose. A single black circle was pierced through his left nostril. He wore no jacket, so Megumi couldn't tell to which school he went but it didn't really matter. A punk knew a punk when he saw one. 

"It looks like you took my onigiri." 

Megumi was always on the slimmer side, skinny limbs and bones protruding from the skin but he exercised enough to not be weak. Anyone, who approached him since the time he hit puberty, knew that it was better to stay out of trouble with Fushiguro Megumi. And he sure as Hell wasn't short. 

The only thing short about Megumi was his temper. 

"Get lost," he said and tried to pass the guy but he just pushed onto Megumi's shoulder, a lazy grin spreading over his lips. It was apparent he was trying to pick a fight. 

"Let's not make this difficult. That's my favourite onigiri and it so happens that it's the last one in the store. Give it to me and all will be fine. What do you say, pretty boy?" 

The spring break was peaceful. Megumi's days were filled with quietness or the sound of music, which always calmed him down. For a moment he even believed the overpowering sense of tranquility would finally – for the first time in his life – stay with him. 

Well, the hope was gone the minute Megumi kicked the guy in the stomach. 

The guy toppled over and Megumi was sure he could pass him and reach the counter but his opponent pulled him by the collar to prevent him from running away. They ended up being kicked out of the shop and Megumi still didn't get his breakfast. The moment they were out of the store, the bulky guy stuffed his hands into the pockets of his pants and walked away into the rain. 

When Megumi finally made it to the school, he was cold, his hair was dripping wet and his stomach kept rambling in protest. What a life. Hopefully, Nobara – Kugisaki Nobara, his one of few friends – offered him melon bread. Megumi wasn't one for sugary treats but it was still better than nothing. 

The first class started and even though Megumi still felt the frustration of this morning burning under his skin, he tried bending his mind into staying positive. One asshole wasn't going to ruin his day. 

Their teacher made an announcement Megumi barely listened to but when Nobara's sharp intake of breath reached his ears, he looked up to see, what the commotion was about. It turned out someone was transferring to their school, to their class to be precise, and it wasn't one person but two. Twins. Itadori Yuuji and Sukuna. One of them – Yuuji – was neatly wearing his uniform and greeting everyone with a wide smile over his lips. Sukuna wasn't wearing his jacket, he kept his hands in the pockets of his pants and only nodded when the teacher introduced him. 

But his eyes changed from bored to madly overjoyed the moment his gaze found Megumi's. 

Fushiguro Megumi hoped it was all just a very bad dream.

The moment Megumi came back home, hoping to just let go of all the things that happened throughout the day, and heard muffled whimpers, he knew his day was far from over. He found Satoru sitting on a coach, face red and tears streaming down his cheeks, while he held a photo album over his lap. 

As much as Megumi was an asshole himself, leaving his guardian – his adoptive dad – alone right now would be cruel. 

He draped a blanket over Satoru's back and grabbed tissues, so that the man could wipe his face. When he finally calmed down, Megumi gently took the album from him and closed it without looking inside. He knew the photographs by heart. If he had looked at them, he might have ended up the same way Satoru did. 

"I'm sorry for my brother."

Itadori Yuuji said the words with such practiced ease that Megumi was sure, it wasn't the first time Yuuji apologized on behalf of his brother. 

"Don't be, you're not the one at fault," Megumi answered from his crouching position as he was picking up the books Sukuna tossed out of his hands. 

"He's difficult, I know. We keep changing schools because of him. I'm not sure, why he keeps bugging you."

"That's easy, Itadori-kun," Nobara butted in, hands on her hips and chin held high. Always a personification of courage and not–giving–a–fuck. "This class is too small for two troublemakers." 

It had been two weeks since the beginning of the year and every single day Sukuna tried to pick a fight with Megumi. Usually, they stuck to a harsh exchange of words but two days ago Sukuna got on Megumi's never during p.e. and the black haired boy couldn't take it anymore. He wrestled Sukuna to the ground, punched him in the face twice, then Sukuna kicked him in the ribs and smashed his face in dirt before the teacher could separate them. 

Thankfully, Sukuna and Yuuji's parents weren't too overprotective and they didn't pushed the matter forward, when the teacher called them. Satoru never punished him for his behavior, though he tried and miserably failed at trying to lecture Megumi. In the end, he just asked if Megumi won the fight and should he grab the first aid kid. He had tended to Megumi's wounds way too many times. 

"But Fushiguro is much nicer than Suku-nii," The sincerity in Yuuji's voice was so pure, Megumi looked  at him as if he grew another head. He stood up with all of his books in his hands and blinked at the boy smiling radiantly at him. 

"Oh, I think we're gonna get along just right," Nobara exclaimed and grabbed Itadori by the shoulder pulling him towards the cafeteria. "We just scored a new friend, Fushiguro!" 

There was a commotion by the vending machine on the school's second floor and Megumi was ready to just turn around to head back to his classroom but he was in desperate need of caffeine. The closer he got to the machine the better he could see the people right next to it. The moment his eyes landed on Sukuna, Megumi once again found himself reconsidering his desire for the coffee but then his eyes caught onto blonde hair tied into a high bun and he picked up his pace. 

"The fuck you're doing here?" he asked as he pushed Sukuna to the opposite wall and pinned him there. Crimson eyes looked at him in shock before it changed into some twisted kind of mirth. 

"Well hello Fushiguro Megumi," Sukuna all but growled and caught Megumi's wrists, not pulling them away but keeping them in a vice grip. "Miss me already?" 

Just an hour ago they were working in groups as an exercise in class and Megumi had the misfortune to be placed in a group together with Sukuna. Megumi was ready to skin Sukuna alive way before they even tried to divide the tasks in their team and he kind of hoped he wouldn't have to talk to the asshole again that day. 

Turned out he was wrong. 

"Leave the girls alone," Megumi growled and shoved Sukuna once again against the wall. 

He was ready to punch Sukuna right in the face, his fist tingled and blood was rushing in his ears but before he could swing his arm, Sukuna burst out laughing and a gentle hand was placed on his shoulder. 

"It's fine, Megumi." 

Nanako's voice was calm and her face held no fear, where Megumi expected to find it. If she truly were distressed, Megumi would have known. He let go of Sukuna and turned to Nanako and her friend. He didn't recognize her but Megumi rarely remembered other students, especially those two years younger than him. Except Nanako and her twin sister Mimiko. 

"The vending machine is broken. I was trying to help the ladies here but– "

Megumi zoned out Sukuna's voice and instead he took a step closer to the machine. Truth be told, a bottle of green tea was stuck right behind the glass. They could ask one of the teachers for help, someone should come and open the machine for them, so that they could get the purchase out.

Or Megumi could just kick it twice and watch the bottle slip free. 

He handed Nanako the drink and exchanged small smiles with her. They used to laugh more when they were younger, as they spent much more time together then. Now they were just a freshman and a senior – two people (three with Mimiko), who held their history close to their hearts. 

"Say hi to Satoru," she told him before leaving and Megumi could only nod. There was no way he was telling her that Gojo hadn't been doing well lately. 

"Is she your girlfriend or what?" 

Successfully ignoring Sukuna was what Megumi desired to achieve but his annoying presence was still difficult to overlook. 

"You lay a finger on her and I will break every bone in your body," Megumi spitted out and watched as Sukuna's face faltered. His expression changed from overjoyed to confused with a hint of something Megumi couldn't decipher. Sukuna seemed like a straight–forward, simple person but in the end he tuned out to be more difficult to read than Megumi anticipated. "She's family. I mean, she's like family." 

"Whatever you say," Sukuna turned towards the vending machine, his eyes bored and clouded. "What did you wanna get?" he asked, looking at the drinks before him. 

"Black coffee," Megumi answered without thinking and kept track of the way Sukuna mulled the thought over in his head. The pink haired boy let his lips curl into a smirk as he slipped coins into the machine. 

"It's scary, pretty boy," Sukuna said and bend down to get his purchase. When Megumi looked at his hand, he realized the latter was holding two cans of black coffee. With one big hand. "Just how much we are alike." 

For a second Megumi thought – in that stupid and naive part of his brain – that Sukuna was going to give him the second can. But the other student just passed him by, shoulders forcefully shoving, his overconfident persona disappearing down the corridor. 

When Megumi was about to choose his own drink, he realized the last can of coffee had just been sold. 

"Fucker." 

Gojo Satoru wasn't a perfect dad. He used to forget to pick Megumi up from elementary school, managed to fight with all of Megumi's teachers and never learned how to prepare bento. But for the past four years he had been trying to do better. 

Raising kids used to be a lot easier when he wasn't a single parent. 

Megumi knew about all of his imperfections – from the way Satoru at 32 still couldn't make his bed to his inability to keep his mouth shut. Still Megumi wouldn't want to be adopted by any other person. 

Since Megumi started high school and his rebellious nature only grew, Satoru set one rule to their living: once a week or two they go out to have dinner. At first, the teenager thought the idea was stupid and unnecessary but in time he realized that over warm food and away from the confines of their small apartment, they could bond quite easily. Megumi liked to think that those meals calmed the storm inside his mind. 

The spring was in full bloom by now, so they took advantage of the first truly warm weekend and drove to the outskirts of Tokyo, where one of their favourite Indian restaurants was placed. They were sitting by a small outdoor table, sharing mutton, paneer and crispy naans as the sun reflected over Satoru glasses. It was peaceful, strangely, and a little bit too quiet too in Megumi's opinion. 

"Spit it out," he finally said and looked Satoru straight in the face. Blue eyes opened wide over the rim of the sunglasses, holding nothing but a deep ocean of mysteries. Gojo stopped chewing and by the time he started opening his mouth, Megumi realized his mistake. "Wait, no. Not literally. Just say what's on your mind." 

With a smirk over his lips Satoru resumed chewing until his mouth was empty. He adored playing dumb and making a fool of himself, putting layer over layer of fake bravado to hide his true self. Megumi wondered, why did Gojo still put effort in the pretense when it was only the two of them. It was probably just a habit by then. 

"I got a call from your school." 

"Nothing new," Megumi stated, matter of fact. 

"Yeah but through autumn and winter they used to call me only once a month. Now I get a call at least once a week." 

With each word Gojo stripped off his mask – the ever funny clown – and let the tiredness seep into his voice. He'd been like that for some time now, probably since the beginning of winter. The ever present joy and laughter were now only a fake cover to a shell of a person. Megumi hated to be one more problem on Gojo's long list of worries. 

There was a time when having heart to heart conversations was not an option in the Gojo–Fushiguro household but through all the ups and downs, they realized that at the end of the day they only had themselves. And if they didn't want to be at each other's throats, they needed to communicate. 

"There is this new guy," And so Megumi let it all out because there was no point in hiding. He told Satoru about his first meeting with Sukuna in the conbini, about their ever-present quarrels and bickering. He didn't want to justify his actions, he knew there was no way to pretend that he wasn't at fault, but Megumi could at least try to sooth Satoru's worries. 

"So he's a bully. Do you want me to step in?" 

Megumi dwelled on the answer. Sukuna was bad tempered and chose Megumi as the target of his foul mouth but it wasn't anything Megumi couldn't handle on his own. To top it all, he was reminded of Yuuji, who quite easily fit into the small circle of Megumi's friends – Nobara was the best example. She grew so accustomed to their new friend that she started pestering Yuuji to go shopping with her instead of calling Megumi. 

If Sukuna were in trouble, the prospect of having to change schools would be back in the Itadori family. Megumi could live with his own broken family, he didn't need to cause trouble for anyone else other than himself. 

"Sukuna is difficult," Megumi stated and dipped a naan into the sauce. "But he's not like a regular bully. He's annoying and sometimes all I can think about is beating him up, so that he could never use that mouth of his, but at the end of the day he's not downright bad. I'm not sure it makes sense? Like he's mean but not really harmful." 

"So just a troublesome teenager?" A small smirk played with the corners of Gojo's mouth, as he leaned over the table. "Maybe he just doesn't know how to be your friend." 

"Someone's making jokes again," Megumi too let a smile slip onto his lips. He playfully kicked Satoru's ankle under the table and also leaned over it. Gojo looked a little bit too proud of himself after Megumi's story, as if he knew something the teenager didn't. 

"All I'm saying is that I know a kid how fits that description quite well too."

"You mean yourself?" A devilish smile made place on Megumi's face. Here he was, eating delicious food and sharing a warm conversation with his dad and for moments like this Megumi would be forever infinitely thankful. 

"Well, if you say it like that," Satoru's eyes were always the gate to his heart, a place where he kept all of his secrets. With Megumi he uncovered some of the layers to let him see, who he truly was. "But at first I thought about my devil of a son." 

Remembering that Yuuji and Sukuna were brothers was the most absurd part of Megumi's school life. While Yuuji was all soft curves, no mean words or angry thoughts, Sukuna seemed to only exist so that he could spite Megumi. Where Yuuji had slim shoulders and a happy smile, Sukuna wore his muscles like an armor before a battle. 

So when Yuuji invited him and Nobara to his house, Megumi quite literally forgot that he was going to Sukuna's house too. It didn't even cross his mind. Sitting in their living room, eating take out and playing board games he tossed the other Itadori twin out of his head. 

Yuuji signed up to a movie club at the beginning of the school year, where he met Yoshino Junpei – a silent kid, who always ended up in different classes than Megumi and Nobara. They only ever knew each other from the corridors but the more Yuuji tried to include Junpei in their social circle, the more Megumi realized that Junpei was a really cool guy. 

There was only one problem: he was terribly scared of Megumi. 

Junpei admitted he was being bullied, when he was in middle school and because the rumors about Fushiguro Megumi – the scary kid, who beat up half the football team as a freshman – spread easily, for the past two years Junpei lived thinking Megumi was a cruel dickhead, who would try to hurt him on the very first occasion. 

With the way Megumi held himself – silent, observant and rarely smiling – he couldn't really fault Junpei. It was understandable. Yuuji and Nobara still tried to put Megumi in a warmer light since no one wanted to increase Junpei's anxiety.

Everything went according to the plan, the four of them were finally slipping into a calm and peaceful atmosphere, when the front door was closed shut loudly and hurried footsteps approached them. 

The moment red found green, Megumi was reminded of Sukuna's existence. 

"What an unexpected surprise," he greeted everyone with a low voice and the ever present scowl on his face. His school uniform was gone, instead Sukuna was wearing a pair of sweatpants and a tank top. All black and tight on his muscled body. 

Before meeting Sukuna, Megumi didn't know someone could be so ripped at their age. 

"I ordered for you," Yuuji said, nodding towards the kitchen, the ever soft smile still present on his lips, even though Sukuna seemed especially disgusted by the kind gesture of his brother. "The noodles and spring rolls you liked so much the last time." 

Sukuna only nodded and looked ready to leave towards the kitchen, when his eyes fell on Junpei. And if Junpei was scared of Megumi, now he looked utterly terrified of Sukuna. The red glowed brightly and a smile spread on Sukuna's lips, wide enough to show his fangs. 

Junpei was an easy pray, so Sukuna turned to the thing he knew best – violence.

"Who do we have here?" He stepped closer and crouched next to Junpei, who was sitting on the floor with his eyes wide open. "I don't think we've met before." 

"That's Yoshino Junpei, my friend. Back off, Nii-san." 

Yuuji's voice was not enough to push Sukuna away. Junpei greeted Sukuna quietly but his body instantly betrayed him – his hands were shaking and he kept stumbling over his words. Sukuna seemed overjoyed by the occasion, because he didn't really have to try to make Junpei scared of him. His bare existence made the boy anxious. Yuuji tried reasoning with his brother, tugging at his shoulder and asking him to leave his friend alone but Sukuna was a feral beast, who just found an easy meal. He wasn't going to leave it, unless…

"Sukuna." 

Unless something tastier happened to appear before him. 

"My favourite pet, Fushiguro Megumi," Sukuna stood up, forgetting Junpei, and crossed the living room to sit right beside Megumi on the sofa, their thighs pressing and Sukuna's arm behind Megumi's back. Megumi wanted to point out that it was Sukuna, who came running to him the moment he called his name. Like an obedient dog. "You're in my house, remember to behave." 

"Wanna go and piss over the carpet so that you mark your space?" Megumi held his ground and didn't budge even when Sukuna leaned closer, his breath fanning over Megumi's lips. At some point, Megumi realized he wasn't scared, even one bit. The whole ordeal was even – he'd dare to say – thrilling. "Or do you wanna take it outside? I'm not sure your parents would be happy to see their walls dirtied with the blood of their firstborn." 

"Don't act like a cocky bitch," Fingers twisted into Megumi's shirt, the collar tightening around his throat. There was a loud intake of breath and then Yuuji's hurried voice telling Sukuna to let Megumi go. "What, is it your heat? Trying to get the attenti–" 

The rest of Sukuna's sentence fell deaf to Nobara's loud laugh. She was sitting on the other end of the couch, toppling over herself with tears in her eyes and lips twisted into a sweet smile. She looked as if she just heard the best joke of her whole life. All the boys looked at her in astonishment. 

"You are," she tried saying but once again erupted into a fit of laughter. "You are so obvious, Sukuna." 

Junpei and Yuuji exchanged puzzled looks, while Megumi saw as Sukuna's face turned awfully red right before his eyes. One moment he was pressing onto Megumi with almost whole his body, the other he was gone. Megumi caught a glimpse of his wide body leaving the kitchen with take out in hands and then a second later one of the doors was shut with a loud thud, probably to Sukuna's bedroom. 

"What the hell was that?" Yuuji asked, his big eyes looking at Nobara and asking for answers. 

"God, I'm surrounded by idiots." 

They ended up staying the night. After three rounds of rock-paper-scissors, Nobara and Junpei won Yuuji's bed, while he and Megumi had to take out futons to lay down on the floor. They had a long day at school, then an intense evening and they had to get up for school in the morning, so they tried to still catch as much sleep as they could. 

Megumi kept drifting in and out of sleep, his rest constantly being interrupted either by Nobara's snoring or by Yuuji tossing and turning in his sleep. He was going to accept his fate of not feeling being rested the next day, when the sound of his friends' breaths calmed him so much. 

Up until now, Nobara was his only close friend. He had some acquaintances in class 3-C, he used to be in the same class as Maki, Yuta and Toge the pervious years but they were never this close. Megumi assumed his temper and bad reputation drove people away, which really wasn't a problem for him.

Though, he had come to realize that this new friendship felt nice. 

The next time, Yuuji punched him with his noodle arm, Megumi decided to go downstairs to get a glass of water. He tried to move as quietly as he could as Yuuji's parent came back home quite late and he had no intention of waking them up. He already knew the pain of staying up all night. 

On his way back to the room, right before he stepped inside, he heard muffled sounds of distress. They weren't loud but Megumi spent enough time surrounded by scared kids in the orphanage to know, what he was hearing. 

The door to Sukuna's bedroom was left ajar. Under the covers, the boy kept tossing and turning, his whole body shaking and breaths coming out ragged. Nightmares. As much as Megumi wanted to leave, his mind kept going back to nights, when Mimiko would wake up screaming in the night, helplessly calling for one of their parents. He promised to never leave her alone, when she was scared. 

"Sukuna." 

The shivering didn't stop, so Megumi sat on the bed and gently placed his hand on the boy's shoulder, trying to slowly wake him up from the nightmare. 

"Sukuna." 

Suddenly crimson eyes opened, unseeing and unfocused, only to land on Megumi a minute later. Sukuna's body stopped trembling but Megumi could still feel slight shivers under his fingers. 

He waited for a reaction, a response from Sukuna that would indicate the boy was back to his usual self. Sukuna kept blinking as if he was still trying to decipher the dream from reality but his breath evened out and he no longer looked terrified. Right when Megumi was about to call out his name again, the pink haired boy raised his hand and placed it right over Megumi's cheek. The touch was warm, rough skin pressed to a smooth face with no harshness to it. Megumi was sure Sukuna was still dreaming. 

"You had a nightmare," he explained justifying the reason why he trespassed into Sukuna's bedroom. 

Sukuna didn't respond, though he kept caressing Megumi's face, tracing his nose and thumbing at his lips. It was the only time Megumi had ever seen him act gentle, so he didn't dare interrupt, a little entranced by the action itself. 

"Megumi," Sukuna breathed out his name and oh, was his voice deep. Much deeper than usual. Megumi thought his mind must had been playing tricks on him because there was no universe in which he assumed Sukuna's sleep induced voice would be hot. It must had been the lack of sleep. 

"Yeah?" 

The thumb at his lips stopped and slowly pressed into Megumi's mouth, entering the hot cavern with just the tip. It stopped at his teeth and Megumi – without thinking – swirled his tongue over it. Sukuna's eyes widened, his finger stilled and for a moment he looked ready to pull Megumi in. 

But then just as suddenly Sukuna's hand was gone from Megumi's face and he turned around in bed, his face to the wall and back towards Megumi. 

"Get the fuck out of here." 

There was no real heat in his voice but Megumi still didn't want to pry anymore. He's already seen too much. 

Two days later during p.e. Megumi and Sukuna ended up fighting again. 

Megumi had kept his family status a secret since Satoru and his best friend, boyfriend and Megumi's second legal guardian – Getou Suguru – broke up over four years ago. Most kids at school knew that he was adopted, though he rarely talked about it, and upon meeting Gojo anyone could tell that he wasn't his biological father – his white hair and blue eyes were too outstanding to ignore. Megumi's black hair and green eyes were a heritage of parents he could barely remember.

The past held memories he didn't particularly want to share with other student, still he wasn't going to pretend that he didn't knew Nanako and Mimiko.

So when he met the girls in the cafeteria, he quite naturally invited them to sit with him and his friends. And it turned out to be one of his best decisions, because right after introducing the girls as his childhood friends – which was easier than explaining how their family worked – Nobara, Junpei and Yuuji welcomed them with no hesitation. 

Nobara and Yuuji dove immediately into a heated conversation with Nanako, as they saw her in the baseball club recently, while Mimiko and Junpei talked about the mangas they were reading at the time. Megumi was just happy to sit between his sisters. 

Halfway through the meal he felt an intense heat right behind his back but before he could react, arms wrapped tightly around his neck. Muscles squeezed his face and a chin was propped right over the top of his head. Megumi didn't have to ask to know, who it was. 

In the past days, Sukuna had developed a habit of invading Megumi's personal space in new ways. Now harsh words and occasional shoving were accompanied by Sukuna's arms finding their way around Megumi's body. As if the boy tried to hold him down. 

"Get off me."

"Hello, Fushiguro Megumi." 

All the chat by the table died down and even few of the groups of students that were nearby seemed to hold their breath to see, if the two trouble makers from class 3–B get into a fight. Again. 

"Fuck off before I stick the chopsticks right through your nonexistent brain."

"Always so violent," Sukuna said calmly but his grip on Megumi tightened. "And who do we have here?" he asked, looking left and right to Mimiko and Nanako. "I know you," he then added to Nanako. 

"Oh, the vending machine guy," she answered with a small but mischievous smile and not a hint of fear. Suguru had raised them to be fearless, girls included, but Megumi liked to think she was only being this brave because he was right next to her. Men usually didn't take well to girls, who talked back. "Last time I saw you Megumi manhandled you without breaking a sweat." 

"Confident, aren't we?" As Sukuna extended his arm towards her, Junpei's loud intake of breath crossed the place. Megumi saw Nanako reach with her own arm to shake Sukuna's hand, the spark of fire ever present in her eyes, but his brother instinct was faster. He grabbed Sukuna's wrist and twisted it towards himself. 

"You touch her and I'm gonna cut all your fingers off, you get me?" he spitted out and dug his fingers into Sukuna's skin. 

"You're extremely possessive, Fushiguro Megumi. You have a fat crush on this girl, don't you?"

"And you're obviously jealous," Mimiko butted in. No one, absolutely no one, who was raised in the Getou–Gojo household knew, how to keep their mouth shut. 

"You see," Nanako continued after her sister and Megumi was kind of thrilled to see his sisters this fierce and confident. Suguru's upbringing did them well. "First thing is that Megumi is many things but he sure as hell isn't straight." 

The moment he saw Mimiko furrow her brows and open her mouth to speak, he knew he was doomed. 

"Second, he's our brother. Why would he have a crush on Nanako? Eww." 

All eyes turned toward Megumi.

"Wait, I thought you were an only child," Yuuji said, voice low but not accusing. 

"You didn't tell them?" Nanako asked, as if the answer wasn't obvious by now. 

The silence wrapped them all and even Sukuna backed off, only keeping his hands on Megumi's shoulders. His touch, although intrusive, seemed strangely grounding. 

"I'm not the biggest fan of talking about my fucked up family," Megumi finally said, hoping his words would sound apologetically enough to make up for his lie. Half lie, if he were to be precise. 

"So, you're related?" Came Junpei's shy question, which was bound to happen because the twins and Megumi looked nothing alike. 

"Not by blood," Nanako explained. "But we were raised together and we legally have the same parents."

Up until Megumi was nine years old and the girls were seven, Satoru was his only legal parent and Suguru was theirs, but they then decided that it would be in the kids best interest to have them both as legal guardians. If anything were to happen to one of the men, the other would be able to take care of the kids. 

"That explains your threats," Sukuna added, while his fingers kept digging into the tight muscles of Megumi's neck. The black haired boy expected Sukuna to strike him or at least pull at his hair but nothing of the sort happened. 

"Our family is filled with possessive bastards," Nanako smirked as she taxed Sukuna with her eyes. "You gonna fit in perfectly." 

Megumi couldn't see Sukuna's face but from Nanako's and Nobara's reaction, he deciphered that it must have been something funny. Sukuna's hands were suddenly gone and after he mumbled a short "whatever" under his breath, he turned around and left them alone. The girls kept laughing, when the realization hit Megumi.

"Wait, what?" 

Through the previous years in high school Megumi didn't really partake in parties. Once in few months Nobara would drag him out so that he could accompany her but he'd always leave before the place got too crowded. Megumi wasn't a social butterfly, most people from school knew him and were genuinely terrified of him, so during parties they were naturally avoiding him. Not like he cared.

In the end, Megumi didn't need parties to rebel or lash out because he did that on daily basis. Still when Yuuji asked him to go to one of their classmates houses on Friday night, Megumi couldn't find it in himself to refuse as his friend was almost kneeling on the floor and pleading. Yuuji could be almost as dramatic as Nobara, if he wanted to. 

So here he was, on a party, slowly drinking his beer, while Yuuji bonded with Okkotsu Yuta over a poorly rolled blunt. Nobara went dancing with Maki and Toge, the three of them already way over the brink of being tipsy. Junpei didn't come, finding some easy excuse, and Megumi wished he did the same. Parties truly weren't his thing. 

He was about to stand up and look for a bathroom, so that he could lock himself there and have a moment to himself, when Yuuji leaned on his shoulder and wrapped himself around Megumi's arm. 

"What do you think about it?" Yuuji's question pulled Megumi out of his train of thoughts but he still didn't know, what his friend was talking about. "You're not listening to me, Fushiguro." 

"Sorry, what is it?"

"I was saying," Yuuji started, gesturing with his hands so animatedly that he almost punched Yuta, who had his head pillowed on Yuuji's thighs. "I'm worried about my brother." 

Megumi was too sober to indulge into a talk about Sukuna but Yuuji kept talking, even when Megumi didn't acknowledge him. 

"I know he's an asshole but he's always like that to people he actually likes. If he hates someone, then he becomes a real threat," Yuuji pushed his face into Megumi's shoulder and as much as the black haired boy liked his friend, the physical touch was starting to annoy him. "I talked with Nobara and she thinks I'm right."

"About what?" Megumi felt the need to clarify because Yuuji's words weren't making any sense. 

"About my brother's crush on you!" 

Megumi's mind short circuited and before he could find his words, Yuuji continued talking. How Sukuna was always mean, even to people he genuinely liked. How he didn't know the way to be kind and gentle with people. That if Sukuna truly hated Megumi, he'd break his bones and send him to a hospital because apparently that's what happened before. 

Yuuji kept talking and Megumi didn't know what to do with all the information he was getting because to some extent sober Yuuji wasn't about to tell on his brother. But now here he was, spilling secrets Sukuna would probably kill him for if he knew.

It all sounded impossible – it was Sukuna they were talking about – but at the same time, the guy had proven to act strange for the past two months. He was passive aggressive and seemed to overly enjoy himself, when Megumi indulged in their game of tug of war but he had also proven to get strangely… possessive as Nanako has once noticed. 

Megumi felt a sudden need to smoke, so he detangled himself from Yuuji's grip and headed towards the front door. He was letting Yuuji's words get into his head, while he was probably just making assumptions. Still Yuuji and Sukuna were twins and Megumi knew from first hand experience, how twins knew each other on a whole different level. 

The fresh air hit his face, clearing his mind. He took out a pack of cigarettes from his pocket and searched for the lighter, which miraculously disappeared. 

"Need light?" 

Oh, running away from bad news Megumi fell straight into the trap of the beast.  

Sukuna was leaning over the wall with arms crossed over his chest and a cigarette between his lips. His red eyes glistened in the low light of the street lamps, burning holes in Megumi's body with their heated gaze. Megumi wasn't sure whether the boy truly was eye-fucking him or did Yuuji's words just get into his head. 

"I didn't take you as a party person," Megumi said the first thing that came to his mind, because the silence enveloping them was becoming too thick. Or it was just his mind playing tricks. 

"I could say the same thing about you," Sukuna motioned for Megumi to come closer and the black haired boy complied, hoping at least for the night they could have a truce. 

Megumi also couldn't fight the curiosity gnawing at the back of his brain, urging him to keep Sukuna company and see for himself, what the other boy would do. To some extent he wanted to believe that Sukuna would lend him the lighter and then tell him to fuck off, so that their routine wouldn't change. Maybe Yuuji was wrong. 

"Here," Sukuna showed him the lighter on an opened hand but before Megumi could take it, he tossed it on a street. "It's out of fuel," he added with a cruel smile twisting his lips. 

"What is wrong with you?" Megumi asked but before he could lash out more, Sukuna took the package from Megumi's hand and slipped a cigarette out, putting it between Megumi's lips. Red tinted the apples of Sukuna's cheeks but there was no way to know, whether the cause for it was bashfulness or the alcohol. 

"Closer," Sukuna whispered and when Megumi didn't bulge, he placed a hand over the black haired boy's hip and pulled him in. The ends of their cigarettes met and slowly the fresh one started catching fire. 

Words died in Megumi's throat as he watched Sukuna from up close. His half lidded eyes, sharp jawline, the black piercing in one of his nostrils and the deep scar over his nose. Megumi never asked, how he got it – he had a feeling Sukuna wasn't very found of the bruise. 

Megumi never stopped to think about Sukuna's physic – except for that one night when he found him having a nightmare. Usually the pink haired boy's behavior was enough to tick him off so much that his anger blinded Megumi completely. He only acknowledged the fact that Sukuna was annoying as hell. But Yuuji put an idea inside his head and Megumi was curious – tipsy and curious. 

The next time Sukuna exhaled the smoke right on Megumi's face, the black haired boy placed his free hand on the other boy's shoulder. It felt strange to be this close to Sukuna and not expect a punch to his face, when any other day that would be a part of their ritual. 

It wasn't like he could straight up ask Sukuna, if he had a crush on him – Megumi might be fearless but not when it came to feelings, so he decided to stick to what was a much more common ground for him. 

Teasing. 

He pushed at Sukuna's cigarette, which was burned almost all the way, and watched it fall to the ground. He muttered a low oops followed by the shrug of his shoulders, when Sukuna's piercing gaze fell on him. Still Megumi kept his hand at the juncture of the other boy's neck, letting his fingers dance on the expanse of skin. 

"Fucker," Sukuna spat out and forcefully turned them around so that Megumi's back hit the wall. Dull ache spread through his body but there was no time to regain his composure. Sukuna pressed his lips to the cigarette between Megumi's fingers, inhaling deeply, red eyes still locked on the green ones. 

And then he pressed his lips to Megumi's.

It wasn't a kiss, not really, but their mouths locked and Megumi quite instinctively inhaled the smoke from Sukuna's mouth. Nicotine surged in his lunges right before the smoke started slipping from the cracks between their lips. 

Sukuna was warm against him, pressing him not only with his mouth but also with his chest and hips. Megumi always prided himself in being at least an inch taller, their eye level not even, but at that moment when Sukuna's huge body pressed him down, it didn't feel like his height was going to help him. 

"Your name," Sukuna said in that low voice of his, letting his lips graze over Megumi's with his every word. "Megumi. It means blessing but–" 

The door right next to them suddenly opened and as if some inner instinct took over them, they pulled apart at the speed of light. With faces turned away and eyes casted low, they pretended as if nothing happened. Sukuna muttered something under his breath but his voice was so quiet that Megumi didn't catch, what it was. Before he knew the other boy stepped away and disappeared inside the house. 

Megumi stayed outside watching the cigarette light die out, remembering the feeling of Sukuna's lips over his. 

The party haunted Megumi's mind for days, the image of Sukuna's eyes from up close and the feeling of his lips a reminder of what truly happened between the two boys. When they came back to school on Monday, Megumi wasn't sure what to expect. True to Yuuji's words, Sukuna was supposedly harbouring some feelings toward him that actually weren't hate or annoyance. It was still baffling to Megumi. 

During the day, it quite quickly became apparent that Sukuna was going to stick to the best resolve humankind had ever known: ignorance. Their bickers came to an end or at least a pause, Sukuna no longer searched opportunities to torment him or rile him up, which would result in a fight. Whenever he could, he just avoided Megumi. 

By Wednesday, Megumi's school life was back to being quite peaceful and uninterrupted by annoying remarks. It felt almost as if Sukuna wasn't there, as if Megumi was back to being a junior with no nemesis in his class. 

But the calm was short-lived. At noon, he got a call from Nanami Kento – Satoru's coworker – saying that Gojo didn't show up to a meeting with their client and he wasn't answering his calls. When Megumi was leaving the apartment in the morning he was aware Satoru was sleeping in but being a professional architect he never had a strict schedule for his work. Megumi was sure, he could stay longer in bed that day. 

Now there was dread piling up in his stomach. He had to go home. 

On a whim he told his teacher about the situation, hoping addressing an adult would let him avoid trouble for missing class and not cause another problem for Satoru. As it turned out, it was a mistake. The teacher assumed it was his another try at ditching lessons and with strict voice he was ordered to go back to class. 

Megumi wasn't going to take it. 

He slipped through hallways leading towards the gym and headed to the backdoor. No teacher was going to stop him, they could all go and fuck themselves. His only obstacle was the high fence at the back of the school, jumping it with no support would be quite a challenge. 

Looking around for something he could use as a lever, Megumi spotted him. 

Sukuna was sitting under a tree, onigiri in his hand and eyes dull, without focus. He slowly munched on his food, pants dusted from the dirt and nobody to witness the loneliness. For an unknown reason, Megumi's heart clenched at the sight. He would indulge in his Sukuna-oriented thoughts after he took care of Gojo. One man at a time. 

"Sukuna," he called getting the boy's attention. Red eyes became as wide as saucepans upon Megumi's arrival and he stopped chewing, cheeks filled with rice. "I need your help. Can you lift me up, so I can get over the fence? I need to get to my dad and the teachers won't let me out." 

Sukuna kept looking at him like a deer caught in headlights but after noticing Megumi's clear distress, he swallowed the food in his mouth and got up from the ground. He stood by the fence and without a word nodded toward his hands, ready to support Megumi's foot. The black haired boy didn't waste time, with a hand on Sukuna's shoulder and a foot in his hold he pushed himself off the ground and mounted the fence. 

"I'm gonna cover for you in class, some infirmary shit," Sukuna said as Megumi sat up high. The black haired boy thought he saw Sukuna's cheeks color with pink but he couldn't really tell. 

"Thanks." 

He jumped and started his sprint home. 

Megumi hoped the dread twisting in his stomach was just an exaggeration to what truly was happening, though living with Gojo for the past months proved that his worry wasn't invalid. The crying episodes, the way he started distancing himself from his friends and rarely left home, the emptiness in the blue of his eyes. Megumi picked up his pace. 

He entered the apartment with a force of a hurricane, quickly toeing off his shoes and throwing the jacket to the floor. He entered Gojo's room without knocking, trying to even out his breathing. 

"Satoru."

The blinds covered the windows and in the pitch dark room, Megumi noticed a pile of blankets laying on the bed. He reached it slowly and dug in the duvet to finally find the man, all curled up, with greasy white hair and puffy eyes. He blinked multiple times before his eyes focused on Megumi's face. 

"Hey, what's up, Memi?" 

The nickname almost pulled tears out of Megumi – Suguru came up with it in the first year of them  all living together. Ever since the break up, Satoru hardly ever used it, visibly hurting whenever it slipped through his mouth. 

"Nanami-san called me. You didn't show up to a meeting," he tried to say calmly, holding down the storm of emotions burning in his stomach. 

"Oh," Satoru exhaled and plastered a fake smile to his lips, thinking he could fool Megumi. But his son knew better. "I couldn't fall asleep and took some pills, they probably knocked me out a little bit too much." 

Megumi turned to the nightstand and saw the horror of multiple pills spilled all over the wooden surface. He wasn't sure, whether the medicine truly was strong or if Gojo took way too much, risking his health and life probably. The fire inside him burned with doubled force. 

He couldn't stop thinking – thinking about his mother, who died giving birth to him, about his father, whose drugged, dead body was found in a dumpster, when Megumi was just five years old, thinking about the tears in Suguru's eyes, when he took Nanako and Mimiko by the hands and left their home for good. 

He couldn't lose another member of his family. 

Satoru's skin was pale, paler than usual and his eyes turned grey, loosing the ever-vibrant blue nature. He was sick and it was painfully obvious to Megumi but he was just a seventeen year old boy – still a kid in the big world. 

He desperately wanted to call Suguru. The man would know what to do and how to get Satoru out of his misery because he had this special ability to talk some sense into him, when nobody else could. Megumi himself could also use a hug, Suguru always made him feel safe. 

But he had a feeling Satoru would only spiral more, if Suguru were to see him like this. So instead he decided to take a picture of the medicine and send it to Shoko Ieri – Satoru's friend, who was a doctor – and ask her, if the medicine was safe or not. 

Swallowing the lump in his throat, Megumi took Satoru's hands in his and looked into the eyes that held nothing of the joy the man used to emanate with. 

"What do you say about a shower? Meanwhile I'll get you something to eat, huh? How does it sound?" 

The picture of him being a scared and skinny sever-year-old flashes quickly in his mind. Satoru used to drag him out of bed everyday with a promise of fresh food and exciting activities that awaited them.

Oh, how the tables have turned. 

"Sounds great, Memi." 

Megumi spent the next day absent-mindedly sitting in class, looking at the board but not listening to the teachers. 

The night passed calmly and in the morning Satoru woke up with visible vigour, though Megumi noticed he skipped breakfast and wore sunglasses to hide his puffy eyes. To say the boy felt helpless was an understatement – it physically pained him that he didn't know, how to help his guardian. 

He hid the sleeping pills, when Satoru was taking a shower, because just as he predicted, Shoko told him the medicine was quite strong. He made sure Satoru ate dinner with him and then dragged the man on a walk, even when he was very reluctant to leave the house. Right before Megumi fell asleep he got up filled with sudden anxiety and took the razors from the bathroom to his bedroom.

He was starting to get paranoid. Satoru didn't seem suicidal, just extremely lost and tired but Megumi didn't know, what else to do. He wanted to make sure, Satoru would be safe. 

So lost in his thoughts, Megumi barely realized when the class ended and lunch break came. He felt warm pressure press against his back, as Yuuji leaned over him, talking animatedly. Megumi wasn't listening but Yuuji's presence was calming, even though Megumi wasn't a fan of skinship. He was about to finally pull himself from his mind – from the worries and build up dread – when he noticed Sukuna. 

The teenager was standing by the door, looking towards Megumi with an unreadable expression. His brows furrowed above the angry red eyes and his lips were pressed into a thin, straight line. He looked angry and hurt at the same time. 

Megumi couldn't help feeling intrigued. Was he perhaps jealous? Was it possible? The party night only proved that Sukuna's hate towards Megumi was never true and his twin was probably right. Sukuna's feelings could be something very different. 

The pink haired boy suddenly left the class, heavy steps following him through the corridor. Going after him would be trouble but who were Megumi, if not someone ready for a challenge. He handled Sukuna for the past two months with no problem, he could keep doing this. At least, it would pull him out of the daily misery he found himself in. 

"Let's go to the cafeteria, Fushiguro," Yuuji said, rising from his back to go and grab lunch together. Nobara and Junpei were already waiting for them by the entrance. 

However, Megumi's curiosity was stronger than his hunger. 

"Sorry, I have club activities," he said, standing up and grabbing his backpack. "I'll see you in the next class," he added with a short wave and started towards the door.

"But you're not in any club."

Megumi didn't care about Yuuji seeing right through his lie, he would eat with his friends the next day and no one would remember what happened the day before. Right now, he was going to feed his growing curiosity. 

The sight was lonesome – Sukuna was once again sitting by the tree, alone and angrily looking at the sandwich in his hands. Megumi didn't know, what to expect from the other boy, so he mentally prepared himself for a fight. It didn't seem like Sukuna would welcome any company. 

The black haired boy approached him nonetheless. He plopped himself down on the ground, his back to the tree and shoulder and thigh touching Sukuna's, sharing warmth. The scowl on Sukuna's face softened and was replaced by something akin to disbelief. 

"The fuck do you want?" he asked with no real heat. 

Megumi couldn't contain the mirth bubbling inside his body. Sukuna was annoying and rude but knowing his intentions and probable crush brought Megumi unexpected joy. As if he knew a secret and Sukuna wasn't aware. It was a good break from the terror he felt just the night before. 

"What did the sandwich do to you?" Megumi asked, not falling into the trap Sukuna set and avoiding fighting. "You were scowling at it." 

Sukuna's gaze was heavy, with his jaw clenched and nostrils flaring. From experience Megumi knew he was ready to jump him, push him to the ground and beat the shit out of him. It happened before. But it was before the party, before they shared a cigarette, before Sukuna pressed their lips together in a gesture more intimate than a kiss. 

"I'm not here to pick a fight," Megumi realized Sukuna might need some kind of reassurance that he didn't come here to make fun of him or to torment him about what happened. "Also the teachers don't bother me about yesterday, so I guess your cover up worked. Thanks for the help." 

At that the lines on Sukuna's face smoothed and he turned his gaze back to the food in his hands. 

"All the onigiris were sold out," he muttered, going back to the first question Megumi asked him. 

"You seem like a rice guy to me."

"Yeah, I don't really like sandwiches but I had no choice." 

For the first time since the day they had met, they exchanged words of regular conversation. To some extent Megumi was astonished the other boy knew how to talk without insulting and annoying him. Day by day, with all that Yuuji told him and everything he witnessed on his own, Megumi was getting more and more clues that Sukuna was just a lonely kid. He didn't seem to have any friends and it was no wonder considering the way he talked to people. 

Megumi told himself it was curiosity and not compassion that pushed him to pull his lunch from the back pack and offer one of the onigiris he made in the morning to Sukuna. 

"Tuna mayo," he said and placed the rice ball in Sukuna's hand. "You need strength, if you want to keep scaring people away." 

"It works on anyone but you," Sukuna said softly under his nose, his voice barely audible. Megumi was about to ask him, what he meant, but then Sukuna bit into the onigiri and turned his head, as if to indicate that their talk was over. 

They quietly munched on the food, just sharing the space in the shadow of the tree and eating. When they were done with the rice balls, Sukuna took out a chocolate bar and gave half of it to Megumi without a word. The black haired boy wasn't a fan of sweets but he couldn't reject the small, kind gesture. For once, Sukuna was acting civil. 

And maybe he was too. 

"How's your dad?" Sukuna asked finally in a neutral voice, so unnatural for him, and Megumi decided to entertain the moment. He spilled some of his worries – told Sukuna about Satoru's behavior, the way he was closing himself up at home, not having energy to do anything and just acting strongly out of character. To an extent it felt good to let all of the thoughts out, as if taking some of the weight off his shoulders. 

"I wanna help him but I don't know how," His lips were sweet from the chocolate and his heart was unexpectedly at ease. Sukuna wasn't an animated talker, not like his brother, but he was a great listener, and where Yuuji would just talk over Megumi, Sukuna waited patiently and listened to everything the boy was telling him. He had his very own soothing aura that Megumi never thought he could be able to witness. 

"Good advice is not really my thing but I think you're already doing a lot with the way you care about him. I'm not sure I'd be able to the same thing for my parents." 

Megumi wanted to tell him that he too wasn't made to help others but he owned his whole life to Satoru, so keeping him well and alive was more than just a concern – it was his duty. But right then his phone rang with a text from Yuuji and their little bubble bursted. What little Sukuna opened to Megumi, upon seeing his brother's text he went back to being closed and reserved. The redness of his eyes dulled and he quickly stood up from the ground. 

"What the hell?" Megumi asked, feeling drenched in the sudden wave of Sukuna's anger. 

"Go back to my brother, he's much better company than I am," Megumi wanted to press, he was slowly seeing right through Sukuna's behavior but the walls he kept around himself were too tall for him to breach just like that. 

"He just asked where I am."

"Fuck off." 

And just like that they were back to being two angry teenagers, miserable and lost in their own little worlds. 

In the next weeks they went back to bickering, fighting and insulting each other. At least once a week they were caught, while sending punches to each other's faces. Sometimes Yuuji and Nobara were the ones to pull them apart, other times the task fell in the teachers' hands. 

Megumi wanted to keep trying, to entertain his growing curiosity and get Sukuna to show him his calmer side once again but all his strength was being used up at home. Satoru was only getting worse. 

The Gojo-Getou household was by far one of the least conservative families one could find in Japan. 

Since the day Megumi had been taken in, he was taught that he could fall in love with anyone he wished to be with, no matter the gender – just like his new dads. There was no such thing as a gender norm at their home. Suguru wore his hair long, way over his shoulders, and during the summer Satoru would sometimes squeeze into dresses with Nanako and Mimiko. Jewellery and make up could be worn by anyone, who liked it, tattoos weren't a thing of degenerates and pink wasn't only for girls. 

So when one warm evening, crushed by worries and anger lowly burning inside his veins, Megumi decided to paint his nails black, he didn't even realize there was something inappropriate about it. 

Only when the teacher caught him after their last class did it down on him that maybe it wasn't his wisest choice. The old men kept yelling at Megumi, telling him he was being disrespectful and that it would be better, if he stuck to fights with other boys. Turns out nail polish was scarier than blood. 

The teacher's words didn't do much harm to him, though. Megumi was used to hearing all types of profanities directed at him, so he got used to swallowing the anger down, when it was possible. He really didn't care all that much. 

But then the teacher said the words that made Megumi lose his footing for a moment. 

"I'll have to call Gojo-san." 

Megumi could take all the harsh words, the opinion of his teacher truly didn't matter, but giving Satoru another reason to feel as if he were failing as a parent was never Megumi's intention. And lately Satoru had taken up the habit of blaming himself for everything that Megumi had done. 

"I'll tell him on my own," Megumi tried, giving in to his worries and leaving his dignity behind. He needed to protect Satoru at all cost. "You know, I tell him everything, sir. I'll remove the nail polish and tell him, what I've done. Please, don't call him." 

"You could have thought about all of this before you came here to disrespect the rules. It's time to finally learn that your actions have consequences, Fushiguro-kun." 

The teacher's phone was laying right on the desk before Megumi. If he moved quickly, he had a chance of snatching the device and maybe smashing it to the ground or throwing it out of the window. That would certainly slow down the process of calling his dad. 

But it would cause more problems along the way. 

He was ready to throw himself into another fit of pleadings, when the classroom door suddenly opened. 

"You're late." 

Sukuna entered the classroom, as if he wasn't interrupting. He came to stand right next to Megumi, with hands in his pockets and the top buttons of his shirt undone. The sight always made their teachers go feral and this one was not an exception. 

He was ready to scold the other teen but Sukuna was quicker. 

"I'm sorry, Gakuganji-sensei, but Megumi and I were supposed to meet Utahime-sensei. She's in a hurry," Sukuna bent down to pick up Megumi's backpack and put it on his shoulder right over his own bag. "Can we go?"

Megumi schooled his expression and tried not to show the surprise on his face. It was blunt of Sukuna to just barge in and lie to their teacher's face. Gakuganji-sensei's face was difficult to read, his wrinkled face was twisted into an ever-present scowl, but he soon waved dismissively and let the boys go, reminding one more time Megumi of the promise he made. 

"Let's go," Sukuna said once they were on the corridor and pulled Megumi by the wrist. Running would draw too much attention to them but they still needed to be quick. They crossed the hallways in a hurry and soon left the school, where Megumi was sure, they would part their way. But Sukuna had other plans. He dragged Megumi to his bike and pointed to the carrier. "Get on."

"He's not gonna run after us, you know that?" 

"I saw Utahime-sensei in the teachers' room, they're bound to meet soon and then he will call your dad. Didn't you want to avoid that?" 

Sukuna's sudden concern took Megumi by surprise. He would had never thought Sukuna could be this thoughtful. 

They both mounted the bike and Sukuna started pedaling down the road. Megumi showed him the way, pointing out all the shortcuts they could take to quickly get to his apartment. With hands on the pink haired boy's waist Megumi wondered, why was Sukuna so hostile almost all the time and rarely like this – considerate and civil. 

Sukuna was sure to have his own backstory. 

"Thank you, Sukuna," Megumi said as they were nearing his home. 

"The old fucker has not taste," Sukuna grumbled and Megumi felt his muscles tense under his fingers. 

"What do you mean?" 

"You're pretty," The words left Sukuna's mouth with ease, as if he stated a well known truth. Only after a second, did he seem to realize his mistake. "I– um– I mean you're pretty cool. Your nails, yeah, they're pretty cool, not disgusting like the old man said." 

For weeks Sukuna have been distant and even more unsociable than usual but the way he now stumbled over his words reminded Megumi of the party, when Sukuna pressed him over the wall and pressed their lips together. He felt warmth spread though his body, like ointment applied to a nasty wound. 

Sukuna's back was warm, when he pressed his face to it. 

They made it on time. The moment Megumi stumbled through the front door, he was already telling Satoru what happened and explaining how he shouldn't worry, how sorry he was. For once Satoru didn't look, as miserable as Megumi expected him to. The man said the same words Sukuna had just told him – that he looked very pretty – which made Megumi's heart swell a little. 

Nobody ever called him pretty. 

The next day started with angry shouts and foul remarks. Gakuganji-sensei was fuming as their first class barely began. When Megumi removed the nail polish, Sukuna applied one to his own nails and showed no intention of changing it. A stubborn smirk was all he gave to the teacher. 

From then on, he wore his nails painted black everyday. 

"Are you two finally dating?"

They were supposed to spend the afternoon at Megumi's. Yuuji went to the other class to get Junpei, which left Megumi with Nobara leaning over his desk. 

"What do you mean?" Megumi retorted, knowing well what she was implying. Or more specifically who. 

"I know you spend lunch breaks with Sukuna, whenever you don't eat with us," she said casually, not an accusation but merely stating a fact. "Did his violent mating ritual work?" 

Megumi wasn't sure, how Nobara got to know he was spending time with Sukuna but it didn't really matter. It wasn't a secret. Since the day Sukuna helped him get away from Gakuganji-sensei, they reached the ceasefire. They no longer fought during p.e. or insulted each other in the middle of the corridor. Sometimes Megumi would go to the back of the school to share onigiris and cigarettes with the other boy. 

With baby steps, Megumi was threading through the wires Sukuna set around himself. At first, all their conversations were cautious but at some point they realized they liked the same mangas and video games, which meant tuna mayo onigiri, black coffee and anger issues weren't the only things they had in common. 

Though, they never talked about what happened at the party. 

"I never asked for an interrogation," Megumi said firmly and stood up, they were supposed to meet at the school's gate with Junpei and Yuuji. "Should I go back to fighting with him?" 

"No," Nobara caught up with him and together they made their way out. "Sukuna is a storm, a violent and kinda dangerous type, if you ask me, but you can handle him. He listens to you, always has. All I'm saying is that he's not going to wait forever, and you know how boys are. You push them away for too long and they lose interest." 

It wasn't like Megumi hadn't entertained the thought of dating Sukuna. Sometimes when the boy let the facade of a scary and violent man go, Megumi got mesmerized by the depth of his red eyes or the way he emanated genuine confidence. Hell, even the scar over his nose got Megumi thinking. What would it be like to get closer? He was a teenager, he couldn't really control the train of his thoughts and up until now no one showed interest in him. No matter how twisted Sukuna's affection was, it was a feeling nonetheless. 

But Megumi had too much on his mind at the moment. Satoru's wellbeing was triggering an anxiety so deeply rooted inside Megumi that sometimes he could barely remember how to breath. The memory of losing his biological father had its source somewhere deep in his consciousness and he couldn't fight the fear, he was going to lose his family. Yet again. 

"I'll keep it in mind," Megumi concluded and ended the conversation, as they neared the boys by the gate. 

Though, they weren't alone. Nanako and Mimiko stood there listening to one of Yuuji's many exciting stories and couldn't contain their laughter. He had that ability to effortlessly make people laugh. Sometimes Megumi couldn't believe Yuuji and Sukuna were brothers. 

Seeing as the girls had taken in to his small group of friends, Megumi came up with an idea. 

"Hey, you wanna join us? We're going to my place to play video games. I'm sure, Satoru would be happy to see you," At the mention of the girls' second dad's name, they both beamed at him and accepted the invitation. 

Satoru was indeed happy. The girls breached their genkan and as Satoru's blue eyes focused on the silhouettes of his daughters, tears were already caught up in his lashes. With a loud shout of "hi dad!" Nanako and Mimiko crushed into him, catching him in a bone crushing hug. Megumi was sure it had been at least three to four months since he last saw the girls, he must had missed them dearly but was probably too scared to meet with them in the current state. 

No matter how embarrassing Satoru could get, Megumi wanted to share this moment with him. The man joined the teenagers by the tv, ordered food for them and indulged in all the stories the kids came up with. Yuuji, as always, proved to be a great company in conversation, Nobara joined in whenever she felt like it and Junpei stayed close to Megumi, who was mostly watching the exchanges in silence. 

But in the end, Satoru was mostly focused on Mimiko and Nanako. Seeing him ask questions about their days, how were they doing at school and generally what happened in the time they hadn't seen each other, was a contrast to the shell of a man that couldn't get out of bed in the mornings. 

While Nanako took part in the heated game with Yuuji and Nobara, nearly screaming at each other in front of the tv, Mimiko stayed close to Satoru's side. She had always had a calmer, more gentle nature, not really interested in competitive games as her sister was. At some point, when Megumi prepared tea for everyone, she took hold of Satoru's arm and leaned her head over his shoulder. The two used to cuddle a lot, when they all lived together. 

For a moment, Megumi fought the urge to take a picture of them and send it to Suguru. 

Hours later, as the guests were getting ready to leave, Nanako hesitated by the door. 

"He's downstairs, do you wanna say hi?" she asked, looking at Satoru with a gentle smile on her lips.

Blue eyes covered with a layer of indifference but the three of Satoru's children could easily see through the walls he built around himself. Still none of them pushed him, knowing well the subject of Satoru and Suguru's relationship was a sensitive matter. Even after almost 5 years. 

"Maybe next time," Satoru pressed a kiss to the crown of her head, hiding behind a soft smile. "We'll keep in touch. I found a new patisserie, what do you say about going there this weekend?"

"Sounds great, dad," Both Nanako and Mimiko were better at calling their parents 'dads', which never truly came easy to Megumi. He deemed it on the fact that the girls were much young than he was, when Satoru and Suguru started taking care of them.

Nanako smiled one last time at Satoru and left through the front door. 

Their apartment suddenly fell silent and where Megumi thought he finally brought some peace to Satoru's heart, he didn't realize the extent of damage that had already happened to his parent. 

Satoru sat on the couch, with eyes empty and arms tightened in a hold around himself. Megumi was about to prepare for the bed, when he realized Satoru was silently shedding tears in their living room. 

"What's wrong?"

Satoru mumbled something under his breath but Megumi couldn't make out the words from his wet voice. For the past weeks, he had learned that in most cases he had to stay patient for Satoru to open up to him, so Megumi bend his own violent nature to wait for his guardian.

"I should have never taken you away from Suguru," Satoru finally said, wiping away the tears from his eyes, leaving them gray and cold. "He'd take much better care of you than I ever did."

"Where is this coming from?" Megumi tried to calculate the situation and not give in to the instinct urging him to act out. He felt lost hearing those words from Satoru – a person, who he owned his whole life to. 

"The girls seem genuinely happy, ha takes good care of them," He wiped at the snot coming out of his nose with his sleeve and Megumi quickly handed him a tissue. "See? You're taking care of me and it should be the other way around. I can't handle you or your problems at school, I'm a failure, Megumi. I'm so sorry." 

The breakdown was approaching and Megumi knew it was unavoidable, but the moment he saw Satoru break down before his eyes, his own heart clenched with fear. He was better at laying punches than comforting other people. 

And he was still a confused teenager. 

"Stop with the bullshit," he said harshly but trying not to raise his voice. "You, both you and Suguru are the coolest dads I could ever ask for. Stop doubting yourself," Belatedly Megumi realized he fisted his hands, pressing nails into the skin of his inner palms. When he relaxed his fingers, the tension was gone from both his shoulders and his voice. "I think you need to see someone. I'd say you should meet with Suguru because he has a way of getting to you but for now I believe it should be a professional." 

"I fucked up," Satoru's voice came from behind the hands he held over his face. "Just like my parents told me I would. I'm not made for this, I–" 

The Gojo family was what drove Suguru away from them. They never accepted him as Satoru's partner, never even tried to see, how crucial his existence was to their son's life. Though, as long as their harassment was only directed at Suguru, Getou's resolve was to keep fighting, but the moment they tried to get to his daughters all of his willpower was gone. 

It took Satoru almost a year after their break up to get his bearings together and cut his parents off once and for all. They always supported him financially, the apartment the five of them shared officially belonged to his parents too. At their age, they would never be able to afford such a big flat, so they took the opportunity without thinking. Looking back at their story, they should have all just crumped in a one-room flat with cheap rent. Maybe then they'd still be together. 

"Let's get you help," Megumi reached for the blanket to cover Satoru's shoulders with it. They sat next to each other, barely talking, just basking in the knowledge that it was the two of them against the whole world. 

Megumi was sure his fights with Sukuna were over until the bastard didn't push him to the ground during yet another p.e. lesson. Megumi was adamant on not getting involved into any new trouble but Sukuna just wouldn't let him live – they both couldn't back off without a fight. Yaga-sensei was thoroughly fed up with their antics by now but he was also set on letting the boys figure out their problems together. Hence, he made the two of them clear the storage room after the class. 

They started cleaning and organizing stuff in silence, both angry at the sudden punishment. When Sukuna pushed Megumi, he probably wasn't thinking about the consequences and just wanted to get the attention of the other student. 

"Why did you do that?" Megumi asked, when they were halfway through sorting out balls into different baskets. 

"Because I wanted to," Sukuna's reply was short, with smugness tinting his voice but at the same time he didn't dare to look at the black haired boy. 

"I though we were starting to get along." 

They spent weeks sharing bentos and cigarettes on lunch breaks, hiding away from other students at the back of the school. The summer sun was scorching the ground around them but never reached their shade under the tree. Megumi thought the peace the two boys made there would serve as the end to their war. 

Apparently, he was wrong. 

"I believe you missed the part where I don't get along with people, Fushiguro Megumi." 

Every time Sukuna hid himself under fake indifference, Megumi promised himself he'd ignore the boy and go on with his life. But he was starting to get confused. He had received multiple mixed signals from Sukuna since the boy came to the school – from angry punches to calling Megumi pretty and pressing their lips together. Pretending that there wasn't anything happening between them was no longer an option. 

"Then why did you stood up for me, when I painted my nails?" Megumi threw the last ball into the basket and came to stand right in front of Sukuna. "Why do you keep giving me rides home on your bike?" 

"None of your fucking business." 

"No, Sukuna," Megumi twisted his hands in the material of Sukuna's t-shirt and pulled them closer, green eyes challenging red for a duel. "You're gonna be honest with me, because I've got enough of playing your games." 

Sukuna's eyes darkened as Megumi pulled their faces closer. He grabbed the black haired boy's wrists and tried to get his hands of his chest, but Megumi knew how to stand his ground and fight with his body. While pushing and pulling onto each other, they stumbled on the shelves, pushing most of the stuff to the ground. 

The ceasefire had come to an end. 

"Let me go," Sukuna's voice echoed through the storage room but even though Megumi could hear genuine panic in it, he wasn't going to leave without answers. 

"I don't get you. You act as if you hate me but then at the party… why did you do that?" 

They accidentally tripped over mattresses and fell over them. For a moment, it was difficult to say, who pushed who because they just kept rolling over. But in the end, it was Sukuna, who pushed Megumi to the ground with a final blow, holding his wrists in a tight grip and slotting himself in between his legs to immobilise the boy. 

They stayed like that just panting and looking at each other, their duel halted but not finished. The second Sukuna pushed Megumi to the ground the boy realized, the other teenager must had never used his full strength on him. Megumi thought he was capable of escaping the wrath of Sukuna's bulky arms until they pinned him down for real.

It didn't stop him from trying to break free though. Megumi wiggled and used all the strength in his body to push Sukuna off him but to no avail. At some point, Sukuna used one hand to hold both of his wrists and the other to hold his hips. 

"Stop moving," he all but growled and that was the moment Megumi realized the bright pink flush on Sukuna's cheeks and the sweat forming on his forehead weren't just an effect of their fight. At least not directly. Where Sukuna was slotted right between his legs, Megumi felt something poke him on his upper thigh – something warm and hard. 

Sukuna had a boner. There was no denying the fact, they both knew it.

Horror crossed Sukuna's face and he tried to pull away, to leave and get as far from Megumi as one possibly could, but the boy underneath him had other plans. Megumi crossed his ankles behind Sukuna's back, pressing their crotches together even tighter, which caused Sukuna to let out a low growl. 

"Answer my fucking question," Megumi was not going to let their conversation sway astray, even when he felt himself get hard too. He could blame his teenage hormones but the truth was he had never been this close with another boy and no matter how annoying Sukuna could be, the pink haired boy was extremely sexy, when he hovered over him. 

As twisted as it seemed, they set a rhythm. They started humping against each other, letting out mewls and growls, their joggers quickly getting wet and uncomfortable. But they kept going. 

Sukuna let go of Megumi's hands and hips to brace himself better on the mattress, while Megumi used the opportunity to wind his arms around the other boy's neck and pulled their faces closer. Too close for it to stay decent, too far for them to kiss. 

"Meg– Megumi," Their foreheads touched and Sukuna's lips kept grazing over Megumi's with every movement of his body. "I can't help it." 

"Tell me, you motherfucker," Megumi let his hands twist into pink hair, fingers closing around the short strands and pulling them harshly. He felt himself leak inside his pants and couldn't help letting out a loud moan, which caused Sukuna to quicken the movement of his hips. 

It was embarrassing that the friction between their clothed members turned them on so much but neither of them was about to stop, when the pleasure was so overwhelming. At some point, Sukuna bit into Megumi's shoulder and it was obvious he reached his limit. His hips stuttered and with a moan muffled by Megumi's skin he came inside his sport uniform. 

He hid his face in the crook of Megumi's neck, breathing loudly and pressing the slimmer boy with his huge body. Megumi was sure, he'd have to reach his orgasm on his own, when Sukuna shifted his hips, so that he could slip his hand inside Megumi's pants. 

No one had ever touched him there and Megumi quickly realized having someone else fist his cock was a completely different experience. Toes curled inside his trainers, his hands made way to Sukuna's t-shirt and he felt tears catch onto his lashes. Sukuna squeezed him one more time and Megumi was coming inside his fist. 

The storage room filled with their heavy breathing. Sukuna readjusted Megumi's joggers and wiped his wet hand over his own pants. Megumi wanted to get a hold on him, to grab him and make sure the other boy would not leave, but his arms felt like jelly and his mind was still somewhere high. 

"You're the only one that can handle me," Sukuna got up and stood over Megumi, who was still breathing heavily on the ground. "That's why I like you." 

Soon after the confession he was gone. 

Megumi was set on not letting Sukuna get away with it. 

He didn't catch the pink haired boy, when he finally got out of the storage room, neither could he get a hold of him on social media. The next day, Megumi saw him sitting in class but during every break Sukuna was quick to leave the classroom and hide in places, Megumi could not find him. It was a nightmare to look for him, because no matter how long Megumi searched, Sukuna was nowhere to be found. 

As classes ended, Megumi's resolve was slowly dying and he was sure he wouldn't be able to catch Sukuna but he decided to try one more time. If Sukuna didn't want to clear thing with him, then Megumi was going to just let the motherfucker go. 

He still wanted to try because in a very twisted way Sukuna had grown on him. 

Megumi was walking down the corridor on the third floor, when he caught sight of pink hair by the stairs. 

"You're going to hear me out," Megumi said sternly and came to stand right behind the other boy. "Stop running." 

"Forget about it," Sukuna muttered upon realizing Megumi had found him and was about to sprint down the stairs, when Megumi caught him by the shirt. 

"I don't want to," Megumi pulled them closer, his hands on Sukuna's shoulders and faces so close, their noses were almost touching. "I don't want to forget. You get me, fucker?" 

As realization fell upon Sukuna's features, the frown between his brows softened, his eyes calmed and a deep blush creeped onto the apples of his cheeks. Megumi liked the view, the way it made him feel. 

He liked Sukuna too. 

Lips parted to voice his thoughts or to finally kiss the other boy, Megumi wasn't sure, but before any sound made it out of his throat, a high pitched whimper echoed through the corridor. It came from one of the empty classrooms at the end of the hallway and Megumi would leave without batting an eye, if the voice wasn't so familiar.

In a silent agreement, the boys let go of each other and went to check the room. Upon opening the door, Megumi didn't expect for his darkest part of personality to suddenly make an appearance. 

A boy, junior called Mahito if Megumi remembered right, was cornering a small girl with a devilish smile over his lips and a hand reaching under her skirt. When he saw Megumi, his eyes lit up but he didn't move. If anything, he pressed himself even closer to the girl. 

"Oh Fushiguro-senpai, do you wanna join? I got this little prize to myself but I can share with my senpai, if you want." 

The girl gave out a small cry and her eyes met Megumi's across the room. Mimiko. 

Megumi didn't remember much of what happened next. His anger – his rage – was so blinding that his mind switched off in a way. All he knew was that he wanted to kill whoever violated Mimiko, his precious baby sister. As long as he was alive, nobody could dare to touch his family.

When part of his consciousness came back, Mahito was on the floor and Megumi was beating him up like a ragged doll, blood spluttered all over his knuckles. Someone was shouting, calling his name and trying to get him off the younger boy with thick arms around Megumi's torso but Megumi didn't care. He elbowed the other person in the face, the blow landing on their nose and went back to beating the shit out of Mahito. 

Soon teachers came and Megumi was dragged away, pulled by at least two adults, who tried to calm him down. 

The ringing in his ears never seized. Not when they were all taken to the teachers' room or when Mahito's mother came, gushing over her poor son. The bastard was alive and it ticked a never in Megumi. 

Sukuna was seated by his side, shoulders and thighs pressed together, and Megumi would find comfort in the warmth of Sukuna's body, if the blinding rage wasn't still flowing in his veins. 

He lost track of time. Mimiko wasn't with them, one of the teachers took her to another room, which only fueled Megumi's anger because he wanted to make sure his sister was fine. His whole body was on edge, still pumping adrenaline and keeping him ready for a fight. He didn't care about anything except for his sister. 

At some point the door to the room opened and Gojo entered, looking lost and worried, a shell of a man fighting to stay alive. He went to his first therapy session that week and Megumi was sure things were about to get better. 

Clearly they didn't. 

Before the teacher could welcome Satoru, he was already by Megumi's side, looking for any injuries as the boy was still dirtied with Mahito's blood. 

"He was touching Mimiko," Megumi found himself saying, as Satoru crouched in front of him and tried to unclench the boy's fists. From the way his skin tingled, Megumi could tell he probably cut his palms with his nails. 

Before Satoru could say anything, Mahito's mother's boomed from behind them. 

"I thought his father was about to arrive. Who is that man? Excuse me, Gakuganji-sensei, isn't this man too young to be Fushiguro-kun's father? What is going on in here?" 

Megumi felt his blood boil again. Murder wasn't an option only in theory, right now there was nothing he wanted more than to shut the bitch once and for all. It wasn't difficult to realize that Satoru wasn't Megumi's biological father, the white hair and blue eyes were a striking contrast to Megumi's black hair and green eyes. It didn't make him any less of a father, though. 

If anything it only strengthened Satoru's position as his dad. No one could chose their own parents but in a way Megumi did. They both chose each other, even though they didn't have to. 

"Fushiguro is adopted," Mahito told her, a snake knowing all too well how to get under someone else's skin. 

"Oh, that explains his behavior. Taking care of an orphan is a difficult job, it was clearly too much for you wasn't it, Gojo-san? An outcast will always be an outcast, there is nothing you can do about it." 

Megumi wasn't about to take it anymore. He pushed Satoru's worried hands away and sprinted across the room to the table, where Mahito and his mother were seated. He hit the table with all the strength he could master and leaned towards the woman, who looked at him with fear and disgust. Good, Megumi liked that expression on her. 

"You can talk shit about me all you want but don't you dare say anything about my dad or violate my sister again or else I will–" 

"Megumi," Satoru was quick to catch him in a vice grip, arms holding him from behind and trying to pull him away from the table. 

"He's not your father, Fushiguro-kun," said Mahito's mother and all hell broke loose again. 

Megumi started kicking out, trying to break free and get his hands on the stupid bitch, who dared to say that Satoru wasn't his father, when he was. He was. Someone added that Megumi didn't have a sister, saying he was mental and should be on lockdown. His throat tightened, anger twisting with frustration and lungs refusing to work properly. Then Sukuna came, trying to get him to stop trashing around and calm down. 

But it was all futile. 

Until the door opened again. 

"Memi." 

As if drenched by a bucket of cold water, Megumi stopped trying to break free and went slack in Satoru's embrace. He felt his dad's arms tighten in nervousness that wasn't caused by Megumi anymore. Heavy footsteps echoed throughout the room and Megumi shared the anticipation with Satoru. 

"Getou-san, I see you're already here," Gakuganji said, trying to get the attention of the newcomer but to na avail. 

Suguru stepped into the space between Megumi and Mahito's mother, his broad shoulders isolating the teenager from the hateful stares. He was never as tall as Satoru but where Gojo was always slim and lean, Suguru was a real buff. His arms were made to break skulls without batting an eye. Long black hair came into Megumi's view and the calm scent of incense and sandalwood invaded the boy's senses. 

"Breathe," Suguru said and Megumi complied, letting the adrenaline go and feeling his muscles relax. 

When Megumi looked up to him, Suguru was already looking past his shoulder to Satoru, the two men not in need of words to communicate. 

"We'll take Megumi outside to calm down," Suguru said to the teacher and then addressed Mahito and his mother, shooting them with his most stern glare. As much as Megumi was angry, he couldn't even comprehend the rage that must had been surging inside Suguru. Nobody messed with his daughters. "Then we will come back to finish the talk. I've already heard everything from Mimiko." 

The two men escorted Megumi to the corridor, leaving Mahito and his mother behind. The boy leaned over the wall, as Satoru kept trying to clean his hands from the blood and Suguru put a warm hand over the nape of Megumi's neck. The consequences of Megumi's actions were slowly coming back to him – there was guilt upon knowing that he lost control and caused problems for his parents, but he couldn't bring himself to feel that way about Mahito. 

"I'm not sorry," he finally said, feeling the need to be honest. Maybe it was the heat of the moment, maybe it was the fact that the three of them were right next to each other, when it didn't happen in few years. Still Megumi didn't want to lie to his parents. 

"I don't expect you to be. If I could I'd kill the bastard myself," Suguru answered keeping his voice low. He wasn't a violent person, much more of a stoic thinker, but he had the ability to crush people with just a move of fingers, if he truly wanted to. "But it's not the way and you know it." 

Megumi did but he was not about to admit it, at least not at that moment. He had other things to say, though. 

"What I'm sorry for is that I caused trouble for you, both of you," Megumi looked from Suguru's calm eyes to Satoru, who looked as if a train run over him. Only then did Megumi notice the dark bags under his blue eyes and they way his lips were chapped and flaky. "It's not your fault."

"Like hell it isn't," Satoru let out a long sigh, blue irises avoiding both Suguru and Megumi. He must had left home without any mental preparation for the possibility of bumping into Suguru. No matter how long they knew each other and how intimately, Satoru surely wasn't happy about Suguru seeing him in the current state. "I'm just shit at parenting." 

"Shut the fuck up!"

"Mind your fucking language, Memi," Suguru retorted and suddenly a tiny bit of the tension between them melted. Suguru smiled softly at Satoru and the white haired man indulged in a try to neaten Megumi's hair, as an attempt to not look at his past lover. 

Nothing was right but at least they had each other. 

Suddenly the door to the teachers' room opened and Sukuna came out, looking a bit lost as three pairs of eyes looked towards him. 

"The teachers let me go," he explained, shifting from one leg to another. Upon longer inspection Megumi realized there was dried blood under Sukuna's nose, a sign that he too took a blow in the explosion that was Fushiguro Megumi. 

Suguru and Satoru took it as a cue to finally go back to the teachers, Mahito and his mother. Suguru's eyes darkened and his whole posture oozed with anger, Megumi didn't want to be in Mahito's shoes. If Megumi brought fire to Hell, then Suguru was the one to freeze everyone to death. 

Just before entering, Satoru stopped in the entry way, his dull eyes regaining a bit of color and settling on Sukuna's face.

"You're Yuuji-kun's brother, aren't you?" he asked to which Sukuna only nodded, probably surprised by the question. "Take a look at this rascal, won't you?" 

For a second Sukuna looked lost, clearly not used to adults addressing him without irritation or any strict demands. Satoru voiced his question in a calm and playful way, which probably hardly ever happened to the boy. 

"Not a problem," Sukuna answered, already stepping closer to Megumi. 

Satoru looked ready to say something more but Suguru placed a hand on the small of his back, urging him to finally get inside. Satoru's cheeks changed color as if they suddenly caught fire, red hue quickly spreading over pale skin. 

It had been a long time, since Megumi last saw them being this close. 

The door closed behind them, leaving the two teenagers alone on the school corridor. They looked at each other, red meeting green, two lost souls acknowledging there was someone out there similar to them. Words never came easy to Megumi, so the moment he realized Sukuna wasn't going to leave him alone, he took things into his own hands, quite literally. He stepped into Sukuna's arms, feeling them circled around his waist, holding him close, safe and warm.  

With every passing moment, they melted into each other's embrace more. Quite unexpectedly the arms, which Megumi used to fight for so many months, helped him relax and lose the last bits of anger that clung to him. Sukuna let his hands roam the expanse of Megumi's back, going up and down, keeping the boy close and safe. 

At some point Megumi leaned back but only so that he could look the other boy in the eyes. He inspected the blood under Sukuna's nose and the way part of his face was starting to swell. He must had hit Sukuna, when the boy was trying to pull him away from Mahito. 

Megumi took Sukuna's face in both of his hands, his palms pressed to the pink haired boy's cheeks, and brought his lip to the bridge of Sukuna's nose – over the swelling and the scar that marked his skin. 

"Does it hurt?" Megumi asked, pressing their foreheads together, still keeping Sukuna's face in his hands and gently caressing his skin with his thumbs. 

"Yeah, it does but don't worry about it, it'll be fine," Sukuna turned his head and melted into Megumi's palm, even though the dried blood that was still there. "What about your hands?" 

"They sting," The knuckles of his hands were bruised and the insides of his palms were punctured by his nails but the blood had stopped flowing and the wounds had closed up already. It could had been worse. 

"You are something else, Fushiguro Megumi." 

Megumi didn't have an answer to that. He had been a prisoner to his anger for a long time now, causing trouble and getting into fights way before Sukuna joined their class. Truth be told, he had those tendencies even before Suguru left, so Satoru's guilt was misplaced but the man just never listened. Megumi hated that part of himself, was well aware that he only brought trouble to his family but meeting Sukuna was… liberating in a way. Knowing that there was someone out there, who was almost as messed up as he was. And to top it all, that person was interested in him. Romantically. How ironic. 

It all felt surreal to Megumi. 

"I still wanna talk about yesterday," he said, detangling himself from Sukuna's embrace and leaning over the wall. Sukuna came to stand right next to him, their shoulders brushing and sharing warmth. "Just not today." 

"We can do that. I won't run away anymore," Sukuna's fingers brushed against Megumi's, tentative, asking for permission, and when Megumi didn't pull away, the pink haired boy took the cue and intertwined their fingers.

"You better or else I'm gonna beat the shit out of you."