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“You’re taking this well,”
If only she knew, Megumi thinks as he stares at the running water. It’s two in the morning and he’s standing in the shower. The steams and rhythmic sprays filter through. He’s the only one awake, the only one occupying a stall at two in the fucking morning. The heat is enough to turn his skin pink, the hot water drenching him, and he can feel his pores screaming at him.
Megumi still remembers he usually would feel better after a shower, then swaddled in fleece blankets after he was dried with warm hands and warm laughter flittering as his mother picked up the hair dryer. The memory is vague, translucent, and easily washes away if he blinks, but Megumi chases that distant feeling. Because he also remembers it had been during his phase of having nightmares. A very, very strange phase when he was a mere five years old.
He roughly turns the water off, braving the cold bathroom as he dries himself. Megumi ignores the mirror; his face is a mess. It will be soon for Nobara to notice his eyebags, and his paler than normal shade. She no doubt is going to comment on it, hiding her worry under layers of nonchalance. It’s the last thing Megumi needs. He puts back his sweater and sweatpants, then silently begins the walk to his room. Something about how nothing moves and makes sound during this hour making him not wanting to break it.
As his room comes into view, the teen doggedly ignores the one beside it. Willing its existence to nothing.
---
“You okay?” Nobara corners him one day.
He should have known there is a reason why she goes with him to the vending machines. Favoring his presence than Maki? Nobara? Of course not.
“I’m fine,” Megumi replies, waiting for his juice to be dispensed.
Nobara eyes him, “Really?” She inserts some coins for Pocari Sweat.
“Yes, I am, Kugisaki,” this time he looks her in the eye and unscrews his juice bottle.
He breaks the stare as he drinks it up. He can still feel her looking. But when he caps his bottle again, Nobara already walks away. Two Pocari Sweats in hand and waves one towards Maki.
---
She asks him again when they are splayed on the ground. Courtesy of Panda.
“Hey, you good?”
Megumi weights his answer at her tone, and settles for “Yeah, I’m good,”
Their seniors are returning with two plastics of convenience store goods. An apology for drilling them to the ground. Nobara gets up first and pats her pants.
Before she goes to grab a proffered rice ball, she turns to him, “You sure?”
“I’m sure. Just hungry now,” he deflects her real inquiry.
The rice balls are surprisingly good. Toge even notices this and decides his junior needs the energy more, so he drops another on Megumi’s lap. He thanks him, feeling Nobara’s stare on him, but when he looks over his shoulder, she is noisily drinking chocolate milk. Locked in a competition with Panda.
---
The third time, Nobara doesn’t ask. She states.
“You’re not okay,” she crosses her arms at him.
It’s rare to see her in this part of the dorm. She never wanted to step foot into the boys’ section.
“And don’t lie, you look terrible,” she says.
He feels terrible too. The constant training with his fellow sorcerers, the daily school tasks, and little rest are his undoing. Maki had all but looked at him for a full second before banishing him from the practice grounds. The whole day is spent with him trying and failing to close his eyes. His bed feeling like a rock more than anything else. His nose is stuffed, the skin peeling, and he can feel a fever building. There’s also a constant thumping in his head.
When Megumi rubs his forehead, Nobara sighs. “You really aren’t okay, you idiot,” she says then bulls through into his room.
She scans the place, then with a solid nod, starts to tidy up. The window is slightly opened, she fixes the bedsheets, and she leaves only to return with a handful of water bottles, medicine, and some tea. Megumi just doesn’t have the energy to refuse when his body seems to finally sigh in relief at someone taking care of him.
“I ordered some porridge and meat,” she puts her phone on the table. “They should be arriving soon,”
Megumi nods, picking up several tablets and downs them with the bitter tea she brought. Soon, two boxes of tissues are place on his nightstand. On cue, his nose is running again. They don’t talk for a time, neither have anything to say. Nobara suddenly looks stumped that she gives a full damn about his health, dumbly looking around the room when she realizes she just invites herself in. Megumi just doesn’t comment, can’t actually think when his headache is building. He really doesn’t want to feel nausea.
Only after Nobara receives the food and puts them on a tray for Megumi that she finally breaks the silence.
“Fucking hell, Fushiguro,” she sighs when they start eating. “What’s wrong with you?”
He can just lie and says it’s the exchange event. That he feels nervous and his anxiety kicks in ever since Todou almost handed his ass to him. There are a hundred reasons his mind can creatively come up with, but instead, Megumi feels even worse if he burns the proverbial olive branch Nobara is trying to give. She is selfish, loud, brash, and Megumi knows is not the kind to freely ‘care’ to the point she takes the trouble of noticing his declining state.
Thus, he puts down his spoon and gulps down his porridge. Nobara deserves to know, Yuuji had been with them together after all.
“…. I have bad dreams,” he says.
When Nobara keeps silent, he continues.
“Itadori… He…” He rakes his hair, “You know I was there. I saw him died, and that follows me to sleep,” he bites his lips, “I haven’t been able to rest for because I see him in my dreams. I just… can’t,”
There are another seconds of quietness, then a rustle, and Nobara sits on the bed. She pats his shoulder, awkward in its movement, but genuine. She looks at him.
“So, that’s why you look like shit these few weeks,” she says.
Maybe it’s the weirdness of the honest face she has. Maybe it’s just Megumi is floored by how direct she is. Maybe it’s not either and has everything to do with the fact that she sympathizes, instead of pity. But Megumi feels a little light, huffing, then chuckling when she startles.
“Hey, I’m being serious here,” she indignantly says. “I’m trying to be helpful so stop laughing!”
“Sorry,” he coughs. “Sorry, I do appreciate the gesture, Kugisaki,” he pats her hand that still stays on his shoulder.
Realizing this, she pulls it away. “Alright, you better be grateful then,” she mutters.
“I am,” he says and resumes eating the porridge.
They stay in comfortable silence filled with munching and slurping until the bowls are thoroughly emptied. Nobara takes them away for the sink later while Megumi fixes his pillows to try to get some sleep. With the medicine and full stomach, the odds might be in his favor. He allows Nobara fussing about more before finally closing his window and curtains along with dimming the light in his room. He is already closing his eyes as she leaves, a tray on one arm with empty takeaway boxes in the other.
Then he goes to sleep.
---
He wakes up ramrod straight with heaving breathes. When he peers at his clock, it has only been less than thirty minutes. He groans, rubbing his face, and wants to scream. He really can’t do this anymore. The medicine’s effect is wearing off, he doubts he can even try now. There should be some melatonin pills in the kitchen cupboard, either Gojo or Ichiji puts them there in case some student has trouble resting after a particularly hard mission. Megumi never thought he actually is considering taking them.
His damp shirt is discarded in favor of a new sweater. As he contemplates whether to take the melatonin option or suffer through those repeating dreams again, a knock is heard on the door. He opens it and sees Nobara standing there. Her feet shuffling on the floor while she holds a small bag and a pillow under her arms.
“I, uh,” she stutters. “Listen, it’s not an option that you boys think, okay?” She points to him.
Megumi twitches. He truly isn’t thinking about that. Somehow that makes him opens his mouth, “Believe me, I’m not,” he deadpans.
“Good!” She huffs then puts her pillow beside his own. “Come on then,” she pats the empty spot, “Let’s get this sleep going!”
The bed is wide enough to contain two teenagers, but Nobara is not easy to accommodate. She sleeps like a damn starfish, and Megumi is more like a log. He gets hit by either her arm or hand at times. Fortunately, it doesn’t escalate. Not with Nobara having the decency on bringing her own blanket. The room is cool when night comes. They turn off the light after turning and moving, allowing the room be shrouded in darkness. The only illumination coming from the full moon. Sometimes a bird perches in front of the window, tapping curiously at the glass before flying once more.
Nobara is fast to go down. Her breathing comes out even as she descents. Megumi stares at her back, following the way her side goes up and down to lull himself to also sleep. But like always ever since that day, the moment he hits the path to dreamland, there is only an ugly station waiting for him.
Usually it’s Yuuji, smiling with a hole in his chest. Smiling and smiling and smiling until he’s pale, then rigor mortis sets in while red still bleeds from his breast, his eyes, his mouths, his ears. On another, it’s Sukuna, bouncing a heart in childish ease, playing it in front of him, teeth grinning. It distorts Yuuji’s kind face, marring it like a saint statue being spit at. The worst dream though was when he sees both. Seeing Sukuna laughing and cackling, hand jabbing through Yuuji like paper while the boy doesn’t react, keeps on moving towards Megumi. Peaceful and keeps on talking despite the blood, the rot, the maggot.
Live a good life, Fushiguro. Live a good life, Fushiguro. Live a good life, Fushiguro.
LIVE A GOOD-
There’s another body beside him. No, on top of him. Megumi shoots up and the presence of another snaps him back to reality. Nobara doesn’t talk only slowly pulls him back to the bed. She keeps her arms around him, loosely, enough to let him breath. He lays there, eyes on the ceiling as he follows her pats.
One, two, three. One, two, three. One, two, three.
It takes a while. The wind rustled the leaves outside, making the branches sway their shadows on the curtains. Nobara doesn’t utter a word, staying still from her position on the bed. Looking as harmless and unmoving as possible. To not create another stimulus to her friend’s senses. She waits, letting him have all the time in the world, and allows herself to close her eyes.
Megumi is the one who curls into her. Burying himself near her heart. Almost frantic. Almost desperate. She circles her arms around his shoulders, letting him close. Her fingers thread through his messy hair.
“I miss him too,” she whispers. Like talking to a babe.
Wetness blooms on her shirt. Nobara finds she doesn’t mind. She feels arms tighten around her sides. Shuddering and so, so sad. She never stops caressing his back. Keeps on doing it until she can’t hold her tiredness at bay anymore. Her eyes slowly shut, and she lets Megumi keeps his hold.
He presses himself on her chest. Hearing the beating, the sign of life, reverberating through his skull. It’s oddly comforting. Oddly grounding him. It reminds him of Tsumiki when he had swallowed his pride and allowed her to sleep with him one night. They had just watched a horror movie. He didn’t want to admit he kept looking at the foot of his bed, but of course Tsumiki noticed. She was nice to not tease him, acting she was the one scared instead. It eased him. And though he never mentioned it, he had slept well that night.
Megumi wipes his face, noticing the damp spot he leaves on Nobara’s shirt. He hopes she won’t be throwing a fit about it later. She’s snoring softly, hair curtaining her face. Megumi can vaguely see it needs to be recolored again in the semi-darkness. Maybe he should offer to help if she does it personally rather than at a salon. He brushes stray strands away, surprised at how soft they feel. Nobara hiccups in her sleep, and then she shuffles them closer together. Her leg put over his hip while her arms hug him. He tries to not get his face pressed against her.
He watches her, positioning himself better, and pulls his arms towards his body so they won’t be asleep in the morning. Soon, he starts to feel the tug again. One that pulls him under. He lets it submerge him, the late hours telling him that he will have enough if he goes now. His eyelids slide close, putting him deeper and deeper. There is still a small fear he will have the same thing again, but Nobara mumbles and puts her chin near his head. Megumi keeps on going.
And for the first time, he doesn’t see anything. Only darkness which keeps on fading, and fading, and fading… until he lands in an even darker blackness. Calmer than the other. It is then he knows he has found sleep once more.
She’s warm.
It is the last thing Megumi thinks before he is dead to the world.
---
To the surprise of neither, Nobara catches his sickness.
She blows into the tissue like a horn, her nose red, and she has her face scrunched up. Megumi dutifully tends to her. Bringing food and water along with the occasional laptop when she peels herself from her bed. It’s strange that it takes a case of the flu and fever for them to have a long chat and hang out all day long. They exchange hobbies, likes and dislikes, even gossips.
Nobara likes shopping, but she isn’t as vain as people think. She likes history and she idolizes Nobunaga Oda. Books aren’t her things though she has a few favorites. While she’s maybe from outside Tokyo, she knows some places thanks to her childhood friend. For his part, Megumi mentions he tends to binge a show rather than watch an episode daily. He doesn’t like the lights and bustles of Tokyo sometimes. And he tends to bring small books to read that should fit in his pocket.
When dinner is eaten and they turn in for the night, Megumi pulls out a futon on Nobara’s floor. She had practically bullied him to it when he expressed concern if he were to stayover in her room. Sufficed to say, she wasn’t impressed at his act. Megumi had only wordlessly agreed by bringing the futon and his pillows to her place.
Nobara shudders in a non-existent cold when they both start to drift asleep. Megumi can’t risk himself being sick also and again, even when he wants to be in the same bed. An idea pops out when he absently forms the bunnies. He nudges most to Nobara, crowding her enough to form some heat. She appreciates what he’s trying to do, welcoming the bunnies, and closes her eyes. Megumi surmises she knows that he’s transferring his body warmth via the bunnies that are with him.
It becomes the arrangement for some time. Every night, Nobara will turn the light off and crawls into her bed while Megumi lays on his futon with hands already forming the bunny. The shadows are shared between them, making a small army on their respective rest. Nobara likes the cute animal, poking and tapping them when she wakes up. One morning, Megumi even catches her taking a selfie with them. The second photo she’s taking, he slides into the frame. They both are sleep rumpled. Nobara even more so with her being sick.
When Megumi sees the photos again after Nobara sends them, he notices his eyebags are almost gone.
---
They never ask the other if they want this to stop.
After she is well and healthy, they share the bed still. Either hers and his, whichever is the closest when they return from training and food. They become familiar with the other enough that there are no more cases of Megumi getting accidentally slapped or Nobara rolling over. As one goes immediately to sleep, her friend follows suit. They learn each other’s biological clock that they usually have no need for alarm clocks anymore.
Initially, Megumi thought when his nightmares had been kept at bay, he would lessen them sleeping together. But Nobara was stubborn, proclaiming that they needed to banish the nightmares and then they could sleep alone once more. He is glad she is hard-headed. The weather forecast expects rainy days ahead, and Megumi knows that is when his nightmares are more hellish. More prominent. He is anxious when the clouds gather, soon taking its leisurely time to wet the earth below. Nobara throws her pillow on his head and demands him to turn the light off.
He assumes his position near her chest. Ears searching for the thump, thump, thump sounds. When the rain turns harder and lightnings flash, he hides under her expanded arm. Nobara only sighs softly, petting his head while she uses the pitter patter of water to lull herself to sleep. There is a minute erratic breathing and Nobara presses Megumi fully against where her heart is. She doesn’t hear him sighing in relieve as sleep invites her under.
The last thing she notes is only one.
He’s warm.
---
It’s not perfect.
Sometimes, the nightmares don’t like being ignored and dig their claws into him. Nobara fights them together with him, willingly sacrificing precious hours just to see his breaths even out. She doesn’t comment on it, never quips those nights with sass, and never pities him. She’s just always there, quite and soft beside him.
In turn, Megumi lets his shikigamis provide a better resting spot when they are on lunch break. Nobara leans on the wolf after she finishes her food, enjoying the sky as she absently pets the fur. When she falls asleep on the desk, a bunny wiggles between her arms. And when she starts lightly slapping her cheeks to keep herself awake, he allows his bird to gift her a short lift around the courtyard. Her whoops and laughs ringing.
They curl around each other, have their backs against the other or one will spoon their friend during sleep. And it is slow, gradual, but Megumi finds he doesn’t have disturbing dreams any longer. The pessimistic part of him sneers that is temporary, and he will use Nobara as a crutch forever. Yet it is all dashed when Nobara throws him a thoroughly earnest smile that almost throws him off the loop.
“That’s great! I knew my presence is the best,” she sniffs haughtily.
Megumi rolls his eyes at her antics before they both suddenly toes the floor tryingly.
“So…” Nobara scratches her head, “I guess that is done, then. Good night, Fushiguro! Finally, your bed is yours and yours alone again,” she grins and speed walks to her own room.
He plops down on his bed after. Staring at the ceiling while hearing the ticking of his alarm clock fill the silence the evening brings. There is a few more seconds before he sighs and grabs his pillow. Marching towards the other side of the dorm. He is in the middle of forming the words when Nobara comes into view. Holding her blanket and pillow in both hands.
They look at each other, shrugging, then wakes up in Nobara’s bed.
---
It has been one of the rare times when they both are already up at the same hour. The exchange event hangs above their heads. Nobara promptly extracts herself then immediately leaves. Later, Megumi realizes it must have been for packing a suitcase which turns futile when she realizes they won’t be going anywhere.
“Your usual extra one hour turns out wasted,” he says.
She crosses her arms, “Yeah, yeah, whatever,”
They don’t talk much anymore as the Kyoto school arrives. Being a royal pain in the ass and challenging. They all are getting ready to head to their respective station when Gojo strolls in cheerily with a cart. He gives them weird souvenirs and Nobara is about to ask where the hell has he been when the cart rattles.
To say she and Megumi only shares the same face when Yuuji pops out being his dumb self will be the understatement of the century.
---
After everything is done and finished with, Nobara rubs her cheek. The bruise is gone but she still feels a bit tender around the area.
“Is it still hurting?”
She pokes at it. “Nah, it’s fine. What about you? You still have the bandages on,” she gestures to her head.
“They’ll take it off tomorrow, I’ll live,”
Megumi is munching through another sandwich they ordered. Too lazy and too tired to make something. Yuuji is supposed to cook for all of them, but that gorilla Todou has been chasing him around the complex for hours now. She picks a fry from the box, a tuna sandwich in the other hand.
“Are you okay?” She asks when the movie’s credit plays.
Megumi takes his time to answer. Is he okay? Yes, aside from the injuries which have already healed. Is the resurrection of Yuuji doesn’t affect him? No. It’s too much of a surprise that it circles back to underwhelming. He is glad that Yuuji is alive, stronger even than the last time they had seen each other. There’s no anger or sulking he feels needed to be vent out, he’s just very much relieved the teen is here. Vibrant and loud and cheerful. He doesn’t know what else to feel or do. Yuuji is back, that is real, and as much as it can be contributed to Sukuna, he just knows he will take it.
“I’m okay,” he replies. Because he is. “Really, I’m fine, Kugisaki,” he looks to her.
Nobara sees him and nods, “Good,” she says. “That’s good,”
They finish their food as Yuuji returns to the room. Sweat drenched and heaving.
“Had a good run?” Megumi wipes his hands.
“Totally,” Yuujin grins. “Man, Todou is unrelenting,” he drops down on the floor.
Nobara offers the box that has his order.
“Honestly, what’s up with him? He wasn’t this… friendly when we met him,”
“He wasn’t also with me at first, but he just changed in a snap,” Yuuji shrugs and bites a mouthful out of his chicken sandwich.
“Weird…” Nobara frowns at the oil dribbling down his chin. “Well, I don’t want to think about that gorilla anymore,” she hands him a napkin.
Yuuji only answers with a nod. His mouth busy munching through the food. He also picks up his milkshake, slurping it down to half in one go. Megumi cringes at the brain freeze but realizes this is Yuuji and he highly likely won’t even feel a smidge of it. There is a minute of Nobara throwing their takeout packages before pulling a laptop to his bed.
“What are we watching?” Yuuji picks up another sandwich. This time filled with salami and cheese. “Oh, oh! Can we watch this? I heard good things about it online,” he takes a huge swig of water while gesturing.
“The Queen’s Gambit?”
Megumi hovers the pointer on the series cover, “… It’s about chess,” he says. “I don’t know anything about it,”
“I’m in,” Nobara settles more in her chair, “It looks promising,” she glances at Megumi, “and only seven episodes long, we can finish this today,” she grins.
Ah, right, Megumi sees the date on his screen, tomorrow is a Saturday.
Two voices to one makes him clicks the first episode. It starts with what seems like a car crash? Then pans to a little girl being driven to an orphanage. They watch the girl going around the admittedly huge building with old architecture. Nobara has put her head on her arms with a pillow under her while Yuuji nibbles at some cookies. The boy is careful in not letting crumbs hit Megumi’s sheets. The three keeps on watching, following the girl meeting the janitor and finally hits the point where she is introduced to wonders of chess.
Alright, the show makes the game interesting, Megumi hums as the red-haired girl dominates the board.
It doesn’t take long for them to skip the credit and moves on to the next episode. Not wanting to strain their necks, Megumi piles some books on the bed. Nobara and Yuuji opts to completely move to sit on either side of him. The room is getting a bit nippier, and his friends insert their legs under his covers. More comfortable and with better view of the computer, the three resumes watching.
The day has turned to night when the final episode’s credit rolls on. The moon shrouded with clouds, the autumn wind starting to blow, and the backyard can be seen clearly no more.
“That,” Yuuji stretches as he gets up, “is a really good mini-series,” he concludes.
Nobara nods, “It’s surprisingly good. I mean, the story is nice but the set-up!” She sighs, “Her outfits are so good, she looks stunning. Those vintage dresses are very pretty,” she wonders if she can find one in a second-hand store. Something to remember the next time she goes shopping.
“What do you think, Fushiguro?” Yuuji asks as he collects empty boxes and bottles.
“I still don’t know how they do the playing but it’s entertaining,” he replies, closing his laptop. “It’s still enjoyable though,” he says. Already depositing the device back on the desk.
There is a minute of just Yuuji going out and in again from taking out the trash when he looks at the clock.
“Oh crap, it’s twelve,” he scratches his cheek, then as if on cue, he yawns. “Well, I’m going to bed now. Thanks a lot for today, it was fun,” he gives them a thumbs-up before leaving. “Good night, Fushiguro, Kugisaki,” he waves.
Shutting the door, he heads to the bathroom to brush his teeth. He yawns again as he changes out of his hoodie and jeans. The pajama is thick, the sleeves long enough in covering even his toes and fingertips. He usually isn’t one to wear proper nightclothes to sleep, a pullover and sweats are usually enough, but Gojo had given this with two others just a couple days ago. For no particular reason when he asked. It felt rude to refuse them when his teacher had practically been all grinning and shoved the package at him.
He fingers the sleeve while he walks to his room. Drooping slightly and yawning yet again. His hand is rubbing his face when he hears Megumi’s door creaks open. And he almost gasps seeing Nobara in her nightshirt.
---
“… So, you both have been sleeping together?”
“Yeah,”
“Oh, oh, well… um, I guess congra-”
Yuuji yelps and rubs his arm.
“It’s not that, you idiot!” Nobara grumbles. “Honestly… boys,” she sighs.
Yuuji looks confusingly between his two friends and points.
“You mean you just… sleep? On the same bed?” At the simultaneous nods, he asks, “Uh, can I ask why?”
Nobara puts her hand on her hip, “Well, we…”
“We just find that it is nice, and we sleep better that way,” Megumi cuts in. “It was mostly an accident, we had been too tired,” he says.
Yuuji scratches his head, “I see…” He looks at them, “I guess you both were training hard for the event, huh, no wonder we almost won,” he chuckles.
As the teen comes to terms with the fact, Nobara shoots Megumi a look. Inquiring and prodding. She doesn’t look mad or disagreeing, only the mere request for confirmation. Megumi answers her with a shake of his head, frowning to emphasize his decision. The girl blinks, understanding prominent, and waves him away. A mute concession exchange right under Yuuji’s nose.
“Yeah, you know how we all wanted to win and kick the Kyoto’s ass,” Nobara huffs. Strengthening the fabrication that the new amity between them makes. “It’s fine by us, even if it looks weird from the outside,” she plays with her hair.
“Hey, I’m not going to judge. I was just surprised, that’s all,” Yuuji frantically gestures. “It’s nice that you both find it comfortable,” he smiles.
As expected of Yuuji. Always accepting, always understanding. They truly are glad he is back. Nobara and Megumi shares a sigh, ready to call it a night for real this time, but the girl catches the most fleetingly of a glance Yuuji throws at them. So quick and so small, she would have missed it if she weren’t paying attention to him already. She knows that look, forlornness and unsurety mix into one melancholy.
Well, she thinks as she fixes her pillow, this thing isn’t exclusive for only two of them. As far as she knows.
So, she scoots a bit away from a spot, then says, “You can join us if you want,” affirming it with a nonchalant shrug.
The effect is immediate. Yuuji beams at them.
“Really? I mean, I don’t want to intrude here,” he plays with his sleeves ends.
Megumi ignores him and walks over to the door, “Come on, let’s get your pillows then,” he says.
There are a pile of pillows and blankets on Megumi’s bed soon. Different colors with varied patterns. His being the blandest one. Yuuji is shyly edging on the right while Nobara flicks the lamp off, plopping down next to Megumi’s left.
She whispers to him, “Why the hell you never offered to bring my pillows?”
He adjusts his arm so it won’t nudge Yuuji, “You can do it by yourself,” he replies and Nobara kicks him in the shin.
---
It is the same thing all over again. They need to adjust to Yuuji’s sleeping pattern which means a lot of new accidental kicking and slapping with the ever present rolling over. Nobara is at least light, and Megumi is quick to become aware when he starts crushing her, but Yuuji is a whole different matter. He is heavy, almost all solid muscles, and he is an octopus in his sleep. It provides a challenge since he is almost unrelenting in his hugs and unaware that the thing he murmurs at is another person instead of a pillow. And that isn’t all, he is an insanely early riser. Even more than Megumi. More than once, his friends will groggily peel one crusty eye open to notice the empty spot is already getting colder.
Yet as what happened previously, they quickly become accustomed to the new arrangement. At least, after a few maneuverings and a short comment on Nobara’s part, Yuuji finally has it in his subconscious that the warm, squishy things by him during sleep aren’t plushies. Still, they let him latch onto either when they go to bed. Overall, the three have the others’ patterns and rhythm down by the end of the week.
There is only one last problem though.
The bed.
It is wide enough to contain three persons, but soon it will feel like they’re sardines packed into a can in the long run. They absolutely won’t pool their money for a mattress because good grief, those are expensive. They do, however, find an alternative. During her internet surfing, Nobara comes across a community website for futons. It has both second hand and new ones which the owners haven’t used either due to a mistake or a change of choice, the website even offers free delivery fee if they are within the same district. It seems like a good option.
Megumi is browsing through the website when Gojo’s voice sounds at his left.
“Megumi-kun! What are you doing?” He glides over on the sofa. Sounding annoyingly bored.
The teen leans slightly away from his teacher, “Please don’t look into my phone without permission, Gojo-sensei,” he sighs.
“Ehhh, you looked so immersed, so I got curious,” Gojo whines.
Oh god, not this mood, Megumi sighs again.
“Why futons though?”
Megumi sighs once more. Gojo had creeped up on him good.
“Hey, hey, tell me. Are the beds not comfortable enough?”
“It’s not for me,” Megumi stops him. “We’re thinking of buying one big enough for…” He tries to search for the right word, “… sleepovers,” he finishes lamely.
“Hmmm,” Gojo rubs his chin. “Sleepovers, eh?” He smiles. Teasingly.
Megumi really doesn’t know what the man is thinking currently. He clicks his tongue, looking away from his teacher while he holds his phone tighter.
“Well, it looks like a good bonding time,” Gojo claps his hands and before Megumi can ask, he plucks his phone. “Let’s see,” Gojo swipes through the list. Infinity activated. “Ah, how about this? It looks big and wide, I’m sure it fits your room,” he grins then immediately presses ‘pay’.
“Gojo-sensei!”
“Don’t worry, I also cover the delivery fee,” he grins.
The phone is quickly flicked back to Megumi. He checks the order, and sure enough, he receives an email thanking him for the purchase. He stares at it.
“Have fun with your sleepovers! Bye bye,” Gojo waves then leaves the lounge. Grin still in place.
Megumi huffs at his retreating back.
Three days later, the futon arrives. Nobara and Yuuji can only balk at the size and quality. Almost scared to actually use it.
---
Yuuji may not be the most observant of people, but he thinks he is decent at it. And when you are with the same people almost every single day, you are bound to pick up things. Even more so as you practically sleep on the same futon now every night.
He notices Megumi first. His friend tends to keep him in the middle when they sleep, arm sometimes drapes over his stomach as the night goes further. When Yuuji gets up for water or the toilet, it is perceptible for a hand patting him sluggishly after he lays down once more. Megumi likes to curl around him, neck bowing towards his crown. He rarely mumbles, still and so silent in his breathing. There had been a split-second thought that the raven-haired teen wouldn’t near his head to his chest like what he usually does with Nobara, but one night, Yuuji feels someone leaning onto his breast. He doesn’t have the heart to move Megumi, face peaceful and deep into slumber.
Nobara is a bit tricky since she passes out the fastest among the three. She stays in one position before her arm or leg will slide over him, but he barely feels it. She doesn’t weight as much as him. Aside from that, she mostly rests her back against him, arms and legs splay sideways. Though like Megumi, even rarely, Yuuji blinks his eyes open to see her head resting almost to his stomach. She seems to deem it is a nice spot subconsciously. One thing that he notices the most is that she tends her arm over her friends, taking them into her radius.
They shift places sporadically, deciding who is where right before they turn in. Though there are two positions they gravitate to, Nobara in the middle while the two boys curl around her or Yuuji placing himself between them and gets an arm each either drape or hugging him. Megumi dislikes being caged by the two, starfish and octopus as they are.
Right now, Yuuji sleeps with Megumi sleeping higher than him, almost spooning him, while Nobara has her legs over his own. His friends are already dead to the world, never once budge when he whispers their names. They don’t even twitch, hair mussed, and mouth slightly opened. The teen huffs, somehow his friends’ sleeping face endear him. He absently brushes Megumi’s hair, marveling at how pointy they look but deceptively soft. They smell floral which now he thinks as he moves to put strands away from Nobara’s face, the same as hers. Her hair shines under the low sunlight, and Yuuji makes the connection she might be sharing hair products to Megumi. The smell and texture are too similar to be a coincidence!
He chuckles, pulling his hand away and leans more into his pillow. The rustling branches filters through the window, the sunlight slants in such a way the shadows are prominent, and the room having a soft glow. It makes him feel… melancholic? Nostalgic? No, there’s a word for it but he can’t rack his mind for it under the waves of a time suspended. His vision floats about with the swaying of the trees outside, with the sun’s orange which should be familiar after seeing it a hundred times over yet not, and he can’t find it in himself to move from such gelatin-like lethargy.
There are two bodies by his sides. Two breathing, existing people encasing him in their presence. They slot perfectly, puzzle pieces abstract enough to discern yet harmonizes with their neighbors. It has been a long time, the vague loneliness and pure remembrance of a past that was murkily made in his beginning years, of a mother and a father that stayed with him. He had grown fast enough for his grandfather to not be in the same room as him while they rested. And Yuuji never thought much about it, that had seemed normal, a big boy’s step towards becoming someone older.
He hadn’t known he had missed this once. A flicker remembered.
The realization how much he likes this settles on him at the same time his eyelids are shutting close. He pulls his two friends nearer. Tighter. And noting one thing.
They’re warm.
---
Gojo knocks on the door. It is a testament to how drained his student is if he can’t even answer. The man shrugs, swinging the mochis in the plastic bag, and wonders if he can just put them at the door. On a whim, he decides against it, instead curling his hand around the door handle. It sways slightly open. Gojo shakes his head at Yuuji for not locking it.
He is tiptoeing inside when he sees them. The sight makes him grin, pulling out his phone, and checking it is on silent before snapping pictures of his students sleeping together. Nobara has her arms over Yuuji while the boy has one hand on Megumi’s side, his friend also draping an arm over him with his head on his chest. They are snoring softly, unaware of the newcomer, and Gojo notes the way Yuuji has a faint smile aside from the drool. He takes one last photo then decides the mochis might be a good surprise for them as he puts the box on the desk. A note scribbled on top with a crude, chibi drawing of himself.
And he is almost to the door again when Yuuji mutters, scrunching his face before turning his face away. On cue, Nobara moves, her arms spread to the other side, legs still tangled up with Yuuji and creates a domino effect where Megumi scoots his head when her limbs no longer is on Yuuji. Then and there, Gojo thinks how unfairly cute these children are. Seeing them like this never give away how strong and sometimes, batshit insane, these young sorcerers are.
He crouches down, then crosses his legs as he looks at them. Peaceful, deceptively innocent-looking, and soft. Their sleeping faces remind him of his own school years. Him, Shoko, and Geto had been eating like heathens after a mission, huddled under a tree. They missed their teacher calling when Geto decided it wouldn’t hurt to close their eyes for a bit. It was a small, innocuous thing to be remembering. So insignificant, and weak, in the face of everything.
But something about the way his students hold each other tugs at his eyelids. He rubs his face, checking the time on his phone, and thinks it is almost a late afternoon for a nap. Still, he stretches, almost cat-like, draping himself by the edge of the futon. The one he had whimsically bought for Megumi.
His glasses are pushed away and before he invites himself to sleep, he pats the covers. Humming.
We’re warm.
---
It is past dinner time when Gojo’s awake again.
Nobara almost screams when she sees him splays out on top of the futon.