Archive of Our Own

Chapter Text

People around were congratulating them on their graduation and praising Megumi's words of gratitude while their seniors were there to visit as well, showering them in praises and telling them to get ready for college. Maki was trying to share some scary stories about her college professors but Panda was telling her to quit it, causing Yuuta to try and de-escalate their possible argument. Meanwhile, Inumaki was wordlessly showering the trio with gifts he thought they would need for college. His presents ranged from chewable vitamins to customized mugs which they were really grateful for.

Megumi was trying to force a smile and navigate his way around the crowd forming around him. Hug after hug, praise after praise — it was starting to all blend together.

The twisting feeling in the pit of his stomach curled even more when he was trying to ignore it. It's been there even before the entire ceremony started.

His gaze was shifting from the many people saying their finals goodbyes and then back to the medals and the sash he was wearing. All the sounds of crying and laughter seemed distant and foreign to his ears, like he was underwater. Figures seemed like blurs and small talk felt like suffocation.

When he finally had enough space away from the people, away from prying eyes, realization hit him like a freight train. He's clutching at his toga, trying to ground himself.

Not only does he acknowledge the fact that he was talking to some of these people for the last time, but another haunting and undeniable truth taunted the back of his mind. This thought had almost choked him up when he was giving his speech on the podium and gave him a reason why he couldn't meet the eyes of the people who wished him well.

On a day that was supposed to honor all his efforts —

Megumi realizes that he has surpassed his sister. All her dreams from this point, Megumi's got it — she just wasn't there to see it all.

He was shaking in an effort to try to get his breathing under control and there were tears forming in eyes. ‘Why does it have to happen now?’ Megumi thought. He could have fallen apart much later in the solitude of his own room, but no, his body just so happened to choose his graduation ceremony as the perfect occasion.

He was so ready to break down in that empty corridor, letting a few tears shed, but Gojo found him before his state could get any worse. He didn't know if he felt relieved or annoyed at the fact that he could never get away from the watchful eyes of his stepfather.

“What is Mr. Valedictorian doing here all by himself?” Gojo teased, lowering his posture and his dark glasses a bit to throw Megumi a look of suspicion. “Are you crying, Megumi?”

Gojo straightens up and hands him a handkerchief silently without waiting for his answer. Megumi took it, not missing the fact that it had the Gojo clan's symbol carefully embroidered into it. Hundred-dollar handkerchief, ruined by tears and snot — how befitting.

“Yuuji's dad is looking for you. Says his son's running around the track field like some hamster looking for enrichment. I think that kid needs you...”

‘-and you need him.’ Megumi knows, understands what Gojo leaves unsaid. If anything, he appreciates Gojo the most when he shuts up. He tucked the handkerchief into his pocket knowing that Gojo would give it to him anyway and pulled himself together. He didn't waste a single moment trying to get to Yuuji.

He walked past well-wishers with a polite nod or smile, Nobara raised an eyebrow when they made eye contact but he simply returned her facial expression before she had to talk to Fumi's mother who peppered her in kisses.

When he was near the track field, his sprint slowed. As the wind gently blew on his toga, he wondered if Yuuji truly wanted him there. Sometimes, he knew there were days when Yuuji wanted to keep to himself and Megumi knew that. Heck, he had a lot of days himself. But when he heard a yell coming from inside the track, he knew he was needed. Pushing his doubts, he let himself in, even if he wasn't wanted.

Heading inside, Megumi first found Yuuji's toga and gifts carelessly left on one of the bleachers near the entrance, and true enough, he was running around the track like a man on a mission. Megumi kept his distance, patiently waiting for Yuuji to calm himself on his own terms, though it didn't take long for Yuuji to spot him sitting on the bleachers, slow down his running pace and approach him. Yuuji’s breathing was labored and he was sweating enough for some of his hair to stick to his forehead.

“What are you doing?” was the first thing Megumi said to Yuuji when he was within earshot.

“Going for a run!”

“Mm, yeah, I see that,” Megumi replied flatly.

He watched as Yuuji’s stance shifted into a much more awkward position, his eyes looking at everything except Megumi and his face conveyed the fact that there were a million words on the tip of his tongue that he could not seem to grasp. Eventually, he gave up trying to speak and his jaw clenched while threw his head back to look up into the sky — that's when Megumi realized that Yuuji was trying not to cry.

“Can you come sit here and tell me what's wrong?” Megumi offered, scooting over and patting the space next to him. Yuuji let out a long sigh before joining Megumi on the bleachers, sitting down and pulling his knees up to his body.

“What's going on with you, Itadori?

After a long pause, Yuuji finally said in a quiet voice, “I just wish they were both still here, y'know?”

Megumi nodded, not having to ask which people he was referring to. “I'm sure they'd be proud of you if they saw you now.”

Yuuji placed his face into his hands. “It's still different not having them here with me. My eyes can clearly see they aren't here, but my heart just can't seem to stop looking for them.”

It was silent for a moment, before Yuuji lifted his head again and said, “I know you get what I mean, Megs. You of all people.”

Megumi does not trust himself with words and so he chose to instead communicate in a way that he knows Yuuji understands the most, which is through wordless touch. Slowly, he placed a hand on Yuuji's back and the pink-haired boy visibly relaxed when Megumi gently rubbed his back in circles. The soft touch must have gotten through Yuuji somehow because he was finally letting some of his tears flow down his cheeks.

“How do you,” Yuuji tried to manage in-between sobs, “how do you deal with all of this so well?”

Megumi let out a snort, “Trust me, I was barely keeping it together a while ago.”

“So how do you do that? Keep yourself together?” Yuuji said, looking at Megumi with such confusion that even Megumi was taken aback by the vulnerability that he was seeing.

He retracted his arm on Yuuji's back, his walls slowly building themselves up around him as he tried to form a coherent answer. His second nature dictates that he shifts the topic at that point, but he was more than just instincts. Yuuji, his closest friend, was on the brink of falling apart. If raw emotionality is what Yuuji needed, then that's what Megumi was willing to give. Slowly, he tries to pick apart the walls around him.

“Practice, I guess? It's been so long that on some days I can barely remember the sound of my sister's voice anymore,” Megumi replied, staring down on his hands placed on his lap. “And you know my mother died when I was born so it doesn’t bother me as much.”

“And your dad? He's still out there, right?”

Megumi clenched his hands into fists and pursed his lips. Having this intimate conversation was already something he was struggling with and Megumi wasn't about to start crying in front of his best friend. “I don't know about that, Itadori. How exactly do I begin to grieve over someone who's still alive?”

A silence fell upon them and Megumi was slightly shaking again because of all the emotions wracking through his body.

Eventually, Yuuji reached out to gently hold Megumi's arm and stop his shaking. “I'm sorry, I think I'm being a little too sappy right now.”

Megumi looked at Yuuji and shook his head. “No, it's understandable. It's alright.”

Yuuji managed a small smile and wiped away the stray tears on his face. “I guess I just hate times like this when I have to say goodbye. Why not say something like ‘see you later’ instead?”

Megumi furrowed his eyebrows, “But our goodbye is temporary. We live close by, we can always see each other soon.”

“Yeah, but you and Nobara are leaving for the University of Tokyo and I'll be all by myself.”

“That's not true,” Megumi interjected, “We aren't leaving you. We'll always think about you and we'll make sure to text and call you.”

“And Fumi's going to live in the apartment where you and Nobara are and she might replace me to the point you won't even remember to do those things,” Yuuji retorted.

“No one's replacing anyone. If anything, the distance is going to make Nobara and I miss you even more.” Megumi was pretty sure he's got this small smile on his face that can't hide his slight amusement.

Yuuji merely snorted and Megumi reassured him again.

The acceptance letters were already sent out and they knew exactly where they were all headed. It was no surprise to anyone that both Nobara and Megumi got into the most prestigious university in the country, but Yuuji wasn't going to tag along with them. Although, it didn't mean that he didn't get a sweet deal either.

“You've got scouts hounding you and sports agents in your DMs — your future's practically guaranteed. Have you replied to that one university's offer?”

“The one near our town? Nope,” Yuuji replied.

“Alright, what about the one offering you accommodations?”

“Not even."

Megumi was now the one sweating bullets since application season was almost over. Just the other week, Gojo was already looking into apartment units for Megumi to stay in, despite his wishes to simply use public transportation. If Yuuji doesn't grab the opportunities in front of him, the buzz around him could eventually cool off and the agents would stop calling and, and—

“Hey, Fushiguro, don't worry about me, okay? I got this,” Yuuji reassured him, interrupting his thoughts. “I thought long and hard about it and I already accepted an offer.”

“You did?”

Yuuji nodded before he inhaled deeply and slumped into the bleachers as he exhaled. “Sure did, buddy. So, stop being so concerned and just focus on your move.”

“Wait, which–”

Before Megumi could finish his question, Yuuji's father was calling out both of their names by the entrance. Yuuji got up and started packing up the things he had left on the bleachers into a bag.

“Which offer did you accept?” Megumi probed as they walked to Yuuji's dad's car so they could eat out in celebration. Yuuji merely shrugged and put an arm around Megumi's shoulders.

“Pay for my food and maybe I'll answer you,” Yuuji teased.

…

The days leading up to college had honestly felt like a dream to Megumi and the first few days of being a freshman was like waking up to such a bleak reality.

Megumi lived each day with the same gameplan: attend classes, go back to the apartment  as unnoticed as possible, but also at least try to be a semi-normal human being. However, grief — whether that was for his sister, his old life or for something else completely — was like tartarus. An all-consuming, endless pit of darkness and it had Megumi falling for so long.

Getting up in bed in the morning felt like a terrible hangover and taking care of himself felt like a mindless chore. The workload was something he was still getting used to and his peers have all joined up in friend groups while he's stuck being a floater of some sort — getting along with everyone, but not enough to stick. Everything they warned him about college was right. Being accepted into the University of Tokyo used to be the hardest thing for any applicant, but he later on realized trying to stay on top of everything was the much harder thing to do.

The only thing truly keeping him together was the fact that he was greeted by the sight of Nobara and Fumi's domesticity in the morning.

“Hi, sleeping beauty. Fumi made us onigiri, want some?” Nobara said, handing him a plate of two. He'd murmur his thanks and munch on them slowly. He likes to pretend he eats a lot but most of the time, he mindlessly chews on autopilot and stares at his plate. His appetite has always been such a wreck.

“Oh, give him the thing!” Fumi reminded Nobara who immediately grabbed something from the living room. “Yuuji shipped a package to us. It's supposedly for you.”

That made Megumi let out a small, confused noise. Besides their usual texts, they actually haven't gotten any news of Yuuji's exact whereabouts since graduation because he was busy doing talks with his agent and settling the matter on which university he was attending. He never even answered his question when he paid for their graduation lunch.

“Kinda bitter he didn't get me anything,” Nobara huffed out, setting the box in front of Megumi and taking an angry bite out of her onigiri. “I think he's forgetting the fact he's got two bestfriends.”

Megumi simply rolled his eyes at her comment, but got visibly more perked up at the sight of the package. He slowly cut the tape away and opened the box to find a letter, a varsity jacket and a hardbound copy of ‘The Little Prince’ inside. He gently got the things out of the box and admired them. The books had that signature smell he liked and the navy blue jacket had the Nippon Sport Science University logo on the left chest area. He unfolded the letter and moved his chair back a bit from the table since both Fumi and Nobara were also curious about the contents of the package.

“I told you not to worry so much,” Yuuji started in his letter, making Megumi snort.

“I guess you can tell by now what university I chose by the jacket I put in the box. Since we're about the same size and their management sent me too much, I thought I'd give you one. They also have this cool secondhand bookstore next to my dorm! I bought some comic books and I also got you an illustrated copy of ‘The Little Prince’ for cheap! I just remembered you told me about it before and it's kind of reminding me about the fact we're kinda like him. We are totally exploring new worlds right now and I hope you know that I'll manage! SO, just take care of yourself! Bye -Y

(P.S. Tell Kugisaki and Fumi I'd get them something else when you guys come by for one of my games. I just don't have much here that I think they'd enjoy!)” And he scribbles a tiny frustrated doodle of himself at the bottom right corner.

The letter makes Megumi choke up a bit, especially at the part about the Little Prince. He read the letter once more and gently rubbed his thumb over the doodle as if it would somehow make him feel closer to Yuuji again. Trust Yuuji to make it feel like navigating the loneliness of college was an adventure.

Nobara whistled. “Damn, he really went to the sports university. He’s practically set for life.”

“He says he’s sorry for not giving you guys anything. He’d give you something for when we go see his games,” Megumi informed them quietly as he put the jacket on to try it.

“Oh, that’s alright,” Fumi said, stacking her now empty plate on top of Nobara’s. “At least he got you a good jacket! It’s slightly big on you, but you look great.”

“Ugh! He could have given me something in the flea market or something!” Nobara complained in spite of Fumi trying to deescalate the situation. “Tell him I’m gonna give him a big pinch when I see him!”

Megumi brushed her off and excused himself from the table to get a look of himself in the mirror. Fumi was right, the jacket was a bit big on him and it was probably because of all the extra muscle Yuuji had recently put on over the past year. Megumi guessed that he probably forgot they weren’t exactly the same build anymore. He doesn’t mind it, though. In fact, his cheeks warmed up a bit at the realization.

There was another feeling also lately in his gut that he could not quite name. It’s scary to think that a psychology major like him is having such a difficult time trying to dissect his own feelings, but he’s got these moments where a warmth blooms within him to momentarily displace the empty void that resides inside him — like sunlight peeking through blackout curtains. He does not know what the fuzzy feelings mean or what causes them, but all he knows is he is far too busy and deeply hollow to even want to begin introspection.

So, as always, he shoves the warmth in his chest into the cold recesses of mind and takes a picture of himself in the mirror to send to Yuuji.

“Thanks for the jacket and the book,” He typed out. “See you in Nittaidai.”

And then moments later, Nobara also texted in their group chat: “Could’ve gotten me something from the flea market smh

I’m gonna pinch you when I see you!”

Looking up from his phone, he caught a glimpse of himself again in the mirror and he had this small, stupid smile on his face. Megumi hasn’t seen himself smile in the past few days and honestly, it felt really nice to be doing it again. Before the warmth in his chest could get a hold of him, Megumi simply sighed, placed his phone inside his pajama pocket and went back to the dining area with Fumi and Nobara.

…

If Megumi was finding it so difficult to swim through the dizzying currents of college, Yuuji was having it relatively easy. Yes, the constant dieting and training is excruciating on him physically, and if he isn't careful, it might even start affecting him mentally, but Yuuji being Yuuji — his willpower was off the charts and almost nothing was going to stop him from enjoying his life as an athlete-scholar. The buzz his sponsors and the media in general had concocted around him also helped in terms of trying to get along with his peers. Everyone just wanted a chance to befriend the new hotshot pitcher and outfielder of Nittaidai.

However, he still found himself feeling just a little bit half-empty when it came to the people that surrounded him in university. Some of the girls he genuinely wanted as friends turned out to be secret admirers and even a senior of his, Todo, enthusiastically took him under his wing and was spouting the wildest things like they were as close as brothers and he was convinced they were separated when Yuuji was born. They've only known each other for a month!

Yuuji didn't even know who was being real and who was not. And honestly, it was starting to bug his spirit.

Though, there was a silver lining. Two months into the semester, a familiar face reintroduced herself to him — Yuko Ozawa, a former classmate of his from high school. It was nice that there was someone there who could maybe reconnect him to some normalcy of his past life before all the publicity.

“...Ozawa?” he called out, when he caught a glimpse of her walking around campus one day. She was carrying this high stack of books and her vision was being slightly blocked by them which made her navigate her way around in a slow and cautious manner.

She froze mid-step and she called out uncertainly, “Hello?”

She was clearly unable to see who was trying to call her which made Yuuji immediately take pity on her and grab about two-thirds of the pile with ease. “Careful. You're gonna snap your spine carrying all these.”

When the weight was finally taken from her and she saw Yuuji's friendly face, a big smile made its way on Yuko’s face. “Yuuji! I can't believe you're here too!”

He grinned. “Yeah, I'm glad to see you too!”

“I heard about a promising pitcher and outfielder named Yuuji Itadori playing for the college team, but I honestly didn't connect the dots!” Yuko said bashfully. “I didn't think it was you! I'm not really a baseball person…”

“Well, I actually can't believe that's what they say about me,” Yuuji replied, slightly embarrassed. “But enough about me, how are you? What program are you taking?”

They continued their conversation while walking in the original direction Yuko was heading towards, like they were high school classmates again. She mentioned that she was taking Sports Management and she was really starting to enjoy the classes she was in for the current semester. She also brought up some sort of complex project she was working on and, with a small laugh, how she was also dating someone in another university nearby.

“What about you? Are you seeing anyone? With that reputation around you, you must be getting a lot of attention, Itadori,” she teased.

Yuuji laughed and shook his head. “I'm really not interested in that sort of stuff right now. I'm still getting used to everything and I'm already so busy with studying and training.”

“That's understandable,” she said as they entered a lecture room and she dropped the books on one of the tables. “Though, I think you should cut yourself some slack too sometimes. Maybe go out and have fun with your teammates?”

All Yuuji could do was respond with a nervous smile as he internally shuddered at the memory of Todo showing him the locket he got that had his picture next to a popular idol.

Noticing his discomfort, Yuko didn't push the topic further and instead gave him a gentle pat on the arm. “Well, I'm super happy to see you again, Yuuji. Thank you also for helping me out with these books.”

“It's no problem,” he reassured her. “I'm happy to see you too, Ozawa.”

“I guess I’ll see you around campus. If you're lucky, I'd even let you meet the guy I'm dating!” she joked.

Other students were also starting to enter the room and Yuuji took that as his sign to leave. “Yeah, I guess I'll see you around!”

He heard some hushed whispers coming from some students that recognized him as he got out of the lecture room and walked to the training facility. Thankfully, he was far too joyful to care about what they were saying anyway.

…

Megumi was losing his shit.

Finals week was looming and yet some of his electives were actually out to kill him with a ton of projects due the days leading up to his major exams. So, here he was — he had a tab open for a paper on art appreciation due tomorrow morning, another tab for a video essay on apathy and he had pieces of paper glued to his skin because of a collage about a public park trip that he recently had all at once. He groaned and put his head down on his folded arms on the desk in frustration. He could have used all this time studying for his exams but instead his perfectionist self wouldn't settle for anything less than a stellar output in anything he does.

He was about to shed a few tears and maybe wallow again over his current miserable state when his phone rang. He lifted his face from his arms and read the caller ID: A video call initiated from the group chat that he, Yuuji and Nobara were a part of. He sat up, fixed his tousled hair a bit and accepted the call.

“Hey, Fushiguro!” Yuuji greeted him with a huge grin on his face but got smaller when they saw that Nobara rejected the call. “Aw, man, why'd she do that?”

“She's in the middle of her flashcard sets,” Megumi said, surprised at how tired his voice seemed. He cleared his throat and tried to speak again while pushing down any hint of his fatigue. “You know how she is about them.”

Yuuji frowned and replied, “Right, right. I was just gonna ask if you guys wanted to attend my game next week, but I'm guessing you're all busy by then.”

Megumi looked at the calendar he wrote down on his whiteboard and saw the multiple deadlines written in angry red marker. He tsked and ran a hand through his hair. “Sorry, Itadori. Packed week for us here. When exactly is this game?"

“Friday night next week,” Yuuji said with a smile, though it didn't reach his eyes which gave him away to Megumi.

He looked at the calendar again and saw that Friday evening was relatively free, given that he finishes his work by afternoon on that day. There was a big chance that he might be able to pull it off, but he would be really tired by the end of it all. For a moment, he wrestled with his better judgement and without another thought said, “Oh, then maybe I can go.”

Yuuji started jumping for joy. “Awesome! I'm gonna train so hard that you won't be disappointed!”

Megumi shook his head with a smile of his own. “Please don't exert yourself too much. You'd hurt yourself.”

As their call went on that night, Megumi could feel the fuzzy edges of that warm feeling in his gut again. For a while now, he thinks that perhaps it is just the feeling of him being happy again because of the sense of normalcy he feels around his friends. But if that were the case, why did this feeling only start a few months ago when college started? It should have started long ago if his friends making him happy was the reason. Megumi didn't really have enough time to ponder about it too deeply.

“Also, you wouldn't guess who I saw today,” Yuuji said while chopping some vegetables for his meatball dish. The camera was propped up somewhere on the counter so that Yuuji could continue with the call while he made himself dinner which meant that Megumi had a whole view of Yuuji in his kitchenette.

“Are we close to this person?”

“You and Nobara? No, not really. I guess I'm more familiar with her.”

Megumi was trying to rack his brain for a possible answer, but his mind was just blank as he aimlessly stared at Yuuji on his phone's screen. He tracked Yuuji’s easy movements, a feeling of content settling in his bones over the fact that they talked to each other as if they had all the time in the world.

Sensing no answer, Yuuji finally said, “You remember Yuko Ozawa?”

The pen he was mindlessly fidgeting with in his hand stills and an unknown pressure builds in the base of his skull like an incoming, infuriating migraine. He rubbed the bridge of his nose and sunk deeper into his chair. ‘Must be tired,’ Megumi decided, as he felt the warmth that was blooming inside him twist into something even more foreign to him.

“Yeah, I remember her,” he replied, sitting up and stretching a bit in his chair. “Didn't she have feelings for you a few years ago?”

His response earned him a laugh from Yuuji. “Yup, that's her!”

Yuuji then talked about the interaction that they had and all Megumi could really do was nod and hum in response to him because he was not particularly well-acquainted with her. He was also trying his hardest to control his facial expressions as the fuzzy feeling inside was going haywire.

“It was just nice having a familiar face. It has been such a whirlwind here these past few months! I'm still not used to people just randomly knowing who I am,” Yuuji said wistfully, trying to give his most sincere smile to Megumi. However, Megumi frowned, noticing the familiar tone that Yuuji was using and instinctively knew Yuuji was hiding something again.

Yuuji was missing him and Nobara, Megumi knew that. He could tell by the usual length of their calls and the way Yuuji looked at them through the screen like he was trying not to miss a single detail of their exchanges. But of course, Yuuji wasn't going to ball his eyes out during their calls. He wanted to talk to them, know about their day and invite them to hangouts. Gosh, Yuuji was so sickeningly sentimental — he, with his big heart, could barely contain the love he has for his friends.

Eventually, when Yuuji was done with cooking his dinner and their conversation had transitioned into their usual, casual topics like practice schedules and new places Yuuji explored around his campus’ area, they had decided to end the call so that Megumi could go back to work and Yuuji could eat his dinner in peace.

“Hey, you know that you can always call us if you want to, right?” Megumi reminded him before Yuuji could hang up. “I mean, maybe Nobara would be busy, but I'll at least try to answer you.”

Yuuji nodded. “I know, Fushiguro, I know. Thank you.”

“Eat lots, I'll talk to Nobara about your Friday match.”

Yuuji was staring again and Megumi almost didn't have it in himself to end the call. But for the sake of Yuuji eating properly and him being able to finish his tasks, he said, “Good night, Itadori.”

“Good night,” Yuuji said quietly.

Megumi’s finger hovered over the red ‘End Call’ button for a moment before he finally pressed it, ending their conversation. The warmth in his gut dulled to something more bearable, easing the pressure behind his eyes. With a sigh, he grabbed an energy drink and sat back at his desk. That silent, melancholic look Yuuji had was burned into his mind. Even if it killed him, he’d finish everything and be at that Friday game.

…

Nobara yawned. “Do we seriously have to go? We need to sleep and we still have some material to–”

“But it would mean the world to Yuuji if you came to his first game this season after he's trained so hard,” Fumi said, fixing her jacket that was similar to the one Nobara was wearing. They were twinning again today while Megumi unsurprisingly chose the jacket that Yuuji had given him during his first few weeks in Nittaidai — the unknown fuzzy warm feeling blooming inside him in a familiar manner again once he put it on.

Nobara could not resist making a comment about it. “I can't believe you wore that, you must really like it.”

“Fuck off,” Megumi retorted.

“Ugh, I'm still pinching him for not getting me anything!”

It seemed that Nobara had no choice but to join the two as they all got in the car: Megumi as the designated driver and the couple being put in the backseat. Like the apartment, the car was given as a gift for Megumi by Gojo as well. It was a discreet, dark sedan that blended easily into traffic, which Gojo insisted was “perfect for a college kid who doesn’t want to be noticed.”

Once they hit the road, the Friday night rush had only begun, to their dismay. Megumi estimated that the usual forty-minute drive would turn into an hour. Megumi was already mentally trying to prepare himself for Nobara to complain the whole way through about all the car honking and traffic happening, but looking at the rearview mirror, he realized that the two of them had fallen asleep in the back. Nobara was leaning into Fumi's shoulder while Fumi peacefully laid her head onto Nobara's.

He couldn’t help but smile at the sight and lowered the music so as not to disturb them. The quiet was comforting, but it also left too much space for his thoughts to wander.

The thought of seeing Yuuji again was always such a delight, but a part of him couldn’t help wondering if Yuuji had found much closer friends at Nittaidai. Just a few months ago, Yuuji was worried about being replaced, but given how popular he was, maybe he had been the one to move on first. The idea left an unsettling feeling in Megumi’s chest — one he knew was unfair, because Yuuji getting along with others was a good thing. It should’ve been a good thing.

Nevertheless, he continued driving in silence, focusing on the road until Nobara stirred awake about thirty minutes later.

“Are we there yet? These other drivers are so bad and slow,” she muttered groggily. Fumi hushed her gently and told her that by the current time, she could tell they were near.

Megumi simply tsked and let the sight of the school gates answer for him. Truth be told, Megumi has never been to Yuuji's university before and was worried that they might have been too late in terms of finding a good parking spot. Thankfully, they did find one, but they had to walk a bit to get to the ballpark.

“I'm gonna have to do more than just pinch the guy when I see him for all this trouble,” Nobara remarked, but despite her words, there was a huge smile on her face. She always had such a soft spot for Yuuji no matter how much they would “argue”.

On the other hand, Megumi's heart rate was unusually spiking. Was he nervous? He doesn't exactly know. Most importantly, what could he possibly be nervous about? It's not like he's the one playing tonight. Perhaps the mental spiral his thoughts had gone through on the drive had affected him more than it should have.

The signs around the huge campus were clear enough for them to easily find the baseball field and they were excited to see their friend again, but they didn't realize that there would be so many people and some media present. They were getting lost in the lake of people, until Megumi caught a glimpse of light dyed hair. Next thing you know, a familiar pair of eyes were looking back at him.

“Fushiguro!” Yuuji called out, waving enthusiastically with a big grin plastered on his face.

Megumi couldn't help but smile as well while Nobara and Fumi also waved back to him energetically. The three of them were about to walk their way toward Yuuji, but suddenly a bunch of people from sport channels gathered around the players of the collegiate team to get their insights. They tried finding ways to get to Yuuji, but sadly the wall of journalists was far too impenetrable.

They ultimately gave up and decided to prioritize getting good seats instead.

As they walked around the rows, someone was waving in their direction. They all squinted their eyes to get a better look before Nobara finally said, “Is that Ozawa?”

Sure enough, Yuko Ozawa was seated in the first row behind home plate, her arm linked with a man Megumi assumed was her boyfriend. She pointed to the open seats beside her, gesturing for them to come down.

Megumi wasn’t thrilled about the location — too attention-grabbing, too close to the action. But with less than twenty minutes until first pitch, there wasn’t much choice.

Nobara wasted no time launching into conversation once they sat, introducing Fumi with casual flair. Yuko introduced her partner too, and mentioned that Yuuji had asked her to save those seats for his friends.

This was the spring season Yuuji had been talking about for months — every call, every text filled with excitement, nerves, and hope.

The monsoon gusts ruffled Megumi’s jacket and sent the flags atop the bleachers into a restless frenzy, their frantic flapping a perfect mirror to the storm stirring inside him. He watched the field, waiting for the players to emerge, silently praying that Yuuji’s nerves wouldn’t get the better of him.

The game was about to begin. And Megumi could already feel the pounding of his heart.

But as Yuuji emerged onto the field with the biggest smile and glint in his eyes, Megumi realized that there wasn't really anything to worry about. Nobara also quickly got up from her seat the moment she saw Yuuji and started cheering for him.

“I thought you said you were tired,” Megumi joked.

Nobara told him to shut up and just let her be happy for Yuuji while Fumi joined in on the cheering but stayed seated alongside Ozawa. Only Megumi was the one who was quiet and he knew Yuuji would understand. In fact, Yuuji actually caught a glimpse of them and his smile grew impossibly wider.

The first few-innings were a bit slow with neither of the teams scoring any points. There were predictions of a downpour later in the evening which made the air smell wet and the spectators hoped they wouldn't get drenched in the middle of the game. As for the players, the wind was an uninvited guest.

After the three outs, the announcer said, “On the mound today for Nittaidai, number 2 – Itadori Yuuji!”

There was some light cheering and clapping coming from the bleachers — particularly from Nobara who was cupping her mouth with her hands to shout as Fumi tried to lightly tug at her jacket to sit her back down.

Nobara was stubborn though. “Go Itadori! Strike ‘em out!” she shouted.

Megumi also noticed that in some other part of the audience there were a group of girls who held up posters of different players and he wasn't shocked to see that Yuuji has a tiny group of fans himself. He merely shook his head and let his eyes focus back into the playing field.

There were some murmurs as well such as people wondering why Yuuji was chosen as the pitcher when he was a new guy. There were so many great players in the team and surely they chose Yuuji to join them because he was just as talented, but the choice of a freshman this early into the season was questionable to most. Fumi was even trying to stop Nobara from telling off the people behind them who were doubting Yuuji's skills.

Tapping his glove twice while testing the weight of the ball, Yuuji rolled his shoulders and put on a very calm and serious expression on his face. Megumi and Nobara have seen him play multiple times and they were getting hyped knowing Yuuji was about to truly show people why he's worth the risky play.

He did his windup — and then came this palpable crack through the air in the ballpark after Yuuji threw a fastball.

Almost like a black flash had made the batter have a strike.

Nobara sprang up again. “Go get ‘em some more, Itadori!”

Fumi immediately pulled her down.

The hushed voices behind the trio were silenced and Nobara could not hide her delight as she got up again to give Yuuji another shout of encouragement. Megumi could feel himself smirk as he watched Yuuji ready himself again for another throw and tightened his stance as the wind picked up again.

Strike two.

At just the last moment before he loses contact with the ball, Megumi could see from his angle that Yuuji always pours out this controlled but explosive power that is generated from sheer drive and raw talent. You would be stupid not to see that Yuuji, despite his lack of experience in professional games, was oozing natural athleticism.

Strikeout after strikeout.

His agent must be out there screaming in joy as Megumi could see from the corner of his eye that these men with papers, scouts he's guessing, were scribbling furiously. The beauty about Yuuji's throws is that once he finds the perfect way to do it for a certain batter, he knows exactly how to replicate what he just did. He was an absolute unit of an athlete — it wasn't surprising for anyone why he was so wanted by universities.

By the fourth inning, the coach signals him out. Nobara is a bit confused by it but Ozawa explains that since this was the first game of the new season, they most likely put Yuuji on first as a pitcher to see how he performs under pressure. His near-perfect throws practically secured his importance to the team.

Later on in the game, Yuuji's team was on defense again but this time he was an outfielder.

“He's probably a one trick pony, that one,” a person behind them said to their companion.

“The guy has a mean throw, for sure. But I think you're possibly right,” the other person replied.

Nobara and Megumi shared a look before they erupted into a fit of laughter. These people had no idea what they were in for.

The batter had hit a high fly ball toward the deep left-center. The outfielder in that area started running, trying to catch up to the ball and jumped way too early causing him to miss it completely.

But Yuuji was already moving across the field. His intense gaze tracking the ball and his cleats practically pounding the grass underneath him.

He dives, his glove open to perfectly catch the ball and the people are left fixated on him to see if he's got it. Megumi was holding his breath, almost leaning forward so much that he was almost out of his seat.

Yuuji rolled, his glove clutched to his chest.

Nobara was holding onto Megumi's sleeve in anticipation as Yuuji slowly got up from the grass.

With his head down, he held his glove up —

The baseball was successfully caught in his glove.

The ballpark erupted in gleeful clapping as they witnessed one of the exciting moments of the night. His fanclub in particular were shrieking and chanting his name over and over again. Yuuji’s teammates were also genuinely impressed, especially Todo who was practically ready to give him the biggest hug if he wasn't asked to stay in the dugout.

Megumi let out the breath he was holding and was laughing while Nobara shook him by his arm.

“Jesus, that guy's a freak of nature,” the person behind them uttered in astonishment.

“That's Yuuji Itadori for you, pal!” Nobara finally said to the people behind them.

The rest of the game went on with a lot of buzz as Nittaidai eventually bagged enough points to claim the game as theirs that night. And of course, everyone wanted to have a moment with Yuuji after that game as some journalists tried to get into his space to ask for his thoughts. His other teammates were also there, the ones who were particularly hovering around his space was Todo and this other guy named Choso who both claimed to be his security detail during the interview which made Yuuji flustered.

His agent was also beside him, patting him on the back like a proud father as he helped him answer some questions.

Megumi and the rest of the group have decided to steer clear from the people pushing into Yuuji because the chaos from earlier made it known to them that getting to Yuuji was useless.

Yuuji was trying so hard to politely answer all their questions, but all the joy and  adrenaline coursing through his body was honestly starting to make his head feel like mush. Eventually, he did his best to excuse himself as he saw his friends behind the crowd trying to grab his attention.

“Good work out there, sport! Go celebrate, you deserve it,” his agent told him.

He squeezed through people, lightly pushing others that were a bit more persistent and rejected questions with a polite bow and a small, dismissive smile.

He quickly thanked Ozawa and her boyfriend for watching him and saving his friends a seat, and hurriedly led Megumi, Nobara and Fumi into a much more private and quiet area in the locker rooms.

“Thanks for coming all the way here– Ow! What was that for?!” Yuuji complained after Nobara pinched his side.

“That's for not getting me anything last time!” she said and then ruffled his hair a bit. “And that's for being such an amazing player tonight.”

Yuuji huffed. “I was gonna treat you all out for dinner tonight to make up for it.”

Fumi, as sweet as she always was, was about to reject his offer until Nobara had covered her mouth before she could even decline. Megumi was about to stop his offer as well, but Yuuji probably already knew he was going to do it and hit him with his signature almost puppy-eyed look. It didn't take much convincing on Megumi's part after that.

“I just know the perfect spot! It is just right across from my place!”

Megumi walked behind them as the girls chatted with Yuuji about what the people behind them were muttering during his match. He watched as Yuuji shyly received their compliments and swore that he would try to keep getting better. The warm fuzzy feeling in his gut curled into a more pleasant feeling when he realized that his friends were all complete again.

On their walk to the restaurant, Yuuji had slowed his pace so that he could walk beside Megumi.

“The jacket looks great on you, by the way,” he said, giving the sleeve a little tug. “Better than on me, dude.”

Megumi made a noncommittal sound, the safest answer he could give when compliments felt like curveballs he didn’t know how to hit. He tucked his hands in his pockets, eyes sliding away.

Yuuji brought them into this place that specialized in set meals and rice bowls, tucked between a laundromat and a convenience store. It was the kind that had laminated menus, clattering trays, and a steaming rice cooker behind the counter. And a kind-looking old lady was manning the restaurant that night.

“Oh! Isn’t it a bit too late already for you to be still working?” Yuuji asked in concern as they took a seat.

“Nonsense! Seeing young people like you coming back for my food always warms my heart,” she said, pinching his cheek. “I see some new faces here with you tonight?”

Yuuji gladly introduced all of them to her and then later they looked over the menu for their orders. When they got the owner to take all their orders and she went back to the kitchen to prepare their dishes, it was like Nobara had completely forgotten about her previous fatigue as she initiated her usual ramble of gossip when they ate together.

“Inumaki shared some juicy information about our other seniors a few days ago. I found him in one of the grocery aisles when I was about to buy my ingredients for my pizza creation,” she started. “He signed that he was in a rush, but he had to tell me something so he'd text me. Get this, that night he texted that Maki and Yuuta–”

“Finally!” Yuuji shouted. He had immediately pieced it together before she could finish her sentence and said, “I have been wondering when it was gonna happen.”

“That is exactly what I said to him! But guess who confessed first,” she said, wiggling her eyebrows.

“I mean, it would make sense if it were Maki, right? Like we’ve made bets about this before,” Megumi chimed in.

“Nope! You were all wrong and owe me money!” Fumi said, laughing wholeheartedly. “Turns out the Power of Love could make someone as shy and soft-spoken as Yuuta have the courage to speak out.”

Megumi and Yuuji groaned as they reached into their pockets and handed her their debt. The rest of the night was filled with chatter and thankfully no other bets were brought up anymore. The rain also started to pour outside when their food arrived.

“Watching you play really was amazing,” Fumi remarked. “Thank you for inviting us to watch you, Itadori.”

“Yeah, you were probably the most exciting player to watch on that field tonight,” Nobara added.

Yuuji sheepishly scratched the back of his neck. “I really can’t thank you guys enough for supporting me out there. Thinking about it some more, I think I fucked up some of my control in my latter throws.”

“You should curve the trajectory of your throw a bit more next time,” Megumi commented. He picked a few pieces of chicken he wasn’t fond of and started putting them in Yuuji's bowl.

Yuuji flashed him a smile as a wordless thanks for his constructive criticism and started talking about how he was having a hard time replicating his curveball during games, but not during practice sessions.

“Maybe it isn't you, maybe it was the wind,” Nobara offered.

“Oh, come on, you're flattering me too much.”

“I'm not kidding! Tell him, Fushiguro.”

Megumi nodded. “Your form was great. Besides the struggle with the curve, your replication was almost perfect in every throw.”

“Maybe it's beginner's luck,” Yuuji replied.

“You think too low of yourself,” Megumi raised an eyebrow. “Even if you think that your throws were all merely luck, that thing that you pulled off as an outfielder definitely wasn't. No one would have reached that ball in time except you.”

Yuuji was stunned for a moment, a light blush dusting the features of his face. Then, he broke into a smile and said, “Thank you, Fushiguro.”

“Yew should be m’re proud of y’rself, dude,” Nobara said while chewing her food. “Y'ere always training so hard.”

Yuuji was trying his best not to counter any of his friends’ praise and simply took another bite of his food whenever he felt the urge to do so. Megumi, on the other hand, was enjoying the company of his friends so much that he was even forgetting to take bites out of his own food — he was too preoccupied with looking around at them like he was trying to imprint this moment in his brain forever.

At one point in the conversation, Yuuji had even excused himself in the bathroom and Nobara was throwing Megumi a weird look.

“What?” he deadpanned. “Is there rice on my face or something?”

“You’re awfully smiley tonight,” she noted with an eyebrow raised.

The warm feeling in his gut twisted. “God forbid a man enjoy the company of his friends before he dies of chronic back pain because of this goddamn finals season.”

Fumi simply chuckled and told Nobara to quit looking at him and finish her food.

Unfortunately, by the time they had fully caught up with the current happenings in each other’s life and their bowls were emptied, the rain was starting to get really strong and their set meals had given them the feeling of being in a food coma.

Megumi, somehow, stole the tab from Yuuji’s grasp and put money in it and quickly returned it to the owner before he could even protest.

“Hey! Why’d you do that? Tonight was supposed to be my treat.”

“Don’t worry about it,” Megumi said. “Think of it as my thanks for inviting us to such a great game.”

“Whatever, Fushiguro.” Yuuji sighed in defeat and looked at his watch. “Wow, I didn't even realize it was already this late.”

Megumi looked at his phone’s clock which showed that it was already eleven and couldn’t suppress his yawn. And as if sensing that they were about to leave, the rain only kept getting worse as it pounded on the roof of the restaurant and the wind was whistling outside.

“I don't think you guys should leave right now,” Yuuji said. “You’re all tired and driving around in the rain at this hour is asking for trouble."

Nobara groaned in frustration, far too tired to keep her displeasure to herself at that point and Fumi merely patted her back sympathetically. It was like the thoughts about her work suddenly came back to her in a moment of clarity.

Yuuji frowned. “I mean, you guys can crash in my place tonight. There's a pull-out bed. Unless you guys have Saturday classes?”

They all shook their heads slowly, ready to take him up on his offer until Megumi was hit by a certain realization. “Your pull-out bed can't possibly fit all 3 of us.”

Yuuji shrugged his shoulders. “That's fine, I can take the couch. You guys go ahead and use the beds, that's the least I can do to thank you guys for coming over here.”

Megumi immediately furrowed his eyebrows at the mention of the couch. “Absolutely not. You were the one who had a game tonight. And shouldn't you athletes get good sleep? You stick to your bed, I'll be on the couch.”

They were about to have a full-on debate until Fumi finally spoke out and said, “Why don't you guys just share the bed?”

That shut them both up instantly while Nobara laughed tiredly. Fumi added, “I mean, you guys have done that before, right? What would make it any different this time?”

Yuuji cocked his head, genuinely considering what she said. “I don't really mind. What about you, Fushiguro?”

Megumi could feel one of his eyes twitch in annoyance, but he agreed with Fumi too — they have shared beds before, especially during nights of late-night projects or study sessions in each other's houses. The only thing really making him reconsider this idea was the feeling of the warmth in his gut imploding to the rest of his body when Fumi said her suggestion.

Reluctantly, he responded, “Yeah, sure. Why not? Yuuji might kick me off the bed anyway in the middle of the night.”

“Hey! That was just one time!”

The next thing you know, they were in a heated argument about the other things Yuuji did in his sleep like talk or steal the duvet. Nobara and Fumi had to force them out the door with umbrellas that the owner let them borrow.

“Thanks for the meal and the umbrellas, obaachan! I'll be back tomorrow to return them!” he called out affectionately at the owner who was waving goodbye at them through the small window that peered into the kitchen.

Sharing one of the two big umbrellas they borrowed, Yuuji continued teasing Megumi about the one time they found him sleeping with his arms crossed over his chest like some vampire. Megumi did not want to respond, a bit too preoccupied with the warm feeling inside him as the rain forced them closer underneath the umbrella.

The rain was still pouring hard even as they got to Yuuji's apartment, but thankfully the umbrellas were big enough for the four of them to stay relatively dry.

When they went inside, Nobara remarked on how it was surprisingly clean and it had a pretty good amount of space for a single student. Yuuji says the accommodation was part of his scholarship and that he was offended that they would think he was a messy guy, considering how much of a clean freak he was back in high school.

Megumi stood for a while near the kitchenette area, remembering the nights when they'd call and Yuuji was making his dinner. He ran his hand on the dining table and on the countertop, his eyes eventually tracing at what spot he suspects Yuuji puts his phone on based on the angle. The warm feeling in his gut was surging through him again.

His wandering around Yuuji's apartment was disturbed by Nobara's obnoxiously loud cackle and Fumi's laughter coming from the bedroom.

“You're hopeless! I can't fucking believe you brought Jennifer Lawrence here with you!” Nobara teased, referring to the poster of the actress on top of Yuuji's bed.

“What's wrong with it?” Yuuji said with a small pout on his face.

Nobara only continued with her tirade as Megumi entered the room, a barely noticeable smile making its way on his face as he felt an odd sense of relief. He was really glad that his best friend hasn’t really changed after all.

Megumi shrugged his jacket off and made himself comfortable on the bed, lightly glaring at the huge Jennifer Lawrence poster that was staring down at him now. He also laughed quietly to himself as Nobara picked some more at Yuuji and watched as they disappeared into the kitchenette. Yuuji's probably setting up the pull-out couch in the dorm living room.

Megumi was alone. In Yuuji's college dorm bedroom. He could practically hear his own heart beat strong and quick —  rivaling even the rain pouring outside. The pillows, the bed covers, everything just smelled of Yuuji, Yuuji, Yuuji…

A pillow was thrown at his face. Hard.

“What the fuck?” he said, sitting up and ready to instigate pillow retaliation only to have all thoughts of murder squashed by a smirking, very much shirtless Yuuji in his direct line of sight.

“Sorry, just wanted to see if you were still awake.”

“Yeah, no kidding,” he exasperated before falling back into bed. Near his cabinet, Yuuji threw another thing at him and this time, Megumi effortlessly caught it.

“Change into that. Your jacket and shirt got kinda wet,” Yuuji said, before putting on a fresh shirt himself.

Megumi just found it easier not to respond and had started stripping out of his shirt. The night was starting to get hazy and Megumi was getting so lightheaded. They've been friends since they were practically toddlers, they've seen each other shirtless, heck, they've even showered together as kids – so why the fuck was Yuuji's abs suddenly making Megumi making him want to bash his own own head against the wall. Even now, he felt more exposed than usual.

Yuuji made his way to his bed while Megumi was changing into the new shirt and so he had to scoot over to give the pink-haired boy some space. Thank all the powers on high who took mercy on him and had the lights in the room be dim enough to make his pink-dusted face look unnoticeable.

Once he was done changing, he laid back down on his back and watched as Yuuji scrolled through his social media account. He was swiping through stories that people made with him from the game earlier and reposted them onto his personal story — most of them being mainly women and school press accounts.

He didn't know what came over him but he said, “You must be really popular with the girls out here.”

“Oh me? No way, dude,” Yuuji denied, still reposting stories. Megumi was left unconvinced, but nonetheless he started shutting his eyes to get some rest. Maybe everything was odd because sleep deprivation was starting to best him.

Megumi was about to drift into sleep when Yuuji suddenly asked, “What about you?”

“What about me?”

“Are you popular with girls?”

Megumi immediately opened his eyes and he turned to see that Yuuji had put his phone away and was now facing him. Suddenly, he found himself not remembering how to breathe.

“No…” he replied softly. “No, not really.”

Yuuji pouted. “Aww, why not? You’re a really smart guy and you got so many chocolates in high school.”

Megumi turned away from Yuuji and stared at the ceiling. “I don’t know. I’ve never really been interested in that anyway.”

Yuuji laughed softly and said, “Yeah, I guess not.”

“But you got loads of chocolates too. Why didn’t you date in high school?”

“I guess I was too busy caring for my old man, you know?”

‘Oh right,’ Megumi thought. He felt like a total asshole.

“But besides that, I guess I just didn’t find anyone interesting enough to date back then,” Yuuji added. “I was also too busy hanging out with you and Nobara! You guys were the best tutors and even better friends.”

‘Yeah, friends. They’re just a couple of pals. Fuck.’

“You’re getting all sentimental,” Megumi said, looking back at Yuuji again.

“Can’t help it.” Yuuji was looking at Megumi so intently and it took everything in Megumi not to look away.  “You guys really grew on me.” He watched as Yuuji's eyes were slowly turning glassy and it took Megumi a few seconds to figure out what Yuuji was trying to convey, but he ultimately understood. He always did.

He grabbed Yuuji’s forearm tightly. “We’re not going anywhere, if that’s what you’re worrying about.”

“Can't help it.”

“I know. But we're not going anywhere.”

Yuuji had closed his eyes tightly and let out a sigh. “I just really missed you guys.”

Megumi could hear his heart pounding in his ears. “We missed you too, Yuuji. I missed you.”

“You did, Megs?”

‘Megs.’ They rarely used nicknames on each other.

“Yeah, of course I did. You're my bestest friend,” Megumi said, quietly and horribly honest like a confession. If the lights were any brighter, the way he could feel blood rushing to his face would be a dead giveaway anyway.

Yuuji opened his eyes once more and gave him a small smile. “You're mine too.”

‘You're mine too. You'reminetooYou'reminetooYou'reminetoo-’

“We should get some sleep,” Megumi blurted out. “Maybe you're tired.”

Yuuji slowly turned to lay on his back and as if on cue, he yawned and rubbed at his eyes. “Maybe I am.”

Megumi turned to his side to face the wall as Yuuji closed the lamp. He honestly cannot bear looking at Yuuji anymore tonight. This was nothing like the sleepovers that he was used too. What has changed? Or had he changed?

“Good night, Fushiguro,” Yuuji called out in the darkness.

“Good night, Itadori,” Megumi replied, but really he's silently losing his mind because he's coming to a sinking realization about a truth he's been praying would never come to light.

He's starting to really like Yuuji Itadori.