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Megumi sits on a bed with legs pulled to his chest and a hand combing through his hair. Fingers tangled in the black strands. His gaze lands on the opposite wall but his eyes are unfocused, not seeing. The haze in his mind replays the events of last night in a loop.
"Fushiguro Megumi."
Gojo let the first–years have a little break – from training, from inevitable fights, from curse users just waiting to strike. He proposed a movie night on his own, buying them snacks, sodas and even letting them use one of the classrooms of jujutsu high for the screening. Itadori was delighted, all smiley and too happy about his sensei buying him food to dwell on the unusual situation. Kugisaki stayed guarded, sensing some kind of a trap or a new form of testing their strength.
Megumi knew it was Gojo's way of showing affection and concern, to let them have a 'normal' evening with their 'normal' friends. To pretend that their lives weren't in danger, that Itadori wasn't dead just few weeks ago or that there was no execution set for the future. Movie nights became a regular thing since Gojo took him and Tsumiki under his wings.
Covered in blankets and pillows the three of them spend the night watching movies. Kugisaki fought with Itadori over each and every movie they chose (Kugisaki won), then they fought more over who was gonna sit in the middle (Itadori won) and then they almost threw fists at each other over who was gonna drink the last bottle of coke (which Megumi just ripped from their hands and drank on his own). Bickering, laughter, the mere presence of Itadori and Kugisaki made Magumi feel a little less lonely, a change from the last years, when it was just him and Gojo.
Deep into the night he slowly drifted between sleep and consciousness, Itadori's and Kugisaki's voices hushed until they changed into soft snores. It was cozy, when he slipped lower under the blankets, his head finding purchase on Itadori's shoulder. The darkness engulfed him, his eyes slipped shut and then there were fingers in his hair and long nails scratching at his nape and–
"Fushiguro Megumi."
He knew the voice, a deep rumble from the chest buzzing right under his ear. Megumi didn't move, he held his breath and prayed it was just his imagination. A stupid trick to his tired mind.
"I know you're awake," the voice said again and Megumi mastered all his power not to try and flee. It would be futile. Instead he gently tilted his head up and was instantly met with two pairs of eyes and black marks sharpening Itadori's face.
"Sukuna," he whispered. "Why are you here?"
Megumi wanted to push the curse away, to put safe distance between them, it would certainly be easier for him to think more clearly without the hand in his hair. But something told him it'd be wiser to play by Sukuna's rules for the time being.
"The brat and me are a package, aren't we?" he smiled, showing teeth, his fangs larger than Itadori's. "At least for now. Were you having fun, Fushiguro Megumi?"
Megumi furrowed his brows confused. Four eyes looked at him, the red orbs of chaos and death, and shifted for a second to the long forgotten screen in the room. Movies. Sukuna meant the movies.
"Um, yeah," Sukuna's fingers were still combing through his hair, the gesture weirdly out of place but Megumi would be lying if it didn't sooth his mind a little. What was this strange affection he was receiving? "It was supposed to be a night without curses though. Didn't work out."
The fingers tightened in his hair and Megumi was prepared for a punch, he was stepping on thin ice and got on the nerve of The King of Curses because of his bad temper. He was about to be thrown across the room, attacked with Sukuna's cursed technique. Maybe he'd have enough time to call Nue, maybe Kugisaki would wake up to help him, maybe he'd have enough time to call for Gojo.
Sukuna only chuckled. Ryoumen Sukuna, a thousand years old curse, just chuckled. Megumi stared at him with eyes wide opened.
"You sure are interesting. I'm delighted to be the reason you can't forget about your destiny," Sukuna let out another chuckle and pressed his cheek to Megumi's forehead. His skin was burning hot, a contrast to the warm, human-like temperature of Itadori's body. His arm supporting Megumi's head flexed and the boy could feel muscles moving.
Not for the first time he thought, was it possible for Sukuna to change Itadori's body? Was his soul so strong it could mend human flesh to better accommodate his will? It was Itadori laying right next to him but at the same time this body, while inhabited by Sukuna, was a whole new being.
What the fuck? Megumi though, realizing the position he was in. Wait. Was a curse cuddling him?
"I saw your domain," Sukuna said after a moment of silence. Kugisaki let out a soft snore and suddenly Megumi was reminded of her sleeping right next to them and hoped she wouldn't wake up, because how would he explain to her the situation he was in? Sukuna's fingers rubbed the skin behind his ear. "I must say I'm impressed."
"It's incomplete."
"Patience, Fushiguro Megumi," His lips moved over Megumi's forehead as he spoke. "You should be proud of yourself. I'm sure that stupid father of yours already told you about the potential you carry."
Gojo. Sukuna meant Gojo and Megumi was sure he never – never ever – mentioned to Itadori that their white-haired teacher, against all odds, took the place of his father figure a long time ago.
"How do you– Um. He's not my father," It was his secret, the way he was attached to Gojo Satoru. With his parents gone and Tsumiki in a coma, the only person he could ever call family was Gojo. But Megumi never talked about it, even tried to hide the fact after meeting Itadori and Kugisaki. There was no point in sharing his fucked up family history. The more he ignored it, the less imposing his childhood seemed. "Why did you say that?"
"Called him your father?" Megumi nodded to Sukuna's question. "I look at you and notice things. It's difficult not to."
Megumi's blood stirred. What was he talking about? Another secret? Another half assed remark about potential that he has to figure out on his own? He pressed himself up, hands clutching onto Itadori's shirt, a scowl on his face.
"What the fuck do you mean?" he whispered not with anger but deep curiosity and feeling genuinely lost. He didn't raise his voice, still cautious not to wake Kugisaki up. "What is all of it about?"
Megumi needed answers, no more games. Sukuna was playing with him, coaxing him into soft cuddles and for what? What was his gain? He shouldn't let Sukuna so close, he was a curse after all.
"Speak."
But Sukuna's gaze avoided Megumi's, all four of his eyes focused on the far end of the room. His face was lax, void of any emotions, but there was a slight redness creeping up his nose and the apples of his cheeks.
The King of Curses was blushing.
Megumi's hold on the t-shirt loosened but he stayed propped on Sukuna's chest, eyes boring into the curse's face.
"Sukuna."
"A human from a shadow, believing he doesn't matter, that he's not good enough. He doesn't know, he's the best of them all," Sukuna then turned his face up to look at Megumi, the red of his eyes glowing. "He's so beautiful, I can't help staring," The marks on his face started to fade, the second pair of eyes closing and red orbs slowly turning to brown. "I can't help it. Nobody can."
He was gone as suddenly as he appeared. Megumi was left staring at Itadori's sleeping body, chest moving up and down, his snores getting louder with every exhale.
What the fuck?
The next day he can't forget. He sits in his room, locked up from Itadori, Kugisaki and the second-years. He doesn't eat breakfast and avoids training. There are just too many thoughts in his head. He ruffles his own hair, a faint ghost of Sukuna's fingers still there. He wants to rip his hand apart, tear it from his hair and burn it with the memory of last night.
He can't. His fingers rub the nape of his neck and behind his ear and all he wants is for them to be bigger and warmer and– ugh. What. The. Fuck.
He knows his insecurities play a part in what he's feeling, his fucked up childhood cannot be forgotten. He tells himself it's to be expected of him that he wants attention and affection, when almost whole his life was devoid of it. Megumi should be angry and furious because Sukuna is a curse and he's most definitely plotting.
But then again, why was Sukuna blushing? This is so confusing.
There is a short knock at his door, one Megumi barely hears and he's sure if he doesn't respond, the person behind it would let it be, unless–
"You skipped breakfast," Gojo enters the room as if it was his own and fixes Megumi with a stare over his sunglasses. "What's wrong?"
Straight to the point. No beating around the bush. Just the way Gojo always is.
But Megumi doesn't know, what to tell him, how to explain. He wants to say something but at the same time he's scared – what if the higher-ups decide to kill Itadori quicker just because apparently Sukuna can control the body more easily now?
"Are we going back to the time you rebelled in middle school? I though this dreadful experience was over," He comes closer, few long strides taking him to Megumi's side and onto his bed. "Is it something I can't know about?"
"Stop being serious, it doesn't suit you," No matter his name or what he wants to believe, Megumi was raised by Gojo Satoru, so he's shit at talking about feelings and all things connected. "I'm just confused."
"Ungrateful kid," Gojo ruffles Megumi's spiky hair. "Spill."
There's a moment of silence, comfortable and secure. Megumi knows he can back out, he can tell Gojo he's going to be fine on his own and he wouldn't press. But a part of him wants to release a drop of his latest secret.
"Someone called me beautiful."
Gojo's sunglasses slip lower on his nose and his blue eyes shine at Megumi with no restriction. Bright sky. He blinks, once, twice, mirth appearing in the blue.
"Who dares hit on my baby?!"
Megumi flushes, he knows it, he can feel the warmth spreading over his cheeks. Now he's the embarrassed one. Was Sukuna feeling like that last night?
"Shut up! I'm never telling you anything!" Megumi all but yells, when Gojo shakes him by the shoulders asking, who are they and why are they trying to steal his Megumi. "Get out."
"Megumi-chan, you wound me."
"I'm gonna set my divine dog to get you," But Megumi only takes a hold of his shoe and throws it at Gojo, which, of course, is stopped with infinity. "Out."
Gojo snickers and fixes the glasses on his nose. He's almost out of the room, when he stops at the door, holding the doorknob. His laugh dies out but his smile stays gentle.
"Whatever you're gonna do, I'll support you," Gojo says and leaves the room.
Megumi doubts it. If Gojo knew that he was talking about a curse and not any curse but Sukuna, what would he do? Most importantly, what should Megumi do?
His stomach rumbles and Megumi decides a late breakfast or dinner or whatever is far more important than an answer to his strange encounter with Sukuna. He's gonna dwell on it later, maybe if he ignores it hard enough, the problem would just disappear.
He's out on the corridor on his way to get something to eat, when Itadori finds him, shouting at him from the other end of the hallway. His smile is bright and he tells Megumi all about the training that he misses. He doesn't mention the last night, doesn't show any kind of discomfort, so Megumi supposes he really was asleep, not knowing that Sukuna took a hold of his body.
"Fushiguro Megumi."
Megumi's breath gets stuck in his throat, a shiver runs down his spine. He turns towards Itadori but his friend is still animatedly talking, showing him how Panda-senpai threw him across the training field, no sign that he heard the voice. They keep walking. Megumi side-eyes Itadori, ready for Sukuna to come for him again but he doesn't take over. They're almost in the kitchen. Then Megumi notices.
The eye from the second pair of Sukuna's eyes is opened, half-lidded. The red iris follows Megumi's movement, soft focus but it doesn't blink. Megumi can't help but return the look.
From now on nothing is going to be the same.