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"Whoa, this place is huge!" Yuuji crows, moving about the common area like he's bouncing on an unseen trampoline.
His pink head darts this way and that as Megumi watches, taking in the sunken center of the room and the three-sided sectional couch built into it. The wall housing a bookcase made from weathered driftwood holds Yuuji's attention for just a moment, but he lights up at the view of the deck outside. Beyond the little table and grill is the beach, a glittering swath of sand before them that melts into the vast, cerulean sea.
A far cry from the panorama any of them are used to back in Tokyo, or the places they've lived before. It's pleasant. Even the boiling heat that Megumi had resented earlier, as they exorcised a curse haunting the abandoned aquatic center in town, isn't so bad here at their beach rental. There's a constant breeze wafting through from the water that takes the edge off, letting him breathe deeply enough to enjoy what he sees.
"Looks decent, but I bet we could've gotten an upgraded villa if we just asked," Nobara says, crossing her arms in a stubborn line across her chest. "Gojo-sensei can afford to let you and Itadori have your own rooms."
She's right, but he's not going to tell her. There are several more important things on his mind.
Megumi takes his own cursory look around and frowns.
Even if he was generous enough to want to, he can't shake his suspicions about this mission. Or rather, how absurdly quick it had been for the three of them to clear. Almost like it had never been meant to be difficult.
Nobara tilts her head at him. "Something wrong?"
Megumi shakes his head, looking off into the distance at the water. Until he's worked out what he's feeling, he'd rather not share. It might not be anything at best, and at worst, the reason behind their trip might be something he'd fight to keep a secret.
"Well, we're on vacation now, so I'd better not see you acting gloomy the whole time!" she chides, lowering her arms and shoulder checking him. Softer than she normally does, a fact which Megumi doesn't fail to notice.
The tension pulsing through his veins dies off a little. He nods.
"Are we going back into town before or after unpacking?" Yuuji bounces back over to them, slinging a heavy arm across Megumi's shoulders and looking at Nobara.
"Now," she emphasizes. "I want to check out some of the local shops before they close. They don't stay open all night out here."
"I know," Yuuji says, a bit petulantly. "Fushiguro's more of a city boy than me."
Megumi grimaces but swallows his irritation at the comment. "Try not to buy a bunch of stuff, or you'll regret it when we leave in a few days. I'm staying here to look around."
"We figured," his friends reply in unison, smiles breaking out across their faces.
The brightness of them together stuns Megumi. Confuses him, because is he really so predictable? Most days, he'll go along with whatever they're doing, even if it doesn't seem like his idea of time well spent, because there's value in the memories the three of them create. At least for him, though he'd rather be caught dead than admit to such a sentimental motivation. Today is different.
"You're in a weird mood, and you probably want an excuse to retreat into your little shell to fix it," Nobara elaborates. "I don't need that kinda energy when I'm shopping."
Yuuji blinks, looking between them.
"Oh?" he begins, lofting a single eyebrow in confusion. "I thought it was 'cause he was gonna make sure the place is okay. Seems fine to me, but Fushiguro knows more about barriers and protective stuff."
Megumi fixes his stare on Yuuji.
"That's part of it," he admits. And he does plan on surveying the grounds, briefly. Even what Nobara said has grains of truth to it too, but if he owned up to needing to think, they'd wonder what about, and he can't tell them.
Not when Megumi needs to think about the way they fit together, and if he's willing to risk the bond they already have to grow it into something else. If there's a compelling reason he should take that plunge, considering how content he is now, and how uncertain all of their futures are.
He knows what their mentor would tell him, but this is his decision to make.
"Thanks for looking out for us," Yuuji says, and his hand slips from Megumi's shoulder down to the small of his back. It takes every ounce of concentration Megumi possesses not to shiver at that flash of warmth working over him, or at the long stare Nobara is giving the both of them.
"No problem," he manages to reply.
"C'mon, let's go." Nobara springs forward, tugging the sleeve of Yuuji's other arm. He peels off of Megumi with a grin and lets himself be yanked toward the entryway of the house. "I don't wanna waste any more daylight."
Megumi watches their exit and is simultaneously grateful for the reprieve and lonely.
The chaos brewing in his head is best explored when he has a quiet place to think. Yet, a large and persistent part of him wants to follow after in their wake, like it has become natural to do. Maybe later on, he'll feel surer of what he wants, and he can spend time with his friends without this dark cloud hanging over him. He hopes so.
He's realized for a while now that ignoring the problem will only make the days they share less vibrant than they could be.
*
Sometimes, Megumi believes his life might have been easier if he'd never been picked up by Gojo.
It might not have been a good existence, but the day to day would have been simpler to navigate. The Zen'in clan is never short on rules and hierarchy. For better or worse, he would have known his place and been able to limit himself to that alone. There wouldn't have been the laissez-faire approach that is Gojo's way of bringing him up, floating in and out of Megumi's life just to apply pressure here, or add in the rare encouragement there.
Grimacing, he spreads out across the plush comforter of his bed and closes his eyes.
Everything in the beach house is bright, from the pastels and whites of the decor to the light flooding in through its windows, and he's tired, emotionally if not physically. The mission is dealt with, but he has two more long, empty days to endure before they return to Jujutsu High. Hours which Megumi had assumed would be filled with work until he had sized up the curse terrorizing the aquatic center.
Low leveled. Nothing more than a glorified sea urchin that spat out its mildly-irritating spines at them and watched their teamwork with its unblinking, bulbous red eyes. At the climax of their battle, those had come loose also, only to meet a swift death beneath the heel of Nobara's boot.
She'd complained about the slime wedged into the sole of her shoes the entire walk here. But other than that, none of them had incurred any damage. Or even came close.
He'll clean the shoes off tonight—there was a hose outside, around the back of the house.
Maybe by then, his head will be on straight.
Maybe by then, he'll know how to use this thinly-veiled gift horse that Gojo has thrust upon him. Time alone, on official business, but not really, with the two people he cares for more than he should. Neither of them are aware of this fact, and Megumi has wanted to keep it that way. Has repeatedly stated that when needled by Gojo about his precious first crushes, and yet, here he is.
He's unsure why Gojo not listening surprises him.
Actually, it doesn't, but Megumi still has to deal with the aftermath.
Their teacher had to know this mission was simple enough to clear in an hour. There's no reason for them to stay the night, or several, in semi-luxurious lodgings while they work.
Gojo Satoru is a nuisance to society, and he should have seen this coming.
Two weeks ago, they'd had a conversation. Under the guise of helping him, they'd discussed his compatibility with Yuuji and Nobara. At first with things that made sense, like coordinating their fighting styles, but then Gojo had changed the subject to personal matters.
"You're young and passionate. You should try acting like it sometimes, Megumi."
He remembers brushing off the advice with a raised brow and accusations of it being patronizing to him. Gojo had merely smiled that cocksure grin of his and spread his hands a shoulder's width apart, waving them in a don't-mind gesture.
Megumi had continued to mind, and after a surly silence of five minutes, his mentor doubled back to the topic. For someone who plays the cavalier role regularly, Gojo loves to prove how obnoxiously persistent he can be. And because his luck is questionable on any given day, Megumi had found himself once more the target of that meddling.
"Tell them. One out of two isn't bad, if you strike out on the first attempt."
What he didn't reply back then, and what Megumi keeps thinking now is—it isn't that simple. That's not how this works. Despite how little he knows about dealing with falling for two of his friends, Megumi is certain. There aren't three strikes, or even two, before he's out of the game. If even one of them doesn't requite what he feels, and the other does, their potential relationship would always be missing something for him. Someone.
A suitably complicated predicament for his mind and heart to contend with. Yet he wouldn't trade the emotions swirling within him for any others.
Bittersweet as caring for them feels in some moments, he's glad to have met both Nobara and Yuuji.
Even if he never works up the nerve to ask for more, Megumi can be satisfied basking in their warmth and companionship. It's not inferior to what he desires, just different.
"Hey."
The word snaps Megumi out of his daydream. He blinks his eyes open and sees Yuuji staring down at him, leaning over the bed at a distance that's too close for comfort. Megumi's pulse goes thready, and he tries not to let the apprehension show on his face.
So they're home. He must have lost track of time. Still, the situation he finds himself in is nothing new.
Yuuji has a habit of occupying others' personal spaces. It's not intentional behavior, and Megumi figures he'd step back without taking offense if someone asked, but Yuuji moves like a magnet. Drawn to other people just as they are so often drawn to him.
"Can I have the shower before you?" Yuuji asks, and Megumi blinks again, because the question feels mundane in comparison to what's running rampant in his head right now.
For the first time since they arrived, it dawns on him that the two of them will be sharing a room. A bed, even, because apparently the developers who outfitted this rental had never heard of twin beds or multiple futons. The realization makes his heart thud weakly against his chest wall, and suddenly, Megumi gains a burst of motivation.
"Let me have it," he tells Yuuji, forcing his features into a stern set. "You take too long styling your hair afterward. I'll be done sooner."
To his surprise, there's no argument.
"Sure. Mind prepping dinner when you're out then, and I'll do the rest?"
Yuuji's soft brown eyes watch for his answer, and for a moment, Megumi is pinned by their intensity, and the easy trust that radiates off his friend's body. They've cooked together before, but something about Yuuji relying on him for the basics makes his lungs tight.
"Okay," he replies pensively, glancing away.
Megumi moves to sit up, but is stopped by Yuuji's knee planting firmly on the mattress next to him. Heat creeps up his neck as a hand extends closer and grazes the hair on the crown of his head. Yuuji pats the area, sporting an amused grin on his face.
"It's flat on the top now," he says, tweaking some of the spiked strands off to the side. "This your version of bedhead, Fushiguro?"
"I didn't actually sleep," Megumi counters, trying to ignore the light tingles of pleasure that ricochet down his spine with each tug from Yuuji's curious hand. Acknowledging them would be dangerous, and he's already in a tough situation as is.
Suppressing those frissons doesn't kill the burning urge he has to grip Yuuji's wrist and tug him down into bed, rip the bandaid off. In a few hours, they'll be sleeping there anyway. Maybe he can acclimate to the feeling of Yuuji's body heat melded into him before the night turns dark.
No. He needs to not even consider that as an option.
"But you looked pretty peaceful."
Megumi frowns, and then slips past Yuuji and off the bed with a few cautious movements. "Leave me an idea of what you want to cook on the counter. I'll be there soon."
He doesn't look back as he grabs the most convenient clothes inside his luggage and stalks out into the hallway.
*
"What's that? Is it gonna be edible?" Nobara demands, crowding up behind him in the kitchen.
Megumi jolts when droplets from her wet, stringy hair splash the skin just inside the collar of his t-shirt. He holds his breath, trying not to take in the cloying scent of the shampoo and body spray Nobara uses. Not because he hates either, but ultimately because he likes the smells too much. Combined, they're enough to get his pulse racing normally, and he's not quite used to how fresh and potent it is after a shower.
If he's being honest, he's surprised she's letting him see this unmade version of herself.
"Itadori is cooking, so most likely. I'm just getting things ready. And it's curry," he answers, lining up his knife with a carrot and slicing through.
Nobara hums, and leans back against the counter.
"Are you still being weird, or is that over?" she asks, settling into her new vantage point. "Because if not, we could talk about it."
The sound of him chopping vegetables takes over and he can feel the seconds slipping away before he can't drag out not replying any longer. Still, Megumi tries. Strangely, a part of him wants to spit out his concerns if for the simple fact that she seems genuinely willing to listen. If it were any other topic, he would.
He swears that the longer he's in this house, his resolve crumbles faster.
What danger is there really in confessing?
Both of the people he likes are here, untethered by any imminent danger or responsibilities. If he wasn't so careful in treading the waters of their relationship, he might have gone for it the moment the three of them set foot in the beach house.
"No thanks."
Megumi drops the vegetable cubes into a bowl on the counter and moves on to his next ingredient. He needs to peel and wash the potatoes before chopping them up. It's a task that requires minimal concentration other than being wary of the blade, so he can probably still do it if Nobara continues pestering him.
"So," she starts again, and Megumi's fingers flex around the handle of the peeler. He braces himself, though for what, he's not sure. "I need my beauty sleep, so if you and Itadori are gonna do anything, can you wait til later? These walls aren't thick enough."
The sound of metal clattering onto the tile counter rings out. Megumi straightens up to his full height and focuses his gaze firmly on the cutting board in front of him. He grapples with himself, trying to hold back in the first words that spring to mind, because they aren't coherent, just shocked. Heat creeps slowly up his neck, and he almost wants to shake his head to forcibly clear it of the imagery intruding upon his thoughts.
"I don't know what you're talking about," he grits out when he can. He looks at Nobara finally.
"What's that reaction then?" she retorts, raising an eyebrow at him.
"It's not like I was expecting to be asked something like that. I don't know what you think there is between Itadori and I, but, no matter what, you'd be wrong. We're... friends. That's all," Megumi finishes, tone flat.
Nobara snorts, arching against the counter and letting her head fall back.
"Maybe that's what you two are now, but what do you wanna be? You think I'm blind or something, Fushiguro?"
He glares in her direction.
"No, but I just told you what's on my mind."
"Please," she says mockingly, throwing an unimpressed look at him. "You're always together. Itadori always hangs off you, and you like it. You never tell him to get lost. For someone like you, that's pretty sweet. Am I really supposed to believe you're not thinking about doing even more with him?"
Indignation flares in Megumi's chest, and he turns fully toward her. He's thinking a lot of things at the moment, but chief among them is surprise. Because this has never been a problem before. She's never brought up these concerns. Is it a time-based thing? Has this idea been stewing in Nobara's head so long that she needs to unload it? That too, doesn't seem right, because Megumi has never known her to be pensive about anything. As soon as something floats through her brain, she acts on it.
He admires that about her.
"We're always together too," he counters, willing some braincell she possesses to understand him. The last thing Megumi wants is a misunderstanding. Not about what they mean to each other. "You spend as much time with Itadori as I do. I don't recall ever telling you to back off either."
Nobara's dark eyes widen. Her expression twitches, seemingly undecided on which to settle upon.
It takes her a long time to decide. When she next speaks, it's with a noticeable slump to her shoulders. Her hands toy together in front of her body, fingers lacing and unlacing restlessly.
"Yeah, well, I don't mind either of you guys, I guess," she says.
"Neither do I," Megumi replies. The truth sits on the tip of his tongue, waiting to be let loose, but he swallows it like a coward, telling himself there'll be another, better moment.
How long can he really delude himself about that?
"How was your shopping trip?" he forces out.
She cocks her head at him, as if she can sense the effort needed to ask, but doesn't comment. "Decent, for a small town. I got us some fireworks for tonight and-" Nobara trails off, slipping her hands up to the chain glistening against her collarbones. She tugs free a pendant from where it drapes between her breasts. Megumi glances away, and picks up the ingredient list Yuuji wrote out for something else to look at.
The charm at the end of the chain is a pink heart with a metal bar sticking through it.
"Itadori found it," she admits. "It's broken. The bit here was supposed to be an arrow, like Cupid, you know, but the tip of it is gone. He thought it looked like a nail. I really wasn't gonna buy it until then."
Despite the tension of the past minutes, Megumi has to smile.
It's easy for him to picture their conversation. The enthusiasm that would've been blindingly obvious on Yuuji's face, and the way Nobara would've turned up her nose at the necklace initially. Thinking about it thaws the cold dread in his chest, makes him happy. He's not even upset he wasn't there in person. The retelling is enough.
"But he bought it for me," Nobara finishes quietly, and brandishes the pendant. "What do you think?"
He gives it a fleeting glance.
"Beautiful," Megumi says tightly, congratulating himself on not specifying further, because her damp hair and plain pink camisole don't detract from the fact that she's pretty anytime. Even when she's covered in muck and cussing out whatever they're trying to exorcise.
Silence weighs heavy between them as he pretends to check the list Yuuji left on the counter. He waits for her to break it, knowing she will, and sets the paper back down when he can't justify staring at the small array of words any longer.
Pursing her lips, Nobara steps forward. Before he can blink, she flicks his forehead, hard. A pinprick of pain strikes him where her finger does. "Give me a proper compliment, Fushiguro," she growls, eyes suddenly fierce with judgement.
Both of them are aware she doesn't mean the tone of his answer, or the necklace itself. Megumi looks away, and tries to quiet his nerves.
He has the sinking feeling that sooner rather than later, he'll fold.
What he doesn't know yet is if she'll like what he has to say.
*
"What the hell is that?"
They're sitting in lounge chairs out on the deck, waiting for dinner to settle in their stomachs before they break out the fireworks. Yuuji pauses the story he was telling and jerks his head in Nobara's direction.
"What's what?"
"That, out there," she states, pointing toward the water.
Megumi follows her gesture. His brows furrow. Deep off in the distance, where the horizon seems to blur into the sea's waves, intermittent pulses of electric blue lightning rain down. Slicing across them are bolts of darker blue that run diagonally, at an angle that's wrong for everything he knows about the phenomenon.
He calmly watches a few more sparks illuminate the sky. Nobara bristles in the lounge chair beside him, nails tapping the wood slats beneath her at a frantic cadence. Irritated maybe, by their evening outdoors being cut short.
"You good, Kugisaki?" Yuuji asks over Megumi's head.
"That's not natural," she huffs, and then starts climbing to her feet. "We should go in."
"We can," he answers her half-heartedly, glancing toward Megumi as if looking for a second opinion.
When none is forthcoming, Yuuji rises from his chair, and follows her toward the sliding glass door into the house. A faint boom sounds, drawing all of their eyes back out to the water just in time to see flashes of multicolored blue ignite and dance through midair. This time, something clicks in Megumi's brain, and he rummages through his memories as he stands.
All in all, he's not worried, but it's probably better to take cover.
"Fushiguro?"
Yuuji has stopped halfway through the threshold and is looking back at him.
"Coming," Megumi sighs, and starts walking.
"Inside, inside," Nobara repeats, pressing on Yuuji's shoulder until he obediently heads through the door.
"What should we do now? We can't light fireworks anymore."
Nobara flops down on the couch in the sunken portion of the living room. Her gaze remains trained on the windows, watching the incoming storm with a deep-set frown. "I don't know," she tells Yuuji. "But make us some tea while I think about it. I might just go to bed."
Yuuji raises an eyebrow and mutters something under his breath before taking off. Similarly at a loss, Megumi sits at the edge of one of the couch's ells and ponders the sky. Legends he's encountered in textbooks run through his head like photos in a continuous camera roll.
His eyes widen when the answer strikes him.
"It's similar to a raiju."
All at once, the lamps lighting the room extinguish. Megumi's hand grips his knee tight and his body crouches forward. He holds himself ready until nothing else follows the sudden darkness. A power outage?
"Great!" Nobara shouts. "Is that its way of telling us you're right? Geez, I wanted to at least charge my phone," she trails off sullenly. He can hear her frustration, but beneath it, there's a note of something else. An unidentified emotion that has Megumi quirking his brow.
Moving on instinct, he rises and picks his way through the dark toward the center of the sectional. Careful not to knock into her, he sits.
"You guys okay?" Yuuji's voice calls out. The question is accompanied by a fluorescent glow that Megumi identifies as one of the emergency lamps that live in the corner of the kitchen. Easy to find; a detail which he's grateful for now, because prior to a few minutes ago, there had been no clues that a storm was brewing.
Then again, this situation can't be chalked up to entirely normal reasons.
Megumi cuts in before she can open her mouth. "Yes. We're sitting down. Bring the lantern over here."
Yuuji complies and soon, they're all settled in amongst the cushions, taking turns looking outside and then staring back at each other. Every few seconds, there's a huff from Nobara in between them, or the gentle sound of one of them shifting in their seat. As the heavy clouds roll closer, the silence becomes too pointed.
"Should we go to bed?" Yuuji asks. Megumi wonders if it's more of an olive branch to Nobara or the best idea he can come up with on the spot.
There isn't an answer, just another creak of movement, and the swish of fabric that can only be her skirt. Megumi glances over and realizes she's pulled her knees up to her chest, feet planted at the edge of the couch cushion. What little he can glimpse of Nobara's face is shrouded in shadow, but her hands are digging into her legs so hard that her knuckles have gone pale. Worry pulses through him as he looks her over a second time, analyzing and reanalyzing.
He doesn't get to come up with a plan before Yuuji leans forward and wraps an arm around the bit of her he can access.
"It's okay," he says, tone soothing like honeyed tea. When he earns a quiet sigh from Nobara's lips, his hand begins to stroke along her shoulder blade. Yuuji then stares past her at Megumi, lips softening into a smile. "Me and Fushiguro are gonna hang out a little longer too."
"I'm not tired yet," Megumi adds, picking up on the thread Yuuji has sewn.
A great rumbling resounds from above. He looks toward the skylight and is immediately blinded by a brilliant flash of electric blue. The glow permeates through the glass, refracting down into the room they occupy for a few tense seconds.
Megumi waits for it to fade. He senses no danger, but it's certainly inconvenient.
His gaze drifts back toward the other two, and then he jolts in his seat.
Both of them have moved. Rather than being closed off and holding herself together, Nobara has unraveled. She sits sideways on the cushions now, head buried into Yuuji's neck as he hugs her tightly to him. It is at that moment that the last fact drops into place for Megumi.
"Why didn't you say you were afraid of lightning?"
"I'm not afraid of it," Nobara retorts, words muffled from the thick material of Yuuji's sweatshirt. "I just don't like it very much."
He knows her answer is in large part bravado, but Megumi doesn't comment. If this is a situation they can resolve easily, then there's no need to call out the truth.
Still, it doesn't stop the itch in his hands to reach out and envelop her from the other side. Together, he and Yuuji would make a formidable shield. If he's being honest, Megumi also just wants to know what holding her, what holding either of them feels like when the world is calm. He's never come closer than the casual touches both of them have gifted him. As friends.
His stomach flips over.
Perhaps he's outgrowing his previously limitless patience, because there's another thought burning in his head. And he can no longer hold it in.
Megumi moves closer.
"Do you want to hear a secret?"
Nobara shifts where she's sitting, enough to pry her mouth free.
"You, have secrets?" she asks, snorting in disbelief. Unseen to her, Megumi rolls his eyes. Still, he's oddly determined now, driven by his need to change the mood in the room, and a little because of the way Yuuji watches him from over Nobara's shoulder. With searing intensity but an undercurrent of sheepishness, like Yuuji knows how obvious his curiosity is.
Megumi's heart feels as though it's beating inside his throat, which is probably fitting, considering he's about to lay it bare in words.
"I like someone."
"Who?" The word is shaky as it leaves Yuuji's mouth, but his jaw clenches, fighting the tremble.
Nobara pulls back from where she's been blocking the world out, lifting her head from the crook of Yuuji's neck to look over her shoulder at him. Megumi is giddy, his mouth drying out as he sees both of them watching, waiting with painful levels of anticipation that match what he's been feeling all along. That perhaps mirrors what they have dealt with, if he's not making a huge leap in logic. He no longer feels so greedy for wanting what he's about to ask for. The last of his nerves evaporate as Megumi looks at his friends, and he decides to be blunt.
"You two," he clarifies. "I like the two of you."
Yuuji's eyes widen. Nobara turns more toward him. She slaps a hand to her forehead. It remains there for several seconds before she slides it down.
"Unbelievable! I don't know why I was even sweating it. Why either of us bothered wasting time worrying about this," she huffs, right before launching toward Megumi. She catches him at the chest and they collapse onto the cushions in a heap. He grunts at the weight of her pressed into him, but when their eyes meet, he can't help but smile.
Yuuji slides off the couch to kneel beside them, and Megumi turns his head, regarding him fondly.
Maybe he is blessed like his name suggests, to be worthy of the way they're watching him, or just that they care about him to the same extent. When he first met both of them, they seemed so bold and eager to take on the world in a way Megumi never imagined he'd grow to admire. They were unruly, loud, and bright. He has since learned they're also kinder than most people deserve and strong down to their very bones. Even once he started acknowledging he had feelings for Yuuji and Nobara, he didn't let himself think for a second he could have this.
Mostly because he never thought he'd let himself have it if the opportunity turned up.
"You're really gonna stare at Itadori when I got to you first?" Nobara demands, breaking his train of thought.
Megumi turns his head. She leans down and their lips connect.
A noise of surprise starts and dies in his throat when he kisses her back. His arms circle around to rest on Nobara's back, lightly clinging to her bare shoulder blades as she presses him down into the plushness of the cushions and doesn't let up until she feels like it. He doesn't realize how hard his heart is pounding until they separate and he's assaulted by the sensation. Megumi blinks, but doesn't get a chance to recover. Gently, another hand cups his chin and turns it.
Yuuji kisses him with a patience he doesn't expect, all steady pressure and soft breaths against his mouth. His fingers reach back to caress the shell of Megumi's ear, stroking until everything blurs and he can't tell what's affecting him more, the simple touch or the new, hot flick of a tongue against his bottom lip.
Perhaps sensing how overwhelmed he feels, Yuuji pulls back, somehow collecting himself enough to stop despite how glazed over his eyes are.
All of them need a few moments then, to bask in what they've done.
Overhead, the rumbles of lightning are growing faint as the storm passes by and on to a new location. Calm floods the air around them, and Megumi wonders if the power will turn back on soon. Sleep isn't even remotely on his mind anymore. He wants to explore this new thing between them, learn its boundaries, and how it can work. To figure out how it will work when they leave this idyllic place and return to a world that is fast-moving, stressful, and cruel.
Good thing they have a couple of days to find out.
*
Gojo meets them at the train station when they arrive home.
He wears a loose, neon pink button-up shirt and board shorts with his usual blindfold, looking like ten times more of a tourist than any of them had the entire trip. There's a pep in his step as he collects the three of them from the platform, and it doesn't diminish when Yuuji and Nobara trot ahead of them on the walk home. Gojo falls behind to walk with Megumi.
When he can no longer stand the curious energy brimming from his mentor, Megumi sighs.
"What?" he asks tersely.
Arms swinging at his sides as they stroll down the block, Gojo takes his time responding, waiting until the furrow in Megumi's brow is deep and twitching. "Just waiting for a thank you, Megumi," he answers, flashing a megawatt smile. "Isn't there something you ought to be showing me heaps of gratitude for?"
Of course.
At least he isn't trying to deny his meddling hand in the past few days. Not that Gojo is ever bashful about a single thing he does, but still, there are times Megumi truly wishes he would be. This time, he's content to let the offenses slide.
"The house was comfortable. Thanks," Megumi says. He doesn't think it matters how he responds. If Gojo isn't aware already, he'll notice the shift in their dynamic soon. But he does know, and he's convinced he orchestrated the get-together all on his own.
Truthfully, Megumi has more than the trip to thank him for. One thing he has learned from Gojo's example is that it's best to strike fast and decisively with the things and people you want, because they may not be around for you to pursue in the future. Life has a way of harshly shutting doors when you least expect it.
He's glad he didn't wait to confess.
"Oh? Got a lot of sun out there, didn't you?" Gojo teases. One of his hands rises to tap the apple of Megumi's cheeks, where his skin is just as pale as it had been before. It takes more than a scant amount of outdoor time to give him any color, and he's more likely to burn anyway.
He glances ahead, and softens at the sight of Yuuji and Nobara loudly arguing about what restaurant their teacher has to treat them to now that they're home. The pout on Yuuji's lips as Nobara talks over him to explain a tourist trap he's already heard of, and the fire in her eyes as she stares at Yuuji. Seconds later, she grabs his wrist and starts tugging him off, presumably toward wherever it is she wants to eat.
All the rest of them can do is follow.
Megumi smiles, eyes training off toward the horizon. His feet pick up speed, eager to reach the two figures melting into the dusk sky.
"Yeah, I suppose I did."