Chapter Text
“Live a long life.”
Megumi awoke with a start, cool beads of sweat rolling down his face like the raindrops on the night Yuji died.
Nightmares were nothing new to Megumi. Working as a jujutsu sorcerer for as long as he had meant he’d witnessed more than his fair share of gruesome deaths. He’d lost partners in the field and recovered children’s bodies and seen civilians killed by curses in more ways than he would’ve once thought possible.
He’d known his wouldn’t be an easy life, and he accepted that. He knew the work of sorcery was brutal and he accepted death as an inevitable part of that work.
Nothing had prepared him for Yuji’s death.
The thick sheets of rain that fell as Megumi retrieved Yuji’s still-warm heart—carelessly discarded on the grass like a piece of trash, the weight of Yuji’s body on his shoulders as he carried his corpse to the car, the soft smile that lingered on Yuji’s face as his head rested in Megumi’s lap on the ride home—he could still feel all of it, every single night.
And even though he knew Yuji was only sleeping, just on the other side of that wall, he needed to be absolutely certain.
Megumi pressed into their shared wall, disappearing into the shadow of his dark room and reappearing from the same darkness in Yuji’s room.
It always took Megumi a minute or so to adjust to the lively decor of Yuji’s bedroom. The posters of tall, swimsuit-clad blonde women that hung by his bedside created such a stark contrast to the bleak utilitarianism of Megumi’s bare walls.
Yuji would hate him if he knew.
With a sigh that was more fond than he cared to admit, Megumi crept closer until he was at Yuji’s bedside.
He never could tell right away. Sleeping and dead didn’t look all that different.
He dropped to his knees and pressed his ear over Yuji’s heart.
…lub-dub…lub-dub…lub-dub…
Megumi let out his breath. Yuji’s heartbeat was strong as ever. He stood, and—
“What would this brat think if he knew you were sneaking in here night after night, I wonder?” Sukuna’s voice rang from a mouth he’d opened on the palm of Yuji’s hand.
“Shh,” Megumi hissed, immediately aware of his mistake.
As if Sukuna cared whether Yuji awoke or not.
“You think you can order me around?” Sukuna asked, his tone calm, as though he were asking about the weather, and not debating which method of torture would be most fitting for someone who defied him his position at the top.
Megumi called his bluff. “Tell him,” he whispered. “Or don’t. Doesn’t matter to me.”
Sukuna narrowed one of his eyes at Megumi. “You’re a terrible liar, Fushiguro Megumi. You’re lucky this brat is as thick-skulled as he is.”
Megumi’s stomach dropped. Did Sukuna know?
Just then, Yuji began to stir.
Megumi quickly dropped into the shadow at his own feet, reappearing in the kitchen, out of breath. He cursed, slamming his hand onto the counter, as he tried to regain his breath. The door to Yuji’s room clicked open, and Megumi busied himself pouring a glass of water.
“Hey,” Yuji said, yawning and stretching his thick arms over his head. “You couldn’t sleep again?”
“Thirsty,” Megumi grunted, holding up the glass of water before taking another gulp.
Yuji tilted his head, then let out a puff of air, his lips pursing into a pout.
“What?” Megumi demanded, perhaps more harshly than he meant.
“No, it’s nothing. It’s fine.”
“You suck at lying.”
“Well, so do you!” Yuji retorted.
Megumi froze. Had Sukuna told him?
“I… I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he replied.
Yuji sighed. “I really thought we were past this, Fushiguro.”
Megumi scowled. This conversation was moving into dangerous territory. “Past what?”
Yuji groaned. “Why do you think you can’t tell me when something’s bothering you? I told you already,” Yuji continued. “You should rely on us.”
On us.
So Yuji still had no idea how Megumi felt. He still believed he and Nobara were the same, that they were both just good friends and that he wasn’t Megumi’s entire world.
Megumi could work with this.
“You’re one to talk,” Megumi deflected.
Yuji’s brows pinched together and his lips turned downward in a frown. He leaned against the kitchen sink, his arms folded. He stood close enough that Megumi could feel the heat radiating from his body.
“You’re right,” Yuji said, his trembling voice barely above a whisper. “I guess it’s just… people aren’t supposed to die when they’re still in high school.”
All the breath left Megumi’s lungs at once. Yuji’s face was usually adorned by a smile brighter than the sun. Now, that smile was gone, and Megumi couldn’t look away. It was a knife directly to his heart. All he ever wanted was for Yuji to smile again, on a face two, ten, fifty years older than the one before him now.
Yuji turned to meet Megumi’s eye, and at once, his pain was replaced with a look of deep concern for Megumi.
“Hey, wait, I didn’t… oh. Never mind.”
Yuji suddenly looked defeated, but it was over before Megumi was sure it had even happened, the smile back on Yuji’s face as though they’d only been talking about class, or video games, or anything but his impending death.
“Well, I should try and sleep again!” he said with a grin, clapping Megumi on the shoulder before returning to his room.
The door latched behind him, and Megumi remained, bereft.
In the morning, over breakfast, Megumi relayed what he’d overheard at the Sohmas’ home to Yuji and Nobara.
“Rats, huh?” Nobara echoed, taking a large bite of her natto. “I wonder what that’s about.”
“Maybe he has a pet rat?” Yuji suggested.
“You’re an idiot,” Megumi groaned.
“Wait… you said your rabbits were acting weird yesterday, too!” Nobara exclaimed. “When that foreigner stopped by our class.”
“Oh, yeah. I liked him!” Yuji said.
“Shush! I mean… Fushiguro, none of your shadows are rodents, right?”
“No. Aside from the ones you’ve seen, I’ll eventually have a deer, an ox, a tiger, and… a final one.”
“Dogs, bird, frog, snake, elephant, rabbits…” Yuji muttered to himself, ticking off each of his fingers as he counted the remaining shikigami. “That’s ten, and no rodents.”
“So…” Nobara continued, “maybe if you did have a rat, you would’ve noticed somethin’ about the student council president, too. Which means we just have to get our hands on a rat.”
“That’s… actually a good idea,” Megumi admitted.
Nobara pulled out her phone and began composing a text. “Pssh. Don’t sound so surprised.”
Megumi ignored her retort as he opened his own phone. “There’s a pet store nearby. We can go there after school today.”
Within seconds, his phone dinged.
You have received a deposit from Gojo Satoru
¥ 50,000 🐀😉
Megumi let out a noise of disgust. “He has no idea how much things cost, does he?”
“With money like that, why would he ever need to?” Nobara replied. “Now I can finally afford those designer boots! I’ve had my eye on them for weeks!”
“Ooh, ooh, or we could all go out for a steak dinner!” Yuji suggested, his eyes gleaming.
Megumi brought his fist down on Yuji’s head, earning a pained yelp. “Oi, who said you could use mission funds as spending money?”
“Gojo,” Nobara deadpanned, holding up her phone.
Message from Gojo Satoru:
Make sure Megumi shares with you two! 😉🤑🛍️
“I am going to punch him,” Megumi muttered.
As the school day went on, Megumi’s mood soured.
He’d always done well enough in school. Gojo was only ever called when he got into fights. Or, more accurately, when he beat up any of the wastes-of-oxygen who spent their time bullying others.
But Jujutsu Tech was a very specialized school. They didn’t learn much in the way of standard school subjects.
And even if they had, Megumi was still a year behind his new classmates. It was becoming clearer every day that he would actually have to study to pass this term. And if he was struggling, he didn’t want to think about how Itadori was doing.
He understood why some of the second years wouldn’t do for a mission like this—Inumaki’s tattoos would stand out like a sore thumb, and Panda was, well, a panda—but wouldn’t Maki have been a better fit for this mission? Or Okkotsu - not only was he the same year, but he was a Special Grade sorcerer, too.
He was so going to punch Gojo the next time he saw him.
So at lunch, as Yuji and Nobara followed Tohru and the others outside, Megumi went to the library to hit the books.
Just as he found a quiet table where he could brush up on his English, he heard something that piqued his interest.
“…truth is, I really like you, Sohma-san!”
Doing a quick check to make sure no one could see him, he slipped into his shadow and crept in the direction of the speaker, where he saw Yuki looking apologetic as a younger girl confessed her feelings to him.
“…so, what do you say? Will you go out with me?”
As Megumi watched closely, just out of sight, Yuki sighed wearily, his polite smile growing more strained by the second. “It’s like I told you last time, Yoshida-san. I’m not interested in dating anyone right now. Truly, I’m sorry.”
The girl threw herself at him, arms open, and Yuki’s eyes widened in a moment of panic before he leapt well out of the way, sending her crashing to the floor.
“It’s not fair!” the girl cried, turning on her knees to face him again. “You get that you’re the most sought-after boy in the school, don’t you? There’s not one girl here who wouldn’t kill for just one date with you. At least I’m brave enough to actually say something! You’re not so stuck-up that you—”
Megumi had heard enough.
“President, there you are. I’ve been looking for you.”
Yuki’s eyes widened as Megumi emerged from around the corner. “Fushiguro…san…?”
“Are we still on for tutoring today?”
Yuki cocked his head to the side, confused.
“You said you could help me with our English assignment. Is this why you were late?” Megumi said, giving a contemptuous look to the girl on the floor.
A quick glance told him that Yuki was still catching up to the situation. The student council president and so-called prince of the school sure was a lot more socially inept than he initially seemed. Eyes still on the girl, Megumi continued, “You know, it’s really not kind to pester someone who’s already told you no.”
The girl’s eyes flared, but she said nothing, only pushing herself to her feet and storming away.
“I’m sorry, Fushiguro-san. I don’t remember agreeing to tutor you,” Yuki said, scratching the back of his head.
“It was a lie. It looked like you could use some help ending that conversation.”
Yuki blinked. “Oh. Oh— thank… you…?”
“It’s fine.”
They stood in silence for a moment, neither quite sure what to say.
“Fushiguro-san,” Yuki said, “I do sometimes tutor Honda-san. If you wanted to join us sometime…”
Megumi had to stop himself from immediately rejecting the offer. As much as he would rather study alone, it could be useful to have a reason to spend time near one of the Sohmas.
“If it wouldn’t be too much trouble, yeah. Thanks.”
That afternoon, the three sorcerers split off from Tohru, Yuki, and Kyo a few blocks early, heading in the direction of their neighborhood pet store.
By the time they left, they had not one, but four rats (how could Megumi say no when Yuji begged with those eyes?), a large cage, several toys, food, bedding, a small carrier, and more. Only ¥1000 remained of Gojo’s money.
“Aw, now I’ll never get those boots!” Nobara whined.
“Spend your own money!” Megumi grumbled.
The next morning, Megumi carefully stowed the rat carrier and a large air pocket in his shadow, ensuring he could open the door without alerting any of the other students to his actions.
When they got to the school, he waited for the thumbs up from Nobara before reaching into his shadow and unlatched the door, taking the rat they’d chosen for today in his hand. As soon as Yuki was settled at his own desk, Megumi released the rat into the classroom.
The little creature took off at once, making a beeline for Yuki Sohma’s desk, before pausing, then doubling back and stopping two desks in front of Megumi.
Megumi held his breath as the rat sniffed the pigtailed girl’s shoes, before deftly climbing up the girl’s knee-high socks.
“Wha… OH MY GOD, A RAT!” she screamed, flinging the poor rodent sideways and throwing the class into complete chaos.
Several girls screamed and ran out of the classroom, the pigtailed girl included. A few boys did, too. Uotani leapt to her feet and shouted, “Where?” wielding her steel pipe.
Kyo had jumped up on his desk, his hair standing on end, his eyes with slits for pupils scanning the floor for the creature. Megumi couldn’t help but think he looked like a cat— all he needed was a puffed-up tail to complete the picture.
He shook his head. What a strange thought.
Hanajima simply continued reading her romance manga, a small smile on her face.
“There!” cried Nobara.
Yuji dove after the rat but it scurried out of reach just as their teacher, Mayu-sensei, opened the door.
“What is going on here?” she demanded.
“Ah, sorry, Sensei!” Yuji volunteered, his shoulders hunched sheepishly. “My pet rat— uh, Choko— got out. She must’ve hitched a ride in my backpack today.”
Mayu blinked once, then slowly closed the door, muttering something about needing a raise.
“Here.”
Class President Yuki Sohma dropped the rat onto Yuji’s desk. The rat stood on its hind legs. almost as though it were gazing at Yuki adoringly, but… that would be crazy, wouldn’t it?
“Ah… thanks, President!” Yuji said, picking up the poor creature and scratching the top of its head softly. “I think she likes you!”
“You mean ‘he’,” Yuki replied, his eyes widening as if shocked at the words that had just come out of his mouth.
“Choko… Choko’s a boy?” Yuji asked. He cocked his head and furrowed his brows and Megumi felt a rush of affection for how genuine he could be. “How do you know?”
“Uh— I— ahem, I mean, yes. I— uh— had a pet rat when I was younger.”
Kyo hopped down from his desk with a loud snort.
“What was he named? Yuki?”
Yuki swiftly delivered a roundhouse kick to the side of Kyo’s face. “You are such an idiot,” he scoffed. Turning back to the sorcerers, he continued, “His name was Maru, because he used to curl up in a little ball when he would sleep.”
“Aw, I gave Choko a girl’s name,” Yuji whined. “Wait! That means he’s like you, Fushiguro!”
“Not another word,” Megumi warned.
“My brother is Megumi as well,” Hanajima intoned without looking up from her manga. “I think you’d quite like him.”
Megumi was quite certain he never wanted to meet Hanajima’s brother if he could help it.
“You never told her your name, did you?” Nobara asked, under her breath.
“It’s a good thing you caught him, Prince,” Uotani said, her steel pipe on her shoulder. “What with all the stray cats that live around here, lil’ Choko would’ve been a goner.”
“Stray cats?” Nobara asked, an eyebrow raised.
Uotani laughed. “You should ask Kyon here. They seem to love him!”
“Shut up, gangster girl!” Kyo hissed, still rubbing his cheek.
“Uhh…maybe we should talk about something else!” Tohru squeaked.
“Honda-san,” Yuki said abruptly. “You have work today, right?”
“Yes!” Tohru replied. “There are dinners in the fridge for the three of you.”
Yuki sighed affectionately before turning to Megumi. “In that case… Fushiguro, would you like to meet for tutoring after school today?”
“What’s this?” Nobara blurted.
“If even Fushiguro needs tutoring, I guess I’m toast!” Yuji joked, pointing a thumb at himself.
Megumi conked him on the head. “Yes, thank you, President. Does the library work?”
Yuki blinked, looking between Fushiguro and the others. “Itadori-san, Kugisaki-san, do you want to join us?”
Yuji and Nobara exchanged glances, then immediately broke into matching sinister grins.
“Study party at the apartment!” Nobara exclaimed.
“We’ll get snacks!”
“Or you could make that spicy ramen!”
“Ooh, good idea, Kugisaki!”
“You always sound so surprised when you say that!” Nobara complained, giving Yuji a shove that was too rough to be entirely friendly.
“Do not! Ooh, President, have you seen Human Earthworm 4 yet?”
Megumi groaned, sliding a hand down his face. “We are studying. And you have to stop inviting people to our apartment!”
As they returned to their desks, Kyo grit his teeth and lowered his voice so only Yuki could hear, “Are you sure about this, Rat Boy?”
Yuki shrugged. “They’ve been kind to me. It’s the least I can do.”
His voice growing louder, Kyo hissed, “If your stupid offer gets us found out, I’ll—”
Yuki’s foot connected with Kyo’s face once more, shutting him up only moments before Mayu-sensei returned, wearing gloves and safety goggles and doing a thorough visual inspection of the classroom before heading up front to begin her lesson.
As Yuki left his new classmates’ apartment that evening, he let out a sigh of relief.
From the moment he felt Choko’s presence in the classroom, he’d been terrified his secret would be revealed. Thankfully, Choko got the message to ignore him, and the others in the apartment followed along, too.
He hadn’t intentionally communicated with rats in months, but these tutoring sessions presented a rare opportunity.
He now had a man— four men, actually— on the inside.