Yuji let Megumi sleep over...what happens the morning after?
Yuji POV:
Yuji watches the ceiling fan spin overhead, contemplating on whether or not he is going to actually get out of bed just yet. Yuji turns, facing Megumi, who is sleeping soundlessly on the pull out bed on Yuji’s floor. The morning sun shines in through the half open window at the foot of Yuji’s bed, gleaming onto Megumi’s sleeping face.
“Yuji? Are you awake?” Megumi groans, a half-asleep rasp in his voice.
“Yeah,” Yuji whispers back, “You good, man?”
“Mm..” Megumi hums, saying no without quite saying it out loud.
“Need to talk about it?”
Megumi flips to stare at Yuji, “Mhm.”
Yuji looks down at the empty space on the other side of his bed. Come. Sit. Yuji’s expression speaks. Megumi tilts his head, confusion growing on his face.
What’s he so confused about?
Seemingly reluctantly, Megumi crawls up onto Yuji’s bed, laying down on the formerly empty spot.
Oh…Shoot. How do I tell him that’s not what I meant?
His thoughts are cut off by Megumi's husky, half-awake voice. “Yuji,” he croaks out softly, as he squirms closer to him, “I’m so burnt out.”
“Why?”
Megumi sighs and turns his body to face Yuji, “Coach keeps pressuring me to get better. I mean, it’s not that I don’t appreciate it…I’m just so tired—and I don’t think I’ll ever appease him.”
He still calls his literal dad coach….
“Well, what do you mean by pressuring you?” Yuji asks, his voice softening with sympathy. He reaches out to stroke Megumi’s hair, but retracts as Megumi turns his head to face the ceiling.
Megumi continues, not noticing Yuji’s attempted gesture, “He makes me stay after practice, train harder than everyone else,” Megumi’s voice quiets to a murmur, “And…I’ll still never be as good as you.”
“Megs…Don’t say that, really.”
“You know it's true though.”
I really wish he would stop comparing himself to me. Part of me wants to cut my own legs off and stop running forever so he wouldn’t have anyone to compare himself too. He’s not even as bad as he thinks he is, in fact, he’s really, and I mean really, good.
“Megumi, seriously.” Yuji sits up, “Stop tearing yourself down for no reason, let's go to morning prac—”
Megumi drags Yuji back down next to him by the back of his shirt. They lay down, side by side, staring at each other.
“I don’t wanna,” Megumi whines. His unusual amount of desperation makes Yuji chuckle to himself.
With how he’s acting, I bet he’s barely even awake right now…He’s gonna be so embarrassed once he fully wakes up.
He peels Megumi’s hand off of his shirt, “Ok then,” Yuji jeers playfully, still maintaining his voice at a whisper, “I’m leaving you here to mope all by yourself.”
Yuji sits up once again, this time, successfully hurling himself over Megumi. He throws his shirt off onto the floor, preparing to change into his training clothes. He tosses on a black compression shirt. After putting his shirt on, he looks back at Megumi, still laying in his bed.
He’s seriously still laying there?
Yuji slips off his pajama pants. This, somehow, causes Megumi to wake up, fully.
“Ew you pervert! Put your pants back on!” Megumi yells.
“Me? The pervert? You’re the one watching.”
Megumi hurls a pillow at Yuji’s face in response.
“So you’re gonna act like that now that I caught you,” Yuji sneers, picking up the pillow that landed at his feet, “Take this!” He heaves the pillow back at Megumi, striking him directly at the top of his head, causing him to tumble onto his back. Yuji hurriedly puts his running shorts on, now fully prepared to ambush Megumi.
“C’mere,” Yuji says before pouncing on Megumi. They toppled across the bed, both attempting to get the other to give up in the fight. Megumi grabs Yuji’s neck from behind with the nook of his elbow, capturing Yuji in a back mount, legs wrapped around Yuji’s body. Straining to breathe, Yuji taps out, letting Megumi take the win…only this time though.
Megumi releases Yuji from the chokehold. Yuji gasping for air, lays his back on top of Megumi, the feeling of Megumi’s lean abs against his back. He looks up. Although upside down, his eyes meet Megumi’s.
“You feelin’ better now?” Yuji asks.
“Mhm,” Megumi replies.
“Well,” Yuji grunts, sitting up, “Let’s get to practice then.”
They both throw their legs over the bed and prepare for practice independently. They're both gonna be late, probably going to get an earful from the coach too. But it was worth it.
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Ch. Warnings: Suicidal ideation, depression, mildly bad parenting, alcoholic/abusive bio dad mention, angst
“Am I not your own son!?”
Megumi POV:
Megumi walks down the stairs from the locker room.
Crap, I have to talk to dad.
He reaches the bottom of the stairs, which leads to a small flat concrete area that lies next to the entrance of the track. Gojo is leaning against a tree in the center of the area, jotting something seemingly important on his clipboard.
Gojo looks up from his work, “Hey Megs,” he greets.
I really don’t want to talk about anything with him right now.
“How was your little spur of the moment sleepover with Yuji?” Gojo questions playfully as they walk towards the gate to the parking lot. Megumi hates when Gojo acts like this. Not because he hates Gojo; it's because he hates when he tries to act like his father. Father. Megumi hasn't said that to his real dad in years. Not since he was six anyway. He still remembers his dad. He would always come home late, not because he was working, but because he was out gambling and drinking. Every day. Everything their mom left for them when she died Megumi’s father spent. Every last dime. Until one day he got taken away, and that's when Gojo fostered him, eventually fully adopting him. Megumi does love Gojo, but the thing is, Gojo's genuine love for him just makes him remember the little hole he has in his life; the love of a biological father.
Don't be mean, Megumi. Imagine Yuji’s listening.
“It was pretty good. We didn't do much but it was nice having company,” Megumi replies.
Gojo laughs a bit before saying, “Must've been pretty good, you never really talk this much when I ask about your friends.”
Yeah, because every time I do you compare me to him.
“Huh?” Gojo says.
Shoot, did I say that out loud!?
“Nothing,” Megumi mutters. He starts walking faster, avoiding further conversation.
“Wait! Megumi!” Gojo calls after him, “I didn't know you felt that way.”
“Well, you just always seem to love talking about how fast Yuji is. How much he's improved. How much you wish I was just as fast as him,” Megumi tears the door open, stepping inside the passenger seat of the car. Unlike Yuji’s car, Megumi didn't feel invited or at home here. He felt distant. Scared. He shouldn't have said that and he knows. What if Gojo yells at him like his bio dad used to when he was drunk.
Gojo enters the car from the driver's side, starting the car while saying, “Megumi, I really didn't think you would take it that way. When I say ‘Man, look at that kid. One day you'll be just as fast as him,’ I mean that in a supportive way. I want you to be encouraged to give your all—”
Megumi cuts him off, “Would you rather him as your kid?” he snaps.
I shouldn’t have said that. Damn it I shouldn't have said that—
“No. Megumi you know I love you like my own son—”
Like your own son.
“Am I not your own son!?”
“No—no, Megumi, you know what I mean—I–”
“Just stop.”
Gosh why would I say that what's wrong with me I hate myself oh my gosh why can't I just be dead already. Shut up! Just shut up!
Megumi turns towards the window. Gojo faces forward, out the front window—past the front window, into the distance, where maybe his adoptive son wouldn't hate him.
They get home in complete silence, the only noise in the house being the front door opening and the sound of shoes sliding into the shoe rack by the door. It was a nice house. Decorated with beautiful art prints framed and hung on the walls paired with a large Russian rug sprawled on the floor. Light from the huge, open windows lets in a pool of natural light, softening the scene. But, for Megumi, not a home. Not yet.
He walks to his room. In silence. Just like when he went to the locker room. Alone.
Megumi tosses his phone on his bed, throwing his clothes off before flopping down on his bed.
Bzzt!
Megumi’s phone buzzes next to his head. He checks his notifications. Yuji.
*Hey Megs. You looked down after practice. You okay???*
Yuji sends a sticker of his own cat.
Nope. No. Gosh but I can't tell him that, can I?
*not really*
*wanna talk? we can call or just keep texting. or if you just need company right now we can play video games together and talk irl :>*
That would be nice. I'm too upset right now to tell him about it. I'm gonna get mad at him instead.
*can we hop on siege and just talk :c*
*okie dokie!*
a/n: sorry for the angsty chapter today, was in a mood. Trust it does get less angsty!
They pull into the parking lot of Yuji’s house. Sitting in the car in silence, they both pull out their phone simultaneously, texting their parents about their location.
“Wanna head up?” Yuji asks. Megumi nods, once again in silence.
I really hope he’s not mad at me for what I said earlier.
They both get out of the tiny car and walk together to the front door of Yuji’s home. His house is rather humble, similar to his car. A small lemon tree is planted on the small patch of green grass in front of the house. The home, although small, had a warm, inviting feeling to it, feeling almost as if Megumi was walking into his own home.
“Yo, Dad?” Yuji calls out, taking his dress shoes off as he enters the doorway, “I’m home! And Megumi is here too, if you didn’t get my text.”
Yuji’s father peeks his head out from the kitchen. “Alright” he replies, “Just make sure his dad knows.”
“Okay,” Yuji replies to his father, as he smiles at Megumi, “Wanna head to my room? I’ll take out the pull out bed for you”
Together, they walk through the simplistic house, over towards Yuji’s room. Entering his room, Megumi is met by a complete contrast to the rest of his house. Movie posters and vinyls are displayed on the walls. Stacks of old movie DVDs as well as a few books lay in stacks on his floor, due to his actual book stands being filled with action figurines.
No matter how many times I come into his room, I’ll always be shocked by how it contrasts the rest of the house.
Megumi unbuttons his suit and lays it on the back of Yuji’s gaming chair. Doing this Megumi realizes something, he doesn’t have a change of clothes.
“Yuji…uhm” Megumi's eyes shift to Yuji, pulling out the pull out bed and setting it up for Megumi “—do you happen to have anything for me to wear?”
Yuji looks down at Megumi’s clothes, as if he was just realizing that Megumi is not prepared for this impromptu sleepover.
“Yeah you can just wear my clothes.”
His clothes?
“And you’re okay with that?”
“As long as you are,” Yuji says casually, walking over to his dresser to pull out a pair of clothes for Megumi, “Here ya’ go.”
Yuji tosses over his pair of fleece shorts and an oversized band tee to Megumi. Megumi stares down at the design on the t-shirt.
“You can change. I’ll close my eyes,” Yuji says this as he dramatically shields his eyes, palms pressing down on his eye sockets. A smile emerges on Megumi’s face, the first one this past hour. He laughs, a genuine one too.
“Thanks,” he chuckles as he unbuttons his dress shirt as he slips into Yuji’s clothes. A smell of laundry detergent and Yuji’s cologne meets Megumi’s nose as he throws the t-shirt on. As he changes into loungewear, Megumi’s eyes slowly become heavier, “You can open your eyes now, Yuji.”
Yuji, equally as dramatic as when he closes them, unveils his eyes. “Hold on, that's low-key fire,” Yuji says, nodding his head and observing his clothes on Megumi, “Wait—do a spin, dude, I wanna admire the fit.”
“This is your fit.”
“But it looks better on you though high-key.”
Megumi looks down, a nervous smile rises on his face.
He can’t be serious, can he?
The rest of the night was rather uneventful. Sleep overtook both boys almost instantaneously, due to their exhaustion from today’s events. Yet, both had so many unanswered questions for each other. That’s how it usually is, though. The fear of ruining a friendship manipulates their choices, afraid to lose what has already been built between them.
Megumi, before fully giving in to sleep, contemplates: Maybe, just maybe, one day we’ll be able to freely ask anything to each other.
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