Day 3: "My parents will like you." ... "Your parents hated me." With Megumi Fushiguro
tags: fluff, mention of body image issues, mention of insecurity and anxiety, reader burns themselves on accident once, fluff, soft, domestic megumi, soft megumi
The holiday season buzzed in the air as you walked through the bustling shopping district. Your thoughts are fluttering all over the place, trying to balance all the bags in your arms, while also figuring out which store you need to stop by next. Usually, you wouldn’t be this up in the air over something like this. Preferring to take the holiday season slowly, relaxing as you buy presents and decorate your apartment. But this year was different, much different.
After dating Megumi for a little over a year now, you two decided it was time to start meeting family. You had already met his friends, Yuuji and Nobara, who you got on with like a forest on fire. The four of you hung out constantly, and it was nice being able to see a different side of Megumi when he was with his friends. The only important people you hadn’t met in Megumi’s life were his dad and his sister.
They were coming over tonight for a holiday dinner, which was still a week or so away from Christmas itself. But, you both thought it best to give yourselves little test runs with each other's families before hanging out all together during the real deal.
To say you were nervous would be an understatement.
Megumi had tried, bless his heart, all morning to calm you down from your anxiety spiral. Worrying about the food, the apartment, whether they would like you, especially his sister. Gojo was his adoptive dad, and while Megumi valued his opinion and blessing, it wasn’t nearly as much as he valued Tsumiki’s. You could feel the cold sweat beginning to bead at your hairline at the thought of it.
You rushed into another convenience store, trying to find the last ingredient you needed for tonight’s dinner. Your eyes scan the shelves of various vegetables, fruits, snacks, packaged goods, anything you could really need, except for what you’re looking for, it seems. The shop bustles with other people, packed together in the small aisles, everyone carrying various amounts of bags and looking in the same state of flustered, you’re sure you looked right now. At least you weren’t facing the holiday craziness alone.
At that moment, you felt a familiar buzzing in your pocket, fishing your phone from it. You see that you have a few missed messages from some friends, your most recent notification, though, is from Megumi. It’s not an actual message; Megumi rarely sends you those unless you guys have been apart for a long time.
Instead, when you tap the notification, you see a picture of your living room, and you can’t help but coo at what you see. The living room is dazzling with Christmas decorations, from the decorated Christmas tree standing tall in the corner or the cute stockings strung up on the wall. You heart the message before sliding the phone back into your pocket. Now with a warm feeling in your chest and a pep in your step, you finish up your shopping.
You continue to bob and weave through the bustling street traffic, bundled in your warm jacket and gloves. You can see your breath as it leaves your lungs, floating up and joining the breath of those around you. You keep your bags close to your side, trying to make sure nothing falls out or gets stolen.
Thankfully, you make it to the train station without a scratch, and you board the train home. Letting out a breath of relief as you sink into the plastic subway chairs. Your groceries crinkle in their paper bags next to you as the train jostles in motion, slowly moving forward and continuing to pick up speed. It’s not long before you're flying past buildings and shopping centers, your eyes watching the scenery buzz past you through the windows.
The train stops at a few other stations along the way before it finally stops at yours. The familiar station name crackles out over the old intercom, your things already gathered into your hands as you stood, exiting the cart and heading straight for the stairs.
The train station was packed with people milling on and off trains, up and down escalators. It was chaos; the walls echoed with the sounds of idle chatter, combining and mixing to create a cacophony of voices. After a certain point, it ceases to sound like words and morphs into just pure sound.
Your bones ache with the exhaustion that creeps up, ever growing the closer and closer you get to home. You knew you were going to need at least two cups of coffee before his family got there, the day of shopping draining you much more than you originally thought.
When you finally make it to your apartment building, you feel a sense of nervousness wash over you. As if your brain had suddenly remembered what all this had been for, what tonight meant. On your now wobbly knees, you make the slow walk to your door. Your arms throb with the weight of the grocery bags, shaking slightly as you wrestle the key into the door, unlocking it and pushing it open with your foot.
When you step foot into the front room, it feels like you’ve stepped into an alternate reality. Your apartment is bathed in a soft, warm glow. The one that reminds you of Christmas as a little girl, asking Santa for bikes and Barbie dolls. The door clicks shut softly behind you as you marvel at the atmosphere Megumi had created.
He had always been very particular about his space, liking things to look and feel a certain way. Wanting our space to feel cozy and welcoming, it was one of the many things that drew you to him. His intentionality was endearing and often romantic.
You can hear him quietly in the kitchen, the faint clatter of dishes and movement traveling throughout the space. The relatively small apartment and dreadfully thin walls made for an awkward combination when it came to loud noises. But it did help you sneak up on your boyfriend, something that you found great joy in.
One thing about Megumi was that he was notoriously difficult to startle. No matter how lost it seemed he was in whatever he was doing, he wasn’t. It’s like he had a sixth sense for the presence of others, or maybe just the intention of scaring him. Whatever it was, it started you on this mission about 6 months into dating. You swore that one of these days you’d scare him.
Secretly, you had told yourself that you had hoped it to be before you two got married, but it was a little too soon to be making statements like that. So, you had kept that part to yourself.
You pose to strike, quietly tiptoeing towards him, ensuring that each step with your sock-padded feet barely makes a sound. To your surprise, it had felt perfect, maybe too perfect.
Megumi doesn’t even flinch. His head turns towards you, his face dreadfully neutral, but you can see the amusement in his eyes. You can hear it when he goes to speak, “How many attempts is that now?” His lips quirk up in a smirk as he turns back to the dishes, continuing to place them into the dishwasher like nothing happened.
Immediately, you start pouting. “You are impossible to scare! I was like perfectly silent.” You grumble, stepping forward a bit to snuggle yourself into his back. Resting your forehead a little below his shoulder blades. You follow his movements, swaying with the back and forth motion of going to the sink and then the dishwasher over and over.
“You? Maybe. The door? Very telling.” His voice slips back into the monotone rumble it usually takes; it's a soothing sound that has your eyes fluttering shut as you lean further into his body.
“I shut it so softly.” You whisper, choking your voice as if you were crying for the dramatics. It makes Megumi chuckle and shake his head above you, the jostling of his laughter vibrating through your skull. You shove him softly as he continues to laugh, blowing a raspberry at him with your tongue out, disconnecting yourself from his back. He just hums, wiping his hands off on the towel slung over his shoulder.
The groceries whisper to you from the counters, reminding you that you need to start preparing dinner. Suddenly, even more thankful that Megumi decided to do the dishes, and you're sure that the dinner tonight definitely motivated his decisions.
“Thank you for doing the dishes, Meg.” You stand on your tiptoes, watching him tip his shoulder down expectantly. You go for your usual kiss on the cheek, but at the last second Megumi turns his head and places a peck on your lips. He smiles at your shocked expression for a second,
“That’s how you scare someone.”
You shove his forehead away, dramatically storming off to the bedroom as he cackles behind you. You shut the bedroom door in a huff, though the dramatics fall once it's shut, and your lips crack into a giddy grin. He always knows just how to brighten you up, never fails to make you smile. It’s a big part of the reason why tonight has to be perfect. You have to prove that you are worth it, that you deserve each other.
Megumi would roll his eyes at you and tell you that you're being dramatic. He had been constantly reminding you in the days leading up that his family’s opinion of you wouldn’t change anything; it would have to be something insane, and you both know that would never happen.
But you couldn’t help it. The anxiety never failed to creep in at the worst moments, especially now when you find yourself standing in front of your full-length mirror. Your eyes ravaging at your reflection, picking and poking at every little imperfection until you feel filleted and completely exposed.
Your skin almost physically feels raw when you hear the bedroom door click open, Megumi’s frame appearing in the corner of your eye. You can’t look at him because you know that the second he sees you, he’s going to know exactly what’s going through your head.
His steps are soft as he pads over to you, appearing in the mirror behind you. You watch the way his arms snake around your waist, how he bends forward to rest his head on your shoulder, placing another innocent kiss on your jawline.
“My family is going to love you. Ask me how I know.” His voice is soft, but it carries this edge that Megumi always has when he’s talking to you. This quiet intensity that can feel like it's sucking the air out of your lungs sometimes, especially when your eyes meet. You can feel it when he looks at you through the mirror, the same soft intensity echoing back at you through the deep color.
“How do you know?” Your voice is barely above a whisper. You turn your head to nuzzle into his touch, your eyes fluttering shut for a moment to allow yourself to sink into his embrace.
Once more, you feel breathless as the words leave his lips. It’s far from the first time either of you has said I love you, far from the first time either of you has felt love for each other. But it never fails to bring a flush to your cheeks and a smile to your face.
“I love you too.” It’s like the spell had been broken. You're still nervous, of course, your heart still flutters anxiously in your chest, but it’s no longer suffocating. You smile back at him in the mirror, your eyes finally meeting for the first time since you got home. His smile reflects back to you, his eyes reassuring you without words.
“Besides, Gojo is lucky his invitation didn’t get lost in the mail.” Megumi grumbles, you giggle, and smack his shoulder. He squawks in mock offense, pretending to be hurt by the tap you left on his arm. You twist yourself around in his grip, pressing your lips to the tip of his nose, pulling back as you whisper your thanks. He pulls his arms back as you grab hold of his wrist, pulling him towards the kitchen as you ramble about forcing him to peel all the potatoes so you don’t have to.
The prep for dinner is going smoothly, you’ve got a few pots simmering on the stovetop. The oven has a timer that beeps 15 minutes back at you, the dishes bubbling deliciously under the heat. The apartment smells like food, not the kind to make you nauseous, but the kind that makes your mouth water.
You were checking on the bread in the oven when you heard the doorbell ring; anxiety spikes through you. You flinch subconsciously, causing your hand to bump the plate inside the oven. You hiss, jerking your hand back as the pain shoots through your skin. You feel Megumi hovering in concern, but you wave him off toward the door. You’ll be fine, you just need some cold water and a Band-Aid.
Your mind wonders if the burn cream is still in the back of the medicine cabinet. Megumi helps you up before he goes, shutting the oven and shooing you to the bathroom to bandage yourself. Your cheeks burn with embarrassment as you scuttle off, hoping not to be spotted by Gojo or Tsumiki.
Opening the door to the bathroom, you immediately stand in front of the sink. Twisting the cold knob until water was gushing from the faucet. Slowly placing your hand under the stream, you felt the relief as the cold water cooled the burn.
You hurried through the process, not wanting to keep them waiting for long. You quickly bandaged yourself, moving to check over yourself in the mirror. Your hands move to fix your hair, brushing off any dust from your outfit. You check your face, ensuring that everything looks as it should. When you're satisfied with what you see, you turn toward the door and leave.
Hearing the sound of loud voices filtering through the walls has your heart seizing in anxiety again. Suddenly entirely too nervous to open the door, its almost as if you can feel their eyes on you already. You take a deep breath, hearing Megumi’s words from earlier repeat in your mind.
Slowly, you push the door open, feeling relieved when it doesn’t squeak shut. You try to walk as naturally as possible into the kitchen, where all the voices and chatter seem to be emanating from. You round the corner to exactly what you had expected, Megumi facing two people, one shorter girl with long brown hair. It's tied neatly into a ponytail, two pieces pulled from it to frame her face. The other man is much more striking, his white hair nearly glowing despite the lights already on in the kitchen.
There are darkly tinted sunglasses that rest on his nose, and yet, knowing that he isn’t looking at you, it’s almost like you can still feel his eyes on you. It’s a little unnerving, but you brush it off, smiling brightly as you announce your presence.
“Hello! Sorry about that, it’s so nice to meet you guys.” Their conversation halts, all three of their heads turning to face you. Megumi’s eyes soften at the sight of you. He immediately steps to your side, ushering you more naturally into the circle. His presence immediately calms your racing nerves, and you can feel the way he squeezes at your hip reassuringly.
“You are even prettier in person!” Tsumiki fawns, her voice soft yet carrying the similar intensity you find in Megumi’s. It doesn’t sound the same, but it feels the same. You guess that it makes sense; they are related, certain things pass through families.
The compliment makes you blush, your smile brightening as the horrible scenarios you spent the past few days imagining slowly fade from the back of your mind. Being gradually replaced by the real events happening in front of you.
“Thank you! It’s a huge compliment to hear that from you!” You gush, Tsumiki returning the playfully shy gesture, causing you both to erupt in a fit of giggles. Her eyes shine genuinely at you, and you can already feel the weight of the evening being lifted off your shoulders.
Before you can fully bask in the glow, Gojo clears his throat, and you realize you hadn’t even spoken to him yet. When you turn to face him, you can tell he means it in a playful way. You're sure if this were any other time, you would’ve rolled your eyes and played along, but today your nerves are a little too shot to banter.
“Megumi talks so much about you, I feel like I’ve met you already.” Gojo throws a wink Megumi’s way, and you can feel him twisting his body to pretend he’s dodging it. Gojo’s expression quickly morphs into a pout before returning to the soft smirk.
“Hopefully all positive things!” You laugh, feeling Megumi playfully nudge your shoulders, trying to scold you for playing along.
“Don’t encourage him, it’ll only make tonight feel longer,” Megumi complained dramatically, causing Tsumiki to giggle as Gojo gasps as if he’s been shot. It only makes Megumi’s expression twist further, deciding to hide his face in your shoulder as you find yourself trying to hold back your laugh.
“They have to be nice to me! That’s a part of the rules.” Gojo’s voice pitches into a whine. You can feel Megumi draw in a breath, presumably to bite back, but the interaction is interrupted as the oven starts beeping. Indicating the ending of the 15-minute timer you had set earlier.
“Oven is done.” You announce, detaching yourself from Megumi’s side and walking over to the oven to turn the timer off. The table had already been set, drinks and everything placed out. With the oven done, dinner was ready.
You watch as everyone nods, exchanging different variations of small talk and playful banter as they gather around the dinner table and find their seats. You sit next to Megumi, feeling your stomach rumble at the delicious food displayed in front of you.
The conversations flow easily, laughter is constant, and things never slow down enough to feel awkward. Tsumiki is quieter than the other two, but she’ll put her two cents in every once in a while. Gojo is the main instigator, constantly picking on Megumi or you to get a reaction out of Megumi, which Megumi always reciprocates.
You can tell that it’s something both of them enjoy from the way Megumi’s shoulders are lax, and his hand rests unclenched on your thigh under the table. The energy makes you smile into your drink as you take a sip of water. Feeling satisfied in knowing that you made the exact impression you had wanted to, you allow yourself to enjoy the ebb and flow of the rest of the night without care or worry.
a/n: sorry this ending feels so abrupt :( i felt like i was dragging it on and i knew it was getting long so i wanted to wrap it up but didn't quite know how hopefully you guys enjoy anyway!! <3 Day 4 comes out on the 7th so keep a look out for that!! as always likes, comments and reblogs are ALWAYS appreciated!!
