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Chapter Text

Megumi Fushiguro knew his way around a caged arena by the time he was 6 years old. As his peers were still trying to grasp the concept of multiplication he was mastering a double leg takedown and how best to cover a black eye. By the time he could walk all he could remember was the stench that followed the underground fights, the blood, the loud laughter and the sound of fists meeting flesh. He’d spend countless hours in a too dark, too crowded underground fighting pit watching the quick jabs of a man he wanted nothing to do with attack with no mercy, Megumi’s face the perfect copy of his.

Toji Zenin was one of the pits most popular fighters, and one of Megumi’s worst nightmares. He stood too tall, hair too dark, a long scar down his face Megumi never asked about, never cared to. He’d drill countless fighting drills in Megumi’s head until his knuckles bled and spots covered his vision. He never understood why until the night of his 8th birthday, the first time Toji sold him.

He remembered the look on Tsumiki’s face as she watched in horror at the wad of cash in Toji’s hand and the nonchalant look on his father’s face as he gruffed out the details of the fight he would be participating in that night. He remembered the feeling of blood, sticky and warm, trickling down the side of his mouth, chest heaving as the referee gripped his wrist too tightly and raised it above their heads declaring him the winner. He vomited as soon as he stepped in the too quiet locker room, tears threatening to stream down his face.

The fights went on for 2 years, wins and losses blurring together as he found himself in the caged arena every weekend. Megumi was unsure how long it would have gone on for if he never showed. A tall man with shockingly white hair, his eyes hidden by sunglasses and a too large smile Megumi felt was forced. He looked down to the Fushiguro siblings with 2 bags of groceries in hand before inviting himself in, made them instant ramen, and told them Toji would not be returning here anymore.

Tsumiki was always more trusting than Megumi, too kind to others and not expecting anything in return. But he was glad his sister was not yet tainted by the ugliness the world could be. Toji never touched a hair on her head, never forced her into a fight, or sold her for a cent unlike himself. He looked down into a steaming cup of noodles as the man talked, Tsumiki watching his every move in an almost awe. He introduced himself as Satoru Gojo, Megumi would learn later in life that the man chatting in front of them, sticking way too many sweets into his face, was the light heavyweight champion of the world, a fighter at one of the biggest MMA organizations in Japan, Limitless.

Their lives changed that day, for whatever reason Gojo became legal guardian of the two moving them from the small 2 bedroom apartment to a large modern minimalistic “black box” house with too many bedrooms and skylights throughout the halls. It was the first time he had his own room, his own private bath attached, his own bed. For the first couple months he couldn’t trust the change, sleeping next to Tsumiki in her bed unable to cope with being unable to see her in his quiet room.

He barely spoke to others with the exception of his sister, he turned Gojo’s offer down every time to add “comforting items” to his room as the tall man would say with a smile and wave of his hand. Tsumiki, though, glowed in their new environment. Baking in the ridiculously large kitchen, creating her bedroom into the room of her dreams, and truly accepted the role Satrou now held as their “father figure.” They had dinner together almost every night, outside of when Gojo had a match or stayed late in the gym, their shared meals filled with the pair’s laughter and Megumi’s gloom. He attended every parent-teacher conference, turned their living room into their own personal theater for movie nights, and even brought home a pair of twin puppies, one black and one white, when Megumi mentioned to Tsumiki in passing how he always wanted a dog.

After a year Megumi finally settled into his new life, as much as he could. Gojo continued to push into his guarded concrete wall of his mind and filled in the small cracks with teasing and soft smiles reserved just for him. The night it changed was the night of one of Tsumiki’s first sleep overs, her first night away from the house, away from him. He avoided Gojo like the plague, closing himself in his too quiet room and forcing himself to sleep.

The nightmares came, one after another. Of the cage fights, the air tainted with cigarette smoke and blood, of Toji. He woke in a panic, unable to catch his breath and eyes wide streaming tears as Gojo sat on his bed gripping his shoulders tightly and looking frantically over his face. Megumi can't remember the words he said past his sobs, how he ended up in the white haired man’s arms, his long fingers brushing through Megumi’s hair whispering into his head to count his breaths. That he was safe. That he was here with him.

They never talked about that night, but the next day Gojo hired a too expensive therapist to help work through whatever childhood trauma he had. He didn’t go back to fighting for a long time. He turned down every offer to watch Gojo’s matches live, walking away when they played on the large TV, and wouldn't even step into a gym. It stayed that way for many years, and Megumi was mostly content with that.

When he turned 16 years old, shortly after their last Christmas as their makeshift family, Tsumiki fell into a coma. They were unsure why, or if she would ever wake up, and that was the day he found himself in the Limitless fighter gym. Gojo was long gone, holding the limp hand of his sister in a sterile hospital room, and Megumi found himself here. His breath hitched at the smell of the mats, the fluorescent lights too bright. He timidly approached the punching bag, his breath uneven as he raised his fists and swung. He threw jab after jab until his knuckles were raw, sweat beading down his forward as a sob worked its way up his throat.

He leaned his head against the bag, his hands coming to the side to still it as he counted his breaths, squeezing his eyes tight against the tears threatening to shed down his face. He stayed like this for a long time before he stepped back taking one deep breath and exiting the gym. He signed up to join the Limitless organization the next day.

Chapter Text

“Again,” She snaps, pulling him up quickly from the floor, his breath coming too sharp throughout his chest. She moves back into an offensive pose, her long dark hair pulled into a high pony tail, her bangs swept to the side, her glasses sitting perfectly on her face. She’s quick, her jabs barely dodged before she crouches, her leg quicker than his.

She swipes under him before he can process, his back slamming into the mat, the breath he was holding lost. He lays there breathless as she leans over him, one bead of sweat running down the temple of her face. “You’re holding back. It’s a waste of my time.”

His jaw clenches as he looks up to her his chest heaving. Maki watches him back, her eyes cold before she scoffs and stands up quickly. He shifts his gaze to look at the too bright ceiling trying to count his breaths as he hears her walk away from him. He feels his skin start to stick to the mat as his head pounds the gym doors slam loudly behind Maki, he doesn’t get up.

Megumi Fushiguro is now 20 years old and the ‘prodigy’ of the upcoming MMA season. Gojo retired about 2 years ago, still heavily in his prime, after a fight he doesn’t talk about with a man he really doesn’t talk about, before turning to coach Megumi himself. He spent the last 4 years with Gojo training almost everyday, last year debuting as one of Limitless’s youngest fighters and winning middle weight champion of the year.

It was the night he learned Tsumiki had passed, moments before entering the arena. His team looked at him with sad eyes, Gojo’s hand resting tightly on his shoulder as he shook his head saying something about canceling the fight. Megumi walked right out and into the arena, fighting until his knuckles bled and his ears rang, it did nothing to fill the void in his chest, even as the referee lifted his arm up high and the championship belt was laid across his shoulder.

He shakes those thoughts from his head as he considers staying on the sweat stained mat looking up to the ceiling for the rest of his life, hoping to find peace before sitting up slowly, wincing. He looks over to the door before sighing and standing. He takes his time during his cool down, stretching his aching limbs before grabbing his gym bag and exiting.

The walk back to his house isn’t far, the cold October air nipping at the back of his neck as he pulls his jacket closer around him. He unlocks the door with ease, Kuro and Shiro the first to greet him. They wag their tails as he pets both of their heads looking out to the quiet dimly lit house. He can tell Gojo isn’t here by the lack of obnoxious noises echoing throughout the walls making him sigh in relief. He couldn’t handle having to tell him about the horrid spar he had with Maki earlier. He drops his bag on the kitchen counter before heading to his room, showering the day away with scolding hot water before turning to his bedroom, changing slowly into dark sweat pants and an even darker crewneck.

He walks silently into the kitchen pulling a bowl from the fridge he prepared earlier in the week, his eye twitching realizing it was empty. He looks up to the ceiling silently cursing his guardian for eating it before taking the bowl to the sink, washing it and setting it aside to dry. He settles for a quick protein shake before heading to his room, his dogs following closely on his heels as he shells himself in the comfort of the dark room for the night.

Morning comes sooner than he would like. He groans sitting up in his bed, his back aching from the amount of times Maki flipped him into the mats the day prior, he stretches awkwardly before he stands. He dresses quickly in light work out gear before leashing his dogs, the house still ghostly quiet. Gojo must have not come home yesterday. He lets the thought go as he places his head phones over his ears and starts his morning jog, the dogs matching his pace on either side.

He always starts the morning of a fight like this. Alone, outside of the company of Kuro and Shiro, jogging down the familiar path of the large park near his home. He doesn’t focus on the bright sun nor how he can see his breath in the chill of the autumn air. Instead he watches leaves fall and elderly couples hobble down the park streets, wrinkled hands tightly intertwined.

After an hour he returns home, the house warm and every light turned on, the fire detector beeping above his head. Megumi internally groans as he steps inside deactivating the alarm before entering the kitchen, pancake powder dusting over every counter surface as a burnt smell wafts throughout the air. Megumi’s eyes land on Gojo and the taller man flips a charred pancake onto a plate with a sheepish smile.

“Pancake?” He says making Megumi roll his eyes before stepping around him and into the fridge pulling out ingredients for a smoothie. He quietly grabs the blender and starts to add things in as Gojo tries to flip a pancake from the frying pan, it falls onto the floor. They both stare at it for a minute until Gojo starts to laugh, his eyes brimming with tears making Megumi’s eye twitch starting the blender to drown out the noise. When his smoothie is blended he adds it to the cup along with a scoop of protein taking small drinks as Gojo crouches to clean his mess. “You’re always so moody before a match, Megs.”

“No I’m not, and don’t call me that,” He says quickly, taking another sip from his drink, unable to stop the shake in his hand. Gojo’s all knowing eyes watch him, his head tilting.

“I know this is the first match of the season, and with Miki not-” Megumi holds his hand up quickly stopping Gojo’s words.

“I’m fine. The match will be fine.” He quickly downs the rest of his drink, setting it down harder on the counter than he means to before exiting the kitchen moving into his room. His gym bag is already packed, has been for a week now. He looks at it for a minute before walking to his dresser looking down at a picture of the 3 of them at one of Tsumiki’s piano recitals years ago. She stands happily presenting her 3rd place ribbon to the camera. Gojo looks down at her with a bouquet of flowers, a smile larger than life itself, his teary eyes hidden behind a pair of circle sunglasses. Megumi is standing to the side gripping tightly onto her left hand, he too is watching her, a ghost of a smile on his lips. He looks at her for another minute before grabbing his bag and heading to the gym.

Limitless gym is bustling with activity as he enters. He watches Maki for a minute as he fills his water bottle sparring with a transfer fighter, their speed and precision incredible. The newcomer surprisingly holds his own against Maki, outside of Megumi and Gojo she alone is the longest trained fighter here, her training starting far behind his own. Through some Zenin bloodline the two are related, distant cousins coming from terrible up-brinings and unable to escape the world of MMA, though she differs from him.

She fights for revenge, of those who doubted her, who took everything from her before she could have anything to herself. To break down the Zenin’s family built organization, Ten Shadows, who rejected to offer her a fighting contract. From there she signed with Limitless debuting a year before Megumi, leaving all of her components in the dust. Megumi couldn’t tell you what he fights for. He walks up to the pair as their spar finishes sitting on the mat and starting his stretching.

Maki pants softly wiping her forehead as she sits next to him avoiding the conversation of their small dispute yesterday which he appreciates greatly. She nods her head up at the boy before them, “Yuta Okkotsu,” she then does the same head nod to him as Yuta takes a long drink from his water bottle, “Megumi Fushiguro.” Megumi also nods in acknowledgment at Yuta as he smiles down at him.

“Nice to meet you Fushiguro.”

The day passes in blur between prep for his upcoming match tonight and working on his last minute skills. He avoids unnecessary conversation, especially as Gojo walks in the gym to teach his beginner MMA class. Before he knows it he’s being loaded into the back of the car heading to the arena.

The air shifts as they enter the building, he can hear the crowds loud laughter through the walls as he enters the locker room, Gojo flanking his left side. He knows better to taunt Megumi at this time as he wraps the younger boy’s hands saying things like, “Don’t forget to breathe through your punches” and “Make sure to block body jabs just as much as you do your face.” All things Megumi knows all too well but he lets him say it anyway. Before he steps into the arena he’s pulled into an awkward side hug, the younger boy stilling in his embrace, “She’d be proud of you Megs.”

Megumi doesn’t return the hug, instead he lets the words fall over him, settling deep in his chest. Would she be proud of him? He could remember the worry on her face when he would come home from a loss, unable to breath correctly from bruised ribs or uncontrollable nausea. He shakes the thought from his head as he finally steps through the door meeting what seems like thousands of flashing lights and excited screams.

He doesn’t flinch as he walks down the short makeshift walkway to the cage, he doesn’t meet the eyes of the cheering crowd that surrounds him, he doesn’t smile.

“And coming in at 6’1ft, weighing in at 184lbs, the prodigy of Satoru Gojo himself, last year’s middle weight champion, Megumi Fushiguro!” The announcer’s voice booms throughout the arena as the crowd goes wild chanting his name over and over again. This is what feels the most surreal to him, hundreds of people he never met cheering for him to rip apart the man in front of him. He sheds his black robe stepping into the cage, as he gloves up he finally takes a look around him. The stands are full, people standing in walk ways and pushing each other to get closer to the arena.

This is his first match coming back from his championship, his first match since Tsumiki’s death, excitement buzzing in the air to see if he truly has what it takes or if he was a one hit wonder. His eyes glaze over his opponent, his face and name forgettable. He gives Megumi a smirk as they stand in front of each other to touch gloves but insteads he spits at him, “You’re going down champ.”

Megumi doesn’t react, he wipes the spit slowly from his cheek before meeting his opponents eyes in a cool glare, the other boy’s smirk seems to falter and he hesitates stepping back. The referee separates the 2 as Megumi puts in his mouth guard, his eyes focused and unmoving from the blonde haired boy’s face.

The first 5 minute round goes smoothly, Megumi practicing offense. The boy is sloppy, his movements too excited to land a punch on Megumi. The dark haired boy can tell his opponent is growing irritated as Megumi dances around him, unable to land anything on him. The round finishes quickly as they return to their corners.

Megumi takes a drink of his water as Gojo’s head pops in, “Megs it’s not polite to play with your food.”

Megumi scoffs softly as he looks to his coach, the white hair man nodding once. He stands and they meet right back in the middle, the referee blowing the whistle. As soon as the whistle drops from his mouth Megumi is swinging, his non dominant meeting across the boy’s face in a swift powerful punch. You can tell he wasn’t expecting the sudden defensive attack as he stumbles back, blood already streaming down his cheek. Megumi doesn’t show mercy. He hits every opening, jab, cross, low kick, follow up strike, almost as he is on auto pilot. The blonde can do nothing but block, his arms tightly pressed against his chest ducking to protect his head as Megumi continues to rain down on him before the round is called.

He returns back to his corner breathing heavily as he drowns out the noise of the crowd taking a long drink of his water. He watches the boy across from him, watches the blood drip down into the mat as he swallows down water and pours it over his head, his coach yelling something at him Megumi can’t hear. Gojo is also talking to him, but he doesn’t seem to hear that either.

The third and final round is called as Megumi stands meeting back in the middle. His opponent seems more prepared mimicking Megumi’s first punch, his fist meeting his target. Megumi can feel his teeth rattle in his skull as the fight continues, each of them landing powerful blows. They go back and forth for what seems like hours, jab, kick, dodge, kick, and so on. For a moment the blonde steps back and that’s all Megumi needs. He rushes him before jumping up delivering the perfect spinning roundhouse kick to his head, the other boy dropping immediately resulting in a KO.

Megumi pants in the middle of the arena looking down to the bloody mess of the boy he didn’t know the name of as his arm raises above his head, his own blood trailing down from his brow bone down his face. The crowd is uncontrollable, his name like a prayer on their lips. Cameras zoom in on him asking him questions he has a hard time understanding as he tries to catch his breath before a too familiar face interrupts smiling widely as he always does and lets the cameras know he will answer questions at the post match press conference. Gojo pushes them past the cameras, past the arena, and back into the locker room, bile rising in his throat.

He washes himself robotically before pulling on a fitted black tee, ‘Limitless’ written across his chest. His hair is still damp, dripping down his neck as he is seated at the front of the room, Gojo flanking his left and Mei Mei and the PR team to his right. Cameras roll and lights flash as he stares ahead.

“Would it kill you to smile?” He hears Mei Mei say under her breath, her smile tight and forced as Gojo chuckles beside him. He ignores both of them.

A short woman takes the podium, she seems to bristle under the weight of Megumi’s stare. “Hello, I’m Yuri from Days News, Fushiguro. How does it feel to enter the ring and leave with that win tonight continuing your winning streak since your debut?”

“I’m honored to have Limitless organization stand behind me in support and the extra training time I take to prepare for matches. Though I do not keep track of each win, each match holds its importance to myself and my team.”

“Fushiguro! I’m Ken from Sports Network, it seems you have created a huge following across social media pages labeling you ‘MMA pretty boy,’ what do you think of the nickname?”

“I’m not an active participant online and have not seen the following but thank my fans for their support though I don’t know how it pertains to fighting.”

“Fumiko from Today Daily, has the loss of your sister last year affected your pre-season performance?” It’s the only question he stills at, his hands clenching staring out to the crowd.

“No comment,” Mei Mei says quickly before waving her hand to the next reporter.

“Hi Fushiguro, Ren from Japan Newz, how does it feel to work alongside legend Satoru Gojo? Do you feel like a shadow in his large footsteps or find it easy to find your own spotlight?”

Before he can answer Gojo leans in the mic smiling, patting Megumi’s hair. “Megumi chan has done nothing but make me and our team here at Limitless very proud, there will never be another fighter like him.” He takes a look over to the white haired man, he’s already smiling back at him. He gives him a soft smile before turning back to the reporters and nodding.

“Hello, Aki from MMA Online, do you have thoughts on this season’s rookie Itadori Yuji and your upcoming match later in the season?”

“I’m unaware of this season's rookie but I look forward to our match as all others.”

With that Mei Mei stands clapping her hands. “Thank you all for your time today, no further questions!”

Megumi stands and bows to the crowd before taking his leave, finally able to breathe.

Chapter Text

The irritation started to seep in by the time of his 4th press conference after his consecutive winning streak, reporter questions no longer about himself or the matches themselves, but fluttering about no one other than Itadori Yuji. 

"Fushiguro have you watched rookie Itadori Yuji's last match? What do you think of his brash fighting style?"

"Fushiguro! Itadori's press team just launched his newest YouTube channel, have you watched his reaction to your championship win? Will we be seeing a collab in the future?"

"Fushiguro, Itadori Yuji just released a statement regarding his ideal type being tall woman with a big, uh anyways, what's your ideal type?" 

"Fushiguro, are you looking forward to finally coming face to face with the rookie Itadori Yuji at this year's MMA gala coming up soon?"

"Fushiguro! Fushiguro! Fushiguro!"

Megumi rubbed his temples as he now sat in his darkened room sighing at the disaster of the conference. Limitless was not happy with Itadori's sudden rise to fame and they were making Megumi very aware of that by forcing him deep into social media. He filmed countless of unimportant sponsored commercials for new protein drinks, for work out wear, even going far enough as filming a house tour for some big named brand he didn't care about. He did multiple fan based events, smiling too wide and writing his name for autographs until his hand cramped, anything to cover Itadori's rise on the charts. 

He glanced over to his laptop chewing softly on his bottom lip before curiosity got the best of him. He opened it quickly before looking to the door once, he was home alone but couldn't bear the thought of Gojo walking in during this search. He walked to the door locking it before returning to his laptop searching, Itadori Yuji.

Thousands of articles popped before him, of recent matches, of Itadori's story before entering MMA, his presumed dating life. He clicked on a link that sent him over to a YouTube channel, The Tiger of MMA before selecting the first one.The video starts blank before the camera is turned on taking a second to focus, Megumi's breath hitched. 

"Hi guys! Welcome back to the channel, today I'm happy to report we did it! Nanamin, or as the world knows him as my physical therapist and honorary dad, has finally agreed to make a live appearance!" Megumi was unsure what he would expect of his upcoming opponent, this was not it. He wasn't as lean as Megumi, shoulders broader and skin sporting a golden tan. The top of his hair light pink falling over his forehead, his undercut dark. Itadori's eyes were an inviting amber, shining so bright it almost hurt to look directly at them. And then there his smile. The type of smile that shows all of your teeth, eyes crinkling at the sides. He watched as Itadori pulled a stiff blonde man into view wrapping his hand lightly on his wrist and forcing the other man to wave. He hated the immediate reaction of his body, his face flushed at that stupid smile. 

Megumi's eyes traveled down the screen looking through the multiple videos the pink haired boy had posted hovering over one of his most recent post. Reaction time: MMA's Pretty Boy aka Fushiguro Megumi! Before he could stop himself he clicked on it quickly. Itadori sat in the same place, possibly in his room? Headphones over his head, tiger ears protruding from the top. He waved excitingly at the camera as he truly was talking to Megumi now, it make his skin feel too warm. "Hi guys, welcome back to the channel! Today my PR team is answering many prayers and we will be blessing, you dear viewer, with THE reaction video." Megumi watched him closely noticing Itadori talked with his whole body, his hands never stop moving and smile never faltering. 

Comments began to pop up on the screen, the multiple request of fans asking Itadori to react to Megumi, the dark haired boy couldn't help but feel a bit startled. One comment stayed at the top of the video, Itadori pointed to as he continued, "This comment from yuyu's biggest fan, which thank you by the way for all of your love in support, was selected in a draw for my next video so congrats to you!" The comment read, pleaseeee yu react to mma pretty boy's championship match, it will keep you on the edge of your seat!

Itadori began to share his screen, his tongue sticking out slightly as he began not to search Megumi's name but MMA Pretty Boy and for some odd reason it made his cheeks flush again. Multiple videos of himself popped up in front of Itadori, compilations of his fights, 'Top 10 best moments of Coach Gojo and Pretty Boy', and his recent promotional videos. He was brought back from his second hand embarrassment as Itadori whistled looking at the camera with a smile, "He sure is pretty isn't he?"

At that he slammed his laptop shut his heart beating wildly out of his chest. He stared down at the laptop for too long as he counted his breath, unable to shake this feeling off. He clenched his jaw thinking of the too large smile, the gleam in his eyes as he talked. He stood quickly leaving the laptop and the search that changed everything behind. 

Megumi walks the crowded streets of Tokyo with his hands in his pants, his face covered by a black mask and hood. He watches as people part to let him through barely listening to the girl next to him. 

"And then she had the audacity to tell me to maintain my weight before the season like I don't know!" She screeches as he finally turns down to her. Kugisaki Nobara, a long time friend and of course, another person dragged into the MMA lifestyle. Though she was not contracted at Limitless she made her debut the same year at himself at a competitors company, Malevolent Shrine who regularly spar against the fighters at Limitless. He lets her go on and on about whatever she was saying as he looked up, a picture of himself with some type of sponsored drink on a large digital billboard, gulping down the drink as fax sweat runs down his throat. He internally cringes but before he can avert his gaze the image changes, the same drink presence but he's replaced with Itadori Yuji, his smile brighter than his own.

He can't help the attraction to Itadori, he was a handsome man. Glowing and warm. His eyes travel a bit to his fitted t-shirt, the logo Malevolent Shrine written in red letters. "What is Itadori Yuji like?" He asks before he can catch himself. Nobara stops her walk turning to him slowly, a perfectly plucked brow arching. 

"Huh? When have you EVER asked about a fighter at my organization? And don't interrupt my story!" She goes to smack his shoulder he quickly dodges and shrugs. 

"We have an up coming match and I was curious." She crosses her arms staring at him as he grew 2 heads. 

"Again, when have you EVER asked about another fighter?" He averts his gaze and keeps walking. "Wait Megs!" She runs behind him gripping his arm stopping him in his tracks. He sighs before looking down at her.

"I don't know have of you've seen my recent press conferences but your peer has seem to leak into all of them," He says in an annoyed huff as she watches him chewing at her bottom lip. 

"Yuji's kind, in a dumb kind of way." He raises his brow at the use of his first name as she pulls out her phone pushing it into his face. "And I would say he might give you a run for your money during your match." He stills at her comment as he focuses his eyes on the video. Nobara, forever honest, never doubted any of his matches or lack of victory of one. He lets the thought sit in the back of his mind as he presses play on the video. All you can see are flashes of pink, Megumi's sure he is holding his breath at this point. Itadori was quick, was lightening. He put all of his weight in each jab, the next one quicker than the last, and that stupid smile present in each and every one. "He has a signature move, Black Flash, they call it. Instant KO." He hears her say as his fists mets flesh every time. As the bell rings signaling the end of the spar he instantly drops his fighting position, his smile growing wider as he helps his opponent up looking over to the camera.

"How was that Nobara?" Itadori asks, the video ends and she takes her phone looking back up to him. He can feel the irritation begin to spread as he starts to walk again.

"Oi, you've got that look on your face."

"What look?" He grits out avoiding her gaze. 

"Your pissy face when something is wrong." He sighs loudly as they reach their destination, a small cafe Nobara insists they go to every week. 

"I don't."

"Yes you do!" She sings as she stuffs her hand into his pants and pulls out his wallet. "I'll order!" She saunters off as he looks out the window thinking of pink hair and flying fist. 

She returns promptly with his iced black coffee and a too sugary drink for himself as they head out, walking to a designer clothes store to pick out samples for their stylist for the up coming gala. "So aren't you going to tell me why you're so pissy?"

He clenches his jaw entering the first store. "So aren't you supposed to be maintain weight?" He asked looking down to her drink. Her face flushes as her fist fly into him making him chuckle, the early conversation dropped. 

Chapter Text

The night of the gala Megumi feels like his skin on fire. He sits in his living room surrounded by too many people bustling around as Gojo hums too loudly in his ear and Nobara for the 5th time asks if she should wear her hair up or down. 

"If I wear it up you'll be able to see how tone my arms arm but if I wear it down you'll be able to see how much growth I've had the last year!" A headache pounds its way behind his eyes as he taps his finger on his chair. 

"Fushiguro are you sure you want to wear the all black again this wear? I'm sure a pop of color wouldn't be bad," A small girl squeaks to him. He clicks his tongue looking down to her nodding once as she scrambles away. 

"Gumi you're so mean! The green would really bring out your eyes!" Gojo exclaims too loudly as he pushes an emerald green dress shirt into his hands. 

"I've settled on the black," He grits out looking up to the white haired man clenching the shirt tightly. He himself is sporting a fitted black dress shirt paired with a royal blue suit tailored to his form perfectly. He plays with the button on his sleeves with a frown. 

"How boring of you." 

Megumi sighs standing up before returning to the quiet of his room. Like last year Gojo offered their home for stylists and fighters a like to get ready for their biggest event outside of matches of the year. The MMA gala was meant more for sponsors, to drink and spend more money than they should, but it also gave the fighters a chance to mingle with other organizations and upcoming opponents. Kiro and Shiro lift their hands as they lounge on his bed as he walks by taking his pressed suit off the hanger and throwing the green shirt aside. 

He undresses quickly, sliding on his freshly steamed black slacks and too tight black dress shirt. He leaves the remain button at the top untouched as he shrugs into the suit jacket. He slowly puts in silver ear piercings into his ears, only used for social events so it's a rarity he sees himself with them on. He lastly takes a silver watch Tsumiki picked out for him on his 16th birthday placing it on his left wrist before heading out of the room. 

The living room is still too busy, stylists and fighters alike in outrageous ballroom attire litter every space. He swiftly moves to the kitchen and waits for them to head out, for the horrid event to finally start.

Megumi finds himself squished in the back seat of the car in-between Yuuta and Maki, Nobara claiming the passenger seat with a lame ass excuse about her dress being too long to sit in back. She's dressed in a long pale pink dress, the straps on the shoulder dainty and her neckline decorated in jewelry he's never seen her in before. Maki to his left is also in a long gown, a satin forest green, her back completely exposed. Yuuta is dressed in his traditional white, moving from a gym compression shirt to a tailored suit. 

Gojo is oddly silent as they arrive to the event, they pull into the valet and are immediately met with flashing lights. As the 5 of them trickle out the car Megumi hangs outside a moment longer before catching his breath and following his coach. A long red carpet is draped before the entrance making him frown slightly. Nobara immediately walks on to it, blowing kisses at the camera and switching from different angles. 

He watches Yuuta give him a sheepish smile and shrug before walking onto the carpet behind Maki. He stands awkwardly next to her as Nobara pulls Maki into her taking pictures. Gojo stands next to him, his eyes scanning the crowd. Megumi takes a moment to watch him carefully, his eyebrows furrowed. He goes to ask who is looking for before he feels a push into his back. He catches himself quickly clenching his jaw as he looks up for the culprit. He sees a flash of pink and wild hands. 

"Sorry!" The voice calls out as he is dragged away by a very large man, his hair sitting on his head almost like a pineapple? Megumi mouth's parts slightly as his eyes finally settles his on him, Itadori Yuji. He is quickly swept onto the carpet, reporters attached to him like flies. He smiles widely and flexes for pictures with the large man before chatting closely with a couple reporters. 

"If you don't close your mouth a bug might fly in there," Gojo says making Megumi snap his mouth shut and look to him with a grimace. 

"Shut up and let's go." The two of them enter the carpet, Megumi fills with dread as the cameras pin to the duo. He puts his hands in his pockets looking out to the crowd, no smile on his face as Gojo wraps his arm around his shoulder posing for the camera. 

"Gojo over here!"

"Fushiguro this way!"

"Can we get a smile over here?"

Megumi does his best to smile at the camera and hope he doesn't look as if he is in pain. In the corner of his eye can see Itadori, forever full of life answering questions and smiling as if it is the easiest thing in the world. They take a couple more photos before Gojo gets flagged down from some former peers and leaves Megumi to fend for himself. He grits his teeth and looks back to the reporters, he'll kill him for that later.

"Fushiguro who are you most excited to chat with tonight?"

"It would be an honor to thank all of our sponsors who support Limitless."

"What a trained answer pretty boy," He hears a voice whisper in his ear making him turn quickly. Itadori now stands in front of him in a maroon suit and dark dress shirt, a flush to his cheeks and a wide grin. Megumi grimaces. 

"Don't call me that," He spits out as he turns back to the crowd. "Especially since you almost knocked me over."

Itadori laughs, Megumi's ears ring. "I did say I was sorry! I didn't mean to hurt you, I thought you were a tough guy." 

His eyes cool over as he looks down to him with a sneer. "You didn't hurt me-" A reporter cuts in before he can finish his reply. 

"Itadori, Fushiguro can we get a photo of the two of you together!"

Megumi goes to shake his head as Itadori quickly stands in front of him. "Of course!" He wraps his arm around his shoulder as Gojo did moments ago and pulls him close. The smell of him alone is intoxicating as he stands too close to him gripping onto his shoulder and smiling wide. Megumi clenches his jaw tightly as the picture ends pulling himself roughly out of the other boy's hand. 

"Don't touch me," He grits and goes to push past him. 

"Whatever you say pretty boy," Itadori coos before walking back to a group of reporters with a shit eating grin, no cares in the world. Megumi can feel his fists clench as he stalks off the carpet and towards the entrance doors. He pushes inside and immediately flags a waiter taking a flute of champagne into his hands and starts to scope the room. He would love more than anything to find a dark corner and hide most of the night but Mei Mei and the rest of the PR team would kill him. This was the time to make good impressions for future brand deals and of course larger sponsors. 

He smiles robotically and bows his head In respect as groups pass by him. He scans the room to find someone he knows to drag them down into his social awkwardness with him as he hears a deep voice behind him. 

"Fushiguro Megumi." A feeling of dread washes over him as he turns slowly trying to control the small shake in his hand. Before him stood Sukuna Ryomen, CEO of Malevolent Shrine and the longest title holder of heavy weight champion of the world. He nods his acknowledgement as he looks to him avoiding eye contact. "I've heard a lot about you, congratulations on your recent championship."

"Thank you," He manages to get out, his voice quieter than expected. Sukuna was known to raise and train amazing fighters but was also well known that he plays and fights dirty. He was banned from fighting MMA all together due to multiple illegal moves resulting in permanent damage of fighters, the last one in death. Luckily for him he came from money, regardless of how dirty it was and was able to create his own organization and continue to coach though Megumi could not understand why.

"You should come to my gym sometime, if you ever want to reach your full potential." He slides a card to Megumi, he takes it nodding once. 

"Thank you," He says again unable to form other words. The large man saunters off, the crowd parting like the Red Sea. He takes a deep breath sliding the card into his pocket before taking bringing the flute to his lips downing the drink in one go. It was going to be a very long night. 

Chapter Text

As the room filled Megumi took that as a sign to take his seat. After a couple minutes of searching he found the circle table that would seat the Limitless organization, his name tag in cursive writing placed on a white plate. He took a seat finishing his drink as people shuffled to their seats. Gojo appeared next to him wordlessly taking a seat staring in front of him. Megumi frowned as he looked over to him, something off about the forever goofy man.

As he opened his mouth to speak Maki sat to his left dragging Yuta down next to her. The spots began to fill, Inumaki and Panda next to Yuta, their sports medicine director Utahime filling in next to Gojo. The final seat was finally occupied by Masamichi Yaga, the current CEO of Limitless after a couple of minutes. Megumi lazily looked over the crowds of tables, his eyes landing on Nobara. She sat closely to Itadori, his arm carelessly thrown over the back of her chair as he leaned in closely to watch something on her phone. They were laughing. His eyes lingered for far too long, Itadori looked up meeting his gaze, a smirk forming on his face. Megumi cooled his face letting out a huff before turning his attention to the front of the room.

Everyone now seated the lights began to dim as they played an introduction video. Clips of fighters throughout the years began to play, Gojo's fight against Geto Suguru being one of the first clips. Megumi caught Gojo grip his glass tightly out of the corner of his eye but said nothing. They played Maki's signature move, dropping herself into the splits and swiping her leg under her opponent's. He watched clips of himself bouncing left to right punching his fists together before it shifted showing himself perform a very graceful flying armbar takedown. Claps and whistles erupted throughout the event space as fighters were showcased in the small video. The last clip began to play, Itadori Yuji smiling to the camera blowing a kiss and then into series of what they called his Black Flash. Megumi couldn't take his eyes off the screen, of the swiftness of his fist and the smile that followed.

As the video ended Yoshinobu Gakuganji hobbled onto the stage. "Thank you all for attending the 25th annual MMA gala. We thank you all for taking time out of your busy schedules to meet with us tonight. Please enjoy a glass and take the time to discuss amongst yourselves, fighters and sponsors alike." Everyone began to raise their glasses, Megumi looked to his empty one and frowned as he tilted the glass up toasting the old man's words. Chatter erupted throughout the event hall and the first course was delivered by the catering staff.

A waiter quickly replaced his drink as the first course is set before them, he picked aimlessly at the food drowning out the conversation around him. After the meal is mostly finished, Maki slightly too drunk, pulls Yuta up pulling him to talk about sponsors. The rest of the table seemed to disappear into the night leaving Gojo and Megumi alone. "Satoru." Megumi tilts his head to the sound of the voice watching Gojo cautiously.

"Suguru, what a surprise to see you here," His coach started, the tone of his voice hollow. The long haired man chuckled waving his hand towards Malevolent Shrines table.

"I am a coach after all."

"Itadori Yuji is it?" Gojo asked making Megumi's head lift, Itadori standing behind Geto waving.

"Gojo Satoru, what an honor," He says reaching over Megumi and extending his hand to Gojo. He clenches his jaw leaning back into his seat to put space between the 2 boys, Itadori unaware of his irritation.

"The honor is mine rookie," Gojo says plainly shaking Itadori's hand, his eyes never leaving Geto's face. They pull their hands apart but Itadori still hovers over him, the warmth of his body radiating over him. "Have you met Megs? I believe your match is at the end of the season." Megumi's shoots Gojo a sharp glare, the other man not catching it, his attention drawn to Geto.

"Megs?" He whips his head up to Itadori his jaw still tight.

"Fushiguro." Itadori starts to lean over his chair with a smile.

"All these nicknames for you and you still want to stick with Fushiguro pretty boy?" Megumi can feel the heat travel up his neck as he tries to keep his face neutral.

"All of these reminders of my name and you still can't understand that. Too many hits to the head tiger boy?" He grits out as Itadori laughs shaking his head slowly.

"Anyways, I thought we would formally introduce ourselves," Geto starts as Gojo turns his head away and back to his plate.

"I'm more than aware of who you are Suguru." Megumi's eyes slide over to him, the glass in Gojo's hand still gripped too tight.

"Of course, Satoru. More so officialy introduce ourselves to Fushiguro, I have been selected to be Itadori's coach for the rest of the season." At this both of them look up, Megumi's mouth parts slightly as Gojo's jaws clench.

"I thought you were leaving MMA." Geto waves his hand lazily at the response as he looked over to Itadori.

"Sukana called in a favor," Geto says nonchalantly as Megumi looks over to Itadori who is rubbing the back of his neck, a sheepish smile on his face.

"You're uncle right?" Gojo asks Itadori his arms crossing over his chest, his voice flat. Itadori nods once as Gojo lets out a sigh standing up. "We'll see you in the arena then." With that he walks away without so much as a goodbye. Megumi watches him walk away, his lively personality seem to be stripped from the brief conversation. Geto watches him too, more curiously as he says a quick goodbye to Megumi leaving them alone. Itadori slides into Gojo's seat with a smile.

"That's not your seat."

"I can read Megs," He says as he props his elbows on the table leaning too close to him. Megumi again backs into his chair with a frown. "You'd be that much prettier if you would smile once in a while you know?" Megumi click his tongue, his fists clenching under the table. He was unsure of Itadori's game here, was he trying to taunt him in a way to psyche himself out before their match?

"Good luck with that, he never smiles." Nobara says as she plops into Maki's empty seat also leaning too closely to Megumi.

His eye twitches as the sandwich him, "Don't you both have your own table."

"There's a whole bunch of old geezers over there, and no offense but Yuji's uncle gives me the creeps."

"None taken, he gives me the creeps too," Itadori shrugs as he takes Megumi's fork and pops the remaining of his steak in his mouth. Megumi gapes at him as the other boy chews watching the crowd. Nobara types aimlessly on her phone as Megumi stands quickly drawing the attention of the both of them.

"Up for a dance pretty boy?" Yuji asks with a sly smile, it's Megumi's last straw. He leans over Itadori, his eyes cold, their noses inches away.

"Let's get some things straight here rookie. I do not like you. I don't like your stupid smile or your obnoxious nicknames and taunts and I really don't like your lack of concept of personal space. Leave. Me. Alone."

Itadori searches his eyes for what seems like an eternity before saying with a too sly smirk, "It looks like you're the one who doesn't understand the concept of personal space Megs." Megumi stills for a second before standing abruptly his knuckles white.

"I hate you." He turns away quickly heading towards the direction Gojo disappeared in, he swears he can hear the 2 of them snicker behind him.

Chapter Text

Megumi finds Gojo seated at the bar cradling a whiskey. He slides into the stool next to him and flagging the bartender down placing a quick drink order before looking to his coach with a frown. "You're being weird." Gojo chuckles softly, the humor lacking in it as he brings his drink to lips taking a small sip and setting it back down.

"So are you. Who would have known the pink haired tiger would get you so worked up Gumi." Megumi's face began to feel warm as he looked away quickly, the bartender setting his drink in front of him. He nodded his thanks taking it into his hands. They sit at the bar quietly for a moment before Megumi pulls the business card he received earlier in the night out sliding it over to the white haired man.

"Sukuna approached me tonight, something about helping reach my full potential." Gojo scoffed as he took the card, his hand flipping it over and over again in his fingers.

"Stay away from that gym." He ordered setting the card on the bar and finishing his drink quickly. Megumi's mouth parted slightly as he looked over to him, he could count on his hands how many times Gojo told him what not to do, so he knew he meant it. He stood from the barstool and looked down to the younger boy. "And if you can learn something from any of my mistakes you should stay away from Itadori Yuji too." Megumi felt himself go still as Gojo looked him over once, his face deathly serious before his usual Cheshire grin appeared waving his hand lazily. "But what do I know." He smoothed the front of his suit before tilting his head, "Let's leave soon, I hate being around the stupid higher ups." Megumi watched him saunter off in the crowd with a frown replaying his words.

~

Megumi really tried to listen to Gojo's recommendation. He purposely stayed far away from Malevolent Shrine's table and didn't stay too long in groups to avoid the pink haired fighter but it seemed as the universe was against him tonight. Itadori seemed to find him in every conversation he had, standing way too close to him and laughing along with the group as Megumi's head pounded. 

He talked wildly with his hands finding a way to "accidentally" bump his shoulders or brush his knuckles against his arm apologizing with a sheepish smile each time making Megumi's teeth grit. His patience wore thin as they stood in front of a couple of elderly ladies who had more money than they knew what to do with. Megumi's smile felt too forced, too tight, as they blushed heavily up at Itadori hanging on every word he said. As he was explaining his current training routine as his hand knocked into Megumi's glass spilling the remaining champagne on the front of his suit jacket. 

"Oh Fushiguro, I'm so sorry!" He exclaimed as he grabbed and napkin and pushed it into Megumi's chest. Megumi's jaw clenched as he closed his eyes taking a breath and stepping out of Itadori's hand, the napkin falling to the floor.

He finally opened his eyes looking coldly down to the flushed boy, he pushed past him knocking his shoulder into his as he said lowly, "You're insufferable." He bowed to the sponsors with his fake smile apologizing for his quick exit as he made his way to the bathroom. He stood in front of the sink, his dark suit slightly damp near the right side of his chest, his stylist were going to kill him. He shed his suit jacket off rolling up the sleeves on his dress shirt and laid his suit on the sink grabbing some paper towels wetting them as the bathroom door opened. He didn't look up as he started to dab the front of his suit.

"I really am sorry," A voice says behind him. He looks up seeing Itadori standing behind him in the mirror, he frowns.

"Do you have to follow me around like some lost dog?" Itadori laughs behind him rubbing the back of his neck.

"I've come to see if I can help," He goes to talk a step forward and Megumi's eyes narrow.

"You've done enough." Itadori stops, chewing the bottom of his lip. Megumi hates that his eyes hyper focus on the action before dropping his gaze down on his suit.

"I didn't know you have piercings Fushiguro. I like them," Itadori reaches up, his finger ghosting his ear. Megumi can see his blush creep across his cheeks as he watches himself in the mirror, the silver of his piercings catching the bathroom lights. He moves his head away from Itadori's hand.

"You don't know anything about me." He says quietly as he focuses on his suit, Itadori steps in front of him taking the jacket from him holding it up to the light before turning his head towards him, tilting it with a smile. 

"Then let me learn." In the split second the words leave Itadori's mouth Megumi is sure the world implodes. His face is too hot now, his mouth parting as his hand twitches. He snatches his jacket back turning to cool his face glaring at the other boy. 

"I don't like you." Itadori takes a step forward, Megumi takes a step back, he can feel the sink counter brushing against the lower of his back. 

"How can I change that?" He asks quietly, his head still slightly tilted as he leans forward into him. Itadori takes his time, looking from his piercings, to the sharpness of his jaw to finally his eyes. Megumi's breath hitches meeting his gaze before pushing past his gripping his suit jacket tight and exiting the bathroom the door bagging behind him. He doesn't look back to see Itadori again. 

Megumi tries to catch his breath as Gojo doges another 2 jab combo, a bored look on his face. "Your head is somewhere else Gumi." He lets out a frustrated growl as he drops down to swipe his leg under Gojo, he quickly jumps up grabbing his leg as he lands pulling it into himself. Megumi feels the breath leave his chest as Gojo pushes his hand into his chest keeping him on the floor. "Can we go to dinner now? We've been at this for the past hour and you're not getting it." 

"I can do it," He says sharply as he tries to push Gojo's hand off his chest. The white haired man holds his position leaning over him, his uncovered eyes a rarity as they look down to him. 

"I know you can Megs, just not today." He pushes off him as Megumi lets his head fall onto the mat with a a long sigh. It's been a week since the gala and his mind seems somewhere else. It's hard for him to control his breathing, the timing of his combos all wrong, and he can't shake that stupid smile from his mind. He lets Gojo help him into a sitting position as he watches him with his too blue eyes. "I'm worried about your match tomorrow."

He clenches his jaw, "I can win." 

"Again, I know you can Megs. But something is off, and Kamo will rip into you." Megumi's chest feels heavy at his words. Kamo Noritoshi has been a lifetime rival throughout his MMA career, their last match off Megumi barely standing on top. "Hit the showers and then we're going to dinner. I'm starved." Gojo saunters off leaving him alone on the mat. He sighs standing, his breaths feeling forced and sharp. He showers, quickly changing before slinging his gym bag over his shoulder and meeting Gojo outside of the Limitless building. 

They walk the crowded streets in silence making their way to one of Gojo's favorite spots. They make their way in quickly, the hostess immediately recognizes them with a smile leading them to their to same table towards the back of the restaurant. They slide in not bothering to look at the menu as Gojo looks to him again. "What's on your mind?" Their usual orders are placed in front of them, Megumi nods his head in thanks as he grabs his fork picking at his salmon. 

"So you and Geto have some history?" He asks trying to turn the conversation away from him. Gojo smiles down to his food with a sigh. They sit in silence for a minute, Megumi thinking he was going to drop the topic all together before he starts. 

"Suguru and I attended a private school together before we debuted as fighters. We did everything together, at one point I considered him my only friend." He stops taking a small drink of water as Megumi watches, just listening. "As we both debuted there was a gap in our skill. Suguru is still one of the most skilled fighters I have ever crossed but I alone became the "honored one" in MMA. Fame chased after me as it chased him away. The farther he ran the more loved him." He clears his throat at his confession, Megumi frowns slightly. "We tried, to be together. And for a long time it was perfect. I don't know if it was the competition or it was me but, it didn't last. The last time I saw him was my last championship match, he was my opponent. I won that day, but lost everything in doing so. I retired fighting the next day." 

Gojo looks far away before he looks back up to Megumi. "Seeing him as a coach shocked me at the gala, he cursed the MMA world and swore to never return. So seeing him, especially under the hands of Sukuna Ryomen," He shakes his head once, his mouth downturned. "Something is wrong, I don't know what it is yet but we can't afford to be distracted." His words float around in Megumi's mind before nodding. 

"I won't let you down." 

Chapter Text

Megumi could not recall anything from the first KO he ever experienced outside of embarrassment and fear. Shortly into his "MMA career" as a child under the watchful eye of his father he lost so badly it scarred him for many years to come. He remembers watching his loss on the TV screen, the tight grip Tojo had on his arm, dragging his unconscious body to the other side of the ring, roughly propping him up in the corner and dumping freezing cold water on him. He remembers replaying that scene, of his too little face gasp for air as his eyes fling open, a deer in headlights. Toji made him watch that video, time and time again, through exhaustion, before and after fights, after training. It replayed so many times that he started to play it when his eyes closed, praying for anything to take him away. 

Megumi now sits in the too quiet locker room, sweat dripping down his face as he pushes an ice pack to the side of his head, his jaw clenched as he watches his recent loss unfold on the screen in front of him. He watches his too sluggish moves, the lack of grace in his dodge attempts, the right hook of Kamo slamming into his head dropping him completely. Megumi throws the ice pack down in frustration running his hand through his hair. "Fuck," He grits out trying to still his breathing. He feels like the kid back in the cage arena, cold water sinking into his bones and the failure weighing too heavily on his chest. He shuts off the screen and collects his things, head pounding and spots dance his vision. He ignores it and limps out of the gym avoiding the world. 

Megumi doesn't know how he finds himself in this situation, curled on his bed, his laptop laying next to him as he scrolls through Itadori Yuji's YouTube channel. He didn't mean to find himself here, it started as watching his loss against Kamo. Writing notes on what he could do better, memorizing Kamo's swift movements and how he could adapt his fighting style to come out on top again. As he was lazily scrolling through his own highlights his eyes flickered over pink, his fingers moving too quickly for his mind and now finds Itadori smiling brightly up at him. It made chest tighten and a sneer come across his face. 

He spent longer on his channel than he needed to be, finally watching the reaction video he was too embarrassed to finish last time. He watched Itadori's face closely as the pink haired boy seemed almost memorized as his eyes flew over Megumi's fight, his mouth parted and leaning on the edge of his seat. "It's unfair isn't it?" Itadori asks no one in particular as the camera zooms on Megumi's face, a bead of sweat running from his temple to his jaw and the referee raises his hand up high, the crowd exploding behind him. "To look this beautiful after burying this guy alive." 

The dark haired boy can feel himself scoff as his face becomes heated. He moves away from the video noticing a new video was just posted, hesitating for only a minute before clicking. "Hi guys, welcome back to the channel!" Itadori's face filled the screen in a red hoodie, his tiger headphones sitting on his head as he waves. He sits back sharing his screen, his face still visible on the top left. "Today we're reacting on another video on Fushiguro Megumi," Megumi can't help but like the way his name slips so casually from his lips. Itadori's face fills the screen with a stern look. "Don't you guys get started on it either, I see your ALL of your comments and I'm not obsessed with him! It was another requested video!" 

Megumi notices a slight flush on his cheeks, his own eyes flitting down to the comments. 

YuYu we ALL see the fat crush you have on Fushi!

Itafushi 4life!

Fushiita is slowly ruining my life!

"Also fun fact, his eyes are actually super green, the lights of the arena make them seem blue but I swear they are green!" Itadori fumbles out his hands moving widely as he types Megumi's name in the search bar. "And he has like 10 piercings in his ears, they look so cool and edgy! Of course he can't wear them in fights but it's a shame you guys haven't seem them!" Megumi's cheeks are now also tinted as he scrolls back up, Itadori's voice echoing throughout the room as his blush fades and stomach drops at the video Itadori picks, his loss to Kamo. He frowns as Itadori starts the video, leaning forward as always on his seat as the 2 fighters circle each other. From the start Megumi's movement is sloppily, ill timed. He lands a weak blow to Kamo's side and was rewarded to a swift kick to his legs. His head slightly throbs as he watches himself fall to his back, Kamo on him in an instant. 

"Get up, get up, get up," Itadori's soft voice pulls him from his brutal beating. His hands are covering his mouth as his watches fist pound into him, his eyes looking everywhere on the screen. The bell rings as Itadori looks to the camera with a slight frown as the 2 fighters collect themselves. 

"It's not often we see MMA's prodigy take such a beating, what he is thinking?" The commenter in the video booms making Megumi flinch as he has every time he replayed the video. Hot traces of embarrassment coats his stomach, as he goes to stop the video Itadori's voice pulls him back in. 

"As fighters there is never a point you go into the ring knowing it is a for sure win every time, especially with so many eyes and ears on at all times. I can't imagine the constant stress and the drive to survive this career Fushiguro feels daily, especially under Gojo Satoru. The feeling of failure, of shame, is one of a fighters biggest enemies, the first will always be the self doubt." Megumi's mouth parts slightly as he watches Itadori throughout the rest of his fight. He watches the flex of his own fist, how he leans closely to the screen and the slight shake of his head as Megumi's miscounts his dodge. 

The last blow comes, the final right hook to his head, his body crumbling underneath him. "There it is, the champion has fallen!" The commenter yells out, he says a flash of white hair sliding into the arena like a cat quickly finding his way to Megumi's side, cradling his head and pushing his hair back as EMTs flock his side. The video is paused and Itadori's face fills the screen, his face somber. Megumi can feel bile rise up his throat at the look of pity, he wants to tear his eyes away and turn off the god forsaken video but can't.

"I can see why this was highly requested. Overall it wasn't terrible fight, there's just something.. Off. Fushiguro is a graceful fighter, you can tell he leans more to jiu jitsu and judo fighting styles over traditional boxing like me, he's quick on his feet and is almost always 3 steps ahead of his opponent. In this fight in particular you can see the distraction in the way he walks, even entering the arena. I don't know what's on Megs mind but I believe in fighting abilities either way. The champ hasn't fallen, I bet he'll bring 10x the power in his next fight!" 

Megumi watches the outro before his screen goes dark, his chest feeling extremely tight. He tried not to hover on how well Itadori read him. Tried not to replay the compliments nor the way his heart pounded at the simple exclamation of belief in him. He completely ignored how his mouth went dry at the sound of his nickname leaving Itadori's mouth and lastly tried to blame the rapid beat of his heart was because of rewatching his fight, not of the pink haired boy smiling that smiling and saying he has not fallen. 

His next fight is a complete turn around. His body feels like it's on autopilot as his fist meets its target every time, his feet barely touching the arena floor. He drowns out the comments, the flashing lights and the too loud laughs as he takes his opponent to the ground time and time again, the only thing on his mind that stupid smile. The match is called, winning by a land slide. Out of breath, sweat running down his chest he leans over his bloody opponent helping him stand, his arm snaking around his waist as he holds him up against him. The referee takes his free hand lifting it over his head as a whistle blow, Megumi surprises himself as he leans over to his opponent whispering to him as cameras flock him.  

"You did good, it was an honor to spar with you. I bet you'll come back and bring 10x the power in your next match." His opponent looks up to him, his eye bruising and swelling as he tries to form a smile nodding in determination. They shake hands and walk away, a rare smile of his own ghosting his face. 

~

"I'm not going," Megumi says in annoyance, running his towel on through his damp hair. His phone sits on his desk as Nobara's voice echos throughout his room. 

"Come on, you never go to the after match parties! We're both celebrating wins tonight, just come with me!" She whines as he rolls his eyes. After his match he was able to catch the end of hers, a smile on her face as she delivered the final blow with no grace but all power. Her opponent didn't stand a chance. 

"That's for a reason. You know I hate those events," He mumbles out as he tosses his towel on his chair as he flops onto his bed lying on his back and sighing. It was no secret Megumi hated social settings, especially crowded ones, and even worse with other fights. She groans loudly over the phone. 

"Megs it's not terrible to be around people your age, and you don't have another match for a week so it won't ruin your training schedule so please!" She begs as he sighs again. He would have definitely used his strict training schedule as an excuse but unfortunately she was correct, the week would be filled with PR promotions and rest before he fights again. 

"I'm tired, you do know I had a match tonight."

"I had a match too and definitely moved WAY more than you did, come on just come for like an hour and then I won't bother you for the rest of the season." He paused at her words, to not have to be forced into another party for the rest of the season sounded too good to pass up. 

"Fine." He says, immediate regret setting in as she screeches over the line. 

"I'll be over in 30!" With that the phone call dies and he's alone again. He sighs for probably 10th time tonight as he sits up looking lazily to his closet. He stands sliding on a dark pair of cargos and a black hoodie, shrugging on a black bomber jacket on top to hopefully shield him from the November chill. He goes to his dresser picking out a couple of ear piercings sliding them into the pierced holes. He runs his hand through his damp hair not caring to style it as always. He looks at his face, a slight cut on his cheek from his fight earlier but nothing too bad, he sweeps eyeliner messily on the waterline on his bottom lash line and with that he leaves his room sliding onto the couch to wait for Nobara. 

"Going somewhere kid?" Gojo asks, lounging on the either side of the couch. You could tell he was just waking up, his hair a mess and long limbs sprawled over the couch, an exhausted look on his face. Megumi knew the taller man always had trouble sleeping, pacing weird hours of the night and avoiding his own room like the plague, he never asked why. 

"After match party with Nobara," He says lazily as he scrolls on his phone. 

"Look at you playing nice," Gojo snickers making him rolls his eyes. "I'm glad though, you've been hold up in your room or the gym for weeks, it's good you socialize against the living again." Megumi doesn't say anything as Gojo yawns stretching out as he turns to face the couch. "Lock the door when you leave." Within minutes the soft snore is leaving his mouth. Megumi watches him for a minute before his phone pings letting him know Nobara has arrived. Megumi stands grabbing a blanket and laying it gently over Gojo's sleeping body before leaving, locking the door behind him. 

The walk to the car is quick but enough that the cold wind settles deep into his bones. He pulls his jacket closer around him as he slips into the backseat, Nobara is sitting there typing on her phone. Glitter is swept over her eyelid, a sharp eyeliner wing framing them. She looks up and smiles up at him as he closes the door thankful for the heat blasting through the car. 

"God Megs you're the embodiment of emo, don't you own any colored clothes?" 

He scoffs crossing his arms as the car pulls away from his home and takes them to their destination. "Just be happy I came."

The car ride goes quickly, Nobara leaning into him showing him highlights of her fight tonight. He listens quietly watching all of her reels before they pull up the large house, music already blaring making him cringe. "Whose party is this anyways?" He asks as they leave the car, the cold wind whipping around them. Nobara snakes her arms through his as they walk up to the steps. 

"Some guy in my organization, his name is Todo. I'm unsure if you know him, he's out of your weight class so I doubt you ever fought." He nods absentmindedly as the door swings open revealing a crowd of people. His frown deepens as she pulls him through the house. He trails slightly behind her as she makes her round, saying hi to almost everyone. He's surprised that after they congratulate her they turn towards him offering him the same celebration. A small smile ghost his face as he nods a thanks as they find their way to the kitchen to make their drinks. 

Megumi stays closely to her side as the night passes sporting a good buzz. He finds a smile is easier to find his face and even surprises himself when a laugh bubbles through him. After an an hour he finds himself sitting closely to her, leaning into her as much as she leans into him as a circle of people sit in front of him. He's unsure when he agreed to the stupid high school like game but watches the bottle spin fastily pointing to someone he never seen before. The guy stand takes a hold of the girls hand as a timer is set pulling her into a closet down the hall. 

"This is stupid," He hears himself say, a laugh escaping him. Nobara too laughs with him, her head dropping onto his shoulder. 

"We're only young once Megs, don't be so uptight!" She giggles making him pushing her playfully. After some time the couple returns, faces red and lips swollen. Megumi and Nobara share a knowing look before erupting in laughter. The pair sits as a couple rounds pass by, Megumi and Nobara talking throughout the whole time. Her time comes and goes, plopping next to him with a sigh and an eye roll definitely telling him she did not have fun in the closet as the bottle is placed in his hands. "Your turn pretty boy," Nobara coos a little too loudly making him roll his eyes with a smile. He leans forward and spins the bottle. He feels slightly dizzy watching it as he comes slowly to a stop. He feels the drunken smile as he looks up to see where it landed. His smile immediately falters as his eyes are met with a bright smile and pink hair. 

"Looks like you can't get enough of me pretty boy." 

Chapter Text

Megumi finds himself in the dimly lit closet feelings too warm. He curses the maker of the large home, why in the world would they build a closet this small? He shifts his long legs, Itadori's brushing against them making the tips of his ears go pink. 

"I was wondering when I would see you again Fushiguro Megumi," Itadori saying quietly as he looks up to him, a lopsided grin on his face. 

"I was hoping I wouldn't see you again until our match," He replies cooly, his mind replaying his actions the day before watching too many of Itadori's videos. He tries to neutralize his face to escape the flooded embarrassment as Itadori laughs. 

"I watched your fight tonight, congrats on your win. You looked good."

"Are you going to make a reaction video about this one too?" His drunk thought slipping out before his mind catches up. Itadori stops for a second before his smile widens. 

"You watch my videos Megs?" Megumi wishes he could fall off the face of the Earth as he tries to rolls his eyes and look away. 

"Of course not, my PR team told me a lot of your content circles around me." Megumi's eyes catches the pinkness of Itadori's cheeks as he laughs again shaking his head. 

"Not all of my videos, but I do enjoy doing reactions to you," He says softly, Megumi feels his mouth go dry. 

"You talk too much." He grunts out trying to keep his composure. He feels the shift in the air as Itadori steps closer, his legs in between his own, his head tilted slightly up. It wouldn't take much for Megumi's lips to find his, he was only a breath away. He tries to shake the thought from his head as Itadori looks up to him, his smile making Megumi's hand spin. "Stop that."

"Stop what?" Itadori asks, his eyebrows scrunching together in confusion.  

"That smile, you're always smiling," He says quietly, his heart beating out of his chest. 

"Does it bother you that much pretty boy?" He asks making Megumi clench his jaw pushing Itadori back, the pink haired boy's flush to the wall as he looks down to him. 

"Don't call me that," He grits out, Itadori seems to be holding his breath before he looks up to him. 

"Or what pretty boy?" The brown eyed boy asks barely above the whisper. Megumi tells himself it's the alcohol that decides his next move. That if he was sober, not in this stupid small closet with this stupid smiley boy he would never have done this. His mind takes time to catch up with his actions, his mouth crashing onto Itadori's frantically. He can feel the shock rock through Itadori's body before he relaxing into him, gripping onto the collar of Megumi's hood and pulling him closer. Megumi's hand rest tightly on Itadori's hip sliding underneath his shirt to grip his warm skin as the other slides up to the base of his hair tugging back roughly. 

The noise that leaves Itadori's mouth sets Megumi on fire, he takes the opportunity to slide his tongue into his mouth exploring every spot tasting him. Megumi feels starved, he tries to pull Itadori even closer, their hips bumping together as he drinks him in selfishly. The kiss is not enough and everything he ever needed at the same time. He thinks he's being too rough, too feverish but as the grip on his hoodie tightens and he feels the moans on his mouth he feels like he is being rewarded.

He pulls himself from Itadori's mouth, his cock twitching at the whine escaping Itadori's lips as his ducks his head littering kisses down Itadori's jaw and throat. He can feel the slight shudder under him, hands coming into his own hair gripping tightly as Megumi sucks on the skin underside of his jaw. He licks up the taste of him, his mind feeling sluggish and euphoric as his hips rolls slowly into Itadori's. His hand comes up to replace his lips on Itadori's neck, both of them panting heavily and eyes blown. He goes to lean back in as a pound comes from the door. 

"That's 7 minutes!" A voice booms from behind the door making Megumi still, embarrassment licking up his spine. He removes the possessive grip around Itadori's neck as he takes a step back bumping into the wall. Itadori reaches for him, he dodges it and opens the closet door trying not to tumble out as he rushes out. He doesn't look behind him as he makes his way back to the circle, Nobara doesn't need to be told to stand as she looks to his face. She gets up quickly and follows him out the room, his heart pounding. 

~

"You did what?" She screeches as he paces his room, his head pounding and heart beating out of his chest. 

"Will you stop screaming?" He hisses out as he runs his fingers through his hair. The car ride back to his house was silent, Nobara anxiously biting her lip as she watches him out the corner of her eyes. He didn't say anything as they entered, Gojo still sleeping peaceful on the couch. His dogs bounded after them as he locked himself and her in his room before disclosing his drunken actions. 

"You kissed Itadori Yuji, in a closet, after telling me for weeks how much you hated him." She tries again sitting up on his bed as he watched him pacing back and forth. His mind wanders to the conversations he'd shut down when she tried to bring him up, commenting on his stupidity and ignorance. He palms his face with a groan wishing the last hour of his life away. 

"It just happened," He exclaimed weakly as he plopped into his chair desk. She doesn't tease him as he takes a breath trying to collect himself. "I did think I hated him," He starts off as she watches him carefully, he looks down to his hands. "And then he just started, showing up everywhere. I told you my after match interviews were basically an Itadori questionnaire, and then the gala, and then I watched his reaction video." She gapes at that as she leans forward.

"You watched his channel? You know that's basically A Fushiguro/Itadori fan club?" He feels his face flush as he thinks back on the comments shaking his head. 

"And he was too close with that stupid smile," He covers his face as a groan leaves his lips. She takes a moment, wondering if she should give him hell or say something comforting, she chooses the latter.

"It's okay to like him Megs," She starts off slowly as he shakes his head. 

"I can't. Anyone but him." She frowns as the conversation with Gojo replays in his head, his warning to stay away from Itadori. A feeling of failure falls heavily on his shoulders thinking of the disappointment on Gojo's face if he were to find out about this. "Please don't tell anyone about this," He says quietly finally looking up to her. Her frown stays on her face as he continues. "No one can know this happened, please Bara." She stills at the name, he almost never uses her nickname unless he was serious before nodding once. 

"Fine, but you owe me an iced coffee for my inconvenience." He lets out a sigh of relief as he slides into the bed with her, their hands intertwining in the dark. 

"Of course." 

Megumi spends his off week avoiding the internet like the plague. He plays his roll in his promos, shooting meaningless commercials, taking prematch photos at the studio, and doing interview after interview. He finds himself sitting in front of another panel, Gojo to his left and Mei Mei to his right as always as the reporters flood him with question after question.  

"Fushiguro what was the change between the loss you had in the beginning of the week to your most recent win?" 

"My team at Limitless supported me all the way. There was a bit of a rough patch in the beginning of the week but with hard training, support of the organization, and fans I was able to find my rhythm again." 

The questions circle around the last week, the difference in his fighting style and his commit to win. He answers bluntly but still respectful as he always does, his eyes flitting to the clock. 10 more minutes and he would be home, jogging with his dogs and preparing for the next week of fights. He also was happy to have his questions circling him and not the pink haired boy. As he answers more questions and time closes to the end of the press meeting his worst fear comes to life, the reporters turning towards the subject he really does not want to talk about. 

"Fushiguro, Itadori Yuji's reaction videos are going viral through the MMA world, have you seen his most recent reaction video with your fight with Noritoshi Kamo?" 

He can feel the lie climb up his throat making him slightly ill. "I have not watched Itadori's videos but I hope he found them entertaining and helps him be prepared for our upcoming fight." 

"Speaking of Itadori Yuji, word is over the weekend the both of you were spotted at an after match party at Todo Aoi's house, is this you in this image?" An image is placed on the screen, bile starts to rise up his throat at the blurry image of himself tumbling from the closet his face covered by his hair. Itadori stands behind him, face flushed and marks littering down his neck, his hand reaching for him. The panel erupts, reporters asking follow up questions pushing themselves to the front of the room. Megumi could do nothing but look to the picture before slowly turning to Gojo, his eyes covered by sunglasses, his sly smile wiped from his face.

"No more questions!" Mei Mei announces as she stands gripping his shoulder and pushing him off the stand and back into the green room. She slams the door behind them as he takes a seat quietly as she yells out, "What the hell was that?"

He says nothing as Gojo leans against the door, his arms crossing loosely, he talks next. "Looks like you have some explaining to do Gumi." 

Chapter Text

Megumi Fushiguro got his first girlfriend at the ripe age of 15, granted he didn't know that is what she was until 2 months into their "relationship." Her name was Hana Kurusu, a taller girl with green eyes and a chin-length blonde bob who always seemed to be around him. He took her original confession as another classmate asking for tutoring help, the fact that she always seemed to be too close to his side was that she was just terribly anti-social and the constant flush on her face was due to the long turtle neck she would always wear. The night he realized she considered it much more was during a study session, sitting too close to him on his bed peering over his shoulder as he quickly solved a math problem. 

"You're really smart Megumi," She said softly, her breath tickling his face. He frowned slightly hearing his given name as he set his pencil down showing her the problem. 

"It's fairly simple when you-" He was caught off quickly, her soft lips pushing hesitantly to his lips as she tried to climb over him. He remembers stilling, his mind screaming WRONG WRONG WRONG as his eyes narrowed pulling back. Her green eyes fluttered open wide as he shifted awkwardly backwards. "What are you doing?"

Her face turned bright red as her hand came to her lips. "I'm sorry, I just thought since we are," She seemed to trail off as he studied her closely.

"We are what?"

"Dating.." She sputters out too quietly. He felt his chest constrict as he looked quickly down to his notebook. Megumi knew he was gay many years ago. He noticed his lack of feeling towards the female gender when his heart would skip beat after a kind boy would smile up to him, how his eyes lingered a little too long during fitness classes on exposed muscles and sweat sliding down temples, and the final puzzle piece that locked it into place was how his first ever crush was on Tsumiki's ex-boyfriend of all of people. 

"Hana I'm sorry." 

He broke up with her that night, as the years would come and go he avoided the dating topic like the plague. He stuck to his forgettable hook ups durning off season, never durning competition and never someone he knew personally, and especially out of the public eye. He kept all romantic relationships an arm length away and never got too close, after Tsumiki's passing closing off the idea completely. 

Gojo was too still, too quiet as Mei Mei rained on him in the green room. She went on and on at the stupidity of his actions, how he knew better to start a romantic scandal durning competition season, even more with a fighter. She excused herself as she answered her phone, huffing in frustration. "Hello? Of course it isn't Fushiguro, when have you ever seen him this publicized with a hook up, no less another man?" The door slammed behind her as the weighted feeling sat heavy in his chest, he couldn't even look Gojo in his eyes afraid of the disappointment that would be looking back at him. 

"Megumi." The raven hair boy looked up slowly hearing his name come from Gojo's mouth. Not a nickname, not a tease, his name. The taller man uncrossed his arms taking a seat next to the boy letting out a sigh. "Listen, you've had cameras follow you around since you've been a kid. I won't sit here and lecture you on watching your surroundings or who you decide to due such," He pause for a minute before continuing. "Things with. If it's Itadori Yuji then it's Itadori Yuji." He shrugs once before placing a soft hand In the middle of his back, the breath Megumi was holding finally escaping his mouth. "But Megs don't get tied into Malevolent Shrine, if you're going to truly listen to anything I say then listen to this. Stay away from Sukuna ok?" Megumi looked up meeting the serious eyes of his former guardian, no mocking tone nor cheshire grin in sight before nodding once. 

After the disaster of the press conference he found himself quietly lying in his bed scrolling on his phone, the concept of girlfriend circling his mind as his finger hovers over an article. 

Tiger of MMA Living Up To The Name?

Megumi clicks on it quickly, his heart dropping as his eyes skim over the article. 

     Itadori Yuji seen escaping a closet at Todo Aoi's with a mystery man?...

                                                                                        ....Suspecting current middle weight champion Fushiguro Megumi...

Past lover Yoshino Junpei...

                                                                               ....Making things official tonight with Ozawa Yuko...

His heart drops as he clicks on the her name, another article popping up. 

The Girl Next Door 

    Itadori Yuji announcing the official statement of long time friend no longer, Ozawa Yuko, now official girlfriend to the rookie of the year. 

He scrolls as an image stares back at him. Itadori's mouth is cover by a black mask, his pink hair barely visible under the baseball cap he wears, a yellow hoodie hiding his neck as he looks slightly down to a slim tall girl with short brown hair and straight bangs. She smiles up to him widely, her cheeks flushed, their hands intertwined tightly as he leads her through a door. Megumi turns his phone off setting it on his chest as he looks up his ceiling feeling suddenly ill. 

"I'm not doing it Mei Mei," He grits out as his fist slam into the punching bag. She stands closely as she scrolls on her phone, her assistant jotting something down quickly in a large notepad. 

"I don't care if you want to or not Fushiguro, you got yourself in this mess, you'll get yourself out." 

About an hour earlier she barged into his very private practice with Gojo, her hair whipping furiously behind as she points an email in his face. He quickly scanned it with a grimace as he turned his head away back towards the back shaking his head. 

"Hell no." 

"I want to see," Gojo whines as Megumi continued to throw combo jabs, his face feeling too hot as Gojo reads out loud, "Fushiguro Megumi, we invite you to collab with Itadori Yuji on an upcoming YouTube project... blah blah blah... clear both of your names... blah blah blah... uphold good images in MMA... blah blah blah." Mei Mei quickly snatches her phone away with a huff as she looks to Megumi. He ignores the two of them as he ducks from an imaginary fist throwing another powerful punch. 

"Fushiguro you can't deny even if your face is not visible in the image it has tainted your name but also the Limitless organization, and they are not happy."

"A whole bunch of stupid-" Gojo starts, Mei Mei waving him off as she continues. 

"With Itadori's recent relationship coming to surface it has helped rain in negative commotion, a joint statement or some type of propaganda will wipe this under the rug." He grits his teeth as he looks over to her lazily. 

"And why would I care to do anything about it? If it's fake it's fake, and since Itadori has the girlfriend it'll blow over soon." She shakes her head scrolling through her phone. 

"With the championship coming up soon there is no way to risk it. It's scheduled, the address has been forwarded to you. Show up or you'll be suspended." His fist immediately drops as he looks over to her, his mouth gaping. 

"What?"

"If you don't film this video you'll be suspended the rest of the season." Both Megumi and Gojo look at her like she grew two heads, her assistant didn't care to even look up. 

"You can't do this." She shrugs as he looks over to Gojo, the white hair man grimacing as he looks over to Mei Mei. "This is such bullshit," He grits out as he brushes past them throwing his gloves to the ground leaving the gym completely. 

Chapter Text

Megumi Fushiguro paced in front of the window filled apartment building thinking suspension wouldn't be so bad. He could spend more time with his dogs, rewatch fights to prepare for the next season, maybe even practice on the piano collecting dust at home. He goes to turn around as the door opens, his eyes meeting hers too quickly, he frowns. 

"Fushiguro, isn't it?" The taller girl approaches him with a timid smile. He could recognize her anywhere at this point, dread crawling up his throat as she stands before him. She's taller than the pictures, her light hair swaying in the wind. He hates the jealously that creeps over him holding him steady, he doesn't like her already. "Yuji was telling me he was expecting you. I'm Ozawa Yuko." She extends her hand to him, her smile not wavering as he takes it cooling his face. 

"Fushiguro Megumi." She laughs softly as their hands release. 

"He did say you were pretty quiet." His chest tightens at the thought, Itadori whispering things about him to her. He nods once looking over her shoulder to the building. "He's all set up waiting for you. Just take the elevator all the way up to the penthouse." 

He nods again with a soft, "Thank you," walking past her with a small wave. 

"It was nice to meet you!" She calls out to him, he doesn't turn around. He walks into the lobby, chandeliers hanging dimly lighting the room. He stops at the front desk handing over his ID and showing the security the email Malevolent Shrine sent to him for today's scheduled video before they show him to the elevator. He can't help the slight bounce in his feet as he tries to still the thump in his chest, slipping his hands into his pants. The elevator door parts at the top of the building. The apartment is nothing but luxurious but something is off, it feels too sterile. Another frown finds his face as he steps through, the walls are white, the furniture grey and untouched. He cautiously steps through the apartment his footsteps echoing on the marble floor, the sun blaring through the floor to ceiling windows. 

"Oh Fushiguro you made it!" He turns to the voice, the pink haired boy smiling and waving as if the last time they were face to face Megumi didn't have him pinned to the closet wall, his tongue down his throat. He grimaces.  

"Ozawa directed me." He says bluntly, his eyes catching the brief tensing of Itadori's shoulders before they dropped. 

"Oh right, you can come in here." He walks down the hall Megumi falling in step behind him. He leads him to a different room, the atmosphere 10 times warmer than the one throughout the apartment. Posters are littered on the walls, a cork board with pictures tacked on, he hates how he wishes he could linger his eyes on them. Warm yellow sheets are draped over his bed, a desk set up in front of a curtained window. 2 screens are turned on, he sees himself on the left screen as he walks slowly to the set up. "I thought we would film in here instead of the hassle of of having a filming team come in, I'm already use to recording here too for my other content," Itadori exclaims as he rubs the back of his neck. 

Megumi nods once as he seats himself in a rolling chair outside of the camera's view. Itadori plops into the one next to him, his leg brushing against Megumi's as he swivels to the monitors. "Do you live here by yourself?" He hears himself ask wishing he would have bit his tongue instead. Itadori just smiles as he types shaking his head. 

"Not exactly, it's my uncles place but he's rarely by so it's mostly me and my brother." Megumi's rises his eyebrow slightly but doesn't ask, he didn't know he had a brother. His eyes flick to the cork board, a picture of Itadori smiling widely as his arm loosely around another man, his short dark hair and face familiar. "So I was thinking just doing a Q and A today, keep it light for the viewers. I sent out a tweet last night for some questions and got back a lot them which is good." Megumi just nods turning back to Itadori, he is pulling a couple things up on the screen, his tongue sticking slightly out. He wears a plain black tee like his own but instead of Limitless on the chest it reads Malevolent Shrine. His eyes drop slightly to his neck, a barely visible bite mark lingering like a ghost, Megumi looks away quickly. "Ready?"

"Yeah," He says quietly as he turns his chair forward still out of the camera's view. 

"Everything will be prerecorded, the editing team will review and post hopefully by tomorrow. You'll be able to see what the camera sees here," Itadori explains as he points to the monitor on the left of them, Megumi nods. "Questions will be here on the right." Itadori passes a quick glance to him, something someone in passing wouldn't have noticed but not Megumi, never Megumi. Itadori faces forward with a smile. "Hi guys, welcome back to the channel! Long time no see! I feel like life has been a blur between matches and those awful PR events but I'm here to bring something hopefully exciting to you today my dear viewers!" Megumi watches him carefully, on his animated actions and larger than life smile. He hates the tightness of his chest and the way his palms feel slick. "Today I bring you the one, the only, middle weight champion of the year, MMA's pretty boy, Fushiguro Megumi!" Itadori turns to him with that stupid smile, his arms stretched out wide like he uncovered some famous artifact. Megumi stills, his face reverting back to his normal frown as he doesn't move. Itadori's eyes flit to the camera and back to Megumi with a laugh before placing his hand on the bottom of Megumi's chair pulling him into view. 

It takes every piece of him to not watch the flex of Itadori's arm as he pulls him in, to cool his face from any expression that but slip through the cracks and pray his ears aren't pink. He looks to the monitor to then the camera before waving lamely. He can hear Itadori laugh behind him making him click his tongue as he leans back in his chair. "That's right viewers, someone's prayers has been answered because we finally get to shoot THE video! Didn't I say his piercings are wicked cool?" He asks nobody, Megumi can feel Itadori's finger trace his ear lobe before it's pulled away, his skin feels too hot. "Introduce yourself Megs!" 

Megumi can feel his eye twitch at the nickname before sitting up slightly. "Uh, hello? I'm Fushiguro Megumi." The room is silent as he can feel his cheeks heat. "This is stupid," He whispers out as Itadori leans in too close. 

"You're doing great, just follow my lead," He says quietly before sitting back up. "Today we are conducting a Q and A! Last night I asked some of my twitter fans to draft up some questions they'd like to know about us! We'll start of the basics. This viewer asks our names, ages, and birthdays! I'll start!" Itadori leans to the camera with that stupid carefree smile, "My name is Itadori Yuji, I'm 20 years old, and my birthday is March 20th making me a pisces! My friends say it fits me but I'm not super into zodiac signs so I wouldn't know!" Itadori faces him now with a lopsided grin. Megumi breaks the eye contact as he looks to the camera. 

"Like I said I'm Fushiguro Megumi. I'm also 20. My birthday is December 22nd. I don't know my zodiac."

"Oh Fushiguro your birthday is next month! Also that would make you a.." He whips out his phone typing furiously before showing it to the camera. "A Capricorn!" He brings the phone back to his face scrolling slowly. "Known for being ambitious, determined, responsible, and hardworking, sounds just like you Megs." Megumi can't help the eye roll as Itadori continues, "If you weren't in MMA what career would you want to be in? Megs you answer first."

Megumi can feel his hand twitch under the table at the use of his nickname continues to leave Itadori's mouth. He thinks for a minute, Megumi gained his name of prodigy not only from studying under Gojo but seemed to have a knack of everything he touched. He was weirdly good at math, piano playing almost a second nature to, and was able to speed read and obtain almost everything. He thought back on his dogs at home before answering, "Maybe a veterinarian."

Itadori smiles widely at his answer. "Saving animal lives, that's a great answer, I can totally see you doing that!" Megumi feels his brows furrow at the response but stays quiet. "I myself never really seen myself doing anything but MMA but if I had to choose I think a firefighter would be cool!" Megumi cursed himself for the flitting thought of Itadori in a fireman uniform before shaking his head and looking to the right monitor for the next question.

"What is your pre match ritual?" Megumi asks looking to Itadori. The pink haired boy leans back as he taps his finger to his chin.

"I like to start the morning with loud music, something that gets your body pumping! I like the gym at Malevolent Shrine because there is always someone there to spare with or even pre stretch with. I like to do things in groups, stretch and talk and just start the day with a smile!" He gives a big thumbs up to the camera before looking to Megumi.

"I start the morning with a jog with my dogs, mostly as the sun rises with softer music or a pod cast of some sort, when the world is mostly quietly. A balanced breakfast with my coach before reviewing fighter styles of my opponent." Itadori nods with of course, a smile.

"That's seems like such a relaxing morning Fushiguro, no wonder you're always so calm before a match! I always feel like I could jump out of my skin at any time from nerves," He laughs before saying, "You have pets? How many? I've always wanted one but my uncle always says no." Megumi can't help the small smile that tugs on his lips at Itadori's pout. 

"I have 2 dogs, Kuro and Shiro, brother and sister. Very spoiled but very well behaved." 

"Can I see?" Itadori asks leaning a bit too close. Megumi stiffens but doesn't retreat as he pulls a photo of them, he's younger there. Sitting between the pair, one arm around each dog with a soft smile. Itadori smiles down at the photo, Megumi can't read the expression on his face. 

"You should smile more Fushiguro," Is all he says before returning the phone to him. "Who is the person you admire the most? For me it's a hard one to answer. Probably my gramps, he was absolutely everything to me! My brother Choso, another fighter at Malevolent Shrine is a huge role model for me too, he's just so cool and collected and makes me feel seen. Oh and Nanami, I wouldn't have made it very far without him. Ugh this is a hard question, I could list so many others! What about you Megs?"

"My sister," He says without thought, without explanation. He immediately wants to take it back as Itadori presses on. 

"I didn't know you have a sister! What's her name? How does she feel about her brother being such an MMA star?"

"Had. I had a sister," Is all he says his chest feeling too tight, breathing feeling too hard. He can see the frown on Itadori's face as Megumi leans forward looking for another question, his mood souring further as his eyes land on one. "Are you currently in a relationship?" Megumi looks directly to the camera, his voice unwavering, "No." He then looks back to Itadori, the pink haired boy's face flushed as he twitches. 

"Oh I um. Well yes, I do have a girlfriend," Itadori says slowly, the word girlfriend sounding almost foreign in his mouth. Megumi was hoping he would feel better hearing it come from Itadori, from the lips he so frantically kissed, but he feels ill all over again before he nods. "I wanted to talk to you about that actually," Itadori says quietly so the camera doesn't pick it, Megumi ignores him as he moves on.

"What are you most looking forward to durning your upcoming fight?" He stops to think for a moment, his mind feeling too messy, his chest too empty. "Itadori is a great fighter. I would like to see how I can rise to my potential as his opponent." Megumi continues to look forward as he waits for Itadori's answer. 

"Oh uh yeah, same." They sit there silently for too long, Megumi can feel himself tapping on his thigh as Itadori recovers. "Well guys I think that wraps up our Q and A for today! Thank you for tuning in and supporting both Fushiguro and I on our MMA journey! Please watch our fight Christmas Day live or tune in on any streaming platform, I'll see you in the next one!" Itadori waves to the camera with a smile, Megumi following his lead before Itadori stands and turns off the camera. Megumi stands going to walk to the exit as Itadori's hand catches his wrist quickly. "Megs wait." 

"It's Fushiguro," He says quietly, "And there's nothing to say." He goes to move again, the grip on his wrist tightening. 

"No wait, please," Megumi hates how he stills at his words, how his body betrays his thoughts to flee. "About the other night, about Yuko." Megumi pulls his arms away shaking his head not looking down to him. 

"It's fine Itadori. It meant nothing." He goes to move to the door, his hand on the knob as Itadori gets up swiftly placing his hand on the door. 

"Don't do that, don't say that."

"What? The truth? It was a sloppy drunk mistake that shouldn't have happened, besides you have Ozawa." He tries not to look to Itadori, tries to not look at the hurt that passes in his brown eyes as he whispers something he can't hear. "What?" 

"It's fake." Megumi feels suddenly dizzy as the words leave Itadori's mouth. 

"What?"

"It's fake. Yuko and I, it's fake." 

Megumi walks down the too quiet hallway quickly as he replays the last 10 minutes in his mind. From Itadori's confession, to the probably stupid look on his face as he tried to collect his thoughts, at the hurt in Itadori's eyes.

Malevolent Shrine released the dating article as soon as the image of the 2 boys surfaced to quickly snuff out any rumors of a fighter romance, even more between 2 male fighters. His body reacted to his heart more than his mind after the confession stepping too closely, Itadori's scent intoxicating. One look into his auburn eyes and he found himself once again crashing his lips to Itadori's, no alcohol blaming his actions this time. 

He kissed him with everything, a tight grip on his shirt afraid to let go as Itadori let him, as he drank in him. It went on longer than it should have, their hands moving frantically over each other, their lips never parting before Megumi ripped himself from Itadori. They panted, their pupils blown looking to each other, before any words could be said Megumi was out the door, again leaving like the coward he was. He tried to rush out before Itadori would grab him again, because that time he knew there would be nothing stopping him from taking what he truly wanted. 

"Fushiguro," A cold voice says making him stop in his tracks, his hand stilling for the elevator button. Itadori is no where in sight, instead stands Sukuna. Tall and uninviting. "What a nice surprise to see you here, playing nice with my nephew?" He asks, Megumi can feel the flush run up his neck as he averts his gaze. 

"Sukuna, hello."

"Have you thought about my offer?" He asks as he takes a seat on the stiff gray couch looking up to him. Megumi keeps his eyes on the floor as he tries to keep his voice steady. 

"I brought up the idea with my coach, it's on our radar." Megumi stiffens as Sukuna scoffs. 

"That white hair idiot? I could help you reach your full potential Fushiguro, I could make you the biggest name in MMA history." Megumi does nothing but nod, his fist clenching in his pockets. "Has he told you about the deal he made with your dear old dad?" At this he finally looks up, his mouth turned downward. 

"He left a long time ago, I don't care to hear about him." He can feel the thump in his chest as his ears ring, Gojo's deal with his dad? 

Sukuna laughs as he taps a yellow clasped large envelope, "I'm sure you might change your mind after reading this." He stands smoothly pushing the envelope into his chest his voice dropping low into his ear. "Think again about my offer." He takes a step back as he looks over his shoulder. "Say goodbye brat, Fushiguro will be leaving now. Megumi eyes moves from the folder to behind Sukuna, Itadori stands at his room door gripping tightly onto the frame, his face flushed and mouth a grimace.

"Goodbye Megs." He says softly as he steps back into his room shutting the door quietly. Megumi doesn't say goodbye back, he pushes the elevator button and steps in quickly, the envelope feeling like a ton of bricks in his hands.