Chapter Text
Three Years Later
“Yuuji did you grab the ginger?” Megumi asks, staring at the back of a cereal box.
They’ve been in the grocery store for maybe twenty minutes, and somehow they’ve already veered wildly from the list they both insisted they wouldn’t stray from before coming in here. But with the late hours Yuuji works, and constant schoolwork and studying Megumi is doing, they’ve become quite the random snack fiends. This month has been a cereal kick.
Megumi has got a furrow in his brow, and as is typical, Yuuji’s fingers itch to reach over and smooth it out. If his hands weren’t full right now, he might. Instead, he drops the groceries into their cart and reaches into his pocket for their list.
“Yeah, and the chicken too,” Yuuji responds, crossing out both items on their grocery list.
Megumi hums, apparently satisfied, and puts the cereal back on the shelf.
“Perfect, because I don’t want a repeat of the last time you made your grandpa’s meatballs.”
Yuuji rolls his eyes, knocking his hip into Megumi’s side. “That was one time.”
Megumi barely moves from the impact. He just gives Yuuji the same unimpressed look he has perfected over the years, one hand resting loosely on the handle of their cart.
“Yeah, one time I won’t ever forget because you got halfway through making ginger chicken meatballs just to realize we didn’t have any ginger.”
“It was an honest mistake,” Yuuji says, leaning in.
“You checked the pantry twice.”
“I thought I saw it!”
“You thought you saw ginger?”
Yuuji laughs despite himself, reaching over to steal the cereal box Megumi put back on the shelf and tosses it into the cart.
“Yeah yeah yeah, whatever,” he smirks, arm looping around Megumi’s forearm. “What else did you want to make this week?”
Megumi glances down at the cart, then over to the grocery list as he leans his weight into Yuuji more, settling.
“I threw some of the ingredients for mapo tofu in. We haven’t had it in a while and I had a craving the other day.”
“Oh, that sounds good.”
They start down the next aisle, Megumi steering while Yuuji keeps hold of his arm. It’s a little awkward with the grocery list folded up in one hand, pen pinched between his fingers while his arm wraps around Megumi’s, but he doesn’t mind.
Most of their life is go go go, and Yuuji supposes that’s how it will be for a while. They often talk about moving out of Tokyo when Megumi is done with school—going somewhere quieter where they can have a yard. Enough space for the dogs Megumi won’t allow right now while he’s in school. A bunny is a good compromise, Yuuji had said when he brought home a tiny white rabbit as a surprise. Once in the summer after graduation, Megumi mentioned that he always wanted a pet rabbit. He figured there would be more argument, but instead, Megumi’s eyes lit up.
Despite the chaos, it’s a nice life they have together.
“Should we have it tomorrow?” Megumi asks.
Yuuji shakes his head. “No, tomorrow we have dinner with Choso and Yuki. I think they made a reservation at a sushi place.”
“Oh right.”
“Also, I’m working the morning shift Wednesday and have plans with Todo after, so I won’t be around for dinner.”
Megumi pauses beside shelves of sauce, picking up one brand of soy sauce, inspecting it, then putting it back in favor of another.
“I have an exam this week, so I’ll probably be pretty locked away for most of it. We’re still good to go to Saitama on Friday, right?”
“Got the time approved off. Oh! Tsumiki texted me yesterday by the way, she asked if we’d grab some book for her—said no bookstores near them have a copy but she put one on hold here. I’ll make sure to grab it before Friday.”
“She’s been tearing through books lately. I think it’s really helped with some of the recovery.”
Yuuji smiles softly. “She’s come a long way.”
“Yeah, she has.” Megumi’s body relaxes a bit, the typical tenseness that always used to live inside him when it came to his sister still engrained in his muscle memory. There are moments where Yuuji sees him brace for impact, like she could still be taken away. But, it’s gotten a lot better as time goes on.
“Can’t believe it’s been, what…two and a half years now?”
“Mhm, doesn’t feel real,” Megumi says quietly.
“I know. But, it is.” His thumb brushes Megumi’s forearm.
“Man,” Yuuji continues, head turning to stare at the blur of filled shelves as they walk, “will we ever have a week where we aren’t crazy busy?”
They push the cart down the snack aisle, and Megumi shakes his head. “Probably not. Especially now that I’m going to be doing more labs and clinical prep this next term.”
Yuuji leans over him to grab a bag of chips from the shelf. “So, that means no more free time?”
“I didn’t say that.”
Yuuji pouts dramatically. “You implied it.”
Megumi looks at him, and even after all this time, Yuuji still feels pinned by it, enraptured.
“I’m just saying I’ll be busy, baby.”
“I can work around busy,” Yuuji grins, quickly glancing around the empty aisle before leaning in to press a kiss to Megumi’s neck. “I’m very accommodating, you’ll probably need lots of help relaxing.”
A shiver runs up Megumi’s spine. “You’re very annoying.”
“And yet you keep living with me.”
Megumi gives him a flat look, but the corner of his mouth twitches anyway. Yuuji immediately catches it and smiles wider.
“I can’t believe you’re halfway done already. Pretty soon I’ll be dating a doctor.”
Megumi’s cheeks flush red. “Shut up. I still have a while to go.”
“Oh, what’s that blush on your face, Megumi? Did you like me calling you Doctor? Doctor Fushiguro?”
“I’ll kill you. We’re in the grocery store, Yuuji.”
“Yeah, well, you call me chef all the time just to get a rise out of me. I’m just returning the favor.”
“I call you chef because your job is literally being a chef.”
“You’ve been calling me that since university. Way before I started working as a chef.”
“And you’ve always been affected by it.”
Yuuji scoffs. “Affected? Please.”
“Hm. Maybe I’ll have to test that theory when we get home. See how unaffected you are by it.”
This time, a shiver skitters up Yuuji’s spine, but instead of answering, he narrows his eyes like he’s been challenged, filing his thoughts away for later.
“Anyway,” he smirks. “Did you grab kale for Datto? I finished our last bag this morning when I fed her.”
“Yeah, I got three. That should last the week.”
“Did you also get carrots?”
“Yes, but don’t go overboard giving them to her. She’ll get sick again if she eats too much.”
“I know, I know. It’s just hard to say no when she’s staring at me with those beady red eyes.”
“You say that every time.”
“Because every time I get the carrots out to cook and don’t give her one she looks at me like I’ve personally betrayed her.”
Megumi rolls his eyes, but despite the gesture, there’s a fondness reflected in them. “She’s a rabbit, Yuuji. I don’t think she’s plotting against you.”
“You haven’t seen the look.” Yuuji points his finger at Megumi, almost dropping the list and pen.
“Well, maybe stop giving in,” Megumi says, grabbing the grocery list from Yuuji and checking things off.
He shrugs. “I’ll try. No promises, though.”
“Just remember you’ll have to be the one to deal with it if she gets sick again. She has a sensitive stomach.”
“Fine, fine,” Yuuji groans. “No more extra carrots.”
“Good.” Megumi leans over and kisses Yuuji’s temple. “Let’s see how long that lasts.”
“Hey!”
The two of them wander the aisles, checking things off of their list as they go. Every few minutes, they find themselves circling back to the documentary they watched last night, getting caught up in the black hole star it talked about. Yuuji, of course, had so many questions and worked himself up into a bit of tizzy.
Maybe they shouldn’t have smoked an entire joint before watching. But they’d both had a long week and by the time Friday rolled around, neither of them wanted to think about anything. They’d curled up together on the couch with a bag of popcorn, a new documentary playing on the television, and Datto fast asleep in Megumi’s lap, tucked beneath the blanket they were sharing. It was quiet and comfortable and exactly what they needed.
Now, standing in line at the grocery store, Megumi is going on and on about an article he read that dove further into the discovery when both of their phones go off at the same time. Yuuji slides his out of his pocket while Megumi ignores the notification, continuing to place groceries on the conveyor belt.
He glances down at his screen.
Kugisaki: Alright everyone Maki and I talked and we’re coming to Tokyo for my birthday next month
A smile immediately spreads across Yuuji’s face. He’s already typing out a response when another message pops up.
Inumaki: Just give us the dates and Yuuta and I will be there
Okkotsu: Excited to see everyone!
Kugisaki: Because I know Fushiguro won’t look at this thread, make sure to relay the message Yuuji
“Anything important?” Megumi asks, barely looking up as he scans the last few items.
Yuuji finishes his message, locks his phone, and slips it back into his pocket. “Kugisaki and everyone are going to be here for her birthday next month.”
Megumi’s eyes light up. “Oh that’s great. Okkotsu and Inumaki too?”
“Yep. Everyone.”
The cashier finishes ringing them up, and a few minutes later, they step outside each with a bag hanging in from their hands. The early summer sun is warm on Yuuji’s skin, though the air is still damp from the storm that passed through earlier.
“It’s been so long since we’ve all been together like that,” Megumi says. “No one’s schedule ever lines up at the same time.”
“I know, I can’t wait. They’re all going to be shocked at how big Datto’s gotten.”
“You send them pictures all of the time, Yuuji. They probably know.”
Yuuji interlaces their free hands between them before leaning over to kiss Megumi’s shoulder. “Yeah but it’s different in person. Besides, I thought you never looked at the group chat, how would you know I send pictures of Datto.”
He catches the brief glance Megumi gives him. “I might look sometimes.”
“I knew it!” Yuuji practically bounces on his heels. “I knew you checked the chat more than you let on.”
“Yeah yeah yeah don’t advertise it okay?”
“Don’t worry, Fushi, I’ll keep your secret,” he beams.
Megumi’s eyes soften, the way they always do when Yuuji uses the old nickname. He squeezes Yuuji’s hand, and they continue toward their apartment.
They walk down the city streets, the familiar sounds of cars driving by and mindless chatter on the streets filling his ears. As they pass the konbini Yuuji often stops at before work, Yuuji catches Yoshida behind the register. The older man notices him through the window and gives him a small wave. He returns the gesture before his attention is drawn upward.
The sky is insanely beautiful right now. Ripples of purple and orange stretch across the horizon, remnants of the storm painting the clouds in soft, hazy colors. The pavement is still wet, reflecting the fading light in patches beneath their feet. The fresh scent of rain lingers in the air, mixing with the warmth of an early summer night. Yuuji slows without meaning to.
For a long time, he felt out of place—pulled in different directions and lost all the same. Like no matter where he went or who he was with, there was a part of him that couldn’t quite orient himself. That feeling’s not as heavy anymore. It doesn’t weigh him down in the same ways it used to. The grief is still there, and there are days it aches a little more than others. But there’s a sense of place now, one that doesn’t make him feel as guilty as it used to a few years ago. One he craved for so long.
“Hey.” Megumi’s voice pulls him from his thoughts, and Yuuji realizes they’ve stopped walking. “You okay?”
Yuuji looks at him—at his best friend, the boy he loves. “Yeah, why?”
“Nothing.” Megumi reaches up, gently swiping a bit of hair from Yuuji’s eye. It's a small gesture, one he does all the time, but it still makes Yuuji’s heart flutter for a moment. “You just had a funny look on your face.”
Yuuji smiles and wraps his arm around Megumi’s waist, pulling him close. The groceries jostle in his bag. “Really, it’s nothing. Just a nice sunset.”
Megumi bites his lip, a smirk playing at the corner of his mouth. “Yeah, I guess it is.” He looks up at the sky, then back down at Yuuji. “Should we get home before the groceries melt?”
Yuuji’s thumb rubs along Megumi’s back, and he leans in, pressing a kiss to his lips. Warmth shoots through his veins, and for a moment, the rest of the city seems to fade around them.
When they pull apart, Megumi gives him a fond, exasperated look. “Come on.”
Yuuji squeezes his hand when he interlaces their fingers, smiling as they start walking again. “Yeah, let’s go home.”