Archive of Our Own ^beta

1.

When Megumi was four years old, he remembers asking his step-mother about soul mates. There was a teacher at his school who had found her ‘match’, and they’d done an educational activity about it involving dyeing some string red and then tying it to one of the other kids. Megumi didn’t have a class partner, he was too shy, so the teacher improvised with him. 

His stepmother had simply said it’s something only boring people have, that they’re so undesired in every other way that the universe decides to help them out. She’d then laughed, saying that he could expect to have one, just like his father. Megumi had felt his little heart beat uncomfortably in his chest because his dad always said that his mother was his best friend before Megumi took her away from him. 

Upset, he’d padded away softly to his room, making sure not to bother asking her again. When Tsumiki had come home and found him in his bed, little tears in his eyes making puddles on his pillow, she’d hugged him and told him not to worry. 

“My mom is wrong, okay? I bet you have someone super pretty and brave waiting for you!” 

“Really?” Megumi’s wobbling voice came out so tiny and faint, Tsumiki kissed the top of his head clumsily and nodded enthusiastically. 

“Yeah! And she’ll have cool dresses, and huge eyes like that Pokemon you like!” Tsumiki grinned, little hands clutched at the front of her school uniform, eyes sparkling. 

“Will she be pink like Jigglypuff too?” Megumi asked, a small smile on his little face as he started to think about what his soulmate was going to look like. He likes dogs too, maybe she’ll have a thousand dogs?

The next day after school, he’d come home to a book on his bed about soulmates, a frog and a tiger. It had a little pink sticky note on it with Tsumiki’s handwriting - maybe she’ll be a tiger! :P 

2.

The second time Megumi ever brought up soulmates, he was eight and had an assigned essay about soulmates for elementary school. He’d quietly asked the teacher if there was an alternative he could work on, but she’d simply smiled and said that it was important everyone understood how wonderful life will be when you find your special someone. 

Admitting defeat, Megumi had gone home to find Gojo on the couch with Tsumiki, the both of them watching some kind of nature documentary about lovebirds - the animal that Tsumiki was the most obsessed with at the moment. She had posters, stationery, clothing, and plushies. Anything with a lovebird on, she had. Megumi always makes a disgusted face at them, but he always secretly hopes that she’ll find her soulmate and he’ll be so smart and rich that he can buy Tsumiki a huge mansion with whatever she wants. And funny, because his sister loves to laugh. 

“Megumi!” Tsumiki cheered, hopping off the couch to lift him into a hug, even though she’s only a little older than him and an inch taller, it’s always comforting. “How was school today?” 

“Gumi!” Gojo grinned from the couch, making jazz hands in the air. Megumi sticks his tongue out at him and gets the same in return. Gojo can be loud and really really annoying, but he helps them with the apartment and gets Tsumiki medicine if she’s sick so he’s really not all that bad. And last week, he’d even carried Megumi when he was tired. 

“It was okay.” Megumi shrugged, slipping his shoes off and onto the rack by the door. Gojo got him some new house slippers that have Pokemon on, Jigglypuff and Eevee. His little backpack, also Pokemon-themed, gets hung up on the back of the door on a hook that says Megumi in fancy Gojo-clan writing. “I have an assignment about soulmates. I have to write an essay.” 

Tsumiki made an ‘ooo’ noise as she squeezed his hand, leading him to the kitchen island and pushing a glass of orange juice towards him and a plate of onigiri. Megumi thanked her before demolishing the glass of juice, knowing it was the good and fresh kind that Gojo gets straight from a farm. 

“Gojo, do you think you have a soulmate?” Tsumiki asks, hopping up on the stool next to Megumi, swinging her little legs and propping her face up in her hands, elbows planted firmly on the table. 

“I know I do,” Gojo grins, turning on the couch to look at them, blue eyes peeking up above his sunglasses. There’s a weird look in them, but Megumi doesn’t press it. Instead, he summons his puppies, and throws little pieces of rice and seaweed under the table where Tsumiki can’t see. “He’s my best friend in the entire universe, we do everything together.” 

“What, really?!” Tsumiki almost shouts, making Megumi wince. The dogs whine, and she shoots an apologetic smile at them, before turning her full attention back to their guardian. “How come we’ve never seen him?” 

“He’s top secret.” Gojo winks, putting a finger on his lips and laughing as Megumi glares twice as hard at him. Tsumiki hurries over to him and starts laughing as he pinches her cheeks when she tries to peek at his open phone.

“If you love him so much, why do you keep him a secret?” Tsumiki asks genuinely, voice tinted with confusion that dissolves into laughter as Gojo tickles her beneath her ribs. 

“Sometimes, you have to protect the things you love. You’ll understand when you're both older.” Gojo says gently, letting Tsumiki continue her ‘sneak’ attacks. “It’ll all be better someday.” 

“Will you help me then?” Megumi calls over to them, nodding a ‘thank you’ as Gojo simply replies back ‘I’ll try, I guess.’. “It’s due tomorrow, by the way.” 

Gojo falls off the couch and Tsumiki cries in victory, hands in the air and cheeks red as she laughs tauntingly at him, holding up his phone. 

That night, Gojo tells them about Suguru Geto, his one and only. 

3.

Megumi is thirteen when Gojo takes him on his first mission. It’s a smaller town with a population in the low thousands. It’s night when they warp there, Megumi stumbling slightly and glaring when Gojo laughs. Apparently, people had been murdered and left wrapped in red string - the locals suspected a serial killer but Gojo knew it for what it was. A Grade Two curse. 

“Soulmates?” Megumi asks whilst they’re crouched next to the latest victim. He’s all tied up and contorted in a way that makes Megumi feel a little sick, but he doesn’t mention it in case Gojo warps him back home. His dogs are roaming the area, trying to sniff out any additional cursed energy trails. “The red string?” 

Gojo nods his head, knees groaning as he stands up, stretching as he goes. The white blindfold he usually wears has been traded for a black one that looks a lot more comfortable than bandages - Megumi almost compliments it before remembering how big Satoru Gojo’s ego already is. There’s a whoosh as Gojo uses a tiny amount of Red to destroy whatever's left of the poor guy. 

“A popular legend. The curse has taken on the common attributes of the story, of course the more twisted side is born from modern humans.” Gojo sniffs, a single finger propping his blindfold up and his blue eye gazing into the distance. Megumi knows he’s searching the area, but it’s still creepy. He shivers. “There’s a rumor that anyone born in this town is cursed to never find a soulmate.” 

“Is that even possible?” Megumi frowns, stuffing his hands in his pockets as he leans against the wet brick wall. White and Black are currently trying to get into Gojo’s pockets, where the treats are kept. 

“Of course not,” Gojo chuckles, pulling a couple of bone-shaped biscuits out of his pocket and tossing them in the air - cheering as the dogs jump up to try and snatch them out of the air. Megumi says it’s training for aerial curses, Gojo just thinks it's fun. “One of the old leaders around here rejected someone's advances on his daughter, and the ‘curse’ came about then. It’s nothing more than a folk tale, but the common fear of being alone has caused a nasty curse to form.” 

Megumi can understand it. Sometimes he feels as though he’s destined to be alone. He doesn’t really get along well with others. Not from lack of trying, it’s just that he’s fine being more quiet and laid back, and being a sorcerer makes you want to avoid public spaces where there’s most definitely curses. Being cursed with the ability to see kind of ruins it for you, which is why he’s glad Tsumiki can’t see things as twisted as what they’ve seen today. She still believes in the magic of soulmates, and he would rather die than see anyone take that away from her. 

“Right.” Gojo claps, breaking Megumi out of his thoughts and making the dogs tilt their heads in confusion, waiting for a command. “Wipe this sucker out, and then mochi on the way home?” 

Megumi just sighs, pushing himself off the wall and following Gojo as he whistles, playing with a small orb of Red. 

4.

Shortly after Megumi turns fifteen, he meets Kugisaki Nobara and Itadori Yuji. Of course, the two people he’d be stuck with for his classes every day would be the most energetic and outgoing people on the planet. Kugisaki is mean, she judges people before even letting them speak for themselves, but she’s incredibly talented with her technique. 

Itadori is. Well. 

Tsumiki shrieks when she sees a photo of them all together, Itadori towering over him and grinning with all his teeth showing, two fingers thrown up for bunny ears above Megumi’s head. Megumi winces at the noise, before grumbling a ‘what gives?’ and snatching his phone back. 

“He’s got pink hair!” Tsumiki squeals. 

“..Right?” Megumi narrows his eyes at her, looking back at the picture. He does like it, he doesn’t really take many pictures of himself but they’ve all become friends recently and it feels good to have some kind of representation of that. “He also ate a thousand-year-old finger. Did you hear that?” 

“So he’s heroic?” Tsumiki swoons, hands balled up and resting under her head at a tilt. Megumi just stares at her in utter disbelief. “Megumi, don’t you see?” 

Megumi stares at her for a moment, a million confused thoughts running through his mind. He barely knew Itadori, and he’d told Tsumiki as much. Yeah, they hung out more than he and Kugisaki did, but they were neighbours. Also, Itadori has all the Ghibli movies on DVD and he doesn’t, so it’s a practical friendship with trading of skills and materials (Megumi makes him cup ramen). 

“Um?” 

Tsumiki grins at him, nodding her head and going ‘uh huh!’, shooing her hands and waiting for him to respond to whatever great revelation she’s had. 

“He’ll be a good fighter?” 

Tsumiki groans, running her hands down her face, pink nails glinting in the light of the kitchen. Gojo has left to get them crepes, but they both know he’s really gone to see Suguru for a catch-up. 

“Nevermind. When can I meet him?” 

“What?” Megumi baulks, physically recoiling at the question. Tsumiki isn’t allowed on school grounds, not that that’s ever stopped Megumi. He conceals her in shadows and sneaks her into his dorm room all the time for sleepovers. He’s sure Nobara and her would get along, maybe Tsumiki would make her a little less mean, too. “Don’t you want to meet Kugisaki too?” 

“Oh, yeah, I guess,” Tsumiki hums, already scrolling on her phone, the little beads and charms she’s attached to the side with ribbons making clicking noises as she aggressively types. “Hey, you think they have Instagram?”

He manages to wrestle her phone out of her hand as soon as she manages to locate Itadori. 

“My sister wants to meet you two.” Megumi mentions one night, they’re all in Itadori’s room, sharing a huge pint of Neapolitan ice cream. Not his cup of tea, but it’s Itadori’s favourite, so he supposes he’ll try to get used to it. “Do you think you can both be nice for a single day?” 

Twin cries of indignation fill the room, as well as simultaneous “I’m always nice!” and “I’m just not nice to freaks like you two!”. 

Megumi rolls his eyes and continues to eat his ice cream. Tsumiki has always helped him through every stage of life, it’s only fair she gets to know his friends, the first close ones he’s ever had. 

“Have you guys heard of platonic soulmates?” Kugisaki asks, spoon still resting in her mouth as she flashes her phone at them, an article loaded up from some girl talk magazine. 

Itadori’s eyebrows scrunch on his forehead as he thinks of a response, and Megumi wants to both laugh and smooth them out. 

“Like the sea creature?” He asks confusedly, lips pursed as he looks at Kugisaki, who looks rightfully insulted. 

“Are you kidding?” She demands with a shriek, slapping her cold spoon on the back of his head. Megumi winces in sympathy. “Are you thinking of plankton ?” 

Megumi snorts into his ice cream, listening idly to the two of them fighting as Itadori defends his answer with ‘what kind of dumbass word is platonic?’. He does think about it though, what a nice thought. Of being tied into each other's fates but not necessarily being in love. He wouldn’t mind being tied to Kugisaki and Itadori, especially not the latter. Itadori can be loud, but he’s incredibly selfless and caring so Megumi knows he’d never have to worry about Itadori having his back. Kugisaki on the other hand, would throw him to the wolves for a cashmere sweater, but she’s equally as caring. She just knows her worth. 

“I’ve changed my mind,” Kugisaki seethes. “ You definitely aren’t a platonic soulmate. Fushiguro, I’m so sorry I lumped him in with you.”

“Apology accepted.” 

“ What ?” Itadori whines, resting his head on Kugisaki’s shoulder as she just huffs and pointedly looks away. “No way, Fushiguro ? He barely lets you touch him, I let you paint my nails all the time!” 

“It’s too late, Itadori. I opened up to you, and this is how you treat me.” Kugisaki sniffs. “You’re such a freak.” 

“That’s not very nice!” Itadori whines some more, shaking her shoulders with a ridiculous pout. 

Megumi just hides his smile in the collar of his hoodie as he listens to the other two arguing over who is more of a bully. Yeah, he’d happily accept that he has two platonic soulmates. He can’t wait to tell Tsumiki about it, she probably has some elder sister wisdom to share.

5.

Itadori is dead. He’d stood in front of Megumi, heart in his hands dripping with blood as he smiled, telling Megumi that he was sorry, and that he hopes he can have a good life despite ‘all of this’. Megumi had just stood there in shock, like an idiot, instead of just saying literally anything to ease Itadori’s transition to death. 

When he’d managed to drag Itadori to Ijichi’s car, he’d sat stoically in the back, silent as Ijichi kept asking him if he was okay, did he have any injuries. He did, something snapped that he didn’t even know he had. That saying about not knowing what you have until you’ve lost it, Megumi knows it must have been made by someone like him. So isolated and selfish to not realize exactly what Itadori was offering him - a happy, lively future. 

He hears Sukuna laughing when he dreams, and he gets visions of two ladies using shining silver scissors to cut a taut red string short on one side, dangling the other side from the scissors whilst laughing tauntingly. On a particularly bad night, Gojo sits on his bed, and extends his infinity, apologizing over and over. 

Shoko seems to think he’s going through something called “Broken Heart Syndrome”, but he’s sure it’s an accumulation of guilt and grief over what he didn’t admit to sooner. There’s something in Gojo’s eyes everytime he mentions Sukuna, but Megumi can’t bring himself to particularly care. 

It’s raining hard the night that Okkotsu visits his dorm. Big, fat droplets that give you a chill when they manage to catch you. Megumi finds peace in the rain, it was raining that night. The rhythmic sound of it all puts a stop to anything he’s thinking. However, when Okkotsu asks to come in, he can’t find it in him to refuse his senior. He’s always respected him. 

“Fushiguro, I wanted to offer you my condolences.” Okkotsu says with a sad smile as he sits on the edge of his bed, looking at Megumi who is sitting with his knees to his chest, back against the wall. “If I understand from what Kugisaki has said, you two had a deeper bond than you realized.” 

Megumi wants to laugh. Was it not obvious to everyone? 

“Yeah.” He replies hoarsely, instead. “We did.” 

“I’m sorry.” Okkotsu says genuinely, and Megumi realizes with a sluggish thought that he might actually understand what he’s going through. It must be so much worse to see your soulmate as a curse attached to you, instead of being able to grieve what you lost. 

“I’m sorry.” He replies back.

It’s been three days since Itadori came back, and Megumi hasn’t found a single thing to talk to him about. And as frustrating as it is, he can’t help but feel good whenever he finds himself around him. As it turns out, Suguru Geto had taken Itadori after he’d spontaneously woken up on Shoko’s morgue slab. Gojo had only known as much as Shoko had told him, which was nothing because she didn’t want to give Megumi false hope. He wanted to laugh in her face. 

Now, Itadori coming back is a miracle, and Megumi would tell Nobara that this was a fresh start for all of them, platonic soulmates. That she needs to treat him fairly, and spend more time with him, just like he should as well. 

But Megumi Fushiguro is a huge hypocrite, who can’t shake the feeling that nobody will ever really stay for him. One day, Gojo will move on to something else that he finds interesting and he’ll be that lonely kid again, waiting for someone, anyone , to help him move forward. 

It comes to a head when Megumi decides to walk the dogs. He summons them quickly, after an initial check for Yaga roaming the grounds, before sliding out of his door and heading for the koi pond. The dogs enjoy splashing through the water, but they would never harm the fish, so Megumi doesn’t see the harm. He makes it there in one piece, watching his shikigami with a faint smile, knees curled up to his chest again. 

“Isn’t it a bit late to be out?” Itadori asks, hands in his hoodie pocket, a small smile on his face. He looks nervous, rocking back and forth on his feet, and Megumi feels bad for letting him feel that way. 

“Not really.” Megumi counters, before scooching to the left and patting the wooden slats next to him. He’s always loved sitting on the miniature bridge, despite Tsumiki saying it’s improper. “You can’t sleep?”

“Nah.” Itadori simply says, watching the dogs with a smile. “You know, Geto and I talked about you a lot.” 

Megumi freezes. 

“About your technique, how you tried to face Sukuna,” Itadori continues, rambling with pink cheeks and wind-bitten lips. “How I didn’t realize that I’d miss you until I couldn’t see you.” 

“Itadori,” Megumi whispers. His chest is tight, there’s something warm that connects, and there’s a small smile on his lips. Somehow, he knew Itadori would feel the same way about him.

Itadori hums. He stands up and offers a hand to Megumi, who accepts it. 

“You know, I never understood the red string theory,” Itadori says as they’re walking back to their rooms. “D’you know anything about that?” 

Megumi huffs, rolling his eyes with a small smile. 

“I didn’t, but now I think I do.”

+1

“Platonic soulmates.” Suguru Geto muses, a hand framing his chin as Gojo inhales food next to him. He pats his back as the younger man inevitably starts to choke. “That’s a poetic thought, that we’re all intertwined no matter the context.” 

“It’s in Cosmopolitan,” Nobara replies with her mouth full, pointing chopsticks at him. “It means that Megumi and Yuji have to buy me stuff or I’ll die of neglect.” 

“What the fuck,” Megumi mutters out, poking at his egg with disinterest. He had already eaten, but he didn’t want to admit that to Tsumiki, who cooked them all a nice meal when she’d heard that Geto was visiting. 

“Yeah.” Yuji just replies, his mouth equally as full. “And she has to be nice at least two times a day.” 

“It’s a really hard trade,” Nobara sighs heavily, not even trying to hide her disgust with Yuji despite her being the exact same. “But, life is hard, right?” 

Megumi stares at her in complete disbelief.

“Noh, you can’t be serious right now.” 

Nobara sticks her tongue out at him, before nudging Gojo with her elbow, making him also stick his tongue out. Geto just sighs deeply, smacking the underside of his head. 

“Gojo knows what I mean. He has a platonic soulmate.” 

“What?” Yuji bursts out, leaning across the table to interrogate his sensei. “And you never told me? Dude, I thought we were friends.” 

It would be funny, if Yuji didn’t look genuinely heartbroken. Megumi pats the shoulder closest to him, already knowing where the conversation was going. He’s known as soon as he’d grown a consciousness. 

“Well, I guess I care about Shoko.” Gojo says with a shrug, glancing at Geto for back-up, who makes a face. 

“That is definitely what everybody wants to hear from a loved one. Well done.” 

“It’s how I know it’s not a choice,” Nobara continues her conversation with Geto. “You and Shoko are way better than that freak.” 

Gojo and Yuji pipe up then, immediately going to shut Nobara down, but Megumi lets out a bark of a laugh that shocks them so much that they sit in stunned silence before Yuji breaks into his own laughter and Gojo snickers. 

Tsumiki enters then, asking what she missed, but not before kissing the top of Megumi’s head and slipping a book down onto the table in front of him. The frog and the tiger, complete with a faded pink sticky note. 

Megumi smiles at her from across the table, and she just mouths ‘I told you so.’ gesturing at Yuji’s pink, messy hair.